The laboratory for infections with a natural reservoir

TAMARA VASILIEVNA AMVROSIEVA
Head of the laboratory
Grand Ph.D. in Medical Sciences, Professor
Phone: +375-17 356 08 97
Fax:+375-17 373 81 75
E-mail: amvrosieva@gmail.com

Brief scientific biography
In 1979 she graduated with honors from the Minsk State Medical Institute. Since 1979 to 1981 worked as a junior researcher at the Belarusian Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. In 1981-1984 she studied as a full-time postgraduate at the Institute of Virology named by D. I. Ivanovsky in Moscow. After graduation in 1984 under the leadership of Professor V.I. Kaverin and Grand Ph.D. of Medical Sciences E.I. Sklyanskaya she defended her Ph.D. thesis on the topic "Synthesis and interaction of virus-specific macromolecules in mixed influenza infection" in the specialty "Virology".
Since 1985 till now she continues her work at the Belarusian Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, which is now the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, as the head of the laboratory.
In 1994, under the guidance of Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Full Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the National Academy of Belarus V.I. defended her Grand Ph.D. thesis on the topic "Viral infections as risk factors in atherogenesis" in the Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitis named after M.P. Chumakov (Now is a part of Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-Biological Products, Moscow).
In 1995 she received the degree of Grand Ph.D. in Medical Sciences (specialty "Virology"), and in 2009 - awarded with the academic title of Professor (theoretical and experimental medicine).
Since 2015 she is the head of the Republican reference laboratory for the diagnosis of intestinal viral infections and sanitary virology. All her career T.V. Amvrosieva devoted to research work related to urgent problems of medical science and practice in the field of infectious diseases, clinical and sanitary virology, molecular biology and epidemiology, laboratory diagnostics, ecology of viruses, biotechnology.
In her work, she pays great attention to scientific, methodological and technological support of the activities of practical health care institutions. Under her leadership and with direct participation, modern diagnostic schemes and molecular-epidemiological monitoring of intestinal and enterovirus infections have been developed and introduced into practice. A national system of sanitary and virological quality control and assessment of the epidemiological safety of various types of water and food use has been created. Technologies have been developed and the production of more than 15 names of diagnostic and sanitary-virological drugs relevant for Belarus has been established, most of which have no imported analogues and are in demand not only in our country, but also abroad. The latter include created and highly demanded in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic diagnostics for detecting antibodies to the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
One of the most important priorities in the work of T.V. Amvrosieva are fundamental scientific researches in the field of studying new, previously undiagnosed in our country viral infections, such as polyomavirus, parechovirus infections, viral hepatitis E. New scientific knowledge concerning the etiopathogenetic contribution of viral agents to the development of cardiovascular diseases and infectious complications after organ and cell transplantation. Currently, studies have been launched and are actively being carried out to study the characteristics and features of the development of the humoral immune response in the context of the epidemic incidence of COVID-19.
T.V. Amvrosieva is the author of more than 550 publications published in national and foreign scientific publications, 4 patents, more than 30 instructional and methodological documents on new methods of medical care. Under her leadership, 6 Ph.D. of sciences have been prepared, 2 Grand Ph.D. and 2 Ph.D. theses in the specialty "virology" are being carried out. Scientific achievements in the field of medical science are adequately presented at various national and international conferences and exhibitions, congresses and symposia. For many years she has been an expert in a number of international scientific projects.
For many years of fruitful work, high professionalism, significant contribution to the development of medical science and national health care, training of scientific and pedagogical staff of the highest qualification, T.V. Amvrosieva has been repeatedly awarded with the Honorary Diplomas of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, the Higher Attestation Commission of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus. She joined the number of famous scientists of the Republic of Belarus, whose activities are noted in the Belarusian Encyclopedia (Minsk, 2004, book 1).

The achievements of the laboratory are the result of the fruitful scientific and practical activities of the following employees of the past and present staff of the laboratory: Grand Ph.D. in Medical Sciences, prof. Amvrosieva T.V., Ph.D. in Biological Sciences Paklonskaya N.V., Kazinets O.N., Bohush Z.F., Ph.D. Dyakonova O. V., Ph.D. in Biological Sciences Dedulya K.L., Ph.D. in Biological Sciences A.A. Bezruchko, Ph.D., Assoc. Prof. Orlova S.V., Baranovskaya L.N., Kurganovich V.M., Grinkevich P.I., Khilo A.N., Ph.D. in Medical Sciences, Assoc. Prof. Kishkurno E.P., Shilova Yu.A., Arynovich A.S., Kaltunova Yu.B., Belskaya I.V., Yudenkova T.V. etc.


Laboratory for infections with natural reservoir (2021)

SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY
Basic directions:

• development and practical introduction of new methods, technologies and algorithms for the indication and identification of viruses with a natural reservoir (VNR) in clinical material and environmental objects (water, food, objects of the human environment);
• molecular-epidemiological monitoring (surveillance) of circulating VNR on the territory of the country at levels of population and environment;
• scientific research on the problems of etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and molecular epidemiology of VNR and infections associated with the medical care provision;
• development and practical introduction of adequate criteria for virological assessment of water and food quality on the subject of human health concerning pathogenic viruses.
• scientific and experimental substantiation and development of technologies and methods for integral assessment of health risks associated with water use and food products;
• sanitary and virological monitoring of pathogens of emerging and new viral infections at the l external reservoir level, including COVID-19;
• study of the etiopathogenetic contribution of infectious pathogens to somatic pathology (heart and vascular diseases) and to the development of post-transplant viral complications;
• study of the characteristics and features of the development of the humoral immunity to the new coronavirus;

INNOVATIVE AND PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES, HELP FOR PRACTICAL HEALTH CARE
Basic directions:

• development of modern biotechnologies and the creation of diagnostic and sanitary-virological preparations for the indication and identification of VNR in biological material, water, food products, washes from objects of the human environment;
• mastering and extension of production of previously created medical devices within the confines of laboratory support for etiological diagnostics of viral infections and state sanitary surveillance in the country;
• etiological decoding of outbreaks and group morbidity of enterovirus and intestinal viral infections, establishment of ways and factors of their transmission;
• advisory and methodological assistance to regional practical laboratories with staff training at the workplace;
• organizing and conducting of seminars on the supervised problems for practical health experts.

Technologies and the production of about 20 types of diagnostic means and sanitary-virological medical products have been developed, most of which have no foreign analogues and are successfully exported to neighboring countries, which fully meet the needs of the native laboratory service.

EXPERT ACTIVITY
The laboratory for infections with a natural reservoir is part of the laboratory service of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, accredited according to ISO / IEC 17025-2019 in the field of detecting RNA / DNA viruses in human biological material and water, and carries out the relevant expert activities.

The Republican reference laboratory for the diagnosis of intestinal viral infections and sanitary virology was created on the basis of the Order No. 353 of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus dated 03.04.2015 in order to improve the epidemiological surveillance of intestinal viral infections in the Republic of Belarus, the efficiency of use of medical products, the use of high-tech equipment, the provision of assistance to practical health care. The reference laboratory goals:

• scientific, organizational and methodological support for the implementation of effective laboratory control, including molecular-epidemiological monitoring, for the circulation of pathogens of intestinal viral infections on the territory of the Republic of Belarus using the latest achievements of medical science and practice;
• improving the efficiency of medical laboratories and maintaining a high professional level of their staff;
• development and practical introduction of instructional, methodological and regulatory documents on the organization and implementation of laboratory monitoring of the circulation of pathogens of viral intestinal infections among the population and in the environment;
• standardization of laboratory research, unification of information processing and analysis methods, introduction of standard laboratory and epidemiological research methods;
• development and implementation of new modern diagnostic and sanitary-virological means;
• monitoring of the activities of support bases with an assessment of the quality of their research in the field of diagnostics of supervised infections and sanitary virology;
• • training and education of medical practitioners on supervised issues.

ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF APPLIED RESEARCH
Based on the developed methodological base (about 40 relevant regulatory documents in the field of sanitary legislation and clinical diagnostics were developed and implemented), a national system of sanitary and virological control of the quality of waters of various use and food products including the assessment of the degree of their epidemic safety for human health. Modern technologies have been developed for the production of effective means for the indication of viral contamination of environmental objects. An effective system of laboratory control and molecular-epidemiological monitoring of pathogens of previously poorly studied intestinal viral infections (entero-, noro-, rota-, sapo, adeno-, parecho-, astroviral, etc.) at the level of human population and epidemically significant environmental objects (water, food, human habitat) has been developed. The molecular-epidemiological features of the circulation of the dominant causative agents of enterovirus infection and acute intestinal infections, including these of "unknown" etiology, have been studied.
Modern methods and algorithms have been developed for the diagnosis of little-known, previously undiagnosed infections in the country (parecho-, polyomavirus infections, viral hepatitis E), as well as viral complications in kidney transplants and hematopoietic stem cells in adults and children, including little-known (caused by human herpes viruses 6A, 6B, type 7) ones. A bank of endemic passportized enteroviruses of a non-polio nature as well as a database of circulating genotypes of noroviruses and pathogens of intestinal viral infections associated with the medical care provision have been created. Nucleotide sequences of more than 150 enteroviral and intestinal viral agents (noro-, rota-, parechoviruses) have been deposited in the international GenBank.
In the field of socially significant fundamental research, new scientific knowledge about the molecular genetic characteristics of pathogens of VNR infections that are relevant for the republic has been obtained, the VNR phylogenetic relationships have been studied at the level of the country and the world. The contribution of a number of infectious agents as risk factors to the etiopathogenesis of heart and cerebrovascular diseases has been established. Priority data were obtained on the etiology of viral complications after organ and cell transplantation, the features and characteristics of the humoral immune response to the causative agent of COVID-19 development in the context of an ongoing pandemic.

INNOVATIVE AND PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES, HELP FOR PRACTICAL HEALTH CARE
Technologies and the production of about 20 types of diagnostic means and sanitary-virological medical products have been developed, most of which have no foreign analogues and are successfully exported to neighboring countries, which fully meet the needs of the native laboratory service.

The most relevant for practical health care are:

• KIT FOR DETECTION OF TOTAL ANTIBODIES TO SARS-CoV-2 CORONAVIRUS BY ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY “SARS-CoV-2-РекИФА-АТ”
• KIT FOR DETECTION OF ANTI-SARS-CoV-2 IgM AND IgG BY ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY «SARS-CoV-2-NP-ИФА-М»
• KIT FOR DETECTION OF ANTI-SARS-CoV-2 IgM AND IgG BY ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY «SARS-CoV-2-NP-ИФА-G»
• RECOMBINATION TEST-SYSTEM for DETECTION of ENTEROVIRUSES ANTIGENS by ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY METHOD
• DIAGNOSTIC KIT FOR DETECTION OF ANTI- ENTEROVIRAL M -CLASS ANTIBODIES BY ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY

Kits for sanitary virology

• KIT FOR ABSORPTION AND CONCENTRATION OF VIRUSES FROM WASTE, SURFACE WATER, WATER-SUPPLIES AND UTILITIES
• KIT FOR ABSORPTION AND CONCENTRATION OF VIRUSES FROM DRINKING WATER
• KIT FOR CONCENTRATION OF VIRUSES FROM PRE-PACKED WATER AND FOOD EXTRACTS
• KIT FOR ABSORBTION AND CONCENTRATION OF VIRUSES FROM SURFACE WATER, WATER SOURCES AND WELLS
• KIT FOR EXTRACTION AND CONCENTRATION OF VIRUSES FROM FOOD PRODUCTS
• Multiplex real-time PCR kit for indication of viral contamination of environmental

PCR diagnostics

• Real time PCR Norovirus II cDNA Kit
• Real time PCR Enterovirus RNA Kit
• Real time PCR BKV DNA Kit
• Kits for genetic diagnostics of intestinal viral deseases and sanitary virology “ОКВИ-ПЦР”
• Kit of reagents for the quantitative detection of DNA BK virus (BKV), JC virus (JCV) and adenoviruses (AdV) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with hybridization-fluorescence detection "BKV-JCV-AdV"