Vol 143, No 3 (2023)

The peculiarities of the influence of cytokines and metabolites of the systemic inflammatory reaction, stress-implementing and nutritional factors contributing to the transformation of the phenotype of the resident intestinal microflora with an increase in its virulence are described. From the perspective of gene expression, protein and phospholipids conformations, the influence of temperature as a signaling factor in increasing the virulence of the intestinal microbiome is considered. Evolutionarily formed mechanisms of expression of the maximum pathogenic phenotype of microorganisms and, thus, achieving an increase in their biomass and maximum dissemination through the microorganism compartments increases the probability of the commensals transmission to another biotope, i.e. increases the probability of their survival after the death of the host organism. To prevent bacterial translocation after the relief of critical conditions, early enteral administration of β-glucans in food mixtures, iron excretion, relief of inorganic phosphate deficiency, including by induction of alkaline phosphatase synthesis.

The main processes that characterize the post-COVID syndrome are analyzed as a version of the “prolonged” pathology of acute COVID-19. Considering the variety of manifestations of post-covid pathology, the main blocks of systemic, cellular and molecular dysregulations are distinguished. As the main reasons, the following are considered: the consequences of systemic and organ damage in the acute phase of COVID-19, the persistent activity of “hidden” pathogens and the altered status of the patient’s protective immune systems. Long-term pathology, as a multisystem syndrome, reflects disturbances in the main cellular and molecular regulatory systems: stochastic disorganization of immune responses, vascular endothelial dysfunction, cellular inflammation, imbalance of coagulation and antithrombosis systems, deviations in autoimmune processes, etc. These findings orient new cellular and biochemical targets for timely therapy. The varied nature of the symptoms suggests a selective use of therapeutic approaches.

Summing up the results of the long-term studies of population ecology and dynamics of small mammals for more than half a century (1966–2018). Small mammals are involved in the formation and functioning of natural-focil of human vector-borne diseases common in the North-Eastern Ladoga region. Encephalitis and tularemia circulate intensively in the Ladoga region under conditions of intensive anthropogenic transformation of taiga ecosystems. Local landscapes belong to the subzone of the middle taiga forests. Most of the studied species of small mammals are located in the northern periphery of this area. Here representatives of the native taiga fauna of Micromammalia constantly experience powerful anthropogenic pressure, which leads to a decrease in their abundance and correlation of the species. Of the total amount of 22 species of small mammals collected here, Sorex araneus and Myodes glareolus dominate. Next, the species prevalent (according to the degree of predominant species) in the counts are Microtus agrestis, Sorex minutus and Sorex caecutiens. Other species are relatively rare and appear in smaller numbers. Myodes glareolus has main role in the feeding of ticks and, accordingly, in the circulation of infections in nature, the differentiated contribution of individual intrapopulation groups in maintaining the number of vectors and the activity of pathogens. Shrews are important for the development of the larval stages of the tick. In the research area, were recorded total index of trap catch of abundance of small animals with trap lines from 0.34 to 18.5 individuals per 100 snap traps-nights (average of 7.8 ind.) and with pitfall traps recorded from 2.7 to 25.4 individuals per 10 ditch-nights (average of 14 ind.). This indicates that the studied area has smaller amount of mammals compared to other regions in Southern Europe. Nevertheless, the studies determine a rather tense epidemic situation in the studied area. Population of small mammals of boreal ecosystem steadily affect the mass feeding of carriers of natural focal infections.

The effect of the gonad development in the pike Esox lucius females on the quantitative parameters of the lysozyme, a component of nonspecific resistance, and the size of some the immune system organs was studied from September to April. The variability of the lysozyme concentration as an indicator of the amount of enzyme in a fixed dimension, as well as the total amount of lysozyme in the whole organ was evaluated. It is established that during the period of female maturation and gonad development the concentration of lysozyme in the serum and spleen significantly decreases. At this time, the size of the liver increases, and the spleen decreases, the kidney index remains unchanged. The concentration of lysozyme in the liver and serum is inversely correlated with the increase of the gonads, but the dependence on the gonads size is weak. The growth of the gonads and a significant increase in the size of the liver do not affect the lysozyme index of the liver, which reflects the total amount of the enzyme in this organ. It was found that the decrease in the enzyme concentration in the liver is proportional to the increase in the size of the organ. A direct relationship was found between the quantitative parameters of the lysozyme in the kidney and the total amount of the enzyme and the size of the spleen, therefore, a decrease in the concentration and total amount of lysozyme in the kidney may be a manifestation of the indirect effect of gonad maturation. The concentration of lysozyme in the serum showed a direct relationship with the water temperature of the water body, but such a relationship was not manifested in the organs. In the studied period, the quantitative parameters of the enzyme in the spleen and the relative size of the organ turned out to be more related to the water temperature than to the gonadosomatic index. The maturation of the gonads in females, combined with the external influence of temperature, has both a direct and indirect effect on the concentration of lysozyme in tissues. The concentration of tissue lysozyme as an indicator with a fixed dimension can be determined not only by the state of immunity, but also by changes in the size of organs. Determination of the total amount of lysozyme in the immune system organs increases the objectivity of assessing the influence of the physiological state of the organism on the nonspecific immunity of fish.

Digitalization (development of the information society) affects all aspects of our life, having an increasingly noticeable (both positive and negative) impact on the environment. Some information technologies in the field of ecology, directions, goals and objectives of digitalization of environmental knowledge and nature management in Russia are discussed.