The virus of mumps (mumps)

Epidemic parotitis (mumps) is an acute viral disease, which is characterized by the defeat of one or both parotid salivary glands. The causative agent was isolated in 1934 by K. Johnson and R. Gudpaschur from the saliva of a mumps patient by infecting monkeys in the duct of the salivary gland.

Morphologically, the virus is similar to other paramyxoviruses, has haemagglutinating, hemolytic, neuraminidase and symplast-forming activity. The genome is represented by a single-stranded unfragmented negative RNA, with a molecular weight of 8 MD. The virion contains 8 proteins; Supercapsid proteins HN and F perform the same functions as other paramyxoviruses. The virus multiplies well in the amniotic cavity of 7-8-day-old chick embryos and in cell cultures, better than primary-trypsinized, with the formation of symplasts. The antigenic structure of the virus is stable, no serovarians are described.

The virus is not very stable, it breaks down for several minutes when exposed to fat solvents, detergents, 2% phenol, 1% lysol and other disinfectants. Laboratory animals for the mumps virus are insensitive. Only in monkeys by introducing a virus into the duct of the salivary gland it is possible to reproduce a disease similar to human mumps .

Pathogenesis and symptoms of mumps

The pig has an incubation period, which averages 14-21 days. The virus penetrates from the oral cavity through the stenonovu (parotid) duct to the parotid salivary gland, where its reproduction occurs mainly. It is possible that the primary multiplication of the virus occurs in the epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract. When entering the blood, the virus can penetrate into various organs (testes, ovaries, pancreas and thyroid gland, brain) and cause corresponding complications (orchitis, meningitis, meningoencephalitis, less often thyroiditis, polyarthritis, nephritis, pancreatitis, severe forms of orchitis may cause subsequent sexual sterility). The most typical symptoms of mumps are: inflammation and an increase in parotid and other salivary glands, accompanied by a moderate increase in temperature. As a rule, in uncomplicated cases the mumps ends in complete recovery. Very often it is asymptomatic.

Post-infectious immunity is strong, prolonged, repeated diseases almost never happen. Natural passive immunity persists for the first six months of a child's life.

Epidemiology of mumps

Pig is found everywhere. The source of infection is only a sick person (including an asymptomatic form of the disease). It is contagious throughout the incubation period and the first week of illness. Children are sick 5-15 years (more often boys), however adults can be ill also.

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Laboratory diagnosis of mumps

Virological and serological diagnosis of mumps is used, using saliva, urine, spinal fluid, punctate glands. 7-8-day-old chick embryos or cell cultures are infected. The virus is identified by hemagglutination inhibition (haemadsorption), immunofluorescence, neutralization and complement fixation. Serological diagnosis of the mumps is carried out on the basis of the growth of antibody titer in paired sera of patients with the help of RTGA or RSK.

Specific prevention of mumps

According to the International Service for the Elimination of Diseases, mumps belongs to a group of potentially eliminated diseases. The main means for its elimination is the creation of collective immunity with the help of a live vaccine prepared from an attenuated strain (passages in chick embryos lead to a decrease in the pathogenicity of the virus for humans). The vaccine is administered subcutaneously once to children in the first year of life, the immunity is as persistent as the postinfectious one. To the category of potentially eliminated diseases are also rubella and measles. Therefore, for the elimination of kx, the use of trivalent vaccine ( vaccination against measles, rubella and mumps ) is recommended .