Minsk Region Research Articles

Evaluation Yorkshire and Landrace breeds of pigs according to <i>PRKAG3</i>, <i>MC4R</i> and <i>MYOD1</i> marker genes

Purpose: evaluation of pigs Yorkshire rocks and Landraz onPRKAG3, MC4RandMyOD1markers.Materials and methods. The paper presents the analysis of the results of genetic testing, and determines the frequency of alleles and genotypes of Yorkshire and Landrace breeds at the State Enterprise ZhodinoAgroPlemElita" of the Minsk region of the Republic of Belarus by the genes-markers of productive traits:PRKAG3, MC4RandMYOD1. Zootechnical and molecular genetic methods were used in the research (PCR/PDRF). Snapshot analysis was developed for the genotyping of pigs to detect polymorphic markers of meat-feeding productivity of pigs on the GenasPRKAG3, MyOD1, MC4R. At the first stage, there was an assessment of tribal young (173 heads) on its own productivity in terms of indicators: the age of achieving the living mass of 100 kg, the average daily increase (d) from birth to the live weight of 100 kg, the length of the body (cm), the lifetime meat quality of the thickness of the scrape (mm), height of the longest back muscles (mm), the content of meat in the body (%). At the second stage of the research, the controlling fastenings of 200 goals of pigs and evaluation of feedst and meat qualities in the following indicators were carried out: the age of achieving a living mass of 100 kg (days), the average daily increase (d), feed consumption per 1 kg of growth (to. Units). Also determined: the length of the carcass (cm), the slaughter output (%), the thickness of the spick over 6-7 breast vertebrae (mm), the area of "muscular eye" (cm2), the mass of the rear third of the half carcass (kg), the flow of meat in the carcus (%). Then, genetic studies were compared with productivity indicators.Results. As a result of the research, it was found that in the tested animals, the frequency of the preferred allele I-PRKAG3made 0.171-0.288, A-MC4R– 0.243-0.315, and C-MYOD1– 0.064-0.477, respectively. The developed comprehensive system for assessing the breeding value of Yorkshire and Landrace pigs based on the marker genesPRKAG3, MC4R, andMYOD1allowed us to identify the preferred alleles and determine correlation with productivity traits that provided increase in the average population values: for self-productivity - by 2-4%, for fattening traits - by 2.7-12.5%, for meat traits - by 2.8-34.4 %.Conclusion. The use of integrated system in pig breeding will speed up the selection work to increase the indicators of fattening and meat productivity of the created breeding herds of Yorkshire and Landrace pigs.

Content of the main components of essential oil in the needles of Scots pine growing in geographic cultures

The aim of the research is to analyze the content of terpenes in the needles of trees of climatic ecotypes of Scots pine growing in geographic forest crops and to reveal the differences in the level of essential oils. The object of the research is 17 Scots pine climatypes growing in geographical plantations on the territory of the Negorelsk Educational and Experimental Forestry Enterprise of the Minsk region in Belarus. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of Scots pine needles essential oil was carried out by gas-liquid chromatography without preliminary fractionation on chromatograph "Kristall 5000.1". In the studied climatypes of Scots pine, different levels of essential oil content among monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and oxygen-containing groups were determined, as well as significant differences in the content of a number of components within the studied groups were revealed. The highest yield of essential oil is observed in the subspecies of the European Western Scots pine - 1.9%, slightly lower than this indicator in the forest-steppe subspecies (1.7%). This indicator was significantly lower in the European Eastern pine variety - 1.1% and the Siberian subspecies - 1.0%. The obtained data on the composition of essential oil and the ratio of a number of components among subspecies and varieties of Scots pine (subspecies: Lapland, Siberian, forest-steppe, European; varieties: European western and eastern) will further select the most promising climatic ecotypes and subspecies for selection resistance to biotic and abiotic environmental factors, taking into account the growth and productivity of stands. Information on the content of essential oil components in the needles of climatypes and subspecies of Scots pine makes it possible to expand knowledge in the field of plant resistance, their safety and growth, especially in the context of the outlined climate change. Key words: component composition, extractives, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, geographical plantations, climatic ecotype.

Academician Nikolai Nikodimovich Malinovsky (1921–2018) (to the 100<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the birth)

Professor Nikolai Nikodimovich Malinovsky was born on January 1, 1921 in the village of Zheltki, Vileisky district, Minsk region of Belarus, in a peasant family. In 1944, N. N. Malinovsky entered the Minsk Medical Institute and in 1948 graduated with honors. In 1954, he defended his thesis «Experimental observations during cardiac probing and angiocardiography». In 1957, he came to the Department of Hospital Surgery of the 1st MMI named after I. M. Sechenov at the invitation of B. V. Petrovsky, elected head of this Department. In 1964, N. N. Malinovsky defended his doctoral dissertation «Thrombosis of the left atrium and its ear in patients with mitral stenosis». In 1965, he was elected professor at the Department of Hospital Surgery of the 1st MMI, and in 1970, he became the head of the clinical department of the All-Union Research Institute of Clinical and Experimental Surgery of the Ministry of Health of the USSR (now FSBNU «Russian Scientific Center of Surgery named after acad. B. V. Petrovsky». N. N. Malinovsky’s scientific research was devoted to topical surgical problems, primarily cardiac surgery. One of the first in our country, he successfully performed embolectomy from the pulmonary artery. In addition, he was the author and co-author of more than 400 scientific papers, including 7 monographs, a practical guide to surgical diseases, one of the sections of the «Atlas of Thoracic Surgery», and a co-author of the monograph widely known among cardiovascular surgeons «Emergency Heart and Vascular Surgery» (edited by B. V. Petrovsky and M. E. DeBeiki). Academician N. N. Malinovsky – laureate of two State Prizes of the USSR (1985, 1987) and the Prize of the Russian Academy of Sciences named after A. N. Bakulev (2007), Honored Scientist of the Uzbek SSR (1979). For more than 25 years, Nikolai Nikodimovich worked as editor-in-chief of the journal «Surgery named after N. I. Pirogov», and also for many years was a member of the editorial board of the journal «Vestnik RAMS». Academician N.N. Malinovsky died on January 24, 2018 and was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow.

New data on the spread of the invasive species Dothistroma septosporum (Dorogin) M. Morelet in Belarus

Red band needle blight, or Dothistroma needle blight is one of the most common and harmful diseases of pine. The causative agents of the disease are pathogenic micromycetes Dothistroma septosporum (Dorogin) M. Morelet and Dothistroma pini Hulbary. Dothistroma needle blight was firstly detected in Belarus in 2012 year, but till now information about this disease in the republic is fragmentary. The article presents the results of a survey of different pine trees, carried out in the period 2016–2020 years in botanical and dendrological gardens, forest nurseries and mini-arboretums at forestry enterprises, urban stands, nurseries of decorative plants, garden centers, for the presence of Dothistroma needle blight. The species identification of the causative agent of the disease was carried out by mycological and molecular genetic methods. In this study, Dothistroma needle blight was revealed on individual trees of Pinus mugo, P. nigra and P. ponderosa in the stands of the Central Botanical Garden of the NAS of Belarus, the dendrological garden of the Glubokoe experimental forestry enterprise, in the nurseries of decorative plants in the Grodno and Minsk regions. In the collected samples of needles, the invasive species Dothistroma septosporum was identified. The frequency of occurrence of the pathogen was 4.8–7.2 %, the proportion of observation sites in which this disease was detected at 60 %. The detection of Dothistroma needle blight on pine trees, mainly on planting material imported from abroad, indicates a transboundary route of D. septosporum entering the country. Analysis of literature data indicates the potential danger of Dothistroma needle blight for pine stands in the republic, which in turn requires the organization of regular monitoring of the disease and the development of methods to limit the spread of D. septosporum in the republic.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ФЛОРИСТИЧЕСКОГО СОСТАВА И ХАРАКТЕР ЗАРАСТАНИЯ МАЛЫХ НЕПРОТОЧНЫХ ОЗЕР НАРОЧАНСКОЙ ГРУППЫ (БЕЛОРУССИЯ)

The flora of small non-flowing lakes of the Narach lake group located on the territory of the Narachanski National Park (Belarus, Minsk region, Myadelsky district) was studied. The taxonomic composition of the flora numbering 126 species of vascular plants belonging to 85 genera from 42 families was revealed. Three plant species which are included in the list of protected taxa in Belarus were found – Liparis loeselii (L.) Rich. (Lake Shestakovo), Aldrovanda vesiculosa L. (Lake Shestakovo) and Isoëtes lacustris L. (Lake Beloe). Based on the annotated list of species presented in the work, taxonomic, geographical, ecological-coenotic and ecobiomorphological analyzes of the flora of water bodies were performed. According to the taxonomic and environmental structure, the flora of the studied lakes is shown to be traditional for this territory. The differences in the flora of the studied lakes are mainly due to their trophic status and, to a lesser extent, due to the diversity of biotopes and the nature of the anthropogenic load. Information on the nature of overgrowing of these water bodies is provided.

Показатели мясной продуктивности свиней пород ландрас и йоркшир в зависимости от генотипов по генам MC4R, MYOD1, MYF4

Abstract. The need for effective DNA marking of the performance traits of animals is increasing every year, since the use of DNA markers in breeding can increase performance of animals by up to 20 %. This determines the relevance of scientific research in this area. Our paper presents an analysis of the results of genetic testing according to genes-markers for performance traits: MC4R, MYOD1, MYF4, held during 2019-2020. The subject of the research was populations of purebred young pigs of Yorkshire and Landrace breeds bred at the State Enterprise “ZhodinoAgroPlemElita”, Minsk region. DNA analysis was carried out in the laboratory of animal genetics of the State Scientific 1nstitution “1nstitute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus”. Zoology engineering and molecular genetic methods (PCR/RFLP) were used. 1t has been determined that the frequency of occurrence of the preferred allele A of the MYF4 gene in the animals tested made 0.126–0.298, A-MC4R – 0.184–0.345, and C-MYOD1 – 1.0–0.532, respectively. A comprehensive system for assessing the breeding value of Yorkshire and Landrace pigs based according to the МС4R, MYOD1, MYF4 marker genes, developed in the course of research, made it possible to identify preferred alleles and find correlation with performance traits, which ensured increase in the average population values: for self-performance – by 2–4 %, for fattening traits – by 2.7–12.5 %, for meat traits – by 2.8–34.4 %. The novelty lies in the fact that in our research we propose a cheaper method for detecting genetic polymorphisms associated with economically useful traits of pigs using the DNA technology of multilocus genotyping in multiplex reactions, in comparison with genomic analysis using chips (matrices) with 50–60 thousand of SNP.

Territorial distribution alleles of SSR-loci of chloroplast DNA of scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Belarus

Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is one of the main forest forming species in Belarus, which cover 49.2 % of the country’s forested area. The aim of the study was to investigate spatial distribution of microsatellite (SSR) alleles (chloroplast DNA) and identify the features of the genetic structure and genogeographic differentiation of P. sylvestris populations in Belarus. Molecular genetic analysis of six SSR loci of Scotch pine cpDNA in samples form 73 naturally originated stands was carried out. 35 allelic variants of loci PCP1289, PCP4507, PCP83314, PCP71987, PCP26106, PCP30277 were identified. The analysis of the geographic distribution of the dominant allelic variants showed that the population structure of the pine forest is rather homogeneous. Certain regional differences in a number of cases were found for less common, but also widespread variants. One group of alleles is characterized by an increase or decrease in the frequency of occurrence in the direction from the southwest to the northeast. Another group includes allelic variants which share is maximal in the zone covering the Grodno region, the southwestern part of the Minsk region and the Gomel region, while to southwest and to northeast from this zone their frequency of occurrence decreases or is absent. A number of alleles were found only in one of the analyzed stands or in a limited area, which may indicate their local origin as a result of spontaneous mutations. The obtained results are important both from a general biological point of view in studying the evolution and formation of the genetic structure of P. sylvestris in Belarus, and from a practical point of view, since they allow to improve the forest seed zoning of the species.

ЛЕПТОСПИРОЗ: ЗАБОЛЕВАЕМОСТЬ И РАСПРОСТРАНЕНИЕ СРЕДИ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ ЗА ПЕРИОД С 1990 ПО 2019 ГОДЫ

world and poses a serious threat to human health. Also relevant is the problem of animal disease with lepto- spirosis, which causes significant economic damage to countries. In the Republic of Belarus, human diseases with leptospirosis have been registered since 1944, when there were 2 large outbreaks of the disease in the Minsk and Mogilev regions. Currently, the epidemic situation for leptospirosis is characterized as unstable, which is due to the presence in all regions of the Republic of Belarus of natural and economic foci, as well as the formation of new persistent foci of infection both in rural areas and in cities. During the study period 1990—2019, from 4 to 55 cases of the disease were annually registered in the country. The average incidence of leptospirosis during this period was 0.27 per 100 000 population. It was relatively high in the eastern and southeastern regions: in the Mogilev region — 0.85 per 100 000 population, in the Gomel region — 0.49. A low incidence of leptospirosis is typical for the western and northern regions: in the Brest region 0.03 cases per 100 000 population, in the Vitebsk region — 0.05, in the Grodno region — 0.09. In the central region (Minsk region) — 0.11, in Minsk — 0.25. Long-term dynamics of morbidity is characterized by a pronounced reliable upward trend.

Język polski na Komarowszczyźnie: przeszłość, teraźniejszość, przyszłość (wnioski z badań terenowych w rejonie miadziolskim obwodu mińskiego na Białorusi)

The article is devoted to the situation of the Polish language in Kamarova (the village of Kamarova and neighbouring villages) located in the Myadzyel district of the Minsk region in the north-west of Belarus. It is a research area which appeared in my scientific interests for the first time in 2010, but was known to me much earlier, because I was born and grew up in this part of Belarus. My own memory and regularly conducted research of a linguistic and identity nature make it possible not only to describe the fate of the Polish language and Polishness in this region, but also to trace the changes occurring in the constantly changing reality over several decades. The illustrative material are fragments of autobiographical narra¬tives recorded during the exploration of the mentioned area.

COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF FOOT LENGTH AND SHOE SIZE IN MALE AND FEMALE ADOLESCENTS LIVING IN DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL ZONES

The purpose of the study is to compare the length of the left and right feet, as well as the shoe size in 19 year old adolescents living in different geographical zones. Foot-measuring device was used to measure the length of the foot in 222 people living in various regions of Belarus and the Southern Urals. We assessed the size of shoes worn by girls and boys. The study was conducted at the same period of day in the interval from 12.00 to 13.00, in the same microclimate conditions (room temperature +20 C, relative humidity – 51%, air velocity – 0, 2 m/s. The findings obtained show an increase in the length of the foot in 19 year old girls compared to the average values in this age group. The girls living in the Grodno region had a 0.47 cm longer foot than the girls living in the Brest region and 0.5 cm longer than girls living in the Minsk region. There are differences in the size between the left and right feet for the girls living in the Grodno and Brest regions: for girls from the Grodno region, the difference is 0.04 cm, and for girls living in the Minsk region – 0.02 cm. The average foot length of 19-year-old girls living in the Grodno region of Belarus differs significantly (p<0.05) from the foot length of girls in the Southern Urals. The difference makes up 1.5118 cm of the right foot and 1.6384 cm of the left foot. The feet in the residents of the Brest region (right 1, 1330 cm, left-1, 1616 cm) is longer than that of 19-year-old girls in the Southern Urals. The difference in foot length between girls from the Minsk region and the southern Urals is 1, 0358 cm for the right foot, and 1, 0814 cm for the left. The feet of boys living in Belarus is longer than that of the boys from the Southern Urals for the right foot by 0.7921 cm and for the left foot by 0.8957 cm. 19-year-old residents of the Grodno region wear shoes of a larger size than the girls of the same age from the Southern Urals.

RESEARCH OF PREVALENCE AND POPULATION STRUCTURE OF POTATOES VIRAL DISEASES IN MINSK REGION

The research results of prevalence and population structure of viral potatoes diseases in six main potato-growing districts of Minsk region are presented. A relatively favorable virological situation on potatoes is observed in Minsk region. The largest number of plants affected by viruses was noted in Slutsk region. The most suitable for elite potatoes seed production are in Puhovichi district – Republican Agricultural Subsidiary Unitary
 Enterprise «Experimental Base «Zazerye», in Molodechno district – Peasant Farming «Pakusha», in Minsk district – SE «Voshod», in Lyuban district – Agricultural Administration «Zagalskiy» OJSC «Mapid».

CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO SURFACE WASTE WATER DRAINAGE IN REGIONS OF MODERN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

Localization and removal of surface wastewater from the territory of a modern residential complex in the absence of a centralized sewage system is a difficult task that requires a comprehensive approach to environmental management of stormwater.
 On the example of the territory of ‘Zelenaya Gavan’ projected complex in Minsk region a principal opportunity is grounded and recommendations on treated surface wastewater disposal using atypical solutions, including filtering multifunctional
 elements of landscape design (landscape pond), filtering closed (underground filtration fields) tank designed for accumulation and further filtration of water into the ground, and then into the watercourse as a receiver of the entire
 volume of surface runoff taking into account the hydrological and hydrogeological features of the territory are developed.

A Statistical Assessment of Healthy Life Expectancy in the Regions of the Republic of Belarus

The cumulative potential of the sustainable innovation-driven development of the regions of the Republic of Belarus is proposed to be estimated by measuring individual sub-potentials (social, demographic, environmental-economic, investment) and subsequent modeling of the aggregate characteristics for each of the regions. It is argued that the health of the population is an important component of the social sub-potential and the necessary condition for the development of all other sub-potentials. Statistical assessment of health within the framework of the system of indicators of innovation-driven sustainable development of regions is proposed to be carried out using core indicators such as life potential and healthy life expectancy of the population. The article is devoted to a study of health in the regions of Belarus on the basis of healthy life expectancy (HLE), which reflects the average number of years lived by the population, taking into account their health status (as a rule, measured on the basis of representative surveys). That is, it is life expectancy estimated with account to the quality of the years lived. It allows to estimate the loss in life expectancy due to the deteriorating health. The article provides a statistical assessment and analysis of HLE dynamics for the population of Belarus at birth (and for specific ages) for 2005-2018. HLE in Belarusian regions are analyzed using Sallivan’s method. The healthy life expectancy of Belarusians at birth in 2018 was 68.09 years and increased by more than 10% (or 6.49 years) compared to 2005, with an increase occurred in each of the studied ages. It was revealed that although Belarusian women lived longer, they tended to give a lower life quality assessment than men (due to “poor” health). The gap between HLEs of men and women in 2018 was 6.78 years: women’s healthy life expectancy was 71.38 years, men’s – 64.60 years. At the same time, the loss in life expectancy resulting from poor health was 4.64 years for men and 7.98 years for women. Brest region and Minsk were the leaders in terms of HLE (both in 2015 and in 2018), Vitebsk and Minsk regions were among the outsiders in 2015 and Mogilev and Minsk regions – in 2018. At the next phase, the estimated indicators, together with the indicator of life potential of the regions, will be used as the basis for assessing the population’s health as part of the social sub-potential of the country regions.

Affect of Rhizotorphin on chlorophyll content and productivity of introduced soybean cultivars

Biotic nitrogen fi is a phenomenon mainly depended on mutualistic interrelation between host plant and root nodule bacteria. This interrelation affects photosynthesis and productivity of biological N-fixation and requires studies of biological particularities of grown legume cultivars and effectiveness of Bradyrhizobium strains used for seed inoculation. A field experiment was conducted on the territory of Nesvizhskaya Crop Testing Station (Minsk region, Republic of Belarus). Based on chlorophyll and nitrogen content in soybean leaves, number of nodules on roots of cultivars grown, and on quantity of nitrogen accumulated in plants, four soybean cultivars were assessed. The cultivar Pripyat (control) has poorly responded on inoculation, whereas cultivars Slavyankа an Sobrini responded well by increase of chlorophyll and nitrogen content in leaves and by larger number of root nodules. As a result, they produced unusually high seed yields. Therefore, these soybean cultivars may be recommended for wide use in regions of Belarus.

New data on bats species diversity in National Park Narochansky (Belarus). Vestsi Natsyyanal ’nai akademii navuk Belarusi

The results of fauna study of National Park Narochansky (Minsk region) during the field seasons 2019-2020 are presented. We performed bat captures using mist nets and also surveyed settlements with an ultrasonic heterodyne detector. 177 specimens of 9 species were captured, specifically: Eptesicus nilssonii (Keyserling et Blasius, 1839), Myotis brandtii (Eversmann, 1845), M. dasycneme (Boie, 1825), M. daubentonii (Kuhl, 1817), Nyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1774), Plecotus auritus (Linnaeus, 1758), Pipistrellus nathusii (Keyserling et Blasius, 1839), P. pygmaeus (Leach, 1825), Vespertilio murinus (Linnaeus, 1758). 11 settlements of bats were discovered and mapped within the study area. According to the mist net captures, the dominant species is P. nathusii, with subdominant M. daubentoniid; andM. brandtii with P. auritus as the rarest species. Other species had represented ratios of 2.7 to 9.5 % in the nets captures. Species E. nilssonii andM. brandtii are only represented by male specimens. We also report the first registered discovery of Myotis brandtii on the territory of National Park Narochansky, which is also the most northern registration of that species in Belarus. In comparison to the previous studies, we have confirmed the presence of several species with previously questionable local status: P. auritus, M. brandtii, M. daubentonii and V. murinus.

The Prevalence of Different Human Pathogenic Microorganisms Transmitted by Ixodes Tick Vectors in Belarus.

Pathogens transmitted by ticks cause several important diseases in humans, including Lyme disease, the incidence of which has been increasing in Belarus. Between April and October 2017, a total of 504 questing Ixodid ticks (77% Ixodes ricinus and 23% Dermacentor reticulatus) were collected from six regions and city of Minsk, in Belarus. All ticks were analyzed by RT-PCR amplification for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Anaplasma phagocytophillum, Ehrlihia muris, and Borrelia miyamotoi. B. burgdorferi s.l. and Rickettsia spp. were the most commonly detected tick-borne pathogens, with prevalence rates of 31.08% and 33.7%, respectively. A. phagocytophillum was found in 104 (20.63%), and 107 (21.2%) ticks were positive for E. muris. TBEV was detected in 83 (16.47%). Circulation of Borrelia miyamotoi spirochete in I. ricinus ticks in Brest, Gomel, and Minsk region was detected for the first time. Our data provide a basis for further studies to determine the distribution and abundance of different tick species in Belarus and therefore a capacity to predict where cases of important tick-borne diseases may occur.

The state of cellular immunity in children with recurrent respiratory diseases

In children with recurrent respiratory diseases, deviations from the norm of various parameters of the immunity system were determined in more than 85% of cases. The most part of children with indicators outside the range of reference values of the subpopulations of lymphocytes is determined at the age of 3-6 years. In children, a decrease in B lymphocytes (CD19+), as well as T-cytotoxic lymphocytes (СD3+СD8+), is accompanied by an increase in T cells (CD3+) and T helper cells (CD3+CD4+). The most frequent variants of combined disorders of the parameters of the cellular link of immunity were determined: a decrease in B-lymphocytes and an increase in T-cells and T-helpers - in 40.2% (206 out of 512 children); a decrease in B-lymphocytes and a decrease in T-cytotoxic ones - in 42% (215 of 512). Similar correlations between cellular immunity indicators in frequently ill children of Mogilev and Minsk regions were determined: positive Spearman correlation coefficients between CD3/CD4 and CD3/CD8 T- cells, negative-between CD4/CD8 T- cells. The proportion of children with indices of T- and B-lymphocyte subpopulations within the normal range is higher in children of the Minsk region compared with children in the Mogilev region for all the studied subpopulations of lymphocytes (P<0.05). There were no differences in the leukocyte-T-lymphocyte index between the two groups of children.

Iodine sufficiency among school age children of Minsk region (Belarus) in 2018

Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)

Development of ELISA test kits for semi-quantitative detection of anti-HEV antibodies in pigs in the Republic of Belarus

Viral hepatitis E infection affects up to 80-100 % of domestic pigs worldwide and is characterized by high seroprevalence among domestic pigs in temperate climate countries. Epizootic monitoring of HEV infection is insufficient in the Republic of Belarus due to lack of the required number of available and inexpensive diagnostic ELISA kits with good sensitivity and specificity. In this regard, research on development of domestic ELISA kit for semi-quantitative detection of antibodies to hepatitis E virus in pigs with subsequent assessment of seroprevalence to HEV in pig population in the Republic of Belarus is relevant. The results of studies on development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit for semi-quantitative determination of class G immunoglobulins to HEV in pig blood serum using recombinant proteins, including immunodominant amino acid sequences corresponding to the ORF2 and ORF3 proteins of HEV genotype 3 are presented in the paper. The optimal concentration for sorption of ORF2 and ORF3 proteins has been determined, which is 2 μg/ml and 1 μg/ml, respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity of this test kit makes 94.8 %, and the diagnostic specificity makes 100 %. Coefficients of variation being the criterion for assessing the intra-serial and inter-serial reproducibility of this test kit, make 3.5 % and 12.4 %, respectively, which allows to obtain reproducible results and identify specific anti-HEV antibodies in all positive samples of pig blood serum. When studying 1235 pig sera samples from various pig farms of Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk and Mogilev regions, seroprevalence of anti-HEV antibodies has been determined in 168 or 13.6 % of animals. The described diagnostic method can be widely used in science and practice for the further study of seroprevalence of anti-HEV. Acknowledgments. The research was carried out as part of the Interstate program of innovation cooperation of States - participants of the CIS up to 2020, with the financial support of the Ministry of education and science of the Russian Federation, the project ID RFMEFI61316X0 061, and the State Committee for Science and Technology of the Republic of Belarus.

MULTICULTURAL SETTLEMENT KASTYKI II IN THE VILIJA UPPER REACHES: RESEARCHES OF 1973, 2016 AND 2018

Kastyki ІІ settlement is the part of the complex of archaeological monuments located in the eastern part of the village Kastyki of Lyudvinova village council, Vileika district, Minsk region. It also includes the barrow cemetery of the mid-11th—12th centuries. The complex of archaeological monuments is located on the right bank of Vilija in 2.5 km from the confluence of Servač River.
 The first excavations at Kastyki were made by K. Tyshkevich who unearthed here one damaged mound which did not contain any burial and equipment. In 1973 J. Zviaruha made a plan of the necropolis and discovered 7 burial mounds in it. In 2016 M. A. Plavinski resumed excavations at Kastyki. As a result total area of 166 m2 was excavated, mound 4 was excavated, and the cultural layer of the settlement was explaned. In 2018 in order to clarify the limits of distribution of the cultural layer and its dating the pit of 12 m2 was additionally excavated.
 Materials from the excavation of the burial mounds suggest that belonged to a group of residents of the Polotsk land who made burials according to the rite of inhumation on the basis of burial mounds with their heads directed to the west. This, in turn, suggests that the members of the Old Rus community, which left the necropolis in Kastyki, had a certain understanding of the Christian burial rites.
 Analysis of materials excavated in 1973, 2016 and 2018 allows to determine that the multicultural settlement of Kastyki ІІ functioned for a long time. In the cultural layer under the mounds, in the intermound space, as well as in the reworked cultural layer which mounds consist of, the materials of the late Neolithic period and the early Bronze Age, vessels of the late hatched pottery culture and the second quarter of the 1st millennium AD, artifacts and pottery sets characteristic for the third quarter 1st millennium AD have been discovered.
 Despite the relatively small area of the excavations the fact of discovery of the settlement with the late layers of Hatched pottery culture and Bantserovshchina culture is of real scientific value, since such settlements, not adjacenting to the hill forts, have not been unearthed on the territory of Belarusian Vilija Region.