Ceskoslovenska epidemiologie, mikrobiologie, imunologie最新文献

The authors tested the plasmid profile of 11 and the toxicity of 16 strains of K. pneumoniae isolated in a neonatal department. Based on examination of the plasmid profile it may be assumed that very probably a nosocomial spread of the strains was involved. This is suggested by the identical plasmid profile of all strains isolated in the environment and five strains isolated from neonates. On investigation of the enterotoxicity of culture filtrates of the investigated strains the authors did not reveal the presence of a thermolabile or thermostable enterotoxin. In the skin test on rabbits 93.8% of the tested samples were positive. Morphological changes on Vero cells after 48 hours action were produced by four culture filtrates. Only two strains caused haemolysis of agar with 6% sheep and rabbit blood after incubation at 37 degrees C. Another 14 strains caused lightening of the agar with rabbit blood after subsequent incubation at 4 degrees C.

The population of stray cats in towns expands due to irresponsible behaviour of humans who allow them to enter cellars, hot water canals, store rooms etc. As a result of frequent feeding some specimens become tame, lose their shyness and on contact with humans and domestic animals they can become the source of some infectious agents. The most important of thus transmitted diseases is rabies. Cats become infected from foxes on rubbish heaps on the periphery of communities. More than 60% of cases of rabies of domestic animals are found in cats. Toxoplasmosis--cats excrete the infectious stage of the causal agent in their excreta. In the same manner also the agent causing intestinal salmonelloses is excreted. More than 5% cats are infected. Via excreta also the causal agents of toxocariasis are spread--the larvae of cat thread worms settle in the internal organs of humans (larva migrans). The assumed incidence in cats is as high as 50%, as suggested also by the high positivity of specimens from children playgrounds. Stray cats may be the source of agents causing various dermatomycoses and of ectoparasites.

The author emphasizes the fact that diabetics are also in the Czech Republic a group with a high risk of infection with viral hepatitis type B (VHB), i. e. in diabetics a higher prevalence of acute VHB is found, a higher prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HBs, and in diabetics chronic sequelae acute hepatitis are more frequent. The author recommends active immunization against VHB and to focus attention on the group most at risk, i. e. to examine in the Czech Republic all diabetics treated with insulin for the presence of HBsAg and anti-HBs and to immunize subsequently against VHB negative subjects from this group.

The identification efficacy of two systems, ENTEROtest 1 & 2 and ENTERO-Rapid (fy. Lachema a. c., Brno), was compared. A total 123 well known strains of enteric bacteria were tested. The ENTEROtest 1 & 2 system correctly identified 87.0% tested strains to the species level, the ENTERO-Rapid system correctly identified 76.4% of these strains.

In 1987 to 1990 in the South Moravian region 1094 lungs of small terrestrial mammals were examined for hantavirus antigen and sera of 525 rodents and 93 hares for antibodies against these viruses. In the majority the materials were not from the same individual. Lungs were examined by the ELISA method, antibodies were assessed by the indirect immunofluorescence reaction. An antigen resembling the western subtype (Puumala) was found in 65 animals (5.9%) of two rodent species (Microtus arvalis--63 times and Apodemus flavicollis--twice) in 20 localities. Antibodies against this subtype were detected in 25 examined individuals (4.0%) of four species (Microtus arvalis, Apodemus flavicollis, Pitymys subterraneus and Lepus europaeus) from eight localities. A marked predominance of positive findings was obtained from Microtus arvalis which under conditions of the South Moravian region can be considered the main host of hantaviruses of the western subtype. Only in one specimen of Clethrionomys glareolus from Hrbov antibodies against the eastern subtype were detected (Hantaan). Hantaviruses form in Southern Moravia natural foci of the avector type, in particular in perennial fodder crops, most frequently with a mesophil character of the site. The foci were found most frequently at sites of assumed borderlines of natural meadow forests of the Alno-Padion type and woods of the Carpinion betuli, Quercion robori-petreae and Fagion silvaticae type.

The authors describe the course of an explosive epidemic of viral hepatitis B (VHB) where all members of a seven-member family contracted the disease. The probable source of infection was an infant with a history of anicteric VHB with transition into chronicity and with HBs and HBe antigenaemia. Four members of the family contracted the disease between the 126th and 172nd day after his return from hospital to the family and another two members of the family contracted the disease three months later. Generally accepted risk factors for transmission of VHB could be ruled out. Saliva is suspected as a transfer factor of the disease. Five children had the anicteric form of VHB with an atypical but protracted course, in two with probable development of a chronic character of the disease. Adult patients had the icteric form of the disease. All cases were diagnosed by biochemical examination and confirmed by a positive finding of HBsAg and/or a positive finding of anti HBs antibodies.

During the period between 1986 and 1989 in the region 1311 people working in forestry were vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis by the inactivated Soviet vaccine. Only some of the people had prevaccination examinations only in some reactogenity of the vaccine was investigated as well as the persistence of humoral antibodies one and two years after the basic vaccination. These examinations in some of the vaccinated subjects were made in autumn 1986 and spring 1987. After two doses of vaccine in the haemagglutination-inhibition test (HIT) the seroconversion was 77% (of 182 evaluated) with a geometric mean of 37.9. One year after the primary vaccination in 53% of the examined subjects the titre of humoral antibodies dropped to negative values. Two years after the primary vaccination in the HIT antibodies were detected in 44% of 57 examined subjects. None of the immunized subjects contracted tick-borne encephalitis.

Alphahaemolytic uropathogenic strains of E. coli (UPEC) belong mostly into the serogroup 04, 06, 018 and 075. UPEC are resistant against antibacterial substances and against the bactericide action of serum. Properties which condition the virulence of these strains are also colicin and siderophore production.

The new identification system STREPTOtest (fy. Lachema, Brno) was evaluated. A total 118 well-known strains of genus Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Aerococcus, Stomatococcus and Gemella were tested. The STREPTOtest system rapidly and reliably distinguished genus Enterococcus from genus Streptococcus. This method identified correctly to the species level 65.9% of enterococci strains and 52.5% of streptococci strains. The STREPTOtest was used for identification of A. viridans and S. mucilaginosus and it was possible to separate these strains from similar ones. A new differentiation chart for identification of all 13 recently described enterococcal species was proposed.

The objective of this review is to describe some recent methods which are used to examine the specific and non-specific cellular defense of the body. Greatest attention is devoted to methods which are not mentioned in the publication "Selected diagnostic methods in medical immunology" by J. Procházková (Prague, Avicenum 1986). The article summarizes data from the literature on recent examination methods of various parameters of cellular immunity such as detection of surface membrane antigens of immunocompetent cells, examination of cytotoxic activity, blastic transformation and activation of cells of the immune system.