Zentralblatt fur Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene. Erste Abteilung Originale. Reihe B: Hygiene, praventive Medizin最新文献

An increase in using surface water and bank filtration processes as raw water for drinking water production sometimes gave rise to problems of bad taste and odour. Some of these odourous compounds may be produced by bacteria, especially Streptomyces species. They are able to pass active carbon filters and therefore are a problem as well in raw water as in treated water. Biogenic odourous compounds often are soluble in water, that means they are present without being fixed to the bacteria cell. Human nose is able to percieve even dilutions of about 10(-9). If a bacterial produced substance is compared with an equal smelling chemical substance such as Isoborneol, also diltuions of 10(-9) may be smelt. Gas-chromatography only detects concentrations up to 10(-5), so the nose is much more efficient.

Nonpregnant and pregnant rats were continuously exposed for 3 weeks to an aerosol containing 1, 3 and 10 mg lead/m3 air and to a combination of 3 mg Pb/m3 and 500 ppm carbon monoxide. At the two lower lead doses, fetal blood lead levels exceeded those of the mothers. Active transport mechanisms were discussed to be responsible for these differences. A decrease of the fetal blood lead level below the maternal level in the high exposure group was explained by an increasing storage capacity of the fetal livers with increasing lead doses. Lead concentrations of the maternal livers exceeded the nonpregnant values at all 3 doses, probably caused by a higher ventilation and altered pharmacokinetics of lead in pregnancy. Additional CO-inhalation lowered the storage capacity of the livers of the adult animals and raised the blood concentration. In the fetuses additional CO-inhalation raised liver lead concentrations.

120 water samples taken during 1972 and 1973 from 8 profilen of the Danube as well as 15 samples taken from the Morava and the Váh rivers have been examined for salmonella contamination. Salmonellas were present in 60-93.3% of examined water samples taken along the whole Czechoslovak section of the Danube. The results point on the longterm survival of salmonellas and consequently their long-distance contribution by the Danube. We recovered altogether 769 salmonellas belonging to 11 serological groups and to 55 serotypes and lysotypes. The most frequent serotypes were S. enteritidis, typhimurium, agona, derby and panama.

In a clear water reservoir built in ready construction after a working-period of five months quite a lot of slime could be found on the expansion joint filled with tightening compound on the base of Thiokol. The covering slime could be removed easily with a rubber-screen. The microbiological analysis showed an extremely high number of colonies and additional the slime was secondarily settled with Protozoa. An influence on the water in the reservoir could not be found out under working conditions.

Pregnant and nonpregnant rats were exposed for 21 days to an aerosol containing 1, 3 and 10 mg lead/m3 air and to a combination of 3 mg Pb/m3 and 500 ppm carbon monoxide (CO). Pregnant and nonpregnant rats exposed to uncontaminated air served as controls. The activity of the fetal delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) was less inhibited by lead than the maternal activity. Furthermore, the degree of inhibition was highly reduced in the fetuses by additional CO-inhalation, whereas in adult animals the depression of the ALA-D was accentuated by additional CO-inhalation in accordance with epidemiological data. Therefore, it is concluded that the mode of plumbic inhibition of the ALA-D activity differs in fetuses from that in adults. Furthermore, the adaptation to the inhibition of the ALA-D by de novo synthesis of this enzyme was less in fetuses than in adult rats. The high lead aerosol concentration reduced hematocrit and body weight of the fetuses, but it did not influence these parameters in adult rats, thus pointing to a higher lead-sensitivity of the fetal than the adult organism. A stronger inhibition of maternal ALA-D activity than of the activity of nonpregnant animals possibly indicates a higher susceptibility to lead in pregnancy.

The outbreak of meningitis during the period from the end of August to the beginning of October 1974 in Kiel affected 45 children, particularly those in the age group between 4 and 9 years. An potential causative agents ECHO viri were identified in 15/45 cases and Coxsackie B viri in 2/45 cases. The patients presented the typical meningitic symptoms (fever, headache, stiffness of the neck). In all cases the disease ran a benign course. - Epidemiologically, it was possible to trace 32/45 cases back to three locally demarcated groups with demonstrable possibilities of contact for the diseased children (family, playground, kindergarden and school). The remaining 13/45 cases occurred isolated over the urban area without any visible connection. - This outbreak of meningitis must be regarded as an accumulation of illnesses resulting from contact infections by enteroviri and lacking or deficient disinfection. Besides the rather limited measures adopted to prevent the spread of such an infection, the correct psychological management of the population especially by the health authorities is of great importance in such epidemics.

Bacteremia following endoscopy of the gastrointestinal tract in patients with impaired resistance even fatal septicemia has been reported. Transmission of pathogenic bacterias via endoscopes has been described. We could demonstrate a considerable high number of gramnegative bacteria obtained from biopsy channel of fiberendoscopes after conventionell cleaning of the instruments. In seven different endoscopy units we found high bacterial contamination of all 22 fiberendoscopes. Pseudomonas aeruginosa in concentrations up to 4 X 10(6)/ml was cultivated on the instruments including cleaning utilities (flasks etc., Table 1). The new apparatus we demonstrate here has the advantage of cleaning and disinfecting the endoscopes. One or two endoscopes are placed into a U-shaped pipe which is interconnected with a pumping system. In this automatic apparatus a disinfectant which recycles through all channels is used (Fig. 1). We investigated solutions of 2% glutardialdehyde, of 5% succindialdehyde respectively 1% peracetic acid. Disinfection of instruments was effective. No bacteria could be detected in material obtained from biopsy channels, HBsAg also could not be detected on the instruments after this procedure. The use of dialdehyde is recommended.