Zentralblatt fur Bakteriologie, Mikrobiologie und Hygiene. 1. Abt. Originale B, Hygiene最新文献

Multiple matched cases of shiftworkers, dayworkers and drop-outs, (N = 301) were split into four groups corresponding in age and years at work. Data concerning different parameters of health and wellbeing were collected by means of medical case histories, check-ups, questionnaires and interviews. Time contingent effects of health deterioriation were analysed. In terms of an overall score ("Health Score") in shiftworkers health was found to decrease with age markedly; the difference to dayworkers got significant from the 12th year of work exposure onwards. This finding can be ascribed to a high rate of sleep disturbances and a pronounced reduction of wellbeing (already present in younger workers) as well as to a significant increase in morbidity concerning gastrointestinal and cardiovascular ailments. Corresponding rates of doctor's consultations and drug intake increased with age and work exposure. Subjective ratings of work conditions suggest marked mental and emotional stress components. In dayworkers a destabilization of health was found which was marked for the middle age; the health score, however, was still significantly better than that of shiftworkers in all age classes. There was evidence of an excess rate for respiratory illnesses. In drop-outs less adverse conditions of health and wellbeing than in shiftworkers were found. But health was more deteriorated than in dayworkers. Having dropped out of shiftwork means an improvement of gastrointestinal and nervous symptoms; the cardiovascular disorders, however, remain high.

Automobile exhaust condensate of a passenger car (gasoline engine) was separated into fractions of 2-3 rings containing -, 4-7 rings containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and PAH-free fractions. All fractions were tested for mutagenicity by the Ames system. The highest dose-dependent increase in revertant colonies was found for the 4-7 ring PAH-fraction when tested with Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100. These results are compatible with data obtained in in-vivo tests by previous investigations. The mutagenicity of these fractions in the absence of the oxygenase was negligible.

In February and March 1984, Cryptococcus neoformans was detected in the manure and ambient air of a volery in the Berlin Zoo in which a Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) was kept. Both times, 5 colony-forming units of Cr. neoformans could be isolated on the differential medium, Guizotia abyssinica creatinine agar, from 40 1 of air aspirated by the Reuter Centrifugal Sampler (RCS). The absence of a concurrent growth of moulds was found to be of special importance for the optimal isolation of Cr. neoformans on the above mentioned agar for purposes of epidemiological research into airborne dissemination of the fungus. The advantages and disadvantages of 0.1% biphenyl to inhibit concurring growth of moulds are discussed. The control of habitats and foci of Cr. neoformans in zoos and similar establishments is considered a necessity, to prevent inhalatory exposure of susceptible, e.g. immuno-compromised persons.

Refined steel plates coated with different materials that contained available organic compounds led to a microbial growth on the surface. Even plastics and bitumen which were used in the sphere of drinking water showed after an exposure time of three months up to 192 ml slime per square meter. The number of viable bacteria within the Aufwuchs was in the range of 10(7) cfu/ml. The production of slime increased with time. The relation of carbohydrate and protein content significantly changed from 2 at the beginning to 30 after 12 months of incubation the bitumen coating test plates. This indicates an increase synthesis of carbohydrate containing extracellular polymeric substances during the late phase of growth. The bacteria isolated from the Aufwuchs mainly belonged to the genera Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Acinetobacter, Caulobacter, sheated bacteria and other gramnegative physiologically nonreactiv roads. During exposure of the plates the relation changed within the bacterial communities of the main groups. Comparing the bacteria communities of inlet and outflow water it became evident that the later one was influenced by bacteria of the Aufwuchs.

Among 500 patients of a rural general practice, 4,4% proved to be oropharyngeal carriers of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as shown by examination of mouth rinse fluid through enrichment in malachite-green-broth followed by isolation on Pseudosel-Agar at 42 degrees C. Most positive samples were found in persons 54-63 years old. There were no significant sex differences. The isolation of Ps. aeruginosa showed no relation to visible inflammatory processes in the oral cavity, to dentures, diabetes mellitus, chronic respiratory disease, former antibiotic treatment or smoking habits. The age distribution of the carriers cannot be explained.

Water treatment processes such as aeration, gravel filtration, ozonation, activated-carbon filtration and chlorination causes variation in the number of bacteria as well as the development or die off of specific species. The number of bacteria was always reduced to a large extent if ozone or chlorine were applied whereas after filtration process often an increasing number of bacteria could be observed in the effluent. Despite of the differing bacterial counts a reduction of the variety of species was found during all treatment process. Whereas the raw water contained a heterogeneous spectrum of copiotrophic and oligotrophic bacteria the treated water contained mainly slow growing oligotrophic bacteria which didn't express any physiological activities.

The injected water and the groundwater withdrawn by the E-wells contained bacteria with higher 'in vitro'-total activity (30-50%) than the groundwater taken from the middle part of the flushing area. The determination of single-activities resulted in a similar distribution of bacterial communities. Denitrifying and nitrate-reducing bacteria were present in the polluted groundwater (10-100% of isolates). After transforming these values in CFU/ml they correspond to the MPN/ml of both groups. Furthermore bacteria were found, which could use hydrocarbons as their only carbon source under aerobic and anaerobic conditions; there were different percentage of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in the groundwater of the three sampling points. Totally 2-70% of all isolates were aerobe hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, 1-12% nitrate-reducing and 1-13% denitrifying hydrocarbon-metabolizing bacteria.

Building materials of drinking water reservoirs can support a microbial growth as shown in former communications. A new case is presented, where the microorganisms used the polyester isolation as carbon source. The isolation was installed between two concrete layers of a drinking water reservoir. The organic substances were identified by chemical analyses.

Collecting during two periods, from September 4, 1979, to September 12, 1980, and from August 17 to September 10, 1981, a total of 45,705 mosquitoes was caught for virus isolation studies in 6 different regions in Germany and the Netherlands (Lower Rhine area, Upper Rhine area near Germersheim, Upper Main area near Baunach, Amper Moos), in Austria (eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl), and in Italy (Isonzo river delta). 25 mosquito species were identified belonging to the genera Aedes, Culex, Culiseta, Mansonia, and Uranotaenia. The relative mosquito species composition was determined for the different collecting sites. By intracerebral inoculation of 2 to 4 days old suckling mice with extracts of each mosquito pool 6 virus strains were isolated which were identified as Tahyna (TAH) virus strains using the indirect immunofluorescence technique in cell culture and the baby mouse neutralization test. The origin of these strains were the following regions: one TAH virus strain was isolated from Aedes caspius mosquitoes (1 of 158 pools) collected from 17. 8 to 30. 8. 81 at the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl. 5 additional isolates were obtained from 6,066 mosquitoes (62 pools) collected on 9. and 10. 9. 81 in the Upper Rhine area near Germersheim (Isle Grün). Two of these virus strains were isolated from Aedes vexans and three from unidentified mosquitoes. This is the first TAH virus isolation from mosquitoes in the Upper Rhine area, which had been regarded by Ackermann and coworkers (1970) and Spieckermann and Ackermann (1974) as a potential natural TAH virus focus on the basis of serological studies in humans and sentinel rabbits during 1969. The isolation of TAH virus in the Lake Neusiedl area essentially confirms the results obtained by Aspöck and Kunz (1967) for this region. The possible influence of some ecological factors on the geographical distribution of TAH virus is discussed.

209 sera of tumor-bearing patients and 133 control sera were tested by anti-complement immunofluorescence (ACIF) on 2 xenotransplants of human bronchogenic cancer and on 2 xenotransplants of rectum carcinoma passaged in nu/nu mice. Testing of sera from patients with bronchogenic carcinoma resulted in a positive reaction with the xenotransplants of bronchogenic cancer in 48.5 to 58.5%, and sera of patients with digestive tract cancer in 6.6 to 16.1%. On xenotransplants of rectum carcinoma 73.2 to 78.1% of the sera from patients with bronchogenic carcinomas and 22.6 to 29.1% of the sera of patients with digestive tract cancer reacted positively. Control sera were positive dependent on the xenotransplants in 2.0 to 12.5%. These results indicate that there are antibodies in the sera of tumor-bearing patients against one or more non organ specific tumor-associated antigen(s) occurring in an elevated concentration in carcinomas of the digestive tract than in bronchogenic carcinomas. After absorption of the sera with homogenates of bronchogenic carcinoma and liver metastases of colon carcinoma the reaction was inhibited in the ACIF, reaching control values.