Biken journal最新文献

For prevention of secondary varicella infection in patients whose immunities were extremely impaired by intensive chemotherapy or immunosuppressive agents, we have been using the vaccine-boostered immune whole blood transfusion (VIB) method when there was an unpredictable case of varicella in the children's ward. By this method passive transfer of humoral and cellular immunity is achieved. There have been 25 unpredictable occurrences of varicella or herpes-zoster in the ward of our children's hospital between April 1977 and May 1983 and during these episodes 16 patients, mostly with malignant diseases, have been treated by this method. There has been no case of secondary varicella infection among these patients and no serious troubles associated with the VIB method.

A total of 915 normal children without a history of varicella were immunized with a live varicella vaccine (Oka strain) between 1978 and 1982. As clinical reaction after vaccination, fever and or a slight rash was observed in only 10 children. A serological response was observed in all 524 children examined. Of the 854 children who could be followed, 602 children had contact with varicella patients, but extremely mild varicella with a rash developed in only 10 of them. Mild zoster occurred in one child who was admitted to hospital with mycoplasma pneumonia.

Live varicella vaccine was given to 7 children with acute leukemia and 1 child with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Seroconversion without any clinical reactions was observed in 4 children in remission from acute leukemia without interruption of anticancer medication. These children have been free from varicella for 5 to 11 months after vaccination. Mild to severe clinical reactions developed in 3 of 4 children who were receiving remission induction chemotherapy. It is concluded that live varicella vaccine is effective in children with acute leukemia without interrupting anticancer medication, but that it is not suitable for children with leukemia and lymphoma who are receiving remission induction chemotherapy with antileukemic agents.

The relation of delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) assessed by the Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV) skin test and lymphocyte transformation (LTF) with VZV antigen was investigated in guinea pigs immunized with live varicella vaccine virus, or heat-inactivated vaccine virus. Guinea pigs immunized with live varicella vaccine virus showed positive DTH and LTF responses to viral antigen as well as a neutralizing (NT) antibody response, while those immunized with heat-inactivated vaccine virus showed only an NT antibody response of the same degree as that to live vaccine virus. These results show the reliability of the skin test in assessing cell-mediated immunity (CMI) to VZV and the advantage of the live varicella vaccine over the inactivated one in immunizing guinea pigs.

Indirect fluorescent antibody to varicella-zoster membrane antigens (FAMA) was measured by a new technique. The procedure gives rapid, sensitive and accurate results and is suitable for use in diagnosis or screening of susceptibility to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. The test procedure was simplified by using Terasaki tissue culture plates for the reaction and for direct observation by fluorescence microscopy. Preparations of VZV-infected Vero cells stored in liquid nitrogen could be used as antigen in this FAMA-test.

The augmenting effect of vaccinia virus infection of tumor cells on induction of tumor-specific resistance was examined in mice. C3H/HeN mice were primed intraperitoneally (ip) with live vaccinia virus after whole-body irradiation with 250 rad of X-rays. Three weeks later the mice were immunized ip 3 times at weekly intervals with syngeneic murine hepatoma MH134 or spontaneous myeloma X5563 which had been infected in vitro with vaccinia virus and subsequently irradiated with 7000 rad of X-rays. One week after the third immunization, the mice were challenged with 1 X 10(5) viable cells of MH134 or X5563 ip or 1 X 10(6) tumor cells intradermally (id). On ip challenge with viable MH134 cells all mice that had not been pretreated died within 3 weeks due to ascites tumor out-growth, whereas all mice that had been vaccinia virus-primed and immunized with vaccinia virus-infected MH134 cells survived. On ip challenge with X5563 cells, the percentage survival of vaccinia virus-primed and vaccinia virus-modified tumor-immunized mice was 80%. On id challenge with MH134 and X5563 tumor cells, in un-treated mice tumors grew to more than 5 mm in diameter within 3 weeks, whereas 90% and 60%, respectively, of the mice that had been vaccinia virus-primed and immunized with vaccinia virus-infected tumor cells showed no tumor out-growth. Pretreatment by only immunization with vaccinia virus-infected cells or vaccinia virus-priming and immunization with virus non-infected tumor cells were not effective for preventing induction of tumor-resistance to either ip or id challenge with MH134 or X5563 tumor cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

As part of a virological and epidemiological survey of encephalitis in the Chiang Mai area, the neutralizing (N) antibody levels of healthy persons to Japanese encephalitis (JE) and dengue (DEN) type 1-4 viruses were examined. A total of 985 blood samples was collected by the filter paper method from subjects of nine age groups in five districts, four (Pasang, Sarapee, Doi Saket and Mae Taeng) in the Chiang Mai Valley and one (Fang) in another valley separated by several ranges of mountains from the Chiang Mai Valley. From analyses of the results of N tests on the specimens, the following conclusions were drawn about the prevalences of JE and DEN viruses in the Chiang Mai area: (1) In the Chiang Mai Valley, the percentage incidences of N antibodies to JE and DEN viruses increased with age and by the age of 15, two thirds or more of the residents had been infected with JE and all DEN viruses except DEN type 2 virus, which showed the lowest prevalence. (2) In the Fang district, the percentage incidence of N antibody to JE virus increased with age, but those to DEN viruses did not, indicating much lower prevalences in the past of all four serotypes of DEN viruses in this district than in the Chiang Mai Valley. (3) At present, most infants in the Chiang Mai area, including the Fang district, seem to be exposed to DEN viruses first and later to JE virus.

In Japan, dengue epidemics were recorded once before the end of World War II (1942-1945) on the Main Islands and several times (1893-1955) on the Okinawa Islands. Blood samples were obtained from residents in Osaka and Okinawa, and their antibodies were examined by neutralization tests against dengue and Japanese encephalitis viruses. Of 60 serum samples each from Osaka and Okinawa, 11 and 15 sera, respectively, showed positive titers against one or more dengue serotypes. These results confirm that the epidemics had been very large. Moreover, the results showed that the epidemics had been due to dengue type 1 virus in Osaka and to dengue type 1 and 2 viruses in Okinawa.

A strain of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) virus was isolated in a cell culture from a tumor specimen in a rat kept in a medical institution in which there was a case of HFRS. Positive immunofluorescent reaction with sera from HFRS patients was recognized at the second passage and the number of cells containing antigen increased in the third passage. This virus, named B-1 strain, was identified as the HFRS virus by immunofluorescent tests with sera from patients.

In 1943, a large dengue epidemic occurred in the Osaka district and several samples of dengue virus were isolated from patients with dengue fever by workers in this Institute. These were inoculated into human volunteers to confirm that they were dengue virus. In the present study, serum samples were collected from the volunteers who had been inoculated with dengue virus and were examined serologically. In the neutralization test, all the sera showed a higher titer against dengue type 1 virus (DEN-1) than against the other three types of dengue virus, indicating that the virus strain isolated in 1943 was DEN-1.