bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bowls and bacteria
Authors: Joynson D. H. M.
Published: May 2009

An episode of nosocomial infection with Klebsiella aerogenes in a surgical ward, in which six patients were infected, is described. The cause of the outbreak was identified as being contaminated washing-bowls. It is recommended that each patient should have his own bowl, which should be disinfected after use, dried and stored upside-down.
In vitrocomparison of foot-and-mouth disease virus subtype variants causing disease in vaccinated cattle
Authors: Anderson E. C. , Doughty W. J. , Anderson J. , Baber D.
Published: May 2009

Foot-and-mouth disease virus isolates of types O, A and SAT 2, from diseased animals in herds routinely vaccinated twice a year were compared antigenically with the vaccine strains in the complement-fixation, neutralization and radial immunodiffusion tests. It was found that strains which had readily infected vaccinated cattle hadRvalues against the vaccine strain in the complement- fixation and radial immunodiffusion tests of 30 or less, while strains causing primary outbreaks with little spread hadRvalues of 30–40. Threefold differences in humoral neutralizing antibody concentration between the field variant and the vaccine strain in sera from vaccinated animals were likely to be significant in terms of protection.
The problem of paralytic poliomyelitis in the urban and rural population around Lucknow, India
Authors: Chaturvedi U. C. , Mathur Asha , Singh U. K. , Kushwaha M. R. S. , Mehrotra R. M. L. , Kapoor A. K. , Rai Sushma , Gurha R. G.
Published: May 2009

A house to house survey was done from October 1972 to March 1974, covering 52952 individuals of urban population at Lucknow and 50156 individuals of rural population of Unnao district, to find out the incidence of polio-like paralysis in our population. Among 12874 urban children up to 8 years old 8·2/1000 had polio-like paralysis while 4·6/1000 children of the rural population of 13554 children were affected. The incidence was significantly higher in the urban population. In the preschool age group almost 1 out of every 100 children was affected. A higher number of children were affected during 1968–9 and 1971–2, though it did not reach epidemic proportion. The findings show that paralytic polio is a serious problem in our country where poliomyelitis is endemic: this is contrary to the views generally held so far.
Correlation of phage type, biotype and source in strains ofSalmonella typhimurium
Authors: Anderson E. S. , Ward Linda R. , De Saxe Maureen J. , Old D. C. , Barker Ruth , Duguid J. P.
Published: May 2009

A series of 2092 cultures ofSalmonella typhimuriumisolated from human, animal and other sources in 57 countries were differentiated into 204 phage types and 19 primary and 147 full biotypes. Different biotypes belonged to the same phage type and different phage types to the same biotype, so the combination of typing methods differentiated strains more finely than either method alone: 574 different ‘phage type/biotypes’ were distinguished in 1937 cultures belonging to the 204 recognized phage types.

The combination of biotyping with phage-typing was valuable in studying the phylogeny and spread of epidemic strains by distinguishing clones of different biotype within the same phage type and by confirming the relationship between cultures isolated from widely dispersed clones and that between cultures isolated before and after a clone had undergone variation in phage type, biotype, colicin type or antibiotic-sensitivity pattern.

A widespread outbreak of infection withS. typhimuriumphage type 141 in Scotland comprised independent dissemination of three clones of different biotypes, if, 9f and 31bd. During its epidemic spread in cattle in Britain between 1962 and 1969, another strain underwent variations in phage type (type 44 to type 29), biotype (type 26a to types 26d, 26bd, 26dgi, 26dz and 26i) and antibiotic sensitivity. A group of 275 non-fimbriate, non-inositol-fermenting and non-rhamnose fermenting (FIRN) strains, particularly associated with avian infections and thought to be clonal in origin, contained 27 phage types and 22 full biotypes in the primary biotypes 29–32.
Variola minor in Braganca Paulista County, 1956: household aggregation of the disease and the influence of household size on the attack rate
Authors: Angulo Juan J. , Walter Stephen D.
Published: May 2009

Household aggregation of cases, one possible characteristic of person-to-person transmitted disease, was formally tested in one epidemic of variola minor by using a pair statistic. A significant result was found for all households as well as for households grouped by the type of environment, or by the phase of the epidemic growth in time. Secondary attack rates, when related to household size (number of susceptibles) showed only a marginal trend in rural households but no trend in urban or semi-rural households.
Influenza A(H1N1) viruses of the 1977/78 outbreak: isolation and haemagglutination properties
Authors: Pyhälä R. , Visakorpi R.
Published: May 2009

During the H1N1 outbreak of 1977/8, the virus was isolated in embryonated eggs from 59 out of 76 patients (78%) with the serologically confirmed infection. A similar isolation frequency has been achieved during a period of six H3N2 outbreaks since 1972/3. The H1N1 strains were isolated less frequently from late specimens (collected 4–6 days from the onset of illness) and more often only in the second passage compared with the H3N2 viruses. The new H1N1 strains resembled those prevalent in the 1950s with respect to their ability to agglutinate erythrocytes of certain laboratory animals and to be eluted from these, and thus differed from the H3N2 viruses.
Survival and growth of non-cholera vibrios in various foods
Authors: Roberts Diane , Gilbert R. J.
Published: May 2009

A study was made of the growth of three strains of non-cholera vibrio in a range of foodstuffs and of the effect of temperature and pH on their ability to grow.

Growth was tested at 4°, 10°, 22°, 30°, 37° and 43 °C in a range of foods likely to be incorporated into cold hors d'oeuvres, e.g. egg, cream, rice, cold meat, seafood, aspic and mayonnaise. Non-cholera vibrios grew well in all these foods except mayonnaise, the rate of growth increasing with increased temperature of storage.

At acid pH values the organisms died or grew very poorly but growth improved as the pH became more alkaline. None of the three strains showed any resistance to heat, an initial inoculum of > 107organisms/g was reduced to < 100 organisms/g in 2–3 mm at 55°C.
Salmonellosis in Indonesia: phage type distribution of Salmonella typhi
Authors: Sanborn Warren R. , Vieu J.-F. , Komalarini S. , Sinta  , Trenggonowati R. , Kadirman I. L. , Sumarmo  , Aziz Abdel , Sadjimin T. , Triwibowo  , Atas  , Ayam Sutrisna
Published: May 2009

The distribution of phage types was studied among 577 strains of Salmonella typhi from Indonesia. Chemotype, colicinogeny, and tetrathionate reductase activity were also studied for most of these strains. The current phage type formula for Java was determined to be: A, D2, D6, E1a, E2, M1, and 46, but two other large groups of strains were also found, I +IV and degraded Vi + strains. Significant differences in S. typhi strain distributions were noted between two localities on Java with respect to phage type and tetrathionate reductase activity. Comparisons were made with past phage typing studies in Jakarta as well as with more recent studies in other parts of south-east Asia. Phage types A, Dl, D2, and El persisted at a rather steady level in Jakarta for 28 years. Evidence was found for epidemiological links to European and Asian areas. Antibiotic resistance among these Indonesian S. typhi strains was rare.
The development and assessment of a bacteriocin typing method forKlebsiella
Authors: Edmondson A. S. , Mary Cooke E.
Published: May 2009

Klebsiellas are generally typed by the method of capsular serotyping but, although this is a reliable method, it is time consuming, requires the production of a large number of antisera and is not generally available. For this reason another method for typing klebsiellas was sought.

A bacteriocin typing method involving mitomycin C induction was developed and the cultural conditions giving optimum klebecin production and the best methods of testing the sensitivity of the organisms to klebecins were determined.

Of 190 klebsiella strains screened for bacteriocinogeny, only 68 (35·8%) produced klebecin and after calculation of similarity values by computer analysis, a typing set of 15 producers was selected. This typing set allowed over 96% of klebsiella strains to be typed and tests of the reproducibility of the method and the variability of typing patterns in natural populations of klebsiella indicated that results of acceptable accuracy could be obtained, while retaining good discrimination if two or more differences were required between patterns before they were regarded as distinct.

A complete set of capsular antisera were prepared, enabling the results obtained from klebecin typing to be compared with those from serotyping. There was generally close agreement between the results from the two typing methods and greater discrimination was obtained between similar strains when the two methods were combined. Klebecin typing and serotyping revealed relationships between strains from five outbreaks of infection, and strains of the same serotype from different hospitals could frequently be distinguished by their klebecin typing patterns.
Factors affecting the incidence and anti-salmonella activity of the anaerobic caecal flora of the young chick
Authors: Barnes Ella M. , Impey C. S. , Stevens B. J. H.
Published: May 2009

Thirty-two different types of anaerobic bacteria isolated from chickens have been tested for anti-salmonella activityin vitro. Under the conditions of the test onlyBacteroides hypermegasand aBifidobacteriumsp. were shown to inhibit the salmonellas and this was attributed to the production of volatile fatty acids (VFA's) coupled with a low pH. When these organisms were tested in newly hatched chicks no inhibition ofs. typhimuriumoccurred. Possible explanations for this observation are considered.

The pH value and concentration of VFA's in the caecal material were determined in chicks from 0–84 days.In vitrotests withs. typhimuriumindicated that, whilst the organism would be able to multiply at the pH and concentration of VFA's found during the first few days after hatching, the rapid increase inVFA concentration during the first 21 days would make this increasingly difficult. The significance of the developing caecal flora in relation to VFA production and pH is discussed.

Because certain feed additives are known to influence the carriage of salmonellas, the sensitivity of various caecal anaerobes to these compounds was determinedin vitro, generally at 1, 10 and 100 μg/ml. The additives tested included flavomycin, furazolidone, nitrovin, tetracycline, tylosin, sulphaquinoxaline, virginiamycin and zinc bacitracin. All the organisms tested were inhibited by 100 μg/ml furazolidone; none were inhibited by 500 μg/ml sulphaquinoxaline.

Changes occurring in the VFA concentration, pH value and microflora of the caeca of chicks fed for 49 days or longer on a normal starter diet or the same diet containing 10 or 100 mg/kg nitrovin have been compared. When the chicks were fed on the diet containing 100 mg/kg nitrovin, the Gram-negative non-sporing anaerobes were eliminated as a significant part of the caecal flora. However, the VFA concentration combined with a low pH in chicks from 2 weeks onwards was still sufficient to inhibit salmonella multiplication. Other possibly interrelated factors which might lead to an increased salmonella carrier rate in the nitrovintreated chickens are discussed.
Epidemic mechanisms of Type A influenza
Authors: Hope-simpson R. E.
Published: May 2009

The antigenic varieties of influenza A virus isolated from 1968 to 1976 in a surveillance of a small, rather remote population were similar to those from England and Wales as a whole, despite frequent antigenic changes during the period. Household studies in the first two H3N2 influenza A epidemics found low attack rates within households, a high proportion (70%) of affected households with only one case of influenza, similar distributions of affected households in the two epidemics by the number of cases of influenza and similar distributions of the influenza cases by the day of their onset in the household outbreak. No serial interval could be demonstrated by cumulating household outbreaks. More than one minor variant was causing influenza contemporaneously in the same villages in several seasons, and different variants were on one occasion found on successive days in bedfellows. The regular occurrence of epidemics in winter was often accompanied by the disappearance of the epidemic variants and their replacement, after a virus-free interval, by new variants.

These epidemiological findings seem best interpreted on the following tentative hypothesis. Influenza A sufferers do not transmit the virus during their illness; instead it rapidly becomes latent in their tissues so that they become symptomless carrier-hosts and develop specific immunity. Next season an extraneous seasonally mediated stimulus reactivates the latent virus residues so that the carrier-host becomes briefly infectious, though symptomless. Antigenic drift occurs because particles reconstituted to be identical with the progenitor virus cannot escape the specific immunity it has provoked in the carrier host. He can shed only mutants also determined by the progenitor virus. From the assortment of mutants shed by the carrier-host, his non-immune companions select that (those) which is best fitted to survive, and it rapidly causes influenzal illness. Epidemics consist largely or entirely of such persons sick with influenza caused by reactivated virus caught from symptomless carrier-hosts.
IgA antibody response in acute rubella determined by solid-phase radioimmunoassay
Authors: Halonen P. , Meurman O. , Matikainen Marja-Terttu , Torfason E. , Bennich H.
Published: May 2009

A solid-phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) for detecting rubella virus IgA serum antibodies was developed. Purified rubella virus grown in roller cultures of Vero cells was adsorbed onto polystyrene beads. The coated beads were then incubated with dilutions of serum, and rubella IgA antibodies which attached to the virus antigen on the solid-phase were subsequently detected with125I-labelled anti-human-alpha antibodies. The specificity of the iodinated anti-human immunoglobulins was confirmed by RIA analysis of fractions obtained by chromatography of an early convalescent serum on an agarose column. A complete separation of IgM, IgA, and IgG was observed.

A total of 144 serial serum specimens from 31 adult patients with an acute rubella infection were tested for rubella IgA antibodies, and the results were compared with the RIA IgG and IgM titres reported earlier from the same specimens. The RIA IgA response was detected in each of the 31 patients and the IgA antibodies appeared almost simultaneously with the IgG and IgM antibodies. The maximum titres, which were lower than the IgG and IgM titres, were reached in about 1 week after the onset of rash. In 6 patients out of 31 the IgA antibody response was transient and persisted approximately two months, while in the remaining 25 patients the IgA antibodies persisted throughout the study period of more than 5 months. The results obtained indicate that the presence of rubella IgA antibodies in serum is not an indication for a recent rubella infection.
The effect of an intramammary infusion of endotoxin on the establishment of experimental mastitis by Streptococcus agalactiae inthe cow
Authors: Brownlie J.
Published: May 2009

An infusion of E. coli endotoxin (10 μg) into the mammary gland of the cow 16 h before experimental infection with St. agalactiae prevented the establishment of mastitis. A clinical examination of the affected gland did not reveal signs of inflammation, all organisms were eliminated from the milk by 36 h after infection. Mammary glands not pretreated with endotoxin, and injected with the same number of viable streptococci, showed signs of severe inflammation, the milk yield was reduced and the injected pathogen could be isolated from the gland for up to 14 days when sampling was discontinued. The injection of endotoxin alone produced a rapid increase in the cell count of the milk, there were some signs of inflammation and 80% of the cells in the milk were neutrophils. The cell counts in the milk remained above normal for 7–10 days. Untreated control quarters appeared to be unaffected by the injection of E. coli endotoxin into an adjacent quarter, on the other hand the injection of St. agalactiae into the adjacent quarter on the same side of the udder produced a cell response which reached a peak after 2 days and returned to preinoculation levels by the fourth day. No inflammation was observed in these control quarters and no streptococci were isolated from the milk.
Zika virus infections in Nigeria: virological and seroepidemiological investigations in Oyo State
Authors: Fagbami A. H.
Published: May 2009

summary

A study of Zika virus infections was carried out in four communities in Oyo State, Nigeria. Virus isolation studies between 1971 and 1975 yielded two virus isolations from human cases of mild febrile illness. Haemagglutination-inhibition tests revealed a high prevalence of antibodies to Zika and three other flaviviruses used. The percentages of positive sera were as follows: Zika (31%), Yellow fever (50%), West Nile (46%), and Wesselsbron (59%). Neutralization tests showed that 40% of Nigerians had Zika virus neutralizing antibody. Fifty per cent of Zika virus immune persons had neutralizing antibody to Zika alone or to Zika and one other flavivirus. A total of 121 sera had antibody to Zika virus; of these 48 (40%) also showed antibody to two other flaviviruses, and 12 (10%) had antibodies to three or more other viruses. The percentage of neutralizing antibodies to other flaviviruses in Zika virus immune sera was 81% to Dengue type 1, 58% to Yellow fever, 7% to Wesselsbron, 6% to West Nile and 3% to Uganda S.
Bacteriostasis ofEscherichia coliby milk. III. The activity and stability of early, transitional and mature human milk collected locally
Authors: Honour Pauline , Dolby Jean M.
Published: May 2009

summary

Milk from 150 local mothers has been assayed for bacteriostatic activity for milk-sensitive and milk-resistant indicator strains ofEscherichia coli. Activity is greatest in colostrum which is active directly against all strains ofE. coli. One week after delivery of the baby, milk is active against the milk-sensitive strain and becomes active against the milk-resistant strain in the presence of physiological amounts of bicarbonate and iron-binding protein. This activity decreases within 2–4 days on keeping milk unheated at 4 °C but is preserved for at least 4 months and often up to 2 years in milk heated to 56 °C then stored at 4 °C or in milk frozen, unheated, at −28 °C provided it is not repeatedly thawed and frozen. Later lactation milks are usually indistinguishable in activity from 1-week post-partum milk but may be less stable on storage particularly if frozen. Lyophilizationin vacuopreserves activity of early-lactation milk for at least 6 months.

Heating milk to above 65 °C causes a progressive loss of activity which can be partially restored by adding bicarbonate and iron-binding protein. Iron abolishes the activity of milk and reduces that of colostrum.
In vivo and in vitro studies on temperature-sensitive mutants of swine vesicular disease virus
Authors: Preston K. J. , Garland A. J. M.
Published: May 2009

summary

Two temperature-sensitive mutants of the Ukg 27/72 strain of swine vesicular disease virus were isolated in tissue culture and a third was derived following adaptation in mice. All three were found to have similar growth restrictive temperatures, but varied considerably in their virulence when administered to pigs. The route of inoculation appeared to exert a considerable influence on the apparent degree of attenuation, the antibody titre engendered and the transmission of disease to pigs held in contact with inoculated animals. One strain appeared almost totally attenuated when inoculated into pigs but spread to animals in contact causing severe disease. Virus re-isolated from one such animal was found to have retained its temperature sensitive phenotype, suggesting that virulence in this case was not directly related to temperature sensitivity. Pigs with high antibody titres were found to be susceptible when placed in contact with challenge animals, although the lesions which developed were mild.
Influenza vaccination with live-attenuated and inactivated virus-vaccines during an outbreak of disease
Authors: Rocchi G. , Ragona G. , Piga C. , Pelosio A. , Volpi A. , Vella S. , Legniti N. , De Felici A.
Published: May 2009

Immunization procedures with live attenuated and inactivated vaccines were carried out on a group of young recruits at the beginning of an outbreak of infection due to an A/Victoria/3/75-related virus strain, which occurred in February 1977 in a military camp. A retrospective investigation on protection from clinical influenza was then performed in order to investigate whether immunization with live virus vaccines, administered at the beginning of an epidemic, could provide early protection from the disease. In the course of the two weeks following vaccination, laboratory-confirmed clinical influenza cases occurred in 4 subjects among the 110 volunteers of the control group which received placebo, and in 8, 7 and 4 subjects respectively of the 3 groups of about 125 individuals, each of which received one of the following vaccine preparations: (a), live attenuated A/Victoria/3/75 influenza virus oral vaccine, grown on chick embryo kidney culture; (b), live attenuated nasal vaccine, a recombinant of A/Puerto Rico/8/34 with A/Victoria/3/75 virus; and (c), inactivated A/Victoria/3/75 virus intramuscular vaccine. These data do not support the hypothesis that, during an epidemic of infection, early protection from clinical influenza can be achieved through immunization with live attenuated or inactivated influenza virus vaccines, in spite of the high immunizing capability of the vaccine preparations.
Further studies on the sources of Klebsiella aerogenes in hospital patients
Authors: Cooke E. Mary , Pool Roselene , Brayson Janet C. , Edmondson A. S. , Munro Mary E. , Shinebaum Ruth
Published: May 2009

We report an investigation into faecal carriage of Klebsiella aerogenes and the distribution of this organism in the environment of three wards. In all three wards faecal carriage rates were high (60–70%). The faecal carriage rate increased with antibiotic administration and with length of in-patient stay. K. aerogenes was widely distributed in the ward environment and was found on the hands of nursing staff. Clusters of isolations of K. aerogenes of the same serotype were demonstrated indicating either patient-to-patient transfer or a common source of infection. The results indicate that even under conditions in which there are no outbreaks of K. aerogenes infection, there is a large reservoir of this organism both in the bowel of patients and in the ward environment.
HLA antigens and responses to rubella vaccination
Authors: Harcourt Gillian C. , Best Jennifer M. , Banatvala J. E. , Kennedy Lesley A.
Published: May 2009

Attempts were made to correlate virus excretion, joint symptoms and antibody response with human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in seronegative adult women given attenuated rubella vaccine. No association was shown between HLA antigens of the A and B loci and excretion of either high or low titres of RA27/3 vaccine among 26 volunteers. However, virus excretion was influenced by such factors as the time of day at which specimens were collected and the method of virus isolation. Our study therefore failed to confirm the hypothesis that certain persons are good ‘spreaders’ of rubella virus and that this capacity is associated with HLA-A1 and B8.

The study of joint symptoms following vaccination with Cendehill, HPV77. DE-5, RA27/3 or To-336 vaccines showed no association between such symptoms and HLA antigens. However, joint symptoms occurred within 7 days of the onset of menstruation in 33 of 47 (70%) vaccinees (P < 0.01) and it is therefore suggested that hormonal factors must play a role. No association between HLA antigens and haemagglutination inhibition (HAI) antibody titres, 8 weeks after vaccination with RA27/3, was found amongst 34 volunteers.
Comparison of immunofluorescence and radioimmunoassay for detecting IgM antibody in infants with the congenital rubella syndrome
Authors: Cradock-Watson J. E. , Ridehalgh Margaret K. S. , Pattison J. R. , Anderson Mary J. , Kangro H. O.
Published: May 2009

Immunofluorescence (IF) and radioimmunoassay (RIA) have been compared as methods for detecting IgM antibody in 124 infants with confirmed or suspected congenital rubella. IF was used to test sucrose density gradient fractions and RIA to test fractions and whole serum.

When fractions were tested IF and RIA were equally specific and distinguished clearly between IgM and IgG, but RIA was the more sensitive method. The RIA titre in whole serum was always greater than in the peak IgM fraction and there was no evidence that testing the serum, rather than the fraction, could result in failure to detect IgM. With some sera RIA gave low titres which became negative after absorption with IgG-coated latex beads. The mechanism of this ‘false positive’ effect, which may have been due to IgM with anti-IgG activity, was not investigated, but if it can be removed by absorption it need not reduce the specificity of the test.

During the first 6 months of life IgM antibody was detected by RIA in 30 out of 32 unfractionated sera and by IF in fractions from 28 of these. After the age of 6 months IgM was found progressively less frequently and the greater sensitivity of RIA became a more obvious advantage: 17 out of 60 specimens were positive by RIA and 11 of these were negative by IF.

RIA testing of whole serum appears to be an economical, specific and sensitive method for detecting IgM antibody in congenital rubella, of particular value when the titre of antibody is low.
Staphylococcal sepsis in a burns unit
Authors: Lilly H. A. , Lowbury E. J. L. , Wilkins M. D. , Cason J. S.
Published: May 2009

An outbreak of staphylococcal sepsis in a burns unit occurred between January 1976 and May 1978. Many patients and members of staff had boils, and a number of patients also developed septicaemia. Most of the boils in the early period of the trial and a large proportion of boils in patients during the later period yieldedStaphylococcus aureusresistant to penicillin, tetracycline and erythromycin only (PTE), and were shown to be of phage type 95 in the early period while strains were phage typed. From blood cultures, most strains in the early period were of resistance pattern PTE and phage type 95, but in the later period other resistance patterns were predominant. Strains from burns were usually multiresistant (PTEKNML) and of the phage pattern 29/77, which had been endemic in the Unit, but during the early period of the outbreak there was an increased proportion of strains in burns with the resistance pattern PTE and of phage type 95.

Staphylococcal sepsis has for many years been very infrequent in the burns unit. This outbreak seems to have been initiated by a strain of phage type 95 and resistance pattern PTE, but during the course of the outbreak the endemic strain of type 29/77 and some other staphylococci seem to have developed enhanced ability to cause clinical infections, conceivably by transduction from the epidemic strain of phage type 95.
Comparison of serological methods for the detection of B. abortus antibodies in sera from vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle
Authors: Heck F. C. , Williams J. D. , Crawford R. P. , Flowers A. I.
Published: May 2009

A total of 4551 sera from 863 Strain 19 vaccinated and non-vaccinated adult cattle, independent of disease status, were tested by five serological methods to detect the presence of antibodies to B. abortus. Results from Standard Agglutination Tube (SAT), Buffered Brucella Antigen or card (CT), Complement Fixation (CF), Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Rivanol (Riv) methods were compared.

There was a 95% probability for agreement among CT negative sera, between serological methods, for all groups of vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle. The agreement between tests with Riv Positive sera, excluding the calfhood and adult vaccinated group tested by the CF method, was 91–100%. The probability of a serum which was serologically negative by other methods being Riv negative was 98%. The usefulness of serological results from Riv (≥ 1/50) tests for classifying the reactor status of cattle are of doubtful supplemental value to confirm card test positive results.

Vaccination history is an important consideration when evaluating serological data on cattle sera particularly from SAT and CF methods.
Laboratory breeding of the European rabbit flea,Spilopsyllus cuniculi(Dale)
Authors: Vaughan J. A. , Coombs Mary E.
Published: May 2009

A method is described for the laboratory breeding of the rabbit flea in which the immature stages are reared at constant temperature and humidity.

Eggs are obtained by confining fleas taken from a rabbit and her nest shortly after parturition with two of her nestlings in an incubator for 24 h. The eggs are transferred to an artificial diet medium on which the immature stages are reared. On average a female flea produces 50 eggs during the first six days post-partum. At 25 °C, 95% of eggs hatched at 79% RH and 98% at 84% RH. Most eggs hatched on the third day after laying and hatching was completed by the fourth day. Significantly more fleas of both sexes were obtained when larvae were reared at 25 °C on a medium containing powdered 41B rodent diet than on one containing terrier meal. Both diets also contained yeast and dried rabbit blood. There was no significant difference between the numbers of fleas obtained at 79% RH and 84% RH. Significantly more fleas were also obtained when larvae were reared at 27 °C, 84% RH, than at 25 °C. Female fleas emerged sooner than males at both 27 °C and 25 °C. Fleas from the laboratory culture were heavier than those from wild nests. Female fleas were heavier than male fleas in both cases.
The occurrence of plasmids carrying genes for both enterotoxin production and drug resistance inEscherichia coliof human origin
Authors: Scotland Sylvia M. , Gross R. J. , Cheasty T. , Rowe B.
Published: May 2009

Twenty-three of 89 enterotoxigenic strains ofEscherichia coliwere resistant to one or more antimicrobial agents. Eleven strains transferred resistance directly and five transferred resistance after mobilization. In three cases a resistant recipient was enterotoxigenic. One of these strains contained a conjugative plasmid carrying genes for both drug resistance and enterotoxin production. In the two other strains genes for drug resistance and enterotoxin production were carried on separate co-transferable plasmids.
Comparison of antibody responses and virus shedding following administration of trivalent oral poliomyelitis vaccines prepared either in monkey kidney or human diploid cell substrates
Authors: Freestone D. S. , Kelly A. , Ferris R. , Simmons R. L. L. , Bowkerj C. , Letley E. , Bye C.
Published: May 2009

Nineteen (22·9%) of 83 sera collected before vaccination from adult volunteers aged 21–64 years were without neutralizing antibody to poliomyeitis at levels of 0·15 i.u./ml for types I and II and 0·1 i.u./ml for type III. Some correlations were found between the history of previous vaccination and the presence of antibody but these were not well defined.

Vaccination with a single dose of trivalent oral polio vaccine elicited fourfold or greater antibody responses to one or more poliomyelitis types in 53 (63·9%) volunteers, the percentage antibody responses being inversely related to the titre of antibody present before vaccination. Types I, II or III poliomyelitis virus were recovered from 76·8 % of faecal samples collected 1 week after vaccination. The percentage recovery progressively declined thereafter until virus was recovered from 10·5 % of samples collected 6 weeks after vaccination.

Type for type, the titres and percentages of antibody responses and virus shedding in faeces were similar following trivalent oral poliomyelitis vaccines whether prepared in monkey kidney or human diploid cell substrates. Some change in reproductive capacity temperature (r.c.t./40) marker was found in faecal isolates from volunteers vaccinated with monkey kidney and human diploid grown vaccines but no change in ‘d’ marker was found.
Studies on the effect of growth medium composition on the antigenicity ofMycoplasma bovis
Authors: Thorns C. J. , Boughton E.
Published: May 2009

Serum proteins adsorbed from the culture medium were detected inMycoplasma bovisantigens, the number and type of proteins depending on the serum used in the medium. The α-globulins cross-reacted with α-globulins from different types of sera but the γ-globulins did not. The removal of non-specific medium antibodies by absorption showed that they affected the gel diffusion and growth precipitation tests, producing cross-reactions betweenM. bovis and M. bovigenitalium, but that the complement fixation, tube agglutination, and growth inhibition tests were not similarly affected. The presence of serum proteins in the antigens changed their specific reactivity in all the tests. The production of antibodies to serum proteins was increased by the use of an adjuvant, but it appeared that production of specific antibodies to the mycoplasmas was not.
An outbreak of streptococcal infection in a chicken factory
Authors: Barnham M. , Kerby J. , Skillin J.
Published: May 2009

A large outbreak of streptococcal skin infection occurred late in the summer of 1978 in a factory which undertakes the slaughter, preparation and packing of chickens. In all, 103 episodes of infection occurred in 82 workers from a total factory establishment of 347. The highest incidence of infection was in the packing department where there was an attack rate of 44 %. The routes of introduction of infection into and spread within the factory remain mostly unknown. Following the identification of cases and carriers and the institution of appropriate treatment and control measures the outbreak quickly declined. The responsible organism in the outbreak was Streptococcus pyogenes T-type 3/1 3/B3264, provisional M-type ‘R78/55’. This is the first poultry factory outbreak in England to be reported.
A comparative study of gram-negative aerobic bacilli in the faeces of babies born in hospital and at home
Authors: Feeney A. R. , Cooke E. M. , Shinebaum R.
Published: May 2009

Examination of the faeces of 50 babies born at home showed that bottle-fed babies carried significantly more Klebsiella, Proteus and Pseudomonas spp. and antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli than did breast-fed babies. Bottle-fed babies born in hospital had a less mixed faecal flora than bottle-fed babies born at home. The possibility that bacterial contamination of home-prepared feeds may account for these differences requires investigation.
Klebsiellaspecies in hospital food and kitchens: a source of organisms in the bowel of patients
Authors: Cooke E. Mary , Sazegar Tahere , Edmondson A. S. , Brayson Janet C. , Hall Diana
Published: May 2009

Hospital food was examined for the presence ofKlebsiellaspecies. Salads and cold meat were most frequently contaminated, often containing more than 103organisms per g.Klebsiellaspecies were also widely distributed in the kitchen environment which was considered, at least in part, to be the source of the organisms in food.

By the use of serological and bacteriocin typing, intestinal carriage of strains ingested in food could be demonstrated.
Comparison of media and methods for countingClostridium perfringensin poultry meat and further-processed products
Authors: Adams B. W. , Mead G. C.
Published: May 2009

A Most Probable Number (MPN) method involving Differential Reinforced Clostridial Medium followed by streaking on Willis & Hobbs medium was com pared with direct plating of samples on Tryptose-Suiphite-Cycloserine agar with out egg yolk, and two forms of Oleandomycin-Polymyxin-Suiphadiazine-Per fringens agar, one being prepared from a commercial, dehydrated product.

With skin samples taken from chicken carcasses at different stages of processing, the three direct plating media gave similar counts ofCl. perfringenswhereas results obtained with the MPN method were consistently lower.

Although counts ofCl. perfringensfrom various further processed products were usually < 10/g, the three plating media showed similar specificity for this organism.

All media supported good growth of reference strains ofClostridium perfringensbut it was founsi that physiologically similar species, includingCl. absonum, Cl. paraperfringens and Cl. perenne alsogrew uninhibited in these media and produced colonies identical with those ofCl. perfringens, thus indicating the need for confirmatory tests forCl. perfringenswhen examining natural samples.
Airborne non-sporeforming anaerobic bacteria
Authors: Hambraeus A. , Benediktsdóttir E.
Published: May 2009

A large proportion of postoperative infections after clean surgery are thought to be exogenous. For aerobic bacteria different routes of transmission have been thoroughly studied. Airborne infection has been considered very important in infections after total hip replacement (Charnley, 1972). Anaerobic non-sporing bacteria have been found in deep late infections after total hip replacement (Kamme et al. 1974; Schwan et al. 1977; Petrini, Nord & Welin-Berger, 1978). However, infections caused by anaerobic bacteria have been considered endogenous, and little is known about the routes of transmission for these bacteria.
Rubella antibody measured by radial haemolysis. Characteristics and performance of a simple screening method for use in diagnostic laboratories
Authors: Kurtz J. B. , Mortimer P. P. , Mortimer P. R. , Morgan-Capner P. , Shafi M. S. , White G. B. B.
Published: May 2009

A simple method for preparing radial haemolysis gels for rubella antibody screening is described. In use it gave clear zones of haemolysis when a standard serum was tested at dilutions down to 5·6 i.u./ml rubella antibody. In five lab oratories 8404 sera were screened by the method and the results were read by comparing zones of haemolysis with that of a standard serum diluted to contain 15 i.u./ml antibody. A zone ⋝ 15 i.u./ml, indicating immunity, was given by 7433 (88·4%) of the sera. No zone indicating susceptibility was seen with 748 (8·9%) sera. Small zones, < 15 i.u./ml standard, were given by 189 (2·2%) sera, and in only 34 cases (0·4%) did non-specific haemolysis interfere with the test readings. Further testing of the radial haemolysis negative and low positive sera by the haemagglutination inhibition test gave rise to some discrepant results which are discussed.
Inactivation of f2 coliphage in municipal effluent by the use of various disinfectants
Authors: Hajenian H. , Butler M.
Published: May 2009

Bromine chloride, chlorine and peracetic acid inactivated f2 coliphage in effluent but in order to achieve 99·99% inactivation the three disinfectants were required at about 1, 10 and 100 mg/l respectively. The activity of chlorine was halved by the presence of added organic matter, whereas bromine chloride and peracetic acid were very little affected. When a second successive dose of virus was added to the reaction mixture, the virus was inactivated only by peracetic acid despite the fact that in the chlorine-treated effluent residual chlorine was detected. The addition of a second dose of disinfectant inactivated residual virus in the same way as the first dose.
An investigation ofEncephalitozoon cuniculiin the wild rabbitOryctolagus cuniculusin Victoria, Australia
Authors: Cox J. C. , Pye D. , Edmonds J. W. , Shepherd Rosamond
Published: May 2009

Sera from 823 wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) collected from a number of geographic regions of Victoria, Australia over the past eight years were examined for antibodies toEncephalitozoon cuniculi, along with sera from 46 hares (Lepus europaeus) (Pallas) and 57 New Zealand wild rabbits. No sera were positive, implying that this common laboratory rabbit parasite is absent from wild rabbits in these areas. However, wild rabbits were found to be readily infected by the oral route with small numbers of tissue-culture-grown spores ofE. cuniculi. A possible explanation for the absence of encephalitozoonosis in wild rabbits is thatE. cuniculiinfection places them at a biological disadvantage for survival. The natural hygiene habit of wild rabbits may also significantly decrease post-natal infection.
Age–sex distribution ofToxoplasmaantibody in the South Australian population
Authors: Johnson Alan M. , Roberts Helen , McDonald P. J.
Published: May 2009

Sera from 1071 patients in nine age categories were screened forToxoplasmaantibody by indirect immunofluorescence. Thirty per cent of the sera contained antibody at a titre ≥ 1/16. The percentage of sera containing antibody rose from 3% in the 6 months–5 years age group to a maximum of about 40% in the 31–40 years age group. It remained constant thereafter. Eleven per cent of the 84 sera withToxoplasmaantibody titres ≥ 1/128 hadToxoplasmaIgM titres ≥ 1/32. No significant difference was found in the possession of antibody between the sexes.
The dose at which neomycin and polymyxin B can be applied for selective decontamination of the digestive tract in mice
Authors: Emmelot C. H. , Waaij D. Van der
Published: May 2009

Oral treatment of mice with various doses of neomycin or polymyxin B was performed in order to determine which dose caused substantial suppression of aerobic gram-negative rods. In addition the effect of the various doses on Streptococcus faecalis and on other factors of the colonization resistance (CR) of the digestive tract were studied. It was found that polymyxin B was effective in suppressing sensitive gram-negative bacteria following daily doses of 3·2 mg/ mouse, and that even extremely high daily doses of 9·7 mg/mouse did not affect the CR. Neomycin was effective in suppressing Enterobacteriaceae species following oral daily doses of 5·4 mg/mouse. With this dose, however, the CR was somewhat decreased which was also evidenced by the increased concentration of beta-aspartyiglycine in the faeces and the increased size (weight) of the caecum in these animals. Suppression of Sir. faecalis was seen from doses of 24 mg/mouse on.
Statistical analysis of comparative field trials of acute rodenticides
Authors: Huson L. W.
Published: May 2009

The present method of analysis of data from comparative field trials of acuterodenticides was compared with two alternative methods of analysis, using computer simulation techniques. One of the proposed alternative analyses, the use of post-treatment census takes as a percentage of pre-treatment census takes in an analysis of variance, was found to be more accurate, to avoid a theoretical difficulty associated with the present method, and is computationally much simpler.
The effects of iodine on the biological activities of myxoviruses
Authors: Apostolov K.
Published: May 2009

Lugol's solution destroys the biological activities of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) after 15 s incubation at 37 °C. The rates of inactivation are slower at lower temperatures and at acid pH. At 4 °C and pH 5·8, the functions associated with the virus membrane, (haemolysis (HL), cell fusion and infectivity) are inactivated within 32 min, while haemagglutination (HA) and neuraminidase (N) are resistant to inactivation for serval hours. Adjustment of NDV, Sendai and influenza A virus allantoic harvests to pH 5·8 and subsequent treatment with undiluted Lugol's solution (pH 5·8) for 15 min has a minimal effect on HA but results in complete loss of infectivity. It is suggested that iodination could be a useful method for vaccine production with membrane-bound viruses. It is postulated that the separation and dissociation of the membrane-associated properties of paramyxoviruses from the glycoprotein functions is due to the higher affinity of iodine for the lipids. Iodine could react with the carbon–carbon double bond (C=C) of the unsaturated fatty acids. This could lead to a change in the physical properties of the lipids and membrane immobilization.
A milk-borne outbreak of Campylobacter infection
Authors: Porter Ian A. , Reid Thomas M. S.
Published: May 2009

Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from the stools of 148 patients with symptoms and 57 symptomless subjects, and from a milk sock filter, following an outbreak of enteritis associated with consumption of unpasteurized milk. The incubation period rantged from 2–11 days with a peak at 5 days. There were no secondary cases. The attack rate was around 50% Cases occured in all age groups but were maximal in the 1–10 age group. Recovery from symptoms was complete in the majority in less than 1 week. No long term excretors were indentified. There were no differences between culture positive individuals, with or without symptoms, in age or sex distribution or duration of excretion.
Experimental infection of the bovine udder with Campylobacter coli/jejuni
Authors: Lander K. P. , Gill K. P. W.
Published: May 2009

Five quarters of the udders of two lactating cows were infected by intramammary inoculation with Campylabacter coli/jejuni in doses ranging from 2·6 colony-forming units (c.f.u.) to 3·8 × 109 c.f.u. The infected quarters developed clinical mastitis and the campylobacters were reisolated in large numbers from the milk. The milk from the uninfected quarters, and blood and faeces remained free of the organisms. The campylobacters could only be isolated by incubation of culture plates in a microaerobic atmosphere. The results showed that C. coli/jejuni can cause mastitis in the cow and that the bovine udder is a potential source of C. coli/jejuni in raw milk.
The response of institutionalized Down's syndrome subjects to enterovirus infections
Authors: Hawkes R. A. , Philbrook Susan C. , Boughton C. R.
Published: May 2009

In a study comparing the responses of institutionnalized Down's syndrome (DS) and non-Down's (ND) inmates to enterovirus infections, the frequency of wild enteric viruses and the excreation patterns of oral polio vaccine (OPV) viruses were similar in both groups. Antibody titres developed to poliovirus types 2 nad 3 following vaccination were similar in DS and ND and ND vaccinees, but the responses to type I virus was signifcantly less in DS vaccinees. As judged by the development of poliovirus antibody in non-vaccinees, the spread of virus from OPV-immunized to unimmunized subjects in the institution was not noticeably different in DS and ND subjects.

An unexpected finding was that the excretion patterns of all three serotypes of poliovirus were strikingly similar for each individual to individual. The similarity of excreation occurred despite wide differences within an individual in the titres of neutralizing serum antibodies to the three serotypes. It is suggested that the rate at which a given individual eliminates enteroviruses may be largely determined by factors, the activities of which atre not reflected in serum antibody titres.