[Bone marrow transplantation for aplastic anaemia (author's transl)].

From March 1975 until May 1980 twelve patients with severe aplastic anemia were grafted with bone marrow from HLA-identical siblings by the Munich Cooperative Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation. Six patients are alive between 10 months and more than 5 years after grafting with normal blood values and marrow. One patient is treated as an out patient for chronic localized graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), five patients are well and without treatment.

Familial lymphohistiocytosis.

Familial lymphohistiocytosis is a genetically transmitted disease affecting infants and very young children with usually a fatal outcome. Cardinal symptoms are fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and pancytopenia. Histologic examination shows infiltration of all organs with phagocytosing histiocytes and lymphocytes as well as atrophy of the normal lymphoid tissue.

[Altered bacterial periurethral flora in young girls with chronic, recurrent urinary tract infections? (author's transl)].

Assuming a local weakness in the defence system to be responsible for chronic, recurrent infection of the urinary tract in young girls, we made 86 determinations of the bacterial periurethral flora from 70 female patients aged between five and eleven years. Within three patient groups (urologically healthy, temporarily free from infection, currently suffering an acute attack of chronic, recurrent urinary tract infection), we found gram-negative bacteria in 1/20 of the healthy children, in 1/2 of those temporarily free from infection and in all children suffering an acute attack. Enterococci (the accompanying flora) was found in 1/20, 1/2 of the children respectively.

Antibody incubation of human marrow graft for prevention graft versus host disease.

An in vitro incubation of incompatible donor bone marrow by xenogenic anti-T-cell globulin (ATG) suppressed an otherwise lethal GvH reaction in animal models. An application of this principle to clinical bone marrow transplantation was successfully tried in three patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Preparation of the specific anti-human T-cell globulin (ATCG-H) was carried out by absorption of anti-human thymocyte globulin with liver-kidney homogenate, chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells of B-cell type, and erythrocytes.

Intravenous cefotaxime in children with bacterial meningitis.

Thirteen children with meningitis due to Haemophilus influenzae, beta-haemolytic streptococcus group B, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Neisseria meningitidis, Escherichia coli, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa and who had been unsuccessfully treated with other antibiotics or had causative organisms which were resistant to available antibiotics were treated with intravenous cefotaxime. Nine children were cured; in one case infection (with a different organism) recurred but a further course of cefotaxime was successful; one child died, with sterile CSF; one child died from his underlying disease (astrocytoma); and one child was cured with sequelae (hydrocephalus). A further child with meningitis caused by E.

Guidelines for adequate chemotherapeutic dosage in newborns and infants with septicaemia and meningitis.

The chemotherapy of septicaemia in newborns differs fundamentally from that in older children or adults because, although newborns have a fully developed immunological system, the system has not yet "learned" to operate completely. Ultimately, optimal chemotherapy can only be found empirically. In this respect a few basic guidelines can be given however: 1.

[The Buckley syndrome: recurring, severe staphylococcal infections, eczema and hyperimmunoglobulinemia E. (author's transl)].

Fifteen patients aged between three and 27 years were examined clinically and immunologically. Common to all patients were severe recurring cutaneous and pulmonary staphyloccal infections, chronic eczema, eosinophilia and an extremely elevated serum IgE level. Eight of the patients had in addition facial dysplasia characterised by coarse features, prognathism and poorly formed external ears.

[Clinical differentiation between idiopathic respiratory distress, neonatal septicemia caused by group B streptococci and septicemia caused by other pathogens (author's transl)].

Since bacterial infection in newborns must be treated as specifically and as early as possible, it is important to confirm a diagnosis of suspected infection based on clinical symptoms and to take possible pathogens into consideration when choosing therapy. RDS and septicemia with Group B streptococci can present very similar clinical symptoms, but leucopenia on the first day of life is most probably an indication of septicemia with Group B streptococci. Septicemia caused by other pathogens, however, usually has a much later onset.

Hereditary deficiency of triosephosphate isomerase in four unrelated families.

Triosephosphate isomerase deficiencies in erythrocytes and leucocytes were discovered in three unrelated families by a heterozygote screening of 3000 blood samples. In addition, a family found by Schroter et al. [not published] was studied.

[Radiologic findings in newborns with group B streptococcal septicemia: clinical importance of heart size and lung manifestations (author's transl)].

Chest radiographs of thirteen neonates with group B streptococcal septicemia were evaluated for signs of early diagnosis. Six of the neonates had chest radiographs as seen in idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Seven patients had radiologic findings consistent with neonatal pneumonia.

The immunological state of the neonate following surgery--consequences for immunotherapy of neonatal septicaemia.

In addition to an innate functional dysmaturity of the neonate's immune system, operation, anaesthesia, and intensive care measures can significantly worsen this physiological immune deficiency. Given the fact that antimicrobial therapy as well as progress in intensive care of infected operated neonates and prematures did not significantly decrease the high mortality rate in this patient age group we began performing fresh-blood exchange transfusions as supportive immunotherapy in the treatment of neonatal septicaemia. Since indication for exchange transfusion has been adopted as early as septicaemia was suspected only 46% of the operated neonates (13 out of 28) died of their infection, compared to 82% of the patients (23 out of 28) who did not undergo exchange transfusion.

[Progressive combined immunity defect with ectomesodermal dysplasia (author's transl)].

A boy with dysplastic features had to be treated for recurrent diarrhoea and bronchitis since his tenth month of life. Defects in humoral and cellular immunity were found. The ecto-mesodermal abnormalities are so characteristic that in connection with the immunological changes it seems to be justified to assume a yet undescribed syndrome.

[Chronic septic granulomatosis imitating exogenic allergic alveolitis (farmer's lung)].

A 17-year-old boy demonstrated clinical and immunological signs of exogenic allergic alveolitis (farmer's lung). The patient grew up in the country and suffered from recurrent "pneumonia." In his serum precipitins were detected against Micropolyspora faeni, Aspergillus fumigatus and hay.

BK virus: II. Serologic studies in children with congenital disease and patients with malignant tumors and immunodeficiencies.

Sera of 451 children with congenital diseases and 185 tumor patients were tested for BK virus-specific antibodies by hemagglutination inhibition and IgM-immunofluorescence tests. Compared to age-matched control groups, higher percentages and significantly elevated geometric mean titers of HI antibodies were found in all patient groups tested. Of children under six months of age with congenital diseases such as dysplasia, cerebral defects, and hyperbilirubinemia and hepatosplenomegaly, 4.