Contributions to the taxonomy and biology of Clostridium difficile.

Clostridium difficile was incriminated by Hughes and Jarvis (1987) as a cause of intestinal infections in USA in the 1980-1984 period in 45 p. 100 of cases, whereas Salmonellae only in 12 p. 100.

[The allergic-reactive and encephalitogenic potential of rabies vaccines prepared from different virulent materials].

The clinical, serologic and pathohistological study was carried out on laboratory animals inoculated with a series of rabies vaccines currently used in postinfection therapy in man and some experimental rabies vaccine variants used throughout the world, in order to estimate the reactive, allergic-inducing and encephalitogen potential of the products. The results showed that all the virulent material used in the preparation of rabies vaccines studied have an allergoencephalitogenic potential, reflected by humoral and histologic modifications, especially contraindicated being the avian rabies vaccines and those prepared from adult animal nervous material. Vaccines prepared from cell cultures, virulent brain of the neonate mouse and normal lamb present and allergoencephalitogen and neuropathogen potential that must be taken into consideration within the context of a repeated postinfection therapy.