Preliminary characterisation of paramyxovirus isolated from a parrot.

A virus, designated 0121, which was isolated from a parrot, was shown to be a paramyxovirus, which was serologically related to the paramyxoviruses Bangor/flinch/N. Ireland/73 (Bangor) and Yucaipa/chicken/California/60(PMY). However, the 0121 virus differed in several properties from both the PMY and the Bangor viruses.

Self-mutilation in mice associated with otitis media.

Mutilation of the external ear and adjacent tissues was an enzootic problem in outbred Mcr:(ICR) breeder mice in a commercial colony. Necropsy examination of affected and randomly selected, nonaffected adult breeder mice revealed a probable association of the cutaneous lesions with suppurative otitis media. Several microorganisms, including Mycoplasma pulmonis and Pasteurella pneumotropica, were isolated from the tympanic bullae.

The demonstration by interference tests of an infective agent in fetuses from ewes inoculated with Border disease tissue.

Fetuses and placental tissues were taken from pregnant ewes at intervals varying between eight and 21 days after inoculation with tissue suspensions from cases of Border disease. Virus isolation procedures involving the detection of a cytopathic effect in tissue cultures with or without interference tests produced universally negative results but interference tests, using a plaque technique with the NADL strain of bovine virus diarrhoea virus as a challenge virus, detected the presence of an agent in tissues from six out of 10 fetuses. Inoculated ewes allowed to proceed to term showed a serological response characteristic of Border disease infection, as measured by four different tests.

Purification and preliminary characterisation of a pathogenic strain of infectious bursal disease virus.

A pathogenic strain of infectious bursal disease virus has been purified by density gradient centrifugation, principally on sucrose and tartrate gradients. Examination of gradient peak fractions by electron microscopy has revealed two populations of particles of average size 62 nm and 20 nm, which band together on sucrose and tartrate gradients. Purified virus has been shown to reproduce the typical symptoms and lesions of infectious bursal disease.

Plasma viscosity in the elderly.

Plasma viscosity has been measured by a standardised technique in an unselected series of elderly subjects. Results have been grouped according to the severity of clinical disease and are found to give a good statistical differentiation between most groups, although with a wide overlap. Repeated tests show only a fair correlation with the course of an individual patient's illness.

Infectious bursal disease agent: morphology by negative stain electron microscopy.

The virus of infectious bursal disease of chickens was studied by immune electron microscopy. Negatively-stained preparations revealed morphological similarities with both the bluetongue virus group, and the virus of infectious pancreatic necrosis of trout. Results indicated that the small particle found in such preparations is a degradation product of the large particle.

Studies on relationships between human and porcine influenza. 2. Immunological comparisons of human A-Hong Kong-68 virus with influenza A viruses of porcine origin.

Antigenic comparisons were made between the human A/Hong Kong/68 (H3N2) virus and a collection of influenza A viruses of swine origin. Haemagglutination-inhibition and neuraminidase-inhibition tests were used in addition to immunoprecipitin tests with monospecific antisera prepared against purified haemagglutinin and neuraminidase preparations. The antigenic relationships revealed by the studies are summarized as follows: (1) swine/Taiwan/7310/70 virus contained envelope antigens that were antigenically indistinguishable from those of A/Hong Kong/68 virus, (2) "classical" strains of swine influenzavirus related to A/swine/Iowa/15/30 (Hsw1N1) isolated between 1930 and 1967 contained neuraminidase that was antigenically distinct from that of A/Hong Kong/68 virus but related to that of human A0 and A1 viruses, and (3) the haemagglutinins of certain strains of "classical" influenza A virus appeared to show a minor antigenic relationship with the haemagglutinin of A/Hong Kong/68 virus.