[Simultaneous vaccination against influenza and invasive pneumococcal disease in chronic dialysis patients].

Study Objective: To evaluate the antibody response to simultaneous vaccination against influeza and pneumococcal disease in chronic dialysis patients.

Methods: Fifty-four chronic dialysis patients were vaccinated with subunit influenza vaccine Influvac. Thirty-five of these patients were vaccinated with both influenza vaccine and Pneumo 23 vaccine while 19 patients received influenza vaccine alone.

[Determination of antibodies to streptolysin O].

A new procedure for the assessment of the antibody against streptolysin O by a micromethod was tested by comparison with the photometric reference method. Agreement between the two methods was very good. The differences in titres did not exceed the titration error of the method.

The group specific polysaccharide antibody in children with non-suppurative sequelae of group A streptococcal infection.

The kinetics of the group A specific polysaccharide antibody were studied in children with acute rheumatic fever who had no carditis, children with acute rheumatic fever who had carditis and developed rheumatic heard disease and in children with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. The children with rheumatic fever who had carditis and those who did not, were kept on continuous antistreptococcal prophylaxis. In the group of children who developed rheumatic heart disease the titer of the antibody at onset was significantly higher than those who had rheumatic fever but no carditis (P = 0.

Human heart sarcolemmal sheath antibodies in children with non-suppurative sequelae of group A streptococcal infections: a follow up study.

The kinetics of the human heart sarcolemmal sheath antibody were studied in children with acute rheumatic fever who had no carditis, children with acute rheumatic fever who had carditis and developed rheumatic heart disease, and in children with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. The children with rheumatic fever and those who developed valvular heart disease were given continuous secondary antistreptococcal prophylaxis. The titre of antibody at onset was significantly higher than that of the controls in children with acute rheumatic fever and carditis and in children with acute poststreptococcal nephritis.

Electron microscopic localization of lipoteichoic acid on group A streptococci.

The location of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) on the surface of group A streptococci was studied by immunoelectron microscopic and ultrastructural cytochemical methods, i.e. by means of LTA antibodies labelled with ferritin, or concanavalin A labelled with ferritin or colloidal gold.