Relative concentrations of serum neutralizing antibody to VP3 and VP7 proteins in adults infected with a human rotavirus.

Two outer capsid rotavirus proteins, VP3 and VP7, have been found to elicit neutralizing-antibody production, but the immunogenicity of these proteins during human rotavirus infection has not been determined. The relative amounts of serum neutralizing antibody against the VP3 and VP7 proteins of the CJN strain of human rotavirus were, therefore, determined in adult subjects before and after infection with this virus. Reassortant strains of rotavirus that contained the CJN gene segment for only one of these two neutralization proteins were isolated and used for this study.

Ribavirin small-particle-aerosol treatment of influenza B virus infection.

In a randomized double-blind trial of aerosolized ribavirin for the treatment of influenza B virus infection, no significant difference was found in the febrile course or symptom score of the ribavirin-treated versus placebo-treated patients. The apparent lack of efficacy in this study as compared with that in previous studies is unexplained.

Oral ribavirin treatment of influenza A and B.

A loading dose and short-term administration of oral ribavirin significantly improved symptoms and signs of influenza type A or B infection in 25 patients. The antiviral effect was not significant. No adverse clinical effects or significant laboratory values were observed.

Human rotavirus studies in volunteers: determination of infectious dose and serological response to infection.

An unpassaged, safety-tested strain (CJN) of human rotavirus from a stool specimen of a hospitalized child was administered orally to 62 adult volunteers for determination of the dose required to produce infection with or without illness. Subjects ingested doses ranging from 9 X 10(-3) to 9 X 10(4) focus-forming units in buffered salt solution after consumption of 50 ml of 4% NaHCO3. The amount of virus in the inoculum required to cause infection (shedding of virus, seroconversion, or both) in study subjects was comparable to the minimum detectable in cultures of primary monkey kidney cells.

Challenge with rubella virus after loss of detectable vaccine-induced antibody.

Studies were conducted of experimental challenge with rubella virus in vaccinees whose possession of vaccine-induced antibody after vaccination had been documented and whose antibody level had become undetectable or very low over time. The challenge virus was the Howell strain, which had been shown to produce typical clinical and laboratory features of rubella in susceptible persons. The challenge of the vaccinees resulted in local viral replication in all but one; in viremia, a primary immunologic response, and a secondary antibody response in some; and usually in illness without a rash or in subclinical infection.

Studies of echovirus-12 in volunteers: determination of minimal infectious dose and the effect of previous infection on infectious dose.

A two-part study of echovirus-12 was done in volunteers. In the first part the human infectious dose of the virus was determined in 149 healthy adults with undetectable serum antibody, each of whom drank 0-330,000 plaque-forming units (pfu) of virus in 100 ml of nonchlorinated water. Infection was defined as fecal shedding of virus or significant (fourfold or greater) increases in serum antibody titer.

Rubella control--1984.

The incidence of rubella and the congenital rubella syndrome has decreased dramatically in the United States since rubella vaccine became available in 1969. A marked shift in susceptibility rate has occurred so that 70% of current rubella cases involve teenagers and young adults. The history of rubella control is reviewed.

Widespread cutaneous angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia.

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (AHE) is classically characterized by benign vascular tumors on the head and neck of young adults. An unusual case of widespread cutaneous AHE that clinically mimicked prurigo nodularis is presented and illustrated. The relationship of AHE to the recently described entity, histiocytoid hemangioma, is discussed.

Relating infant temperament to learning disabilities.

The role of infant temperament in the development of learning disabilities was at issue. As infants, boys with severe learning disabilities were found to be (1) lower in activity level, (2) more irregular, (3) less approaching, and (4) more negative in mood than "normal" boys. Discussion centered around conceptualizing learning disabilities as the outcome of a developmental process.

Coxsackievirus B epidemic at a boys' camp.

An epidemic of coxsackievirus B2 infections occured at a boys summer camp. The resulting illness was characterized by malaise, headache, muscle pain, and high fever that persisted for four to six days. The boy in the index case arrived at the camp the first day of the season.

Salicylate intoxication and influenza in ferrets.

A model of salicylate intoxication was developed in ferrets to permit the evaluation of the interaction with viruses isolated from patients with Reye's syndrome. Salicylate intoxication produced a mild elevation of the serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and fatty changes in the liver, but these changes differed from those seen in Reye's syndrome on light and electron microscopy. Salicylates were associated with decreased activity of hepatic phosphorylase and a slight depression of activity or ornithine transcarbamylase, a mitochondrial urea cycle enzyme.

Rubella-vaccinated students. Follow-up in a public school system.

In a 7 1/2-year follow-up evaluation of the duration of rubella-vaccine-induced immunity of students who received either HPV-77 DK-12 or Cendehill vaccine, both groups showed a continous decline in hemagglutination-inhibition antibody from seven weeks after vaccination but a lower decline between 4 1/2 and 7 1/2 years after vaccination. However, at 7 1/2 years only 16 students (8%) receiving the Cendehill vaccine and one student (0.5%) receiving the HPV-77 DK-12 vaccine lacked detectable antibody.

Cellular immune response to cytomegalovirus infection after renal transplantation.

A prospective study of 15 patients who received renal transplants defined the effect of renal transplantation on the cellular immune response to cytomegalovirus infection. Of 15 patients, 14 developed cytomegalovirus infection, usually in the first 2 months after transplantation, and all infections were accompanied by a normal humoral immune response. After the initiation of immunosuppressive therapy and transplantation, there was a general depression of lymphocyte transformation, as reflected in the response to phytohemagglutinin, accompanied by a specific defect in cellular immunity, as indicated by lymphocyte transformation to cytomegalovirus antigen.

Late onset of fatal cytomegalovirus infection after renal transplantation. Primary or reactivation infection?

Cytomegaloviurs (CMV) infections are a recognized problem in the first six months after renal transplantation. Studies have suggested that primary infections produce symptomatic disease, whereas reactivation infections are usually asymptomatic. Two patients are described who developed fatal CMV infections in the second year after transplantation.

Influenza in ferrets and guinea pigs: effect on cell-mediated immunity.

Two different animal models were studied to determine whether localized upper respiratory tract viral infection was associated with suppression of systemic cell-mediated immunity. During influenza infection in ferrets, there was no significant decrease in lymphocyte responsiveness to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Guinea pigs given influenza showed no significant change in their response to PHA or to picryl human serum albumin (picHSA), to which they had been immunized previously.

Evaluation of influenza A/New Jersey/76 split-product virus vaccine in a summer camp.

An evaluation of two doses of split-product A/New Jersey/76 virus vaccines was conducted at a boys' summer camp. Two doses of either 200 chick cell-agglutinating (CCA) or 400 CCA units of vaccine were administered four weeks apart. There were no significant side effects.