Rapid diagnosis of cytomegalovirus by indirect immunofluorescence assay with monoclonal antibody F6b in a commercially available kit.

Anti-human cytomegalovirus (CMV) monoclonal antibody (MAb) F6b produced by clone 95/12 was used for the rapid diagnosis (16 to 24 h) of CMV isolates in 308 clinical specimens and compared with classic isolation. MAb F6b gave 100% correlation with isolation. When this MAb was used for direct diagnosis with 212 urine and bronchoalveolar specimens, detection of CMV varied from 50 to 75% compared with viral isolation.

In vitro evaluation of josamycin, spiramycin, and erythromycin against Rickettsia rickettsii and R. conorii.

The antimicrobial activities of josamycin, erythromycin, and spiramycin against Rickettsia conorii and R. rickettsii were evaluated in two tests: a dye-uptake assay and a plaque assay. The MIC of josamycin was 1 microgram/ml for both species; the MICs of erythromycin and spiramycin were 4 to 8 and 16 to 32 micrograms/ml, respectively, for both species.

Susceptibility of Rickettsia conorii and R. rickettsii to pefloxacin, in vitro and in ovo.

The activity of pefloxacin against Rickettsia conorii and R. rickettsii was determined by several methods. The mean survival time of embryonated eggs infected with R.

[Role of phagocytes in experimental scrapie in hamsters].

We studied the interactions between scrapie agent and hamster's phagocytic cells. Macrophages which have been in contact with the scrapie agent are able to carry the infectivity of this agent. We induced variations of different parameters involved on fixation and phagocytosis and we did not observe any modification.

[Chlamydia trachomatis cervicitis].

Cervicitis due to Chlamydia trachomatis is common in certain groups of women examined by the authors. It is clinically discrete, having no special characteristics and often not even showing clinical manifestations. However, it is the stage of infection of the genital apparatus which it is desirable to detect in order to prevent the serious tubal complications to which a too large number of young women is subject.

In vitro susceptibility of Rickettsia conorii to ciprofloxacin as determined by suppressing lethality in chicken embryos and by plaque assay.

We tested the susceptibility of Rickettsia conorii to ciprofloxacin, a new quinolone antibiotic. A final concentration of 1 microgram/g of egg was effective in suppressing chicken embryo lethality, and a concentration of 0.25 micrograms/ml inhibited plaque formation in a plaque assay; however, a concentration of 0.

Changes in the nigrostriatal system following microinjection of an unconventional agent.

The effect of apomorphine, a direct dopamine receptor agonist, was studied in golden hamsters after unilateral injection of scrapie agent (strain 263K) into the nigrostriatal system. Twenty-five received an injection into the left striatum and 24 into the left substantia nigra. Varying volumes (5, 1 and 0.

Apomorphine-induced circling behaviour in hamsters following unilateral injection of scrapie gent in the striatum.

Twenty golden hamsters received a microinjection of scrapie agent into the left striatum. At different times after inoculation animals were injected intraperitoneally with apomorphine, a direct dopamine receptor agonist. Two types of effects developed simultaneously, starting at about 80 days after infection.

Experimental kuru in the rhesus monkey. A clinical study.

Serial neurologic examinations of six rhesus monkeys inoculated with a strain of kuru revealed complex clinical signs falling into two distinct syndromes. Experimental kuru in the rhesus monkey is different from the disease in man and to a lesser extent in the chimpanzee. Two factors are proposed to account for these observations: modification of the strain, and specific host characteristics.

Characterization of visna virus mRNA.

Visna virus is a retrovirus responsible for a classical slow infection of the central nervous system of sheep. In the present work we focused our attention on the viral mRNA's. We found that, during the acute infection in vitro, (i) viral mRNA's amount to only 0.

[Comparison of exogenous cell fusion induced by a wild and two mutant strains of sheep Visna virus].

Exogen cell fusion induced in vitro by a wild strain of Visna virus of Sheep is compared with two mutant strains isolated from the precedent. One of them produces large plaques in vitro (strain LPF), and the other produces small plaques (strain SPF). These strains behave in different ways according to infection multiplicity, type of cells, temperature and timing of fusing activity.

[Modification of a method to study cell fusion induced in vitro by viruses].

A studying method of viruses induced cell-fusion is described, using monolayers of Vero monkey cells. Nature and density of cells and infection multiplicity are studied. The sensibility is equal to 4 hemagglutining units of Sendaï and accuracy about +/- 3 % of polykaryocytosis.

Absence of circularly permuted and largely redundant sequences in the genome of visna virus.

A previous study of the infectivity of visna virus proviral DNA suggested that the genetic information of the virus is distributed over at least two of the RNA subunits. Because the genetic complexity of visna virus corresponds to the size of one subunit, this result may imply that sequence redundancies exist within each subunit. In the present article we have examined this question by constructing a map of the large RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides of the viral genome.

Experimental kuru in the rhesus monkey: a study of EEG modifications in the waking state and during sleep.

EEG patterns recorded in the waking state and during sleep were studied in 6 rhesus monkeys inoculated with a strain of Kuru previously passaged in rhesus monkey (ENAGE strain, rhesus L6 56). The onset of the disease was confirmed by the appearance of various clinical signs in 4 monkeys 15 months after inoculation. At the 16th month, the first EEG modifications appeared during sleep, which became lighter.

Appearance of EEG changes reminiscent of a secondary generalized epilepsy in a rhesus monkey inoculated with a strain of kuru.

In a group of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) inoculated intracerebrally and intravenously with a strain (Enage strain rhesus L6 56) of kuru already passaged in rhesus monkeys, 1 monkey presented the typical EEG pattern of epileptogenic encephalopathy reminiscent of the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. This observation provides no direct evidence for the viral origin of epilepsies of this type. It does, however, show that it is possible to induce an epileptogenic encephalopathy by an unconventional infectious agent.

[Kinetics and ultrastructure of sheep fibroblast fusion induced by polyethylene glycol. Comparison with endogenous cell fusion induced by Visna virus].

The authors compare the fusion of sheep fibroblasts induced by low multiplicities of infection using visna virus and by high concentrations of polyethylene-glycol. In the case of Visna virus cell fusion is of the endogenous type, while fusion induced by polyethylene-glycol is of the exogenous type. The ultrastructural features are discussed for each type of cell fusion.