[Detection of Pneumocystis carinii DNA in air and washes from medical equipment in hospitals].

Results of study of rooms' air and washes from medical equipment by PCR assay to detect Pneumocystis carinii DNA are presented. PCR assay sensivity was 200 copies/ml. Method of taking of air samples by MC-2 sample-taking device was modified for P.

Live tularemia vaccine confers protection against lethal Legionella and Listeria infections in experimental animals.

The efficacy of a live Francisella tularensis vaccine strain to cause nonspecific immunity toward experimental legionellosis and listeriosis was studied. Immunisation with tularemia vaccine protected over 80% and 17% of experimental animals against subsequent lethal challenge with Legionella pneumophila and Listeria monocytogenes, respectively. The protection was maximal during the first month following immunisation and declined thereafter.

Live tularemia vaccine but not proteins purified from Francisella tularensis can confer protection against lethal Listeria infection in mice.

Immunization of Balb/c mice with Francisella tularensis vaccine strain 15/10 conferred significant protection against subsequent listerial infection. Since immunostimulatory activities could apparently be relevant to surface components of the bacterium, a technique for purification of cell wall proteins was developed. The scheme designed consisted of Triton X-100 extraction with subsequent FPLC chromatography steps, and resulted in the isolation of homogeneous proteins with molecular masses of 54 kDa (pI = 6.

[The biological properties of monoclonal antibodies to the cytolysin of Legionella pneumophila].

The study of the biological properties of monoclonal antibodies (McAb) to L. pneumophila cytolysin has been carried out. These McAb have been shown to possess no capacity for the in vitro neutralization of cytolysin and the protection of guinea pigs from aerosol infection with L.