Disseminated aspergillosis

The history and the clinical and necropsy findings are presented of a patient who died from Aspergillus fumigatus pyaemia occurring as an opportunistic infection complicating a dissecting aortic aneurysm. The diagnosis was made (and treatment instituted) during life: it rested upon repeated isolation of the organism from tracheal aspirations, a positive blood culture and positive serum precipitin reactions to A. fumigatus. Debilitating disease along with large doses of antibiotics and corticosteroids provided the conditions necessary for the normally saphrophytic fungi to become pathogenic. As the therapy for aspergillosis is still ineffective, the danger of prescribing large doses of antibiotics together with corticosteroids is stressed.

In vitro activity of lincomycin and spectinomycin against serotypes of avian mycoplasma

Twenty strains of avian mycoplasma, representing 12 serotypes, were tested in vitro for their susceptibility to the action of lincomycin and spectinomycin alone and in combination. They varied in their sensitivity pattern. The ranges of minimal inhibitory concentration were 1 to 20 mug/ml for lincomycin or spectinomycin alone and 0.5/1 to 3/6 mug/ml for the lincomycin and spectinomycin combination. The ranges of minimal lethal concentration were greater with either single antibiotic than with the antibiotic combination. The amount of each antibiotic required to achieve mycoplasmacidal action of the relatively resistant strains was less with the antibiotic combination than with the single antibiotics.

Quantitative studies on the tissue localization of influenza virus in ferrets after intranasal and intravenous or intracardial inoculation

A quantitative survey of relevant organs showed that in ferrets, influenza virus localized and grew significantly only in nasal mucosa after inoculation directly into the blood stream and predominantly in that site after intranasal inoculation. In the latter case, lung and trachea became infected but to a lesser extent than nasal mucosa.

Persistent respiratory virus infection in tracheal organ cultures

Organ cultures of pig or calf trachea were infected with influenza viruses, parainfluenza viruses and a rhinovirus. Infection of calf tracheal cultures with a bovine rhinovirus and with parainfluenza virus type 3 produced considerable epithelial damage. Influenza strains and Sendai virus in calf tracheal cultures and swine influenza virus in pig tracheal cultures damaged the epithelium much less strikingly. In all the infections studied virus production continued undiminished for at least two weeks. Persistent infection of porcine cultures with swine influenza virus was followed for 24 days. Interferon was demonstrable in the infected cultures for 6 days, but on challenge with Sendai virus at various times up to the 19th day of infection these cultures yielded markedly less of the superinfecting virus than did control cultures. Treatment of swine influenza-infected cultures with porcine interferon or with swine influenza antiserum for 7 days did not eliminate the infection. The bearing that these infections in organ culture may have on the mechanisms of respiratory infections in vivo is discussed.