Donor‐derived infections and infectious risk in xenotransplantation and allotransplantation

Post‐transplantation infections are common in allograft recipients and should be expected in all immunocompromised hosts. Based on the need for immunosuppression in xenotransplantation, procedures developed to enhance safety in allotransplantation can be applied in future xenotransplantation clinical trials. Standardized approaches can be developed to guide the evaluation of common infectious syndromes in xenograft recipients. The opportunity created by screening of swine intended as xenograft donors has equal applicability to allotransplantation—notably broader screening strategies for allograft donors such as use of advanced sequencing modalities including broad‐range molecular probes, microarrays, and high‐throughput pyrosequencing. Considerations in management of allotransplant‐ and xenotransplant‐associated infections are largely the same. Experience in xenotransplantation will continue to inform thinking regarding donor‐derived infections in allotransplantation. We expect that experience in managing complex allotransplant recipients will similarly inform clinical trials in xenotransplantation.     

Emerging lethal infectious bronchitis coronavirus variants with multiorgan tropism

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) causes respiratory diseases in chickens and poses an economic threat to the poultry industry worldwide. Despite vaccine use, there have been field outbreaks of IBV in Taiwan. This study aimed to characterize the emerging IBV variants circulating in Taiwan. The analysis of the structural protein genes showed that these variants emerged through frequent recombination events among Taiwan strains, China strains, Japan strains and vaccine strains. Cross‐neutralization tests revealed that two of the variants exhibited novel serotypes. Clinicopathological assessment showed that two of the variants caused high fatality rates of 67% and 20% in one‐day‐old SPF chicks, and all the variants possessed multiorgan tropisms, including trachea, proventriculus and urogenital tissues. Furthermore, the commercial live‐attenuated Mass‐type vaccine conferred poor protection against these variants. This study identified novel genotypes, serotypes and pathotypes of emerging IBV variants circulating in Taiwan. There is an urgent need for effective countermeasures against these variant strains.     

Lipid regulation in suppurative infectious diseases

The paper discusses the results of study of lipid peroxidation (LP) in patients with various forms of purulent surgical infection. A conclusion is drawn from the analysis of the obtained data that the difference in the forms of the pyoseptic processes is determined to a great measure by the concrete state of free-radical lipid oxidation which acts as a regulatory mechanism of the inflammatory reaction, changing the permeability of biomembranes at the tissue, cell, and organism levels. The conducted research holds promise for the creation of modern and progressive variants of pathogenetic intensive therapy.     

Fertility and infectious diseases (author's transl)

An der Univ.-Hautklinik Münster wurden Spermiogramme von 1289 Patienten unter-sucht mit mindestens einer der acht folgenden Infektionskrankheiten in der Anamnese: Mumps, Lues, Gonorrhoe, Typhus, Fleckfieber, Ruhr, Malaria und Tuberkulose. Unter 548 Patienten mit Mumps befanden sich 66 (= 12,0%) infertile. Der Anteil von Mumps an der Gesamtzahl infertiler Patienten betrug etwa 9% (= 66 Patienten von insgesamt 702 mit einer Azoospermie). Von 116 Patienten, die eine Tuberkulose durchgemacht hatten, waren 34 infertil (= 29%). Der Anteil an der Gesamtzahl infertiler Patienten betrug 4% (34 Patienten von 702). Unter 54 Männern, die Ruhr in der Anamnese angegeben hatten, trat 2mal (= 3,7%) eine Azoospermie auf. Gonorrhoe, Malaria, Typhus, Fleckfieber und Lues spielten bei unseren Patienten bezülich der Sterilität keine Rolle. Eine Signifikanz konnte fehlerstatistisch nicht ermittelt werden.     

Characteristics of infectious diseases in the elderly

IN GENERAL: Infectious diseases represent the third cause of mortality in patients aged over 65. Age-related immune deficiency and underlying diseases frequently favour infections. The symptoms are often fickle and misleading, delay diagnosis and worsen the prognosis. THE PRINCIPLE INFECTIONS: Broncho-pulmonary and urinary infections predominate in this context. More rare but severe complications specifically related to age are also possible, notably meningitis, tuberculosis, herpes zoster and septicemia in the elderly. PREVENTIVE MEASURES: Influenza and anti-pneumococcal vaccines have demonstrated their efficacy in limiting the broncho-pulmonary infections in these patients.     

Prevention of infectious endocarditis in surgical diseases

Case histories of 220 patients with infective endocarditis were studied. Groups of patients with high risk of the disease were established. "Risk coefficient" was calculated. A system of measures for prevention of infective endocarditis in surgical patients is proposed.