Virulent and attenuated canine distemper virus infects multiple dog brain cell types in vitro.

Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) produces an encephalitis in dogs that varies with viral strain. We have studied the cell tropisms of two virulent strains (CDV-SH and CDV A75-17) and an attenuated strain, Rockborn (CDV-RO), in cultured canine brain cells. Infected cell types were identified by double immunofluorescent labeling of specific cell markers and viral antigens. All viral strains studied produced infection in astrocytes, fibroblasts, and macrophages. Neurons were not infected by CDV A75-17 but were rapidly infected by CDV-SH and CDV-RO. Multipolar oligodendrocytes were very rarely infected by any of the virus strains. In contrast, a morphologically distinct subset of bipolar oligodendrocytes were commonly infected by CDV-SH and CDV-RO. The kinetics of infection in the astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, neurons, and macrophages varied between strains. Both CDV-SH and CDV-RO rapidly infected bipolar oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, neurons, and macrophages by 14 days post infection while infection by CDV A75-17 was delayed until after 28-35 days post infection. The differences in the growth kinetics and cell tropisms for some brain cells, exhibited by the three viral strains examined in this in vitro study, may relate to the different CNS symptoms that these strains produce in vivo.     

截瘫患者医院感染的监测及预防措施

目的了解截瘫患者医院感染的病原菌对药物敏感情况. 方法回顾分析我院自1996年9月～2003年11月,316例截瘫患者的有关临床资料. 结果 98例患者发生医院感染,医院感染率为31.01%,感染部位主要以呼吸道、皮肤软组织、手术切口、泌尿道感染为多;医院感染的病原菌主要是条件致病菌,以G-菌为主.结论医护人员必须严格无菌操作,根据细菌药敏结果合理选用抗菌药物,加强营养,提高患者机体抵抗力.     

妇产科患者术后使用镇痛泵引发尿路感染的临床探讨

目的 了解留置导尿所致尿路感染的发病率及影响因素。方法 采用前瞻性调查与回顾性调查相结合的方法,对妇产科手术后患者留置尿管而引发泌尿系感染率增高的原因进行调查和分析。结果 使用镇痛泵患者留置导尿后尿路感染率为5.45％,未用镇痛泵者的尿路感染率为0.21％,两者之间差异有高度显著性(P<0.005)。结论 镇痛泵不能滥用,使用时要避免诱发感染的因素。     

Clinical status and parasitic infection in a Wichi Aboriginal community in Salta,Argentina

In a study, carried out in 2000, of the clinical and parasitological status of a Wichi Aboriginal community living in the suburbs of Tartagal, northern Salta, Argentina, 154 individuals were screened for parasitic infections. Ninety-five faecal samples were also obtained from the same population. Ninety-three percent of the subjects were positive for 1 or more of the parasites investigated by direct test and 70.5% of them had parasitic superinfection. The most frequent helminths were Strongyloides stercoralis (50.5%) and hookworm (47.4%). We found low reinfection rates and a long reinfection period after treatment and provision of safe water and sanitation. Serum reactivity of these patients was analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and indirect immunofluorescent assay and 22.1% of them had anti-Toxocara antibodies, 16.2% were positive for a complex antigen of Leishmania braziliensis, 29.9% were positive for a complex Trypanosoma cruzi antigen, and 17.5% were positive for a specific Trypanosoma cruzi antigen, Ag1 63136/cruzipain.     

长沙地区孕妇CMV感染状况及其临床追踪观察

研究了７７例长沙地区孕、产妇的宫颈排毒（ＣＭＶ）情况及母、婴的免疫状态，并对宫颈排毒及ＣＭＶ一ＩｇＭ阳性的母亲所生小孩进行临床追踪。结果显示：孕妇宫颈排毒率为４．５％，抗ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＧ和抗ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＭ阳性率分别为７７％和１３％，５９例脐血ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＭ阴性。宫颈排毒的３例其抗体检测抗ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＧ均阳性，抗ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＭ仅一例阳性。作者认为，对妊娠期活动性ＣＭＶ感染的诊断，仅检测抗ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＧ和抗ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＭ抗体滴度仍不足，尚须结合病毒分离和其它检测手段。     

性传播疾病危险人群乙型肝炎和丙型肝炎病毒感染的血清流行病学调查

通过对４３１名卖淫妇女和１０９名正常妇女ＨＢＶ和ＨＣＶ感染的血清学指标的检测、性传播有关因素的调查，发现卖淫妇女ＨＢＶ和ＨＣＶ感染中的抗－Ｈｋｃ为４３．１５％，抗－ＨＢｓ为３６．８９％，ＨＢｓＡｇ为１０．４４％，抗－ＨＣＶ为９．５１％，明显高于正常妇女；有性传播疾病者ＨＢＶ和ＨＣＶ的各项感染指标也明显高于正常妇女。卖淫妇女的抗－ＨＣＶ感染率有随年龄增长而增高的趋势，与卖淫时限长、卖淫次数多有明显差别，这表明卖淫妇女中有较严重的ＨＢＶ和ＨＣＶ感染。     

Acute infections in children are accompanied by oxidative modification of LDL and decrease of HDL cholesterol, and are followed by thickening of carotid intima-media.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis begins early in life. Infections might contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In this study, we investigated whether acute infections in children could alter the carotid wall morphology and the lipid profile. METHODS: Mean carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured by high-resolution ultrasound in 28 hospitalised children (mean age: 5+/-2 years), who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of acute infections (body temperature, >38 degrees C; C-reactive protein, >15mg/ml, and clinical), and in 20 age- and gender-matched controls. Antibodies against oxidised low-density lipoprotein (anti-oxLDL antibodies), as well as total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were analysed in all children. The infection group was investigated both during the acute illness and 3 months after clinical recovery (post-infection). RESULTS: During the acute illness, the infection group had elevated anti-oxLDL antibodies and decreased HDL-C, as compared to those obtained at 3 months and in controls (p<0.05). These changes in the infection group were followed, at 3 months, by thickening of carotid intima-media. Those who received antibiotics during their acute illness had less carotid thickening than those who were not treated with antibiotics (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acute infections in children seem to be accompanied by enhanced oxidative modification of LDL and by decrease in HDL-C. These lipid changes may be followed by thickening of carotid artery intima-media. These findings suggest that, in childhood, acute infections could be associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis, and warrant further studies on this topic.     

Pyogenic infections of the central nervous system secondary to dental affections—a report of six cases

Pyogenic infections of the central nervous system of dental origin are quite uncommon in industrialized countries. We report six cases with intracerebral (n=4) and intraspinal (n=2) infections treated in our hospital. The microbial pathogen was successfully isolated in all patients. Fusobacterium nucleatum as well as Streptococcus species were found in three cases. Bacillus species were identified in two patients. Actinomyces was the etiologic agent in one case. All patients suffered from dental pathologies, so that after clinical and radiological exclusion of other sources an oral focus was presumed. Therapeutic management consisted of an operative procedure in order to obtain decompression, as well as evacuation of the pus on the one hand, followed by targeted antibiotics on the other. Clinical improvement was achieved in all patients, with one patient lost to follow-up. On magnetic resonance tomography, the inflammatory changes also disappeared in all cases. We recommend that oral infection with recurrent bacteraemia should always be considered in the pathogenesis of the so-called “cryptic” intracerebral and intraspinal infections.     

INVASIVE MUCORMYCOSIS WITH GASTRIC INVOLVEMENT IN A PATIENT WITH SEVERE ATHEROMATOUS VASCULAR DISEASE

Gastric mucormycosis involvement is a rare condition that usually occurs in inmunocompromised patients and frequently has a fatal outcome. We report the case of a 73‐year‐old woman admitted to the intensive care unit with severe bleeding after an acute pulmonary disease. Upper endoscopy disclosed wide and deep necrotic ulcers in the body and fundus of the stomach and greenish exudates with the antrum and the duodenum undamaged. Autopsy revealed an invasive mucormycosis and a severe atheromatosis. Several predisposing factors for mucormycosis infection have been reported until now. We postulate that ischemic gastritis could be a predisposing factor for colonization of zygomycete.     

Detection of human papillomavirus in organs of upper genital tract in women with cervical cancer

In this study, we evaluated the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in organs of the female upper genital tract, using nine hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy specimens affected by HPV-positive invasive cervical carcinomas, to establish if cervical HPV infection can spread to upper tracts of the female genital system. HPV DNA was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in all cervical carcinomas as well as in all tracts of the genital system. Then, these data were compared with the results obtained from PCR study of five other hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy specimens (control cases). The criteria used for selection of the control cases were informed consent of the patients for research at the time of surgery, absence of neoplasms, absence of any anatomic lesion caused by HPV in cervix, and external genitalia. All selected cases were squamous cervical carcinomas. PCR analysis revealed HPV DNA in all cases of cervical carcinoma. The HPV DNA was detected as weak positivity on PCR analysis in other organs of the genital system. However, the distribution of HPV DNA varied in the various cases and in the different tracts of the same hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy specimen. We believe that the HPV DNA, detected as a weakly positive signal, in the upper genital tract of patients who have a cervical squamous carcinoma could be a reflection of a latent HPV infection, as well as a sign of the existence of micrometastases containing HPV DNA, which cannot be detected by conventional histologic techniques.