1. Samples of milk from 183 cows were examined, and seventeen (9·2 per cent.) yielded Br. abortus.

2. Two hundred and two samples of butter, margarine, cheese, and icecream failed to yield Br. abortus, although samples of locally prepared butter and cheese both contained tubercle bacilli.

3. Examination of the serum from slaughtermen and men working in allied trades showed some evidence of latent infection, but no indication of much real illness due to Br. abortus.

4. Examination of the sera of sheep failed to show any evidence that these animals become infected with Br. abortus.

5. The examination of sera and organs from pigs failed to show any evidence that the porcine type of Br. abortus occurs.

Little is known about HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) in newly diagnosed HIV-infected adults in eastern China where the HIV epidemic is spreading predominantly through sexual contact. During 2008–2011, newly HIV-diagnosed adults in Taizhou prefecture, Zhejiang province in eastern China were examined for HIVDR by amplifying and sequencing the HIV-1 pol gene. Of 447 genotyped participants, 53·7% were infected with CRF01_AE, 20·1% with CRF07_BC, 12·5% with subtype B, and 11·6% with CRF08_BC. Most of the participants had one or more minor genetic mutations in the pol gene that are associated with HIVDR. Twelve (2·7%) participants met the standard guidelines of having low to high HIVDR, suggesting that the prevalence of HIVDR in newly HIV-diagnosed adults was low in the study area and current antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens are likely to remain effective. However, given high frequency of minor HIVDR in HIV patients and the scaling up of ART programmes in China, larger HIVDR surveillance programmes are needed.

We examined the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in investigating suspected cases of meningococcal infection in Birmingham. Data held by Birmingham Health Authority were interrogated to determine cases of suspected or confirmed meningococcal infection for a 3-year period from April 1996. The microbiology departments of five local hospitals completed a standard proforma about the microbiological investigation of cases and included details of patient age, clinical presentation and method of confirmation of the clinical diagnosis. Of 273 cases, 123 had PCR performed on either cerebrospinal fluid and/or blood. Groups more likely to have a PCR done were those presenting with septicaemia alone, and those in the 5–14 year age group. In 33 cases, PCR was the only positive microbiological result. Over the study period there was increasing but variable use of PCR in the investigation of meningococcal infection and PCR increased the yield of confirmed cases.

RK 13 and primary PMK and VMK cell cultures were compared for the isolation of RV by means of the simultaneous inoculation of original specimens and early passage material. RK 13 was found to be the most sensitive and reliable and provided a result for both isolation and neutralization in the shortest time. As the interpretation of CPE and the propagation of these cultures is sometimes difficult, the simultaneous use of a second system in which RV is easy to identify, e.g. VMK or PMK cell cultures, is recommended. Both PMK cell cultures and LLC-RK1 were suitable for isolating RV from clinical specimens. Preliminary studies with LLC-RK 1 indicate that it may provide an even more sensitive alternative to RK 13, but further studies employing clinical material require to be carried out before firm conclusions can be reached.

Five hundred strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were tested against various anti-staphylococcal agents. Vancomycin, fusidic acid and fosfomycin were found to be the most effective. Only 1 strain out of 500 was resistant to fosfomycin. Three patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus septicaemia were successfully treated by fosfomycin. We conclude that fosfomycin could be the drug of choice for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection.

This study compared the course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) and evaluated the effect of vaccination with CoronaVac on admission to ICU. Patients admitted to ICU due to COVID-19 between 1 April 2021 and 15 May 2021 were enrolled to the study. Clinical, laboratory, radiological parameters, hospital and ICU mortality were compared between vaccinated patients and eligible but unvaccinated patients. Patients over 65 years old were the target population of the study due to the national vaccination schedule. Data from 90 patients were evaluated. Of these, 36 (40.0%) were vaccinated. All patients had the CoronaVac vaccine. Lactate dehydrogenase and ferritin levels were higher in an unvaccinated group than vaccinated group (P = 0.021 and 0.008, respectively). SpO2 from the first arterial blood gas at ICU was 83.71 ± 19.50% in vaccinated, 92.36 ± 6.59% in unvaccinated patients (P = 0.003). Length of ICU and hospital stay were not different (P = 0.204, 0.092, respectively). ICU and hospital mortality were similar between groups (P = 0.11 and 0.70, respectively). CoronaVac vaccine had no effect on survival from COVID-19. CoronaVac's protective effect, especially on new genetic variants, should be investigated further.

Strains of Salmonella enterica serotype Berta, collected over a period of 6 years from a well documented natural outbreak in Denmark, have been characterized in order to assess the stability of chromosomal typing systems and virulence properties. Outbreak strains were identical in Pvu II and Pst I IS200 profiles, all but two strains showed the same Sma I ribotype, and all but one strain showed the same Not I pulsed field gel electrophoretic pattern, indicating that these molecular markers remained almost constant during the outbreak. In general, strains of S. Berta were found to be of moderate to low virulence; log VC10 values were found to vary between 3·0 and 4·4 after i.p. challenge of mice, and maximum CFU in internal organs of day-old chicks varied between 2 and 4 log10 units following oral challenge. The minor differences observed between strains in vivo did not correlate with differences in in vitro invasion into cultured MDCK cells, nor with in vitro growth characteristics. A succession of different plasmid profile types was observed during the outbreak but a hierarchical selection of clones based on differences in virulence was unlikely to have caused the succession of types of S. Berta during this outbreak.

A study was made of the reaction of the white blood corpuscles in bovines at parturition.

Graphs made from the differential total counts of the white blood corpuscles from shortly before calving and at intervals through the period of parturition and for 24–48 hr. after calving show a definite absolute lymphopoenia with a rise in the neturophils.

The type of graph produced resembles that found in bovines when cortisone is injected.

The peak of the white blood cell reaction usually takes place about 5–9 hr. after the delivery of the calf. This is also the period of the peak reaction in the cellular relations after injection of cortisone.

The observations recorded seem to afford positive evidence that C 11 hydroxy steroids (cortisone) are poured out in the last stage of parturition in the normal bovine. The desensitization of the skin in animals which were sensitized to Trichomonas foetus an which was found at this time is considered to be connected with the action of the hormone.

This report describes an increased number of cases of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection imported in northern Italy (Emilia-Romagna region) during the period May–September 2014, indicating that the recent spread of CHIKV and its establishment in the Caribbean and in central America, resulted in a high number of imported cases in Europe, thus representing a threat to public health. From May to September 2014, 14 imported cases of CHIKV infection were diagnosed; the patients were returning to Italy from Dominican Republic (n = 6), Haiti (n = 3), Guadeloupe (n = 2), Martinique (n = 1), Puerto Rico (n = 1) and Venezuela (n = 1). Phylogenetic analysis performed on the envelope protein (E1) gene sequences, obtained from plasma samples from two patients, indicated that the virus strain belongs to the Caribbean clade of the Asian genotype currently circulating in the Caribbean and Americas. The rise in the number of imported cases of CHIKV infection should increase healthcare professionals' awareness of the epidemiological situation and clinical presentation of CHIKV infection in order to enhance surveillance and early diagnosis in the forthcoming season of vector activity in Europe and North America.

Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy used as conditioning regimens before autologous or allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantations (HCTs) cause neutropenia, which is the main reason for bloodstream infections. Autologous HCTs are considered to be superior to allogeneic HCTs in terms of infection outcome. A previous analysis suggested that patients with allogeneic HCTs are exposed to a reduced infection hazard and that an unfavourable infection outcome of allogeneic HCTs may be mediated through prolonged neutropenia. Therefore, we investigated whether allogeneic HCTs initially lead to fewer infections. We evaluated data from a prospective non-randomized multi-centre cohort study, with a total of 1616 patients. Of these, 703 patients received autologous and 913 patients received allogeneic HCTs from January 2000 to June 2004. The retrospective analysis used simultaneous confidence bands for the cumulative infection probability in the presence of competing risks. Patients with allogeneic HCTs experienced fewer infections during the early phase of neutropenia. As patients with autologous HCTs are not necessarily subject to antibiotic prophylaxis, a future study should investigate this policy. A limitation of the analysis is that it did not find the effect of crossing cumulative infection probabilities to be significant.

Between August 1964 and November 1965 Salmonella senftenberg was isolated from poultry, sheep and cattle on eight farms in England and Scotland. From an analysis of the case records its presence would appear to be incidental; but it may contribute to poultry mortality by acting in conjunction with other intercurrent infections or following stressful events such as severe debeaking or cold brooder conditions.

I should like to thank the officers of the veterinary field investigation and research services who made available their records and notes for this work, and who visited the farms and hatcheries, but especially Mr R. Duff, Veterinary Laboratory, Lasswade, for his reports on the turkey poults from farm A; also Dr Betty Hobbs and Mr B. Hanson for their valuable criticisms.

In a case of suppurative cholecystitis with cholelithiasis a bacillus was isolated from the pus, gall bladder, and stools which has the morphological, biological and cultural characters of B. enteritidis Gaertner. This bacillus is pathogenic for the rat, rabbit and guinea-pig, and gives rise to the characteristic lesions produced by the Gaertner bacillus. The serum of the patient agglutinated the three strains of bacilli isolated from the above mentioned sources and the original Gaertner strain in a dilution of 1 in 40. A serum, prepared by injecting B. enteritidis Gaertner (original strain) into a rabbit, agglutinated the three strains isolated from the case and the homologous bacillus in almost the same dilutions.

A serum prepared from any of the three bacilli agglutinates the homologous organism, the other two strains and the original Gaertner bacillus in almost the same titre. The sera homologous to allied organisms do not agglutinate these bacilli. Absorption tests confirm these results and prove that the bacilli isolated are identical with the Gaertner bacillus.

The chief points of interest in the case are that:

1. It forms a link in the chain of evidence showing that as in the case of the paratyphoid bacillus the B. enteritidis Gaertner may give rise, not only to the more acute toxic from of poisoning, but also to a sub-acute paratyphoid type of the disease.

2. It establishes the association of B. enteritidis Gaertner with suppurative cholecystitis and with cholelithiasis.

3. It proves that this bacillus may have its habitat in the gall bladder and be shed out at intervals into the faeces, in a manner exactly analogous to what occurs in the case of typhoid and paratyphiod infections.

Intravenous provocation (IVP) tests demonstrated that hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (MC) was able to elicit anaphylactic signs in cattle vaccinated with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine produced at one centre but not with similar vaccine produced at another. The former vaccine also provoked serum reagins which were demonstrated by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) tests in goats.

Reaginic sera which reacted specifically with MC were used in PCA tests to screen samples taken serially from the vaccine production lines. The reactions observed suggested that a substance with MC or similar specificity was present in the antifoaming agent routinely added to vaccines.

A survey into the prevalence of salmonella organisms in sewage in the Borders Region of South-east Scotland is described. A total of 317 isolates representing 34 different serotypes were made, of which only 5 serotypes appeared in animals, supporting the view that the spreading of sewage sludge on to pastureland presents little risk to livestock provided the recommended guidelines are followed. Nevertheless, Salmonella typhimurium phage type 12, identified in sewage, was also recovered from animals in incidents on 11 farms, including 4 which had received sludge from this source. A further 48 isolates (13 serotypes) were obtained from the parallel monitoring of abattoir effluents, indicating that the background level of salmonella infection in the animal population appears to be low in comparison to that in humans.

An antibiotic elaborated by Pfeifferella whitmori is described. This principle is active in vitro against the H37RV strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but in several other respects closely resembles penicillin. It has given encouraging results in a small-scale therapeutic trial in experimental guinea-pig diphtheria.

A plastic, mechanically ventilated source isolator with filters in the air effluent was designed to enable infected patients to be nursed and treated in a general ward or to be transported without risk to staff or other contacts.

Two models of isolator were developed. Their potential value was tested by the challenge of heavy dispersal, inside the isolator, of bacteria (a) from patients with burns, during the change of dressings, (b) from contaminated bedding during simulated bed-making, and (c) from the dispersal of a suspension of Bacillus subtilis var. globigii.

Sampling of air by slit samplers outside the isolator and, in comparable control patients, from the air of the room in which dressings were changed, showed consistently lower counts of bacteria and of Staph. aureus during dressings when the isolator was used; on removal of the isolator canopy there was, in some experiments, a considerable increase in airborne bacteria, due to residual bacteria in the isolator or to the re-dispersal of bacteria which settled on the patient and his bedding during the dressing.

Simultaneous sampling with slit samplers inside and outside the isolator during and after bed-making or dispersal of B. subtilis var. globigii showed an almost complete protection of the air outside the isolator against contamination by bacteria released inside the isolator.

In the investigation we report the occurrence and spread of multiresistant Salmonella Typhimurium phage type (DT) 104 in 174 known Danish animal herds infected between 1996 and 2003. We applied PFGE, plasmid analysis and spatio-temporal analysis for a description of the development and spread of infection among herds. The results showed that in Denmark DT104 are mainly spread by trade of animals; however, horizontal spread of DT104 is also important and the risk of an animal herd becoming infected increased with the proximity in time and space to a DT104-infected herd. Based on these results, it is recommended that specific actions are taken to limit the risk of horizontal spread of DT104 from newly infected herds.

A molecular epidemiological study was carried out on 60 Salmonella dublin isolates identified at the Southern Italy Enterobacteriaceae Center between 1971 and 1985. These included 23 isolates from children with diarrhoea in Palermo obtained during 1984.

All isolates from the outbreak of gastroenteritis in children were resistant to chloramphenicol and streptomycin and harboured two plasmids of 50 MDa and 3 MDa molecular weight, whereas the majority of the isolates identified before 1984 were susceptible to these antibiotics and carried only a 50 MDa molecular weight plasmid. Four S. dublin strains successively identified from cattle (Palermo, Foggia, Portici) and from a child (Palermo) were shown to possess similar antibiotic resistance patterns and plasmid profiles to S. dublin isolates from the outbreak of gastroenteritis in children.

The 50 MDa plasmid was shown to be associated with virulence in mice, while it was not possible to assign any genetic function to the 3 MDa plasmid.

The prevalence of scropositivity to Legionella spp. was studied in inmates and staff members of two geriatric hospitals (Rahel and Sinai); attendants to a geriatric Day Club; and 26 old people with entirely independent households. The sera were examined by indirect immunofluorescence with antigens of six Legionella species (L. pneumophila, L. longbeachae, L. micdadei, L. gormanii, L. dumoffii and L. bozemanii). A titre of ≥ 256 to at least one antigen was obtained in 30·5% of patients and 35·7% of staff members from Rahel; 12·1% of patients and 17·2% of staff members from Sinai; 9·1% of attendants to the Day Club; and none of 26 old people with their own households. All the positive patients from Rahel reacted with L. pneumophila, but only four of seven of the positive patients from Sinai did so; none of the seropositive subjects from the Day Club reacted with this agent.

The results indicate intramural exposure to agents of legionellosis, at least for the Rahel Hospital.