Chlorhexidine-containing cream is often used as an antimicrobial barrier to ascending urinary tract infection in patients with indwelling urethral catheters. The cream is dispensed in small tubes for personal use but repeated use of a tube still entails a potential infection hazard. The extent of cream contamination was analysed by emulsifying it in 1 % peptone broth with 1 % Tween-80 added as a wetting agent, and culturing quantitatively for bacteria and fungi by membrane filtration. Twenty-three per cent of cream samples and 35 % of swabs taken from outside the tube beneath the screw cap demonstrated microbial contamination. Isolates included potential pathogens such as enterococci, staphylococci, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, opportunists like Moraxella spp. and diphtheroids, and contaminants such as Bacillus spp., micrococci, and a mould of the genus Cladosporium. Contamination of cream with a particular bacterial strain was found to precede urinary tract infection with the same microbe. We recommend that chlorhexidine cream for this use be dispensed in single dose units to ensure sterility.

In 1976, an epidemic caused by infections with an influenza virus antigenically similar to A/Victoria/75 (H3N2) occurred in Houston, Texas. During this outbreak, 37 families (155 members) enrolled in the Houston Family Study were under observation. The families lived throughout the metropolitan area (Houston, Texas), and were representative of low income groups. The overall frequency of infection in family members was 27·7%. The frequency of infection was the highest for infants under one year of age and for their older siblings, 14 (37·8%) of 37 and 17 (33·3%) of 51, respectively. Eighteen (48·6%) of the 37 families had at least one infected member. Twelve of the 18 ‘infected’ families had school aged children, whereas only three of the 19 ‘non-infected’ families had school aged children (P < 0·01). These infected families were also larger and had increased household density (persons/rooms). The levels of pre-existing HI antibodies to A/Victoria/75 and A/Port Chalmers/73 were inversely related to frequencies of infection and illness associated with A/Victoria/75 virus. Three children required hospitalization as direct consequence of their infection with this H3N2 influenza virus. Antibody response to infection was related to previous experience with antigenically-related influenza A (H3N2) viruses according to Francis', ‘doctrine of original antigenic sin.’

A portable air purifier significantly reduced mal odour in a small room. If the atmosphere was deliberately contaminated with Serratia marcescens the unit rapidly removed this organism. However, if incorrectly sited, the purifier could disperse organisms into the atmosphere.

A simple solid-phase enzyme immunoassay is described for the detection of antibody classes showing activity against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus in bovine sera. The assay achieves a preliminary separation of the specific class of antibody from other serum proteins through immuno-adsorption to class-specific immunoglobulin-coated wells of micro-titre plates. The specific antibody is reacted with FMD virus, which is then detected by an enzyme-labelled anti virus IgG.

A group of 240 urban and 200 rural dwellers in Western Samoa over the age of 20 years was studied for serological evidence of current or past infection with heptatitis B virus (HBV). Overall, 5·5% of subjects were found to be currently infected with HBV and a further 74·5% showed detectable levels of antibody. Antibody to the hepatitis B core antigen was found to be a better marker of past infection than antibody to the surface antigen of the virus. Both the infection rate and carrier rate were higher in males than females and subjects living in rural areas were more likely to be infected than those living in urban areas.

The prevalence of serum neutralizing antibodies to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus in 1152 serum samples from adult cattle in 114 dairy and beef herds in different regions of Scotland was 12%. In the Grampian region, the number of seropositive cattle in the self-contained herds was significantly less (P < 0·01) than in the ‘other’ herds. Holstein cattle had been introduced into five of these ‘other’ herds, and significantly more (P < 0·01) of the samples from these five herds were seropositive compared with the samples from the rest of the ‘other’ herds in the same region into which recently purchased cattle had been introduced. The introduction of Holstein cattle was also a major factor in the association between the prevalence of antibodies and herd size in the Grampian region. The prevalence of serum neutralizing antibodies to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus was significantly greater (P < 0·001) in this survey than in those previously undertaken in the United Kingdom.

The ability of the pyrogenic silica Aerosil 380R to exclude non-specific serum inhibitors (NSI) of rubella virus haemagglutination was evaluated. The developed procedure was compared with the kaolin, heparin/MnCl2 and dextran sulphate/CaCl2 methods.

Aerosil and kaolin were found superior for the elimination of non-specific inhibitors and high density lipoproteins (HDL). The other methods left NSI and HDL in a majority of the sera, occasionally in high titres. Aerosil seemed to be somewhat more efficient than kaolin in NSI and HDL exclusion. The Aerosil method offers the opportunity to detect sera with rubella antibody titres < 10. Among eight such sera, six were shown to contain rubella antibodies, while two were false positives.

A number of adenovirus serotypes have been associated with both sporadic cases and outbreaks of conjunctivitis and pharyngoconjunctival fever but only adenovirus type 8 and adenovirus type 19 have been responsible for wide-spread epidemic kerato-conjunctivitis. In Melbourne, Australia, in the past eight years these two serotypes have been prevalent, resulting in an outbreak of adenovirus type 8 kerato-conjunctivitis in 1976–7 followed by adenovirus type 19 keratoconjunctivitis in 1978–9. During these two periods of peak incidence, 53 cases of adenovirus type 8 and 43 cases of adenovirus type 19 kerato-conjunctivitis were confirmed by isolation.

The response of Acomys cahirinus to three anticoagulant rodenticides was investigated in the laboratory. In contrast to the other commensal rodents Rattus rattus and R. norvegicus, this species appears to be naturally very resistant to warfarin, difenacoum and brodifacoum. It is considered unlikely that anticoagulant poisons would be effective in the field for the control of A. cahirinus.

The results of a three year study of the viruses isolated from sewage by means of five tissue culture types are reported. The enteroviruses identified demonstrated a seasonal pattern which was similar to that of clinical isolates. Echoviruses and coxsackieviruses displayed a changing pattern of dominant serotypes in both sewage and clinical isolates; echovirus 6, 19, 3 and coxsackievirus B4, B5, A9 successively became the most common serotypes. The poliovirus in sewage was all vaccine-like in character. Reovirus, type 2 was abundant; adenovirus, of several serotypes, were the least often identified.

During a survey in Jakarta, Indonesia, 158 cultures of Salmonella oranienburg, consisting of two phage types, were obtained from 150 hospitalized patients with diarrhoea. Phage type I, though found notably in young children, was found in all age groups while phage type II was found almost exclusively in young children aged 0–7 years. Phage type I may produce a more severe clinical picture affecting all age groups alike, while phage type II may result in hospitalization of only the very young, who are more susceptible to dehydration. Phage type I was significantly more resistant than phage type II to the individual antibiotics: tetracycline, chloramphenicol, kanamycin and neomycin. However, there was no difference in their respective antibiotic resistance patterns as measured by disk and MIC assay. All cultures were sensitive to gentamicin and trimethoprimsulphamethoxazole 1:19.

Over a 24 month period on six paediatric wards of different designs 169 cases of possible hospital-acquired respiratory virus infection were investigated. A variety of viruses was isolated from 82 cases, the most common being respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, parainfluenza, adenoviruses and rhinoviruses. A further 73 children developed respiratory symptoms between 3 and 300 days after admission but viruses were not demonstrable by the techniques used. These children were thought to have hospital-acquired infection nonetheless. Thirteen children were shown not to have acquired infection as the cause of their intercurrent illness. Most acquired infections occurred where toddlers were in cots in open wards. Children with trauma, including non-accidental injury, congenital malformations, mental retardation, failure to thrive or neoplasia were most likely to become infected. Almost 20 % of children suffered from croup or lower respiratory tract illness as a result of their acquired infection. The figure was 41 % if those less than 12 months old were considered alone. Most episodes settled quickly but in a few children investigations or surgery were delayed for a few days.

Sera of 1000 persons in Voyvodina were tested with radioimmunoassay for antibodies against hepatitis A virus (HAV).

The morbidity and age incidence of positive findings have been analysed and compared with relevant findings in other countries. Below the age of 19 years the morbidity rates are higher (0·138 to 0·595 per mill) and the prevalences of seropositives are lower (17·1–64·0%) than the respective frequencies above that age (0·011 to 0·052 per mill and 85·7–98·7 % respectively). Below the first year of life seropositivity is more frequent than in 1- to 14-year old children. After the first year until the age of 30–39 years the frequency of seropositives increases with increasing age up to a maximum of about 90%.

Young Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were infected orally with a human strain of Campylobacter jejuni. The disease induced was mild, with inappetence and diarrhoea of short duration, but prolonged intermittent excretion of the bacteria in the faeces occurred. Bacteraemia was generally present for 2–3 days and later the organisms localized in the liver and gall bladder. Recovered animals, when challenged with the same strain, showed no clinical symptoms, no bacteraemia, and excreted the organisms in the faeces for only 3 days.

An antigenic scheme for Citrobacter koseri was described previously and consisted of 14 ‘O’ antigens. Three additional antigens are now added to the scheme and type strains for these antigens are designated. Their origins and their biochemical and serological reactions are described.

The antibody titres in 250 subjects, aged 5 to 22 years, who were vaccinated with a mannitol-lyophilized antimeningococcal A + C vaccine, stable only when stored at − 20°C, were followed for two years. As measured by indirect haemagglutination (IHA) and indirect immunofluorescence (IF) techniques, titres for both A and C Neisseria meningitidis antibodies remained high. Two years after vaccination titres of antibodies against type A showed fourfold increase over the initial titres in from 46 % to 100 % of groups of subjects and against type C in from 42 % to 80%.

For 130 subjects vaccinated with a new lactose–lyophilized antimeningcoccal A + C vaccine (presumed stable at 4°C) antibody titres were measured up to 16 months after inoculation with this vaccine stored at −20°C and also after storage for several periods at 4°C. Antibody titres in all these subjects had fallen to their initial titres by 16 months.

The importance of evaluating the results on subjects showing low initial titres (≤1/8 as measured by IHA) is discussed, as inclusion of high initial titres influences the extent of the response.

Recent New Zealand and Australian isolates of Salmonella typhimurium phage type 179 were studied for relatedness by colony incompatibility. This established that all but one strain of the New Zealand groups probably formed a clone despite carrying a variety of plasmids. The Australian strains showed a far greater diversity. This study demonstrates the epidemiological usefulness of the colony incompatibility reactions.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from the ears of 18 of the 25 members of a team of competitive swimmers who complained of painful discharging ears. This group of swimmers trained twice daily in the pool, in the early morning and late afternoon. In contrast swabbing of the ears of a similar group of 54 competitive swimmers who used the pool only in the afternoon revealed only one swimmer with P. aeruginosa. Investigation of the swimming pool revealed that chlorination was often inadequate when the first group of swimmers were training in the early morning. Strains of P. aeruginosa were isolated from various sites around the pool and from the bag of a vacuum used to clean the pool.

Pyocin typing, serotyping and phage typing were performed on all isolates. The dominant strain recovered from the swimmers' ears was found to be almost identical to that from the vacuum bag and belonged to serotype 0–11 which has been particularly associated with outbreaks of P. aeruginosa infection in whirlpools in the United States.

These results support the hypothesis that there is a direct correlation between the development of otitis externa and swimming in water contaminated with P. aeruginosa.