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Repeated intranasal administrations of NIVGRIP, influenza inactivated vaccine, to patients with chronic recurrent keratoconjunctivitis, led to a significant reduction of respiratory virus incidence, as revealed by the immunofluorescence test in the conjunctive epithelial cells. The effect is probably due to endogenous interferon stimulation by the vaccine, at the nasopharyngeal level.

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A study was conducted of the viral and inframicrobial populations present in the conjunctival, nasal and pharyngeal mucous membranes by immunofluorescence techniques, using a twelve hyperimmune serum kit, in 120 patients with chronic, relapsing keratoconjunctivitis. Qualitative and quantitative differences were noted in the antigen levels in the three investigated mucous membranes. The number of antigens in the conjunctival and nasal epithelial cells was higher than in the pharyngeal ones: 117 and 113 positive IF tests for the first two against 95 for the third. Incidence of each of the individual antigens was two or three times higher in the conjunctival and nasal mucous membranes, excepting, however, the parainfluenza viruses which were equally frequent in all the three mucous membranes.

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Study was conducted on 20 subjects with non bacterial chronic rhinopharyngitis. Forty-one virus strains, mainly adenoviruses, type 3 parainfluenza virus, influenza and type 1 herpes viruses, as well as enteroviruses were isolated from samples collected at regular intervals. After the NIVGRIP (R) vaccination, the number of subjects with viruses present in the pharynx decreased by 75% (from 20 to 5 positive patients) and that of isolates from 41 to 6 (80% positive samples before vaccination against 10% after immunization).

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Immunofluorescence (IF) techniques were used to evaluate the therapeutical efficiency of moroxidine hydrochloride against herpes virus (HSV) induced keratoconjunctivitis. In 56 out of the 77 followed-up and treated patients, the IF reactions revealed the presence of both types 1 and 2 of herpes virus, while in 21 only type 1 was found. The treatment with moroxidine hydrochloride led to a reduction of 63% and 92%, respectively, of the incidence of herpes virus type 1 and 2 antigens in the conjunctival cells, coincident with the improvement of clinical symptoms or persistent recovery.

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Direct and indirect immunofluorescence techniques were used to investigate the presence of some viral, chlamydial, Rickettsia and Mycoplasma antigens in the exfoliated nasal and pharyngeal epithelial cells from 156 patients with acute or chronic respiratory infections. Positive results were found in 98 (62.82%) of them, parainfluenza (36.88%) and herpes (23.3%) antigens, being the most frequent. Herpes, parainfluenza and adenoviral antigens were found the most frequently among patients with pharyngitis (76 cases). Parainfluenza, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia and Rickettsia burneti antigens had the highest prevalence among the patients with rhinitis (34 cases). The presence of a single antigen was detected only in 36 patients (36.73%), two or more antigens being found simultaneously in other 62 cases (63.27%). The results demonstrate the utility and efficiency of the immunofluorescence techniques for the rapid etiological diagnosis of acute or chronic respiratory infections.

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The presence of viral and/or inframicrobial antigens was investigated by the immunofluorescence (IF) technique in exfoliated pharyngeal cells collected from 85 children aged 0-5 years, with acute infections of the upper or lower respiratory tract. Positive IF reactions were recorded in 83% of the children with bronchopneumonia, 81.8% of those with acute pharyngitis, 77.7% of those with acute upper respiratory tract infections and 66.6% of those with acute bronchitis. In 68.75% of the IF-positive cases 2-5 different antigens were simultaneously visualized. Herpes and parainfluenza virus antigens appeared to be predominant. The proportion of positive IF reactions was much lower (20%) in a control group of 20 apparently healthy children, where a single viral antigen (parainfluenza 1) was detected.

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The circulation of respiratory viruses was investigated comparatively in a group of 24 subjects vaccinated intranasally with the NIVGRIP inactivated influenza vaccine and in 20 unvaccinated controls. The study relied on the detection by immunofluorescence reactions of viral antigens in exfoliated cells present in the nasopharyngeal secretions collected in January, February and March 1984. In January-February the prevalence of influenza, parainfluenza and adenovirus type 5 antigens was considerably lower in vaccinees than in controls. Simultaneous detection of more than two viral antigens in the same subject was more frequent in controls. The data demonstrate that the influenza vaccine administered not only conferred specific protection, but also stimulated the mechanisms of local nonspecific antiviral defence.

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An outbreak of 111 cases of acute respiratory tract infection was recorded in a community of the town "T" in April-May 1984. The clinical picture was severer than usual; 28% of the cases had to be hospitalized, average absenteeism being as high as 26 days per case. Serological investigations demonstrated the previous circulation of influenza virus B/Singapore/222/79 and the simultaneous circulation during the outbreak of influenza virus A/England/333/80 (H1N1) and of Rickettsia burneti (as also ascertained by isolation in the chick embryo of the former and by visualization by immunofluorescence in exfoliated cells of the latter pathogen). The association of the two etiological agents appears to account for the severe and protracted course of the disease.

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Co-infection of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC)-bearing mice with Sendai virus and Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) did not result in the formation of complete RSV. Sendai virus could be, however, propagated in this system over 8 serial passages. As demonstrated by immunofluorescence and complement fixation reactions, antigens specific to each virus were synthesized in EAC cells following either single or mixed virus infection. The virus progens also contained antigenic fractions incorporated from the host cell. The incomplete progens synthesized when RSV inoculation preceded that of Sendai virus possessed three polypeptide fractions characteristic of Sendai virus and one RSV-specific fraction.

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The presence of viral, chlamydial and mycoplasma antigens was investigated by the indirect immunofluorescence (IF) reaction in the urethral cells of 30 male patients with urethritis. Positive IF reactions were recorded in 21 (70%) of the cases, 2-6 different antigens being simultaneously visualized in 14 patients. In addition to chlamydial, mycoplasma and herpes antigens, parainfluenza virus and adenovirus antigens were visualized in 39.34% and 11.47% of the cases, respectively. The efficacy of the IF technique in the rapid laboratory diagnosis of male urethritis is discussed.

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Viral and inframicrobial antigens were detected by immunofluorescence (IF) in exfoliated conjunctival and corneal cells from 22 patients with uveitis, 2-9 different antigens being simultaneously visualized in 17 of the cases. The treatment applied on the ground of the etiological diagnosis specified by IF reactions consisted in the administration of tetracycline, Flumidin (Virustat), standard gamma-globulin or specific antiherpes immunoglobulin, the NIVGRIP inactivated influenza vaccine. This therapy led to persistent recovery (coincident with the disappearance of the antigens from conjunctival cells) in 15 cases and to clinical improvement in 7 cases. The importance of the rapid viral diagnosis by IF for the choice of an adequate therapy of uveitis is discussed.

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Viral antigens were detected by immunofluorescence in exfoliated conjunctival cells from 100 out of 110 keratitis patients investigated. The overall prevalence of respiratory virus antigens (parainfluenza, influenza, adenovirus) was twice as high as that of herpes antigens. The ratio between respiratory and herpes virus antigens was of 4:1 in the patients with acute respiratory syndromes in the past history, as against 2:1 in those who had had no respiratory illness.

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The presence of 12 viral (herpes 1 and 2, influenza A(H1N1), A(H3N2) and B, parainfluenza 1, 2, 3, adenovirus 5) and inframicrobial (Chlamydia, mycoplasma, Rickettsia burneti) antigens was investigated by direct or indirect immunofluorescence (IF) reactions in exfoliated conjunctival cells from 110 patients with nonbacterial keratitis and keratoconjunctivitis. A rapid etiological diagnosis could be obtained in 101 (92%) of the cases, parainfluenza and herpes antigens being the most frequently detected. In most of the cases the simultaneous presence of several antigens was made evident. Encouraging results were obtained by the application of a specific treatment based on the diagnosis provided by the IF reaction.

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The presence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and/or herpes antigens was investigated by indirect immunofluorescence (IF) reactions in exfoliated cells or biopsy specimens from 43 patients with different skin diseases (treatment-resistant cutaneous herpes, genital herpes, acne, urticaria, dermatitis, erythema multiforme, ecthyma contagiosum). Either M. pneumoniae or herpes antigen could be detected in 21 (55.26%) and 12 (31.57%) of the 38 IF-positive cases, respectively, while the associated occurrence of mycoplasma and herpes antigens was observed in 5 (13.15%) of the patients.

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The presence of viral (herpes 1 and 2, influenza A and B, parainfluenza 1, 2, and 3, adenovirus) and inframicrobial (Chlamydia, R. burneti and mycoplasma) antigens was investigated by indirect immunofluorescence reaction in exfoliated cells from 107 patients with chronic eye diseases and 77 patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Single or associated viral or inframicrobial antigens were detected in 80% of the former and in 60% of the latter patients. The proportion of multiple infections was of about 60% in both patient groups.

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Direct examination of urethral smears made evident the presence of chlamydial infection in 162 (38.1%) of 425 male patients with nongonococcal urethritis. Serum antibodies to the group antigen could be detected by complement fixation and microagglutination reactions only in about 50% of the cases with chlamydial infection. The proportion of chlamydial strains isolated in chick embryos was rather low (14.8%) and the isolation rate appeared to correlate with the abundance of urethral secretion.

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A vaccine against chlamydial ovine abortion was prepared according to an original method and experimentally applied to more than 500,000 animals in large breeding units. The vaccine induced a considerable seroconversion (as demonstrated by complement fixation tests) and reduced by 3--5 times the damage due to chlamydioses. Vaccination of primiparous ewes, followed by 2--3 annual revaccinations, gave good results, conferring resistance on the vaccinated animals.

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Data are presented on the separation and on some biochemical properties of an antigen to be used in the immunodiffusion (ID) test for detection of bovine leukemia virus. The antigen obtained proved to have the same efficiency in the ID test as a commercially available standard antigen. Experimental results suggest that the antigen is released into the culture fluid in the form of a glycoprotein molecule consisting of two subunits with a molecular weight of 60,000 linked by--SH bonds.

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