Martin D. Hicklin

Demonstration of the agent of Legionnaires' disease in tissue.

AN epidemic of acute febrile respiratory disease occurred among persons who had been in Philadelphia during July and August, 1976. Patients were divided into two groups: those who attended the Penn...

Fatal Pneumonia Caused by Legionella pneumophila, Serogroup 3: Demonstration of the Bacilli in Extrathoracic Organs

An immunosuppressed patient with malignant lymphoma died of acute pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila. Bacilli of serogroup 3 were detected in areas of pnemonia, in a mediastinal lymph node, and in the liver and spleen by direct immunofluorescence done on tissue obtained at autopsy. That the extrathoracic fluorescent material represented intact bacteria rather than antigenic fragments or antigen-antibody complexes was confirmed by finding intracellular bacilli in the liver by electron microscopy. To our knowledge, this case represents the first example of fatal disease attributed to serogroup 3 L. pneumophila and the first case in which L. pneumophila has been demonstrated in extrathoracic organs.

Schistosoma mansoni: reduction in clinical manifestations and in worm burdens conferred by serum and transfer factor from immune or normal rhesus monkeys.

Abstract Although delayed hypersensitivity to Schistosoma mansoni was conferred on rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) by means of dialyzable transfer factor prepared from peripheral leukocytes or lymph node cells of infected immune donors, when such animals were challenged with 1000 cercariae of S. mansoni they developed worm burdens similar to those of nontreated controls. However, recipients of transfer factor that, in addition, received hyperimmune serum showed minimal clinical symptoms and significantly reduced worm burdens after subsequent infection with S. mansoni irrespective of whether the donors used for the transfer factor were immune or uninfected. A significant but lower degree of protection was conferred by combinations of either S. mansoni transfer factor or normal transfer factor and normal serum. Neither transfer factor nor hyperimmune serum alone conferred protection to recipients. Susceptibility to infection was assessed by observing the signs of the disease, determining the worm burdens by perfusion 10 weeks after exposure, and by observing the appearance of the intestine at autopsy. The animals which received transfer factor and immune serum were protected against clinical disease. Good correlation between worm burdens and severity of disease was observed.

Fatal aspergillosis in imported parrots

Spontaneous fatal aspergillosis occurred in several species of parrots imported from Latin America, Australia, Malaya and Ghana for studies on the control of psittacosis. Over a period of 4 years, 655 parrots were imported for use in these studies. All birds that died during these investigations were necropsied, and the internal organs of 45 were found to have macroscopic lesions suggestive of aspergillosis. Of these 45 suspected cases, 32 were confirmed as aspergillosis by both histopathology and culture, and three others by histopathology alone. There was no evidence that the remaining 10 had this disease. Of the 32 culturally confirmed cases, 13 were found to be caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, 16 by A. oryzae, and three by both fungi. In this series, three sets of circumstances appear to have been associated with the development of fatal aspergillosis. Their capture and transport to the United States, the administration of chlortetracycline used in the control of psittacosis, and the administration of cortisone acetate in an attempt to activate existent latent psittacosis infections. The possible causal relationship of these factors are discussed.

TATLOCK Bacterium (Pittsburgh Pneumonia Agent) Presumptively Identified in Five Cases of Pneumonia

Excerpt Recently Rogers and co-workers (1) described five cases of pneumonia caused by a bacterium that could not be isolated on routine bacteriologic media. They suggested that the organism might ...

Immediate, Arthus, and delayed-type skin reactions in rhesus monkeys infected with Schistosoma mansoni or mycobacteria

Abstract Gross and histologic observations of immediate, Arthus, and delayed-type skin reactivities in rhesus monkeys infected with Schistosoma mansoni or mycobacteria are described. Edema without erythema occurred in the eyelid and on the chest of animals with immediate-type hypersensitivity. Eosinophils characterized the cell infiltrations. Arthus reactivity resulted in blanching of the skin test sites and in a polymorphonuclear neutrophilic infiltration. Erythema was stimulated by intrapalpebral testing of animals with delayed hypersensitivity, but in these animals the chest site or back again showed a blanched area of induration; a large mononuclear, epithelioid cell type of infiltration was characteristic of this reactivity.

PROBLEM IN DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS: CLINICAL PATHOLOGICAL CONFERENCE AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

Excerpt Dr. Frederic C. Bartter: For our first Clinical Pathological Conference we are presenting the case of a man who had serious disease of two systems, endocrine and cardiovascular. The pathoph...