NormanR. Grist

A six-year study of coxsackievirus B infections in heart disease.

Virological examination of 385 patients with suspected heart disease and 26 with Bornholm disease over a period of 6 years suggested that Coxsackie group B virus infections were associated with at least half the cases of acute myocarditis and one third of the cases of acute non-bacterial pericarditis. Complement-fixation tests revealed only a few cardiac illnesses associated with other infections (influenza and Mycoplasma pneumoniae). No evidence of infection was found in chronic cardiac disease.

Coxsackie virus infections in patients with acute cardiac disease and chest pain.

During 1964 and 1965 infections with Coxsackie virus types A4, B1, B2, B4 or B5 were diagnosed in 9 cases of acute pericarditis (2 with myocarditis), 1 of acute myocarditis, 8 of Bornholm disease and 1 of acute chest pain attributed to myocardial ischaemia. Echovirus 6 was isolated from a case of Bornholm disease with antibody response to Coxsackie B1 virus. Echovirus type 25 was isolated from an additional case of acute myocarditis. During epidemics Coxsackie viruses probably contribute significantly to acute cardiac disease. The virological diagnosis is often difficult to achieve, and it is important to attempt virus isolation from early specimens in addition to testing paired sera.

WHOOPING-COUGH VACCINATION

load give a very reliable index of lactose intolerance, I do not think the experience of Mitchell et al. with the clinitest should necessarily lead to their denigration of such a test. In my experience it is more likely to give a false positive result than a false negative. Certainly the effect of lactose maldigestion on nutrition may be more subtle than is commonly accepted, particularly in the mfant over 1 year of age. However, before suggesting widespread modification of cow’s milk, one needs more evidence