An epilepsy-like anomaly of mice was encountered in the course of investigations of spontaneous hydrocephalus of mice in November, 1954. When mice were thrown up gently about 10-15cm high on a board for several times, they fell down suddenly on the plate followd by violent convulsions (Photo. 1-3) . After about 5 minutes, they stood up and recovered completely. These convulsions occurred suddenly and recovered very rapidly. Neuro-physiologically, loss of wrightening reflex, tonic convulsion, clonic convulsion and locomotive movement were observed. Reproduction of the anomaly by inoculation of a brain emulsion from the mice into normal ones resulted all negative. Bacteriological and PPLO examinations were also negative. In histopathological examinations, no significant lesions were noted either in the brain or in the visceral organs.
On the contrary, the characters were transmitted to their offsprings by mating. Homogeneous mating indicated 100 per cent positive, over four generations. A certain time lag (about 7 weeks or more) was required for the occurrence of the anomaly. At present (1959, January), it has reached to 12 generations and 7 or 8 weeks are necessary for the occurrence after their birth.
It is evident that this anomaly was due to genetic background. From an experiment of outcross, these characters seemed to be transmitted dominantly, however, it is difficult to make any conclusion about genes at present. Sex and food seemed to have no influence upon the occurrence of the anomaly.
Finally, it was concluded that this anomaly of micee is a new character being different from any mutants which are known, or from augiogenic seizures in several points.

View full abstract

At its 10 Session, the Expert committee on Biological Standardization of WHO asked the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge, in collaborative with Paul Ehrlich Institute, Frankfurt, to arrange a collaboration examination of an adsorped freeze-dried swine erysiperas vaccine for its stability and performance in assay with a view to its use as the International Standard. It was noted at the 11th Session that preliminary collaborative examination by the two laboratories mentioned above had shown the suitability of such a preparation and the Paul Ehrlich Institute was asked available a large quantity of a similar material. The samples were distributed to our laboratory, so we performed the comparative assay test on the materials.
As shown in Chart, mice of dd strain showed a parallelism in two trials and a definite relation between vaccine doses and servival rates, while non-selected mice showed a very great discrepancy in the points of above-mentioned facts.
The detail is to be reported by Ando et al. in the near future.

View full abstract

The amount of ammonia in the air contaminated by the discontinuance of water washing of the laboratory animal room and that of ammonia absorbed in the water placed in the same room were measured by using Nessler reagent. From the air, 0.0478-0.1060 mg/liter of ammonia i. e., beyond the tolerable amount of ammonia in a special room, was detected, and the water in a drinking bottle for mice absorbed about 1.7 mg/liter of ammonia during 24 hours. On the other hand, five goldfish kept in the same room began to die when the ammonia level reached 29.1 mg and were exterminated when 46.4 mg of ammonia were absorbed by a liter of water. Futhermore, similar results were obtained when other five healthy goldfish were exposed to these amounts of ammonia. From these results, it was recognized that ammonia was one of the important factors for contamination of the air in that room and that air washing was indispensable.

View full abstract

With regard to tuberculosis in monkeys, it is generally said that it bears some resemblance to that in men. But few instances of the cases are reported.
Our observations of the monkeys in Nogeyama Zoo, Yokohama have been carried on from the year 1953. Four cases of tuberculous monkeys were found until March, 1958. Two of those cases were examined pathologically as well as bacteriologically, and the others clinically.
Our knowledge of the physiological conditions of the monkeys observed by us being still inadequate, final conclusions of this study have to be entrusted to future investigations. Therefore, the following tentative observations and conclusions are reported in this present paper upon the data gathered up to this time.
1. TheMycobacterium tuberculosisvar.hominiswas segrigated from the pathologic regions of two dead monkeys.
2. The pathological-histological picture of the monkeys bore a strong resemblance to that of a man. No significant difference between the two pictures was seen.
3. As ordinary X ray pictures did not answer for the purpose of making a diagnosis of tuberculous monkeys at an early stage of their contagion, dislocation pictures were required. They were useful for the detection of the progress of the disease. Before taking X ray pictures, it seems to be desirable to apply general narcosis to the cases.
4. Diffusible reddening was caused by the intradermal test in eyelid with x 100 old tuberculin in the present cases.
5. The erythrocyte sedimentations rate seemed to be useful for the diagnosis of the condition of the disease, but any degree of regular change did not seem to be occasioned in blood cell values and cellular changes.
6. When several monkeys were kept together, the strongest of them appeared to be more liable to be infected to tuberculosis than others; for he may have more occasions to make contact with a man with tuberculosis; infection among themselves may be also considerable. If we want to detect the presence of the disease among monkeys kept by us, we get some diagnostic insight by observing their daily behavior, and noticing a light cough.
7. Chemotherapy of tuberculous monkeys, if conduted according to that of a tuberculous man, will generally be gratifying.

View full abstract

Susceptibility of variety of animals has been investigated in this laboratory. This paper is to report the experimental results with mongolian gerbile.
Eighty-four mongolian gerbile (43 females and 41 males), aged 60 to 180 days, were used. The animals were from the colonies which had been raised in the National Institute of Health since 1952. Four strains of human type tubercle bacilli (one highly virulent, 2 moderately virulent, and 1 slightly virulent), four of bovine type (two highly virulent and 2 slightly virulent), and one of vole bacillus, 9 strains in all, were injected subcutaneously and tuberculin tests and tests for tuberculin shock were carried out.
It was found that tuberculous infection took place in mongolian gerbile, which developed tubercl-es in lungs and other organs, although to a less extent than those in guinea pigs. No difffenerce was demonstrated between the animals received human type organisms and those received bovinetype ones. Injection of vole bacilli resulted in merely formation of localized abscess.
Individual susceptibility was shown by the different appearance of changes even among those of the same age.
No tuberculin skin reaction was perceived, while death from shock by tuberculin was observed.

View full abstract