The respiratory viral infection is the most frequent and common group of illnesses affecting mankind in all age groups. Since it is virtually impossible to estimate the etiologic agent in a given case by clinical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis shoud be carried out.
A printed punch-card is used at the author's department for each case to record clinical and laboratory data from clinical virological examinations of respiratory viral infections.
The clinical specimen collected by means of sterile cotton swabs, e.g. throat swabs and nasal discharge, is placed in several small test tubes containing 2-4ml of veal infusion broth with added 0.5% bovine albumine, one containing antibiotics and other no antibiotics. The former is used for virologic examination while the latter is submitted for detection of mycoplasma and bacteria. Various suitable media may be employed for these microbiologic examinations.
In case virologic examination cannot be immediately started, the specimen should be quickly frozen in a dry-ice ethanol or dry-ice aceton mixture and stored in a Revco ultradeep-freezer at -70°until the time of inoculation.
The specimen is inoculated in 0.2-ml aligots onto monolayer cultures of various cell cultures, e. g. HEK, HEL, MK, Vero, HEp. 2, HeLa and L 132.
Embryonated chicken eggs and suckling mice may also be used when necessary, for the purpose of isolation of influenza virus or Coxsackie virus.
If the inoculated cultures has developed a CPE or hemadsorption, then biochemically and serologically typed.
For rapid diagnosis fluorescentantibody techniques, ELISA techniques and electron microscopic examination should be used.
Serological examination should be used for antibody arrising detection.
We have been carrying out various isolation from clinical specimens and serologic diagnosis steadly in cooperation with clinicians over these past 20 years.
Clinicovirological investigation of respiratory viral infections is considered to have profound importance in basic and clinical medicine as well as in preventive medicine.
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