The role or bacteria playing in secondary infections of respiratory diseases has been evidently attracting clinical attentions.
Bacteriological examination of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria was proceeded in 45 autopsy specimens of pulmonary tuberculosis, 115 resected specimens of lung cancer, 4 resected specimens of pulmonary suppuration, and 12 resected specimens of bronchiectasis in the past 4 years.
Anaerobic bacteria were detected in 20% of resected foci of pulmonary tuberculosis and of lung cancer. Anaerobic corynebacterium was most frequently observed. And the cases with a large amount of the bacteria showed the same bacteria in their tissues and revealed chronic inflammation. As for aerobic bacteria, they were detectable less than 5% of the specimens and usally consisted of normal flora in the upper air tract.
In the cases of pulmonary suppuration, anaerobic corynebacterium was found in 3 cases of 4 and its' pathogenecity was confirmed. In the cases where coexistence of tubercle bacilli was recognized, pathohistologic findings revealed insignificant participation of anaerobic bacteria. In the resected specimens of bronchiectasis, detectability of bacteria was 33.3%.
In the autopsy materials of pulmonary tuberculosis and those of lung cancer, detected aerobic bacteria consisted of almost equal amount of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and smaller amount of anaerobic bacteria was to be observed. Among the aerobic bacteria, pneumococcus was hardly detected and staph. aureus was rather frequently observed.
Certain gram-negative bacilli, e. g., pseud. aeruginosa were direct cause of death in some cases as they would not respond to present chemotherapy.

View full abstract

Bacteriological examination was made of the bronchial washing in 126 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, in 31 of lung cancer, 13 of pulmonary suppuration, and in 12 of bronchiectasis from 1965 to 1968, and following results were obtained.
Detectability of bacteria varied from 81% to 85% in these diseases without notable difference. In the cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, aerobic, anerobic bacteria, and the both bacteria were found in 44.4%, 31.0%, and 5.6% of the cases, respectively. In the cases of lung cancer, they were found in 64.5, % 12.9%, and 6.5% of the cases, respectively. Higher detectability of anaerobic bacteria was found in the cases of pulmonary tuberculosis than in the cases of lung cancer. In the cases of pulmonary suppuration, they were found in 46.2%, 30.8% and 7.7% of the cases, respectively. In the cases of bronchiectasis, they were found in 58.3%, 8.3% and 16.7% of the cases, respectively.
The results in the cases of pulmonary suppuration resembled that in the cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, however, in the cases of bronchiectasis anerobic bacteria were detected infrequently. In the cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, the normal flora such as alpha-streptococcus and neisseria were frequently detected. The gram-negative bacilli occupied 39.5% of the aerobic bacteria and among the anaerobic bacteria peptococcus was most frequently found. Anaerobic corynebacterium, frequently detected in the resected specimens, was found as few as 6 strains. In the cases of lung cancer, the gram-negative bacilli occupied 21.7% of the aerobic bacteria, and a great variety of strains was found among the both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. And also a great variety of strains was found in the cases of pulmonary suppuration and in the cases of bronchiectasis, in spite of small numbers of the examined cases. The same strains were found in the bronchial washing and in the sputum at the rate of 46.9%, including partial coexistence.

View full abstract

In order to examine the effects of SO₂ inhalation on infant animals, experiments were designed to start on CF₁ mice of 1 week and rabbits of 1 month after birth. 1 to 10ppm SO₂ gas and saline aerosol were inhaled for one hour every day. 6 to 9 infant mice from the same parents were divided into SO₂ and control groups and mice of each group were examined pathologically after exposed peroid for 1 to 12 weeks. Rabbits were also divided into SO₂ and control groups, and each group consisted of 4 infant rabbits and respiratory flow-resistance by oscillation method and histo-pathological changes were examined after exposed period for 1 to 11 months.
SO₂ gas of 1-10ppm was found to act on the lungs of young mice as follows: After 2 weeks of exposure, dilatation of the alveoli and diffuse thickening of the alveolar septa were noticed. After 4 weeks of exposure, mononuclear cells infiltration around the bronchi and epitherial degeneration of the bronchi were revealed. After 7 weeks of exposure, mononuculear cells infiltration in the perivascular areas and exudative cells in the alveoli were found. After 8 weeks of exposure, nodular formation on the alveolar septa appeared. Among these changes, the infiltration of mononuculear cells around the bronchi and the pulmonary vessels increased up to 10 weeks after the start of SO₂ exposure, but did not increase apparently after 10 weeks' exposure. Althought these histopathological changes showed somewhat similar to those seen in the adult animals, it is noteworthy to point out that they appeared in relatively early stage after the SO₂ exposure in the young animals in spite of inhalation of the low concentration (1 to 10ppm) of SO₂.
During the experiments of rabbits, the weight gain with the growth did not appear to be influenced by the exposure of SO₂ gas. The Breathing frequency trended to lower in the SO₂ groups than in the control groups without any correlation to the exposed period. The total respiratory flow resistance decreased with the growth in control groups, and seemed to be dependent on the lung volume. While in the SO₂ groups, after 4 to 8 months' exposure, values of the resistance were above the range of the control groups. After 9 to 11 months' exposure, however, the flow resistance were not different between the two groups. Shortly after an adiministration of hydrochloric-L-isoproterenol, the total respiratory flow resistance reacted to decrease in the SO₂ groups under 5 to 8 months' exposure. These effects were not observed after 8 months' exposure. The histopathological changes seen in the rabbits were alveolitis and interstitial inflamation and were similar to those found in the experiments of the mice. These kinds of changes were also observed in the control groupss but in lower degree. Although contamination by the viral or bacterial infection can not be completely excluded, the pathological changes in the SO₂ groups which were more severe and irreversible seems to be responsible to the influence of the SO₂ gas.

View full abstract