An exploratory survey with the micro immunofluorescence test was conducted for indigenous Japanese to assess C. trachomatis infection in Japan where ocular trachoma is considered to have disappeared for many years. One hundred and three sera derived from 99 patients (16-80 years of age) with rather unselected clinical background were collected during January-April, 1982 at the Municipal Hospital of the City Kawasaki. Paired sera were collected 3-8 weeks apart in three patients for studies of the kinetics of antibody responses. The test was performed at Seattle.
Each serum was first screened and then titrated for IgM and IgG antibodies to the elementary body antigens of C. trachomatis serotypes A to K (trachoma biovar) and the reticulate body (RB) antigen of strain C/TW-3.
Despite the arbitrary collections, type-specific antibody was demonstrated in 17 of 99 patients (17.3%), with a higher rate found in the female 11/37 (29.7%) than in the male 6/62 (9.7%); p<0.05. The distribution of antibody serotypes was: types CJ (3), H (1), B (2), ED (5), and GF (6), Serotypes GF and ED were predominant suggesting that the strains of “genital origin” played the major role of the infection in Japan.
IgG type-specific antibody was demonstrated in all 17 patients, but IgM antibody was also demonstrated in one patient, A sero-diagnosis of acute C. trachomatis infection could be made in three of the positive reactors. One was a 73 year-old female patient with a clinical background of old syphilis and malignant lymphoma, who had both IgM and IgG antibodies to type F with a definite titer decrease in IgM antibodies demonstrated in the paired sera. The second case was a 22 year-old male patient with epididymitis, who had a decreased type F IgG antibody titers in the paired sera from 1: 32 to 1:<8 during the course treatment with tetracycline. The third case was another epididymitis patient of 33 years of age, form whom only a single serum was available for testing, but was showing an extremely high titer (1: 1024) of type F IgG antibody.
There were 4 patients who were negative for C. trachomatis type-specific antibody, but shown to have IgG antibodies to RB antigen in the micro-IF test. Two of four had a diagnosis of psittacosis, which was also confirmed by the complement-fixation test with chlamydia-group antigen. Both had 1: 64 IgG antibody titer, and one on them had stationary titer in the paired sera tested.
Althought the number of patients tested was small, this study indicated that C. trachomatis infections do exist in Japan as seen in the United States and some European countries. The fact would warrant further studies on its infections and disease implications in this country to establish appropriate treatment and prevention. a rapid development of laboratory techniques for isolation of the organisms and effective serology would be necessary to assist diagnosis of C. trachomatis infection.

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Etiological agents of Weil's disease; Leptospira interrogans serovar icterohaemorrhagiae and serovar copenhageni, show remarkable cross-reactivity by the microscopic agglutination test against conventional immune animal sera. To facilitate reliable and rapid identification of the leptospires, we math 20 monoclonal antibodies by cell fusion technology. Hybridomas were produced through the fusion o: P3X63Ag8.653 cells with splenocytes obtained from BALB/c mice immunized against serovar icterohaemorrhagiae RGA strain and serovar copenhageni M 20 and Shiromizu strains. Reactivity of the antibodies produced by the hybridomas was determined by the agglutination test. By using 3 antibodie: of these hybridomas; SHIRMA 4 react to both serovars icterohaemorrhagiae and copenhageni leptospires RGAMA 1 react specifically to serovar icterohaemorrhagiae leptospires and SHIRMA 1 react specificall3 to serovar copenhageni leptospires, the 25 leptospiral strains were clearly classified by the agglutinatior test. All except 1 of 25 strains reacted to SHIRMA 4 and they also reacted to either of RGAMA 1 and SHIRMA 1.
The 18 strains were identified as serovar icterohaemorrhagiae and the other 6 strains were identifiec as serovar copenhageni. Moreover, serovar copenhageni has been classified as the complete type anc serovar icterohaemorrhagiae has been classified as the incomplete type, but it has been definitely showr by using the monoclonal antibodies that each serovar has its own specific antigen (s) and the commor antigens. One strain which did not react to the 3 antibodies was identified as serovar autumnalis by the agglutination test against the immune rabbit sera.

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Two hemolytic strains of Aeromonas species isolated from the stool of adult patients with diarrhea were examined for enterotoxic activity by assays in mouse or rabbit ileal loop tests (mostly, mouse was used), suckling mice and Y1 adrenal tumor cell cultures. The strains produced enterotoxins antigenically different from each other and also from cholera enterotoxin and the heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) of Escherichia coli. The enterotoxins were cytotoxic to Y1 adrenal cells, and caused blood-stained fluid accumulation in the rabbit ileal loop test. The results suggest that two Aeromonas isolates produce cytotoxic agents but not cytotonic enterotoxins such as those produced by Vibrio cholerae and E. coll.
The cytotoxin of A. hydrophila strain AK-1 and of A.sobria strain AK-2 was inactivated by heating at 56°C for 10 min. Maximal production of AK-1 toxin occurred in the early stage of growth at temperatures between 30°C and 41°C.

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Surveys were conducted on the incidence of influenza-like disease in Japan over a seven-year period of 1976 to 1983 and on the time of inoculation with influenza vaccine and the period of temporary closing of classwork in some or all the classes in 66 primary and lower secondary schools operated by the ward office of Suginami, Tokyo, over a four-year period of 1979 to 1982.
They revealed the following conditions.
1) In general, a peak of incidence of influenza-like disease appeared annually at the end of January to last up to the end of February over the seven-year period.
2) In the 66 schools surveyed annually for 4 years, or in a total of 264 surveys, the second inoculation of influenza vaccine was finished in 203 surveys (about 77%) and in 61 surveys (about 23%) in November and December, respectively.
3) Classwork was closed temporarily in some or all the classes in 125 schools (about 62%) of the former 203 and in 20 schools (about 33%) in the latter 61. Therefore, the frequency of classwork closure was significantly higher (p<0.001) in the former schools, where the second inoculation was completed in November, than in the latter. The number of classes involved in the partial or whole-school closure of classwork schowed the same temdency as mentioned above.
4) A total of 694 classes were closed temporarily in the 145 schools where classwork was closed temporarily in some or all the classes over the four-year period of 1979 to 1982. Of them, 615 classes (about 89%) were closed temporarily over a one-month period from the end of January to the end of February, as mentioned in paragraph 1.
These results indicate that it is necessary to rexamine the time of inoculation with influenza vaccine in Japan. It is presumed that the effect of this vaccine may be enhanced when the second inoculation with the vaccine is carried out in January.

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The present study was designed to demonstrate the usefulness of corticosteroid therapy for the acute respiratoy insufficiency in acute pneumonias. Fifteen cases of acute pneumonia with respiratory insufficiency were treated with combination of broad spectrum antibiotics and steroid. And some experimental studies on this problem were investigated useing experimental rabbit pneumonia.
The obtained results were as follows.
1. The clinical cases were retospectively divided into two groups, such as responder group (10 cases) and non-responder one (5 cases). In the responder cases, the steroid therapy was started within 4 days after the onset of the pneumonias. The pneumonic shadows the cases in the chest X-ray was diminished rapidly (Av. 4.4 days±1.7 after the start of steroid therapy) and values of arterial Po₂ were also recovered rapidly (Av. 3.5 days±1.4).
In the non-responder group, the steroid therapy started at later stage (7.6 days±2.3) of the onset of the pneumonias. Three cases out of them were far-advanced pneumonias in high age and they died with cardiac failure at from 15th through 24th day. Other two cases were recovered, but the improvement in symptomes and Pao₂-values was more delayed than that in the cases with early start of steroid therapy. From the above, the steroid therapy might be started. at the early stage of pneumonias, then the goodeffect will be expected.
2. The impairment of alveolar oxygen exchanges was examined in the experimental rabbit pneumonia. The values of arterial Po₂ were droppe by pneumonias. An inverse relationship was found to exist between them. Various degrees of increase in A-aDo₂ were observed in animals with hypoxemia due to pneumonias. The true shunt ratio during mechanical ventilation of 100% 0₂ the values of the true shunt ratio were less than 14%. The values were markedly increased in the animals with pneumonias. And they are well related with decreased in values of the Pao₂. The increase in the true shunt ratio seems likely to be the important factor in hypoxemia in pneunomias.
On the other hand, in morphologic findings, the alveolar wall dominantly thickened with pneumonic infiltration and some of alveolar space were filled with pneumonic exudation. The increase in distance between alveolar gas and the capillary was suspected. The increase in true shunt ratio may be induced by such highly thickened alveolar walls seen in pneumonia. Corticosteroid may be useful for diminution of such highly thickened alveolar walls. The impairment of arterial Po₂ was compared between the cases with monotherapy of CTX and the cases with combination therapy of CTX and corticosteroid in rabbit pneumonia. The recovery of arterial Po₂ was more rapidly in the group of combination therapy. The evidence also may support the usefulness of corticosteroid against respiratory failure due to such highly thickened alveolar walls in pneumonia.
3. From above results, we concluted as follow. Steroid therapy for acute respiratory insufficiency in pneumonia might be very useful, if it will be used under following indications.
1) Steroid therapy must be started within 4th day of the onset of pneumomias.
2) The value of arterial Pao₂ is less than 60mmHg.
3) The period of steroid therapy is in less than seven days, because the effect of it might be given very rapidly.

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Recently it has been thought that the attachment of bacteria to mucosal surfaces is the initial event in the pathogenesis of most infectious diseases due to bacteria in animals and humans. Streptococci cause both many suppurative diseases and some non-suppurative sequelae. In order to determine initial locus of invasion of streptococci, a following experimental study was conducted.
Mice were infected by aerosol method with living group A Type 12 streptococci and FITC-labeled streptococci about 109 colony forming unit (CFU) per mouse for 60 minutes in the exposure chamber. These animals were divided to several groups and sacrificed at 2, 12, 24 hours, 3, 5, 8 days after exposure. The specimens of organs and blood of each animal were cultured on blood agar plates and examined by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and fluorescent microscopy.
Streptococci were recovered in the throat and lung of some mice within 3 days after exposure but not in the other organs (heart, liver, spleen and kidney). Streptococci were found in the pharyngeal or oral mucosa as adherence phenomenon within 3 days after exposure. In the trachea of mice within 24 hours exposure ciliated cells were disarranged and the number of cilia was decreased by using the scanning electron microscope. The FITC-labeled bacteria or particles were observed within many phagocytic cells in the lung and bronchus within 3 days after exposure by fluorescent microscopy. But streptococcal multiplication or findings of inflamation could not be proved in all organs.
From these results it was supposed that streptococci adhere to the pharyngeal and oral mucosa by aerosol infection but do not laryngeal and tracheal mucosa. In the lung and bronchus they are apt to be rapidly phagocytized by phagocytic cells.

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AC-1370, cefoperazone (CPZ), cefbuperazone (CBPZ), ceftazidime (CAZ), and ceftriaxone (CTRX), third generation cephems, have been confirmed to have an higher “in vivo” effect in the systemic infections of mice than that expected from in vitro antibacterial activity.
We conducted research to determine how these antibiotics affected leukocyte functions: namely migration activity, phagocytic function, and nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reducting activity. In this study we included carbenicillin (CBPC) also as a control drug.
The results were as follows:
1) With regard to the influence upon chemotaxis in migration test at a concentration of 100μg/ml of each drug solution, only the AC-1370 solution evidenced potentiation at the level of stimulation index (S. I.) 1.40. With regard to spontaneous migration, AC-1370 indicated potentiating effect at the level of S. I. 1.43. No other drugs evidenced such potentiation.
2) In phagocytic function test, AC-1370 alone showed potentiating activity (S. I. 1.36) at a concentration of 500μg/ml.
3) We examined the phagocytic function of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in urine derived from peripheral blood. Adding AC-1370 at a concentration of 100μg/ml into urine, osmolarity of which was lower than 600 mOsm/l, rate of phagocytosis increased by an avergae of 24%.
4) In the NBT reducting test at a concentration of 267μg/ml of each drug solution, AC-1370 showed the highest S. I. rating of 1.62; both CPZ and CBPZ had S. I. ratings of 1.31; and all other antibiotics, less than 1.30.
5) From the above results, we conclude that AC-1370 directly potentiates overall leukocyte functions.

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