Two hypersusceptible strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which were inhibited by 0.78 or 1.56μg/ml of ampicillin, were isolated from the sputum of two different patients in 1984. These highly ampicillinsusceptible strains of P. aeruginosa accounted for 0.5% of the 384 strains examined. These strains had high susceptibility for not only ampicillin but also other penicillins and third-generation cephems, though they had not for tetracycline or gentamicin. The beta-lactamase level of P. aeruginosa T-25, a highly ampicillin-susceptible isolate, was increased slightly by growing the cells for 2 hours in the presence of cefoxitin or ampicillin as an inducer. The MICs of ampicillin for P. aeruginosa T-25 and SSP were reduced very slightly when the subinhibitory concentration of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was added to the medium. Similar results were obtained by the use of the highly antibiotic-susceptible permeability mutant of P. aeruginosa No. 1771 provided by Prof. Richmond. The potent antibacterial activity of ampicillin against P. aeruginosa T-25 is considered to be due to high permeability of the outer membrane.

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The purpose of this study is to make rapid diagnosis of pathogens in sputum and autopsied lung in pneumonia cases as nosocomial infection or terminal infection. Rabbits were immunized with heat stable antigens purified from culture filtrates of each 10 strains of E. coli, K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa, which are most frequently isolated from sputum in nosocomial pneumonia. These antisera were absorbed with various other bacterial antigens in order to elevate specificity. The specificity and sensitivity were evaluated by the method of indirect fluorescent assay.
Among 120 clinical isolates (each 40 strains in 3 species), 40 strains of E. coli were examined by this method. Twenty isolates were positive to E. coli antisera. Consequently, the correct diagnosis rate was confirmed to be 50%. Three out of 40 strains were positive to Klebsiella antisira and no isolate showed positive to Pseudomonas antisira, those results showed that miss diagnosis rate was 7.5%.
As six strains were positive to all three kinds of antisera and 11 strains were negative to these three kinds of antisera, those resuts showed that undiagnosis rate was 42.5%. The correct diagnosis rates were 47.5% and 67.5%, miss diagnosis rates were 0% and 0%, and the undiagnosis rates were 52.5% and 32.5% to anti-Klebsiella antisera and anti-Pseudomonas antisera, respectively.
Among three antisera, anti-Pseudomonas antisera was the best for diagnosis with regard to specificity. The specificity and sensitivity of these antisera are not satisfactory for clinical diagnosis, but these are valuable in supportive reagents for rapid indentification until bacterial data is confirmed.

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Ninety-one wild rodents alive were trapped and examined for the seasonal fluctuations in positive rates in Rickettsia tsutsugamushi (Rt) and antibody to Rt, at a field near Kani River and Kiso River located in Kani city to Sakahogi-town, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, during April 1984 to March 1985. Positive rates in anti-Rt-antibody and Rt in wild rodents (Apodemus speciosus) showed a similar single peak in winter, i.e. 100% in Jan. (2/2) and March (5/5) and 0% in Sept. (0/7) and Oct. (0/3), and a maximum rate of 62.5%(5/8) in Dec. and 0%(0/7) in Sept., respectively.
Almost all patients were detected during Nov. to Dec. (125 out of 137 patients for the last 4 years) and a small number of patients (7 persons) were found in June in Gifu Prefecture.

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The cases of malaria carried back from endemic areas are increasing in our country with the increase of the number of persons who visit foreign countries in recent years. On the other hand, it is very difficult to obtain conventional anti-malararial drugs immediately such as cholorquine or promaquine for the urgency since these drugs are maintained at only limited institutes or hospitals in Japan.
We tried to evaluate the clinical efficacy and usefulness of SMX/TMP on malarial patients with the reasons that this drug is popular and available easily even at common hospitals in Japan and its effectiveness to malaria patients was already recognized in the endemic countries.
The drug was administered orally to 5 cases of malaria patients (3 cases of falciparum and 2 cases of vivax malaria) with the parasitemia of 3.2×10³ to 6.7×10⁵/uL and total doses were 4 to 36 tablets for 1 to 6 days.
Disappearance of parasites from the peripheral blood and improvement of symptoms were recognized within 4 days after administration of the drug in 4 out of 5 cases. The drug was changed to chloroquine after 2 days administration of SMX/TMP in the case (4) with the most severe parasitemia due to P. falciparum because the patient was not released from severe headache even though fever and parastitemia were rapidly improved. But it seemed that SMX/TMP was probably effective also in this case from the fact that parasites in the peripheral blood disappeared already in the evening on the day after change of the drug.
Serious adverse reactions were not observed in all cases although gastric disturbance such as anorexia and vomiting was noticed in the case (4).
As the results, it is considered that the SMX/TMP is very convenient and effective drug for the treatment of malaria patients in our country, particularly when conventional anti-malarial drugs are not available at the hospital.

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Measurement of antideoxyribonuclease-B (ADN-B) appears to be the important test for the serological detection of streptococcal infection. We determined normal range of ADN-B titers of the serum specimens from various age groups of healthy children without the history of a recent 6 months' upper respiratory tract infection. We studied with lower dilution system of serum than the routine method. The upper limit of normal value was defined as 80th percentile of the titers of normal children.
The values for these groups are as follows<2 years:<10×, 3-5 years: 60×, 6-10 years: 160×, 11-15 years: 320×.
The paper shows that it is necessary to make the low titer investigation (<60×) on the examination of ADN-B value for children under 5 years old.

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To investigate the mechanism of respiratory tract infection associated with lung cancer, we produced localized pneumonia by intrabronchially inoculating 10⁸ CFU/rabbit of Klebsiella pneumoniae KU-8 and Staphylococcus aureus TMS-288 through a bronchofiberscope inserted to the right upper lobe of rabbits.
We investigated viable cell counts in the various tissues such as five pulmonary lobes, trachea and blood several times after inoculation and obtained the following results:
Pneumonia occurred in rabbits with localized bronchial injury and those with localized bronchial injury and leukopenia which were challenged with K. pneumoniae. Pneumonia was localized in the right upper lobe of the rabbits with localized bronchial injury, but pneumonia was spread to all the pulmonary lobes in the rabbits with localized bronchial injury and leukopenia and blood cultures were positive several times. In rabbits without treatment and with leukopenia, the organisms were eradicated gradually. There were no significant differences between the two groups.
Pneumonia did not occur in rabbits without treatment or those with localized bronchial injury which were challenged with S. aureus, but in rabbits with leukopenia.
Our findings indicate that pneumonia due to K. pneumoniae tended to occur easily in bronchially injured regions and to spread further to all the lobes through the hematogenic route when leukopenic condition was added, and, on the other hand, pneumonia due to S. aureus occurred easily under the decreased host-defense ability against the infection due to leukopenia.

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Glycyrrhizin (GL), which is one of the plant extracts, was investigated for its antiviral effect on varivella-zoster virus (VZV) replication in vitro. The VZV focus-formation was inhibited, when human embryonic fibroblast (HEF) cells were treated with GL immediately after inoculation of virus. The average of a 50% inhibitory dose (ID₅₀) for four VZV strains was 0.55 mg/ml. GL was also slightly effective, when HEF cells were treated 24 h before the inoculation. The ID₅₀ for DNA synthesis of host cells was 17.5 mg/ml. Thus GL inhibited the VZV replication selectively. Furthermore, GL inactivated more than 99% of virus particles within 30 min at the concentration of 2 mg/ml in test tubes.

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The clinical efficacy and safety of T-2588 were compered with those of cefaclor (CCL) in patients with chronic respiratory tract infection by a double-blind study. Administration was performed by oral for a fixed period of 14 days and the daily dosage was fixed at 600 mg for T-2588or 750 mg for CCL.
The following results were obtained.
1) Clinical efficacy rate by committee judgement was 83.6% for T-2588 and 56.3% for CCL, respectively. The statistical analysis of these results revealed that T-2588 was significantly moreeffective than CCL.
2) The results of the clinical efficacy judged by the doctors in charge was similar to efficacy judged by the committee.
3) The bacteriological eradication rate of causative organisms by committee judgement was 77.6% for T-2588 and 52.4% for CCL, respectively. Furthermore, eradication rate of T-2588 in H. influenzae was significantly superior to that of CCL.
4) With respect to the rate of improvement of clinical signs, symptoms and laboratory findings the T-2588 was superior to the CCL in the improvement for cough, sputum volume, sputum property, rale and ESR.
5) The incidence rate of side effect was 4.5% for T-2588 and 6.5% for CCL, respectively, and these were no significant difference between the two drug group. Abnormal laboratory findings were observed at the rate of 15.5% for T-2588 and 5.8% for CCL, respectively. Incidence rate ofabnormal laboratory findings was significantly higher in T-2588 and the most frequent finding was eosinophilia.
6) Usefulness rate judged by committee members for T-2588 and CCL were 80.2% and 55.7%, respectively, and these were significantly different statistically.
7) The results of clinical usefulness judged by the doctors in charge were similar to the usefulness judged by committee. These results indicated that T-2588 is useful drug for the treatment of chronic respiratory tract infections.

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The clinical efficacy and safety of T-2588 were compared with those of bacampicillin hydrochloride (BAPC) in patients with bacterial pneumonia by double blind study. Patients with apparent clinical signs and symptoms were administered T-2588 (at a daily dose of 600 mg) or BAPC (at a daily dose of 1000 mg) orally for 14 days in principle. Then the clinical and bacteriological efficacy, improvement in signs and symptoms, side effect, changes of laboratory findings and clinical usefulness were assessed.
1) On the basis of committee judgement, the clinical efficacy rate was 90.7% for T-2588 and 91.8% for BAPC, respectively. No significant difference was observed between both groups . In the evaluation of clinical efficacy by each bedside physician, there was no significant difference between both groups too.
2) As for the bacteriological eradicated rate of causative organisms, there was no significant difference between two groups.
3) As for the rate of improvement in the clinical, symptoms, findings and laboratory findings, there was no significant difference between them.
4) The incidence of side effects was observed 5.2% in T-2588 group and 6.8% in BAPC alone, and there was no significant difference, in the change in laboratory findings.
5) In the evaluations usefulness judged by the committee members and the bedside physicians, there was no significant difference between both drugs.
6) From aboves, T-2588 as well as BAPC are considered to be highly useful antibacterial agents for the treatment of bacterial pneumonia.

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