Pfeiffer described in 1889 a disease that he called glandular fever. Sprunt and Evans (1920) proposed the name infectious mononucleosis for a disease similar to that observed by Pfeiffer. Since then, epidemic and sporadic cases have been reported in many parts of the world. In our country infectious mononucleosis is known as endemic diseases (“Kagaminetsu” in Kumamoto Prefecture, “Hyuganetsu” in Miyazaki Prefecture, Tosanetsu in Kochi Prefecture and so on) from very early ages. The etiologic agent of the-disease was first discovered in November 1953, when the authors succeeded in the isolation of the causative agent from the blood, the bone marrow and the excised lymphnodes of a Patient with infectious mononucleosis, Miyayama by name, by inoculating the material to mice. Two other strains were later isolated from two sporadic cases (Nagamine, Nojirna) with “Kagaminetsu”. These two strains, together with a strain obtained from a patient (Nakazaki) with “Hyuganetsu” by Fukuda and co-workers, were identified with the Miyayama strain by cross immunity tests in volunteers. The emulsions of the lymphnodes, the spleen and the liver of infected mice were inoculated to 13 volunteers. Infectious mononucleosis developed in all of them with its typical course and laboratory findings.
The etiological agent of infectious mononuoleosis was assumed to be an intermediate organism between rickettsiae and the larger viruses, and had the general properties which characterize the rickettsia group. The organism was, therefore, named “Rickettsia sennetsu Misao-Kobayashi” in February 1956. It was pleomorohic in form. Round or oval particles measured 150 by 450 millimicrons, and rod-like structures, measuring from 1, 000 to 1, 500 and sometimes to about 3000 millimicrons in length, and from 200 to 600 millimicrons in width, had dark staining bipolar bodies.
This report is based on the findings of the above 13 volunteers with experimental infectious mononucleosis, mice and other laboratory animals, including chick embryo, infected with R. sennetsu, and refers to history, etiology, pathology, clinical features, diagnosis, especially specific diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the disease.

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After World War II, the epidemiological features of infectious diseases in Japan underwent noteworthy changes. Bacillary dysentery, after a transitory, though marked, decrease in incidence in 1947, regained its prevalence, and the number of cases was estimated over 100, 000 in 1953. This infectious disease still occupies a top rank among various reported infectious diseases in these years. Other infectious diseases have been decreasing year by year, except for diphtheria. On the other hand, the following infectious diseases, previously unknown in our country, began to appear after the War.
The principle and method of epidemiological studies were discussed in reference to each of the above-mentioned epidemics. As a result, it was brought to light that some of them were newly introduced in Japan and the others were newly detected through recent improvements in laboratory technics, especially for viral diseases. In addition, it was recognized that the social factors played an important part in the incidence of these epidemics.

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The distinguished effect of chlorarnphenicol and some other antibiotics in the treatment ot bacillary dysentery is on the other hand complicated with frequent relapses. The prevention of relapse has thus become a matter of concern.
The authors examined the rate of relapse in several groups of patients, to whom individual antibiotics were given with different length of administration period. The comparative study revealed that the antibiotics employed, when given individually, could not prevent relapse, even by an administration for a long period. The relapse was most frequently observed in the group, to which chloramphenicol was given uncombined with other antibiotics. The best result was obtained for the prevention of relapse by combined application of chioramphenicol and Streptomycin.

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1) The author succeeded in inducing experimental brucellosis in mice, guinea-pigs and hamsters. One of the species, Brucella abortus Bang, Brucella melitensis and Brucella suis, was inoculated in varying quantities and with various inoculation methods. It was found that all kinds of animals employed were highly susceptible to these Brucella species. The author regards that this is the first report in Japan concerning experimental brucellosis of hamster.
2) The animals, dying spontaneously or sacrificed, were dissected, and the organs were examined bacteriologically for the presence of the inoculated bacilli. The quantity of recovered bacilli was proportional to that of inoculated. The spleen and the lymphnodes Droved to contain the largest amount of bacilli and followed by the liver, the kidney, the genital organs and others.
3) The bacilli continued to be demonstrated from these organs for a considerably long period. In the spleen, the lymphnodes, the liver and the genital organs they persisted longer than in other organs. These results would contribute to elucidate the problems concerning the onset of disease, sterility and abortion in brucellosis, and further to explain the frequency of latent and chronic infection.
4) Pathological findings of the infected animals, sacrificed or dead, were recorded, and the organs were examined histologically. Splenic tumor with the aspect of the so-called spleen of infection, cloudy swelling of the liver, occasionally with granulomas and abscesses and engorgement of the lymphnodes were the most conspicuous among the noteworthy macroscopical findings. Histological pictures were characterized by the proliferation of the reticuloendothelial system, associated with chronic granulomatous inflammation.
5) The findings described above showed some difference according to the three species of Brucella employed in the study. The results of bacteriological as well as pathological examinations were further influenced by the kind of experimental animals, the method of inoculation, the length of time elapsed from inoculation to autopsy and other conditions.

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Epidemiological, clinical and bacteriological investigations were carried out on the food poisoning due to Salmonella typhi murium, which broke out in Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture at the end of May 1953.
The houses of 3 infected families were located about 500 meters apart from one another, belonging to different residential quarters. The 3 families were infected almost simultaneously. Neither communication nor common food as the source of infection was, confirmed among the families. The total number of patients was 14, 7 out of the first family, 5 out of the second and 2 out of the third. The incubation period was presumed to range from 18 to 24 hours. The main clinical symptoms consisted in chill, high body temperature of 102-104°F, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Thirteen cases out of 14 belonged to the gastrointestinal type, and the other patient to the septicemic type and died 32 hours after the onset of the disease. All pationts had waterly, diarrheal stool with mucus, from which Salmonella typhi murium was demonstrated in all cases at the early stage of disease. The stool was reexamined 2 weeks after the onset of the disease, and the bacilli were positive in 3 cases.
The biological properties of the isolated strains were studied. Furthermore, the strains were submitted to the agglutination test with the patient sera, obtained at the initial stage and 2 weeks after the onset of the disease. The marked elevation of the agglutinin titers in all patients demonstrated the etiological role of Salmonella typhi murium. Because of a possible epidemic among the rats in the city, 71 rats were caught in July 1953, and their intestinal contents were examined for the bacilli, but without a contributory result. The sensitivity tests of the isolated strains to sulfathiazol, Streptomycin and chloramphenicol Indicated the effectiveness of chloramphenicol and the ineffectiveness of the other two. Chloramphenicol was recommended therefore, as the antibiotic of choice in the treatment of the disease.

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From February to July 1955 there occurred an influenza epidemic in several parts of Hyogo Prefecture. The hemagglutination inhibition test with chicken erythrocytes was performed on 122 specimens of patient serum. The infection of the A-type influenza was thus demonstrated in 43 cases, and that of the B-type, in 20 cases. The A-type influenza was prevalent chiefly in February and March in the whole middle and southern parts of the prefecture. The B-type influenza was observed in small epidemics in February, June and July in the middle part of the prefecture.
The clinical pictures of influenza were defined by clinical symptoms of the influenza patients, blood pictures, liver function tests, the Paul-Bunnel reaction, etc. The fluid obtained by gargling of the patients in the acute stage was inoculated in chick embryo, and a strain of the A-type influenza, Ashiya 1/55, was isolated. The hemagglutination inhibition test of patient sera with the newly isolated virus as the antigen exhibited a higher rate of positive reaction, than with the known A-type influenza strains, such as PR. 8, FM 1 and Kojiya 2/53.

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