Slowly sedimenting antigen (SE) and the rapidly sedimenting antigen (RE), associated with envelope glycoprotein E were prepared from the concentrated infected culture fluids of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus. Mice were immunized by each antigen before and after inactivation of virus infectivity by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The immunogenicity of the antigens determined by the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), indirect ELISA and hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test, indicated that SE was almost equally immunogenic as RE, and that the PRNT epitopes on both antigens were more immunogenic before UV-inactivation than after the inactivation.

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Hematological baseline parameters of the Mongolian gerbils were investigated to be compared between the wild-colored gerbil (agouti type) and the other coat color mutants such as white spotted-agouti, albino, black and white spotted-black type. Erythrocyte counts of the agouti type were higher than those of the coat color mutants. But, there was no significant difference. A frequent occurrence of polychromasia and basophilic stippling in circulating erythrocytes was known to be a particular feature of the Mongolian gerbil among laboratory animals. The polychromasia and the basophilic stippling were proved to be present in the coat color mutants in the same degree as the agouti type. As to sex dimorphism in erythrocytic values, it was only hemoglobin concentration that was observed significant sex-related difference in all coat color gerbils. In leukocytic values, quantitative sex-related difference was not seen in this experiment. A presence of basophils in peripheral blood was observed on all blood films of all coat color gerbils. These results confirmed that the coat color mutants of gerbils had the same unique hematological characteristics as an agouti type.

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A study was conducted of 225 patients in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, to evaluate mebendazole (MBZ) therapy for Strongyloides stercoralis. Various schedules were used with the following results : 1) The eradication rates at 12 months after a single course of MBZ therapy (100 mg of a powder twice a day orally for 28 days) and a combination therapy (thiabendazole 500 mg powder form three times daily for 5 days followed by 100 mg of MBZ in powder form twice a day for 9 days, repeated once) were 85.0% (17 of 20 patients) and 100% (17 of 17 patients), respectively. 2) The eradication rates at 3-9 months after using MBZ alone in varying dosages were as follows : (a) 100 mg in powder form twice a day for 5 days, repeated at 1, 3 and 4 weeks following : 80.0% (24/30); (b) 100 mg in powder form twice daily for 5 days repeated at 1 and 3 weeks following : 83.3% (5/6); (c) 100 mg in powder form twice a day for 4 days repeated at 1, 3 and 4 weeks following : 96.0% (24/25); (d) a 100 mg tablet twice a day for 4 days repeated at 1, 3 and 4 weeks following : 90.6% (29/32). 3) The eradication rate at 24 days after a 2-course treatment (a 100 mg tablet twice daily for 4 days repeated 1 week later) was 93.8% (15/16). Although the 2-course treatment was effective, further study seems necessary as the follow-up time was too short and the number of patients was too few.

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Ten non-AIDS patients with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia were studied. While the 2 patients with adult T cell leukemia had longer prodromes, the other 8 patients had acute onset. At presentation a chest radiograph revealed an abnormal bilateral diffuse shadow in all cases. In 8 patients, diagnostic material was obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy and/or bronchoalveolar lavage, and in 2 patients at postmortem. At the time of diagnosis the serum lactate dehydrogenase value was much higher than prior to the acute illness, and the AaDO₂ gradient was highly increased : These appear to be useful as markers for an initial diagnosis. Other opportunistic organisms were isolated in 5 patients. The concomitant use of pentamidine and cotrimoxazole was relatively well tolerated, but with a high incidence of treatment failure. Corticosteroids appeared to be effective as an adjunctive therapy.

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Two new blackfly species, Simulium (Simulium) sigiti sp. nov. and S. (S.) javaense sp. nov. are described based on the female, male, pupal and larval specimens collected from Java. Simulium (S.) sigiti is characterized by the presence of a pit-like cuticular organ at the base of pupal gill, as well as shortened pupal filaments. This is the first species of the tuberosum group from Java. The variety of S. (S.) iridescens De Meijere, 1913 is here elevated to the species status and is given a new specific name S. (S.) javaense sp. nov. This new species is easily distinguished from S. (S.) iridescens by the inflated gill filaments, the absence of tubercles on the cephalic and thoracic integuments of the pupa, and the russet body coloration of the larva.

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The effects of metronidazole and of pentavalent antimony (P) on the movement and multiplication of Leishmania promastigotes were compared. Leishmania was isolated from the skin of a Japanese man who had spent time in Saudi Arabia. The promastigotes were cultured at 25°C in test tubes that contained 1.3 m/ of NNN medium and 1.0 m/ of 0.85w/v% NaCl. Metronidazole or P was added to cultures by one of two protocols. Either promastigotes were cultured with the drug of choice from the initial day and these cultures were called initial-day cultures. Alternatively, promastigotes were cultured for 3 days initially without drugs and then a drug was included from the 4th day. These cultures were called 4th-day cultures. The movement and multiplication of promastigotes were observed for at least 14 days after initial exposure to either drug.
(1) Promastigotes were alive in the tubes that contained 1 mg of metronidazole or P until the 14th day of exposure to either drug in both initial-day cultures and 4th-day cultures, but their movements were not observed in the tubes that contained 5 mg, 7 mg or 9 mg of metronidazole or P after a 14-day exposure to either drug in both cultures.
(2) In a clinical setting, P is injected as 600 mg (defind here as 1 arbitrary unit) per adult per day and metronidazole is given at a dose of 750 mg (1.25 units), 1, 500 mg (2.50 units) or 22, 500 mg (3.75 units). P at 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.5 mg and 2 mg was regarded in separate tests as equivalent to 1 unit and metronidazole at 1.00, 1.25, 2.50 and 3.75 times each dose of P was added to promastigotes. As shown in tube No. 3 in Table 4 and tube No. 3 and No. 4 in Table 5, the parasites survived in the presence of 1 mg or 1.5 mg (1 unit) of P, but their movements were not observed in the presence of 2.5 mg or 3.75 mg (2.5 units) and 3.75 or 5.625 mg (3. 75 units) of metronidazole in initial-day cultures. In 4th-day cultures, as shown in Table 5, the parasites also survived with 1.5 mg (1 unit) of P, but their movements were not observed with 3.75 mg (2.5 units) and 5.625 mg (3.75 units) of metronidazole. In these conditions, the effects of metronidazole were superior to the effects of pentavalent antimony.

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