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A serological study on the antibody level against BK virus in healthy population and respiratory patients in Umbria was performed. Serum samples of 465 healthy people and 155 patients grouped by age, were tested using HAI. 47% of all sera was positive. The epidemiological implications are discussed.

The sialic acid content in hamster cells primarily transformed by adenovirus was found lower than in cells transformed by papovavirus SV40. Intermediate concentrations were shown in a cell strain transformed by an adenovirus-SV40 hybrid. An adenovirus 19 - transformed cell strain derived from the NIL-2 hamster cell line, adapted to unlimited growth in vitro prior to the exposure to the adenovirus, revealed a high content of sialic acid. The concentration of sialic acid in cells transformed by DNA-viruses may depend both on the transforming virus and on the preceding history of the cell line. The tumors revealed more sialic acid than the in vitro cultures derived from the same cell strains. This finding is discussed.

The diagnosis of acute Hepatitis A is made when antibodies anti-HAV, of the IgM class, are detected in the blood. The Authors have examined with RIA test (HAVAB-M, Abbott) 298 samples of serum from patients with acute non B hepatitis, non drug abusers, also they had not received blood transfusions; as control they examined 41 sera from patients with hepatitis B, 29 sera from patients with non B hepatitis and drug addiction, 25 sera from patients with transfusional non B hepatitis and 37 sera from healthy persons. From the first group (298 patients) 47% were positive for anti-HAV antibodies IgM class; the greatest incidence of positivity (80%) was detected in the class age 0-10 years. In the control groups only in one serum positivity was evidenced and the patient was 22 years old, drug addicted with non B acute hepatitis and with previous episodes of acute hepatitis.

Hydatid fluids were collected in three continents and used as antigens against both human E. granulosus and E. multilocularis hydatidosis-positive sera collected in the same countries, in ELISA. The sensitivity of the antigens was good for all sera examined and this confirms the existence of common antigens, which is particularly marked in the 0.8M fraction of Italian hydatid fluid.

We tested the cyclophosphamide effects against the growth of adenovirus-transformed cells and the subsequent tumor development in the syngeneic host. Cyclophosphamide did not show any effect on the tumor evolution when injected 24 and 6 hours before cell implantation. Cyclophosphamide injected 24 or 39 hours after cell implantation prevented or retarded the tumor growth. In mice bearing palpable tumors, it induced their complete regression in 85,7% of the animals, but did not effect the development of the homograft immunity.