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A precipitating antigen-antibody system was detected by immunodiffusion using acute and convalescent sera from patients with non-A, non-B (NANB) viral hepatitis in which the diagnosis was made by exclusion. The system showed identity with reference sera. Positivity for antigen was found in 5 out 13 patients with acute NANB hepatitis, but also in 3 out 8 patients with acute A hepatitis, in 6 out of 15 with acute B hepatitis and in 95 out of 221 voluntary blood donors. Antibody was detected in all the above mentioned categories of patients and also in normal subjects in percentages ranging from 9.1 to 25.0 percent. The lack of specificity observed is in contrast with results of other reported serological NANB related systems.

Administration of heroin (5mg/Kg/day) in mice for a period of time sufficient to induce dependence and continued during the experiment did not increase susceptibility to MHV-3 virus infection, did not cause more serious forms of hepatitis and did not increase mortality with respect to the controls.

Treatment with Cardiostenol (commercial name of a pharmaceutical product containing morphine chloridrate+atropine+sparteine) does not modify the course of hepatitis in mice infected with MHV-3 virus. Similar results were previously obtained by treatment with morphine chloridrate alone.

The Yersinia enterocolitis is a kind of disease whose diffusion is gradually increasing in North Europe. The authors relates about the outcomes of a serum-immunologic research conducted during the period 1982-84 on a sample of 965 adults coming from three different italian districts (Roma, Siena, Napoli) and 65 children coming from Napoli. They interpret antibody titers painted out by their research comparing them with ones reported in bibliography. The issue of this research, even if it was conducted only in three bordering central-southern Italy regions, can anticipate an indicative epidemiological image of this Country.

In the past Tularemia has largely affected animals, nowadays' in our country it could become actual one more because of wild animals repopulation actuated in many areas. Unlike the other countries, in Italy it's not well known if there are any consequences on population. The authors has conducted a research on this subject studying seroimmunologically samples taken randomly in some areas of south-central Italy. Their results confirm endemism and therefore announce the problem and the consequent pathology.

The authors, after a brief relation on contribution given by international publications, relates about their study on Legionellosis epidemiology based on seroconversion results obtained comparing six different serotypes, precisely the ones from 1 to 6, over a sample of people living in the areas surrounding the two italian cities of Rome and Siena. This study has given proof of an high, and unaspected, seroconversion (over 27%) caused by Legionella Pneumophila. Titer was equal to or higher than 64, and there was a significantly higher incidence given by serotype 6 in both the examined areas.

The authors carried out a research on diffusion of Herpes virus 1 and 2 investigating specific serous antibodies over a sample of 1660 women living in Roma and in the surrounding area aged between 14 and 40 years; 595 of them were suspected to have an Herpes infection. The results of this research confirmed an high frequency of Herpes 1 and 2 infection in the examined sample. In order to correlate better the outcomes obtained by the investigation on the suspected sample 102 vaginal smear, executed on women suspected to have a developed infection, have been examined. The issues confirmed that it's useful to execute cytoimmunologic research in so far as such method seems to give more certainty in infection and disease identification than seroconversion investigation.

The authors on the basic of the diffusion of pediatric and gastroenterological pathologies in Italy, have conducted a research on the epidemiology diffusion of Campylobacter infection analyzing seroimmunologically sample randomly chosen and coming from some areas of central-south Italy. Their results confirm that in such areas the infection is endemic therefore they hypothesize that enteric vascular, bacterial pathologies and spontaneous abortions are related with it.

Intranuclear particles of 23-27 nm diameter have been repeatedly demonstrated in the nuclei of hepatocytes of patients with non-A, non-B hepatitis and of experimentally infected chimpanzees; however, their specificity has been challenged since they have also been observed in other pathological conditions and in healthy volunteers. We have conducted an ultrastructural study of liver biopsies from 10 patients with chronic active non-A, non-B hepatitis. The intranuclear particles, which were observed in all patients, were classified according to the aggregation patterns described by De Vos. Eight patients (80%) had particles of type 2. A reevaluation our proceeding data on Delta hepatitis demonstrated that no particles of type 2 were present. These results support the hypothesis that only type 2 particles are markers of non-A, non-B hepatitis.

Mice treated with 15 mg/Kg/day methadone and infected with MHV-3 virus after 7 days did not show increased susceptibility to MHV-3 virus infection, did not develop more serious forms of hepatitis and not mortality did not increase with respect to the controls. Drug administration was continued for the duration of the experiment.

Mice treated with 15mg/kg/day pentazocin and infected with MHV-3 virus after 7 days did not show increased susceptibility to MHV-3 virus infection, did not develop more serious forms of hepatitis and mortality did not increase with respect to the controls. Drug administration was continued for the duration of the experiment.

The etiology of diarrhea and intestinal deficiency relative to the absorbency of glucose and some enzymes can be found in Rotavirus infection. The epidemiology of this infection has been derived by the authors even if the research was limited to some areas of central-south Italy, analyzing seroimmunologically serums randomly selected. The research outcomes fully explain the first mentioned disease because antibody markers have been founded in most of the examined people.