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A murine model simulating human street rabies virus infection was used to evaluate the efficacy of polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid (poly I-poly C), three rabies vaccines, and combinations of these modes of therapy administered after exposure. One or two doses of 100 mug of poly I-poly C, injected into the same intramuscular site as the challenge virus, significantly reduced the mortality rate when therapy was initiated 3 hr after challenge; however, the same quantity of poly I-poly C injected into the opposite leg did not reduce the mortality rate. The muscle injected with poly I-poly C invariably contained four to eight times more interferon than a similar noninjected muscle from the same animal. Mice treated 3 hr after challenge with each of the three vaccines produced significant levels of antibody but were not protected, whereas treatment with combinations of poly I-poly C and vaccine resulted in significant protection. These results suggest that the combination of induction of local interferon and an immune response contributes to the protection of mice after exposure to street rabies virus infection.

Fifty-two instances of opportunistic lung disease were reviewed with regard to their roentgenologic presentation and course. Familiarity with the underlying disease and its therapy must be brought into focus with an understanding of the differing patterns of opportunistic lung disease both clinically and roentgenologically.Emphasis should be placed on the alveolar nature of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia rather than the previously described interstitial, perihilar roentgenographic pattern. In its florid presentation, diffuse alveolar opacification of the lung fields is the hallmark of this disease roentgenologically.Nocardiosis should be suggested by an infiltrative or nodular lesion with cavitation, particularly in a patient having undergone transplantation and subsequent immune suppression.The aggressive tendencies of the Phycomycetes in a small group of patients were characterized by fistula formation, vascular and tracheobronchial invasion.By comparison, the benign ill-defined nodular infiltrates of c...

The patient described herein died with bacteremia and septicopyemia caused by Providencia stuartii. The apparent rarity of this occurrence may not be real, since laboratory recourse to the epithet, "paracolon," probably hides infections actually caused by Providencia species. Assay of virulence by determination of acute median lethal doses (LD 50 ) for mice (intraperitoneal injection), using strains of Providencia species (two from the blood of our patient; six from the urine of other patients), revealed a population of relatively low virulence (LD 50 in the range of 10 4 to 10 6 bacilli) and high virulence (LD 50 in the range of 1 to 50 bacilli). Of the twelve antimicrobial agents tested simultaneously and identically in vitro , kanamycin and gentamicin were the most effective. Carbenicillin and rifamycin-AMP were equally potent and appear to warrant trial in therapy because of lesser liability of toxicity in man.