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The Mediterranean spotted fever is always present in the south of France. The actual incidence is unknown. The disease appears in summer. The diagnostic is based on the association of fever, "black spot" and exanthema and/or a seroconversion. Indirect immunofluorescence is the most used technique. Some patients have severe complications: neurologic, cardiovascular, renal, thrombopenia. These cases look like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The treatment is based on tetracycline.

The authors report the results of Dixon's assay modified by Follea in 24 cases of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. The level of immunoglobulin G bound to platelet membrane was increased in 91 p. 100 of patients in the acute phase of the disease. An inverse correlation was demonstrated between platelet-bound antibody levels and platelet count as well as platelet survival. In all cases of refractory idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, the assay was positive and the mean level was higher. When the platelet count improved after prednisone therapy or after splenectomy, the level decreased. Platelet antibody determination seems to be useful for predicting the course of the disease. Patients with normal immunoglobulin G bound to platelet might have only C3, IgM or IgA. Dixon's assay is not specific to idiopathic thrombopenic purpura, since it is positive in other types of thrombocytopenia, but immunoglobulin G bound to platelet probably represents specific antiplatelet antibodies.

Prolonged pulmonary eosinophilia are defined by the association of a pneumonia and a blood eosinophilia persisting for over a month. They cover a wide range of disorders : prolonged Loeffler's syndrome, Carrington's chronic eosinophilia pneumonia, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, necrotizing vasculitis as Churg and Strauss allergic granulomatosis and angeitis and polyarteritis nodosa, and the hypereosinophilic syndrome. All these conditions may form a continuum centered by the poorly defined chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. This entity may result from a non treated Loeffler's syndrome or may progress to the severe necrotizing vasculitis or hypereosinophilic syndrome.