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Objectives: Determining the in vitro susceptibility to 11 antibiotics of Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica strains belonging to the phylogenetic group B.13, from different areas of Hungary., Methods: Twenty-nine F. tularensis strains isolated between 2003 and 2010 from free-ranging European brown hares (Lepus europaeus) and a captive patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas) were collected from different parts of Hungary and examined for antibiotic susceptibility with commercially available MIC test strips on modified Francis agar plates; values were interpreted according to CLSI breakpoints., Results: The strains were susceptible to aminoglycosides (MIC(90) values: gentamicin, 0.75 mg/L; and streptomycin, 6.0 mg/L), tetracyclines (MIC(90) values: tetracycline, 0.5 mg/L; and doxycycline, 1.0 mg/L), quinolones (MIC(90) values: ciprofloxacin, 0.047 mg/L; and levofloxacin, 0.023 mg/L) and chloramphenicol (MIC(90) value: 1.5 mg/L), i.e. antibiotics commonly used in therapy. Tigecycline (MIC(90) value: 0.19 mg/L) and rifampicin (MIC(90) value: 1.0 mg/L) were also active against F. tularensis strains, while resistance to erythromycin (MIC(90) value: >256 mg/L) and linezolid (MIC(90) value: 32 mg/L) was observed in all strains., Conclusions: Based on the results, quinolones are recommended as first choice therapy for F. tularensis infection. The in vitro susceptibility of the strains to tigecycline may encourage the application of this antibiotic as well. The similar antibiotic susceptibilities of the Hungarian strains belonging to different subclades of phylogenetic group B.13 indicates that strains from other Central and Eastern European countries belonging to this group might also have the same susceptibility profile.

A study of simian T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus infection, conducted on 747 nonhuman primates belonging to 14 different species in Central and Western Africa, indicated that 4 species (Cercopithecus aethiops, Erythrocebus patas, Papio doguera, and Cercopithecus mona pogonias) had a high prevalence of seropositivity to simian T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus type I (STLV-I). The other nonhuman primate species, however, had negative or low levels of anti-HTLV-I antibodies. STLV-I pol and env DNA was detected in 12 of 12 different animals among the seropositive species. However, STLV-I pX DNA could be detected in only 10 of 12 animals. Comparative phylogenetic analyses based on 140 bp sequence of the pol gene indicate that these STLV-I isolates were 0-9% divergent from each other and were 3.5-7% divergent from the prototype related human retrovirus HTLV-I (ATK). The West African STLV-I isolates formed a unique phylogenetic cluster as did most of the Central African STLV-I isolates, save for STLV-I (Tan 90). The phylogenetic data indicate that cross species transmission of HTLV-I and STLV-I continued to occur long after their ancestral strain separated from the progenitor to HTLV-II. Comparative amino acid analyses indicated that there was marked conservation of the TAX protein regardless of host species, while the pol and REX proteins exhibited increasing levels of diversity.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from four different primate species were tested for their respective ability to support the "in vitro" replication of the human immunodeficiency viruses, HIV-1, and HIV-2. PBMC of Cebus apella, patas (Erythrocebus patas), green (cercopithecus aethiops sabaeus) and rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were infected "in vitro" with either HIV-1 or HIV-2. Cultures were assayed weekly for particle-associated reverse transcriptase activity. Both viruses were found to be cytolytic for all these monkey's PBMC. Low levels of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection were observed in Cebus cells. However, productive infection was only detected in HIV-2 infected rhesus PBMC. The capacity of HIV-2 to replicate in rhesus cells may provide a useful model for evaluating antiviral drugs and vaccines.

Concurrent infection of Citrobacter freundii and Trichuris trichiura in a Patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas) is reported. A synergistic effect of both organisms contributing to host mortality in this case is suggested.

Two cases of Yersinia enterocolitica septicemia occurred in a breeding group of 22 adult patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas). Affected animals had acute clinical signs of depression, weakness, dehydration, hypothermia, hepatomegaly and pronounced leukopenia. Both animals died a few hours after treatment was initiated. Gross necropsy findings included jaundice, fluid in body cavities, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, multiple white foci within the liver and spleen, generalized lymph node enlargement and numerous mucosal ulcerations in the colon. Primary histopathological lesions were multifocal hepatic necrosis, splenic necrosis, chronic ulcerative enteritis and diaphragmatic myositis with necrosis and edema. Yersinia enterocolitica was cultured from the liver, spleen, lung, jejunum and rectum. Wild rodents, particularly mice, may have been a source of infection for these animals, as the monkeys were housed in a rural, indoor-outdoor facility. A preliminary culture survey showed that some clinically normal patas monkeys harbored the organism in their intestinal tracts.

Fatal herpesvirus infections were diagnosed in 3 patas monkeys and 1 black and white colobus monkey over a 4-week period. Herpesvirus was isolated from 1 patas monkey and from the black and white colobus monkey. Both isolates had growth characteristics similar to Herpesvirus hominis and Herpesvirus simiae. The isolate from the colobus monkey antigenically appeared to be H simiae or H simiae-like, whereas the isolate from the patas monkey could not be conclusively identified with the antisera used. All affected animals were housed in close proximity to rhesus monkeys, the carrier host of H simiae.

A new strain of simian haemorrhagic fever (SHF) virus was isolated from chronically infected patas monkey no. 248 (P-248) in USU-104 cells. The P-248 isolate had the same size, morphology and cytoplasmic site of replication as the prototype LVR strain. However, the P-248 isolate caused a persistent infection without noticeable cytopathology in USU-104 cells rather than the strongly lytic infection produced by prototype LVR virus. The capacity of P-248 virus to produce a persistent, non-lytic infection of USU-104 cells was a very stable characteristic of the isolate. Extensive serial passage of this isolate through USU-104 cells (over 50 passages) and rhesus monkeys (six passages) failed to unmask virus with lytic properties for USU-104 cells. Culture medium from persistently infected cultures assayed in rhesus monkey peritoneal mononuclear phagocytes, where measurable cytopathology occurs, was found to contain about 10(5) to 10(6) TCID50/ml of cell-free P-248 virus. Immunolabelling techniques showed only a low percentage of infected cells in persistently infected cultures. The mechanism of persistence of the P-248 isolate in USU-104 cells has not been determined but evidence suggests it does not involve interferon or defective interfering particles.