Nonspecific and antigen-specific adhesiveness of circulating lymphocytes in dysentery patients undergoing combined therapy using thymalin and indomethacin

Nonspecific adhesiveness of lymphocytes to polyacrylonitrile fiber and the antigen-specific adhesiveness of T-lymphocytes to Shigella flexneri pellicular immunosorbent have been studied in dysentery patients. Short courses of treatment with indomethacin, but not with thymalin (the preparation of thymic hormones), used for immunomodulation, have accelerated the normalization of nonspecific lymphocyte adhesiveness during regression of the disease, while indomethacin, in contrast to thymalin, inhibits antigen-specific T-lymphocyte adhesiveness which increases with the development of immune response.     

Antibiotic therapy of acute dysentery in children with immunologic deficiency conditions

One hundred children with acute Sonnei and flexneri dysentery were followed up with respect to the infection process and main immunity indices. In 32 children the immunity indices were physiological (group 1) and in 68 children secondary immune deficiency was observed (group 2). The children were treated with aminoglycoside antibiotics and prodigiozan and it was stated that the time of recovery in the children with immune deficiency was longer by 5.2 days as compared to that in the children without immune deficiency. In the children with immune deficiency the combined use of one of the aminoglycosides, prodigiozan and lysozyme, led to a reduction of the host immunological reactivity and recovery within the same periods as those recorded for children with the physiological immunity status. It is recommended to use the antibiotic combination with prodigiozan and lysozyme in the treatment of all the forms of dysentery in children with secondary immune deficiency.     

Biological preparations in the overall therapy of children convalescing after dysentery]

In studying the state of microbial population in the intestine of children after dysentery dysbacteriosis was revealed in 72.7% of cases. Use of biological preparations normalizing microbial population in the intestine (colibacterin) in 859 children reduced the incidence of protracted forms of the disease and of repeated excretion of the causative agent in comparison with the control group (785 children).     

Immunity indices during the vaccinal therapy of protracted forms of dysentery in children

The results obtained in the study of the dynamics of systemic and local immunity characteristics in children with prolonged and chronic dysentery under the influence of vaccinal therapy are presented. The vaccine, containing soluble antigenic complexes isolated from Shigella sonnei cells by disintegration with hydroxylamine, was introduced intrarectally in doses of 2-4 mg. The course of treatment consisted of 5-6 administrations. The vaccinal therapy resulted in an increase in the level of immunoglobulins and the titer of specific antibodies, particularly IgA, in sera and fecal filtrates. These data coincided with an increase in the number of IgA-producing cells in bioptic samples of the mucous membrane of the large intestine. The vaccinal therapy contributed to the cessation of the release of bacteria in 82.5% of the patients.     

Fungal Infections in Phagocytic Defects

Delineating the infection susceptibility of primary immunodeficiencies allows insight into host immunity. Filamentous mold infections are seen most frequently in chronic granulomatous disease, a neutrophil disorder characterized by impaired superoxide production. Mucocutaneous candidiasis occurs in disorders of impaired interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-22 signaling, such as seen in autosomal dominant hyper-IgE (Job’s) syndrome and in disorders with autoantibodies to these cytokines. The endemic dimorphic fungi are in part controlled by disorders of the IL-12/interferon (IFN)-γ pathway, such as IFN-γ receptor and STAT1 defects. Understanding the pathways involved in these primary immunodeficiency disorders will also provide insight into these infections in secondary immunodeficiencies and allow guidance for novel therapies.     

Effectiveness of the antibacterial therapy of patients with various forms of dysentery]

The analysis of the efficacy of various methods of antibacterial therapy in 1382 patients with obliterated, light and moderately severe forms of dysentery as compared to the patients subjected only to patholgenic therapy showed that broad spectrum antibiotics lost their role in treatment of such patients. Furazolidon proved to be one of the most active drugs. The authors suppose that treatment of patients with obliterated forms of dysentery with antibacterial drugs is not obligatory and is indicated only in cases with repeated isolation of the causative agent.     

Epidemiology of bacillary dysentery in Algeria. II. The seasonality of dysentery

Morbidity rises during the period of summer and autumn are characteristic of bacterial dysentery in Algeria. During the last 18 years no essential changes in the seasonal character of bacterial dysentery were observed in the country taken as a whole. However, in different climatic and geographical zones of the country the seasonal character of dysentery greatly varies from one zone to another and essentially differs from the seasonal character of dysentery morbidity, typical of the country as a whole for many years. The most pronounced manifestations of seasonal rises are observed in the Sahara zone. The seasonal character of dysentery is formed mainly by morbidity among patients belonging to 3 age groups. The seasonal rises of dysentery can be probably explained by the complex of social and climatic factors, as well as by the biological features of the causative agents of this disease.