LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS OF TYPHOID FEVER—With Notes on Treatment

As indicated by a study of 41 cases of typhoid fever treated in three years, blood culture alone is often sufficient for the diagnosis of the disease if a large (30 cc.) specimen is used. Demonstration of the organism is the only completely diagnostic measure, but this was also achieved by the Widal reaction, by fecal or urine culture, or by aspirated bile culture, which in one case gave the only positive response.Chloramphenicol is the drug of choice in treating typhoid fever. Since only 25 per cent of patients develop immunity, immunizing injections should be started a week after therapy is discontinued.     

Dramatically stabilized phosphotriesterase-polymers for nerve agent degradation

Phosphotriesterase (EC 3.1.8.1) was immobilized within a polyurethane foam matrix during polymer synthesis using a prepolymer synthesis strategy. In addition to retaining greater than 50% of the enzyme specific activity, numerous benefits were incurred upon immobilization. Orders of magnitude increases in storage and thermal stability (net stabilization energy = 12.5 kJ/mol) were observed without the need for enzyme premodification. The immobilized enzyme system was protease resistant and seemed to display no adverse effects from immobilization, such as an alteration of enzyme function. The organic solvent, dimethyl sulfoxide, also exhibited a stabilizing effect on phosphotriesterase enzyme systems over a range of intermediate concentrations. We attribute these effects in part to direct interaction between the aprotic solvent and metal containing residues present at the enzyme's active site. Our data demonstrate that just 2.5 kg of immobilized enzyme may be sufficient to degrade 30,000 tons of nerve agent in just 1 year. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 54: 105-114, 1997.     

Resistance to Bark Beetle Attack in Caribbean Pine: Potential Role of 4‐Allylanisole1

In the Neotropics, Caribbean pine is subject to epidemic attack by southern pine beetle. We found significantly higher levels (>2.5%) of 4‐allylanisole in the monoterpenoid fraction of the oleoresin of trees in stands with high beetle‐induced mortality, and a negative association between magnitude of attack and levels of 4‐allylanisole in individual trees. Results also suggest that individual trees with low 4‐allylanisole levels may escape attack if they occur in stands characterized by high levels of this compound.     

SULFISOMIDINE IN THE TREATMENT OF PERTUSSIS

Sulfisomidine and pertussis serum were used in the treatment of 21 patients with pertussis. Twenty of the patients were under six months of age and seven had bronchopneumonia.Therapeutic concentrations of the drug in the blood were obtained in 14 cases when it was given in dosage of 0.26 gm. per kilogram of body weight per 24 hours.The average stay in hospital was ten days. None of the patients died. Hematuria developed in one case but crystalluria was not concomitant and it abated promptly when fluid intake was increased.