Presence Of Potential Pathogens Research Articles

Histopathological findings in equine sinonasal disorders.

Biopsies collected from 79 referred cases of equine sinonasal disease, including 27 horses with primary sinusitis, 10 with secondary dental sinusitis, 19 with sinus cysts, 11 with progressive ethmoid haematomata (PEH), 4 with false nostril epidermal inclusion cysts, 4 with sinonasal polyps, 3 with sinonasal mycosis and from 2 control animals were examined histologically. Observations were made on epithelial type and integrity, cellular inflammatory response, fibroplasia and presence of potential pathogens. Chronic inflammatory changes including mucosal thickening, ulceration and significant fibroplasia, were found in the sinus mucosa with most sinus disorders, similar to those found in human chronic sinusitis. Bacteria were variably present on sinusitis mucosae but their aetiological significance was unclear. The presence of apparently irreversible changes including fibroplasia in some of these sinusitis cases may explain their poor or delayed response to treatment. Sinus cysts had histological similarities to human mucocoeles. Progressive ethmoid haematomata showed recent and older haemorrhage, as did sinus cysts (and occasionally some chronic sinusitis sections), but support for a common aetiology between sinus cysts and PEH was absent.

Viral content of a sewage-polluted intertidal zone

Viruses were repeatedly isolated from sewage, seawater and mussels at a sewage polluted intertidal zone. The sites investigated were shown to be grossly polluted by enumeration of sewage indicator bacteria. Although the presence of these bacteria indicated the potential presence of pathogens, their numbers did not correlate with the detection of viruses. The most frequently isolated viruses were Coxsackie ‘B’ type viruses, and adenoviruses. The study demonstrated that a meaningful test for the presence of viruses in water needs to specify the virus groups concerned. The range of cell cultures used, the number of replicate cells cultures used and the incubation period allowed before a sample was classed as negative must be specified.

Incidence of Salmonella spp., Clostridium botulinum, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus in an estuary.

A study of the incidence of Salmonella spp., Vibrio parahaemolyticus-like organisms, and clostridium botulinum in samples collected at five stations located in the Upper Chesapeake Bay, a major estuary on the Atlantic Coast of the United States, was conducted in December 1973 through December 1974. C. botulinum types B and E were detected in 12.3% of the total sediment samples examined. V. parahaemolyticus was recovered from 10.4% of a total of 86 water, sediment, and suspended sediment samples. Of 131 samples examined for the presence of Salmonella spp., approximately 3% were found to be positive for serologically confirmed Salmonella isolates. Shellfish examined during the investigation were also found to be free of enteric pathogens. The low frequency of occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus was attributed to the low salinities encountered at the sites included in the study. A low incidence of Salmonella spp. in the Upper Chesapeake Bay samples was found, whereas the distribution of C. botulinum appeared to be both random and autochthonous. A strong relationship between presence of potential pathogens and other generally accepted microbiological indicators of pollution was not observed.

Smoking versus infection as the aetiology of bronchial mucous gland hypertrophy in chronic bronchitis.

The smoking habits of 50 proved cases of chronic bronchitis were studied. Bronchoscopy was done and a bronchial biopsy was taken for histological examination. Bronchial lavage was obtained under sterile conditions for bacteriological studies. The degree of bronchial mucous gland hypertrophy was determined, and the presence or absence of infection, as shown by the presence of potential pathogens in the bronchial lavage, was noted. We think that tobacco smoking and its resulting irritation to the bronchi is the most important underlying cause of bronchial mucous gland hypertrophy because there is: (1) a significantly higher incidence of mucous gland hypertrophy in smokers than in non-smokers among the 50 chronic bronchitics studied; (2) a significantly higher accumulated lifetime tobacco consumption in patients exhibiting mucous gland hypertrophy than in those without hypertrophy of the bronchial mucous glands; (3) a significant association and correlation between the degree of mucous gland hypertrophy and the intensity of smoking; and (4) no difference in the comparative frequency of occurrence of bronchial mucous gland hypertrophy in subjects with and without demonstrable infection, as shown by the presence of potential pathogens in the bronchial lavage. We could not deny that infection might be having an initiating or potentiating effect.