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Seventeen bacteriophage f29 proteins were detected in ultraviolet light-irradiated Bacillus subtilisby autoradiography of polyacrylamide slab gels. The appearance of f29 proteins occurred either before or concomitantly with viral DNA replication. Viral proteins detected early in the infectious cycle consisted of nine polypeptides ranging from 5,200 daltons to 54,000 daltons. Two of the early proteins were identified as, respectively, the major capsid protein and the protein comprising the filaments which extend from the head of the virus. Late f29 proteins were composed of eight polypeptides ranging from 14,000 daltons to 95,000 daltons. Only three late proteins were noncapsid proteins. Among the early proteins, six were synthesized at diminishing rates late in the infectious cycle. One of the early proteins (protein 12) lacked histidine, whereas two (proteins 10 and 15) lacked tryptophan. Among the 17 proteins detected, 10 were viral noncapsid proteins. The amount of viral genetic information required to code for the 17 proteins detected in these experiments (81% of the potential genetic information of f29 DNA) compares favorably with the genetic information detected as mRNA in a previous report, 85% of the potential information on the f29 chromosome.

EMPYEMA is an uncommon complication of intra-abdominal sepsis.1-5 Although the protean manifestation of acute appendicitis is well recognized, its initial presentation as an empyema is distinctly rare. We report two cases of appendicitis that presented as empyema in which abdominal findings were minimal or absent.Report of CasesCase 1.—A previously healthy 50-year-old woman was seen in the emergency room 24 days before admission, complaining of a three-day history of generalized abdominal pain, nausea, and intermittent vomiting. The results of an examination of the abdomen demonstrated diffuse mild tenderness without rebound. No palpable masses were present, and the results of a rectal examination were unremarkable. She had a WBC count of 12,400/cu mm, with a differential cell count of 63 polymorphonuclear leukocytes, 15 band forms, ten lymphocytes, and 12 monocytes. She was discharged with a diagnosis of viral gastroenteritis.Her abdominal pain resolved during the subsequent 24 to

CONGENITAL lesions make up about 6% of all masses found within the neck.1 Approximately two thirds of these congenital abnormalities involve the thyroglossal duct in the form of cysts or sinuses. Despite the frequent occurrence of thyroglossal duct malformations, a familial pattern, to our knowledge, has not been described.Report of a CaseA healthy 1-year-old girl was admitted to the Denver General Hospital with a painless, midline cervical mass over the hyoid bone. There was no history of airway or feeding problems and no symptoms of any endocrine disorder. The family history was remarkable for hypothyroidism, thyroid carcinoma, and thyroglossal duct defects (Figure).Physical examination disclosed a 1×1-cm, nontender cervical mass located in the midline at the level of the hyoid bone. No cutaneous fistulous tract was noted.These findings were suggestive of a thyroglossal duct cyst. Surgical excision, using the Sistrunk technique,2 demonstrated a squamous cell-lined