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Presence of Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Rickettsia burnetii, influenza type B, herpes and adenoviruses was detected by immunofluorescence in artery fragments collected from patients with arteriopathy. Pathohistological examination of the samples revealed inflammatory--lympho-histiocytic infiltration--and mostly dystrophic alterations. Arteriopathies were localised mostly at the pelvic limb level, especially on femoral artery. Their incidence was statistically significant.

The presence of fourteen inframicrobial agents was investigated by the immunofluorescence technique using specific antisera on 345 samples of arteries and veins collected during operation from patients with chronic vascular diseases (arteritis, varicosity) and on 50 samples of umbilical cord. Results indicated a positivity rate of 75.45%; most of the cases had associations of two to five antigens. Coxsackie A virus and mycoplasmas were the agents most frequently found.

Repeated intranasal administrations of NIVGRIP, influenza inactivated vaccine, to patients with chronic recurrent keratoconjunctivitis, led to a significant reduction of respiratory virus incidence, as revealed by the immunofluorescence test in the conjunctive epithelial cells. The effect is probably due to endogenous interferon stimulation by the vaccine, at the nasopharyngeal level.

A number of 56 serofibrinous pleurisy cases were subjected to several usual diagnostic tests, as well as to virological investigations. Significant rises in serum antibody titers to different viruses were recorded in 25 cases; the presence of virus antigens in cells from the pleural fluid could be visualized by immunofluorescence in 11 patients. In many cases there was evidence suggesting multiple viral infection. The contribution of various investigation methods to differential diagnosis is discussed and the etiological patterns specific to different territories are outlined.

Within the framework of their research concerns regarding the presence of papova viruses in the human population of Romania, as well as the relationship between these viruses and certain forms of human cancer, the authors undertook an electron microscopic study of 4 renal tumors and 6 melanomas. No viral particles could be made evident in any of the sections examined. Viral SV-40 antigen was detected by indirect immunofluorescence reaction in kidney sections from a nephrosis case considered as control.

Data are reviewed that illustrate the efficacy of the immunofluorescence (IF) technique as a method of rapid viral diagnosis. Its constant application in the "Stefan S. Nicolau" Institute of Virology has allowed the detection of viral and/or inframicrobial antigens in cells from patients with eye diseases (keratoconjunctivitis, keratitis, uveitis), stomatitis, skin diseases, benign and malignant gynecopathies, male urethritis, respiratory diseases, facial paralysis, etc. The IF technique has an incontestable advantage as regards the detection of the simultaneous presence of several infectious agents in the same patient. The prerequisites and prospects of a wider application of IF methods for rapid viral diagnosis are briefly discussed.

The presence of viral, chlamydial and mycoplasma antigens was investigated by the indirect immunofluorescence (IF) reaction in the urethral cells of 30 male patients with urethritis. Positive IF reactions were recorded in 21 (70%) of the cases, 2-6 different antigens being simultaneously visualized in 14 patients. In addition to chlamydial, mycoplasma and herpes antigens, parainfluenza virus and adenovirus antigens were visualized in 39.34% and 11.47% of the cases, respectively. The efficacy of the IF technique in the rapid laboratory diagnosis of male urethritis is discussed.

Immunofluorescence (IF) techniques were used to evaluate the therapeutical efficiency of moroxidine hydrochloride against herpes virus (HSV) induced keratoconjunctivitis. In 56 out of the 77 followed-up and treated patients, the IF reactions revealed the presence of both types 1 and 2 of herpes virus, while in 21 only type 1 was found. The treatment with moroxidine hydrochloride led to a reduction of 63% and 92%, respectively, of the incidence of herpes virus type 1 and 2 antigens in the conjunctival cells, coincident with the improvement of clinical symptoms or persistent recovery.

Two serially transmissible tumors (metastatic lymphosarcomas) were induced in the hamster by inoculation of human brain tumor material--tissue homogenate from a malignized fibroma or DNA extracted from a meningioma. SV40 V antigen was made evident by indirect immunofluorescence in 4 out of 18 human tumors, while SV40 T antigen could only be demonstrated in the tumors experimentally induced in hamsters. Antibodies to SV40 T antigen were detected in 12 out of 60 patients with different tumors, in 1 out of 40 blood donors and in 7 out of 18 hamsters carrying experimentally induced tumors.

The presence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) antigens was tested by direct immunofluorescence in 24 cases of cervical carcinoma and in 1 case of uterine leiomyosarcoma, in comparison with 34 uterine fibroma preparations that served as controls. HSV antigens type 1 and type 2 were detected in 8 cervical carcinoma cases and in the patient with uterine leiomyosarcoma.

The presence of viral (herpes 1 and 2, influenza A and B, parainfluenza 1, 2, and 3, adenovirus) and inframicrobial (Chlamydia, R. burneti and mycoplasma) antigens was investigated by indirect immunofluorescence reaction in exfoliated cells from 107 patients with chronic eye diseases and 77 patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Single or associated viral or inframicrobial antigens were detected in 80% of the former and in 60% of the latter patients. The proportion of multiple infections was of about 60% in both patient groups.

Direct and indirect immunofluorescence techniques were used to investigate the presence of some viral, chlamydial, Rickettsia and Mycoplasma antigens in the exfoliated nasal and pharyngeal epithelial cells from 156 patients with acute or chronic respiratory infections. Positive results were found in 98 (62.82%) of them, parainfluenza (36.88%) and herpes (23.3%) antigens, being the most frequent. Herpes, parainfluenza and adenoviral antigens were found the most frequently among patients with pharyngitis (76 cases). Parainfluenza, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia and Rickettsia burneti antigens had the highest prevalence among the patients with rhinitis (34 cases). The presence of a single antigen was detected only in 36 patients (36.73%), two or more antigens being found simultaneously in other 62 cases (63.27%). The results demonstrate the utility and efficiency of the immunofluorescence techniques for the rapid etiological diagnosis of acute or chronic respiratory infections.

An indirect immunofluorescence reaction was used for cytovirological diagnosis in 110 patients with different herpes-like clinical manifestations. The presence of herpes antigens type 1 and 2 was made evident in the exfoliated cells from 77% of the cases with recurrent herpes, in 68% of those with cutaneous and/or oral herpes, in 64% of the cases with keratoconjunctivitis and in 37.5% of the women with different genital diseases. Administration of specific antiherpes immunoglobulins and of the chemotherapeutic drug Flumidin to cases with positive immunofluorescence reactions led to improvement of the symptoms and even to clinical recovery.

The presence of 12 viral (herpes 1 and 2, influenza A(H1N1), A(H3N2) and B, parainfluenza 1, 2, 3, adenovirus 5) and inframicrobial (Chlamydia, mycoplasma, Rickettsia burneti) antigens was investigated by direct or indirect immunofluorescence (IF) reactions in exfoliated conjunctival cells from 110 patients with nonbacterial keratitis and keratoconjunctivitis. A rapid etiological diagnosis could be obtained in 101 (92%) of the cases, parainfluenza and herpes antigens being the most frequently detected. In most of the cases the simultaneous presence of several antigens was made evident. Encouraging results were obtained by the application of a specific treatment based on the diagnosis provided by the IF reaction.

Viral and inframicrobial antigens were detected by immunofluorescence (IF) in exfoliated conjunctival and corneal cells from 22 patients with uveitis, 2-9 different antigens being simultaneously visualized in 17 of the cases. The treatment applied on the ground of the etiological diagnosis specified by IF reactions consisted in the administration of tetracycline, Flumidin (Virustat), standard gamma-globulin or specific antiherpes immunoglobulin, the NIVGRIP inactivated influenza vaccine. This therapy led to persistent recovery (coincident with the disappearance of the antigens from conjunctival cells) in 15 cases and to clinical improvement in 7 cases. The importance of the rapid viral diagnosis by IF for the choice of an adequate therapy of uveitis is discussed.

A high proportion of parainfluenza, herpes, adenovirus and chlamydial antigens (10.7-36%) was detected by indirect immunofluorescence in cells exfoliated in the vagina of women with genital neoplasia and with uterine cervix ectopia and dysplasia. Much lower proportions of the same antigens were found in patients with common gynecopathies or recurrent genital herpes and in pregnant women. The possible relationships between chronic virus infections and genital neoplasia in women are discussed.

The presence of viral and/or inframicrobial antigens was investigated by the immunofluorescence (IF) technique in exfoliated pharyngeal cells collected from 85 children aged 0-5 years, with acute infections of the upper or lower respiratory tract. Positive IF reactions were recorded in 83% of the children with bronchopneumonia, 81.8% of those with acute pharyngitis, 77.7% of those with acute upper respiratory tract infections and 66.6% of those with acute bronchitis. In 68.75% of the IF-positive cases 2-5 different antigens were simultaneously visualized. Herpes and parainfluenza virus antigens appeared to be predominant. The proportion of positive IF reactions was much lower (20%) in a control group of 20 apparently healthy children, where a single viral antigen (parainfluenza 1) was detected.

Study was conducted on the multiplication of two strains (C243 and D) of parainfluenza virus type 3 in BHK 21 cells. Multiplication curve of the virus was established and immunohistochemical aspects of the process were investigated. Chronological study of successive steps of the formation and development of viral components allowed to see that the virus multiplication rate is low in this cell system. The parainfluenza antigen became detectable by immunofluorescence in the infected cell perinuclear region after a relatively long eclipse period (18 h) and synthetized virus has few RNA and induced no inclusion information in the cytoplasm or the nucleus. However, an important nuclear participation was noted: 72 h after inoculation, nuclear fluorescence was observed, as well as a nuclear DNA rising and frequent aberrant mitoses. Comparison between the two investigated strains led to the observation that the autochthonous D strain induced more frequent aberrant mitoses and more important cell destruction than the C243 one. Differences were also noted as regards the infecting and hemagglutinating titers.

A study was conducted of the viral and inframicrobial populations present in the conjunctival, nasal and pharyngeal mucous membranes by immunofluorescence techniques, using a twelve hyperimmune serum kit, in 120 patients with chronic, relapsing keratoconjunctivitis. Qualitative and quantitative differences were noted in the antigen levels in the three investigated mucous membranes. The number of antigens in the conjunctival and nasal epithelial cells was higher than in the pharyngeal ones: 117 and 113 positive IF tests for the first two against 95 for the third. Incidence of each of the individual antigens was two or three times higher in the conjunctival and nasal mucous membranes, excepting, however, the parainfluenza viruses which were equally frequent in all the three mucous membranes.