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Brain tissues from 128 rabid animals from Florida in 1987 and 1988 were analyzed with monoclonal antibodies and cases were mapped by species and antigenic variant. The single variant found in terrestrial animals was distinguished easily from the variety of antigenic variants identified for infected bats, and there was no evidence of transmission of rabies between bats and terrestrial animals. The raccoon (Procyon lotor) appeared to be the sole maintenance source for terrestrial animal rabies in Florida.

Hemoglobin Tampa was detected in a 6-year-old male caucasian who is homozygous for this variant hemoglobin. The variant hemoglobin has an electrophoretic mobility between Hb F and Hb S on cellulose acetate (pH 8.5) and a mobility between Hb S and Hb C on citrate agar (pH 6.0). In acid buffer globin chain analysis revealed an abnormal beta chain with a mobility between the beta A and beta S chains, and in alkaline buffer the mobility of the chain was at the beta S position. Structural characterization of the variant beta chain indicates that aspartic acid is replaced with tyrosine at position 79, the site of a previously reported mutation, Asp replaced by Gly (Hb Hsi-Tsou). The clinical histories of the available family members including the homozygous propositus appear to be unremarkable.

Of 21 antimicrobial agents tested in vitro, amikacin was the most predictably active against clinical isolates belonging to the Mycobacterium fortuitum complex; however, only 50% of strains studied were susceptible to clinically attainable concentrations of the drug.

A field study was undertaken in Tampa, Fla., to assess the efficacy of subcutaneous and aerosol methods of administering vaccine, and to compare the protection afforded by bivalent (A2 and B) influenza virus vaccine and by A2/Hong Kong/68 virus vaccine. Further objectives of the study included a comparison of the effectiveness of single-dose and 2-dose immunization. Approximately 2100 volunteers received, in a double-blind manner, both an injection and an aerosol administration on 2 occasions 3 weeks apart. The results showed that aerosol administration gave a lower over-all protection rate, although the booster dose seemed to have a marked effect. The protection afforded by A2/Hong Kong/68 virus vaccine was considerably greater than that afforded by the bivalent vaccine, particularly when administration was subcutaneous. Results are also given on the occurrence of side-effects and on the correlation between cigarette smoking and the occurrence of influenza-like illness.