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Le diagnostic virologique d'une infection respiratoire exige theoriquement, comme celui de toute infection virale, la reunion de trois criteres: o 1 o l'isolement du virus, 2 o une seroconversion vis-a-vis de ce virus, 3 o des arguments epidemiologiques. Les deux premiers criteres permettent d'affirmer l'association a l'infection respiratoire observee d'une infection virale majeure, suffisamment importante pour avoir suscite une reponse appreciable du systeme immunitaire. Les arguments epidemiologiques permettent d'affirmer que l'infection virale reconnue est bien la cause du syndrome respiratoire, pour l'ensemble des cas observes du moins. Nous envisagerons les diverses techniques d'isolement et de serodiagnostic se rapportant aux virus les plus souvent responsables d'infections respiratoires, leur mise en œuvre en pratique courante et l'interpretation des resultats, parfois malaisee quand les trois criteres du diagnostic virologique n'ont pu etre reunis.

Resume L'herpes neonatal revele l'herpes maternel 2 fois sur 3. En cas de primo-infection en prepartum, la cesarienne est recommandee, associee au traitement du nouveau-ne par aciclovir. En cas de recurrence dans le prepartum, une cesarienne est recommandee. En cas d'antecedents, l'accouchement par voie basse est precede d'une desinfection des voies genitales par la Betadine®. Un prelevement local positif a ce moment indique un traitement aciclovir pour l'enfant. La serologie herpes n'a actuellement aucun interet dans cette situation.

DNA sequences closely related to herpesvirus-like sequences have been found in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma. Using PCR, we found herpesvirus-like DNA sequences in Kaposi's lesions and normal adjacent skin in five patients with Mediterranean Kaposi's sarcoma. We did not find these sequences in tissues from patients without Kaposi's sarcoma. Semi-quantitative PCR revealed many more herpesvirus-like sequences in Kaposi's lesions than in unaffected skin. Our results reinforce the hypothesis that an infectious agent closely related to gamma-herpesvirus is implicated in the pathogenesis of Mediterranean and AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma.

Resume Les auteurs passent en revue la place des enterovirus dans la pathologie respiratoire haute et basse. Ils concluent que certaines epidemies d'infections respiratoires hautes, parmi celles se produisant l'ete, sont dues a un enterovirus. L'atteinte des voies respiratoires basses est rare ; le role etiologique exclusif des enterovirus reste difficile a etablir en raison de la possibilite d'association de plusieurs agents pathogenes.

Summary Sequential isolates of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV2) from an immunocompetent woman with severe genital herpes infection were examined for their sensitivity to acyclovir. The inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) values of the HSV2 isolates obtained before, during and after ACV therapy did not show any significant variation. Meanwhile, the direct sampling examination of clinical specimens by a chessboard titration technique revealed three important points: 1) The presence of viruses highly resistant to up to 100 μM of ACV in the pretreatment clinical specimen; 2) The lack of prevalence of these resistant components under ACV therapy; 3) The emergence of a small proportion of 10 μM ACV-resistant viruses in the late recurrence. One of the highly resistant mutants picked up under 100 μM ACV had a 110 μM IC50 value. This mutant exhibited a marked decrease of thymidine kinase activity in vitro and remained sensitive to PAA, an inhibitor of viral DNA polymerase.

Summary An ELISA technique was used to look for the presence of IgM and IgG cross-reactions in paired sera from 42 patients without immunodeficiency, infected by herpes simplex or varicella-zoster virus. Cross-reactions were detected with the anti-IgM conjugate: rheumatoid factor was detected every time. The significance of these observations is examined.

Two children aged 7 months with eczema herpeticum received treatment consisting of intravenous acyclovir and human plasma with a high titer of herpes simplex virus antibodies. One recovered following two recurrences, but the other died rapidly, suffering both septicemia due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and herpetic encephalitis. In both cases, the virus involved was a herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV 1). The various isolates obtained before, during and after treatment remained equally sen sitive to acyclovir. These observations highlight three points: (1) the unpredictable and sometimes dramatic development of eczema herpeticum in the young child; (2) the urgency of early diagnosis and treatment; (3) the role of environment in viral contamination.

La panencephalite sclerosante subaigue (PESS), est une maladie degenerative du systeme nerveux central. Elle s'associe a une infection cerebrale massive par un virus identique ou etroitement apparente au virus de la rougeole (4). Cette association pose des problemes non resolus.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using semi-purified herpes simplex antigens extracted from cell nuclei was employed for typing of 32 sera collected from patients infected with HSV-1 or HSV-2. The results were in agreement with those obtained by the quantal micro-neutralization test. Moreover, sera with antibodies which could not be detected by micro-neutralization test could be typed by the ELISA technique according to the HSV isolates.

International audience; The epidemiological profile of rotavirus infection in young calves and young children form the same rural environment in France was studied during autumn-winter 1983-1984. Viruses were isolated from calves on each farm and were identified by their electropherotype for 8 out of the 9 farms under study. Among 13 children regularly checked on 9 farms for 25 weeks, 7 were found to be rotavirus positive. Nevertheless, no transfer of virus between child and bovine was documented by the electropherotype migration. In the case of the calves, the predominance of the Ib IIa IIIe IVa electropherotype at 5 of the 9 farms is similar to the epidemiological situation observed among newborn in some maternity wards.