Diagnosis and incidence of neisseria gonorrhoeae in Cape coloured females in the Western Cape

Specimens were taken, using carbon-impregnated swabs, from the cervix, urethra and rectum of 945 Cape Coloured gynaecological patients, and from the cervix only of 1 276 pregnant Cape Coloured women. These specimens were submitted to the laboratory in a modified Stuart transport medium and cultured on Thayer-Martin medium. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was cultured in 5,3% of the specimens from the gynaecological patients and in 5,3% of specimens from the pregnant women. All cultures showed type I or 11 colony pattern. No strains showed resistance to any of the antibiotics tested.S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 259 (1974)

Prevention of food poisoning in hospital patients

Bacteriological investigations of raw and cooked foods and of food handlers in abattoirs, food factories and hospital kitchens show that they are potential sources of food poisoning organisms. The use of reheated (reconstituted) frozen foods is recommended as an ideal means of preventing food poisoning among hospital patients.S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 1109 (1974)

Escherichia coli serotypes associated with urinary tract infections in the Western Cape

Click on the link to view

Detection of biological false positive syphilis serum reactions

A comparative evaluation of reagin tests (Wassermann, VDRL, RPR) and fluorescent treponema antibody absorption tests (FTA-ABS) performed on blood specimens from 5 271 persons (2 493 pregnant women, 1 130 apparently healthy prospective employees, 1 345 newborn babies and 303 leprosy patients) showed that 17,2% of the pregnant women, 11,95% of the prospective employees, 19,0% of the newborn babies, and 27,2% of the leprosy patients gave positive reactions in one or more of the tests. The majority of specimens were from Cape Coloured patients. FTA-ABS tests allowed the exclusion as biological false positives of ±30% of the pregnant 'positive reactors', of ±37% of the prospective employees, 40,2% of the newborn babies, but only 1% of the leprosy patients. The FTA-ABS test, therefore, deserves wide acceptance as the standard by which  the diagnosis of syphilis is confirmed and false positive reactions are defined, although non-specificity in pregnancies, intracellular infections and auto-immune diseases occurs. The classical reagin tests are of value in the control of treatment.S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 1191 (1974)

A note on the use of reduced transport fluid (RTF) for isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Swabs containing pus from urethral discharges obtained from 55 male patients attending venereal disease clinics were transported in Stuart's transport medium or RTF (reduced transport fluid) and then cultured on ThayerMartin plates. Forty-eight swabs showed the presence of Neisseria in smears and 45 gave good growth of N. gonorrhoeae when cultured 18 - 24 hours after the swabs were taken from the patient.S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 1195 (1974)

Erythropoietin release from baboom renal allografts treated with subcellular kidney cell fractions

No Abstract

Correlation of tissue-typing tests in baboon renal allotransplants

Click on the link to view

Black pierdra in a child with pili torti, bamboo hair and congenital ichthysiform erythroderma

No Abstrac

Salmonella roggeveld 51 :-:1,7 A New Serotype

A new Salmonella, S. roggeveld 51 : - : 1,7 is described. So far this Salmonella seems to be geographically restricted to the western Cape Province. A total of 18 different isolations, all performed at the Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Stellenbosch, between1962 and 1969 gives some insight into the ecology of this type. It seems that S. roggeveld is fairly widely distributed among indigenous tortoises, lizards and snakes. Ticks can act as vectors. The isolation of S. roggeveld from mesenterial lymph nodes of a pig, show that mammals can also be infected. The lack of isolations from human beings so far, may be attributed to the easy escape of this type from routine laboratory investigations. S. roggeveld is ideally suited for the preparations of anti 0- 51- diagnostic sera

Seroepidemiology of HTLV-III (LAV) in the Federal Republic of Germany.

In 1984 10,281 sera were collected in the FRG and examined for antibodies to HTLV-III (LAV) with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmative tests. Of the German AIDS patients 81% have antibodies. Individuals belonging to AIDS risk groups, homosexuals, haemophiliacs and i.v. drug abusers, have antibody frequencies between 25%-72%. The detection of HTLV-III antibodies in blood donours indicates that the virus is being transmitted by blood transfusions