The in vitro activities of 16 antibiotics against five serovar strains of the genus Leptospira were determined. Five of the antibiotics (ampicillin, cefmetazole, moxalactam, ceftizoxime, and cefotaxime) exhibited a lower minimal inhibitory concentration than did penicillin G. In tests for minimal bactericidal concentration, ceftizoxime and cefotaxime were found to be more effective than penicillin G, streptomycin, tetracycline, ampicillin, and cefmetazole.

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In an investigation of microbial contamination of enteral feeding solutions, all 22 residual solutions obtained immediately after administration were contaminated at concentrations of 10(3) to 10(6) viable counts/ml. Major contaminants were glucose-nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var anitratus. Contamination seemed to have been caused by frequent reuse of bag-type containers and the infusion tubes connected to the bags, neither of which can be washed or dried. Decontamination methods were evaluated by using polypropylene containers that can be washed and disinfected for administration. Few Serratia marcescens on the inside wall of the container were removed by rinsing with tap water, alone or in combination with detergent scrub. Tap water and detergent plus air-drying at 56 degrees C for 1 hour reduced Serratia marcescens only somewhat. Tap water and detergent plus immersion in 0.01% sodium hypochlorite for 1 hour or in water at 70 degrees C for 3 minutes eliminated all 10(11) cells of Serratia marcescens.

α-Fetoprotein (AFP) was measured in the sera of 183 patients with malignancies, including 37 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma, and of 368 patients with nonneoplastic liver diseases. AFP was detected in 33 of the patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma, in 4 of the 74 patients with carcinoma of the liver metastasized from the stomach, in 1 of 22 patients with gastric carcinoma and in 1 of patients with ovarian carcinoma. AFP was also detected transiently in 1 of 55 patients with infectious hepatitis and in of 195 patients with liver cirrhosis. The frequency of AFP-positive patients increased when more sensitive techniques were used such as immunoelectrosyneresis and fluoroelectroimmunodiffusion, but it is important to use the monospecific antiserum prepared with immunization against the purified AFP. The maximal concentration of AFP in sera from patients with primary liver carcinoma was 5,900 μg/ml serum and the AFP levels in the majority of these patients were in the range of 10-500 μg/ml. The serum AFP levels tended to increase with time, but they appeared to be unrelated to clinical signs or survival time. In patients with carcinoma of the liver metastasized from the stomach, gastric carcinoma, and nonneoplastic liver diseases, the serum AFP levels were markedly lower than those in primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

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