Feline calicivirus FCV is frequently used as a surrogate of human norovirus. We investigated eligibility of FCV for anti-viral assay by investigating the stability of infectivity and pH sensitivity in comparison with other viruses. We found that infectivities of FCV and murine norovirus MNV are relatively unstable in infected cells compared with those of coxsackievirus CoV and poliovirusPoV , suggesting that FCV and MNV have vulnerability. Western blotting indicated that inactivation of FCV was not due to viral protein degradation. We also demonstrated sensitivity of FCV to low pH, the 50% inhibitory pH value being ca. 3.9. Since human norovirus is thought to persist longer, in infectivity and to be a resistant virus, CoV, which is robust and not restrained in use as PoV, may be more appropriate as a test virus for disinfectants, rather than FCV and MNV.

Pyometra is a rare disease in which pus accumulates in the uterus and is typically caused by stenosis of the cervix. Only a few case reports have indicated that diverticular disease causes pyometra. We herein report an 83-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a fever, loss of appetite, general fatigue and back pain. After some inspections, she was diagnosed with pyometra and lumbar pyogenic spondylitis secondary to diverticulitis of the sigmoid colon. We performed transvaginal drainage and continued antibiotic administration for about three months. The pyometra and pyogenic spondylitis successfully resolved, and she did not experience any recurrence.