The role of antiviral antibodies in protection against neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection remains controversial. The relationship between neonatal and maternal anti-HSV antibodies and disease presentation was analyzed in 47 babies. Of the neonates, 77% had localized and 23% had disseminated HSV infection. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxic (ADCC) antibodies were evaluated in comparison with HSV neutralizing antibodies. High maternal (greater than 1:10(4)) or neonatal (greater than 1:10(3)) anti-HSV ADCC antibody levels or high neonatal antiviral neutralizing levels (greater than 1:20) were independently associated with an absence of disseminated HSV infection. Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel analysis demonstrated that ADCC levels were associated with disease status (P less than .02) while controlling for the level of neutralizing antibody.

We studied the interactions of the A- variety of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency and sickle cell anemia (HbSS) to see if G6PD deficiency influenced laboratory and clinical features of HbSS. A total of 801 male patients over age 2 had G6PD electrophoresis on cellulose acetate membranes. Assays of both G6PD activity and hexokinase activity were then done on all samples that had an electrophoretic pattern other than the normal wild type (GdB). The collection of clinical data used a standardized protocol. Using cluster analyses we classified 10.4% males to be G6PD deficient, while 18.4% had the functionally normal GdA+ enzyme. The prevalence of G6PD deficiency did not change significantly when age was stratified by decade, suggesting little survival advantage or disadvantage of the combination of G6PD deficiency and HbSS. Compared to patients who were not G6PD deficient, there were no significant differences in the hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, reticulocyte count, bilirubin, or SGOT level in patients with HbSS who had G6PD deficiency. The incidence of painful episodes, sepsis, or acute anemic episodes was similar in both groups. Our results are consistent with recent studies of smaller numbers of patients that have found little influence of G6PD deficiency upon HbSS. Specifically, we found no evidence that G6PD enhanced the severity of hemolysis or increased the incidence of acute anemic episodes or sepsis in HbSS.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) using sera from rabbits and goats immunized with Giardia trophozoites were compared for detection of Giardia antigen in 300 stool specimens, 80 of which had positive results for Giardia by microscopic examination. The diagnostic accuracy of the two assays was similar, with sensitivities of 92% and 87% and specificities of 87% and 91% with the use of rabbit and goat antisera, respectively. Both ELISAs detected Giardia antigen in stool samples from asymptomatic as well as symptomatic excretors and from treated patients after organisms were no longer visualized by microscopic examination. The specificity of the assays was confirmed by consistently negative results on stool specimens from 10 neonates and 27 patients with enteric parasitic infections other than Giardia. Negative results also occurred when stool specimens containing 21 bacterial enteropathogens were tested. Potential confounding variables including multiple freezing and thawing episodes, prolonged storage, and stool filtration did not affect test results from clinical specimens. Antidiarrheal compounds did not interfere with assay results. Preservation of specimens in formalin did interfere with the assay, even if formalinized stool specimens were dialyzed before testing. For diagnosis of giardiasis, the ELISA is a sensitive and specific test that is not influenced by many environmental factors or by other enteropathogens. This test provides a practical and reliable method for evaluating large numbers of specimens in a variety of clinical and epidemiologic settings.