key: cord-0009322-q3wnmmj4
authors: Caul, E.O.; Paver, W.K.; Clarke, S.K.R.
title: CORONAVIRUS PARTICLES IN FÆCES FROM PATIENTS WITH GASTROENTERITIS
date: 1975-05-24
journal: Lancet
DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(75)93176-1
sha: 7acbcc7833794f08f14bc75fd8d48299f4fe1ad2
doc_id: 9322
cord_uid: q3wnmmj4

nan

SIR,-In an explosive outbreak of gastroenteritis in 23 of 500 Service apprentices aged 16 to 20 years, specimens of faeces from 9 patients were examined by electron microscopy. Typical coronavirus particles were seen in the fasces of 2 of the patients, in 1 in very large numbers (see accompanying figure) . Coronavirus-like particles without the characteristic petals were seen in a further 4 patients. No particles were seen in fxces from the remaining 3 patients.

Most of the patients had vomited, about half had had diarrhoea, and a few had fever or injected throats. All recovered rapidly, often within a few hours.

Since coronaviruses cause gastroenteritis in pigs (T.G.E. virus) and calves,2 it is not unlikely that some cases of human gastroenteritis should be due to viruses of this family. It seems probable, because of the very large number of coronavirus particles seen in 1 patient, that they were the cause of this outbreak, although this relationship cannot be proved at this stage. Similar particles have not been seen on examination of faeces from other patients with diarrhoea. Further work with this virus is in progress. SIR The clinical significance of the hepatitis-B surface antigen (HBsAg) subtypes D and Y in HBsAg positive liver diseases is still unknown. Different subtype distribution in patients with acute and chronic liver diseases and healthy carriers has been demonstrated by several authors, and it was concluded that the HBsAg subtypes D and Y are of clinical significance. If the clinical course of an HBsAg-positive acute viral hepatitis is determined by the HBsAg subtype, clinical differences in the two forms of hepatitis B should be expected.

Laboratory data in 29 cases (15 men, 14 women; mean age 365 150 years) of acute viral hepatitis B of subtype D were compared with 38 cases (17 men, 21 women; mean age 30-0 ±14-0 years) of subtype Y. Subtyping was performed by a radioimmunoassay using antibody of the specificity anti-a, anti-d, and anti-y. For statistical analysis U-test and x2-test were performed.

No differences were found in prothrombin-time, serumglutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, serum-glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, alpha-1, alpha-2, beta, and gammaglobulins, or in immunoglobulins IgG, IgA, and IgM measured at the beginning, during, and at discharge from hospital. HBs antigenasmia and length of stay in hospital were equal in both groups. These findings support the hypothesis that the subtypes D and Y in acute HBsAg-positive viral hepatitis have no significance for the clinical course of the disease.

Presse m&eacute

HBAg SUBTYPES IN GLOMERULONEPHRITIS SIR,-In 71 cases of glomerulonephritis with immune deposits, Conte and Fourni6 1 found no traces of HBAg in the serum but found it in 31 % of renal-biopsy samples. However, in 161 patients with glomerulonephritis with immune deposits we found HBAg in the serum in 6.8% cases, compared with 0-54% in other forms of primitive glomerulonephritis and in normal subjects 2; that percentage proved to be even higher when we used the radioimmunoassay as well as counterimmunoelectrophoresis. The results lately given by Pedreira and his colleagues 3 are similar to ours : of 105 patients with chronic glomerulo-