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Biomedical subjects

W C Cockburn

Publications and source records attributed to W C Cockburn.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1972

Four-year study of WHO virus reports on enteroviruses other than poliovirus.

In 1963 the World Health Organization established a system for collecting and distributing information on viruses. By 1970, 93 laboratories in 33 countries were participating. The present study is an analysis of the reports on coxsackieviruses A and B and echoviruses for the 4 years 1967-70. Among the coxsackieviruses A, type 9 was reported most frequently, and the most frequently reported coxsackievirus B was type 3. Among the echoviruses, types 9, 6, and 30 were common. In the northern hemisphere the season of highest incidence for each of the three groups was June-October; in the southern hemisphere it was November-February. Most of the infections were in children and the clinical manifestations usually included aseptic meningitis, respiratory disease, skin eruptions, undifferentiated febrile illnesses, and gastroenteritis. The relative frequency of an association of a virus with a clinical syndrome differed not only between the three groups of viruses under study, but in a number of instances between the types within a group. As is well known there were a number of instances in which a specific clinical syndrome was linked to certain specific viruses-e.g., hand, foot, and mouth disease to certain types of coxsackievirus A, and myalgia (Bornholm disease) and cardiac conditions to coxsackieviruses B. There was also an apparent relation between age and symptoms-e.g., those due to the coxsackievirus B associated with Bornholm disease in persons over 15 years of age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1972

Virus-associated immunopathology: animal models and implications for human disease. 2. Cell-mediated immunity, autoimmune diseases, genetics, and implications for clinical research.

Part 2 of this memorandum describes further mechanisms whereby the interaction of a virus with the host's immune system may lead to tissue damage. Cell-mediated immunity plays a vital role in promoting recovery from virus infections, but under some circumstances tissue damage may be caused by the reaction of immune cells with viral antigens. When mice are infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus neonatally or as adults while receiving immunosuppressive drugs, widespread invasion of cells is seen but there is little overt disease. If, however, normal adults are infected or if immune cells are transfused into tolerant mice, cell injury and death follow. Viruses have long been suspected of contributing to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Antibodies directed against normal cell constituents have been reported in several virus infections. Viruses may conceivably unmask or release host antigens, alter host antigens and act as "helper determinants", or perhaps in other ways provoke immune responses against normal body constituents. The immunopathological manifestations caused by viruses may also be influenced by the host's genetic makeup. Certain observations indicate that, in addition to controlling susceptibility to virus infection, genetic factors partly determine the effectiveness of the immune response. The memorandum calls attention to the possible implications of these concepts and findings for clinical research. Some of the diseases of animals and man that serve as models for studies of virus-associated immunopathology are briefly described.

Anemia↗
PubMed1970

Poliomyelitis in the world.

The incidence of poliomyelitis in different parts of the world is reviewed, mainly from publications of the World Health Organization. In countries of Europe and North America, and in several countries in other regions, the disease has fallen to insignificant proportions. However, in many countries in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America the incidence is rising and large outbreaks are being reported from those areas with increasing frequency. Such outbreaks are not yet as extensive as those previously common in Europe and North America before vaccines came into use but they are growing, and the countries concerned may be faced with widespread epidemics in the future. Where regular programmes of vaccination are not possible (as in many of the countries at risk) plans should be made now to control, by the application of appropriate epidemic control measures, the upsurges of poliomyelitis as soon as they are recognized.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed1969

Origin and progress of the 1968-69 Hong Kong influenza epidemic.

The Hong Kong strain of influenza virus A2 may have originated in the mainland of China but this is not certain. It caused a very large epidemic in Hong Kong and spread rapidly to countries as far as India and the Northern Territory of Australia-as happened in the 1957 epidemic. Later its progress slowed down but epidemics occurred in many countries in the northern hemisphere in the winter of 1968-69. In all these countries except the United States of America the disease was mild and not associated with a large increase of deaths. In the United States of America, however, the number of "excess deaths" was similar to the number in 1957-58.In the southern hemisphere epidemics began in May-June 1969; they have been clinically mild and the reported incidence of disease has been only moderately high.In many countries the infection has spread slowly and smouldered instead of bursting into the usual sharp epidemics.The smouldering spread and the contrast in the behaviour of the disease in the USA compared with the rest of the world are the outstanding features of the Hong Kong strain of virus. Satisfactory explanations of these observations might lead to the development of more effective means of control of influenza.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed1968

A comparative study of four live measles vaccines in Israel.

While an earlier live measles vaccine induced a high degree of immunity it also caused clinical reactions of variable severity in some vaccinated children. A number of attenuated measles vaccine strains have been developed to avoid these problems, and this paper reports the results of small-scale trials with 3 attenuated measles vaccines and a new further-attenuated vaccine on children from 9 months to over 4 years old.All 4 vaccines produced a satisfactory serological response. The new further-attenuated vaccine (Moraten) produced less fever and fewer rashes in the vaccinated children than the other vaccines which had been extensively tested by other workers. The incidence of severe reactions and complications was low with all vaccines.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1966

WHO-supported comparative studies of attenuated live measles virus vaccines.

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF WHO A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ATTENUATED LIVE MEASLES VACCINES WAS MADE BY TEAMS IN FIVE COUNTRIES: Canada, Czechoslovakia, Nigeria, Switzerland and Yugoslavia. The reactions and antibody responses to Enders' Edmonston B vaccine with or without gamma-globulin and to the Schwarz, Beckenham and Milovanović vaccine were measured. In each trial Enders' Edmonston B vaccine with gamma-globulin was used as a "standard" vaccine, and in each trial there was also an unvaccinated control group. There were altogether 1685 children in the study-1317 vaccinated and 368 controls.Each team placed the vaccines in a similar order as to the percentages of children with rash and pyrexia after vaccination. The percentages of children with rash and pyrexia after injection of the same vaccine were, however, found to vary greatly between trials. It was therefore impossible to give accurate figures for the percentage of children who would develop pyrexia after any one vaccine, but in general terms the proportion of children with fever of 39.4 degrees C (103 degrees F) or more may be expected to vary from 10% to 30% depending on the vaccine used. Six of the vaccinated children (0.5%) had convulsions 6-9 days after vaccination, but no other serious reactions and no permanent sequelae were recorded. No convulsions occurred in the unvaccinated control groups. The antibody responses were measured by the haemagglutination-inhibition test; nearly all children gave an antibody response but this varied with the vaccine employed. Children given vaccines causing the most reaction had the highest antibody levels.

Child, Preschool↗