[Cutaneous polymorph manifestations of familial Mediterranean fever in a child]. / Atteinte cutanée polymorphe de la fièvre méditerranéenne familiale chez un enfant.

We describe the case of a 4-year-old child with Mediterranean fever characterized by cutaneous features. Familial Mediterranean fever is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by recurrent attacks of fever and polyserositis including peritonitis, pleuritis, and arthritis. Skin involvement is less common. In our case, the successively patient presented erysipelas-like erythema, edemas of the palmar and plantar regions, and purpuric lesions. From these clinical observations, several diagnoses were raised: infectious erysipelas, Kawasaki disease, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, and familial Mediterranean fever. Only the latter diagnosis was confirmed after exploration and then confirmed with genetic analysis, which found a M694V homozygous mutation. Erysipelas-like erythema is the most frequent cutaneous sign reported in the literature and the only one to be associated with the M694V homozygous mutation. The originality of this case is the dominancy and polymorphism of the skin lesions.

The effects of mitogens on the expression of Epstein-Barr virus antigens in human lymphoid cell lines.

Treatment of human lymphoblastoid cells with either phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A, Staphylococcus protein A, or polyinosinic acid-polycytidylic acid, in combination with 5-iodo-2' deoxyuridine (IUdR) markedly increased the expression of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) early antigen (EA) relative to IUdR alone. Such treatment did not, however, modify the production of virus capsid antigen in any of the lymphoid cell lines tested. The effect of PHA on EA induction in Raji cells was not accompanied by changes in the incorporation of labeled precursors into cellular DNA, or in the intracellular concentration of either adenosine 3'5' cyclic monophosphate or guanosine 3'5' cyclic monophosphate. However, those mitogens that stimulated EA expression in Raji cells also increased the fluorescence polarization of 1,6 diphenyl 1,3,5-hexatriene-labeled Raji cells. The possible role of cell surface changes in the mitogen activation of latent EBV in human lymphoblastoid cells is discussed.

Antiviral activity of bovine interferons on primate cells.

Potent preparations of bovine leucocyte and fibroblast interferons had substantial antiviral activity on monkey cells and low activity on human cells. Thus, interferon from a 'lower' phylogenetic species can have considerable antiviral activity in primate cells, but not all primate cells are equally sensitive.