Diagnostic tests for poliovirus infection: a comparison of neutralization and immunofluorescence for the identification and typing of stool isolates.

Neutralization and indirect immunofluorescence were compared for the identification and serotyping of poliovirus. Indirect immunofluorescence was highly concordant with neutralization and offers a more rapid procedure for identification and characterization of poliovirus strains.

Seroresponse to trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine as a function of dosage interval.

Seroresponses to trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine are not uniform throughout the world. Definition of the variables that determine successful immunization is vital to ensure global polio eradication. One such variable may be dosage interval. To investigate this effect 108 infants were enrolled in a clinical trial and randomly assigned to receive three doses of trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (standard United States formulation) at 2, 3 and 4 or 2, 4 and 6 months of age. After three doses of vaccine given before 6 months of age, immunity was virtually complete for each of the three poliovirus types in both groups. After two doses the seroresponse rate to each type was less with the shorter dose interval. However the difference was not significant (P = 0.15) in the sample size studied. Such responses differ markedly from those seen in developing countries, where four or more doses of vaccine may fail to provide complete protection. Differences other than dosage interval must contribute to those failures.

Parental perceptions of vulnerability of formerly premature infants.

This study explores a possible precursor of the vulnerable child syndrome, a constellation of behaviors thought to develop as a result of excessive parental anxiety. Healthy 3-year-old children who had been born prematurely were compared to children born at term, using a single instrument. Mothers of premature infants reported a significantly greater sense of vulnerability about their children than did mothers of term infants. Antecedents and correlates of vulnerability are explored. Mothers with more education reported a greater sense of vulnerability than did less well-educated mothers, while mothers who reported greater well-being and marital satisfaction reported a lower sense of vulnerability. A greater sense of vulnerability was associated with more behavior problems and more somatic and internalizing symptoms. The data have important implications for nurses caring for infants in neonatal intensive care units, as well as in pediatric ambulatory and hospital settings.

Is my child normal yet? Correlates of vulnerability.

There are some children whose parents believe them to be unusually susceptible to medical or developmental problems--"vulnerable"--despite a lack of objective evidence of any difficulty. The "vulnerable child syndrome" refers to a constellation of behaviors that are thought to develop as a result of this excessive parental anxiety and subsequent difficulties in limit setting. In this study, the sense of vulnerability expressed by mothers concerning their healthy 3-year-old children is explored; children born prematurely and with considerable neonatal morbidity are compared with children born at full-term. Sense of vulnerability is assessed through the use of a simple instrument, the use and validity of which are described. Mothers of premature infants described a significantly greater sense of vulnerability concerning their children than did mothers of full-term infants. Mothers with more education described a greater sense of vulnerability than did less well-educated mothers, although mothers who claimed greater well-being and marital satisfaction described a lesser sense of vulnerability. Mothers with a greater sense of vulnerability concerning their children also reported more behavior problems, especially in the sphere of discipline, peer relationships and self-control, and in internalizing and somatic symptoms. Pediatricians can intervene in the development of the vulnerable child syndrome by recognizing those children at special risk and helping their parents to nurture their health and independence.