[Immunologic reactivity and status of the intestinal viral flora of humans in pressurized chambers]

Immunity status and intestinal viral flora were studied in 5 experiments with long-term exposure of 26 male subjects in pressurized chamber. In two experiments with congenital microclimate and gaseous environment cellular and humoral indices of immunity did not deviate from the physiological norm. None of 14 subjects in these experiments was identified as a virus-carrier. In three experiments with hard environmental conditions (elevated concentrations of ammonia and carbon dioxide) viruses were isolated from 8 out of 12 subjects. Activation of viral flora mainly occurred on a background of impaired immunologic reactivity. In two experiments carriage of virus was asymptomatic; in the third experiment with the rise of ammonia up to 7 mg/m3 two subjects developed clinic signs that could have been engendered by enteric viruses, the Coxsackie B strain specifically.