A three-phase study of vaccination and antibiotic therapy in experimental pulmonary coccidioidomycosis of dogs was made to determine: (a) the efficacy of various routes of inoculation of a formalin-killed, arthrospore vaccine; (b) the combined effects of vaccination and oral Amphotericin B therapy administered immediately following respiratory exposure to Coccidioides immitis; and (c) renal damage or nephrotoxicity resulting from oral Amphotericin B therapy. Neither of the pulmonary routes of vaccination (aerosol of intratracheal) provided protection against a subsequent respiratory challenge of approximately 80,000 C. immitis arthrospores, either singly or in combination with oral Amphotericin B therapy (150 milligrams per day for 20 days following challenge), nor did subcutaneous vaccination or therapy alone. However, eight of twelve dogs receiving both subcutaneous vaccination and therapy completely resisted the respiratory challenge; the remaining four exhibited very minimal, self-contained disease. Histopathological examination revealed no renal damage or nephrotoxicity in any of the dogs receiving Amphotericin B therapy (total dose in excess of three grams); their blood urea nitrogen levels remained within normal limits.

Report on ''Aerobiological Research.''