bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Levels of salivary lysozyme, lactoperoxidase, and lactoferrin in diabetic hamsters
Authors: Muratsu K , Morioka T
Published: January 2020

In an attempt to clarify the mechanism(s) of increased susceptibility to oral infection in diabetics, we examined the levels of salivary antibacterial factors, including lysozyme, lactoperoxidase, and lactoferrin, in diabetic hamsters whose condition was induced with streptozotocin. Saliva was collected from these hamsters periodically for 19 weeks after the administration of streptozotocin. Diabetes persisted with significant hyperglycemia throughout the experiment after a single injection of streptozotocin. There was no significant difference between groups in the amount of saliva secreted. In diabetic hamsters, lysozyme activity decreased by 56% and lactoperoxidase activity decreased by 53% compared with the control hamsters 19 weeks after the administration of streptozotocin. There was no significant difference between groups in the amount of salivary lactoferrin. However, the ratio of lactoferrin to total protein increased to approximately double the amount of that of the control hamsters. Insulin treatment had a significant effect on lysozyme and lactoperoxidase activity, recovering 73 and 74% those of the controls, respectively, and the ratio of lactoferrin to total salivary protein reverted to normal values. Growth inhibition of Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 with whole saliva and amylase activity significantly decreased in diabetic hamsters. The position of each protein band of whole saliva on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was almost the same for control and diabetic hamsters; however, there was some variability in band intensity.
Immunoresponses to Neisseria meningitidis epitopes: primary versus secondary antiphosphorylcholine responses
Authors: Faro J , Seoane R , Puentes E , Martínez Ubeira F , Regueiro B J
Published: January 2020

Specific antiphosphorylcholine immune responses were found to be elicited by different Neisseria meningitidis group B M986 preparations. Our results suggest the functional presence of phosphorylcholine in the bacteria. The immune responses, mostly immunoglobulin M, were measured with a plaque-forming cell assay. The secondary phosphorylcholine-specific immune response induced by intact meningococci was significantly lower than the primary phosphorylcholine-specific immune response induced by the same antigens. This suppression is priming time dependent and does not represent an early switching to the expression of other classes of immunoglobulins.
Effect of proteolytic cleavage of surface-exposed proteins on infectivity of Chlamydia trachomatis
Authors: Hackstadt T , Caldwell H D
Published: January 2020

The proteolytic cleavage of Chlamydia trachomatis LGV-434 surface proteins and resultant effects on infectivity and association with cultured human epithelial (HeLa) cells have been examined. Of several proteases examined, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and thermolysin extensively cleaved the chlamydial major outer membrane protein (MOMP). Two proteases, trypsin and thermolysin, cleaved the MOMP to the extent that monomeric MOMP was not detectable by immunoblotting with monospecific polyclonal antibodies. In the case of thermolysin, not even antigenic fragments were detected. Surprisingly, infectivity toward HeLa cells was not diminished. In addition, the association of intrinsically 14C-radiolabeled elementary bodies (EBs) with HeLa cells or their dissociation by proteinase K was not measurably affected by prior trypsinization of the EBs. Trypsinization of lactoperoxidase surface-iodinated elementary bodies demonstrated that most of the 125I-labeled surface proteins were cleaved. In all cases, however, a number of proteolytic cleavage fragments remained associated with the EB surface after surface proteolysis. When trypsinized EBs were electrophoresed under nonreducing conditions and immunoblotted with either polyclonal or type-specific monoclonal MOMP antibodies, MOMP was found in a large oligomeric form that failed to enter the polyacrylamide stacking gel. Additionally, trypsinized viable EBs bound radioiodinated type-specific MOMP monoclonal antibody as efficiently as did the control nontrypsinized organisms. Taken together, the findings indicate that although the MOMP is highly susceptible to surface proteolysis, the supramolecular structure of the protein on the EB surface is apparently maintained by disulfide interactions. Thus, if surface-exposed chlamydial proteins are involved in the initial interaction of chlamydiae with eucaryotic cells, the functional domains of these proteins which mediate this interaction must be resistant to proteolysis and remain associated with the EB surface.
Chemical characterization of Chlamydia trachomatis lipopolysaccharide
Authors: Nurminen M , Rietschel E T , Brade H
Published: January 2020

The group-specific antigen of Chlamydia trachomatis serotype L2 was chemically analyzed. It is composed of typical lipopolysaccharide (LPS) components, i.e., D-glucosamine, long-chain 3-hydroxy fatty acids, 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid, and phosphate in a molar ratio of approximately 2:5:3:2.6, respectively, resembling enterobacterial LPS of the Re chemotype. For the first time, 3-hydroxydocosanoic acid (3-OH C22:0) was found as an LPS constituent.
Genetic analysis of virulence plasmid from a serogroup 9 Yersinia enterocolitica strain: role of outer membrane protein P1 in resistance to human serum and autoagglutination
Authors: Balligand G , Laroche Y , Cornelis G
Published: January 2020

Enteropathogenic strains of Yersinia enterocolitica harbor a virulence plasmid (70 kilobases) which specifies, at 37 degrees C, a calcium requirement for growth, autoagglutinability, resistance to the bactericidal activity of human serum, and the expression of some outer membrane proteins (OMPs). To map the genes encoding these properties, the virulence plasmid of a serogroup 9 strain (W22708) was subjected to transposon mutagenesis. A set of 68 independent mutations was obtained in Escherichia coli by transposon Tn813 (a tnpR mutant of Tn21)-mediated cointegration with the self-transmissible R388 plasmid. The resulting cointegrates were introduced and studied in Y. enterocolitica W22708. One mutant lost the calcium dependence property. Two other mutants presented a peculiar phenotype: they grew poorly at 37 degrees C, especially in the presence of calcium. Lastly, two mutants were affected in the properties of autoagglutination and resistance to human serum. Analysis of the OMP pattern of these two mutants revealed the absence of the largest OMP, called P1 (I. Bölin, and H. Wolf-Watz, Infect. Immun. 43:72-78, 1984). Complementation of one of these mutations with the cloned structural gene of OMP P1 restored the wild-type phenotype. However, OMP P1 was not sufficient by itself to specify the serum resistance property and a rapid autoagglutination of the host.
Monoclonal antibodies to outer membrane antigens of Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Sciortino C V , Yang Z S , Finkelstein R A
Published: January 2020

Hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibodies were prepared against outer membrane antigens of four strains of Vibrio cholerae that were cultivated under iron-limited conditions, and these antibodies were partially characterized. We established a library of 66 hybridomas which produced monoclonal antibodies defining 16 different V. cholerae antigens. Two antigens (molecular weights, 18,000 and 112,000) were heat modifiable, whereas the reacting epitope of a third antigen (40,000-dalton-18,000-dalton doublet) was completely destroyed when it was heated at 100 degrees C. The 112,000-dalton heat-modifiable protein was an iron-regulated outer membrane protein. This protein bound 59Fe in vitro when it was combined with the V. cholerae siderophore-iron complex 59Fe-vibriobactin; it was also found in in vivo grown V. cholerae, as were three other antigens. A total of 26 hybridomas produced antibody to V. cholerae lipopolysaccharide. Of these, 12 were cross-reactive with lipopolysaccharides of other gram-negative bacteria, including 2 which recognized lipid A. Several of these anti-lipopolysaccharide monoclonal antibodies appeared to be lipopolysaccharide region specific. Some membrane antigens were strain specific, whereas others were common to both O group 1 and non-O group 1 vibrios.
Inhibition of human neutrophil chemiluminescence by plasmid-mediated outer membrane proteins of Yersinia enterocolitica
Authors: Lian C J , Pai C H
Published: January 2020

Recent studies have shown that the cell surface properties of Yersinia enterocolitica are altered by the presence of the virulence plasmid, which mediates temperature-inducible outer membrane proteins (OMP). We investigated the interaction of Y. enterocolitica with human polymorphonuclear leukocytes by monitoring luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) responses. A plasmid-bearing strain grown at 37 degrees C induced four- to sixfold less CL than did the same strain grown at 25 degrees C or a plasmidless, isogenic strain grown at either temperature. Inhibition of CL responses by whole cells was related to plasmid-mediated expression of OMP. The OMP alone could inhibit the CL response of polymorphonuclear leukocytes stimulated by either opsonized zymosan or whole cells of Y. enterocolitica. Pronase treatment of whole cells, which removed the plasmid-mediated OMP, resulted in partial but significant elimination of CL inhibition by whole cells and by OMP derived from them. Incubation with Y. enterocolitica for 60 min did not affect the viability of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Our results suggest that the interaction of Y. enterocolitica with human polymorphonuclear leukocytes is directly affected by the plasmid-mediated OMP.
Nonspecific lymphocyte responses in F344 and LEW rats: susceptibility to murine respiratory mycoplasmosis and examination of cellular basis for strain differences
Authors: Davis J K , Simecka J W , Williamson J S , Ross S E , Juliana M M , Thorp R B , Cassell G H
Published: January 2020

Mycoplasma pulmonis produces a mitogen which may play a role in the pathogenesis of murine respiratory mycoplasmosis in rats. Since LEW rats are more susceptible to this disease than F344 rats are, these two strains were used to examine a possible association between disease severity and the level of nonspecific lymphocyte stimulation by mitogens, including M. pulmonis membrane preparations. F344 and LEW spleen, lung, blood, and lymph node lymphocytes were exposed to various mitogens. LEW lymphocytes gave a significantly higher response to mitogenic stimulation, regardless of their anatomical source. These differences in lymphocyte responsiveness were primarily due to differences within the nonadherent cell population. Significantly higher numbers of W3/25+ (T helper) cells were found in LEW lymphoid populations, whereas no difference was found in MRC OX-8+ (T suppressor/cytotoxic) cells. These data suggest an association between disease severity and host responsiveness to nonspecific stimuli.
Effects of mycoplasma contamination on immunoglobulin biosynthesis by human B lymphoblastoid cell lines
Authors: Hendershot L , Levitt D
Published: January 2020

The synthesis and secretion of immunoglobulin M (IgM), as well as the relative ratio of membrane and secretory mu heavy chain (mu m and mu s, respectively), were evaluated in mycoplasma-contaminated B lymphoblastoid cell lines. The ratio of mu m to mu s was drastically lowered in infected cultures, and mu s chains could now combine with light chains. A 50 to 100% increase in IgM synthesis occurred in contaminated cultures, and small amounts of IgM were detectable in the culture media. These molecules possessed mu chains typical of secreted IgM. Reexpression of mu on the surface of B lymphoblastoid cells was substantially delayed in mycoplasma-contaminated cultures. Thus, mycoplasma contamination alters the synthesis and expression of a specific differentiated gene product (immunoglobulin) in B cell lines; such changes could significantly affect the interpretation of data on immunoglobulin synthesis by B cells with different phenotypes. This system may also provide a means of studying how mycoplasma infection alters specific gene expression in B cell lines.
Bactericidal and opsonizing effects of normal serum on mutant strains of Salmonella typhimurium
Authors: Shaio M F , Rowland H
Published: January 2020

The bactericidal and opsonizing effects of normal human serum on six strains of Salmonella typhimurium LT-2 having different lipopolysaccharide (LPS) composition were demonstrated through five indices. Complement activity in the presence of antibody was important for the opsonization of all six strains and for the bactericidal effect on rough mutants. Complement activity, either in the presence or absence of antibody, was involved in the ingestion strains of SL 901 (SR) and SL 1032 (Rd1) by human neutrophils. Strain SH 5014 (Rb2) was avidly ingested by neutrophils and totally dependent on complement activity in the presence of antibody. The ingestion of strain SH 2201 (S) was also mediated exclusively by complement activity in the presence of antibody but not as efficiently as were rough mutants. Antibody, as demonstrated by quantitative fluorescence, enhanced the complement activity on the ingestion of the S, SR, and Rb2 strains by neutrophils. The intracellular killing of six strains was enhanced significantly by complement activity in the presence of antibody. The overall survival in the presence of serum and neutrophils decreased as the LPS became shorter. Complement activity in the presence of antibody enhanced extracellular killing only for strains SL 901 (SR) and his 515 (Ra). It was shown that there was no difference between SR and Ra strains in all five indices, suggesting that the one additional O-antigen side chain does not make the SR strain more resistant than the Ra strain. Although resistance by S. typhimurium to host defense mechanisms increases as the LPS chain length increases, the specific LPS structure appears to be of greater importance, especially with respect to opsonization.
DNA relationships among some tox-bearing corynebacteriophages
Authors: Buck G A , Cross R E , Wong T P , Loera J , Groman N
Published: January 2020

The DNA genomes of a number of tox-bearing, temperate corynebacteriophages isolated from strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans were compared. With one exception, these phages displayed similarities in their restriction enzyme digest profiles and extensive homology with prototypic beta converting phage. The exception, phage delta, had a unique restriction profile and exhibited homology with beta over a limited portion of its genome. DNAs of phages from each host contained cohesive ends and integrated as prophage by a mechanism analogous to that employed by coliphage lambda. It is proposed that these tox-bearing phages belong to a common family, the beta family. The role of the beta family in the movement of the tox gene between strains of C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans is discussed.
Experimental candidiasis after thermal injury
Authors: Fader R C , Nunez D , Unbehagen J , Linares H A
Published: January 2020

The ability of Candida albicans to infect thermally injured mice was studied. Female mice were either left unburned or given a 20% total body surface area 2-s or 7-s scald burn. The wound or skin surface was then inoculated with a human burn wound isolate of C. albicans. At 4 h postburn, approximately 10(2) to 10(3) CFU/g of tissue could be recovered from the skin of burned and unburned animals. Unburned mice cleared the organisms from the skin by 72 h, whereas in 7-s-burned animals, the candida increased in numbers to approximately 10(7) CFU/g of tissue. The ability of the organisms to invade systemically after wound surface inoculation was examined in mice given either a 2-s or a 7-s scald burn. Each injury was histologically confirmed as a full-thickness (third degree) burn, with slightly deeper tissue damage observed with the 7-s burn. At each time period examined (1, 4, 7, and 10 days), there were significantly fewer organisms in the wounds of mice given the 2-s injury than in wounds of mice burned for 7 s (P less than 0.05). In 3 of 33 mice given a 7-s injury, organisms were recovered from the kidneys at the time of sacrifice, whereas no evidence of invasion into the kidneys was noted in mice given a 2-s thermal injury. This study demonstrated that thermal injury enhances the ability of C. albicans to infect mice and that the depth of burn appears to be an important factor in determining whether the organisms can invade the burn wound to cause systemic infection. This animal model should be valuable in elucidating the virulence factors of C. albicans that play a role in the pathogenesis of candidiasis after thermal injury.
Population shift in mannose-specific fimbriated phase of Klebsiella pneumoniae during experimental urinary tract infection in mice
Authors: Maayan M C , Ofek I , Medalia O , Aronson M
Published: January 2020

The infection rate (percentage of mice shedding 10(5) organisms per ml of urine) in 27 mice infected intravesicularly with a mannose-specific (MS+) phenotype of Klebsiella pneumoniae was 85% at day 7, and all the bacteria shed during the 7 days exhibited strong MS activity as estimated by a yeast aggregation assay. In contrast, the outcome of infection with an MS- phenotype of the same strain in 47 mice was heterogeneous: one group of 25 mice continued to shed the originally injected phenotype (MS-) throughout the investigation period, whereas the second group (22 mice) shed bacteria with various degrees of phenotypic conversion to MS+. In the first group, the rate of infection at day 7 was significantly reduced (28%) compared with that of the second group (68%). Mice infected with a mixture of 5% MS+ bacteria and 95% of an MS- variant which lost its ability to undergo phase variation had an infection rate of 89%, but at day 7 95% of the excreted bacteria were MS+. The infection rate of mice injected with the MS- variant was 14%, and none of the mice shed MS+ bacteria. The incidence of kidney pathology was higher in mice inoculated with the MS+ phenotype (3 of 10) or in the group in which the MS+ overgrew the MS- phenotype (4 of 10) as compared with the group of mice in which no such shift occurred (1 of 11). The kidneys of four mice which excreted mostly MS+ organisms harbored a population predominantly of the MS- phenotype. These results suggest that the MS adhesin confers an advantage in the initial steps of the infectious process in the bladder but not in later stages of infection in the kidney, emphasizing the importance of phase variation in the survival of bacteria at the various stages of the infectious process.
Host Factors and Capsular Typing of Body Fluid Isolates in Fulminant Pneumococcal Infections
Authors: Shapera Ronald M. , Matsen John M.
Published: January 2020

A 10-year retrospective study was made to determine the spectrum of underlying disease in, and the capsular types of pneumococci isolated from, blood and body fluids of 140 hospitalized patients. Fifteen serotypes were found among 82 typed isolates, 53% of which were types 8, 14, or 23. There was a predominance of males and a high incidence of underlying pneumonia, chronic liver disease, nephrotic syndrome, cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea, and malignancy. Mortality rates were higher among the very young and aged, and the immunologically comprised host at either extreme of life was more susceptible to disseminated pneumococcal infection. Pneumococci of the higher capsular types were prominent in children, and those of the lower types in adults, a finding in agreement with other recent studies.
Experimental Oral Immunization with L-Forms of
Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Agarwal S. C. , Ganguly N. K.
Published: January 2020

It has been found that oral administration of lysates of L-forms of
Vibrio cholerae
are antigenic and capable of eliciting an early and high coproantibody response. The L-forms of
V. cholerae
did not produce any booster effect. Coproantibody rise persists to significant levels even six weeks after oral immunization. L-form lysates of
V. cholerae
also produce a considerable rise of circulating antibodies and these persist in significantly high titers up to six weeks.
Recall of Acquired Cellular Resistance in Mice by Antigens from Killed
Brucella
Authors: Halliburton Barbara L. , Hinsdill Ronald D.
Published: January 2020

Mice infected with
Brucella abortus
19 were challenged intravenously with
Listeria monocytogenes.
Spleen assays to determine the number of viable
Listeria
cells present revealed that these mice were highly resistant to
Listeria
when challenged on day 17 of the
Brucella
infection. Resistance was absent in mice challenged on the 5th day and was declining in mice challenged on the 33rd day. Resistance could not be detected by day 49 of the
Brucella
infection but could be recalled by the injection of antigens from smooth
B. abortus
2308. Thus, extracted antigens appeared to be as effective in recall as the live cells used in earlier studies. Similar injections of extracts from rough
B. abortus
45/20, or from
B. ovis
REO 198, were also effective in recalling resistance; this suggests that the smooth surface agglutinogen may be relatively unimportant in recall.
Degree of Immunity Induced by Killed Vaccines to Experimental Salmonellosis in Mice
Authors: Herzberg Mendel , Nash Peter , Hino Sharon
Published: January 2020

Killed vaccines, deoxycholate-extracted or heated, were shown to induce an effective degree of immunity which protected against death (100%), prevented extensive multiplication, and left the mice with low residual salmonella populations in spleen and liver after intravenous (iv) or intraperitoneal (ip) challenge with virulent
Salmonella typhimurium.
Protection was most effective against the ip challenge route and less effective against the iv route. A study of the kinetics of the population of bacteria in the spleens and livers of immunized animals showed that after ip challenge there was an initial reduction of 99% at 6 hr after challenge, maintenance of levels of less than 10
3
bacteria per organ, and a final population of 10
2
to 10
3
per organ at 21 days. With iv challenge, after an initial reduction of 90% at 6 hr, growth ensued to levels above 10
6
bacteria per organ until 8 days, followed by a steady decline yielding residual populations of 10
3
to 10
4
in some cases. Organ hypertrophy correlated with bacterial population. Morbidity was prevented (as measured by gain in body weight) by immunization against ip challenge but not against iv challenge. Killed vaccines protected by their ability to induce an immune state which reduced the initial challenge population, prevented extensive multiplication, yet allowed “cellular immunity” to develop due to response to the living challenge infection itself. The consequence was a low-level carrier state similar to that induced by recovery from sublethal virulent infection.
Immunochemistry of the Streptococcal Group R Cell Wall Polysaccharide Antigen
Authors: Soprey Pandu , Slade Hutton D.
Published: January 2020

The group R streptococcal group antigen has been shown to be a polysaccharide located at the surface of the cell wall of the organism. The antigen was extracted from cell walls in 0.05
n
HCl or 5% trichloracetic acid at 100 C, from whole cells at room temperature in 0.85% NaCl or 0.1
m
acetate (
p
H 5.0), and by sonic oscillation. The antigen is largely destroyed when extracted from whole cells in 0.05
n
HCl at 100 C. Acetate is recommended for routine extraction. The antigen extracted by sonic treatment was separated into six immunologically active fractions on diethylaminoethyl-Sephadex. The fractions were found to possess a common antigen which exhibited similar properties on immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis. The purified antigen did not react with any other streptococcal group antisera. Adsorption of group R serum with the antigen removed all antibodies against whole cell antigen extracts of R cells. Chemical and enzymatic analysis of three fractions showed that the antigen was composed of
d
-glucose,
d
-galactose, rhamnose, and glucosamine. No significant quantities of phosphorus, glycerol, ribitol, or muramic acid were present. Significant inhibition of the quantitative precipitin determination by
d
-galactose and stachyose indicated that galactose in terminal alpha linkage was the immunodominant hexose in the antigen.
d
-Glucose and
d
-glucosamine possessed a partial inhibitory activity.
N
-acetyl-
d
-glucosamine and
l
-rhamnose did not produce significant inhibition. The results indicate that the R antigen is an immunologically specific structure which serves as a reliable means of identification of these streptococci as a serological group.
Fatal Anaphylaxis-Like Reaction Induced by Yeast Mannans in Nonsensitized Mice
Authors: Kind L. S. , Kaushal P. K. , Drury P.
Published: January 2020

Some yeast mannans increased vascular permeability and caused anaphylaxis-like reactions, fatal in some cases, in nonsensitized CFW mice. In SWR mice deficient in the complement system component C5, anaphylactic shock did not develop after the injection of mannans but was readily induced by goat serum after the mice had been sensitized with
Bordetella pertussis
and goat serum. The observed biological activity of the yeast mannans appears to depend upon the α(1 → 2) and α(1 → 6) linkages in their main chain. Their relative inactivity in C5-deficient mice and the consumption of whole hemolytic complement after their addition to normal mouse serum suggest that yeast mannans may activate late-acting complement components to produce anaphylatoxin from complement components C5 and C3.
Neuraminidase Activity in
Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Authors: Sethi K. K. , Müller H. E.
Published: January 2020

The whole viable
Mycoplasma gallisepticum
(strain TT) organisms were found to possess neuraminidase activity with a
p
H optimum of 5.8 on substrates such as human transferrin, human α
1
-glycoprotein, and rabbit serum. The enzyme operated optimally at
p
H 4.5 when
N
-acetylneuraminyl-lactose was used as the test substrate.
Purification of Immunogenically Active Ribonucleic Acid Preparations of
Salmonella typhimurium
: Molecular-Sieve and Anion-Exchange Chromatography
Authors: Venneman Martin R.
Published: January 2020

Immunogenic
Salmonella typhimurium
ribonucleic acid (RNA) preparations, prepared by differential centrifugation, phenol extraction at 65 C, and ethanol precipitation from 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate solution, maintained their immunogenicity through lyophilization. As measured by survival, differential pathogen counts 5 days postchallenge, or clearance of the infecting organism from the tissues, immunization with 50 μg (dry weight) of the lyophilized preparation proved as effective as immunization with 0.1 LD
50
of attenuated
S. typhimurium
cells. Chromatography of the immunogenic fraction through Biogel P-6 (exclusion limit > 4,600) or through Biogel P-300 (exclusion limit > 300,000) resulted in only one immunogenically active protein of the eluate found in the void volume of the columns. Diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) cellulose anion-exchange chromatography of the RNA preparations showed that the immunogenic activity was eluted from the column at 0.8 to 1.0
m
NaCl in a linear 0.1 to 2.0
m
NaCl gradient. Nonimmunogenic, protein-containing minor peaks were eluted at 0.1 to 0.5
m
NaCl. Serial fractionation of the crude RNA preparations over Biogel P-6 to DEAE cellulose to Biogel P-300 molecular-sieve or anion-exchange columns did not alter the immunogenicity of the RNA preparation. Incorporation of the column fractions into Freund's incomplete adjuvant did not increase their relative effectiveness in eliciting anti-salmonella resistance. Chemical analysis of the immunogenic preparations indicated that they were lacking in detectable protein, lipid, and deoxyribonucleic acid. These results suggest that the immunogenic moiety of the crude nucleic acid fraction is either RNA or an as yet undefined polysaccharide of greater than 300,000 molecular weight.
Antibodies to Surface Antigens of Herpesvirus Type 1- and Type 2-Infected Cells Among Women with Cervical Cancer and Control Women
Authors: Smith Jerry W. , Lowry Sandra P. , Melnick Joseph L. , Rawls William E.
Published: January 2020

Cells infected with herpesvirus type 1 or type 2 develop surface antigens which can be detected by immunofluorescence. Using the indirect immunofluorescence technique, we determined antibody titers to the surface antigens in 20 sera from persons with known type 1 virus infections, 20 sera from persons with known type 2 virus infections, 30 sera from women with cervical cancer, and 30 sera from matched control women. There was a good correlation between antibody activity to the surface antigens and neutralizing antibody activity for both herpesvirus type 1 and herpesvirus type 2 in all groups of sera examined. Women with cervical cancer did not have unusually high or low titers of antibody activity to the surface antigens. In the selected sera examined, analysis of antibodies to the surface antigens was not superior to the microneutralization test in distinguishing women with cervical cancer from control women.
Influence of Gonadectomy on
Candida albicans
Urinary Tract Infection in CFW Mice
Authors: Rifkind David , Frey Janet A.
Published: January 2020

Candida albicans
appeared in the urine of approximately 80% of CFW mice of both sexes within 2 weeks after intraperitoneal inoculation. During a follow-up period of 10 weeks, candiduria tended to clear, but persisted in 37% of males as compared to only 16% in females. Autopsy kidney cultures yielded candida in 53% of males as compared to 25% of females. Urine cultures in both sexes when positive contained 10
3.5
to 10
4.5
candida/ml regardless of the outcome of the infection. Preinoculation gonadectomy in both sexes increased resistance to the infection but did not alter the quantitative aspects of candiduria.
Ontogeny of the Phytohemagglutinin Response of Fetal Piglet Thymic and Splenic Lymphocytes
Authors: Rodey Glenn E. , Day Norbibi , Holmes-Gray Beulah , Good Robert A.
Published: January 2020

Lymphocytes derived from 72- to 90-day-old fetal piglet thymuses respond in vitro to phytohemagglutinin quantitatively greater than do spleen cell lymphocytes.
Induction of L-Variants in Human Diploid Cells Infected by Group A Streptococci
Authors: Schmitt-Slomska Janine , Boué André , Caravano René
Published: January 2020

Human diploid cells in culture, infected with a balanced amount of living group A streptococci, were able to survive the infection and could be divided and propagated normally thereafter. The streptococci were rapidly phagocytized by the tissue culture cells. At the beginning, they kept their typical appearance, as well as their ability to fix dyes and group-specific immunoglobulins. After 1 to 2 days, the number of detectable streptococci decreased and they underwent important morphological changes. After some subsequent divisions of the cell line, streptococci persisted in cells only as large, isolated, swollen cocci, and no longer grew on suitable media. After six to eight divisions, a noticeable percentage of the tissue culture cells were very similar in appearance to the same cell line experimentally infected with “stable” L-variants. Cultures on L-phase media of supernatant fraction and cells, made 24 to 48 hr after inoculation, showed typical L-colonies. These grew well on media without antibiotics, as well as on media containing penicillin or vancomycin. They could be propagated on media with penicillin for months and were able to revert to group A streptococci after several subcultures on antibiotic-free media. Controls of uninoculated tissue culture cells never showed the presence of any microorganism. Group A streptococci inoculated into Eagle's basal medium, which was used for the tissue cultures, did not grow and never gave rise to L-colonies, even though the medium contained penicillin. Previous data suggest a biochemical explanation for this conversion, which otherwise is an occasional phenomenon.
Serological Relationships Among Herpesviruses: Cross-Reaction Between Marek's Disease Virus and Pseudorabies Virus as Detected by Immunofluorescence
Authors: Sharma J. M. , Burger D. , Kenzy S. G.
Published: January 2020

Marek's disease virus (MDV) and pseudorabies virus (PRV) cross-reacted by fluorescent antibody test but not by gel diffusion, virus neutralization, or cross-protection tests. Herpesvirus of turkeys cross-reacted with MDV but not with PRV. Other herpesviruses tested did not have cross-reactions.
Immunity to
Vibrio cholerae
in the Mouse I. Passive Protection of Newborn Mice
Authors: Pitkin Donald , Actor Paul
Published: January 2020

Mice were immunized subcutaneously with either killed cells or a ribosome-containing fraction (RF) obtained from
Vibrio cholerae
Ogawa 41. At appropriate time intervals, these mice or their progeny were challenged with uniformly lethal doses of Ogawa or Inaba serotype. Half of the offspring born to mice immunized with 20 μg of RF were protected against homologous challenge at 7.5 weeks of age, and significant protection was observed up to 15 weeks of age. Similar protection was observed with heterologous challenge, but the duration of protection was reduced. The duration of protection obtained in newborns was related to the quantity of RF given to the mother. Protection was transferred from mother to young via colostrum or milk. Protection was not due to transfer of antigen, as active immunity could not be induced in newborn mice immunized with RF.
Prenatal Immunization by the Oral Route: Stimulation of
Brucella
Antibody in Fetal Lambs
Authors: Richardson Marvis , Conner Gabel H.
Published: January 2020

No simple means exists for immunizing infants and large animals in utero. The feasibility of stimulating immune response by the oral route was investigated by using the fetal lamb as experimental model and
Brucella
as prototype antigen. Antigenic stimulation was assessed by serum agglutinin levels. Primary and secondary responses were elicited in fetal lambs by
Brucella
antigen introduced into the amniotic fluid 10 to 50 days prenatally. One lamb born 75 days after primary exposure in utero mounted a secondary response to antigen at 2 days of age. The evidence of immunization by the oral route suggests that local intestinal immunity also might be acquired in fetal life by this route.
Correlation of Increased Metabolic Activity, Resistance to Infection, Enhanced Phagocytosis, and Inhibition of Bacterial Growth by Macrophages from Listeria- and BCG-Infected Mice
Authors: Ratzan Kenneth R. , Musher Daniel M. , Keusch Gerald T. , Weinstein Louis
Published: January 2020

Macrophages from mice infected with facultative intracellular organisms such as
Listeria monocytogenes
and BCG have been shown to resist infection by antigenically unrelated intracellular bacterial parasites. This study compares phagocytosis, bacterial growth inhibition, and oxidation of glucose by macrophages from normal mice, mice infected with listeria or BCG, or mice immunized with killed listeria in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. Macrophages from listeria- and BCG-infected mice ingested more listeria; 67 and 57%, respectively, had three or more cell-associated bacteria versus 22% of controls (
P
< 0.001). Peritoneal macrophages from listeria- and BCG-infected animals significantly (
P
< 0.001 covariance analysis) inhibited growth of listeria in suspension, whereas control macrophages had no such inhibitory effect. The rate of oxidation of glucose-
1
-
14
C
was higher in macrophages from listeria- and BCG-infected mice than from either uninfected animals or those immunized with killed listeria. During phagocytosis of killed or live bacteria, or latex particles, the rate of glucose oxidation was increased (
P
< 0.01). These data suggest that the cellular immunity after infection by an intracellular organism is associated with an increase in metabolic activity of macrophages, namely, an increase in the rate of glucose oxidation resulting in enhancement of phagocytosis and killing.
Development of Tetracycline-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
in Gnotobiotic Mice
Authors: Bornside George H. , Bornside Bette B. , Cohn Isidore
Published: January 2020

Germ-free mice were colonized with a pigmented, tetracycline-sensitive strain of
Staphylococcus aureus
and maintained in flexible plastic isolators. Treatment of the gnotobiotic mice with oral tetracycline (20 mg/ml) resulted in the development of staphylococci resistant to tetracycline (5 μg/ml or higher). Resistant staphylococci did not appear in feces until several days after exposure of mice to the antibiotic and persisted for as long as specimens were collected (64 days subsequently). Resistance developed after a single exposure of gnotobiotes to antibiotic. Resistant staphylococci were present in the intestinal tracts of mice at counts of 10
3
per g of contents, whereas sensitive organisms coexisted at counts of 10
5
to 10
11
per g. Resistant staphylococci were isolated only from treated mice and not from untreated mice in adjacent cages. Initial colonization of germ-free mice with sensitive staphylococci interfered with subsequent colonization by resistant staphylococci and provided an example of bacterial interference. Resistance to tetracycline was not associated with resistance to chloramphenicol, penicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin, streptomycin, or kanamycin. Hydrolysis of gelatin was the only biochemical characteristic in which isolates varied but was not correlated with resistance to tetracycline or pigmentation of colonies. A nonpigmented, gray variant of
S. aureus
appeared in all specimens after colonization with the original, pigmented strain. Only the nonpigmented strain was obtained from gnotobiotes colonized with the nonpigmented variant. Contact between bacteria and antibiotic in the intestinal tract of gnotobiotes was considered to be essential for the development of tetracycline-resistant staphylococci.
Preferential Utilization of the Glucosyl Moiety of Sucrose by a Cariogenic Strain of
Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Schachtele C. F. , Loken A. E. , Knudson D. J.
Published: January 2020

The utilization of sucrose by a cariogenic strain of
Streptococcus mutans
was studied. The soluble and cell-bound sucrose-dependent, polymer-forming sucrase activities constitutively produced by the bacteria during growth on glucose were measured. About eight times more dextransucrase activity was present than levan-sucrase activity. During various states of growth on sucrose,
S. mutans
accumulated two to five times more insoluble and water-soluble dextran than levan. Although more of the fructosyl moiety of sucrose was therefore available to the cells, the glucosyl portion of the disaccharide was preferentially incorporated into cellular macromolecules. Glucose was shown to inhibit the utilization of fructose by
S. mutans.
Cross-Protective Antigens of
Neisseria meningitidis
Obtained from Slaterus Group Y
Authors: Jennings H. J. , Martin A. , Kenny C. P. , Diena B. B.
Published: January 2020

An extraction of the cells of
Neisseria meningitidis
serogroup Y with an aqueous solution of calcium choride (0.9
m
) has been shown to solubilize a number of antigens. By immunodiffusion, this mixture of antigens has been shown to react with its group-specific antiserum and also to cross-react with a number of other group-specific antisera. The cross-reacting antigen appears to be an antigen common to a number of other serogroups of meningococci, and there is some evidence that it is protein in nature. It has been demonstrated further that the calcium chloride extract contains a strong cross-protective antigen, as shown by its ability to provide good, active immunity in mice to both the homologous and heterologous serogroups of meningococci.
In Vitro Response of Human Lymphocytes to
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Authors: Fernald Gerald W.
Published: January 2020

In vitro culture and stimulation of human peripheral lymphocytes were employed to investigate the role of cellular immunity in
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
disease. Subjects with documented natural infections served as donors. The lymphocyte response to whole
M. pneumoniae
organisms was determined as incorporation of tritiated thymidine in a semimicro culture system. The range of cellular reactivity stimulated by specific antigen was within the range stimulated by phytohemagglutinin. The difference between responses of subjects with documented infection and serologically negative controls was highly significant. Specific reactivity of peripheral lymphocytes correlated closely with the presence of serum growth-inhibiting antibodies, and both persisted for several years following infection. Serum complement-fixing titers correlated well with lymphocyte stimulability during the first year but antibody, as measured by this technique, tended to disappear in later convalescence. In light of previous studies, which revealed a lack of correlation between humoral antibodies and resistance to reinfection, these results suggest that immunity to
M. pneumoniae
infection is mediated by circulating small lymphocytes.
Characterization of Spheroplast Membranes of
Neisseria meningitidis
Group B
Authors: Hill James C. , Peterson Noel R. , Weiss Emilio
Published: January 2020

Spheroplast membranes (spheroplast envelopes) of strain 2091 of group B
Neisseria meningitidis
were prepared by a procedure that included lysozyme treatment of the cells and osmotic lysis of the resulting spheroplasts. Electron microscopy revealed that the membranes consisted of two unit layers, generally parallel to each other. The membrane preparation migrated as a single component in a 40 to 70% sucrose gradient and consisted of 62% protein, 28% lipid, 9% ribonucleic acid, small amounts of carbohydrate, hexosamine, and deoxyribonucleic acid. When 1 or 10 μg (dry weight) was injected intravenously into rabbits, a mild pyrogenic reaction was elicited. In immunodiffusion tests, immune rabbit serum prepared against spheroplast membranes produced three major precipitin lines, with the homologous antigen solubilized with sodium dodecyl sulfate, and a single line with untreated antigen. The immune serum also reacted with a cell wall antigen, and to a lesser extent with some of the cytoplasmic antigens. Succinate dehydrogenase and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) oxidase activities were found to be associated with the spheroplast membranes. NADH dehydrogenase also was associated with the membranes but was gradually released and recovered in other fractions. Glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate, glucose-6-phosphate, and isocitrate dehydrogenase activities were not found in the membrane preparation. About one-third of these enzymatic activities were recovered in the supernatant fluid after the sedimentation of the spheroplasts and two-thirds were recovered in the cytoplasmic fraction.
N
-acetylneuraminic acid (NAN)-condensing enzyme and cytidine monophosphate-NAN synthesizing enzyme also were identified in this organism. These enzymes were not associated with the membranes and were recovered from extracts from whole cells, spheroplasts, or cells exposed to osmotic shock, as well as from spheroplast supernatant and shock fluids. It is concluded that the spheroplast membranes of the strain of meningococci used in these studies are typical of those recovered from gram-negative bacteria.
Characterization of Deoxyribonucleic Acid from
Yersinia pestis
by Ethidium Bromide-Cesium Chloride Density Gradient Centrifugation
Authors: Little Roselyn V. , Brubaker Robert R.
Published: January 2020

No plasmids were detected in cells of
Yersinia pestis
which were bacteriocinogenic and positive for three additional determinants of virulence known to be lost at high frequency.
Autoimmunity in Experimental
Trypanosoma congolense
Infections of Rabbits
Authors: Mansfield John M. , Kreier Julius P.
Published: January 2020

Autoimmunity in rabbits with experimental
Trypanosoma congolense
infections was investigated. Complement-fixing (CF) and precipitating autoantibodies to normal allogeneic and autologous tissues were found in the sera of all infected rabbits tested; the titers of CF autoantibody occurring during infection were significantly higher than normally occurring titers of autoantibody in pre-infection serum samples. Autoantibody did not cross-react with trypanosome antigens, and Wassermann antibody was not detected in normal or infected rabbit sera. Passive transfer of autoantibody to normal rabbits did not produce observable pathology or death. Physicochemical methods of analysis revealed that the autoantibody was exclusively of the immunoglobulin M class. That cell-mediated autoimmunity to normal tissue antigens did not occur during
T. congolense
infections was shown by histological analyses, skin tests, migration inhibitory factor, and skin reactive factor tests.
Interferon in Nasal Secretions and Sera of Calves After Intranasal Administration of Avirulent Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Virus: Association of Interferon in Nasal Secretions with Early Resistance to Challenge with Virulent Virus
Authors: Todd J. D. , Volenec F. J. , Paton I. M.
Published: January 2020

Calves which had received avirulent infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (AV-IBR) by intranasal (IN) administration developed detectable levels of interferon (IF) in nasal secretions as early as 40 hr later. Peak titers (1:640) of IF appeared in secretions 72 to 96 hr after administration of virus, and titers of 1:80 to 1:320 were maintained through the 8th day. Lower titers (1:5 to 1:10) of IF were detected in sera obtained on the 4th to 8th days after administration of virus. Peak titers of IF in respiratory tract secretions were accompanied by a 100- to > 1,000-fold reduction in the levels of AV-IBR present in the secretions. Serum antibody was not detected prior to the 8th day after administration of AV-IBR. Calves which received AV-IBR by the IN route 72 or 96 hr earlier were refractory to challenge with virulent infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBR), whereas calves receiving AV-IBR 18 or 40 hr earlier became clinically ill following challenge. The temporal association between appearance of IF in respiratory tract secretions and onset of protection against challenge suggests a cause and effect relationship. No IF was detected in either nasal secretions or sera of calves receiving modified IBR virus by intramuscular injection. Following subsequent IN challenge of these calves, IF was detected in nasal secretions as early as 24 hr postchallenge and was maintained at titers of 1:40 to 1:80 for approximately 4 days, even in the absence of virus recovery. Greater ease of local IF induction with IBR virus in calves previously sensitized with that virus is suggested.