Serological diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infection: Conglutinative complement absorption test in human and experimental infections*

The conglutinative complement absorption test, using adult worm antigen (Schistosoma mansoni), was performed on the sera of 100 bilharziasis patients and of 111 non-infected individuals. If the sera that inhibit conglutination when diluted to 1: 40 or more are considered as reactive, the sensitivity of the test is 93.7% (six sera were anticomplementary). No reactive sera were found among the control group. In mice experimentally infected with S. mansoni, specific inhibition of conglutination began about the thirtieth day after exposure, when sexually mature schistosomes, migrating from the liver to the mesenteric vessels, were able to lay eggs.     

人乳头瘤病毒的核酸检测

高危型人乳头瘤病毒(HPV)感染与宫颈癌发生密切相关,低危型感染可引起外生殖器湿疣和宫颈上皮内低度病变。对HPV感染的诊断主要依赖于病毒核酸的检测,方法有探针直接检测、信号放大系统和核酸扩增技术等。其中核酸扩增结合杂交技术对人乳头瘤病毒进行分型,具有较好敏感性和特异性。基因芯片技术具有高通量,自动化等优点,适合人群筛查和流行病学研究。理想的HPV检测方法是具有可调整的临界阳性判定标准以适应不同的需要,同时能进行基因分型。     

Serological studies of influenza in animals

Reports have been published on the detection of antibodies in animals, including birds, to human influenza viruses. The work reported in this paper was undertaken in an effort to establish an effective method for differentiating specific antibody from non-specific antibody-like substances that occur naturally in serum.     

Laboratory techniques for rapid diagnosis of viral infections: a Memorandum

This Memorandum evaluates rapid laboratory techniques for the diagnosis of viral infections, especially with a view to their use in developing countries. These techniques comprise the detection of viral antigens by immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase techniques and methods of viral antibody and antigen determination by the enzyme immunoassay technique. A number of general and specific recommendations are made.     

Serological evidence of endemic waterborne cryptosporidium infections

PURPOSE: Cryptosporidium oocysts are commonly detected in surface-derived drinking water, however, the public health significance of these findings is unclear. This study compared the evidence of prior Cryptosporidium infection for people drinking water derived from surface versus ground water sources. METHODS: This study measured serological responses to two Cryptosporidium antigen groups for blood donors from two midwestern United States cities with different drinking water sources: filtered and chlorinated river water receiving agricultural and domestic sewage upstream versus chlorinated water from an underground aquifer. Initial and nine-month paired serological responses to two Cryptosporidium antigen groups were compared. RESULTS: Initially, donors from the surface water city had a higher relative prevalence (RP) of a serological response (54% vs. 38%, RP = 1.39 (1.21,1.60)). Donors with a detectable baseline response who resided in the surface water city had a higher relative risk (RR) of an increased intensity of response on the follow-up blood draw (15/17-kDa, 40/100 vs. 11/100, RR = 3.78 (1.89,7.58)), (27-kDa 38/100 vs. 18/100, RR = 2.07 (1.31,3.25)). Donors with no baseline response to the 15/17-kDa marker who resided in the surface water city also had a higher risk of serconversion (38/100 vs. 14/100, RR = 2.63 (1.78,3.91)). CONCLUSIONS: These rates of both background and drinking water related Cryptosporidium infections are substantially higher than previously estimated, however, the risk of illness from infection may be lower.     

Neurological complication of influenza infections

The aim of this study was to present neurological complications of influenza infections. Infections caused by influenza viruses can be very serious and may lead even to death resulted from the post-infectious complications. The most often occurring complications are pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, myocarditis and otitis media. The other group is neurological post-influenza complications, including dementia, epileptic disorders, cerebrovascular disease, febrile convulsions, toxic encephalopathy, encephalitis, meningitis, subarachnoid hemorrhages, lethargic encephalitis, psychosis or increase in the number of cases of Parkinson's disease. The first way of prevention of influenza is vaccination that results in healthy, social and economic benefits.     

Serological and molecular diagnosis of human brucellosis in Najran, Southwestern Saudi Arabia

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of human brucellosis in Najran, southwestern Saudi Arabia, and to assess the performances of ELISA and PCR as diagnostic tools for brucellosis with respect to conventional methods. The study included 340 patients with clinical characteristics of brucellosis. Blood samples from cases and controls were subjected to culture, standard tube agglutination test (SAT), ELISA for IgM and IgG, and brucella PCR. The diagnosis of brucellosis was confirmed in 54 (15.9%) of the 340 provisionally diagnosed brucellosis patients. Blood culture identified only 14 (25.9%) cases. The SAT was positive for 50 (92.6%) cases, whereas ELISA IgM, IgG and PCR were found positive in 46, 52 and 38 cases respectively. The sensitivities of ELISA IgM and IgG were 85.2% and 96.3% respectively and the specificity was 100% for each. For PCR, the sensitivity and specificity were 70.4% and 100% respectively. In conclusion, ELISA offers a significant advantage over conventional serological methods in the diagnosis of brucellosis in endemic areas. The PCR test results can be particularly important in patients with clinical signs and symptoms, and negative serological results, allowing the early and rapid confirmation of the brucellosis.     

Serological evidence of Cryptosporidium infections in southern Europe

Although cryptosporidiosis outbreaks have been frequently reported in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, few outbreaks have been reported on the European continent. The reasons for this are unclear. To ascertain whether a European population has been previously exposed to Cryptosporidium, we conducted a survey of 100 resident blood donors in a northern Italian city for IgG serological response to two oocyst antigen groups. A serological response to the 15/17-kDa antigen group was detected in 83% of blood donors and response to the 27-kDa antigen group in 62%. Donors who traveled outside of Italy during the prior 12 months were less likely to have had a response to the 15/17-kDa antigen group (p < 0.04) and to have a less intense response (p < 0.05). Older age was predictive of a more intense response to each antigen group (p < 0.01). The fraction of Italian blood donors with a serological response to either antigen group was higher than in four United States blood donor populations, with differences more pronounced for response to the 15/17-kDa antigen group (p < 0.01). A lower fraction of Italian donors had a serological response to either antigen group than persons tested at the time of a cryptosporidiosis outbreak in the United States or blood donors tested six months after that outbreak (p < 0.05). Since the presence of serological responses to these antigen groups predicts a reduced risk of cryptosporidiosis, the high prevalence of serological responses in these Italian blood donors may explain the infrequent occurrences of clinically detectable cryptosporidiosis in this city.