Improved chicken embryo cell culture plaque assay for scrub typhus rickettsiae.

The plaque technique for three strains of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi in chicken embryo cell cultures was greatly improved by modifying the trypsinizing procedure and employing homologous chicken serum in the overlay medium.     

Experimental scrub typhus immunogens: gamma-irradiated and formalinized rickettsiae.

Scrub typhus immunogens were prepared by exposing infected yolk sac suspensions of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi to various doses of gamma radiation. Mouse lethality was abolished at doses greater than 200 krads, whereas immunogenicity of the suspensions, as shown by mouse protection tests, was diminished relatively little by radiation doses in the 200- to 400-krad range. Using a 300-krad gamma dose to provide a safety factor, immunogens were prepared and their protective capacity was contrasted with formalinized scrub typhus immunogens prepared by conventional techniques. Formalinized suspensions afforded mice only partial protection against intraperitoneal challenge with 1,000 50% mouse lethal doses of the virulent homologous strain and no significant protection against similar challenge with an equally virulent heterologous strain. Using the same strains, radiation-inactivated preparations provided 100% protection against 10,000 50% mouse lethal doses of the homologous strain and 70% protection against challenge with the same doses of a heterologous strain. Neither immunogen was a potent stimulator of antibody production as measured by the complement-fixation test. Cell-transfer studies using inbred mice indicated a role for cell-mediated immunity after vaccination with gamma-irradiated immunogens, but no cell-mediated protection could be demonstrated after vaccination with formalin-inactivated rickettsiae.     

Antigens of scrub typhus rickettsiae: separation by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and identification by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Antigens of plaque-purified Rickettsia tsutsugamushi strains Gilliam, Karp, and Kato were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and were analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Six antigens were identified in each of the three prototype strains; in strain Gilliam, these antigens were located in the cell envelope fraction of the organisms. Reactivity of these isolated antigens with homologous or heterologous immune sera indicated that different macromolecules existed in all three strains, although they exhibited very similar mobilities during electrophoresis. Antigens of strain Gilliam reacted equally well with antibodies directed against Gilliam, Karp, or Kato rickettsiae. However, strains Karp and Kato each had two distinct antigens which did not react with heterologous antisera. R. tsutsugamushi antigens retained immunogenicity after electrophoresis, and antisera raised against them reacted with intact organisms and exhibited specificity in reactions with isolated antigens.     

Gamma-irradiated scrub typhus immunogens: analysis for residual, replicating rickettsiae.

Scrub typhus immunogens that received inadequate gamma radiation contained residual, viable rickettsiae. The presence of these organisms in the host was masked by the rapid immune response elicited by the large number of inactivated rickettsiae. Transfer of homogenized spleen cells from immunized mice to normal syngeneic recipients provided a sensitive technique for the detection of these viable, replicating organisms.     

Experimental infection of mouse peritoneal mesothelium with scrub typhus rickettsiae: an ultrastructural study.

The infection cycle of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi in mouse peritoneal mesothelial cells, observed late in the course of an established infection, intimately involved the host cell plasma membrane. Organisms multiplied in the cytoplasm, moved to the cell periphery, and acquired a host-membrane coat as they budded from the cell surface. Rickettsiae enveloped by this membrane entered other mesothelial cells, apparently by a phagocytic mechanism. Organisms escaped from the phagocytic vacuole as the vacuole membrane and host membrane coat disintegrated. Free rickettsiae replicated by binary fission in the cell cytoplasm. Rickettsial infection of mesothelial cells induced conspicuous cellular hypertrophy with increased numbers of unaltered cytoplasmic organelles.     

Proteins of typhus and spotted fever group rickettsiae.

Purified radioactive rickettsiae were obtained from irradiated and cycloheximide-inhibited L cells, and their proteins were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Rickettsial species could be distinguished by comparing the relative mobilities of constituent proteins after migration of two differentially labeled preparations in a single gel. Distinct differences were observed in gel patterns of rickettsiae from the typhus and spotted fever groups, as well as with different species within a group. Rickettsial organisms causing murine and epidemic typhus were clearly distinguished, as were the causative agentsof boutonneuse fever and rickettsialpox. The use of both internal and external molecular weight standards allowed molecular weight estimates for 19 proteins from both Rickettsia prowazekii and Rickettsia conorii. A flexible system for designating rickettsial proteins is proposed that lends itself to modification as more detailed analysis progresses.     

Surface proteins of typhus and spotted fever group rickettsiae.

Six proteins, previously established as major constituents of intact organisms, were identified in cell envelopes obtained from intrinsically radiolabeled Rickettsia prowazekii. Extrinsic radioiodination of intact organisms conducted at 0.5 micronM iodide indicated that protein 4 was the most peripheral, although protein 1 also had reactive groups exposed on the surface of the organisms. A 10-fold increase in iodide concentration resulted in labeling of protein 2, and at 50 micronM iodide, all six major proteins were radiolabeled. Similar selective labeling was not achieved with R. conorii. Analysis of both typhus and spotted fever group organisms radiolabeled with galactose suggested that carbohydrate was associated with proteins 1, 3, and 4. Typhus soluble antigen included all major proteins except protein 2, which remained attached to particulate rickettsiae after ether extraction. Protein 4 appeared to be prominent in the surface topography of R. prowazekii, was a component of soluble antigen and may have an important role in rickettsiae-host interactions.     

Scanning electron microscopy of L-929 cells exposed to interferon and reovirus.

L-929 cells were studied under the scanning electron microscope (SEM) in the course of reovirus infection with and without prior interferon treatment. Two major stages in the cytopathic effect (CPE) were identified on the basis of fine surface morphology as revealed by SEM. Uninfected control cells were spindle-shaped with microvilli and numerous filopodia and were firmly attached to the substratum. In stage 1 of CPE, the cells lose filopodia and develop large blebs. Stage 2 is characterized by undulating surface and pits on the nearly spherical cells which are devoid of microvilli and filopodia. At all time intervals observed post infection, interferon-treated reovirus-infected cells showed more advanced CPE than the non-interferon-treated reovirus-infected counterpart controls.     

三种比色法评价4种牙科金属材料对L-929细胞的毒性

背景：采用不同方法评价材料的细胞毒性可能会得出不同的实验结果。 目的：采用3种比色法评价镍铬合金、钴铬合金、3铬13及纯钛等牙科金属材料对小鼠成纤维细胞(L-929细胞)的细胞毒性。 方法：以镍铬合金、钴铬合金、3铬13及纯钛4种牙科金属材料的浸提液分别作用于体外培养的L-929细胞24,72 h。以体积分数10%小牛血清+高糖DMEM培养液培养的L-929细胞为阴性对照组,以0.7%丙烯酰胺+体积分数10%小牛血清+高糖DMEM培养液培养的L-929细胞为阳性对照组,分别采用MTT、CCK-8及结晶紫3种比色法检测上述材料的细胞毒性。 结果与结论：①4种材料浸提液中培养的细胞形态正常,胞内结构清晰,随着培养时间延长细胞大量增殖,与阴性对照组细胞形态无明显差异。阳性对照组细胞数量明显减少,形态完整性受破坏,形成大量细胞碎片。②培养24 h时,CCK-8比色法检测中钴铬合金组的细胞相对增殖率低于阴性对照组(P < 0.05),MTT及结晶紫比色法检测中钴铬合金组的细胞相对增殖率与阴性对照组比较差异无显著性意义(P > 0.05);培养72 h时,MTT比色法检测中4种牙科金属材料组细胞相对增殖率低于阴性对照组(P < 0.01),CCK-8及结晶紫比色法检测中4组的细胞相对增殖率与阴性对照组比较差异无显著性意义(P > 0.05),但材料细胞毒性均为0-1级。表明上述4种牙科金属材料细胞毒性均在临床应用的允许范围内,具有良好的生物安全性。     

Rapid diagnosis of scrub typhus by a passive hemagglutination assay using recombinant 56-kilodalton polypeptides.

The genes encoding the 56-kDa polypeptides were amplified by polymerase chain reaction from the genomic DNAs of three serotypes of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, Gilliam, Karp, and Boryong. The amplified products were cloned into expression vector pIH821, and the recombinant antigens were expressed in Escherichia coli as fusion proteins with maltose-binding protein. The recombinant 56-kDa polypeptides were purified by affinity chromatography for the sensitization of sheep erythrocytes. The recombinant 56-kDa polypeptides were evaluated with 89 serum specimens from health blood donors, 94 serum specimens from scrub typhus patients, and 31 serum specimens from patients with other febrile diseases by a passive hemagglutination assay (PHA). Among the scrub typhus patients diagnosed by indirect immunofluorescent-antibody testing, the antibodies to R. tsutsugamushi were detected in 93 patients (99%). One serum specimen from a healthy person showed a false-positive reaction by this method. The recombinant PHA showed no cross-reactions with sera obtained from other febrile patients with diseases such as murine typhus, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, and leptospirosis. In conclusion, this recombinant PHA could be substituted for the conventional indirect immunofluorescent-antibody test and the immunoperoxidase test.     

Interferon-induced alterations in sialic acid and glycoconjugates of L-929 cells

Changes in Sialic acid and glycosphingolipid (GSL) metabolism were demonstrated in interferon (IFN)-treated L-929 cells. IFN induced an increase in total cell Sialic acid, sialoglycoproteins, and gangliosides, as shown by calorimetric and radiolabeling techniques. Expression of cell surface (neuraminidase-releasable) Sialic acid on IFN-treated cells was markedly elevated, particularly in the GSL fractions. The incorporation of [¹⁴C]galactose into glycoproteins, most neutral GSL homologs, and most ganglioside homologs also was elevated, with the more striking effects (two- to threefold) in the lipid fractions. An increase in the concentration of a ganglioside with the migration of GM₂, as measured by chemical staining of chromatograms, was also shown. The observed effects were IFN dose dependent at ranges from 10 to 10,000 U/ml. As shown previously, IFN-treated L-929 cells became resistant to lysis by virus-induced IFN-activated natural killer cells. Correlations between high levels of surface Sialic acid, resistance to NK cell-mediated lysis, and tumor invasiveness have been shown in other systems.     

Infection cycle of Rickettsia rickettsii in chicken embryo and L-929 cells in culture.

The infection cycle of Rickettsia rickettsii, studied in slide chamber cultures of chicken embryo and L-929 cells, was found to be complex and did not conform to a one-step growth cycle. Initial uptake kinetics resembled those established for Rickettsia prowazekii, but subsequent events showed very marked differences. Intracytoplasmic growth commenced exponentially without measurable lag. However, very soon after infection, intracytoplasmic rickettsiae began to escape from the host cell into the medium in large numbers, resulting in (i) failure of large numbers of rickettsiae to accumulate in the cytoplasm, (ii) sustained rapid division of the organisms in the cytoplasm, (iii) substantial accumulation of extracellular rickettsiae, and (iv) rapidly spreading infection in the culture, with most cells infected in 48 to 72 h. In the occasional cell, rickettsiae were found in the nucleus, where they multiplied to form compact masses. Thus, analysis of the growth characteristics of R. rickettsii must consider the entire culture as a unit in which the rickettsiae are distributed among three compartments in which they behave in different ways: (i) intranuclear, (ii) intracytoplasmic, and (iii) extracellular. The rickettsial traffic is bidirectional across the host cell plasma membrane and dominantly monodirectional across the nuclear membranes. The implications of this behavior with respect to location and range of receptors and substrates involved in membrane penetration are discussed. In older cultures, unique intracytoplasmic ring or doughnut colonies were common, indicating a change in the intracytoplasmic environment. The possible significance of the growth characteristics in cell culture to the characteristics of infection in humans and animals is discussed.     

鹤山市恙虫病流行病学特征分析

目的了解鹤山市恙虫病的流行病学特征。为疫情防控提供依据。方法回顾性分析了2008—2012年在鹤山市人民医院住院的75例恙虫病病例资料,分析其流行病学特征。结果恙虫病的发生季节性明显,病例分布于2-11月,5～10月为发病高峰期,病例数占88．00％,近2年发病例数较前上升,尤其是2012年病例数明显增加,较2011年增加了113％。发病年龄以50～70岁年龄段最多,占53．33％。宅梧镇为发病例数最多的地区,病例数27例,占36．00％。职业构成以农民最多,占73．33％。结论鹤山市恙虫病发病呈现上升趋势。在恙虫病流行季节,尤其是高发地区,需做好高危人群的健康教育,以减少恙虫病的发生及流行。     

Identification of the target cells of Orientia tsutsugamushi in human cases of scrub typhus.

Orientia tsutsugamushi is the etiologic agent of scrub typhus, a chigger-borne zoonosis that is a highly prevalent, life-threatening illness of greatest public health importance in tropical Asia and the islands of the western Pacific Ocean. The target cell of this bacterium is poorly defined in humans. In this study, O. tsutsugamushi were identified by immunohistochemistry using a rabbit polyclonal antibody raised against O. tsutsugamushi Karp strain in paraffin-embedded archived autopsy tissues of three patients with clinical suspicion of scrub typhus who died during World War II and the Vietnam War. Rickettsiae were located in endothelial cells in all of the organs evaluated, namely heart, lung, brain, kidney, pancreas, and skin, and within cardiac muscle cells and in macrophages located in liver and spleen. Electron microscopy confirmed the location of rickettsiae in endothelium and cardiac myocytes.     

Host defenses in experimental scrub typhus: histopathological correlates.

Intraperitoneal (i.p.) infection of BALB/c mice with 1,000 50% mouse lethal doses of the Karp strain of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi was inevitably lethal, and associated pathological alterations were confined to the peritoneal cavity. These included: (i) continuous proliferation of rickettsial organisms in peritoneal macrophages until death; (ii) hepatic granulomas appearing 6 days after infection and increasing in size and number until death; (iii) splenomegaly, resulting principally from proliferation of lymphoid tissue, and (iv) terminal peritonitis. Under two circumstances, i.p. infections with R. tsutsugamushi were not lethal: (i) infection with 100 50% mouse infectious doses of the Gilliam strain, which, in fact, resulted in immune protection against otherwise lethal Karp challenge; and (ii) Karp infection of animals immunized with the Gilliam strain. In both cases, the associated pathological abnormalities were, as with primary Karp infection, restricted to the peritoneal cavity. Also similar was the striking splenomegaly due to lymphoid proliferation, which was particularly prominent in immunized animals. In contrast to primary and lethal Karp infection, however, these infections were characterized by: (i) minimal and transient proliferation of rickettsial organisms in peritoneal macrophages; (ii) disappearance of hepatic granulomas; and (iii) absence of peritonitis. It was concluded that the survival of an animal bearing an i.p. infection of scrub typhus depended on its ability to concentrate a sufficiently vigorous immune response in the peritoneal cavity, resulting in the evolution of rickettsiacidal macrophages capable of suppressing the infection.     

Detection and characterization of mouse monoclonal antibodies to epidemic typhus rickettsiae.

A solid-phase immunofluorometric assay was used to detect mouse monoclonal antibodies to epidemic typhus rickettsiae, Rickettsia prowazekii (the immunizing antigen), and to murine typhus rickettsiae, Rickettsia typhi, a related antigen. Of the 649 hybridoma cultures obtained, 628 contained antibodies either to R. prowazekii or to both R. prowazekii and R. typhi. A total of 72 cultures were cloned by limiting dilution and yielded 137 antibody-producing clones. Of these, 104 produced antibodies specific for R. prowazekii, 22 produced antibodies that reacted with R. prowazekii and R. typhi, and 11 produced antibodies that reacted with R. prowazekii, R. typhi, and R. canada. The immunoglobulin isotypes of the mouse monoclonal antibodies produced were identified by a related indirect immunofluorometric assay technique with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated antisera specific for each isotype. Antibodies were also evaluated by indirect fluorescent antibody tests, and antibodies from selected clones were found to neutralize rickettsial toxic activity in mice.     

Host defenses in experimental scrub typhus: effect of chloramphenicol.

The effect of chloramphenicol treatment on the development of immunity to scrub typhus in mice was studied. Chemotherapy was administered either shortly before infection and for 14 days thereafter (group I), or from 7 to 21 days postinfection (group II). Although the full course of either regimen resulted in complete protection of the mice against subsequent challenge with the homologous strain of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, initiation of chemotherapy at 7 days postinfection resulted in more rapid development of immunity against both the original infection and subsequent challenge. In both treatment groups, a 1- to 2- day hiatus was observed between immunity to challenge in the treated animal and the ability to transfer this immunity to syngeneic recipients with lymphocyte-enriched spleen cells. Similarly, complement-fixing antibodies were not detectable until shortly after the animals were able to resist challenge. These data supported the conclusion that the rickettsiostatic effect of chloramphenicol allows the infected animal time to mount an effective immune response and, further, that initiation of chemotherapy early in the infection may delay development of this response.