Seroprevalence of Ehrlichia canis and of Canine Granulocytic Ehrlichia Infection in Dogs in Switzerland

Serum samples from 996 dogs in Switzerland were examined for antibodies to Ehrlichia canis and to the agent causing canine granulocytic ehrlichiosis (CGE). Ehrlichiosis, borreliosis, and systemic illness not associated with ticks were suspected in 75, 122, and 157 of these dogs, respectively. The remainder of the serum samples were obtained from clinically healthy dogs which resided north (n = 235) or south (n = 407) of the Alps. The serum samples were tested by an indirect immunofluorescence technique for antibodies to the two agents incriminated, E. canis and Ehrlichia phagocytophila, a surrogate marker of the agent of CGE. Twenty-two of 996 (2.2%) serum samples had antibodies to E. canis and were distributed as follows: 20 of 75 (26.7%) samples from dogs suspected of having ehrlichiosis, 1 of 122 (0.8%) from dogs suspected of having borreliosis, and 1 of 407 (0.2%) from healthy dogs which resided south of the Alps. Of the 75 (7.5%) serum samples that had antibodies to E. phagocytophila, significantly more samples were from ill dogs than from healthy dogs. Among the sera from healthy dogs, antibodies to E. phagocytophila were significantly more prevalent in the north. Because seropositive dogs had a history of travel outside Switzerland and because Rhipicephalus sanguineus is found exclusively south of the Alps, it was presumed that, in contrast to the agent of CGE, E. canis is not indigenous to Switzerland.     

Adolescents'' opinions about genetic risk information, prenatal diagnosis, and pregnancy termination

Advances in genetics create increasing possibilities of diagnosing and preventing genetic disease. In most countries, the community is poorly informed about the role of genetic factors in human disease and about genetic testing and its social, emotional, and ethical implications. School education about genetics may improve this situation. Students are, of course, the adults of the future and the potential users of the new genetic tests. To gain further insight into the perception of genetic risk of adolescents and their perception of the new genetic techniques and as a starting point for setting up an adequate information campaign in Flanders, we assessed the opinions and beliefs of students with regard to health, genetic diseases, genetic risk, and genetic testing.

A standardised interview and questionnaire were administered within the scope of the two yearly medical check up of 166 fifth grade students. They were randomly selected from the group of all fifth grade high school students in seven different schools.

This paper focuses on the attitudes of adolescents towards obtaining genetic information, towards prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy termination. Adolescents in Flanders are interested in being informed about genetic risks and genetic diseases and in making use of prenatal diagnosis because they want to make informed reproductive decisions in the future and to be emotionally prepared for the birth of an affected child. They adopt a critical attitude towards pregnancy termination. The association between these attitudes and several relevant factors was investigated. This showed significant correlations between some attitudes and general health related prevention, perceived burden of genetic diseases, the importance of the value “own health”, the perceived role of society, and the regularity of religious practice. Some points for special attention were formulated with regard to information campaigns for adolescents.

     

Ultrastructural study of substance P receptors in the dorsal horn of the rat spinal cord using monoclonal anti-complementary peptide antibody

A monoclonal antibody directed against a peptide (PS5) specified by RNA complementary to the mRNA coding for substance P (SP), was used to label SP receptors in the rat spinal cord as demonstrated by light and electron microscopy. An immunocytochemical method (avidin-biotin-peroxidase) was used on vibratome sections from rats perfused with paraformaldehyde. Immunoreactivity was observed principally in the two superficial layers of the dorsal horn, in lamina X and the region of motoneurons. The labeling was absent when the antibody was preincubated with the complementary peptide (PS5) used as immunogen. Competition between the anti-complementary peptide antibody and different ligands was tested by preincubation of tissue sections with the ligand in the presence of peptidase inhibitors before addition of the antibody. A specific agonist (SP) or antagonist (spantide, RP 67580) at 10⁻⁶M led to total absence of labeling. These results indicate that under our experimental conditions, the anti-complementary peptide antibody recognizes a SP binding site in the rat spinal cord. Electron microscopic study of the two superficial laminae of the dorsal horn showed that immunolabeling was mainly localized extracellularly at apposing neuronal plasma membranes. It was mostly associated with axodendritic or axosomatic appositions. Occasionally labeling was observed between two axon terminals. In all cases, these appositions were non junctional. Generally, neuronal processes involved in these appositions did not contain large granular vesicles. These observations suggest that SP may act in a diffuse, nonsynaptic manner probably on targets distant from SP release sites.     

Timing of in-vitro fertilization of cumulus-free and cumulus-enclosed human oocytes

In humans, in contrast to other species, sperm capacitationrequires a very short time, as in-vitro fertilization has beenobtained after only 45 mm of contact between oocytes and spermatozoacapacitated for 1 h. No fertilization occurred, whatever theduration of sperm capacit.ation, when gamete mixing did notexceed 30 mim. On the contrary, 85% of cumulus-free mature oocytesexposed to sperm for 1–4 h were fertilized. The presenceof the pre-ovulatory, fully-expanded or compact cumulus massdid not represent a physical barrier to sperm progression, aswe observed no delay in fertilization when oocytes were enclosedin the cumulus. The use of a short insemination protocol (1–4h instead of 17–20 h) did not reduce the fertilizationrate of denuded or cumulus-enclosed oocytes and had no significanteffect on the morphological appearance of the embryos or theircleavage rates.     

Detailed clinical description of four patients with 1.3 and 2.1 Mb chromosome imbalances derived from a familial t(12;17)(q24.33;q25.3)

We describe a family carrying a submicroscopic reciprocal translocation involving 12qter and 17qter detected by subtelomeric FISH analysis. Four family members inherited unbalanced variants-two cases inherited the derivative chromosome 12 and the other two the derivative chromosome 17. The two individuals with the derivative chromosome 17 showed a distinct phenotype with mild mental retardation in combination with multiple minor malformations, while the phenotype in the cases with the derivative chromosome 12 was milder and only partly concordant. Detailed FISH analysis using 19 BAC clones covering the distal part of chromosome 12q and 17q estimated the imbalances to 2.1 and 1.3 Mb, respectively. The clinical and cytogenetic findings of the two different genotypes are reported and discussed. This family illustrates that small chromosome imbalances can be detected in individuals with mild phenotype and normal, or near-normal, cognitive functions.     

PIGQ glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐anchored protein deficiency: Characterizing the phenotype

PIGQ (OMIM *605754) encodes phosphatidylinositol glycan biosynthesis class Q (PIGQ) and is required for proper functioning of an N‐acetylglucosamine transferase complex in a similar manner to the more established PIGA, PIGC, and PIGH. There are two previous patients reported with homozygous and apparently deleterious PIGQ mutations. Here, we provide the first detailed clinical report of a patient with heterozygous deleterious mutations associated with glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐anchored protein (GPI‐AP) biosynthesis deficiency. Our patient died at 10 months of age. The rare skeletal findings in this disorder expand the differential diagnosis of long bone radiolucent lesions and sphenoid wing dysplasia. This clinical report describes a new and rare disorder—PIGQ GPI‐AP biosynthesis deficiency syndrome.     

Ionic basis of membrane potentials of epithelial cells in rat small intestine

1. Potentials across the mucosal and serosal membranes of the epithelial cells of rat jejunum together with transmural potentials were recorded using everted sac preparations.2. Ionic changes in either mucosal or serosal fluids affect mucosal or serosal membrane potentials respectively with comparable changes in the transmural potential. The contralateral membrane potential is relatively unaffected.3. Replacement of mucosal sodium chloride by potassium chloride or lithium chloride had little effect on potentials, but its replacement by mannitol or Tris chloride increased the negativity of the mucosal potential, giving linear relationships against log(10)[Na](m) with slopes of 41.4 and 30.7 mV respectively for tenfold change in [Na](m).4. At constant [Na](m), potassium or lithium increased the mucosal potential by 25.7 and 19.8 mV respectively for tenfold concentration changes.5. Qualitatively similar changes occurred in the serosal potential when the ionic composition of the serosal fluid was varied.6. Mucosal potential changes in response to modifications of the ionic composition of the mucosal fluid were the same in the presence and absence of galactose.7. Sodium and potassium diffusion potentials largely determine both the mucosal and serosal membrane potentials. For the mucosal membrane, P(K):P(Na) is 1.26:1, and is probably higher for the serosal membrane. Chloride makes no significant contribution to membrane potentials.8. Potentials generated by the electrogenic sodium pump are superimposed on diffusion potentials across the serosal membrane.     

Colonial morphology of Burkholderia cepacia complex genomovar III: implications in exopolysaccharide production,pilus expression,and persistence in the mouse

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of colonial morphology of Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) organisms in pathogenicity in a mouse model of pulmonary infection. BCC strain C1394 was rapidly cleared by leukopenic mice after intranasal challenge, whereas a spontaneous variant (C1394mp2) that was indistinguishable from the parent strain by genetic typing persisted in the lungs and differed in colonial morphology. The parent strain had a matte colonial phenotype, made scant exopolysaccharide (EPS), and was lightly piliated. The variant had a shiny phenotype, produced abundant EPS, and was heavily piliated. Matte to shiny colonial transformation was induced by growth at 42 degrees C. Colonial morphology in the BCC strain variant was associated with persistence after pulmonary challenge and appeared to be correlated with the elaboration of putative virulence determinants.