Septicemia caused by Sphingobacterium multivorum.

Sphingobacterium multivorum was isolated in pure culture from the blood of a man undergoing chemotherapy for a lymphoma. He responded to appropriate antibiotics and later showed a significant rise in specific serum antibodies. Carbon substrate assimilation tests and fatty acid analysis proved useful in identifying the organism precisely.     

Follow-up on mental illness in medical inpatients: health care use and self-rated health and physical fitness

Consecutively admitted internal medical inpatients (N=294) who were psychiatrically assessed with the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry in a two-phase design were followed up in a review of public files on their use of medical care over 18 months. Self-rated outcome was assessed from health and fitness ratings at admission and after 1 year. ICD-10 mental disorders had a statistically significant impact on the risk (odds ratio) of high use (above the 80th percentile) of primary care, as did ICD-10 anxiety/depression, and worry about illness (as assessed by the Whiteley-7 Scale). The authors found a less-than-significant tendency for mental illness to influence the use of inpatient admissions and self-rated outcome.     

Identification of surface-exposed B-cell epitopes recognized by Haemophilus influenzae type b P1-specific monoclonal antibodies.

A panel of P1 synthetic peptides was synthesized to map the surface-exposed epitopes of Haemophilus influenzae type b outer membrane protein P1 recognized by three murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs 7C8, 3E12, and 6B1). By using peptide-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, MAbs 6B1, 7C8, and 3E12 were shown to recognize distinct epitopes localized within residues 60 to 88, 165 to 193, and 400 to 437 of mature P1, respectively. Since MAb 7C8 was shown previously to be protective against certain H. influenzae type b subtypes in the infant rat model of bacteremia, its cognate epitope was further characterized by using truncated peptide analogs. Fine mapping of the 7C8 epitope by competitive inhibition studies revealed that it was localized within residues 184 and 193.     

Hemadsorption and virulence are separable properties of Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

A selective enrichment technique was used to isolate a hemadsorption-positive revertant of a hemadsorption-negative mutant strain of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. This hemadsorption-positive revertant was shown to have simultaneously regained both the ability to attach to neuraminidase-sensitive receptors on the tracheal ring respiratory epithelium in vitro and the ability to synthesize three virulent-strain-specific proteins which were not synthesized by the hemadsorption-negative mutant. Despite the persistence of the revertant in hamster lung tissue for 9 to 12 weeks postinfection, no cytopathology was observed. Intranasal inoculation of the revertant provided limited protection against a challenge dose of virulent M. pneumoniae.     

HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 alleles in the Brazilian population of the northeastern region of the state of São Paulo

The HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 alleles in 161 healthy unrelated individuals, including Caucasians, Blacks and Mulattos (mixed Caucasian and Black), from the Northeastern region of the state of S?o Paulo, Brazil were analysed. The 36 different DRB1 alleles detected included not only common Caucasian alleles, but also DRB1*0411, 0807 and 1402, typical of Amerindians, and DRB1*0302, 1503, and 0804, typical of African American Blacks.     

Morphology of cells and hemagglutinogens of Bordetella species: resolution of substructural units in fimbriae of Bordetella pertussis.

The morphology of cells and the hemagglutinogens isolated from cultures of Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella bronchiseptica, and Bordetella parapertussis were studied by electron microscopy with the negative-staining technique. Cells of all three species had long, thin (3 nm thick), peritrichously arranged fimbriae on the cell surface. Similar structures were found in purified hemagglutinogen preparations together with shorter fimbrial structures 3 nm thick and from 40 to 100 nm long. In one experiment, long, thin fimbriae isolated from B. pertussis were found to be arranged in a crystalline structure on the specimen grid after negative staining. Optical diffraction analysis with a filtering technique performed on micrographs of these structures revealed 12.5-nm-long substructures within individual fimbriae. Further analysis resolved each of these structures into three globules, a central globule 3.5 nm in diameter and two diametrically opposed globules 2.5 nm in diameter. Based on this substructural composition, it is suggested that subunits of the individual fimbriae are connected by fragile regions. The presence of such regions would explain the size heterogeneity of the filamentous structures observed in preparations of hemagglutinogens isolated from cultures of B. pertussis and B. bronchiseptica. The concept that the short filamentous structures present in purified preparations of hemagglutinogens originate from the surface fimbriae present on the cells is supported.     

Taxonomy of Acinetobacter: the usefulness of beta-D-xyloside xylohydrolase for strain differentiation.

One hundred and twenty-two clinical isolates of Acinetobacter were studied for the presence of beta-galactosidase and of beta-xylosidase, for biochemical characteristics, and for genetic interspecies transformation tests. All strains lacked beta-galactosidase; in contrast, beta-xylosidase was always present in the oxidative strains. This test proved to be of value for separating strains able to form acid from carbohydrates (A. anitratum and A. haemolyticus spp haemolyticus) from the non-oxidative strains (A. lwoffi and A. haemolyticus spp alcaligenes). However, the genetic relationship of all strains tested warrants further study before Acinetobacters are grouped into clearly defined species.     

Leukocyte migration inhibitory factor (LMIF) profile in primary and secondary immunodeficiency disease.

Lymphocytes from patients with primary and secondary immunodeficiency disease were tested for capacity to produce LMIF after mitogen and antigen stimulation as well as for ability to stimulate and respond in unidirectional MLC-LMIF assay. Different patterns of immune abnormality in vitro were detectable when Con A and Candida albicans antigen were used. In addition, significant abnormalities in LMIF responding and stimulatory capacity were demonstrated in patients with Hodgkin's disease. LMIF production after stimulation with different agents allows for a better characterization of cellular defects in immunodeficiency disease.