Experimental infection of pigs with aTaenia species from Korea: parasitological and serological aspects

Belgian Landrace piglets were experimentally infected with eggs of aTaenia sp. of Korean origin. At autopsy, metacestodes were present only in the livers. The proportion of degenerated metacestodes increased from 12%–39% at 5 weeks to 94%–100% at 10 weeks after infection. A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using monoclonal antibodies raised against the excretory-secretory products ofT. saginata metacestodes detected circulating antigen in the sera of the pigs at 1 week post-infection. A good correlation was found between the presence of viable metacestodes and the detection of circulating antigen; the latter disappeared as the metacestodes died off. However, the antibodies were detected only after 3 weeks of infection and onwards until the necropsy of the pigs.Financial support for this study was provided by the Institute for Scientific Research in Industries and Agriculture (IWONL, Brussels)     

The control of Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm formation and in vivo infection rates by covalently bound furanones

In order to overcome the continuing infection rate associated with biomaterials, the use of covalently bound furanones as an antibiofilm coating for biomaterials has been investigated. Furanones have previously been shown to inhibit growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The aim of these studies were to covalently bind furanones to polymers and to test their efficacy for inhibiting biofilm formation of Staphylococcus epidermidis and in vivo infection rate. Two methods of covalent attachment of furanones were used. The first, a co-polymerisation with a styrene polymer, and second, a plasma-1-ethyl-3-(dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) reaction to produce furanone-coated catheters. Biofilm formation by S. epidermidis in vitro was inhibited by 89% for polystryene-furanone disks and by 78% by furanone-coated catheters (p<0.01). In an in vivo sheep model we found furanones were effective at controlling infection for up to 65 days. Furanones have potential to be used as a coating for biomaterials to control infection caused by S. epidermidis.     

Ultrastructure of malignant histiocytoma arising in the acromion.

The ultrastructural features of a malignant histiocytoma of the acromial process of the scapula were studied. Material was obtained from two surgical biopsy specimens and an amputation specimen from the tumor. Cells possessing characteristics of histiocytes, fibroblasts, xanthoma cells, and multinucleated giant cells were present throughout the tumor. Smaller numbers of undifferentiated cells and lymphocytes were also observed. Intimate cytoplasmic interdigitations between adjacent tumor cells were found, and instances of degenerating intracytoplasmic cells, possibly representing phagocytosis, were observed. Specimens stained with periodic acid-Schiff reagent with and without exposure to diastase, examined by light microscopy, showed that numerous cells contained phagocytized material consisting of degenerating cells rather than cytoplasmic glycogen. Intraumor lymphocytes apparently represented an inflammatory reaction to the tumor. The tumor giant cells and xanthoma cells were probably modified histiocytes. Results of the study were compared with previous reports of ultrastructural studies of malignant histiocytoma of soft tissues. Fundamental similarities between such studies and this one suggested that the progenitor cell is a histiocyte, whether arising in bone or in soft tissues, and that the progenitor cell is capable of differentiation in both histiocytic and fibroblastic directions.     

Host response to Treponema pallidum infection. I. Quantitative changes of lipids in rabbit organs

Levels of phospholipids, glycolipids and cardiolipin were determined in various organs of Treponema pallidum-infected rabbits. The phospholipid levels on the second week of infection decreased significantly in the spleen but remained unchanged in other organs. During the same time, glycolipids decreased significantly in both kidney and heart. 3 days after infection, a brief but significant increase of cardiolipin in the spleen was observed. Heat-killed T. pallidum but not Treponema reiteri caused a similar effect. The possible implication of these changes in the immunopathology of syphilis is discussed.     

Ethyleneglycol-bis-(beta-aminoethylether)tetraacetate as a blood anticoagulant: preservation of antigen-presenting cell function and antigen-specific proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from stored blood

We examined the progressive and irreversible loss of antigen-specific lymphoproliferative responses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from blood exposed for prolonged periods to EDTA as an anticoagulant. The responses of these lymphocytes to interleukin-2 or to concanavalin A were, however, unaffected. The observed loss was not due to depletion of metal ions by EDTA, since the addition of several divalent cations to whole blood during storage in EDTA or to lymphocytes from EDTA-stored blood during antigen stimulation in vitro did not alleviate the defect. Reconstitution of antigen-specific T-cell lines or Percoll-purified T cells with adherent antigen-presenting cells in antigen stimulation assays revealed that the presenting cells and not the effector T-cells were the targets of EDTA-mediated damage. The anticoagulant heparin helped to circumvent this problem. Surprisingly, EGTA, another metal ion chelator, could successfully replace EDTA, with a marginal loss in antigen-specific responses. Lymphoproliferative responses to antigens of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis were both significantly preserved in EGTA. JEV antigen-specific responses of PBMC obtained from the blood of convalescent JEV patients and stored in EGTA for as long as 24 h (n = 20) were comparable to those of fresh PBMC (n = 10), while PBMC from blood stored in EDTA (n = 17) for 16 h or longer failed to respond. We recommend that EGTA be used as the anticoagulant of choice for applications that require the lymphocyte proliferation assay, especially when on-site testing facilities are not available.     

Regulation of autoimmunity.

Despite the prevalence of self-reactive T cells, the healthy organism is not in a state of all-out war. Potent regulatory mechanisms exist at every level to permit the successful integration of the various aspects of the immune system, allowing only minor skirmishes, which ordinarily can be neutralized.