A Field Outbreak Caused by Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) caused a large epizootic of acute respiratory disease in Japan in 1968—69 (Inaba et al. 1970, Inaba et al. 1972). A much smaller outbreak occurred in Switzerland (Paccaud & Jacquier 1970). In Belgium the virus has been isolated from an outbreak of respiratory disease (Wellemans et al. 1970). BRSV has later been proved an important causal agent of respiratory disorders in the same country (Wellemans & Leiinen 1975). In England and USA the virus has caused and been isolated from outbreaks of acute respiratory disease in calves (Jacobs & Edington 1971, Rosenquist 1974, Smith et al. 1974). In Denmark BRSV has sporadically been isolated from pneumonic calf lungs (Bitsch et al. 1976).     

Lack of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin Production among Strains of Staphylococcus aureus from Bovine Mastitis in Denmark

Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE’s) are a group of small exoproteins produced by some strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The SE’s, designated A to E according to their antigenic specificities, are important causes of food poisoning worldwide. Milk and dairy products are frequently associated with S. aureus enter-otoxin food poisoning, and it is supposed that infected milk from mastitic animals constitute the main source of enterotoxigenic S. aureus of animal origin (Bryon 1983, Gilmour & Harvey 1990, Bergdoll 1989). Indeed, S. aureus is the most common cause of bovine mastitis worldwide, and if mastitis strains produce SE this makes up an enormous reservoir of potential enterotoxin producers. The production of SE by S. aureus isolated from bovine mastitis have been investigated in several countries (Matsunaga et al. 1993, Kenny et al. 1993, Olson et al 1970, Orden et al. 1992, Olsvik et al. 1981, Adekeye 1980, Garcia et al. 1980, Abbar 1986, Harvey & Gilmour 1985). Since no studies have been performed on the prevalence of enterotoxigenic strains of S. aureus isolated from bovine mastitis in Denmark, a well characterized collection of S. aureus (Aarestrup et al. 1995) was investigated with respect to this property.     

Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in children with chronic inflammatory diseases of the respiratory organs

During the 7-year period of observation (1982-1988) the serotypes of 276 pneumococcal strains isolated from children with chronic bronchopulmonary diseases were studied. Among the serotypes of pneumococci under study, serotypes 6, 19 and 15 held the leading place and included a half of all typed pneumococci. Dynamic observation on the serotype composition of pneumococci revealed periodic fluctuations in the occurrence of some types/groups. The regional analysis of different serotypes of pneumococci showed the common occurrence of serogroups 6 and 19, as well as some regional features in the circulation of serotypes 6, 10, 3 and rarely occurring serotypes. The study revealed that any new exacerbation of the chronic bronchopulmonary process is caused by pneumococci of some other serotype. Pneumococcal strains, resistant (3.4%) and sensitive (1.8%) to penicillin, were detected; most of them belonged to serogroup 19.     

Serotyping of Vibrio anguillarum

A serotyping scheme based on the detection of O antigens by slide agglutination in fish-pathogenic strains of Vibrio anguillarum is presented. Over a period of 5 years 270 Vibrio strains from feral and cultured fish, 189 strains from the environment, and 36 strains from invertebrates were collected. The strains were divided into 10 distinct serotypes (O1 through O10). More than 90% of the fish-pathogenic strains, but only 40% of the environmental strains, were typable; 71% of the strains isolated from cultured rainbow trout were serotype O1, whereas 78% of the strains isolated from feral fish were serotype O2. No dominating environmental serotype was found. A serotyping system for V. anguillarum is proposed. A total of 90 strains received from culture collections and laboratories in different countries were typed according to the present system.     

Immunochemical study of nutritionally variant streptococci

Nutritionally variant streptococci (NVS) have been characterized by their growth as satellite colonies around colonies of staphylococci or several other gram-positive or gram-negative bacterial strains. The majority of the NVS strains were isolated from patients with subacute bacterial endocarditis. Organisms identified as NVS were subdivided into three serotypes by rocket-line electrophoresis and hemagglutination inhibition assays. Ninety-nine of 103 strains expressed one or more of the three serotype antigens; however, a group antigen was not demonstrated in the various extracts of these streptococci. Surface protein studies confirmed the NVS differentiation into serotypes. Serotype I organisms expressed surface protein(s) specific for the serotype, whereas the serotype II and III NVS demonstrated common protein(s) on their surface. Furthermore, SDS extraction released a greater amount of radioiodinatable surface protein from serotypes I and III bacteria than serotype II. Finally, there was no correlation between the serotype or the disease of the patients from which the NVS strains were isolated.     

Serotyping of Vibrio anguillarum.

A serotyping scheme based on the detection of O antigens by slide agglutination in fish-pathogenic strains of Vibrio anguillarum is presented. Over a period of 5 years 270 Vibrio strains from feral and cultured fish, 189 strains from the environment, and 36 strains from invertebrates were collected. The strains were divided into 10 distinct serotypes (O1 through O10). More than 90% of the fish-pathogenic strains, but only 40% of the environmental strains, were typable; 71% of the strains isolated from cultured rainbow trout were serotype O1, whereas 78% of the strains isolated from feral fish were serotype O2. No dominating environmental serotype was found. A serotyping system for V. anguillarum is proposed. A total of 90 strains received from culture collections and laboratories in different countries were typed according to the present system.     

Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis First Isolation of Virus from Fish in Norway

Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is a disease of salmonid fishes. It has been reported in many countries throughout the world (M’Gonigle 1940, Wood et al. 1955, Besse & Kinkelin 1965, Vestergård Jørgensen & Bregnballe 1969, Sano 1971, Ball et al 1971, Ljungberg & Vestergård Jørgensen 1972, Schlotfeldt et al. 1975). Outbreaks of the disease can cause serious losses in populations of hatchery reared salmonids, the mortality rate varying between 10 and 90 % (Vestergård Jørgensen & Kehlet 1971). There are at least four different serotypes of the virus distinguished by neutralization tests (Wolf et al. 1968). Twenty-five isolates of IPN virus in Denmark proved to represent only two serotypes (Sp and Ab) (Vestergård Jørgensen & Kehlet). The present paper reports the first isolation of IPN virus from the stock at a fish farm in Norway.     

Serotypes among Neisseria meningitidis serogroups B and C strains isolated in Canada

Antisera made to prototype serogroup B strains of Neisseria meningitidis were used to serotype, by agar gel double diffusion, 262 meningococcal serogroups B and C strains isolated in Canada. The strains included 93 from patients and 169 from carriers. Serotype 2 was associated with 39 of 75 (52%) of group B strains and 14 of 18 (77.8%) of group C strains isolated from patients. The group B strains were mainly (87.2%) serotype 2b, while the majority (92.2%) of group C strains was serotype 2a. Other serotypes (including a new provisional serotype) represented 25.3 and 5.5% of groups B and C strains, respectively. The new serotype accounted for 13% of the group B strains. Approximately 23% of the strains isolated from patients were nontypable. The distribution of serotype 2, nontype 2 (other serotypes), and nontypable strains isolated from carriers was 2.1, 36.6, and 61.3%, respectively, for group B meningococci and 22.2, 29.6, and 48.25, respectively, for group C meningococci. Serotype 11 was the most prominent of the strains isolated from carriers. Approximately 7% of all the strains were multiple serotypes. Serotype 2 is an important virulence marker associated with meningococcal groups B and C disease in Canada, with serotypes 2a and 2b being markedly associated with groups C and B meningococcal disease, respectively.     

Occurrence and strain diversity of thermophilic campylobacters in cattle of different age groups in dairy herds

AIMS: To investigate the occurrence and numbers of thermophilic campylobacters excreted by cattle in dairy herds, and to assess the strain diversity within herds. METHODS AND RESULTS: Faecal samples from 15 animals at each of 24 cattle farms were cultured quantitatively for thermophilic campylobacters and 23% of animals and 83% of farms were positive for Campylobacter jejuni. Young animals had a higher prevalence and higher faecal concentration than older animals. Serotyping and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of isolates showed that the most common serotypes were 2, 4-complex and 11. Serotype 2 was especially prevalent among calves (68% of the positive calves). In eight of the 20 positive herds, all isolates had the same sero- and PFGE type while, in the other herds, two to five different types were isolated. CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences were found between age groups in relation to the prevalence and numbers of excreted campylobacters, serotype distribution and strain diversity. The relatively few different strains in each herd indicate that transmission between animals is common. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The high prevalence on cattle farms of the human pathogen C. jejuni and the wide distribution of serotype 2, the most common serotype among Danish patients, indicate that cattle might be an important reservoir for human infections. The ability of this serotype to colonize calves in high numbers further indicates that serotype 2 strains may have an advantage over other serotypes.     

Levels of brain lipids in white matter from undernourished Sinclair (S-1) miniature swine

I t H as been suggested previously that animal models are the preferred method for biochemical study concerned with protein-calorie malnutrition (K irsch , S aunders and B rock , 1968; D obbing , 1970). That the brain is one of the least vulnerable organs to be affected by dietary deprivation has been reported for swine (P latt , H eard and S tewart , 1964; T umbleson , T insley , C orwin , F latt and F lynn , 1969; T umbleson , T insley , M ulder and F lait , 1970), rhesus monkeys (O rdy , S amorajski and H ershberger , 1970) and rats (B rown and G uthrie , 1968). However, alteration of brain composition as a result of protein-calorie malnutrition at a young age may have important effects on the mental and behavioural activities of the maturing subjects (W inick , 1970; C ravioto , 1970). In a previous study on the effect of undernutrition in young miniature swine, it was noted that there was an elevation in the levels of cholesterol and glucose in serum of pigs fed the low protein diet (T umbleson et al. , 1969). The duration of such elevations was usually 2–8 weeks after administration of the test diet. Since cholesterol, as well as other chemical constituents, in serum is important for the biosynthesis of brain membranes, the present study was designed to assess the effect of undernutrition on levels of major brain lipids.     

Giemsa banding patterns in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

The banding patterns of chromosomes from 20 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (C.L.L.) have been analyzed. 97 of 100 metaphases examined had a normal banding pattern. The 3 remaining metaphases, all from one patient had bands similar to those seen after aging. It is concluded that the chromosomes in C.L.L. have normal banding patterns. The majority of cytogenetic studies in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia have reported normal chromosomes (Fitzgerald and Adams 1965; Oppenheim et al., 1965; Lawler et al., 1968). An inherited abnormality of G group chromosome (No. 22) has been reported in a family, three members of whom developed C.L.L. (Fitzgerald and Hamer, 1969), but further investigations of cases of familial leukaemia failed to reveal a similar abnormality (Fitzgerald et. al., 1966). The development of new techniques which allow the positive identification of individual chromosomes (Caspersson et al., 1969; Dutrillaux and Lejeune, 1971; Sumner et al., 1971; Seabright, 1971), has revolutionised human cutogenetics and revealed additional information regarding chromosome abnormalities and leukaemia (Rowley, 1973; Lobb et al., 1972; Milligan and Garson, 1974). The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the chromosomes in C.L.L. have normal banding patterns.     

一种新的人兽共患传染病——狐阴道加德纳氏菌病的研究 V.狐阴道加德纳氏菌菌株的血清分型研究

将我国6个省(区)、13个主要狐场分离的145株狐阴道加德纳氏菌,进行抗原性、免疫原性测定,从每场分离菌中选出1～3个优良株进行血清型研究。凝集素交叉吸收试验证实,选出的26株菌可划分为3个血清型,以此3个血清型代表株制备因子血清,余下119株菌中,108株在所划分的3个血清型内,11株未能定型。在3个血清型中,Ⅰ型菌株数占定型菌数的79.1％,因而确定,Ⅰ型菌是国内狐场狐阴道加德纳氏菌主要流行型。试验还明确了从貉分离的5株、水貂分离的4株、犬分离的2株阴道加德纳氏菌也属于血清Ⅰ型。将3个血清型代表菌株制成超声抗原,经免疫琼脂扩散试验证实,各型抗原与同型或异型免疫血清均可形成一条明显的融合沉淀线,表明各型菌间有共同抗原成分。同型菌免疫琼脂扩散试验表明,各株菌形成的沉淀线完全融合,从而证实了血清分型的可靠性。     

Serotypes and antibiotic resistance of Verotoxigenic (VTEC) and Necrotizing (NTEC) Escherichia coli strains isolated from calves with diarrhoea

Serotypes and antibiotic resistance of 51 Verotoxigenic (VTEC) and 33 Necrotizing (NTEC) bovine Escherichia coli strains were determined and compared with those shown by 205 non-VTEC non-NTEC strains isolated from the same batch of calves. E. coli untypable for O-antigen represented 47% of the VTEC, 12% of the NTEC and 8.8% of the non-VTEC non-NTEC. Typable VTEC belonged to serotypes 02:K?, 0103:K-, 0104:K?, 0128:K?, 0153:K- and O157:K-:H7, whereas typable NTEC were of serotypes 08:K87, 015:K14, 015:K-, 054:K?, 076:K-, 078:K(80), 088:K?, 0123:K-, 0139:K- and 0153:K-. Non-VTEC non-NTEC showed a wide variety of serotypes which were generally unrelated to those found in VTEC and NTEC. VTEC were resistant to antibiotics at higher rates than NTEC and non-VTEC non-NTEC, and showed also the highest multidrug-resistant pattern. Our results show that bovine VTEC strains belonged to O-groups usually found in human VTEC causing sporadic diarrhoea, haemorrhagic colitis and/or haemolytic uraemic syndrome, such as 02, 0103, 0104, 0153 and especially 0128 and O157. In contrast, bovine NTEC strains belonged to serotypes different from those previously found in necrotizing E. coli strains of human origin.     

Serotypes and subtypes of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B strains associated with meningococcal disease in Canada, 1977-1989

Typing of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B disease isolates was carried out using a panel of serotype-and subtype-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Three hundred and sixty-two strains isolated from 1977 to 1986 were typed using five serotyping and seven subtyping reagents and outer membrane vesicles as antigens. Serotype 2b accounted for 30% of the disease isolates. The most common subtype was P1.2, which occurred on 18.5% of all strains or 48.6% of the serotype 2b strains. Of the 362 strains typed, 135 (37.3%) were serotyped and 122 (33.7%) were subtyped. Overall, 185 (51.1%) of the strains could be assigned a serotype and (or) subtype. Strains (221) isolated during the years 1987-1989 were typed using a panel of 6 serotyping and 12 subtyping reagents by whole-cell ELISA. Strains of serotypes 4 (21.7%) and 15 (20.8%) were the most common and carried a wide variety of subtypes. The most common subtypes were P1.2 (11.8%) and P1.16 (9.5%). Of the 221 strains analyzed, 132 (59.7%) were assigned a serotype and 123 (55.7%) a subtype and with all 18 MAbs, 192 (86.9%) of the strains were serotyped and (or) subtyped. Two different MAbs to the four epitopes 2a, 15, P1.2, and P1.16 gave discordant reactions of 0.3, 6.6, 2.6, and 2.2%, respectively, when used to analyze over 300 strains of N. meningitidis.     

Comparison of OspA Serotypes for Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato from Japan,Europe and North America

Sixty-one Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato strains from various sources (ticks, human, and wild animals) in Japan and two strains from ticks in Far Eastern Russia were classified on the basis of reactivity with 16 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to outer surface protein A (OspA) and by DNA-DNA hybridization assay. Eleven OspA serotypes (J1 to J11) were recognized among the Japanese and the Far East Russian isolates (serotypes J1 to J9 were identified as B. garinii, serotype J10 was identified as B. afzelii, and serotype J11 corresponded to B. japonica), whereas 7 OspA serotypes for North American and European isolates previously reported (Bettina Wilske et al, J. Clin. Microbiol. 31:340-350, 1993) were not observed except for OspA serotype 2 which showed identical reactivity with OspA serotype J10. This finding provides helpful information for understanding the geographical distribution of Lyme disease borrelia and the development of vaccine and diagnostic tests. In conclusion: 1. B. burgdorferi sensu stricto has not been observed in Japan, 2. Japanese B. afzelii isolates are closely related to those from Europe, 3. B. garinii isolates from Japan are highly heterogeneous and apparently different from European B. garinii isolates.     

Serological and Bacteriological Investigation of Mycobacterium ranae (fortuitum)

Twenty strains of a species of fast growing Mycobacterium, some named M. fortuitum and others said to be similar to the strain of M. peregrinum, in the possession of the National Collection of Type Cultures, were examined serologically and bacteriologically. They were all found to be of the same species, but they were divisible into four serotypes (I to IV), on a basis of three variable antigens, which do not exactly correspond to the subspecies described in previous reports. The strains varied in the number of years that they had been kept in culture and were of widely divergent origin. With the exception of serotype II strains, which all came from sputa from Welsh miners, the serotypes were independent of years in culture or site of origin. Based on bacteriological and serological identity and chronological priority, we consider that M. ranae (Kuster) Bergey et al. should be reinstated in place of M. fortuitum Cruz. A modified scheme for identification of the species is proposed, which would not exclude any of the four serotypes.     

Using dimension reduction to improve outbreak predictability of multistrain diseases

Multistrain diseases have multiple distinct coexisting serotypes (strains). For some diseases, such as dengue fever, the serotypes interact by antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), in which infection with a single serotype is asymptomatic, but contact with a second serotype leads to higher viral load and greater infectivity. We present and analyze a dynamic compartmental model for multiple serotypes exhibiting ADE. Using center manifold techniques, we show how the dynamics rapidly collapses to a lower dimensional system. Using the constructed reduced model, we can explain previously observed synchrony between certain classes of primary and secondary infectives (Schwartz et al. in Phys Rev E 72:066201, 2005). Additionally, we show numerically that the center manifold equations apply even to noisy systems. Both deterministic and stochastic versions of the model enable prediction of asymptomatic individuals that are difficult to track during an epidemic. We also show how this technique may be applicable to other multistrain disease models, such as those with cross-immunity.     

Infection with Streptococcus Suis Serotypes 1 and 2 in the Same Diseased Pig

Streptococcus suis is an important pig pathogen which is associated with respiratory problems, meningitis and less fre-quently with a variety of other conditions(Hommez et al. 1986). S. suis type 1 causes disease mainly in 1–2 week old pigs while serotype 2 is found commoaily in 2–22 week old pigs, S. suis type 2 is a zoonosis. It can cause meningitis and septicaemia in man (Christensen & Kronvall 1985). Several other serotypes of S. suis have also been identified on the basis of the capsular poly-saccharide (Perch et al. 1983, Hommez et al. 1986). We present a case where we isolated S. suis types 1 and 2 from the brain and lungs respectively of the same diseased suckling piglet. This i/s the first reported case of S. suis types 1 and 2 in Finland.     

Non-random association of human acrocentric chromosomes

Summary The association of human acrocentric chromosomes was found to be nonrandom using fluorescence technic.The occurrence of chromosomes D13-15 in Robertsonian rearrangement has been shown to be non-random (Hecht et al., 1968). Ohno et al. (1961) have postulated these rearrangements might be related to acrocentric association. In two studies (Nakagame, 1969; Shaw et al., 1969), however, a random distribution of the D group chromosomes in association was found by autoradiography in lymphocytes. The recently described fluorescence technic (Caspersson et al., 1971) permits a reliable identification of each of the 23 pairs and we would like to report the results of our re-examination of acrocentric association by this method.

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Zusammenfassung Die Assoziation menschlicher akrozentrischer Chromosomen hat sich als nicht zufällig erwiesen. Es wurde die Fluorescenztechnik benutzt.