Restriction Enzyme Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA of Acanthamoeba Strains in Japan

ABSTRACT. Eight isolates, identified as either Acanthamoeba castellanii or A. polyphaga from human eye infections, contact lens containers, and soil in Japan, were characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Mitochondrial DNA was digested with either Bgl II, Eco R I, Hind III, Hpa I, Sca I or Xba I, electrophoresed in agarose gels, and stained with ethidium bromide. Four distinct RFLP phenotypes that refer to the collection of six fragment size patterns obtained for a single strain with six enzymes, were discovered among the eight strains used in this study. Three strains morphologically classified as A. polyphaga share a single RFLP phenotype with the Ma strain of A. castellanii. The interspecific sequence differences of 7.06–12.74% in DNA nucleotide were estimated from the proportion of DNA fragments shared by each pair of mtDNA.     

四株草鱼呼肠孤病毒毒株的细胞感染特性比较研究

本文首次对低温保存的三株草鱼呼肠孤病毒GCRV873、GCRV875、GCRV876与新分离的GCRV991毒株进行了细胞培养与病毒感染特性等比较研究.结果表明,GCRV873、GCRV875、GCRV876在-30℃保存10年后仍然具有一定的感染性,其滴度均在102TCID50/mL以上,略低于从病鱼组织分离的GCRV991毒株的滴价.经传代培养后,四株GCRV的毒力逐渐升高,并趋于稳定;当感染复数(MOI)为0.05PFU/cell时,测定四株GCRV的滴度均高于108 TCID50/mL,但略有差异.GCRV873的滴度最高,可达到6.4×1011 TCID50/mL.连续传代的GCRV毒株在不同温度(28℃、31℃、34℃、37℃、41℃)条件下,均可感染CIK细胞;在28℃时,感染效价最高,随着温度的升高,其感染效价逐渐降低.     

四株草鱼呼肠孤病毒毒株的细胞感染特性比较研究

本文首次对低温保存的三株草鱼呼肠孤病毒GCRV873 、GCRV875、GCRV876与新分离的GCRV991毒株进行了细胞培养与病毒感染特性等比较研究。结果表明 ,GCRV873 、GCRV875、GCRV876在 - 30℃保存 10年后仍然具有一定的感染性 ,其滴度均在 10 2 TCID50 /mL以上 ,略低于从病鱼组织分离的GCRV991毒株的滴价。经传代培养后 ,四株GCRV的毒力逐渐升高 ,并趋于稳定 ;当感染复数 (MOI)为 0 .0 5PFU/cell时 ,测定四株GCRV的滴度均高于 10 8TCID50 /mL ,但略有差异。GCRV873 的滴度最高 ,可达到 6 .4× 10 11TCID50 /mL。连续传代的GCRV毒株在不同温度 (2 8℃、31℃、34℃、37℃、41℃ )条件下 ,均可感染CIK细胞 ;在 2 8℃时 ,感染效价最高 ,随着温度的升高 ,其感染效价逐渐降低     

Physiological Variation in Strains of Aphanomyces astaci

Physiological variation was found both between and within strains of the crayfish plague fungus, Aphanomyces astaci, in culture. The loss of capacity to produce spores was irreversible while losses of motility and virulence to the crayfish were reversible changes. From the tests with motility it was concluded that mutations of hidden or de novo type readily appear in the phenotype of this fungus which belongs to a taxonomic group that is considered genetically very conservative. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Mrs. Anita Grandin. This research was supported by grants from the Swedish Natural Science Research Council and the Fishery Board of Sweden.     

Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Acanthamoeba Strains from Dental Units in Costa Rica

Free‐living amoebae are protozoa widely distributed in nature, which can be found in a variety of environments. Four genera are recognized as causal agents of infections in humans and animals: Acanthamoeba, Naegleria, Balamuthia, and Sappinia. In this study, the presence of Acanthamoeba in dental units was determined and the isolates obtained were molecularly characterized; osmotolerance and thermotolerance assays were also performed to evaluate multiplication under these conditions, frequently associated with pathogenicity. The morphological analysis and partial sequencing of the 18S rDNA gene revealed the presence of Acanthamoeba genotype T4 in 14% of the units sampled. Osmotolerance and thermotolerance tests were positive for more than 80% of the isolates. Up to date, this is the first study that reports the detection, identification, and genotyping of Acanthamoeba isolated from dental units in Costa Rica and even in Latin‐America. Further assays to determine the potential pathogenicity of these Acanthamoeba isolates are underway.     

Isolation and Genotyping of Acanthamoeba Strains from Soil Sources from Jamaica,West Indies

Acanthamoeba spp. are opportunistic pathogens that are ubiquitous in nature. Many species of this genus are responsible for a fatal encephalitis and keratitis in humans and other animals. Seventy‐two soil samples were collected from the parishes across Jamaica and assessed for the presence of Acanthamoeba spp. Cultivation was carried out on non‐nutrient agar plates seeded with heat killed Escherichia coli. PCR and sequencing of the DF3 region were carried out in order to genotype the isolated strains of Acanthamoeba. Thermotolerance and osmotolerance assays were utilized to investigate the pathogenic potential of the Acanthamoeba isolates. Acanthamoeba spp. was isolated from 63.9% of soil samples. Sequencing of the DF3 region of the 18S rDNA resulted in the identification of genotypes T4, T5, and T11. T4 genotype was most frequently isolated. Most isolates were thermotolerant or both thermotolerant and osmotolerant, indicating that they may present the potential to cause disease in humans and other animals.     

8个毒蘑菇菌株培养特性及生理学习性

通过对8个毒蘑菇菌株的培养特性及生理学习性的研究,描述了其培养特性,确定其生长所需最适温度、最适碳源、最适氮源以及最适pH值。8菌株为:鳞柄白鹅膏(Amanita virosa)、细鳞环柄菇(Lepiota clypelo-laria)、绒白乳菇(Lactarius vellereus)、鹅膏菌(Amanitasp.)、厚环鹅膏(Amanita pachycolea)、珊瑚菌(Ramariaephemeroderma)、白霜杯伞(Clitocybe dealbata)、冠状环柄菇(Lepiota cristata)。     

Physiological and Genetic Comparison of Two Aromatic Hydrocarbon-degrading Sphingomonas Strains

Sphingomonas yanoikuyae strain B1 is able to degrade a wider range of aromatic hydrocarbons than S. paucimobilis strain TNE12 can degrade. Various culture techniques were used to corroborate that B1 used m-xylene, biphenyl, toluene, naphthalene, and phenanthrene as sole carbon and energy sources. In contrast, TNE12 could not mineralize m-xylene, biphenyl, toluene, or naphthalene. However, fluoranthene served as carbon and energy source for TNE12 but not B1. Southern blots were performed using the cloned genomic region (approximately 23 kb) containing the degradative genes for the upstream pathways for biphenyl and m-xylene and a TOL plasmid-type meta operon from B1 as a probe against the Kpn I restriction-digested total DNA of TNE12. This 23 kb probe hybridized to three Kpn I-digested fragments of TNE12 DNA; thus significant homology existed between the aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading genes of B1 and TNE12. Further work with smaller probes revealed, however, that TNE12 DNA fragments did not hybridize with the probe containing the genes encoding for xylene monooxygenase and part of an aromatic dioxygenase. A recombinant plasmid, which contains only the genes for xylene monooxygenase, is able to complement TNE12 on m-xylene. These genes are, therefore, probably missing from TNE12. Hence, TNE12 cannot use monocylclic aromatics whereas B1 can. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis coupled with Southern blotting revealed that the aromatic degradative genes were on an approximately 240 kb plasmid of TNE12; the same genes in B1 are known to be chromosomal.     

Protease activities of Acanthamoeba polyphaga and Acanthamoeba castellanii

Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living amoebae that cause amoebic granulomatous encephalitis, skin lesions, and ocular amoebic keratitis in humans. Several authors have suggested that proteases could play a role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. In the present work, we performed a partial biochemical characterization of proteases in crude extracts of Acanthamoeba spp. and in conditioned medium using 7.5% SDS-PAGE copolymerized with 0.1% m/v gelatin as substrate. We distinguished a total of 17 bands with proteolytic activity distributed in two species of Acanthamoeba. The bands ranged from 30 to 188 kDa in A. castellanii and from 34 to 144 kDa in A. polyphaga. Additionally, we showed that the pattern of protease activity differed in the two species of Acanthamoeba when pH was altered. By using protease inhibitors, we found that the proteolytic activities belonged mostly to the serine protease family and secondly to cysteine proteases and that the proteolytic activities from A. castellanii were higher than those in A. polyphaga. Furthermore, aprotinin was found to inhibit crude extract protease activity on Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) monolayers. These data suggest that protease patterns could be more complex than previously reported.     

Relationship between Legionella pneumophila and Acanthamoeba polyphaga: Physiological Status and Susceptibility to Chemical Inactivation

[This corrects the article on p. 2422 in vol. 58.].     

Some Physiological Characteristics of Two Sets of Phage-Propagating Strains of Staphylococcus aureus

A number of physiological characteristics were studied on some 29 strains of phage-propagating staphylococci belonging to the Basic International Series and the Seto-Wilson bovine-adapted set. All the cultures except strain 73 were coagulase-positive, with reciprocal titers ranging from 2 to 8,192. Strain 73 was again an exception with respect to phosphatase activity. Group 1 yielded high values for both phosphatase and oxygen uptake but low values for extracellular protein. Resistance to penicillin was demonstrated only by strains 80, 81, 53, 54, 75, and 77. Strain 70, one of the highest coagulase producers, alone showed no catalase activity. Mannitol was fermented by all coagulase-positive strains. Hemolysis of one or more of three kinds of erythrocytes (sheep, rabbit, and human) was a common characteristic of most strains. However, pigmentation was a nondiscriminating parameter. Although one-half of the cultures liquefied gelatin, most of them gave similar antibiotic-sensitivity tests, except the six which were penicillinase producers. There was little difference in growth rate for all strains. Comparison of coagulase production to cell size indicated that the high-titer strains were generally larger than the low producers. The foregoing evidence avers that, in addition to lytic spectrum, physiological properties can usefully characterize staphylococcal phage-propagating strains.     

两个玉米品系叶片光合速率差异的生理机制初探

田间生长的两个玉米品系"双105"和"40×44"叶片净光合速率(Pn)存在显著差异。在不同的生长阶段,"40×44"Pn值均比"双105"高10%~32%,而且PSII光化学效率(Fv/Fm和△F/Fm')也较高,表现为植株较高,叶片较大,但叶绿素含量较低。尽管"双105"品系具有较低的光合速率和较低的气孔导度(Gs),但其胞间CO₂浓度(Ci)却略高于"40×44"。因此,这两个玉米品系叶片光合速率的差异并非气孔因素,而可能源于光合机构的光反应系统。     

Replication and Long-Term Persistence of Bovine and Human Strains of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis within Acanthamoeba polyphaga

Free-living protists are ubiquitous in the environment and form a potential reservoir for the persistence of animal and human pathogens. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis is the cause of Johne's disease, a systemic infection accompanied by chronic inflammation of the intestine that affects many animals, including primates. Most humans with Crohn's disease are infected with this chronic enteric pathogen. Subclinical infection with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis is widespread in domestic livestock. Infected animals excrete large numbers of robust organisms into the environment, but little is known about their ability to replicate and persist in protists. In the present study we fed laboratory cultures of Acanthamoeba polyphaga with bovine and human strains of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Real-time PCR showed that the numbers of the pathogens fell over the first 4 to 8 days and recovered by 12 to 16 days. Encystment of the amoebic cultures after 4 weeks resulted in a 2-log reduction in the level of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis, which returned to the original level by 24 weeks. Extracts of resection samples of human gut from 39 patients undergoing abdominal surgery were fed to cultures of A. polyphaga. M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis detected by nested IS900 PCR with amplicon sequencing and visualized by IS900 in situ hybridization and auramine-rhodamine staining was found in cultures derived from 13 of the patients and was still present in the cultures after almost 4 years of incubation. Control cultures were negative. M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis has the potential for long-term persistence in environmental protists.     

Physiological and Serological Comparisons Among Strains of Mycoplasma granularum and Mycoplasma laidlawii

Mycoplasma granularum strains grew on a medium devoid of animal serum or of serum fractions containing sterols; all strains possessed properties, including carotenoid biosynthesis, similar to those described for M. laidlawii. Some common antigenic components were noted among M. granularum and M. laidlawii strains by indirect fluorescent-antibody tests. The growth of M. granularum strains was slightly inhibited by antiserum to M. laidlawii PG-8, and the electrophoretic patterns of cell proteins of the M. granularum strains showed a close resemblance to that of M. laidlawii. However, direct fluorescent-antibody procedures performed on colonies grown on a serum-free medium clearly distinguished M. granularum from M. laidlawii. The occurrence of nonsterol-requiring mycoplasmas, in addition to M. laidlawii, raises questions as to the taxonomy of M. granularum and of the saprophytic mycoplasmas in general.