Development of a slide agglutination assay for detection of blastomycosis

Blastomycosis, caused by the thermally dimorphic fungus Blastomyces dermatitides, which is endemic to eastern regions of the USA, is commonly misdiagnosed as a viral or bacterial infection and therefore treated improperly. Over the years, many immunodiagnostic assays to aid in the diagnosis of blastomycosis have been developed; however, a reliable assay for use in local clinics still remains elusive. Procedures for a slide agglutination assay for detection of antibody in serum from rabbits immunized with B. dermatitidis were evaluated with antigenic preparations from B. dermatitidis adsorbed to polystyrene microparticles. Yeast‐phase lysates from five isolates of B. dermatitides: namely ER‐593 (Eagle River, WI, USA), ER‐598 (Eagle River, WI, USA), 48938 (India), B5896 (Mt. Iron, MN, USA), and T‐58 (TN, USA) were evaluated for their sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivities of the lysates ranged from 29% to 83% whereas specificities ranged from 13% to 100%. Lysate ER‐593 provided the most promising results with a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 100%. This study provides suggests that a simple rapid slide agglutination assay for detecting blastomycosis may be used for screening patients with suspected B. dermatitidis infection.     

Detection of antibody responses and delayed dermal hypersensitivity with Blastomyces dermatitidis yeast and mycelial lysate antigens

Yeast cell lysate and mycelial lysate antigens prepared from one strain (T-58) of Blastomyces dermatitidis were evaluated with respect to the detection of antibodies and delayed dermal hypersensitivity. Comparable ELISA sensitivity values were evidenced with the two antigens when assayed against serum specimens from dogs with blastomycosis, sera from non-infected dogs residing in endemic and nonendemic areas for blastomycosis and sera from rabbits that were hyperimmunized with B. dermatitidis antigens. Specificity determinations with anti -Histoplasma capsulatum rabbit sera indicated that both reagents exhibited only minimal cross-reactivity; the mycelial antigen was slightly more specific than the yeast phase reagent. Similar sensitivity and specificity results were experienced when the two antigens were used to detect delayed dermal hypersensitivity in guinea pigs previously sensitized with B. dermatitidis or H. capsulatum.     

Murine models of blastomycosis,coccidioidomycosis, and histoplasmosis

Animal models have contributed much to the knowledge of fungal infections and their corresponding therapeutic treatments. This is true for animal models of the primary fungal pathogens, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Coccidioides immitis, and Histoplasma capsulatum. This review gives a brief background of human diseases associated with these organisms and describes the development, details, and utility of murine models of blastomycosis, as well as coccidioidomycosis and histoplasmosis. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

溶藻细菌FS1的溶藻效果与机制初探

近年来,由水体富营养化引发的蓝藻水华频繁暴发,对水体生态系统平衡产生了重大影响,给人类健康也带来严重威胁。生物法除藻具有高效性、环境友好等优点,因此,如果能获得具有较高溶藻效率的溶藻细菌,选择生物法除藻更为理想。从菏泽一富营养化池塘分离得到1株溶藻细菌FS1,经16S rDNA测序分析鉴定为芽胞杆菌属。实验以铜绿微囊藻为研究对象,采用血球计数板法计算反应前后藻细胞的浓度,对不同生长阶段溶藻细菌FS1的溶藻效果进行了探究。停滞期、对数期、稳定期和衰亡期的除藻率分别为7.1%、24.3%、57.0%和45.5%,结果表明,处于稳定期的FS1对铜绿微囊藻的去除效果最佳。细菌溶藻方式的研究结果表明,溶藻细菌是通过分泌溶藻物质间接溶解藻细胞。     

Palpebral paracoccidioidomycosis

This paper describes two cases of eyelid paracoccidioidomycosis (South American blastomycosis) in which it was the first signal of the disease. In both cases the first clinical diagnosis made was not a fungal infection, but a neoplastic disease that was not confirmed by the pathology study. In the first patient we suspected a primary infection on the eyelid, because there was no other systemic signs of the disease, and in the second patient we noted a very advanced pulmonary lesions caused by the Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. We believe that, in endemic areas, the histopathological study should be made before every excisional procedures to avoid unnecessary palpebral mutilation. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

河南栾川孙家洞遗址出土的穿孔标本

孙家洞遗址初步测年为40万年左右,出土了少量石制品、古人类牙齿以及大量动物化石,其中一件骨骼标本存在非常规整的穿孔,其整体形态和大小与人工穿孔比较相似。通过系统的宏观观测与显微镜下分析,并与已明确性质的考古标本(自然穿孔和人工穿孔标本)和实证材料(现代鬣狗洞发掘出土材料)进行对比后发现,孙家洞遗址出土的穿孔标本与食肉类啃咬、甲虫类啮食以及人工造成的穿孔标本存在明显差异,而具备了被鬣狗胃酸腐蚀标本的所有典型特征。     

Rapid and quantitative automated measurement of bacteriophage activity against cystic fibrosis isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen and is the main cause of respiratory infection in cystic fibrosis patients. Most strains prevalent within the UK are resistant to two or more antibiotics leading to the search for new therapeutic strategies including the use of bacteriophages. Methods and Results: The infectivity of four bacteriophages was increased using an enhancement protocol based on the use of pomegranate rind extract. Their efficacy against 14 Ps. aeruginosa strains was measured using a qualitative streak test and a novel quantitative assay based on the Bioscreen C microbial growth analyzer. Streak test analysis illustrated an increase in the lytic activity of enhanced bacteriophages, whereas Bioscreen analysis showed that both enhanced and unenhanced bacteriophages failed to meet acceptable levels of activity in c. 50% of strains tested. Conclusions: The quantitative Bioscreen C analyzer showed comparable but not identical results in phage activity and identified significant bacterial re‐growth by 20 h postinfection. Significance and Impact of the Study: With the resurgence of interest in bacteriophage therapy against infectious bacterial diseases, a rapid high throughput quantitative method for screening phage activity and bacterial resistance is required. The use of the Bioscreen C analyzer meets these criteria and was shown to be more stringent than the traditional streak test.     

Isolation and characterization of bacteriophages specific for Campylobacter jejuni

Human infection by Campylobacter jejuni is mainly through the consumption of contaminated poultry products, which results in gastroenteritis and, rarely, bacteremia and polyneuropathies. In this study, six C. jejuni -specific bacteriophages (CPS1–6) were isolated by the spot-on-the-lawn technique from chicken samples in Korea and characterized for potential use as biocontrol agents. All isolated bacteriophages exhibited a high specificity, being able to lyse only C. jejuni , but not other Gram–negative bacteria, including C. coli , Escherichia coli , Salmonella spp., and Gram–positive bacteria. Bacteriophages contain an icosahedral head and a contractile tail sheath in transmission electron microscopy, and possess ds-DNA with an average genome size of approximately 145 kb; therefore, all bacteriophages are categorized into the Myoviridae family. Bacterial lysis studies in liquid media revealed that CPS2 could be used to control the growth of C. jejuni .     

Simple broad-spectrum protocol using labiase for bacterial cell lysis to prepare genomic DNA for pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis

We have developed a simple broad-spectrum protocol using labiase for bacterial cell lysis in pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis. The protocol reported here is widely applicable to the preparations of genomic DNA from Gram-negative and -positive pathogens, including enterococcal strains resistant to any conventional lysis protocols.     

An outbreak of blastomycosis in Eastern Tennessee

Most cases of blastomycosis are sporadic and only nine outbreaks representing a total of 112 cases have previously been reported. Less than half of these have been culture proven cases. Outbreaks have previously occurred in North Carolina, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin and Virginia. We report three culturally confirmed cases of blastomycosis from Elizabethton, Tennessee, who had onset of illness within a one-week span of time. The patients presented with fever, chest pain, weight loss, poor appetite and myalgia. Each initially had a dry cough which became productive of purulent sputum as the illness progressed. Mild hemoptysis occurred during each patient's course. Serologic testing by immunodiffusion and enzyme immunoassay were positive and testing by complement fixation was negative in each case. The diagnosis was made by histopathology on transbronchial biopsy or transthoracic needle aspiration material. Each patient improved on ketoconazole therapy.