Plasmodium berghei: Immunogenic enhancement of antigen by adjuvant addition

Vaccines consisting of soluble Plasmodium berghei antigen in conjunction with a variety of adjuvants were injected into weanling white rats. Protective immunity, as evidenced by a lower mortality rate, reduced parasitemia and shortened course of infection, was induced by antigen in combination with the following adjuvants: saponin, hexylamine, Bordetella pertussis vaccine, levamisole, and polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C). Soluble antigen alone or combined with Freund's complete adjuvant, bacterial cndotoxin, vitamin A, polyadenylic-polyuredelic acid (poly A:U) failed to induce any significant degree of protective immunity.     

Tissue autoantibodies during therapy with levamisole for rheumatoid arthritis

In 20 patients affected with rheumatoid arthritis, tissue autoantibodies were studied during a year of treatment with levamisole. Before therapy, antinuclear antibodies were present in 11 cases, anti-thyroid microsomes in 1 and anti-smooth muscle in 6. During therapy, autoantibodies remained almost unchanged in all patients, thus indicating that levamisole does not influence this aspect of humoral immunity in rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, no correlation was found between autoantibody pattern before treatment and effects of levamisole on clinical course of disease.     

Lymphoblast transformation following adjuvant treatment of an induced colonic cancer with levamisole and fluorouracil

Summary Lymphoblast transformation (LT) in response to phytohaemagglutinin was measured following surgery in a dimethylhydrazine-induced colorectal tumour model in rats. Groups of normal rats were treated with levamisole (given either before and after surgery or only after surgery), fluorouracil (given after surgery), or a combination of both drugs (given either both together or with the administration of levamisole delayed 1 day after fluorouracil). A further untreated group acted as controls and the study was repeated with animals with colonic cancer.The administration of levamisole before surgery increased the restorative effect of postoperative levamisole. The effect was negated by fluorouracil given with levamisole, but not when levamisole was given 1 day after fluorouracil.     

Effects of immunostimulants on resistance of newborn mice to herpes simplex type 2 infection.

Since age-dependent diminished macrophage function has been related to the increased susceptibility of newborn mice to herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, the effect of several agents which might activate macrophages or other cells involved in immunity was investigated. BCG, typhoid vaccine, brucella vaccine, levamisole, or staphage lysate were administered to newborn mice prior to challenge with HSV-2. Of these agents, only BCG, administered ip or id 6 days prior to challenge, was found to increase the survival rate of newborn mice. The possible use of BCG, alone or in combination with other modalities, for the prevention or treatment of neonatal HSV infections is discussed.     

Effect of levamisole on the cellular and humoral immunity indices in patients with chronic brucellosis

In chronic brucellosis patients receiving levamisole and placebo the dynamics of quantitative and functional characteristics of cell-mediated and humoral immunity have been studied. The immunomodulating effect of levamisole, manifested only in the process of treatment by a rise in the number of circulating lymphoid cells, their functional capacity, a decrease in the disproportion of immunoregulatory cells and the amount of circulating immune complexes, has been established. The positive dynamics of immunological characteristics have been found to improve both immediate and remote results of the clinical effectiveness of levamisole.     

Ivermectin, levamisole and thymic extract for chemotherapy and immunostimulation of visceral leishmaniasis in hamsters and mice

The anti-leishmanial activity of ivermectin, pentostam or combination of pentostam with either levamisole or thymic extract was tested against Leishmania donovani infection in hamsters and mice. In vitro peritoneal macrophage-parasite interaction, the effect of splenic cells on the interaction of macrophages and parasites, spleen weight, parasite burden in spleen tissue as well as the antibody titers using micro-ELISA were used as parameters for evaluating the efficacy of these chemotherapeutic regimens. Treatment with ivermectin and immunoenhancement with pentostam combined with levamisole gave best results in both animal models. Furthermore, regimens used in this work were all active in reducing phagocytosis of promastigotes by macrophages in vitro.     

Effect of immunostimulants on kidney tubule secretion of xenobiotics

Excretion of cardiotrast (diotrast) was used to study tubular secretion of organic compounds in rats. Immunostimulants prodigiosin (0.05 mg/kg) and levamisole (10 mg/kg) injected subcutaneously three times every other day increased cardiotrast excretion. High levamisole dose (50 mg/kg), having no stimulating effect on the immunity, failed also to influence tubular cardiotrast transport. Possible mechanisms of immunostimulants' action on the tubular secretion of xenobiotics is discussed.     

Management of advanced Hodgkin's disease in remission

Patients with Hodgkin's disease (stage IIIB and IV) after being rendered with combination chemotherapy disease-free, were alternatively allocated to either a group receiving levamisole treatment (Decaris) or to a control group receiving no further therapy until there was evidence of recurrent disease. Laboratory examinations showed that impaired cell mediated immune responses found after termination of intensive chemotherapy were favourably influenced by levamisole treatment. In addition, the duration of remission seems to be longer in the levamisole treated group, although the limited number of patients in the study do not allow a definite conclusions to be drawn.     

The effect of various antibiotics on the formation of typhus antibodies following immunization with typhus vaccine]

It was shown that administration in the course of one week, before or after a single use of killed or chemical typhoid vaccine of dibiomycin, biomycin, or biomycin in combination with erythromycin in comparatively high doses produced no negative effect of the production of typhus antibodies and the intensity of antitoxic immunity in albino mice. The same antibiotics failed to influence the antibody formation in guinea pigs if they produced no toxic effect on the animals; but in case of development of toxic phenomena connected with the administration of the mentioned antibiotics a strong depression of antibody production was observed in guinea pigs.     

Antibiotic therapy of acute dysentery in children with immunologic deficiency conditions

One hundred children with acute Sonnei and flexneri dysentery were followed up with respect to the infection process and main immunity indices. In 32 children the immunity indices were physiological (group 1) and in 68 children secondary immune deficiency was observed (group 2). The children were treated with aminoglycoside antibiotics and prodigiozan and it was stated that the time of recovery in the children with immune deficiency was longer by 5.2 days as compared to that in the children without immune deficiency. In the children with immune deficiency the combined use of one of the aminoglycosides, prodigiozan and lysozyme, led to a reduction of the host immunological reactivity and recovery within the same periods as those recorded for children with the physiological immunity status. It is recommended to use the antibiotic combination with prodigiozan and lysozyme in the treatment of all the forms of dysentery in children with secondary immune deficiency.     

Dynamics of the humoral immunity indices in patients with subacute brucellosis being treated with levamisole

The dynamics of the main characteristics of humoral immunity in patients with subacute brucellosis, receiving levamisole and placebo, has been studied. Levamisole produced an immunomodulating effect manifested by an increase in the number of B-lymphocytes and a drop in the level of circulating immune complexes. Levamisole did not essentially influence the content of serum immunoglobulins and specific antibodies.     

Immunological status of monkeys during acclimatization and its correction with levamisole

The work presents the results of investigations, carried out in different monkey species, on the physiological norms as regards the bactericidal factors of neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the blood, nonenzymatic lysosomal cationic proteins and myeloperoxidase, as well as on changes in these characteristics in monkeys at different periods of their acclimatization at the Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy, Sukhumi. The possibility of correcting the characteristics under study by means of the immunostimulating agent levamisole is shown.     

Vaccination against the nematode Trichostrongylus colubriformis. III. Some observations on factors influencing immunity to infection in vaccinated guinea-pigs

Rothwell T. L. W. 1978. Vaccination against the nematode Trichostrongylus colubriformis. III. Some observations on factors influencing immunity to infection in vaccinated guineapigs. International Journal for Parasitology8: 33–37. Guinea-pigs were protected against infection with T. colubriformis when soluble material extracted from fourth-stage larvae was administered by the subcutaneous, intradermal, intraperitoneal and intraduodenal but not oral routes. The level of immunity following vaccination by the various effective routes was similar. Mature animals were found to respond significantly better to vaccination than immature animals. Significant immunity was present 10 days after vaccination but higher levels were found after 20 and 40 days. A single dose of vaccine was as effective as three divided doses. Finally, it was found that the adjuvant aluminium hydroxide gel, but not B. pertussis vaccine or levamisole improved the level of immunity to infection which followed vaccination.     

The effect of dietary immunomodulation upon Edwardsiella tarda vaccination in healthy and immunocompromised Indian major carp (Labeo rohita)

In order to determine the impact on disease resistance of four dietary immunomodulators viz., beta-1,3 glucan, levamisole, vitamins C and E, in an important farmed Indian major carp species, rohu (Labeo rohita Ham.), fish were fed diets containing various levels of these substances during a 60 day trial. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB,) at 125 mg kg(-1) body weight was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) into fish to induce an immunosuppressive state on the first day of the experiment in some individuals. The fish were vaccinated against formalin-killed Edwardsiella tarda vaccine on day 30 of the experiment. Specific immunity, as measured by bacterial agglutination titre and disease resistance against E. tarda, was determined at the end of the trial. The results demonstrate that all the four immunomodulators were capable of significantly (P<0.05) increasing specific immunity and reducing mortality in immunocompromised fish but failed to enhance specific immunity and protection in healthy fish. The increased bacterial agglutination titre by beta-1,3 glucan, and reduced mortality losses by both beta-1,3 glucan and levamisole were marked in healthy vaccinated fish compared with their controls. Similarly, all four substances significantly reduced the mortality rates in immunocompromised and healthy unvaccinated fish. Out of these four substances, glucan was recorded to be the most effective immunomodulator in rohu. The present results suggest that the introduction of these substances into the diet of fish grown in farms under immunosuppressive/stressful conditions could increase their resistance to infection by reducing mortality rates and offer economic benefits.     

Studies on the antibacterial effects of negapillin in combination with other antibiotics and sulfa drugs

Summary The antibacterial effect of negapillin in combination with other antibiotics and sulfa drugs was studied using Gram+ve and Gram-ve bacteria as test organisms. Subsequently, various proportions of negapillin in combination with the antibiotics and the sulfa drugs were examined to determine the optimum proportions which exert maximum inhibitory effects on the bacterial growth. Mixtures of these antibiotics with negapillin were found more superior not only as antimicrobial agents but also for having comparatively low toxicity.     

The etiopathogenetic treatment of experimental tuberculosis using preparations with immunomodulating action

The effectiveness of the complex chemotherapy of experimental tuberculosis in combination with the remedies of pathogenetic therapy has been studied. The immunomodulating action of levamisole, sodium succinate and the positive effect of RNAase on specific resistance in the complex treatment of guinea pigs infected with tuberculosis have been established. On the basis of the pronounced normalization of the systemic and specific resistance characteristics, as well as the clinical effect, the expediency of using levamisole and RNAase in the complex treatment of tuberculosis has been shown.     

浅述乳酸菌在畜禽生产中的应用

在病原菌、病毒、应激等因素的影响下,畜禽肠道功能容易紊乱失调。抗生素可以预防或治疗由病原菌引起的感染,但抗生素的滥用会给畜牧产品、生态环境带来一系列危害,对人类的健康造成巨大威胁,因此无抗养殖的趋势已成必然。益生菌在畜禽养殖中具有很重要的作用,乳酸菌作为益生菌的重要组成部分,它具有促进机体生长、改善胃肠道功能、提高机体免疫力、维持动物肠道菌群平衡等作用,故乳酸菌可以作为抗生素替代品引入畜禽养殖。本文主要概述乳酸菌在畜禽养殖中发挥益生功效的作用机制和应用范围,着重讲述乳酸菌相较于其他主要畜禽养殖益生菌的优势与劣势,阐述乳酸菌在种养结合的运用,对乳酸菌的未来发展和应用前景提出展望。     

Immunopotentiation with levamisole in resectable bronchogenic carcinoma: a double-blind controlled trial; Study Group for Bronchogenic Carcinoma.

A long-term multicentre double-blind study was designed to test the immunotropic effects of levamisole in patients undergoing operation for primary bronchial carcinoma. They received levamisole 50 mg three times a day by mouth or placebo for three days every fortnight, starting three days before surgery. Unless there was clinical evidence of recurrence, cytostatic drugs, corticosteroids, and radiotherapy were prohibited. In the 111 patients who have been followed up for one year the incidence of side effects was similar in both groups. Recurrences occurred in 10 out of 51 patients (seven deaths) receiving levamisole and in 20 out of 60 (12 deaths) receiving placebo. Further analysis showed that there were fewer recurrences on levamisole in patients with squamous cell carcinomas and medium and large primary tumours and fewer suspected and proved recurrences and deaths from metastases on levamisole in patients with extended tumours. Distant recurrences tended to be less common with levamisole, whereas the disease-free interval in relapsing patients was almost identical in the two groups. These interim results show that levamisole seems to exert its beneficial effect by preventing immunosuppression due to surgery.     

Stimulating effect of serum from tumor-bearing mice on lymphocyte response to mitogenic stimulation associated with protein increase in serum

Summary Twenty levamisole-treated and 14 placebo-treated lung cancer patients were studied sequentially in assays of lymphocyte proliferation. Prior to treatment, the patients as a group had significantly depressed proliferative responses to mitogens and allogeneic cells (MLC), and this immunosuppression was especially noticeable in patients with clinically detectable tumor burdens. Following treatment, responses in both levamisole and placebo groups tended to increase slightly, although the increases were more consistent and persistent in the levamisole group. Increases within the levamisole group were similar for patients with and without detectable tumor burdens. Proportions of E and EAC rosette-forming cells were stable throughout treatment for all groups. No consistent response pattern was observed in patients crossed-over from placebo to levamisole treatments. Although these results do not contradict the concept that levamisole can reverse malignancy-induced immunosuppression, levamisole treatment clearly did not result in normalization of lymphocyte-proliferative capacity in these lung cancer patients. The usefulness of a placebo-treated group was apparent, as some increased responsiveness was commonly found with placebo treatment.