Comparative study of aflatoxins M1 and B1 production in solid-state and shaking liquid cultures

Production of aflatoxins M1 (AFM) and B1 (AFB) by Aspergillus flavus NRRL 3251 in solid-state and shaking liquid cultures using rice as the carbon source was compared. In general, solid-state cultures produced more aflatoxins than shaking liquid cultures on an equal rice weight basis. Solid-state cultures with continuous shaking yielded higher levels of toxins than those with intermittent shaking. However, intermittent shaking is a feasible replacement for the continuous shaking method for AFM production. A typical solid rice culture supplemented with yeast extract produced 30 and 2600 mg per kg rice of AFM and AFB, respectively, in 8 days at 29 degrees C. The optimal culture conditions for toxin production in a shaking liquid culture were also studied. Parameters under consideration included the amount of carbon (rice) and nitrogen source, initial medium pH, and aeration rate. At optimum conditions, a representative shaking liquid culture produced 18 and 1680 mg per kg rice of AFM and AFB, respectively, in 5 days at 29 degrees C. This shaking liquid culture appears feasible for scaling up and routine production of AFM and AFB for toxicological investigations.     

Identity cards for patients infected with HIV?

Dr A C Srivastava has written to us to describe a case that raises the suggestion that people infected with the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) should carry identity cards. We asked two physicians, a general practitioner working with patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and a general practitioner with a special interest in medical ethics to respond to the broad issues raised by Dr Srivastava''s letter.     

LIPIDAT: a database of lipid phase transition temperatures and enthalpy changes. DMPC data subset analysis.

The systematic study of the mesomorphic phase properties of synthetic and biologically derived lipids began some 30 years ago. In the past decade, interest in this area has grown enormously. As a result, there exists a wealth of information on lipid phase behavior, but unfortunately these data have until now been scattered throughout the literature in a variety of books, proceedings and journals. The data have recently been compiled in a centralized database, LIPIDAT, with a view to providing ready access to the data and to the appropriate literature. LIPIDAT consists of a tabulation of all known mesomorphic and polymorphic phase transition temperatures and enthalpy changes for synthetic and biologically-derived lipids in the dry and in the partially and fully hydrated states. Also included is the effect of pH, and of salt and metal ion concentration and other additives such as proteins, drugs, etc., on the thermodynamic values. The methods used in making the measurements and the experimental conditions are reported. Bibliographic information includes comprehensive literature referencing and list of authors, but does not at the present time include article titles. As of this writing, the database is current through June, 1990 and is approaching 10,000 records in length. Each record contains 28 fields. In this paper we report the contents and present an analysis of LIPIDAT as it refers to fully hydrated 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC). This database subset represents about 7% of all LIPIDAT records. It includes data collected over a 23-year period from 1967 to 1989 and consists of 702 records obtained from 336 articles in 55 different journals. The number of records per year rises steadily beginning in 1971, reaches a maximum of 89 records/year in 1977 and remains relatively constant at 60-70 records/year in the succeeding period. Journals making the greatest contribution to the DMPC subset include Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Physics of Lipids and the Biophysical Journal. These four journals account for 71% of the total records in the database subset. The analysis shows that differential scanning calorimetry, electron spin resonance, fluorescence, nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy are the methods most commonly used for DMPC transition temperature determination. An interesting pattern emerges as to the place in time the different methods assume or loose popularity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Prevalence and intensity of Thelazia spp. (Nematoda: Thelazioidea) in a Musca autumnalis (Diptera: Muscidae) population from Central Alberta

A face fly (Musca autumnalis) population near Wetaskiwin, central Alberta, Canada, was sampled 9 times from 26 July to 29 September 1988 for the early larval stages of Thelazia spp. Of 426 female flies examined, 159 (37%) contained Thelazia spp. (almost exclusively T. skrjabini), with an average worm burden of 4.2 larvae per infected fly. Prevalence ranged from 17 to 56% over 9 collections. This is the first report of Thelazia skrjabini in flies from western North America and the highest Thelazia prevalence in face flies yet reported in North America. The face fly population was also parasitized by Heterotylenchus autumnalis, with a prevalence of 5.5%.