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Biomedical subjects

C D Smith

Publications and source records attributed to C D Smith.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Comparison of immunodiffusion and complement fixation tests in the diagnosis of histoplasmosis.

The immunodiffusion and complement fixation tests for histoplasmosis were compared on 2,090 initial sera from 70 proven cases of histoplasmosis, 177 routine chest hospital patients, and 1,843 coal miners from outside the major endemic area for histoplasmosis. The complement fixation test using histoplasmin as antigen detected antibodies in the sera of 72.8% of the 70 proven cases, while the complement fixation test using yeast antigen detected antibodies in 94.3% of the case sera, and the immunodiffusion test using histoplasmin antigen detected antibodies in 90% of the sera. The tests were also compared for sensitivity, specificity, and ease of performance.

Antibodies, Fungal↗
PubMed1975

Improved culture method for the isolation of Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis form contaminated specimens.

Studies were performed to evaluate a method for selective isolation of Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis from contaminated specimens. Ammonium hydroxide placed on an agar medium surface was found to inhibit the growth of many bacteria, yeasts, and saphrophytic fungi normally found in specimens such as animal tissues and sputum. In one study involving the culture of B. dermatitidis from canine tissues, 24% more isolations were obtained on a medium using NH4OH compared with a similar medium. Increases in the isolation of H. capusulatum from sputum specimens were also obtained, ranging from 20 to 32% compared with four other media without NH4OH.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Distribution of Blastomyces dermatitidis in dogs with skin test and serologic results following airborne infection.

Reported is a short term (16 week) experiment to determine the distribution of B. dermatitidis in dogs when infected by the natural inhalation route by receiving about 250,000 viable particles during a 24h. exposure. Four dogs were positive to blastomycin and 1 to histoplasmin prior to exposure. Post exposure, all dogs developed positive skin tests to blastomycin by the 4th week with considerable cross reaction to histoplasmin. Serologic tests showed more poritive CF tests to Histoplasma than to Blastomyces so that the test appears of no practical value. Although 22 tissues were cultured on each dog, only 1 or 7 dogs was positive for B. dermatitidis by 2 weeks. At 4 weeks, 57% of the dogs were positive by culture and at 12, 15, and 16 weeks, all were positive. One dog developed eye lesions and became emaciated.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMed1973

Antibody responses to meningococcal polysaccharide vaccines.

Over the past 4 years 19 lots of group C polysaccharide vaccine and five lots of group A polysaccharide vaccine have been tested for their immunogenicity in man. For each lot tested, groups of 18 to 50 men received 50 mug of vaccine subcutaneously. Sera were obtained prior to and 2 weeks after vaccination. The analytical and serological methods used in these studies were Sepharose 4B chromatography for the estimation of molecular size, the radioactive antigen binding assay, and the indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test for measuring the antibody response. Results have shown that the radioactive antigen binding assay is preferable to the IHA test as a measure of antibody response. Group C meningococcal vaccines have been highly stable when stored at 4 C in powdered form. All lots of group C vaccine tested to date have been of equal potency, with molecular weight varying from 520,000 to 2,000,000. Group A polysaccharides have been found to be unstable after 2 years of storage at 4 C. Optimal antibody response to the group A vaccines appears to be directly related to the molecular size of the preparation.

Adult↗
PubMed1973

Survival of bacterial isolates exposed to simulated Jovian trapped radiation belt electrons and solar wind protons.

With missions to Jupiter, the spacecraft will be exposed for extended durations to solar wind radiation and the Jovian trapped radiation belt. This study is designed to determine the effect of these radiation environments on spacecraft bacterial isolates. The information can be used in the probability of contamination analysis for these missions. A bacterial subpopulation from Mariner Mars 1971 spacecraft (nine spore-forming and three non-spore-forming isolates) plus two comparative organisms, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 17917 and a strain of Bacillus subtilis var. niger, were exposed to 2, 12, and 25 MeV electrons at different doses with simultaneous exposure to a vacuum of 1.3 x 10(-4) N m-2 at 20 and -20 degrees C. The radioresistance of the subpopulation was dependent on the isolate, dose and energy of electrons. Temperature affected the radioresistance of only the spore-forming isolates. Survival data indicated that spores were reduced approximately 1 log/1500 J kg-1 (10 J kg-1=1 krad), while non-spore-forming isolates (micrococci) were reduced 1.5-2 logs/1500 J kg-1 with the exception of an apparent radioresistant isolate whose resistance approached that of the spores. The subpopulation was found to be less resistant to lower energy than to higher energy electrons. The bacterial isolates were exposed to 3 keV protons under the same conditions as the electrons with a total fluence of 1.5 x 10(13) p cm-2 and a dose rate of 8.6 x 10(9) p cm-2 s-1. The results showed that only 20% of S. epidermidis and 45% of B. subtilis populations survived exposure to the 3 keV protons, while the mean survival of the spacecraft subpopulation was 45% with a range from 31.8% (non-spore-former) to 64.8% (non-spore-former). No significant difference existed between spore-forming and non-spore-forming isolates.

Bacillus subtilis↗