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Biomedical subjects

C R Sterling

Publications and source records attributed to C R Sterling.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Cryptosporidiosis facilitated by murine retroviral infection with LP-BM5.

LP-BM5 murine leukemia virus infection caused alterations in splenic T cell subsets in adult C57BL/6 female mice. Prolonged infection resulted in increased immunosuppression and a concomitant decreased resistance to Cryptosporidium parvum infection. Significant Cryptosporidium colonization of the intestinal villi was seen 10 days after oral challenge in mice infected with murine retrovirus for 3 months but not in non-virally infected controls. Parasite numbers per villus of retrovirally infected mice were 20-fold higher than in controls, which showed only occasional parasites. Feces from most virally infected mice but none from controls contained oocysts. Cryptosporidium infection in mice after 4 and 5 months of retroviral infection was accompanied by severe immunosuppression and parasite levels 50-5000 times higher than in controls. A high level of infection persisted 21 days after Cryptosporidium challenge in virally infected mice, while controls cleared their transient and marginal infection. These results further characterize LP-BM5 infection as a murine model of retrovirally induced acquired immune deficiency.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Effects of ozone, chlorine dioxide, chlorine, and monochloramine on Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst viability.

Purified Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts were exposed to ozone, chlorine dioxide, chlorine, and monochloramine. Excystation and mouse infectivity were comparatively evaluated to assess oocyst viability. Ozone and chlorine dioxide more effectively inactivated oocysts than chlorine and monochloramine did. Greater than 90% inactivation as measured by infectivity was achieved by treating oocysts with 1 ppm of ozone (1 mg/liter) for 5 min. Exposure to 1.3 ppm of chlorine dioxide yielded 90% inactivation after 1 h, while 80 ppm of chlorine and 80 ppm of monochloramine required approximately 90 min for 90% inactivation. The data indicate that C. parvum oocysts are 30 times more resistant to ozone and 14 times more resistant to chlorine dioxide than Giardia cysts exposed to these disinfectants under the same conditions. With the possible exception of ozone, the use of disinfectants alone should not be expected to inactivate C. parvum oocysts in drinking water.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Identification of isolate-specific sporozoite proteins of Cryptosporidium parvum by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Five isolates of Cryptosporidium parvum collected from human, horse, and calf sources were compared for differences in sporozoite protein patterns by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Silver-stained two-dimensional gels contained over 300 protein spots from detergent-solubilized sporozoites. A distinguishing 106-kilodalton peptide that shifted in isoelectric point was detected in four of the five isolates. Computerized two-dimensional gel analysis was performed to obtain objective quantitation of the pI shift. Three of these four isolates could be differentiated from one other by the pI shift in this peptide. The fifth isolate was distinguished by the absence of the 106-kilodalton peptide and the presence of a 40-kilodalton peptide that was not observed in any other isolate.

Alabama↗
PubMed1990

Endemic Cryptosporidium and Giardia lamblia infections in a Thai orphanage.

We conducted a point prevalence survey for enteric protozoa in 205 institutionalized orphans 1-61 months of age in Bangkok, Thailand. Cryptosporidium was identified in 17 children (8%), Giardia lamblia in 42 (20%), and 3 children (1%) had both parasites. At the time of diagnosis, diarrheal symptoms were present in a minority of subjects: 36% of children with Cryptosporidium alone, 10% with G. lamblia alone, and in 20% of those with neither parasite. Although chronic nutritional status (height/age) was similar in all groups, acute nutritional status (weight/height) was lower only in children with Cryptosporidium (Z score = -1.39 +/- 0.13) compared with children with G. lamblia (mean Z score +/- SEM = -0.56 +/- 0.26) or neither parasite (Z score = -0.78 +/- 0.13; P = 0.05). Detectable levels of Cryptosporidium-specific IgG antibodies by ELISA were identified in 15 of 16 Thai children with Cryptosporidium and in 17 of 19 Thai children without Cryptosporidium (mean OD +/- SEM = 1.27 +/- 0.18 vs. 1.06 +/- 0.13, respectively), but in only 1 of 18 sera from toddlers in day-care centers in Denver, CO (OD = 0.128 +/- 0.03). Although neither infection with Cryptosporidium nor G. lamblia was consistently associated with acute diarrheal symptoms, Cryptosporidium was more often associated with depressed acute nutritional status than G. lamblia. The high prevalence of specific antibodies to Cryptosporidium in Thai orphans suggests an association between high rates of exposure with asymptomatic excretion of the parasites.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Effects of immune colostrum and orally administered antisporozoite monoclonal antibodies on the outcome of Cryptosporidium parvum infections in neonatal mice.

A neonatal BALB/c mouse model of cryptosporidiosis was used to examine the potential passive transfer of immunity via immune colostrum and oral treatment with anticryptosporidial monoclonal antibodies. Neonates suckled by dams that recovered from Cryptosporidium parvum infections were equally susceptible to infection as their control counterparts suckled by naive dams. Parasite loads among the control and immune colostrum-fed mice were indistinguishable. Neonates receiving orally administered antisporozoite monoclonal antibodies were equally susceptible to infections compared with the control and immune colostrum-fed mice. Parasite loads among the mice receiving daily oral treatment with monoclonal antibody mixtures exhibited significantly lower parasite loads compared with the control mice (P less than 0.05).

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1989

Comparison of conventional staining methods and monoclonal antibody-based methods for Cryptosporidium oocyst detection.

The sensitivity and specificity of seven microscopy-based Cryptosporidium oocyst detection methods were compared after application to unconcentrated fecal smears. The seven methods were as follows: (i) a commercial acid-fast (AF) stain (VOLU-SOL) method, (ii) Truant auramine-rhodamine (AR) stain method, (iii) fluorescein-conjugated C1B3 monoclonal antibody (MAb) direct fluorescence method, (iv) OW3 MAb indirect fluorescence method, (v) biotinylated OW3 indirect fluorescence method, (vi) biotinylated OW3-indirect diaminobenzidine (DAB) method, and (vii) biotinylated OW3-aminoethylcarbazole (AEC) method. A total of 281 randomly collected Formalin-fixed fecal samples (submitted to the Maricopa County Health Department, Phoenix, Ariz.) and 30 known positives (Formalin-fixed and K2Cr2O7-preserved stools from our laboratory) were examined in a blind test; 32 of 311 samples (10.3%) were confirmed positive. Of the confirmed positives, 40.6% were identified by the AF method, 93.8% were identified by the AR method, 93.8% were identified by the C1B3 method, 81.3% were identified by the OW3-DAB method, 71.9% were identified by the OW3-AEC method, 100% were identified by the OW3 indirect fluorescence method, and 100% were identified by the biotinylated OW3 indirect fluorescence method. False-positives were encountered by the AF and AR methods (52.0 and 85.7% specificity, respectively), while no false-positives encountered by the MAb-based methods. Oocysts in infected tissue sections were easily detected by the MAb-based methods.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Cryptosporidiosis and surface water.

In the period July through October, 1986, 78 laboratory-confirmed cases of cryptosporidiosis were identified in New Mexico. To determine possible risk factors for development of this disease, we conducted a case-control study; 24 case-patients and 46 neighborhood controls were interviewed. Seventeen (71 per cent) of the 24 case-patients were females, seven (29%) were males; their ages ranged from 4 months to 44 years, median 3 years. There was a strong association between drinking surface water and illness: five of the 24 case-patients, but none of the 46 controls drank untreated surface water. Among children, illness was also associated with attending a day care center where other children were ill (odds ratio = 13.1).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Antigens of Cryptosporidium sporozoites recognized by immune sera of infected animals and humans.

The humoral response of humans, calves, and horses to Cryptosporidium sporozoite antigens was evaluated using a western blot technique. Sera from calves, humans, and horses were obtained at various times following the detection of infection. Sera were reacted with detergent-solubilized, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel-electrophoresed (SDS-PAGE) sporozoite antigens. The number of antigens recognized by immune sera from humans and animals increased with time postinfection. A 20-kDa antigen appears to be a major sporozoite surface determinant labeled via membrane protein biotinylation and recognized by mouse monoclonal antibodies using indirect immunofluorescence and western blotting. Detectable recognition of the 20-kDa band occurred in 3-wk postinfection (PI) sera from all species tested. Reactivity to the 20-kDa band diminished significantly in sera 5 mo PI or longer from infected humans with no known recurrence of cryptosporidial diarrhea. In contrast, 12-mo PI sera from an individual constantly exposed to oocysts under working conditions was as strongly reactive as the 3-wk convalescent sera. Serum reactivity to the 20-kDa antigen appears to be a good indicator of exposure to Cryptosporidium.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Field inversion gel electrophoretic separation of Cryptosporidium spp. chromosome-sized DNA.

Chromosomal DNA from 5 isolates of Cryptosporidium parvum and 1 of C. baileyi were compared by field-inversion gel electrophoresis (FIGE). FIGE analyses of parasite DNA prepared from purified sporozoites versus intact oocysts showed no observable differences. Chromosomal DNA migration patterns of the 5 C. parvum isolates were indistinguishable, whereas similar but distinct differences were evident between C. baileyi and the isolates of C. parvum. Oocyst-reactive monoclonal antibodies differentiated oocysts of C. parvum from those of C. baileyi but were unable to distinguish oocysts of 1 isolate of C. parvum from another.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Detection of Cryptosporidium in water by using polypropylene cartridge filters.

Members of the genus Cryptosporidium are protozoan parasites that cause gastroenteritis in humans and animals and appear to be spread largely by the fecal-oral route. A method was developed for the concentration and detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in water to assess their occurrence in the environment and potential for waterborne disease transmission. This method was developed by using spun polypropylene cartridge filters. Optimal conditions for concentration, filter elution, filter porosity, and detection were determined. Fluoresceinated monoclonal antibodies were used for oocyst detection. Experiments also were conducted to study the effect of flow rate, low oocyst numbers, and the addition of detergents on recovery and retention of oocysts. The method that was developed was sensitive enough to detect oocysts at levels of less than 1 per liter. Using this method, we isolated Cryptosporidium oocysts from secondarily treated sewage.

Coccidia↗
PubMed1987

Isolation of Cryptosporidium oocysts and sporozoites using discontinuous sucrose and isopycnic Percoll gradients.

Techniques for the large-scale isolation of Cryptosporidium oocysts and sporozoites, obtained from the feces of experimentally infected Holstein calves, were developed employing discontinuous sucrose gradients and isopycnic Percoll gradients. The oocyst recovery method utilized 2 sequential discontinuous sucrose gradients followed by 1 Percoll gradient. Recovered oocysts were essentially free of debris and bacteria and represented 34% of the original oocyst suspension. Sporozoites were recovered from excystation mixtures on a single Percoll gradient. Sixty-three percent of the original sporozoites were recovered with 2.2% contamination by intact oocysts and virtually no oocyst walls.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Occurrence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in sewage effluents and selected surface waters.

An existing method for the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in water was modified to investigate oocyst prevalence in large volumes of water. Surface waters and sewage effluents were filtered, eluted from the filter, and concentrated using centrifugation. The resultant pellet was then homogenized, sonicated, and placed on a sucrose gradient to separate oocysts from the sediment. The uppermost gradient layer was then examined by immunofluorescence using a labeled monoclonal antibody. Using this technique, average numbers of oocysts detected in raw and treated sewage were 5.18 X 10(3) and 1.30 X 10(3)/L, respectively. Filtered sewage effluents had significantly lower numbers of oocysts (10.0/L). These data show that sand filtration may reduce the concentrations of this parasite in waste waters. Highly variable oocyst numbers were encountered in surface waters. Since Cryptosporidium oocysts are frequently present in environmental waters, they could be responsible for waterborne outbreaks of disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

In vitro isolation of Plasmodium chabaudi merozoites by continuous flow ultrasound, cell sieving, concanavalin A-affinity chromatography and poly-L-lysine coated bead support columns.

Techniques of merozoite isolation based on continuous flow ultrasound, cell sieving, Concanavalin A-affinity chromatography and cationically charged bead support columns were compared using the rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium chabaudi. While each technique proved useful in isolating merozoites in reasonable numbers, the use of Con A-Sepharose 4B columns consistently provided the greatest numbers which were free of host cell contaminating membrane material and which were invasive to cells both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, Con A-Sepharose columns could be regenerated using alpha methyl-D mannoside. These results, when considered in light of merozoite isolation procedures used for other malarial species, indicated that the host-parasite model system had a bearing on which merozoite isolation technique was most likely to be successful.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Urban rats as chronic carriers of leptospirosis: an ultrastructural investigation.

Kidneys of six wild-trapped, adult Norway rats with high agglutinating titers to Leptospira icterohaemmorhagiae were examined ultrastructurally. Although many leptospires were seen in the lumen of proximal kidney tubules, few changes in epithelial cells of this region were found. The predominant lesion in chronic rat leptospirosis was diffuse interstitial nephritis. Principal kidney lesions were proximal tubule cell basement membrane thickening with or without the presence of granular particles, and an interstitial response that varied from mixed hypercellular to chiefly plasmacytic. The association of leptospires with membrane-bound protein droplets of the proximal kidney tubules may be important in the maintenance of the chronic carrier state in rat leptospirosis.

Animals↗