Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D J Brenner

Publications and source records attributed to D J Brenner.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

A lyoluminescent tissue-equivalent dosemeter for pion therapy beams.

The light emitted when pion irradiated glucose is dissolved in luminol solution has been found to be proportional to the pion beam depth dose distribution in water as determined by a TE ionisation chamber. The lyoluminescence of glucose overlaps very closely with the response profile of the ionisation chamber to the 170 MeV/c pi--mesons giving a Bragg peak to plateau ratio of 3:1. In comparison, the thermoluminescence response of LiF (TLD-700) to pions has been found to deviate significantly from this ratio. The close tissue equivalence of glucose, non-toxicity and its excellent lyoluminescent retention properties are important advantages over currently used dosemeters in clinical pion therapy, especially when direct in vivo measurements are considered. Pion doses ranging between 0.5 Gy (50 rad) and 30 Gy (3000 rad) were measured with an accuracy +/- 5% and reproducibility 3-5%.

Elementary Particles↗

Legionella oakridgensis: unusual new species isolated from cooling tower water.

We describe a new species of Legionella represented by 10 strains isolated from industrial cooling towers. Legionella oakridgensis differed genetically from the other seven species of Legionella in DNA hybridization studies and differed serologically in direct fluorescent-antibody tests. The new species, unlike all other species except L. jordanis, did not require added L-cysteine for growth in serial transfer on charcoal-yeast extract agar. L. oakridgensis, as well as three other species tested, required L-cysteine for primary isolation from animal tissues. L. oakridgensis was the only species of Legionella that failed to produce alkaline phosphatase at pH 8.5. In all other respects, it resembled other species of Legionella, including having a high content of branched-chain cellular fatty acids and being pathogenic for guinea pigs. These bacteria have not yet been associated with human disease, but they are potential causes of legionellosis.

Air Conditioning↗

Virulence and phenotypic characterization of Yersinia enterocolitica isolated from humans in the United States.

Yersinia enterocolitica was recently reclassified into Yersinia enterocolitica sensu stricto and three additional species. With this new classification, it was of interest to reexamine pathogenicity previously ascribed to Y. enterocolitica. All available clinical isolates of Y. enterocolitica sent to the Centers for Disease Control from 1970 through 1980 were selected for characterization and comparison. One-hundred such strains had been submitted, from 21 states. Most (85%) were biotype 1, and O:8 was the most common of the 24 serotypes encountered. All strains were examined by several virulence assays. Two strains caused conjunctivitis in guinea pigs, 7 were lethal for mice, 54 invaded HEp2 cells, 18 produced a heat-stable enterotoxin, 9 were calcium dependent, 20 autoagglutinated, and 34 had a distinctive colonial morphology at 37 degrees C. Ten isolates of each of the new species that had previously been grouped with Y. enterocolitica (Y. kristensenii, Y. intermedia, and Y. frederiksenii) were characterized and were generally negative in all assays. This study points out pathogenicity differences among Yersinia species, confirms the complex nature of virulence in Y. enterocolitica, and confirms that no single current assay correlates with virulence in Y. enterocolitica.

Agglutination↗

Serogroups of Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter fetus defined by direct immunofluorescence.

Rabbits were inoculated with whole, formalinized Campylobacter jejuni, C. coli, and C. fetus cells; the C. jejuni and C. coli immunogens were identified by their DNA relatedness at the species level to the type strains of C. jejuni or C. coli. The designation C. coli was not used among the other C. jejuni strains; they were classified as hippurate-positive or hippurate-negative C. jejuni. Immunoglobulin G was isolated from the antisera and labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate. These conjugates defined 10 serogroups of C. jejuni, 2 serogroups of C. coli, and 2 serogroups of C. fetus. Of the 316 strains of C. jejuni tested, 258 (82%) were groupable; 173 were single-serogroup strains, and 85 were multiple-serogroup strains. Of the 226 strains in C. jejuni serogroups, 223 (98.7%) were hippurate positive; of the 27 strains in C. coli serogroups, 26 (96.3%) were hippurate negative. Five strains were equally reactive in immunofluorescent staining with a conjugate for a C. jejuni serogroup and a conjugate for a C. coli serogroup. A total of 58 strains of C. jejuni were ungroupable: 33 (13%) of the 259 hippurate-positive strains and 25 (44%) of the 57 hippurate-negative strains. All 121 strains of C. fetus tested were groupable as A, B, or A:B. The 14 conjugates used to define serogroups of C. jejuni, C. coli, and C. fetus reacted with the flagella but not the cells of other Campylobacter species and were negative on 256 other bacteria from 21 genera.

Animals↗

Providencia rustigianii: a new species in the family Enterobacteriaceae formerly known as Providencia alcalifaciens biogroup 3.

The name Providencia rustigianii sp. nov. is proposed for a group of organisms previously known as Providencia alcalifaciens biogroup 3. By DNA hybridization, strains of P. rustigianii were 81 to 99% related to each other at 60 degrees C, but only 44 to 49% related to P. alcalifaciens biogroups 1 and 2 and 26 to 33% related to Providencia stuartii. P. rustigianii could be differentiated from P. alcalifaciens and P. stuartii by simple biochemical tests. P. rustigianii produced acid from D-galactose but not from trehalose; P. stuartii produced acid from both; and P. alcalifaciens produced acid from neither. P. rustigianii could be distinguished from Providencia rettgeri (formerly Proteus rettgeri) by urea hydrolysis and acid production from D-arabitol; P. rustigianii was negative for these two tests, but P. rettgeri was positive. Strains of P. rustiganii were 32 to 34% related to strains of P. rettgeri. Three of the 11 strains of P. rustigianii were isolated from stools, but the sources of the other isolates are unknown. Three strains (27%) were sensitive to colistin, and 82 to 100% were sensitive to ampicillin, carbenicillin, cephalothin, gentamicin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, and tetracycline. Strain ATCC 33673 (CDC no. 0132-68) is the type strain for this species.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Vibrio furnissii (formerly aerogenic biogroup of Vibrio fluvialis), a new species isolated from human feces and the environment.

Strains formerly classified as the aerogenic (gas-producing) biogroup of Vibrio fluvialis were shown by DNA relatedness to be a separate species. The species was named Vibrio furnissii sp. nov. (type strain ATCC 35016 = CDC B3215). Three strains of V. furnissii were 79% or more related to the type strain of V. furnissii and about 50% related to the type strain of V. fluvialis. V. fluvialis strains were 40 to 64% related to the type strain of V. furnissii. Divergence in related sequences was only 0.0 to 1.5% among strains of V. furnissii and among strains of V. fluvialis but was 5.0 to 8.0% in interspecific reactions between V. fluvialis and V. furnissii. V. furnissii was aerogenic (produced gas from the fermentation of carbohydrates), whereas V. fluvialis was anaerogenic (did not produce gas from the fermentation of carbohydrates). Another test of some help in differentiating the two species was fermentation of L-rhamnose (57% positive for V. furnissii and negative for V. fluvialis). In addition to the reactions above, V. furnissii is distinguished from other salt-requiring vibrios on the basis of its positive reactions in tests for Møller L-arginine, L-arabinose, maltose, and D-mannitol and its negative reactions for Møller L-lysine and L-ornithine, lactose, and Voges-Proskauer. V. furnissii has been isolated from patients with acute gastroenteritis in at least two outbreaks of food poisoning; its role as a cause of diarrhea needs further study.

Acute Disease↗

Salmonellosis associated with marijuana: a multistate outbreak traced by plasmid fingerprinting.

In January and February of 1981, 85 cases of enteritis caused by Salmonella muenchen were reported from Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, and Alabama. Initial investigation failed to implicate a food source as a common vehicle, but in Michigan 76 per cent of the patients, in contrast to 21 per cent of the control subjects, admitted personal or household exposure to marijuana (P less than 0.001, relative risk = 20). Marijuana samples obtained from patients' households contained as many as 10(7) S. muenchen per gram. The outbreak-related isolates of S. muenchen were sensitive to all antibiotics and were phenotypically indistinguishable from other S. muenchen. Plasmid fingerprinting, however, revealed that all isolates related to marijuana exposure contained two low-molecular-weight plasmids (3.1 and 7.4 megadaltons), which were absent in control strains. Plasmid analysis of the isolates showed that the outbreaks in Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, and Alabama were related, and analysis of isolates submitted from various other states demonstrated that cases associated with marijuana may have been dispersed as far as California and Massachusetts.

Adult↗

An interpretation of some biological results obtained in range-modulated negative pion beams.

Recent biological date show little change in relative biological effectiveness (RBE) across the peak region of range-modulated pion beams in contrast to previous works which showed increasing RBE with depth. These biological results are shown to be consistent with each other and with previously measured microdosimetric data. The differences are attributed to differences in the lateral spread of the beams. Large lateral distributions result in an increased dose as a result of neutrons emitted in pion "stars" an effect that is quantified using a high-energy neutron transport code. For a large beam which is of the type used in therapy, the neutron dose is as much as 50% of the total "star" dose and of the high linear energy transfer (LET) dose, this percentage increasing peak volume. Preliminary measurements are in agreement with the calculated results. The rapid increase in neutron dose with field size should be an important factor in pion treatment planning.

Animals↗

Legionella jordanis: a new species of Legionella isolated from water and sewage.

Legionella jordanis sp. nov., as found in two cultures, is described. One isolate was from river water in Indiana and the other isolate was from sewage in DeKalb County, Ga. The former is the type strain of the species, and is designated BL-540 (ATCC 33623). L. jordanis had a partial relationship to L. bozemanii by direct fluorescent-antibody tests but was unrelated to L. pneumophila, L. dumoffii, L. micdadei, L. gormanii, or L. longbeachae. Legionella phenotypic characteristics, including large amounts of branched-chain cellular fatty acids, were shown by the isolates. Studies of DNA relatedness showed that the two cultures of L. jordanis were only slightly related to the six previously described species of Legionella but were more than 90% related to each other. Indirect fluorescent-antibody tests with human sera suggested that unrecognized human infections with L. jordanis may be occurring.

DNA, Bacterial↗

Identification of Vibrio hollisae sp. nov. from patients with diarrhea.

The name Vibrio hollisae (synonym = Special Bacteriology group EF-13) is proposed for a new group of 16 strains that occurred in stool cultures of patients with diarrhea. V. hollisae is a small gram-negative rod, which is motile with a single polar flagellum. No lateral or peritrichous flagella were observed, even when it was grown on a solid medium. Sodium chloride is required for growth, so V. hollisae is a halophilic vibrio. Strains were positive (36 degrees C, 24 or 48 h) for oxidase (Kovacs), indole production, nitrate reduction to nitrite, and fermentation of D-glucose (acid, no gas), L-arabinose, D-galactose, and D-mannose. Strains were negative for the following tests often used in enteric bacteriology: lipase (corn oil); deoxyribonuclease; gelatinase; methyl red; Voges-Proskauer; utilization of citrate, acetate, and malonate; L-lysine decarboxylase (Møllers); L-ornithine decarboxylase (Møllers); L-arginine dihydrolase (Møllers); growth in KCN medium; and acid production from D-adonitol, D-arabitol, cellobiose, dulcitol, erythritol, glycerol (25% delayed positive at 7 days), i-(myo)-inositol, lactose, maltose, D-mannitol, melibiose, alpha-methyl-D-glucoside, mucate, raffinose, L-rhamnose, salicin, D-sorbitol, sucrose, trehalose, and D-xylose. None of the strains was motile (semisolid medium) at 36 degrees C at 48 h, but by 7 days 88% were motile. The strains did not grow within 2 days when plated on thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) agar or MacConkey agar, but they grew on sheep blood agar and marine agar. By DNA-DNA hybridization (75 degrees C, hydroxyapatite with (32)P), V. hollisae was only 0 to 4% related to 21 named species in Vibrio and Photobacterium. The type strain is designated ATCC 33564, which has a mean guanineplus-cytosine content in DNA of 50 mol%. With the disk diffusion method V. hollisae had relatively large zones of inhibition around penicillin, ampicillin, carbenicillin, cephalothin, colistin, polymyxin B, streptomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and sulfadiazine. Future studies should focus on the isolation of this new vibrio and its ecology and relationship to human diseases.

Culture Media↗

Atypical biogroups of Escherichia coli found in clinical specimens and description of Escherichia hermannii sp. nov.

DNA relatedness was used to define the biochemical boundaries of Escherichia coli. A large number of biochemically atypical strains were shown to belong to biogroups of E. coli. These included strains negative in reactions for indole, all three decarboxylases, D-mannitol, lactose, or methyl red and strains positive in reactions for H2S, urea, citrate, KCN, adonitol, myo-inositol, or phenylalanine deaminase. Frequency and source data are presented for these atypical E. coli biogroups. One group of KCN-positive, cellobiose-positive, yellow-pigmented strains was 84 to 91% interrelated but only 35 to 45% related to E. coli. The name Escherichia hermannii sp. nov. is proposed for this group of organisms that was formerly called Enteric Group 11 by the Enteric Section, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA. Twenty-nine strains of E. hermannii have been isolated in the United States from a variety of clinical sources, principally wounds, sputum, and stools. Three additional strains were isolated from food. E. hermannii strains are gram-negative, oxidase-negative, fermentative, motile rods. In addition to yellow pigment and positive KCN and cellobiose tests, the biochemical reactions characteristic of 32 strains of E. hermannii were as follows: gas from D-glucose, acid from D-glucose, maltose, D-xylose, L-arabinose, L-rhamnose, and D-mannitol; no acid from adonitol or inositol; variable acid production from lactose and sucrose; positive tests for indole, methyl red, and mucate; negative tests for Voges-Proskauer. Simmons citrate, H2S, urea, phenylalanine deaminase, and gelatin hydrolysis; negative or delayed test for L-lysine decarboxylase and negative test for L-arginine dihydrolase; and positive test for ornithine decarboxylase. E. hermannii strains were resistant to penicillin, ampicillin, and carbenicillin and sensitive to other commonly used antibiotics. Wounds account for almost 50% of human isolates of E. hermannii, followed by sputum or lung isolates (ca. 25%) and stool isolates (20%).

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Evaluation of two Salmonella typhi strains with reduced virulence for use in teaching and proficiency testing.

A total of 21 cases of laboratory-acquired typhoid fever associated with teaching and proficiency tests occurred in the United States during a 33-month period, prompting a search for less virulent strains of S. typhi which would be suitable for teaching purposes. Two strains were evaluated which are reported to have reduced virulence for mice. Strain Ty21a is a genetically constructed mutant that lacks the enzyme UDP-glucose-4-epimerase. This strain has reduced virulence for humans if grown under special laboratory conditions (in the presence of 0.1% d-galactose) and has been evaluated as a candidate for use as a live, oral vaccine. Strain H901 was originally isolated in Russia in 1918. It has not been tested in humans, but its nonmotile variant, O901, has been found to be somewhat less virulent for humans; however, it can cause infection with doses of 10(7) organisms. In teaching exercises, all strains should be treated as though they are fully virulent. Ty21a and H901 were satisfactory, but not ideal, for teaching purposes. Biochemically, they could be identified by conventional tests and by commercially available diagnostic systems, although Ty21a was H(2)S negative. Serologically, both strains posed problems. Both Ty21a and H901 were Vi antigen negative, and Ty21a was rough and grew poorly. Both strains were susceptible to antibiotics, including chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and trimethoprim-sulfameth-oxazole. When Ty21a and H901 were mixed with Escherichia coli and plated, Hektoen and salmonella-shigella agars were most useful for their recovery. The appearance of Ty21a and H901 on differential plating media was typical, although Ty21a had smaller colonies. The plating efficiency on MacConkey agar for Ty21a was 0.6 compared with 1 for H901. Neither strain can be recommended unequivocally for teaching purposes; instead, the advantages and disadvantages of each must be considered. Both strains have been deposited in the American Type Culture Collection (Ty21a = ATCC 33459 = CDC 2861-79; H901 = ATCC 33458 = CDC 2862-79).

Agglutination Tests↗

Identification of Proteus penneri sp. nov., formerly known as Proteus vulgaris indole negative or as Proteus vulgaris biogroup 1.

The name Proteus penneri sp. nov. is proposed for a group of organisms previously called Proteus vulgaris indole negative or P. vulgaris biogroup 1. All of these strains were salicin negative, esculin negative, and chloramphenicol resistant (zone size, less than 14 mm). DNA relatedness studies indicated that when DNA from P. penneri strain 1808-73 was labeled and tested against unlabeled DNA from 13 other P penneri strains, a highly related group was formed (88 to 99% relatedness at 60 degrees C and 67 to 99% relatedness at 75 degrees C). Strain 1808-73 (ATCC 33519) is proposed as the type strain of P. penneri. In this study, two distinct groups of indole-positive P. vulgaris strains were also apparent. The first group (defined as P. vulgaris biogroup 2) was indole positive, salicin positive, and esculin positive, and the second group (defined as P. vulgaris biogroup 3) was indole positive, salicin negative, and esculin negative. The current type strain of P. vulgaris (ATCC 13315) belongs to biogroup 3. The DNA from P. penneri strains was not highly related to labeled DNA from the type strain of P. vulgaris (14 to 30% relatedness at 75 degrees C) or from P. vulgaris strain PR 1 (ATCC 29905), which belongs to biogroup 2 (27 to 33% relatedness at 75 degrees C). Strains of biogroup 2 were sensitive to chloramphenicol (zone size, greater than 19mm), and 10 of these strains formed a highly related group by DNA hybridization when DNA from PR 1 was labeled (64 to 100% relatedness at 60 degrees C and 70 to 100% relatedness at 75 degrees C), but they were not highly relatedness to the type strain of P. vulgaris (51 to 68% relatedness at 60 degrees C and 14 to 44% relatedness at 75 degrees C). Further DNA relatedness studies are needed on strains of biogroup 3 before a definitive taxonomic proposal can be made for these two indole-positive biogroups.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Escherichia vulneris: a new species of Enterobacteriaceae associated with human wounds.

The name Escherichia vulneris sp. nov. (formerly called Alma group 1 and Enteric group 1 by the Centers for Disease Control and API group 2 by Analytab Products, Inc.) is proposed for a group of isolates from the United States and Canada, 74% of which were from human wounds. E. vulneris is a gram-negative, oxidase-negative, fermentative, motile rod with the characteristics of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Biochemical reactions characteristic of 61 E. vulneris strains were positive tests for methyl red, malonate, and lysine decarboxylase; a delayed positive test for arginine dihydrolase; acid production from d-mannitol, l-arabinose, raffinose, l-rhamnose, d-xylose, trehalose, cellobiose, and melibiose; negative tests for Voges-Proskauer, indole, urea, H(2)S, citrate, ornithine decarboxylase, phenylalanine deaminase, and DNase; and no acid from dulcitol, adonitol, myo-inositol, and d-sorbitol. Two-thirds of the strains produced yellow pigment. Most strains gave negative or delayed positive reactions in tests for lactose, sucrose, and KCN. The E. vulneris strains tested were resistant to penicillin and clindamycin, were resistant or showed intermediate zones of inhibition to carbenicillin and erythromycin, and were susceptible to 14 other antibiotics. DNA relatedness of 15 E. vulneris strains to the type strain averaged 75% in reactions at 60 degrees C and 69% in reactions at 75 degrees C, indicating that they comprise a separate species. DNA relatedness to other species in the family Enterobacteriaceae was 6 to 39%, an indication that this new species belongs in the family. E. vulneris showed the highest relatedness to species of Escherichia (25 to 39%) and Enterobacter (24 to 35%). On the basis of biochemical similarity, the new species was placed in the genus Escherichia. The type strain of E. vulneris is ATCC 33821 (CDC 875-72).

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Serological comparison of two collections of Vibrio cholerae non O1.

Two large, independently obtained collections of vibrio cholerae non O1, containing 59 and 67 reference strains, respectively, were compared serologically in four laboratories. Twenty strains in each collection were considered identical, and an additional 16 strains in each collection were probably identical. Twenty-eight unique strains were identified, and inconclusive results were obtained with 25 strains. Nine strains were not considered V. cholerae in at least one testing laboratory. Of these, five showed insufficient correspondence to V. cholerae O1 by DNA hybridization to be considered V. cholerae.

Agglutination Tests↗

Confirmation of aerogenic strains of Shigella boydii 13 and further study of Shigella serotypes by DNA relatedness.

Shigella boydii 13 strains are separable from other Shigella and Escherichia coli strains on the basis of DNA relatedness. From this observation, it was possible to confirm the existence of aerogenic S. boydii 13 strains. DNA relatedness studies also showed that strains of E. coli and strains representing all other serotypes of Shigella, including provisional strains, belong to the same genetic species.

DNA, Bacterial↗

Legionella wadsworthii species nova: a cause of human pneumonia.

A new species of Legionella that caused pneumonia in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia has been characterized. The Legionella wadsworthii species nova is proposed for this bacterium. The type strain is Wadsworth 81-716A (American Type Culture Collection 33877). The new species differs phenotypically from L. pneumophila in that the predominant cellular fatty acid is methyl-12-methyltetradecanoic acid (a-15:0) rather than methyl-14-methylpentadecanoic acid (i-16:0), and in its failure to react with L. pneumophila antiserum. The clinical illness caused by L. wadsworthii was not apparently different from that seen with other legionella infections, except for prolonged fever and slow resolution of pulmonary infiltrates.

Aged↗