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Biomedical subjects

D O Cliver

Publications and source records attributed to D O Cliver.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Cryptosporidium parvum development in the BS-C-1 cell line.

Cryptosporidium parvum is a worldwide parasitic protozoon capable of causing life-threatening disease in immunocompromised patients. In vitro cultivation of C. parvum has been under investigation for development of a well-defined in vitro model for C. parvum infectivity assay. This is the first report of C. parvum completing its life cycle in BS-C-1, an African green monkey kidney cell line. Both sodium hypochlorite-stimulated oocysts and purified sporozoites were able to initiate infection that led to completion of the whole life cycle, although inoculating purified sporozoites was less efficient. Beside Giemsa staining and normal light microscopy, an indirect fluorescent antibody staining method was developed to facilitate the detection and interpretation of C. parvum life stages developed in vitro. A C. parvum-specific polymerase chain reaction was also applied to detect and confirm the presence of C. parvum life stages in liquid from oocyst-infected cell cultures. In addition to the 452-base-pair (bp) product that can be specifically amplified from C. parvum oocysts and sporozoites, a fragment near 280 bp was also obtained. Various applications of this in vitro culture system are envisioned.

Animals↗

Elution and reconcentration of coliphages in water from positively charged membrane filters with urea-arginine phosphate buffer.

Coliphages in drinking water and waste water samples have been adsorbed onto positively charged membrane filters, eluted with urea-arginine phosphate buffer (UAPB), reconcentrated, and detected with Escherichia coli C (ATCC 13706). The proposed membrane filter-based UAPB method for concentration and detection of coliphages compares favorably with the beef extract elution and reconcentration procedure and also with the proposed coliphage detection procedure described in Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. The higher recovery of coliphages with UAPB elution from positively charged membrane filters is attributed to testing the whole volume of concentrated sample, rather than partial analysis of the sample as in the procedure described in Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, especially when the titre is very low.

Arginine↗

Replication of coliphage Q beta as affected by host cell number, nutrition, competition from insusceptible cells and non-FRNA coliphages.

F-specific RNA (FRNA) coliphages, which infect Escherichia coli by attachment to F pili, might serve as indicators of human enteric viruses in groundwater, provided these phages do not replicate in groundwater and replicate only to a limited extent in wastewater. Several factors that could influence phage replication in either of these environments were examined. Q beta did not replicate when host cells were fewer than 10(4) cfu ml-1. Replication selected for insusceptible cells when Q beta was incubated with its E. coli host. Loss of Q beta, presumably by inactivation, occurred in autoclaved on-site and urban wastewater, autoclaved groundwater, and in filter-sterilized spent LB broth. Replication did not occur in LB broth diluted with sterile saline to 1% of its original strength, which indicates that replication of FRNA coliphages cannot occur in such nutrient-poor environments as wastewater and groundwater. Competition from non-FRNA coliphages and insusceptible cells tended to reduce Q beta replication, as predicted, but phage yields unexpectedly increased significantly when Enterococcus faecalis was added to cultures.

Allolevivirus↗

Magnetic immunoseparation PCR assay (MIPA) for detection of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in American oyster (Crassostrea virginica).

In order to detect the low numbers of hepatitis A viral (HAV) particles which may potentially be present in food and cause a serious illness, an original procedure which combines immunomagnetic separation and PCR is described. The use of streptavidin magnetic beads coated with biotinylated human anti-HAV IgG allows virus capture and the removal of the RT-PCR inhibitory compounds which usually are present in shellfish extracts. Following immunomagnetic capture, the separated HAV were lysed, the beads discarded, and the supernatant containing the viral RNA subjected to the RT-PCR protocol. Levels of HAV ranging from 10 to 10(5) pfu were successfully detected in artificially contaminated samples of shucked American oyster (Crassostrea virginica).

Animals↗

Immunomagnetic capture PCR to detect viable Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts from environmental samples.

A method to detect viable Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts was developed. Polyclonal immunoglobulin G against C. parvum oocyst and sporozoite surface antigens was purified from rabbit immune serum, biotinylated, and bound to streptoavidin-coated magnetic particles. C. parvum oocysts were captured by a specific antigen-antibody reaction and magnetic separation. The oocysts were then induced to excyst, and DNA was extracted by heating at 95 degrees C for 10 min. A 452-bp fragment of C. parvum DNA was amplified by using a pair of C. parvum-specific primers in PCR. The method detected as few as 10 oocysts in purified preparations and from 30 to 100 oocysts inoculated in fecal samples. The immunomagnetic capture PCR (IC-PCR) product was identified and characterized by a nested PCR that amplified a 210-bp fragment, followed by restriction endonuclease digestion of the IC-PCR and nested-PCR products at the StyI site and a nonradioactive hybridization using an internal oligonucleotide probe labeled with biotin. PCR specificity was also tested, by using DNAs from other organisms as templates. In the control experiments, inactivated oocysts were undetectable, indicating the ability of this method to differentiate between viable and nonviable oocysts. Thus, this system can be used to specifically detect viable C. parvum oocysts in environmental samples with great sensitivity, providing an efficient way to monitor the environment for C. parvum contamination.

Animals↗

Virus transmission via food.

Viruses are transmitted to humans via foods as a result of direct or indirect contamination of the foods with human faeces. Viruses transmitted by a faecal-oral route are not strongly dependent on foods as vehicles of transmission, but viruses are important among agents of foodborne disease. Vehicles are most often molluscs from contaminated waters, but many other foods are contaminated directly by infected persons. The viruses most often foodborne are the hepatitis A virus and the Norwalk-like gastroenteritis viruses. Detection methods for these viruses in foods are very difficult and costly; the methods are not routine. Indicators that would rapidly and reliably suggest the presence of viral contamination of foods are still being sought. Contamination can be prevented by keeping faeces out of food or by treating vehicles such as water in order to inactivate virus that might be carried to food in this way. Virus cannot multiply in food, but can usually be inactivated by adequate heating. Other methods of inactivating viruses within a food are relatively unreliable, but viruses in water and on exposed surfaces can be inactivated with ultraviolet light or with strong oxidizing agents.

Caliciviridae Infections↗

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli detected in foods by PCR and an enzyme-linked oligonucleotide probe.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and an enzyme-linked oligonucleotide probe hybridization assay were developed for the detection of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in ground beef, chicken, pork and raw milk. Two synthetic primers, one of which was biotinylated, were used in the PCR to amplify a fragment of the E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) gene. The identity of the amplified products was confirmed by liquid hybridization using a horseradish peroxidase-linked internal oligonucleotide probe in a 96-well microplate coated with streptavidin. The final quantitation of the PCR products was performed by a colorimetric reaction. Under established conditions (including 1 min at 60 degrees C for primer annealing and extension in PCR cycles), this method detected all 7 LT-producing E. coli pathogenic for humans, but did not detect all 7 LT-positive E. coli of animal origin 3 E. coli strains that do not produce LT, and 9 other bacteria. Under less stringent PCR conditions (55 degrees C for annealing and extension), 2 strains of LT-producing E. coli of porcine origin were detected while the results of other bacterial strains remained unchanged. In pure cultures, the detection limit of the method was 1.4 colony forming units (CFU). Prior to PCR amplification, all food samples inoculated with an LT-producing ETEC, were subjected to enrichment in brain heart infusion broth for 8 h at 37 degrees C. From these cultures, 10 microliters was heated at 95 degrees C for 10 min and directly used in the PCR. An initial inoculum of as few as 1.2 to 12 CFU of the LT-producing ETEC per 25 g (or ml) of food sample gave a positive reaction.

Animals↗

Microorganisms in honey.

Knowledge of the moisture and temperature conditions influencing growth of microorganisms in honey has long been used to control the spoilage of honey. However, the need for additional microbiological data on honey will increase as new technologies for, and uses of honey develop. Microorganisms in honey may influence quality or safety. Due to the natural properties of honey and control measures in the honey industry, honey is a product with minimal types and levels of microbes. Microbes of concern in post-harvest handling are those that are commonly found in honey (i.e., yeasts and spore-forming bacteria), those that indicate the sanitary or commercial quality of honey (i.e., coliforms and yeasts), and those that under certain conditions could cause human illness. Primary sources of microbial contamination are likely to include pollen, the digestive tracts of honey bees, dust, air, earth and nectar, sources which are very difficult to control. The same secondary (after-harvest) sources that influence any food product are also sources of contamination for honey. These include air, food handlers, cross-contamination, equipment and buildings. Secondary sources of contamination are controlled by good manufacturing practices. The microbes of concern in honey are primarily yeasts and spore-forming bacteria. Total plate counts from honey samples can vary from zero to tens of thousands per gram for no apparent reason. Most samples of honey contain detectable levels of yeasts. Although yeast counts in many honey samples are below 100 colony forming units per gram (cfu/g), yeasts can grow in honey to very high numbers. Standard industry practices control yeast growth. Bacterial spores, particularly those in the Bacillus genus, are regularly found in honey. The spores of C. botulinum are found in a fraction of the honey samples tested-normally at low levels. No vegetative forms of disease-causing bacterial species have been found in honey. Bacteria do not replicate in honey and as such high numbers of vegetative bacteria could indicate recent contamination from a secondary source. Certain vegetative microbes can survive in honey, at cool temperatures, for several years. However, honey has anti-microbial properties that discourage the growth or persistence of many microorganisms. Typically, honey can be expected to contain low numbers and a limited variety of microbes. A routine microbiological examination of honey might include several different assays. A standard plate count provides general information. Specialized tests, such as a count of yeasts and an assay for bacterial spore-formers, may also be useful. An indicator of sanitary quality as provided by coliform counts might be included. Additional tests, to explain unusually high counts or address a certain problem, may be needed. The use of honey in products that receive no or limited heat treatment may require additional tests. More information on the source and control of microbes in honey is needed to answer the concerns currently facing the industry.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Persistence of inoculated hepatitis A virus in mixed human and animal wastes.

The persistence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) was determined both in mixtures of septic tank effluent (STE) with dairy cattle manure slurry (DCMS) and in mixtures of STE with swine manure slurry (SMS). HAV was consistently inactivated more rapidly in the two types of mixed wastes than in STE alone or in the control Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). At 5 degrees C, the D values (time, in days, for a 90% reduction of virus titer) were 34.6 for the mixed STE and DCMS, 48.5 for the mixed STE and SMS, 58.5 for STE, and 217.4 for the Dulbecco's PBS control. At 22 degrees C, the D values were 23.0, 17.1, 35.1, and 90.1 for the four suspension media, respectively. A comparison of HAV inactivation in mixed wastes subjected to different treatments at the same pH and temperatures showed that the virus inactivation in the mixed wastes was related, at least in part, to microbial activity. In mixed STE and DCMS, the D values at 25 degrees C were 8.3 for raw mixed wastes, 15.1 for autoclaved mixed wastes, and 9.6 for bacterium-free filtrate of raw mixed wastes; D values at 37 degrees C were 6.8, 10.1, and 7.0 for these three suspension media, respectively. In mixed STE and SMS, the D values at 25 degrees C were 8.1 for raw mixed wastes, 14.3 for autoclaved mixed wastes, and 9.1 for bacterium-free filtrate of raw mixed wastes; the D values at 37 degrees C were 6.8, 9.4, and 6.9 for the three suspensions, respectively.

Animals↗

Effects of temperature and host cell growth phase on replication of F-specific RNA coliphage Q beta.

Human enteric viruses have been found in groundwater in the absence of fecal coliforms. Because detection of human enteric viruses is costly, time-consuming, and lacking in sensitivity, F-specific RNA (FRNA) coliphages, which infect Escherichia coli by attachment to F pili, are being examined for suitability as indicators of human enteric viruses in groundwater. Temperatures and host cell growth conditions that constrain F-pilus expression will limit FRNA coliphage replication in groundwater and wastewater, as is desirable in an indicator. Below 25 degrees C F-pilus synthesis ceases; FRNA coliphage Qbeta did not replicate below this temperature in batch cultures. One-step replication studies indicated that the replicative cycle is prolonged and that fewer progeny are released as the temperature decreases. The decreases in phage replication observed in the one-step replication studies were a consequence of fewer cells infected as the temperature was lowered or as host cells entered stationary phase. The numbers of phage particles released from infected cells did not change. The minimum temperature for replication of Qbeta, 25 degrees C, is not maintained in wastewater and does not occur in Wisconsin groundwater. On the basis of temperature and host cell growth phase, we have concluded that extensive replication of FRNA coliphages does not occur in wastewater and groundwater in Wisconsin and areas with similar cool climates.

Anaerobiosis↗

Detection of hepatitis A virus in environmental samples by antigen-capture PCR.

The efficacy of the antigen-capture PCR (AC-PCR) method for the detection of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in environmental samples was demonstrated. HAV was captured from a seeded liquid waste or a shellfish sample with homologous antibody and then heat denatured and subjected to reverse transcription and the PCR, all in the same tube. Subsequently, the AC-PCR products were analyzed by oligonucleotide probe hybridization in solution, agarose gel electrophoresis, and autoradiography. The AC-PCR detected as little as 0.053 PFU of cell culture-adapted HAV strain HM175/18f. The results of cDNA-RNA hybridization indicated that the particle/PFU ratio of this virus strain is approximately 79:1. Therefore, the detection limit of the AC-PCR was estimated to be four virus particles. No amplified products were observed when poliovirus 1, coxsackievirus A9, coxsackievirus B3, echovirus 6, reovirus 1, adenovirus type 40, human rotavirus type 1, and bovine enterovirus type 2 were tested, confirming the specificity of the assay. There were no differences between the nucleotide sequences of AC-PCR products of HAV strain HM175/18f and the sequences of wild-type HAV strain HM175 derived from molecularly cloned cDNA. Of 121 waste and shellfish samples tested by both plaque assays (PA) in cell cultures and the AC-PCR, 81 (67%) were positive and 31 (26%) were negative as determined by both methods, whereas 9 (7%) were positive as determined by the AC-PCR and negative as determined by the PA, and none were positive as determined by the PA and negative as determined by the AC-PCR.

Base Sequence↗

Inactivation of poliovirus type 1 in mixed human and swine wastes and by bacteria from swine manure.

The persistence of poliovirus type 1 (PO1) in mixed septic tank effluent and swine manure slurry was determined, and the antiviral effects of several bacterial cultures isolated from swine manure slurry were demonstrated. In two field experiments, PO1 was consistently inactivated more rapidly in the mixed waste than in the control Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (D-PBS). D values (time [in days] for a 90% reduction of virus titer) were 18.7 and 29.9 for the mixed waste and 56.5 and 51.8 for the D-PBS control, respectively. The virus inactivation in the mixed waste was temperature dependent. A comparison of PO1 inactivation in raw mixed waste, autoclaved mixed waste, and bacterium-free filtrate of raw mixed waste at the same pH and temperatures provided an initial demonstration that the virus inactivation in the mixed waste is related, at least in part, to microbial activity. At 25 degrees C, the D value was 6.8 for the mixed waste, 11.2 for the autoclaved mixed waste, and 10.5 for the bacterium-free filtrate of raw mixed waste. At 37 degrees C, D values were 1.3, 3.9, and 3.1 for these three suspending media, respectively. Three bacterial isolates which had shown antiviral effects in a screening test each caused virus inactivation in autoclaved mixed waste, in which the effect of other microorganisms was excluded. Inhibition of PO1 inactivation by protease inhibitors suggests that the virus inactivation in the mixed waste was due in part to proteolytic enzymes produced by bacteria in the waste.

Animals↗

Degradation of Giardia lamblia cysts in mixed human and swine wastes.

This study was conducted to determine the persistence of Giardia lamblia cysts in mixed septic tank effluent and swine manure slurry and to correlate fluorescein diacetate-propidium iodide staining of G. lamblia cysts with their morphology under low-voltage scanning electron microscopy. Under field conditions, G. lamblia cysts were degraded more rapidly in the mixed waste than in the control Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). For total and viable cysts, the mixed waste had D values (time for a 90% reduction in number of cysts) of 18.3 and 15.5 days, and the Dulbecco's PBS control had D values of 41.6 and 26.8 days. The rates of cyst degradation in septic tank effluent and in Dulbecco's PBS were similar. Increasing the proportion of swine manure slurry in the mixed waste favored degradation of the parasite. These results indicate that the mixed waste treatment was the predominant factor affecting the cyst persistence and that it was swine manure slurry that played the role of degrading the parasite. Visualization of viable and nonviable Giardia cysts with low-voltage scanning electron microscopy revealed an excellent correlation between the viability of the cysts determined by fluorescein diacetate-propidium iodide staining and their electron microscopic morphology.

Animals↗

Coxsackievirus-cell interactions that initiate infection in porcine ileal explants.

Coxsackievirus B5 (CB5) labeled with tritiated uridine was used to trace the interaction of the virus with explant cultures of porcine ileum. Similarly labeled human poliovirus 1 (PO 1), which is not specifically retained by porcine tissue, was used as a control. The explant procedure employed could maintain ileal tissue in a differentiated state for up to 48 hours. Porcine ileum was acquired from both young (4-6 week-old) and adult (9-11 month-old) animals. Inoculated explants of either absorptive or lymphoid tissue were incubated at temperatures selected to permit either viral adsorption or penetration and elution to occur. Retention of radioactive virus was quantitated by liquid scintillation counting and localized by autoradiography. Only in absorptive tissue explants from young animals did adsorption of CB5 at 6 degrees C exceed penetration at 37 degrees C. This suggested that incubation at 6 degrees C may not be an appropriate condition for studying enterovirus adsorption in explants. CB5 penetrated most efficiently into lymphoid tissue explants from young animals, indicating that these tissues could discriminate between CB5 and PO 1. In explants from adults, CB5 penetrated equally well into lymphoid and absorptive tissues. Virus penetrated into the absorptive epithelial cells and, possibly, the lamina propria near the villous tips. Low efficiency of penetration, and the non-critical function of these target cells, may help account for the characteristic lack of gastrointestinal symptoms in enterovirus infections.

Aging↗

Enterovirus replication in porcine ileal explants.

Organ explants of porcine ileum were cultured in different media for up to 48 h. Tissue preservation was evaluated by light microscopy and by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Cellular structure was well maintained after incubation for 48 h in CMRL-1066 supplemented with insulin and cortisone. Explants of absorptive or lymphoid tissue from young or adult pigs were incubated with either coxsackievirus B5 (which is infectious for swine) or human poliovirus type 1 (which served as a control) for 24 h at 37 degrees C. Progeny virus was detected by plaque assay. Replication was most evident in the absorptive tissue explants from young pigs. In tissues from adults, replication occurred equally well in absorptive and lymphoid tissues. Infection in explants was inefficient, and the yield of progeny virus was low.

Animals↗

Enumeration of enterovirus particles by scanning electron microscopy.

Enumeration of virus particles requires relatively concentrated and uniformly dispersed virus preparations, which is difficult to achieve by the usual methods of negative staining and transmission electron microscopy. We have developed an electrophoretic method that concentrates enteroviruses onto a polycarbonate membrane for examination by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. The electrophoretic apparatus comprises three chambers in electrical series, each containing 3.5 ml of dilute buffer. The center chamber is inoculated with virus. A 15-nm porosity membrane, which does not pass virus, separates the center from the side chambers. A constant current is applied, and chilled buffer is pumped past the electrodes for 2 h. The virus suspension is recovered, and changes in titer (or radioactivity if labeled virus is used) due to electrophoresis are measured. Buffer pH, relative to the viral isoelectric points, determines the direction of virus migration. Particle counts are calculated from the mean of 25 randomly chosen fields photographed at 35-60,000 X magnification and related to titers measured by plaque assay.

Electrophoresis↗

A broad-spectrum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of human enteric viruses.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test has been devised for detection of a broad spectrum of human enteric viruses, based on the use of poly-L-lysine as a nonspecific adhesive to hold the virus particles in the test wells and of pooled human immune serum globulin to mark the virus for detection with commercial goat anti-human IgG antibody conjugated with horseradish peroxidase. Detection of five human enteroviruses and a reovirus at levels of 10 most probable number of cytopathogenic units (MPNCU) to 10 PFU per well was achieved, whereas no reaction was seen with two porcine enteroviruses. When two virus types are present in a sample, the ELISA reactions augment each other.

Antigens, Viral↗