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Biomedical subjects

D Parratt

Publications and source records attributed to D Parratt.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Antibody to selected strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's and brewer's yeast) and Candida albicans in Crohn's disease.

IgG serum antibody was measured by ELISA in patients with Crohn's disease (15), ulcerative colitis (15), and in normal controls (15) to 12 strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's and brewer's yeast) and to the two major serotypes of the commensal yeast Candida albicans. Antibody to 11 of the 12 strains of S cerevisiae was raised in patients with Crohn's disease but not in patients with ulcerative colitis when compared with controls (p less than 0.001). The pattern of antibody response to these 11 strains was variable, however, suggesting the likelihood of antigenic heterogeneity within the species. Antibody to C albicans was not significantly different in patient and control groups. The specificity of this unusual antibody response in Crohn's disease for S cerevisiae suggests that it is not simply the result of a generalised increase in intestinal permeability. Furthermore, because brewing and baking strains detected the response, the relevant antigen(s) are presumably common in the diet. Hypersensitivity to dietary antigens may be involved in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease, and the role of S cerevisiae requires further investigation.

Antibodies, Fungal↗
PubMed1990

The role of the spleen in the immune response following naturally acquired exposure to encapsulated bacteria.

Female New Zealand White Rabbits following splenectomy (n = 9), splenectomy with 50% splenic autotransplantation (n = 8) and sham laparotomy (n = 9) have been serially exposed to type 2 Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae by aerosol inhalation. Animals were sampled for 3 weeks after exposure and the IgG and IgM type-specific antibody response measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Haemophilus influenzae initiated a substantial anti-haemophilus IgG response which was not diminished by splenectomy. The anti-haemophilus IgM response was present in sham-operated animals, absent following splenectomy, and partially restored by splenic autotransplantation. Type 2 Streptococcus pneumoniae induced a minimal IgG and IgM antibody response in all animals irrespective of the presence or absence of a spleen. The results support the role of the spleen in mediating IgM production against polysaccharide encapsulated bacteria. The differential degree of immune response produced by the two organisms may explain in part the differential frequency with which these two organisms infect man following splenectomy.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Studies on uterine tract infections and the IUCD with special reference to actinomycetes.

Since the advent of the plastic IUCD, an increasing number of patients with clinical pelvic actinomycosis have been reported in the literature and in a very much larger number of women, actinomycetes have been identified in cervical smears, either by Papanicolaou stain or specific immunofluorescence. After a 3-year study, we have concluded that actinomycetes can readily be cultured when the growth of more rapidly growing anaerobes is inhibited by metronidazole and anaerobic culture is continued for up to 14 days. We consider that actinomycetes form part of a polymicrobial anaerobic infestation developing in the presence of a foreign body. The organisms are found almost exclusively in women who have used all-plastic IUCDs for a long term and, from a continuing study, it is apparent that most disappear rapidly when the plastic device is removed or replaced by a copper device. Significant symptomatic evidence of infection is found in a small proportion of patients who are actinomycete-positive.

Actinomycetales↗
PubMed1981

Isolation of actinomycetes from cervical specimens.

Cervical smears from 30 women were examined. Fifteen of these had actinomycetes visible by direct smear examination and the organisms were isolated in 13. Of the remainder, all had negative smears and culture was similarly negative in 12, whilst in 3, the cultures were either positive (1) or suspicious (2).

Actinomyces↗
PubMed1980

Actinomyces-like organisms in cervical smears from women using intrauterine contraceptive devices.

Cervical smears from 293 users of intrauterine contraceptive devices attending family planning clinics in East Fife, Dundee, and Angus were stained by Papanicolaou and Gram's methods and examined for actinomyces-like organisms. Of the 128 women using plastic devices, 40 gave smears positive for these organisms. In contrast only two positive smears were obtained from the 165 women using devices containing copper and none from a control group of 300 women taking oral contraceptives. Colonisation was more common in women whose plastic devices had been in situ for over two years. Correlations between the presence of these organisms and recorded incidences of pain and both clinical and cytological evidence of inflammation of the lower genital tract were highly significant (p = 0.00001, p < 0.00001, and p < 0.00001 respectively). The results suggest that plastic intrauterine contraceptive devices predispose to colonisation by actinomyces-like organisms, particularly after long-term use. Hence if the apparently bacteriostatic action of copper devices is confirmed these should probably be more widely used.

Actinomyces↗
PubMed1979

Cell-mediated immunity in operable bronchial carcinoma: the effect of injecting irradiated autologous tumour cells and BCG.

In 52 patients undergoing tests of cell-mediated immunity before surgical resection of bronchial carcinoma a positive tuberculin test result was found in 71% compared with 68% of age- and sex-matched controls. Sensitisation to DNCB occurred in 52% of 37 patients but in 78% of controls. There was depression of lymphocyte transformation by PPD in 19 patients compared with controls (P=0.001), but there was no difference in lymphocyte transformation by PHA or pokeweed mitogen between 34 patients and controls. In a pilot study patients were randomly allocated to autograft (eight) or non-autograft (seven) groups. The autograft group were given an intradermal injection of a suspension of irradiated autologous tumour-cells mixed with intradermal BCG on the day of operation. Tests of cell-mediated immunity were repeated two weeks after operation. Five patients in each group received a course of radiotherapy to the mediastinum three weeks after operation. There was a rise in cutaneous tuberculin reactivity (P=0.08) and total leucocyte count (P=0.09) in the autograft group postoperatively with a fall in total lymphocyte and T lymphocyte counts in the non-autograft group (P less 0.05). These differences, however, were not followed by any difference in the frequency of tumour recurrence or the survival rate two years after operation. The results show that the immunological surveillance mechanism is impaired even in patients with early bronchial carcinoma and that it is possible to overcome postoperative immunological depression with specific immunotherapy combined with BCG. This treatment did not produce any clinical advantage in this small number of patients and the skin lesions caused the patients considerable discomfort.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

The relationship between immunological parameters and response to therapy in resistant oral candidosis.

Eight patients with resistant oral candidal infection have undergone full immunological assessment. In four of these patients no significant abnormality of immune function was observed, and all responded to intensive antifungal therapy with nutritional supplements of iron and folic acids as required. The remaining four patients had abnormalities only of specific candida-related immune function and no detectable abnormality of general immune function. Surgical excision of affected areas of oral mucosa was found to be the most effective therapy in three of these four cases. The immunological findings in these cases are compared with those observed in five patients with chronic mucocutaneous candidosis in whom both specific candida-related and non-specific immune incompetence were present.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Determination of antibody levels to Candida albicans in healthy and hospitalised adults using a radioimmunoassay.

A radioimmunoassay for antibody to Candida albicans is described. The test used whole, killed organisms as the antigen and radiolabelled sheep anti-human globulins to quantitate different classes of antibody to C. albicans. The assay has been compared with an Ouchterlony precipitin method and found to be simpler, more rapid, and more sensitive than the latter. Results obtained from two groups of symptomless adults indicated that the range of antibody level was wider for a hospitalised group than for a group of blood transfusion donors, particularly in respect of IgG and IgA antibody. The reason for the increase of antibody in hospital patients was not clear but may have been related to antibiotic therapy. The difficulties in interpretation of Candida serology have therefore been re-assessed in the light of more detailed knowledge of the range and type of antibody to be expected in normal individuals.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Heterophile antibody to red cells in human trypanosomiasis.

The heterophile red cell antibodies formed in human trypanosomiasis have been investigated. It has been shown that infection with Trypanosoma rhodesiense induces agglutinins reactive with sheep and rabbit red cells, whilst Trypanosoma gambiense induces agglutinins which react only with rabbit red cells. Both types of antibody can be distinguished from similar antibodies produced by infectious mononucleosis and Forssman antigen, and the detection and characterization of the antibodies therefore provides a basis for clinical diagnostic tests in human trypanosomiasis.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1977

Radioimmunoassay of IgM, IgG, and IgA Brucella antibodies.

A radioimmunoassay (R.I.A.) has been devised to measure the serum antibody against Brucella abortus in each of the immunoglobulin classes IgM, IgG, and IgA. This test was applied to 46 sera from individuals with various clinical types of brucellosis, and the results were compared with the results of conventional direct and indirect agglutination and complement-fixation tests. The R.I.A. provided a highly sensitive primary-type assay which avoided the difficulties with blocking or non-agglutinating antibody, and thus has many advantages in the diagnosis of acute and chronic stages of brucella infection in man. The R.I.A. was successful in detection of antibody in many instances in which conventional serological tests were negative, and such antibody could (if IgM) be associated with acute or (if IgG or IgA) with chronic cases of brucellosis. One case in which B. abortus was isolated by blood culture but which failed to yield antibody by conventional tests, nevertheless showed substantial levels of IgM and IgG antibody by R.I.A. In other cases the R.I.A. test helped to eliminate the diagnosis of brucellosis by revealing absent or low antibody levels.

Acute Disease↗