Biomedical subjects

F Agbalika

Publications and source records attributed to F Agbalika.

42 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1984

Enterovirus types in samples of activated sewage sludge.

Samples of activated sewage sludge from two different wastewater treatment plants in Lorraine were collected in January and February 1983. After elution and concentration, virus contents were estimated with the under agar technique, utilizing BGM cells. A total of 436 pfu was counted, and after viral confirmation, 14% (61 isolates) were typed with the serum neutralization test, using the LIM Benyesh-Melnick pools A-O. Most frequently polioviruses (41%) were found, followed by Coxsackie viruses group B (25%), and echoviruses (7%). Twenty-eight percent of the isolates remained unidentified.

Enterovirus↗

PubMed1983

[Enterovirus circulation in the waste waters of the Lorraine region. Evaluation of a survey 1976-1981].

A survey of the presence of viruses in wastewater has been conducted during 6 years in 19 treatment plants of the lorraine area. The results presented in this paper show the presence of numerous viral species in the 1938 samples analyzed from 1976 to 1981 and large variations of the annual positivity rate linked to the circulation of enteric viruses in the population. By direct inoculation to cell cultures the search of virus is positive in only 15% of the samples. On the other hand a previous concentration step allows to obtain an increase of positive samples. Taking into account the important aptitudes of polio and non poliovirus to survive in water, the survey of wastewater could be a good indicator of their presence in the population. The isolation of non vaccinal polioviruses confirm the need of the continuation of the vaccination program, but perhaps also a reevaluation of the rule of the living oral vaccine because of the presence of so called "intermediary strains".

Enterovirus↗

PubMed1983

[Field epidemiology: possible beginning of community health. An example: epidemic caused by water].

The authors illustrate one facet of field epidemiology. They describe an example: a waterborne disease outbreak. The investigations were undertaken in a town in Moselle (F), on the general population with health professionals, school teachers, counselors and water service workers. They estimate that one thousand people had suffered from gastroenteritis (attack rate greater than 60%). Water was polluted and people became ill at the same time and in the same place. There is a strong statistical association between drinkers of polluted water and gastroenteric illness (relative risk: 10). This study has provided population information and resulted in motivation of the responsible people. In the conclusion of the epidemiological investigation they have carried out coherent measures for the protection of the water distribution system.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Detection of the tax gene of HTLV-I in labial salivary glands from patients with Sjögren's syndrome and other diseases of the oral cavity.

OBJECTIVE: To confirm a possible association between Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and the tax gene of human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I). METHODS: We studied by PCR labial salivary glands (LSG) from 50 patients with definite SS and from 58 controls including 32 patients with LSG involved by other inflammatory processes and 26 normal LSG. Antibodies to HTLV-I and antibodies to the Tax protein were searched for in serum. RESULTS: We detected the tax gene of HTLV-I in LSG from 15/50 (30%) of patients with SS but also in specimens from 9/32 (28%) patients with LSG involved by other inflammatory processes (3/9 graft-versus-host disease, 5/19 extra-vasated cysts, 1/4 sarcoidosis) and from only 1/26 (4%) normal LSG. A 652 bp region, sequenced in 2 SS patients, was 98-98.5% homologous to the canonic sequence of tax HTLV-I. The HTLV-I gag, pol and env genes were never detected. The serum of the SS patients did not contain antibodies to HTLV-I. However, anti-Tax antibodies were detected in the serum of 18/25 (72%) SS patients, 10/10 (100%) patients positive for tax DNA in their LSG and 8/15 (53%) patients negative for tax DNA in their LSG. CONCLUSION: Our observations raise the possibility that a very low number of copies of the tax gene may be harbored innocuously in cells within the oral cavity in some healthy individuals, but that this gene may play a role as a co-factor in the development of SS or other diseases of oral cavity.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Cytotoxicity of ferric chloride used as an adjuvant of organic acid precipitation].

The objective of this study was the amelioration of the organic acid precipitation technique currently used as a secondary stage for viruses concentration using ferric chloride (FeCl3) as an adjuvant. To carry out this work successfully, we have studied the cytotoxicity effect of FeCl3 towards cell lines usually used for the investigation of enteric viruses. Two kinds of african green monkey kidney cells, MA104 and BGM, were used as a cellular model. The results showed that optimum concentration of FeCl3 for either BGM or MA104 cell survival and organic acid precipitation varies from 0.5 to 1 mM. The cytotoxicity test used in this work was simple, easy to realize and gives an appreciable information about the cytotoxicity dose of a given biological and chemical product.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[A method for recovery of enteroviruses from milk].

A method of detection of enteric viruses in milk was studied. The high protein content of milk and the protein nature of enterovirus allowed the detection of these viruses using the organic acid flocculation method. The poliovirus type 1 (Mahoney strains) and the E.C.H.O.1 isolated from the environment were used as virus model and were inoculated to creamed, half-creamed and whole UHT commercialized milk. The method consists on a milk sample clarification with acid precipitation and centrifugation. The clarified extract is reduced to a final volume of 10 to 15 ml after addition of beef extract powder and protein precipitation. This technique allows the recovery of 26 to 36% of poliovirus type 1 and 10 to 46% of E.C.H.O.1 viruses. In this work, the ferric chloride (FeCl3), added in 0.5 to 1 mM final concentration, was used as an adjuvant for the organic acid precipitation.

Animals↗