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Biomedical subjects

F B Hollinger

Publications and source records attributed to F B Hollinger.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Detection of viral hepatitis type A.

Several technics are currently being used to detect hepatitis type A antigen or its antibody. These include immunoelectronmicroscopy, immune adherence, and complement fixation. This paper describes another promising technic, a microtiter solid-phase immunoradiometric assay, in which hepatitis A antigen and antibody are detected. Such a method can be utilized for biochemical and biophysical analysis of purified particles, for the seroepidemiology of type A hepatitis, and as a means for monitoring hepatitis A antigen in cell cultures.

Animals↗

Isolation and characterization of hepatitis A virus.

This paper presents current isolation technics of hepatitis A virus (HAV) from human and chimpanzee stool, liver, and bile specimens, as well as comparative characterizations of HAV buoyant density properties of human and chimpanzee stool-derived particles. In addition, methods designed for the extraction and purification of HAV from large samples of stool and liver tissues, including agar gel filtration, are discussed in detail.

Animals↗

Immunological and biophysical properties of hepatitis B antigen labeled by the chloramine-T and by the lactoperoxidase methods.

Optimal conditions were sought for the radiolabeling of microgram quantities of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs Ag) employing the chloramine-T or lactoperoxidase iodination procedures. Preparations of HBsAg labeled by these procedures are referred to as chloramine-T preparations and lactoperoxidase preparations, respectively. Labeled HBsAg having specific activities between 10-20 muCi/mug were found to display the greatest degree of sensitivity for unlabeled HBsAg and for anti-HBs using a double-antibody radioimmunoassay (RIA-DA). Increasing the specific activity above this level redulted in a decreased affinity of labeled 1251-HBs Ag for anti-HBs, indicating that soluble antigenic alterations had developed. At equivalent specific activities, chloramine-T preparations competed less effectively for unlabeled HBs Ag than lactoperoxidase preparations, and anti-HBs endpoint titers were slightly reduced, especially among preparations of high specific activity (greater than or equal to 65 muCi/mug). Chloramine-T preparations of HBs Ag (sp. act. 15--30 muCi/mug) showed essentially no antigenic deterioration over a 2-month period at minus 196 degrees C or minus 70 degrees C. Utilization of optimally labeled 1251-HBs Ag has increased the sensitivity of the RIA-DA for unlabeled HBs Ag 30-fold to a level below 1 ng/ml and enhanced antiamine-T method revealed that only the most acidic population was labeled (pH 3.75+/-0.5). In contrast, six antigenic components with distinct pI values ranging from 3.7 to 5.2 were detected by RIA-DA in both unlabeled HBs ag and in the chloramine-T preparation. This indicated that the chloramine-T method did not radically change the relative number or charge of each of the pI populations present in purified preparations of HBs Ag. Analysis of HBs Ag iodinated by the lactoperoxidase procedure revealed the presence of three of four populations of particles with pI values ranging from 3.9 to 4.5, suggesting that this procedure labels HBs Ag more uniformly.

Chloramines↗

The epidemiology of St. Louis encephalitis in Dallas, Texas, 1966.

An epidemic of St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) occurred in Dallas, Texas, in the summer of 1966. A total of 545 suspected cases within Dallas city and county were reported, of which 145 were laboratory-confirmed as SLE virus infection. The greatest concentration of cases occurred in lower socioeconomic areas of the central part of the city in black populations. The attack rate and mortality rate increased markedly with age. The overall attack rate was 15.2 per 100,000, with a case fatality rate of 9.7%. During the course of the epidemic, most of the county was sprayed aerially with an ultra-low volume (ULV), high-concentration malathion mist. The effects of this treatment cannot be adequately assessed from the human epidemiologic aspect alone, but the spraying clearly reduced the number and infection rate of the vector mosquitoes.

Adolescent↗

The epidemiology of St. Louis encephalitis in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1966.

In the summer of 1966, an epidemic of St. Louis encephalitis occurred in Corpus Christi, Texas, coincident with one occurring in Dallas about 563 km to the north. Among the 76 cases confirmed in Corpus Christi, there were two deaths; the attack rate was 41.0 per 100,000. In contrast with a concurrent outbreak in Dallas and the 1964 outbreak in Houston, attack rates were much higher in populations of the upper socioeconomic districts. This distribution may have resulted from the combined effects of an unusual concentration of vector mosquito breeding sites in storm sewers in the upper socioeconomic districts and a higher degree of residual immunity in the residents of the lower socioeconomic areas.

Adolescent↗

Cell-mediated immunity in guinea pigs to subunits derived from hepatitis B surface antigen.

Guinea pigs immunized wit- hepatitis B surface antigen (HBSAg), types adw and ayw, and with two polypeptides (400,000 and 24,000 molecular weight) developed cell-mediated immunity (CMI), as determined by radioimmunoassay. Peritoneal exudate (PE) cells from guinea pigs immunized with the 40,000-molecular-weight polypeptide migrated poorly (30 to 88% inhibition) after challenge with the immunizing subunit or with purified HBSAg, type gdw or ayw. Response of the same PE cells to the 24,000-molecular-weight subunit was significantly reduced. Similar but less striking evidence for CMI was observed was PE cells derived from guinea pigs inoculated with purified type-specific HBSAg or with the 24,000-molecular-weight polypeptide. Humoral responses were predictable and showed a reasonable degree of correlation with the CMI response. PE cells from control animals inoculated with normal human serum or polyacrylamide gel were not inhibited after challenge with purified preparations of HBSAg or with the 400,000-molecular-weight polypeptide, but did show CMI with their respective immunogens. In addition, PE cells from guinea pigs inoculated with normal human serum were inhibited from migrating after challenge with the 24,000-molecular-weight subunit, suggesting that the latter may contain an antigenic determinant related to a human serum protein.

Animals↗

Comparative biophysical studies of hepatitis B antigen, subtypes adw and ayw.

Comparative biophysical and biochemical analyses were performed on purified preparations of hepatitis B antigen (HBs Ag) subtypes adw and ayw, including isoelectric pH evaluations, analysis of the different morphological forms, molecular weight determinations, and analysis of the polypeptides by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Both HBs Ag-positive plasma and purified HBs Ag were analyzed by electrofocusing in a sucrose ampholyte gradient. Four distinct populations of HBs Ag with a pH range of 4.5 plus or minus 0.1 to 5.4 plus or minus 0.1 for unfractionated plasma samples and 3.9 plus or minus 0.05 to 4.9 plus or minus 0.05 for purified samples were detected in both adw and ayw preparations. Electron microscopic studies of each population of purified HBs Ag revealed 19- to 27-nm spheres in each fraction. Purified material labeled with 125I by the chloramine-T method behaved as one major population with an isoelectric pH value of 3.9 plus or minus 0.1. Purified adw preparations revealed a major population with a molecular weight of 3.7 times 10-6 and a second one of 4.6 times 10-6. Purified preparations of ayw contained one population with a molecular weight of 4.6 times 10-6. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis of purified HBs Ag revealed nine polypeptides for ayw and seven for adw particles. These studies indicate that purified preparations of HBs Ag are heterogeneous and that distinct differences can be detected between the two subtypes.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient↗

Production of antibody to individual polypeptides derived from purified hepatitis B surface antigen.

Purified preparations of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were solubilized with sodium dodecyl sulfate and urea under reducing conditions and subsequently fractionated by preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Pools of the individual fractions eluted from the preparative PAGE were concentrated and purified further by analytical PAGE. Five purified polypeptides were isolated from HBsAg, types adw and ayw, with molecular weights of 19,000, 24,000, 27,000, 35,000, and 40,000. Each preparations was emulsified in Freund complete adjuvant and injected into guinea pigs. Antibody to each HBsAg type was measured by radioimmunoassay. The 19,000 molecular weight polypeptide derived from ayw particles and the 27,000 molecular weight subunit obtained from both types failed to elicit an antibody response. The other three polypeptides derived from the ayw particles elicited group-specific antibody responses. Similar group-specific reactivities were observed in the testing of anti-adw 35,000 and anti-adw 40,000 molecular weight polypeptide sera. However, guinea pigs immunized with the 19,000 and the 24,000 molecular weight polypeptides of the adw type produced antibody that reacted preferentially with adw particles. This indicates that either these subunits carry predominately d determinants or that, because of the low levels of material used for inoculation, no immune response or an undetectable one was elicited to the a or w components.

Animals↗

Humoral and cellular immunity in guinea pigs to polypeptides derived from HBsAg-containing particles.

Recent studies in this laboratory have shown that purified HBsAg contains at least 7-9 polypeptide subunits ranging in molecular weight (MW) from 18,000 to 120,000; at least three of these are associated with carbohydrates. In addition, two glycosphingolipids have been extracted which are structurally similar to the blood group antigenic substance. The glycoproteins and glycolipids are of particular interest since it has been reported that carbohydrate is associated with the antigenic activity of HBsAg. Antisera to these subunits have been produced in guinea pigs. These results stimulated further 'in vivo' investigations into the possible development of a subunit vaccine which would exclude genes of a viral or cellular nature and would not be infectious. Guinea pigs were immunized with HBsAg, subtypes adw and ayw, and with two polypeptides (40,000 MW and 24,000 MW) in complete Freund's adjuvant. Control animals were inoculated with normal human serum or with polyacrylamide gel. Animals were boostered on day 14 and tested on day 30 for the development of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) by the macrophage inhibition assay, and for humoral immunity by PHA and RIA. Migration of peritoneal exudate (PE) cells was inhibited 30-88% in guinea pigs immunized with the 40,000-MW polypeptide when challenged with purified HGsAg, subtype adw or ayw, or with the 40,000-MW preparation, but the results were inconclusive with the 24,000-MW subunit. Similar evidence of CMI was observed with PE cells derived from guinea pigs inoculated with purified subtype-specific HBsAg or with the 24,000-MW polypeptide. Humoral responses were predictable, and showed a reasonable degree of correlation with the CMI response. Control animals failed to respond to challenge with purified preparations of HBsAg or the 40,000-MW polypeptide, but did show CMI with their respective immunogens and - in the case of guinea pigs inoculated with normal human serum - with the 24,000-MW subunit, suggesting that the latter may contain an antigenic determinant related to a human serum protein.

Animals↗