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Biomedical subjects

F L Ruben

Publications and source records attributed to F L Ruben.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

An unusual outbreak of brucellosis.

A Brucella melitensis infection involved three persons. The infections were acquired by contact with a culture suspension that had been spilled during a laboratory exercise. One of the patients had only indirect contact with the spilled culture, probably contact with contaminated fomites. Another of the patients developed a clinical remission before treatment with antibiotics and relapsed after six months. This patient also had a positive bone marrow culture when blood cultures were negative. The type of antibody response persisting in the sera of convalescents was studied by treating the sera with mercaptoethanol and rabbit antihuman IgM sera. In the patient who relapsed, IgG antibody predominated, whereas IgM persisted for over two years in the patient without relapsing disease.

Adult↗

Immunological responsiveness of tuberculosis patients receiving rifampin.

Rifampin has been shown to impair both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in animal models. In order to detect a similar effect in man, 11 patients with active tuberculosis were evaluated before, 2 weeks after, and 12 to 16 weeks after initiating rifampin. Several parameters were serially measured including blood lymphocytes, intradermal response to intermediate strength tuberculin (PPD), and in vitro proliferative responses to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), a nonspecific mitogen, and to the specific antigens, PPD and influenza A. No changes in lymphocyte counts were noted. No changes in response were noted 2 weeks after beginning treatment with rifampin. However, compared with initial and 2-week responses, the PHA response was reduced by 47%, the PPD by 68%, and the influenza by 75%, and 6 of 11 patients showed no induration after tuberculin skin testing at the 12- to 16-week point. These results indicate that in doses employed for the treatment of tuberculosis, rifampin has an immunosuppressive effect in man that develops gradually.

Adult↗

Humoral and cellular response in humans after immunization with influenza vaccine.

The peripheral blood lymphocyte response and hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers were measured in nine adults before and after immunization with a killed split influenza virus vaccine. Cord blood lymphocytes were tested with the influenza antigen to exclude a nonspecific mitogenic effect. All of the subjects demonstrated preexisting antibody titers and antigen recognition by lymphocytes prior to immunization. The in vitro lymphocyte response after vaccination parallels the humoral antibody response to influenza antigen.

Antibodies↗

Simultaneous administration of smallpox, measles, yellow fever, and diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus antigens to Nigerian children.

Children receiving smallpox, measles, and yellow fever vaccines simultaneously at separate sites responded adequately to all three vaccines. In those children, 9 months of age and older, who received these three vaccines in addition to diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine, there was a decrease in measles seroconversion rates from 89% to 70%. Possible interactions between live and killed vaccines should be considered when the administration of multiple antigens is planned.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗