Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Brandis

Publications and source records attributed to H Brandis.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Direct demonstration and isolation of Legionella pneumophila (serogroup 1) from bathroom water specimens in a hotel.

Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 organisms were isolated from one sample of water originating from a shower head in a bathroom of a hotel. Seven of the 16 swab specimens collected from 2 different sites of the hotel bathrooms revealed fluorescing bacteria in direct fluorescent antibody test. The significance of present observations in relation to the cluster of L. pneumophila infections diagnosed recently in Berlin among a group of visitors who stayed in this hotel has been discussed.

Baths↗
PubMed1983

[Demonstration of enterotoxin in Staphylococcus aureus cultures by the ELISA test and the microslide test].

340 S. aureus strains, isolated either from routine food test samples, or from food leftovers, from healthy or sick persons in cases of suspected food poisoning in various places of the Federal Republic of Germany, were tested for enterotoxin production. The enterotoxin types A, B and C (SEA, SEB and SEC) were determined both by the ELISA and the microslide test (MS-test), the enterotoxin types D and E by the MS-test only. Comparison of the two test methods clearly shows that the ELISA technique is superior to the MS method: The sensitivity of the ELISA was at 2.5 ng, whereas that of the MS-test was limited to approximately 1 microgram. The ELISA revealed 6.2% more of the strains as enterotoxin producers, and reproducibility of the test results was also better with the ELISA than with the MS-test. Furthermore, the ELISA is far more efficient, consuming less test reagents, and with a capacity for testing more strains in a shorter time procedure. The incidence rate of the various enterotoxin types, referred to one representative strain each per outbreak of food poisoning or group of persons investigated, is as follows: 45.3% SEA, 17.2% SEB, 23.4% SEC. The incidence rate of SED, SEE or SE-type combinations was less than 5%. In sick persons, SEA- and SEC-producing strains occurred within the same range, i.e. 34.8% and 30.4% respectively. SEA-producing S. aureus strains had the highest frequency in food samples (61.5%) and in healthy individuals (53.6%).

Enterotoxins↗
PubMed1983

Establishment of hybridoma cell lines secreting anti-Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 monoclonal antibodies with immunodiagnostic potential.

Three independent hybridoma cell lines (F4/CB5/K18, F4/CB5/K104, F4/JD3.8/K101) producing monoclonal antibodies that reacted specifically against cell surface molecule(s) of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 have been established. These monoclonal antibodies belong to IgM class and are capable of agglutinating exquisitely serogroup 1 organisms. These hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibodies can be used for the preparation of standardized immunodiagnostic reagents for detection and rapid identification of Legionnaire's disease bacterium in clinical laboratories and will also enable purification and subsequent characterization of the serogroup 1 specific molecule(s) of L. pneumophila.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Generation of cytolytic T-cell cultures displaying measles virus specificity and human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen restriction.

In the present study, peripheral blood lymphocytes from eight randomly selected, healthy, measles virus-seropositive donors were used to initiate and expand T-cell cultures during secondary immune response in vitro. Five of the donors yielded continuously growing T-cell cultures which showed reproducible strong lytic activities towards measles virus-infected autologous fibroblasts. Uninfected or herpes simplex virus-infected targets were weakly susceptible to these effectors. By contrast, T-cell cultures from three other seropositive donors expressed comparable lytic activities for measles virus- or herpes simplex virus-infected targets, but not for uninfected autologous targets. The five T-cell cytolytic cultures which revealed measles virus specificity also displayed human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A and HLA-B restriction, i.e, were lytic for targets sharing HLA-A or HLA-B or both with them. Additionally, it was found that a monoclonal anti-HLA antibody (W6/32) could effectively block the measles virus-specific and HLA-A- and HLA-B-related lytic activities of these cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. The specificity of this blocking effect was reflected by the inefficacy of a monoclonal anti-HLA-DR antibody to block the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-mediated lysis.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1982

Mode of action of the staphylococcin-like peptide Pep 5 and culture conditions effecting its activity.

Pep 5, a staphylococcin-like peptide produced by Staphylococcus epidermidis 5 was bactericidal for staphylococci and micrococci (Fig. 1). A stable L-phase variant of Staphylococcus aureus, but not of Streptococcus faecalis, was susceptible, too, indicating that the selectivity of Pep 5 is not due to the presence of a cell wall receptor. Addition of Pep 5 to cultures of the indicator strain caused immediate inhibition of DNA, RNA, protein, and polysaccharide synthesis (Fig. 5). The action of Pep 5 could be inhibited by increasing the cation content of the medium (e.g., to 100 mM Mg2+ or 600 mM K+) (Fig. 3), indicating a primary binding to anionic sites on the cell wall. Sublethally injured cells could be rescued by the addition of trypsin or 1 M KCl (Fig. 4).

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1982

Antibacterial activities of Candida yeasts. Partial purification and characterization of the active substance of Candida guilliermondii.

The activity spectra of 25 Candida strains on strains of different species of bacteria were recorded. The active substance produced by Candida guilliermondii strain 848 was partially purified by cation exchange and chromatography gel filtration on Sephadex G-15. The substance is heat stable (80 degrees C, 10 min), not susceptible to treatment with proteases and most probably of a molecular weight smaller than 3500 Dalton. At a concentration of 50 A.U./ml it acts bacteriostatically on a Staphylococcus epidermidis strain (Fig. 1).

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1981

Production, purification and chemical properties of an antistaphylococcal agent produced by Staphylococcus epidermidis.

An antibacterial agent produced by Staphylococcus epidermidis strain 5 was isolated from culture supernatants; its spectrum of activity is restricted to staphylococci and micrococci. The bacteriocin-like substance was purified to homogeneity by column chromatography on Servachrome XAD-2, CM-Sephadex C-25 and Sephadex G-50. Chemical analysis showed it to be a peptide with a molecular weight of about 6000 and an isoelectric point of about 10.5. Purified material was rapidly inactivated by trypsin, chymotrypsin and pronase and it was relatively heat-stable. After acidic hydrolysis 10 amino acid residues and two unidentified ninhydrin-positive substances were detected. Production of the bacteriocin-like substance was not inducible with mitomycin C.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1980

IgG Fc-binding receptors on spermatozoa.

The ability of human and mouse spermatozoa to bind immunoglobulin to their surfaces was investigated by a binding assay using radioiodinated Ig. The results suggest that spermatozoa of both human and mouse origin possess Fc receptors, i.e. they have the ability to bind Fcgamma region. This association of Fc-binding receptor activity on spermatozoa surfaces is likely to raise some technical problems in certain conventional assays used to monitor the presence of membrane antigen(s) on spermatozoa.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

[Results of phage typing of Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi-B in the years 1974-1978 from the Federal Republic of Germany including Berlin (West) (author's transl)].

In the period between 1.1.1974 and 31.12.1978 phage typing of 2058 strains of S. typhi and 1672 strains of S. paratyphi-B was carried out. 45 S. typhi phage types were found, 11 of these occurred in a frequency of more than 1% (relevant to foci). These were E1 a (21.6%), A (17.7%), F1 (5.8%), D1 (5.5%), C1 (4.6%), E1b (4.1%), D2 (2.5%), 40 (1.5%), 29 (1.3%), B2 (1.0%), 46 (1.0%). Among S. paratyphi-B strains 23 phage types or varieties were observed, 11 of these occurred in a frequency more than 1% (relevant to foci): Taunton (46.9%), 1 m.c. (7.8%), 3aI m.c. (7.7%), B.A.O.R. (6.5%), 3aI var. 1 (5.5%), Dundee (4.4%), 3a m.c. (3.0%), 3b m.c. (2.2%), Beccles m.c. (1.9%), Jersey (1.5%), 1 var. 1 (1.4%). In the year 1974 two epidemics of typhoid fever occurred, one with 417 cases (phage type A, subtype Tananarive) and the other with 41 cases (phage type E1a). In the year 1977 there was an outbreak of paratyphoid B fever with 53 cases (phage type 3aI var. 1). The increasing number of imported cases of typhoid and paratyphoid fever from other countries is remarkable. The age distribution of typhoid and paratyphoid bacilli carriers shows that persons who are older than 60 years represent the age group in which carriers occur most frequently.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibody with specificity for Toxoplasma gondii.

This study reports the successful establishment of eight functional hybridomas between mouse myeloma cells and spleen cells from mice hyperimmune to T. gondii as monitored by indirect immunofluorescence and radioimmunoassay techniques. Two of these eight cloned hybridomas showed positive reactivity in the Sabin Feldman dye test. Three hybridoma clones selected, following fusion of myeloma cells with freshly harvested spleen cells from hyperimmune mice, secreted into the culture medium antitoxoplasma antibody fo the IgC class. When spleen cells from hyperimmune mice were precultured in vitro for 5 days in presence of Con A and LPS and then fused with myeloma cells, five of the stable hybridomas secreted antitoxoplasma antibody of the IgM class, while one secreted antibody of the IgG class. These monoclonal antitoxoplasma antibodies should permit a rational approach to the purification of corresponding antigenic molecules from toxoplasma.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

[Phage conversion of Clostridium novyi type A (author's transl)].

Clostridium novyi type A, the cause of gas gangrene in man and animal, produces four main toxic components (alpha, gamma, delta, and epsilon). The alpha toxin is a necrotizing toxin produced in lethal amounts by strains of type A. This lethal toxin induces a characteristic subcutaneous colorless gelatineous edema when guinea pigs are infected with C. novyi type A. In this paper we report further evidence on the relationship of bacteriophages to the production of alpha toxin by C. novyi type A. The results showed that five phage-sensitive bacterial strains that did not produce alpha toxin could be isolated from alpha toxin producing stains. These nontoxigenic strains could be infected with specific bacteriophages isolated from the different toxigenic strains of C. novyi type A and converted to alpha toxin production. The toxigenicity of these converted strains depended upon the continued participation of specific bacteriophages. These bacteriophages were shown to be very unstable in culture supernatant fluids.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Induction of virus specific and H-2 restricted cytotoxic T cells by UV inactivated murine cytomegalovirus.

Infection of C3H mice with live or UV-inactivated murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) was able to generate population(s) of lymphocytes in the spleen (CTL) which could exert a lytic effect against L cells infected with MCMV but not against uninfected or those infected with HSV-1. The effector cells proved to be theta-bearing T cells and the lysis of target cells was H-2 restricted. Data presented show that early viral protein synthesis but not viral DNA synthesis was necessary for the appearance of relevant antigenic determinant(s) on target cells. The results of co-capping experiments suggest that H-2 molecules may have close association with MCMV induced product(s) as also with murine leukemia virus glycoprotein (gp70) which is carried by normal L cells. Despite this observation, anti-H-2 serum effectively blocked the cytolysis whereas anti-gp70 and anti-MCMV sera failed. Anti-MCMV serum was effective in blocking cytolysis, only if the L cells were infected for 24 hours and then used as targets. MCMV infected L cells which were coated externally with inactivated Sendai virus could be effectively recognised by MCMV as also by sendai specific CTL. That the cytotoxicity exerted on such targets was of specific nature was revealed by the results of competitive blocking experiments with unlabelled targets.

Animals↗