Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J C Cox

Publications and source records attributed to J C Cox.

72 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Serological and histological studies on adult rabbits with recent, naturally acquired encephalitozoonosis.

Twenty adult rabbits were killed two to 12 weeks after antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi were first detected in their sera. Specimens of urine were examined for E cuniculi and sections of kidneys and brains were examined both for organisms and lesions consistent with encephalitozoonosis. Organisms were observed in the kidneys from two weeks after the appearance of antibodies, and histological lesions in the kidneys were observed after five weeks. However, organisms were rarely seen in the brain and lesions in this organ were infrequent and, generally, not present until at least eight weeks after the first detectable antibody. The results indicate the course of natural infection of encephalitozoonosis in rabbits and show that serology is the most sensitive procedure for its early diagnosis.

Animals↗

Altered immune responsiveness associated with Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in rabbits.

The variation in immune response of two unrelated colonies of laboratory rabbits to high doses of heat-killed Brucella abortus strain 19 was investigated. One was a mixed-breed, multicolored colony in which a high prevalence of encephalitozoonosis had been recorded, whereas the other rabbits were derived from a colony of Dutch-marked specific-pathogen-free rabits. Although considerable variation in the immune response between individual rabbits was noticed at all bleeds, rabbits infected with Encephalitozoon cuniculi showed, on comparison with uninfected rabbits from either colony, a depressed immunoglobulin G response from week 5 of the antigen injection schedule and, from week 8, an elevated immunoglobulin M response.

Animals↗

Isolation of Encephalitozoon cuniculi from urine samples.

Encephalitozoon cuniculi was isolated from the urine of infected rabbits using human and canine tissue cultures. The organism was isolated from 7 of 11 contaminated urines from seropositive animals. The advantages of urine over tissue as a source of E. cuniculi are that it is obtainable from living animals, can be examined for the presence of organisms, and is essentially free of cells likely to overgrow the tissue cultures used for isolation.

Animals↗

Application of immunofluorescence to the establishment of an Encephalitozoon cuniculi-free rabbit colony.

Serologic screening of a rabbit breeding colony over a 9-month period showed that all 9-week-old rabbits with Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection were born of E cuniculi-infected does. This observation, obtained from studies on 395 young rabbits, suggested that transmission of infection is either transplacental or the result of close contact soon after birth. On this basis, 16 young healthy rabbits, seronegative to E cuniculi, were isolated and tested at 2-week intervals for antibodies to E cuniculi. In the first 2 months, seven rabbits showed indications of developing antibodies to E cuniculi and were immediately removed from the colony. The remaining rabbits along with their 52 offspring were tested for serum antibodies for a further 16 months and no rabbit became seropositive. Eight months after establishment of the colony, three does, one buck and six 12-week-old rabbits were killed. Macroscopic and extensive histologic and immunofluorescence examinations failed to reveal any evidence of infection with E cuniculi. These results showed that serological screening for E cuniculi infection by immunofluorescence is a simple yet adequate procedure for establishing a rabbit colony free of encephalitozoonosis.

Animals↗

An evaluation of indirect immunofluorescence in the serological diagnosis of Nosema cuniculi infection.

An indirect immunofluorescence test for serum antibodies to Nosema cuniculi was evaluated in rabbits by comparison with established histopathological methods of diagnosis. Cell-culture isolation procedures and immunofluorescence and histological techniques designed to detect the parasite in urine or tissues were used to confirm the diagnosis. The serological diagnosis showed excellent correlation with presence of brain lesions characteristic of nosematosis, and N cuniculi were detected in 63 per cent of seropositive rabbits but in no seronegatives. Serum cross-reactivity tests between N cuniculi and Toxoplasma gondii showed that these two protozoa are antigenically distinct. The technique offers a simple, sensitive and reliable procedure for diagnosis of nosematosis in a living animal.

Animals↗

New method for the large-scale preparation of diphtheria toxoid: purification of toxin.

Diphtheria toxin of high purity was prepared in batch cultures of 1 to 40 liters by procedures capable of processing 200-liter batches without modification. The procedure incorporates preliminary purification of the growth medium and, after deep fermentation or sulfate culture of Corynebacterium diphtheriae, both concentration and partial purification of the toxin by membrane ultrafiltration. Final purification is achieved by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. Purities of 2,000 to 2,500 flocculation units per mg of protein nitrogen (260 to 410 flocculation units per unit of absorbance at 280 nm) were routinely obtained with only a 10% loss of toxin. The toxin appeared pure on immunoelectrophoresis and ultracentrifugation, and only minor amounts of lower-molecular-weight impurities were revealed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. Significant advantages of the procedure are its rapidity and reproducibility and the fact that all stages are performed at 4 C in neutral isotonic buffer.

Animals↗

Serodiagnosis of nosematosis by immunofluorescence using cell-culture-grown organisms.

This simple procedure for the detection of serum antibodies to Nosema cuniculi in rabbits and other host species incorporates indirect immunofluorescence and uses as antigen N. cuniculi isolated from urine and cultured in a human fibroblast-like cell line derived from foetal tongue. Examination of rabbit sera from 8 institutions indicated that no institution was free from Nosema infection. The prevalence of infection in 4 separate Australian rabbit colonies varied from 25 to 75%.

Animals↗

Automated RNA selection.

In vitro selection can be used to generate nucleic acid ligands (aptamers) to target molecules ranging in size and structure from cations to cells. However, the selection process is repetitive and time-consuming. We have automated a protocol for in vitro selection using an augmented Beckman Biomek 2000 pipetting robot. The automated selection procedure requires the integration of four devices and the optimization of four molecular biology methods, and is one of the most complex automated protocols attempted to date. Initial attempts at selection yielded robust replication parasites, but optimization of the automated selection procedure suppressed the emergence of these parasites and led to the selection of true nucleic acid ligands. Automated selection can now be used to generate nucleic acid aptamers in days rather than weeks or months.

Base Composition↗

An Escherichia coli mutant conditionally altered in respiratory chain components.

Nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis was employed to isolate an Escherichia coli mutant conditionally altered in respiratory chain components. Mutant R25 was able to grow on glucose, fructose, and glycerol but failed to grow on succinate and acetate (suc-). Also, R25 exhibited leaky growth on DL-lactate, fumarate, and malate (lct*). The lct* mutation pleiotropically affected a number of respiratory chain components and its expression was conditional with the growth substrate. Glucose-grown R25 resting cell suspensions oxidized DL-lactate and formate; however, these two substrates were not oxidized by fructose- or glycerol-grown cell suspensions. The same conditional pattern was observed for the concentration of cytochrome components, the membrane-associated oxidation of NADH and formate, and formate phenazine methosulfate (PMS) reductase activity; succinate oxidase and PMS reductase activities were not exhibited by membranes under any growth condition due to the suc- mutation. R25 membrane-associated H(+)-translocating ATPase activity was not conditional with the growth substrate. R25PC, a spontaneous lct+ suc- partial revertant of R25, did not exhibit the conditional pattern of R25. The lct* mutation was found to map in the 27-30-min region and the suc- mutation in the 15-17-min region of the E. coli genome. Two distinct classes of R25 P1kc transductants were isolated that differed in both their growth response on succinate and DL-lactate and their oxidase activities.

Cell Membrane↗

Hospital renovation projects: phased construction requires planning at its best.

Building a new hospital facility is a difficult task, but adding onto and renovating an existing structure while normal activity continues is even more difficult. Project planners, designers, contractors, and hospital managers must carefully program the joint effort of construction and hospital operation. Several factors in the construction process and potential problems for hospital operations are described to help hospital managers better anticipate difficulties before plans are finalized and construction commences.

Elevators and Escalators↗