Biomedical subjects

J C Feeley

Publications and source records attributed to J C Feeley.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1984

Presence of toxic shock toxin in toxic shock and other clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus.

Toxic shock toxin (TST), also known as pyrogenic exotoxin C (Schlievert et al., J. Infect. Dis. 143:509-516, 1981) and staphylococcal enterotoxin F (Bergdoll et al., Lancet i:1017-1021, 1981), was purified from toxic shock strains of Staphylococcus aureus by preparative isoelectric focusing and by chromatofocusing. Neither method produced an absolutely pure protein as determined by silver staining of sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gels, although chromatofocusing was the better method of the two. Three molecular weight variants of the protein were found in the two toxic shock syndrome strains that were studied, regardless of the purification method that was used. An isoelectric point of 7.15 and molecular weights of 21,400, 22,100, and 23,200 were determined for the different forms of the protein from electrophoresis data. A sedimentation coefficient of 2.3S was determined by sucrose gradient centrifugation, and a Stokes radius of 2 X 10(-7) cm was determined by gel filtration. An average molecular weight of 18,900 for all of the TST forms was calculated from these data by the Stokes-Einstein equation. A survey for TST in 32 control and 46 toxic shock strains of S. aureus by isoelectric focusing and by agarose gel double immunodiffusion with specific rabbit antiserum revealed that the isoelectric focusing method tends to overestimate the number of TST-positive strains because of the detection of non-TST, neutral staphylococcal proteins. Based on immunodiffusion data, the association of TST with toxic shock strains was found to be 100% in vaginal isolates and 62% in non-vaginal isolates. In the control strains, TST was found in 16% of the vaginal strains and 23% of the non-vaginal strains. The value of this toxin as a marker for toxic shock and its relationship to the pathogenesis of this disease are discussed.

Bacterial Toxins↗

PubMed1984

Lyme disease: a selective medium for isolation of the suspected etiological agent, a spirochete.

A simple procedure with a new selective culture medium for the isolation of the suspected etiological agent of Lyme disease from ticks is described. Live ticks (Ixodes dammini) were ground with a mortar and pestle, and the suspensions were inoculated into a selective and nonselective medium. The selective medium, which contained kanamycin and 5-fluorouracil, yielded positive spirochete cultures from 100% of the pooled ticks and from 79% of the single tick specimens. The isolation rate for the nonselective medium was 0% from the tick pools and 58% from the single tick specimens.

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Production of toxic-shock-associated protein(s) in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from 1956 through 1982.

A total of 281 Staphylococcus aureus strains selected from those submitted to the Centers for Disease Control for phage typing between 1956 and 1982 were tested for the production of toxic-shock-associated protein (TSAP) by isoelectric focusing (IEF) and solid-phase radioimmunoassay. The results suggest that the observed temporal trends in the incidence of toxic-shock syndrome were not primarily due to changes in the distribution of TSAP-positive strains of S. aureus. Overall, 39 (14%) were TSAP positive by both methods. The earliest positive strain was an isolate submitted in 1957. TSAP-positive strains were most prevalent in the group of isolates submitted in 1976 for which 29% reacted, but the percent positive subsequently declined for isolates submitted in later years. TSAP production was more frequent among strains of phage types 29, 29/52, and 52 than among other strains. The use of IEF to identify TSAP detected false-positive proteins. Seven strains were positive by IEF and negative by solid-phase radioimmunoassay, whereas only one was positive by solid-phase radioimmunoassay and negative by IEF.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1984

Trans-isolate medium: a new medium for primary culturing and transport of Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae.

A diphasic medium, Trans-Isolate medium, was developed for the transport of primary cultures of cerebrospinal fluids from patients with bacterial meningitis. It consists of a charcoal-starch agar slant and soybean-casein digest-gelatin broth buffered at pH 7.2 with 0.1 M 3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonic acid buffer. In the laboratory, this medium supported the growth and survival of stock cultures of Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae for at least 3 months. Under field conditions in Africa, cerebrospinal fluids from patients suspected of having bacterial meningitis were inoculated directly onto plates of chocolate agar medium and into bottles of Trans-Isolate medium. An etiological agent was isolated from 52 spinal fluids by direct plating. After shipment to Atlanta, Ga., 2 to 4 weeks later, the same etiological agents were recovered from 38 bottles of Trans-Isolate medium.

Bacteriological Techniques↗

PubMed1984

Comparative adjuvant activities of Legionella pneumophila and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Adjuvant activity of heat-killed Legionella pneumophila was demonstrated and compared with that of inactivated Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. The two species of bacteria were suspended separately in oil and Arlacel A. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) in saline was then emulsified within the respective adjuvants and injected intradermally into guinea pigs. Antibodies to the BSA antigen in the sera of the animals were quantitated with the kinetic-dependent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (k-Elisa). Guinea pigs immunized with BSA in adjuvant with killed L. pneumophila produced high titers of anti-BSA antibody, which, on the average, were nearly as high as in those immunized with BSA in complete Freund's adjuvant with M. tuberculosis H37Rv, and which were much greater than in others immunized with incomplete adjuvant, lacking bacteria. Moreover, with a polypeptide hapten, the L. pneumophila evoked as much or more antibody in rabbits as the mycobacterium adjuvant. The effect of the legionella adjuvant upon the cellular immune response was examined using skin tests. For this purpose guinea pigs were immunized with picryl-guinea pig albumin in these adjuvants. 6 weeks later, they were skin-tested with that antigen. They showed reactions which appeared to have immediate as well as delayed components when examined grossly and histologically. Others, immunized with incomplete adjuvant, did not exhibit delayed reactions. Accordingly, heat-killed L. pneumophila acts as a potent adjuvant. Under the circumstances of these experiments, it was as effective as heat-killed M. tuberculosis.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

PubMed1984

Lipopolysaccharide of Legionella as adjuvant for intrinsic and extrinsic antigens.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) isolated from Legionella species was found to be a potent adjuvant. When Legionella LPS was injected into animals as aqueous mixture or oil emulsion with protein antigens, it potentiated humoral antibody titers to these antigens by four- to sixfold. The LPS also acted as an intrinsic adjuvant to induce delayed hypersensitivity to the cross-reacting protein antigens present in cells of Legionella species, providing a potentially useful means for detecting legionellosis by skin test. The adjuvanticity of Legionella LPS was comparable in potency to Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra in Freund's complete adjuvant. However, Legionella LPS caused much less tissue inflammation and appeared to function differently in some aspects.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

PubMed1984

Overview of neonatal listeriosis.

Neonatal listeriosis accounts for the largest recognizable group of infections due to Listeria monocytogenes. Fetal wastage with early gestational infection is a recognized complication of maternal infection. Late gestational maternal infection or asymptomatic colonization may be associated with neonatal infection. Early-and late-onset clinical forms are recognized and the epidemiology, and clinical features of neonatal listeriosis resemble neonatal infections due to group B streptococci. The source of L. monocytogenes in most cases of neonatal listeriosis, particularly the late-onset form, remains obscure.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1983

Legionella pneumonia in guinea pigs exposed to aerosols of concentrated potable water from a hospital with nosocomial Legionnaires' disease.

An investigation of an outbreak of nosocomial legionella pneumonia revealed that the potable water of the hospital was contaminated with a distinctive strain of Legionella pneumophila (designated the Le-1 strain), which was by culture and serology linked with human illness. To examine the possible role of this water in this outbreak, eight healthy guinea pigs were exposed to an aerosol of concentrated potable water. Seven animals developed pneumonia due to the Le-1 strain of L. pneumophila. In one of these guinea pigs, the Le-1 strain was also isolated from the blood and spleen. These results provide support to the theory that exposure of humans to aerosols of potable water contaminated with L. pneumophila may cause legionella pneumonia.

Aerosols↗

PubMed1983

Virulence and phenotypic characterization of Yersinia enterocolitica isolated from humans in the United States.

Yersinia enterocolitica was recently reclassified into Yersinia enterocolitica sensu stricto and three additional species. With this new classification, it was of interest to reexamine pathogenicity previously ascribed to Y. enterocolitica. All available clinical isolates of Y. enterocolitica sent to the Centers for Disease Control from 1970 through 1980 were selected for characterization and comparison. One-hundred such strains had been submitted, from 21 states. Most (85%) were biotype 1, and O:8 was the most common of the 24 serotypes encountered. All strains were examined by several virulence assays. Two strains caused conjunctivitis in guinea pigs, 7 were lethal for mice, 54 invaded HEp2 cells, 18 produced a heat-stable enterotoxin, 9 were calcium dependent, 20 autoagglutinated, and 34 had a distinctive colonial morphology at 37 degrees C. Ten isolates of each of the new species that had previously been grouped with Y. enterocolitica (Y. kristensenii, Y. intermedia, and Y. frederiksenii) were characterized and were generally negative in all assays. This study points out pathogenicity differences among Yersinia species, confirms the complex nature of virulence in Y. enterocolitica, and confirms that no single current assay correlates with virulence in Y. enterocolitica.

Agglutination↗

PubMed1983

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of human antibodies to Salmonella typhi Vi antigen.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect antibodies to Salmonella typhi Vi antigen in human serum, and the results were compared with those from a previously described hemagglutination assay (HA). The ELISA detected Vi antibodies at a titer of greater than or equal to 20 in 40 (52%) of 77 sera from typhoid fever patients, whereas the HA gave titers of greater than or equal to 20 in 35 (47%). Determination of titers of serum specimens from 170 persons without typhoid fever revealed Vi antibody titers of greater than or equal to 20 in 4 (2.3%) by the ELISA and 3 (1.7%) by the HA. Unlike the sensitized erythrocytes used in the HA, the ELISA reagents have a shelf life of greater than or equal to 1 year. The ELISA may be preferred by some laboratories, especially those already performing other ELISA tests.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

PubMed1983

Toxic shock syndrome: modification and comparison of methods for detecting marker proteins in Staphylococcus aureus.

Development of a new medium and modification of incubation conditions increased production of toxic shock syndrome marker proteins and enabled detection of small volumes of pyrogenic exotoxin C (PEC) by isoelectric focusing and staphylococcal enterotoxin F (SEF) by a newly developed solid-phase radioimmunoassay. The results were compared with those obtained with previously described methods. The results were identical, and all PEC-positive isolates were SEF positive. In a second study of 262 randomly selected Staphylococcus aureus isolates examined by isoelectric focusing and solid-phase radioimmunoassay but grown in fresh beef heart medium, 47 (17.9%) isolates were PEC and SEF positive; however, 9 (3.4%) were PEC positive and SEF negative, and 3 (1.1%) were SEF positive and PEC negative. When grown in buffered beef heart yeast extract medium, six of the previously PEC-positive and SEF-negative isolates were PEC negative. Autoradiographic analysis of selected isolates demonstrated that PEC- and SEF-positive strains bound SEF antitoxin to the protein at isoelectric point 7.2, suggesting that in staphylococci from patients with toxic shock syndrome, PEC and SEF are the same protein. In screening staphylococci for toxic shock syndrome marker proteins, isoelectric focusing to identify PEC may detect false-positive proteins and may be more susceptible to technical variation than immunological methods to detect SEF.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1983

Toluidine red unheated serum test, a nontreponemal test for syphilis.

We have shown that a modification of the color-coded antigen developed by Kasatiya and Lambert (Appl. Microbiol. 28:317-318, 1974) can be used as a substitute for other nontreponemal antigens used in screening tests for syphilis. The antigen is based on the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory antigen, with EDTA, choline chloride, and toluidine red toner added. Performance of the toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST) is identical to that of the rapid plasma reagin 18-mm circle card test (U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service Publication no. 411). In a series of preliminary evaluations, the TRUST antigen was found to be stable over a period of 6 months at 4 degrees C. In a comparison of TRUST with the rapid plasma reagin card test, the qualitative agreement was 100%, whereas agreement between these two tests and the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory slide test was 99.7%. The quantitative agreement +/- 1 twofold dilution between TRUST and the rapid plasma reagin card test was 100%; between TRUST and the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory slide test it was 75.0%; and between the rapid plasma reagin card and Venereal Disease Research Laboratory slide tests it was 60.0%.

Edetic Acid↗

PubMed1983

Tetanus and diphtheria immunity in an elderly population in Los Angeles County.

Fifty-four per cent of 246 subjects attending senior citizen centers (mean age 69), and 29 per cent of 111 convalescent hospital subjects (mean age 82) had protective levels of tetanus antitoxin (greater than or equal to 0.01 units/ml). Age-specific immunity levels were lower for females than males, and generally decreased with age. Forty-eight and one-half per cent of the senior citizen center subjects and 55.9 per cent of the convalescent hospital subjects had protective levels of diphtheria antitoxin (greater than or equal to 0.01 units/ml).

Age Factors↗

PubMed1983

Antigens and toxic components of Legionella in pathogenesis and immunity.

Legionellae are opportunistic facultative intracellular pathogens with several antigens and toxic components which may function synergistically in contribution to pathogenesis and immunity. The serogroup specific antigens are associated with endotoxic activities of the bacteria and are potent adjuvants in inducing hypersensitivity and potentiating antibody responses to various antigens. Two protein toxins interfere with oxidative metabolism of host cells and are potential inhibitors of intracellular bactericidal activities. Tissue damage in the host appears to be caused by lysis of infected cells with release of toxic substances of host and bacterial origins. In host defense, the serogroup antigens provide primarily group-specific immunity, and the acid soluble protein toxin induces cross-protection among different serogroups. The combined effects of antibodies to these antigens in promoting phagocytosis and abrogating toxicity would enhance intracellular killing of the invading bacteria. The serogroup antigen complexes may also function as a potent adjuvant to modulate host responses to the invading bacteria.

Animals↗

PubMed1983

Use of cholera toxoid in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antitoxin.

A glutaraldehyde-inactivated toxoid was evaluated as a coating antigen in an ELISA for cholera antitoxin. A reference panel of 36 human sera with antitoxin levels determined by several other assay systems and 58 sera from an outbreak of illness due to Vibrio cholerae were studied. Toxoid compared favorably with two purified cholera toxins, and the microtiter assay using all three antigens was effective in detecting antibody in known convalescing cholera patients.

Animals↗

PubMed1982

Resistance of Mycobacterium chelonei-like organisms to formaldehyde.

Mycobacterium chelonei-like organisms have been isolated from patients in two outbreaks of peritonitis involving chronic peritoneal dialysis machines routinely disinfected with 2 to 3% formaldehyde. Susceptibility studies revealed that water-adapted M. chelonei-like organism strains could survive 2 h of exposure to 10% formaldehyde.

Ascitic Fluid↗

PubMed1982

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of Salmonella typhi Vi antigen in urine from typhoid patients.

Because typhoid fever continues to be a major cause of illness in many developing countries, there is a clear need for a sensitive and specific test that will permit rapid laboratory diagnosis of the disease. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has recently been developed and tested, both in the laboratory and in a clinical situation, for its ability to detect Vi antigen in urine. The ELISA was capable of detecting as little as 1 ng of purified Vi antigen per ml in urine, compared with 100 ng/ml detectable by a previously tested coagglutination method. It could also detect antigen in urine diluted as much as 1:1,024 in normal urine. In tests of urine specimens from six stool culture-positive persons in a small typhoid outbreak in the United States, the ELISA detected antigen in specimens from four of the six patients. The ELISA also proved to be specific, giving no false-positive results for specimens from 50 persons who did not have typhoid fever. The apparent high sensitivity and specificity of this ELISA make it a promising test for rapid diagnosis of typhoid fever.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

PubMed1982

Heated versus unheated sera in the hemagglutination treponemal test for syphilis.

Sera (920) were tested to evaluate the use of heated versus unheated sera in the hemagglutination treponemal test for syphilis. The heated and unheated samples were tested on the same day with the hemagglutination treponemal test for syphilis kit according to the manufacturer's protocol. Agreement of results between the heated and unheated sera was 99.2%. The reading pattern of agglutination was clearer and more distinct with heated sera; therefore, based solely on our preference for the reading patterns, we suggest that heated sera be used in the hemagglutination treponemal test for syphilis.

Hemagglutination Tests↗