Biomedical subjects

J E Bornand

Publications and source records attributed to J E Bornand.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Development of a quantitative TaqMan RT-PCR for respiratory syncytial virus.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a ubiquitous RNA virus of the family Paramyxoviridae that may interfere with graft tolerance and with other interstitial lung diseases. The low viral titre observed in the immunodeficient transplanted patients requires a highly sensitive detection method. Although different tests already exist for the detection of RSV, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been shown to have the best sensitivity. In this study, a SYBR Green assay was established for the detection of RSV A and RSV B in a common screening test, and two quantitative TaqMan RT-PCRs were developed to quantify both RSV subgroups separately. Standard dilutions obtained from RSV cell infections were included in each test, and the assay was normalised using a housekeeping gene. RSV was found in 16% of the transplanted patients tested. The quantitative TaqMan assay is fast, reproducible, specific and very sensitive, and could facilitate considerably the detection of RSV virus. This would in-turn facilitate studies on the role of RSV in graft rejection.

Benzothiazoles↗

PubMed2001

Chlamydial serology: comparative diagnostic value of immunoblotting, microimmunofluorescence test, and immunoassays using different recombinant proteins as antigens.

To improve the reliability of the serodiagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis infections, an immunoblot analysis, a microimmunofluorescence titration, and different immunoassays using synthetic peptides derived from species-specific epitopes in variable domain IV of the major outer membrane protein or recombinant antigens (heat shock protein 70 [hsp70], hsp60, hsp10, polypeptide encoded by open reading frame 3 of the plasmid [pgp3], macrophage infectivity potentiator, and a fragment of the total lipopolysaccharide) were evaluated. Because cross-reactions between chlamydial species have been reported, the microimmunofluorescence tests were also performed with Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia psittaci used as antigens, and C. pneumoniae-specific antibodies were also determined by immunoassays. Since the presence of antimicrobial antibodies must be interpreted in light of their prevalence in the general population, responses obtained with serum samples from patients with well-defined infection (i.e., with positive urethral or endocervical C. trachomatis DNA amplification) were compared to those obtained with samples from healthy blood donors. The best sensitivity (86%) with a specificity of 81% was obtained for immunoblotting results, when the number of individuals with > or =10 immunoglobulin G (IgG) and/or > or =2 IgM responses to the different C. trachomatis antigens was considered. A 13-kDa antigen was recognized by most of the samples (86% for IgG) from patients with acute urogenital infection but rarely (3%) by those from healthy blood donors (P < 0.0001). The sensitivity and specificity results obtained for serum antibodies to peptides or recombinant antigens were slightly lower than those results obtained for the number of responses to whole C. trachomatis antigens, which were 76 and 77%, respectively, when IgG responses to both recombinant hsp60 and pgp3 were considered.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Uveitis: is ocular toxoplasmosis only a clinical diagnosis?

Between 1981 and 1994, the detection of specific antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii was performed simultaneously in serum and aqueous humor from 90 patients, and the Witmer-Desmonts coefficient measuring the relative concentration of antibodies produced locally was calculated to confirm the clinical diagnosis of ocular toxoplasmosis. Thirty-seven results were positive (41.1%), 12 uncertain (13.3%) and 41 negative (45.6%). These results are compared with the data obtained by the polymerase chain reaction for the genomic detection of an infectious agent in the aqueous humor that have recently been published.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

[Toxoplasma infestation: prevalence, risk of congenital infection and development in Geneva from 1973 to 1987].

Assessment of the risk of toxoplasma infection during pregnancy in the female population of the Geneva area, and of the risk of congenital toxoplasmosis, has shown 9 cases of toxoplasmosis for 1000 pregnancies and 3.5 congenital infections for 1000 newborn infants. These results show that the prevalence of toxoplasma infection has been decreasing constantly during the 15 years of study, but that the risk of infection during pregnancy and of congenital infection has remained steady.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989