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Biomedical subjects

J G Tully

Publications and source records attributed to J G Tully.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Nucleic acid relationships among Acholeplasma species.

3H-labeled Acholeplasma DNA probes were generated in vitro by the nick-translation method and used to determine the nucleotide sequence homology among the type strains of the eight currently recognized species of Acholeplasma. Very little nucleotide sequence homology (less than or equal to 18%) was found among the eight species, with heteroduplexes showing at least 12% or more mismatching as determined by thermal elution midpoints. The small amount of nucleotide sequence homology among the eight species indicates that these species are quite distinct and are not closely related to each other genomically.

Acholeplasma↗
PubMed1981

A newly discovered mycoplasma in the human urogenital tract.

A new mycoplasma, serologically distinct from all other known mycoplasmas, was isolated from urethral specimens from two of thirteen men with non-gonococcal urethritis. Repeatable isolation and propagation was accomplished by use of a special culture medium. The organisms adhered to glass or plastic, erythrocytes, and monkey kidney cells. This property appears to be associated with surface material restricted to the area of a terminal structure of the flask-shaped mycoplasmas. Although the data are insufficient to implicate the new mycoplasmas in human disease, the fact that they are unique, extremely fastidious, and have adherence properties, has stimulated efforts to assess their pathogenicity and possible role in human urogenital disease.

Culture Media↗
PubMed1981

Helical mycoplasmas (spiroplasmas) from Ixodes ticks.

A new spiroplasma isolated from Ixodes pacificus collected in Oregon was serologically and morphologically distinct from known spiroplasmas. The new spiroplasma could also be isolated in tick cell cultures. Discovery of a new fastidious mycoplasma in ticks offers opportunities to explore the possible role of these agents in human and animal diseases.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Laboratory diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections.

A culture medium developed for newly isolated plant and insect mycoplasmas (spiroplasmas) has markedly improved the recovery of Mycoplasma pneumoniae from human clinical materials. This medium (SP-4), in combination with a direct fluorescent antibody test, can improve the recovery and identification of the organism by 30 to 40% over conventional culture procedures. Although these improvements in isolation of the organism may lead to new information on the epidemiology of the disease, the most organism may lead to new information on the epidemiology of the disease, the most rapid diagnosis of clinical M. pneumoniae infections in man is still dependent upon accurate measurement of antibody rises in response to the organism. Recent reports of a number of new serological techniques suggest that further improvements in the serological diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infections are possible.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1981

Urogenital mycoplasma infections of man: a review with observations on a recently discovered mycoplasma.

Ureaplasma urealyticum organisms (ureaplasmas), Mycoplasma hominis, M. fermentans, M. primatum, M. Salivarium and M. pneumoniae have been isolated from the genitourinary tract. The first two of these microorganisms are found most frequently. M. hominis is a cause of some cases of postpartum and postabortal fever, acute pyelonephritis and pelvic inflammatory disease. Ureaplasmas have been associated with chorioamnionitis, habitual spontaneous abortion, low birthweight, the urethral syndrome in women, and nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) in men; but the difficulty of proving an etiological relationship is emphasized. However, in NGU there is accumulating evidence to indicate that ureaplasmas cause some cases. Some patients suffering from NGU, from whom ureaplasmas, mycoplasmas and chlamydiae cannot be isolated, respond to tetracycline therapy. This has suggested that a tetracycline-sensitive microorganism might be responsible. In this context, the isolation of a glucose-metabolizing mycoplasma from the genitourinary tracts of 2 of 13 men with NGU is of interest. This mycoplasma, serologically different from all other tested, has the structural and biological features of a pathogenic organism.

Abortion, Habitual↗
PubMed1981

Mycoplasmal toxins.

Mycoplasmal toxins cover a wide range of substances, including diffusible components of microbial metabolism that are toxic for host cells, endotoxin-like compounds in the mycoplasma membrane, or toxins with characteristics of some classical exotoxins. There is little definitive evidence that the diffusable metabolic products play a primary role in mycoplasma pathogenicity, although they may provoke profound secondary host responses to potentiate infection. Like-wise, although the lipoglycans isolated from acholeplasmas produce potent endotoxin-like responses, their role in pathogenicity is still uncertain. There seems to be little question that the toxin from Mycoplasma neurolyticum is intimately connected to the neurological consequences observed in natural or mixed infections with this organism. Whether this is a true exotoxin may now be open to some doubt. Further information on this neurotoxin may clarify the role of mycoplasmas in a number of infections where neurological complications occur.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

PLC/PRF/5 (Alexander) hepatoma cell line: further characterization and studies of infectivity.

The Alexander hepatoma cell line, PLC/PRF/5, was studied for evidence of hepatitis B virus markers and alpha-fetoprotein. Only hepatitis B surface antigen and alpha-fetoprotein were detected. Induction experiments with 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine and inoculation of chimpanzees with whole cells or tissue culture fluid did not reveal evidence of synthesis of additional hepatitis B virus markers or of production of infectious virus.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Enhanced isolation of Mycoplasma pneumoniae from throat washings with a newly-modified culture medium.

Two hundred throat washings, previously screened and presumed negative for Mycoplasma pneumoniae in conventional mycoplasma culture media, were retested for the organism in a modified medium (PS-4) initially developed for cultivation of a tick-derived Mycoplasma (spiroplasma). The organism was rapidly identified with an agar plate immunofluorescence procedure. M. pneumoniae was isolated from 69 (34.5%) of the 200 "negative" specimens cultured on a diphasic SP-4 medium, in contrast to 10 isolations (5%) made on conventional diphasic mycoplasma medium. This enhanced recovery of M. pneumoniae represented a combination of a superior culture medium and a more efficient identification technique. The findings suggest that these procedures might be effectively applied to the recovery of M. pneumoniae from all likely host and that improved recovery of the organism may aid in the interpretation of a number of puzzling questions about the epidemiology of M. pneumoniae infections.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Pathogenic mycoplasmas: cultivation and vertebrate pathogenicity of a new spiroplasma.

A spiroplasma recovered from allantoic fluids of chick embryos infected with the tick-derived suckling mouse cataract agent was grown in continuous passage on a new artificial culture medium. The cultured organisms induced typical ocular and other disease symptoms in susceptible animals, and were reisolated from involved host tissues. Although spiroplasmas have been previously recognized as plant and insect pathogens, this is the first spiroplasma shown to multiply at 37 degrees C and to be pathogenic for vertebrates.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Lymphocyte activation by various Mycoplasma strains and species.

The capacity of various mycoplasma strains and species to induce lymphocyte transformation in vitro was studied. Of six strains of Mycoplasma pulmonis studied, five displayed mitogenic activity with rat lymphocytes. Among those M. pulmonis strains, our MP15 isolate and the Negroni strain exhibited particularly potent mitogenic capacity. The murine mycoplasmas M. neurolyticum and M. arthritidis shared this mitogenicity for rat lymphocytes. However, the human mycoplasmas M. fermentans, M. pneumoniae, M. hominis, M. orale, and Acholeplasma laidlawii did not activate rat lymphocytes. Lymphocytes obtained from germfree rats were activated to the same extent as those from animals bred under conventional conditions. The mitogenic potency exhibited by mycoplasma was not restricted to infective microorganisms, and preparations of killed mycoplasma particles exerted an extensive lymphocyte transformation. The data show that the mitogenic activity of mycoplasmas is not confined to a single mycoplasma isolate and that it acts in a nonspecific manner.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Binding of plant lectins to mycoplasma cells and membranes.

The binding of iodinated wheat germ agglutinin, Ricinus communis agglutinin, and concanavalin A to mycoplasma cells and membranes was examined. All mycoplasmas studied specifically bound concanavalin A or R. communis agglutinin and, to a lesser degree, wheat germ agglutinin. The binding of lectins to whole cells was similar to that recorded for membranes, suggesting that significant binding only occurred on the outer surface of the mycoplasma membrane. Proteolysis of the membrane almost always increased the capacity to bind lectins, which indicates that additional carbohydrate groups on the mycoplasma membrane are masked by a protein layer or protein complexes on the membrane. The observation that carbohydrates are apparently exposed on the surface of mycoplasma membranes should stimulate more concentrated study on the isolation and chemical characterization of these substances since it is quite likely that they are responsible for a variety of reactions between mycoplasmas and host cells.

Acholeplasma↗
PubMed1973

Spiroplasmas and acholeplasmas: multiplication in insects.

The helical wall-free microorganism, Spiroplasma citri, which is associated with citrus stubborn, a disease with no known vector, multiplied in the leafhopper vector of corn stunt but multiplied to higher titer in the vector of aster yellows and decreased the longevity of that insect. Acholeplasma laidlawii and A. granularum also multiplied in both leafhoppers.

Animals↗
PubMed1973

Morphology, ultrastructure, and bacteriophage infection of the helical mycoplasma-like organism (Spiroplasma citri gen. nov., sp. nov.) cultured from "stubborn" disease of citrus.

The mycoplasma-like organism Spiroplasma citri gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from citrus infected with "Stubborn" disease and carried in serial cultures in several media, was examined by dark-field microscopy and electron microscopy of negatively-stained and shadowed preparations and of sections. It grows as motile, helical filaments in liquid, but as nonmotile, nonhelical filaments and round bodies in agar cultures. Helicity and motility are lost in old broth cultures and upon addition of a variety of negative stains, fixatives, and other solutions. No organelles accounting for motility are present, but a layer of surface projections is present on the surface of the single, bounding membrane. The mycoplasma produces a tailed, type B bacteriophage which appear to attach to the outer layer. Helical filaments are preserved in ammonium molybdate, but not in sodium phosphotungstate, and by fixation in Formalin or glutaraldehyde made up in medium, but not by osmium nor by glutaraldehyde in cacodylate buffer. This mycoplasma appears similar to the noncultured helical microorganism in corn stunt-diseased tissues and is probably a representative of a new group of mycoplasmas which are in possession of surface projections, rotary motility, and bacteriophage infection.

Agar↗
PubMed1972

Isolation and characterization of Mycoplasma conjunctivae sp. n. from sheep and goats with keratoconjunctivitis.

Fourteen conjunctival strains of mycoplasma were isolated from infected sheep and goats in two separate naturally occurring outbreaks of keratoconjunctivitis (pink-eye). The biological and serological properties and cell protein patterns of these strains are presented in this report. These strains were related to each other and were unrelated to 40 recognized Mycoplasma and Acholeplasma species and serotypes. We are proposing that this group of mycoplasmas be named M. conjunctivae. The role of M. conjunctivae in the etiology of keratoconjunctivitis in sheep and goats remains to be determined.

Animals↗