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Biomedical subjects

M J Albert

Publications and source records attributed to M J Albert.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Characterization of Hafnia alvei by biochemical tests, random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR, and partial sequencing of 16S rRNA gene.

Hafnia alvei strains which possess the attachment-effacement gene (eaeA) may have clinical importance as new diarrhea-causing pathogens and should therefore be differentiated from other H. alvei strains. We characterized diarrheal H. alvei strains, which were positive in the PCR test for the eaeA gene, using biochemical tests not routinely used for identification of members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, and compared them with eaeA-negative strains isolated from different clinical and nonclinical sources to find characteristics useful for identification. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR and partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene were utilized to study the genetic diversity of the isolates. The eaeA-positive strains were found to have many characteristic biochemical properties. Negative reactions in the 2-ketogluconate and histidine assimilation tests and a positive reaction in the 3-hydroxybenzoate assimilation test may be useful in routine diagnostics. Nearly identical RAPD-PCR profiles and identical 353-bp fragments of the 16S rRNA genes indicated little genetic diversity among the eaeA-positive strains. The low level of homology (92%) in the partial 16S rRNA genes of eaeA-positive and -negative H. alvei strains raises questions about the taxonomic positioning of eaeA-positive H. alvei.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Bacterial translocation in the rat model of lectin induced diarrhoea.

Red kidney beans were fed to weanling Long-Evans rats to cause diarrhoea (mean (SD) faecal wet weight: 2.66 (0.73) g/day in six rats fed beans v 1.12 (0.47) g/day in six control rats, p < 0.01) and increased faecal energy loss (4.87 (0.41) v 2.14 (0.23) kcal/day, p < 0.01). In addition, the rats fed beans had heavier small intestines (80.6 (4.6) v 51.9 (8.4) g/kg body weight, p < 0.01), heavier mesenteric lymph nodes (0.72 (0.27) v 0.08 (0.08) g/kg body weight, p < 0.05), and translocation of indigenous intestinal bacteria, Citrobacter Spp and Escherichia coli, to the mesenteric lymph nodes. (Translocation positive, that is, > 100 colonies per g of nodal tissue: 75% v 0%, p < 0.005.) These data suggest that diarrhoea induced by red kidney beans is a suitable model for studies of an important cause of persistent diarrhoea--that is, systemic complications. This rat model of lectin induced diarrhoea with translocation of intraluminal enteric bacteria into mesenteric lymph nodes should be useful in understanding the well known septicaemic complications associated with prolonged diarrhoea in infants and small children and in studies on factors that may modify or prevent bacterial translocation.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Structural studies of the Shigella boydii type 5 O-antigen polysaccharide.

The structure of the Shigella boydii type 5 O-antigen polysaccharide has been investigated by sugar and methylation analyses, and specific degradations. It is proposed that it is composed of hexasaccharide repeating units with the following structure. The repeating unit also contains an O-acetyl group, linked to one of the primary positions. [formula: see text]

Carbohydrate Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Adherence to human small intestines of capsulated Vibrio cholerae O139.

Capsulated cells of V. cholerae O139 adhered to formalin-fixed or native mucosa of the small intestines from an adult and a child. The primary adherence target was mucus. Capsulated O139 cells adhered better to the antigen sampling cells (M cells) of ileal Peyer's patch than to the absorptive cells. O139 cells on the mucosa appeared as small aggregates. Similar organisms were found on the mucosa of duodenal biopsy samples from patients infected with V. cholerae O139. The findings indicated that capsulated cells of V. cholerae O139 tend to autoagglutinate and contribute to the effective adherence to the intestinal mucosa.

Bacterial Adhesion↗
PubMed1994

Purification and characterization of vibrio cholerae O139 fimbriae.

A Vibrio cholerae O139 (strain Al-1841) isolated from a patient with a cholera-like disease in Bangladesh predominantly produced new curved, wavy fimbriae (Al-1841 fimbriae) and small numbers of previously reported V. cholerae non-O1 S7-like pili. The former was purified and characterized. The molecular mass of the Al-1841 fimbrial subunit was less than 2.5 kDa, and it was immunologically different from that of V. cholerae non-O1 S7 pili. This novel fimbrial antigen was detected in all 182 Gram-negative strains from five genera tested but was absent from the Gram-positive bacteria tested. The purified Al-1841 fimbriae did not agglutinate human or rabbit erythrocytes.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1994

Vibrio cholerae O139 Bengal possesses a capsular polysaccharide which may confer increased virulence.

A newly described Vibrio cholerae serogroup--O139 Bengal, the causative agent of the recent large epidemics of cholera-like disease in the Indian subcontinent and neighbouring countries--possesses a high molecular weight capsular polysaccharide (CPS) that can be visualized by electron microscopy and in composition differs from the lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The CPS and LPS can be separated from each other by a two-step extraction procedure, a phenol-water extraction in order to extract all polysaccharides from the bacterial suspension followed by a phenol-chloroform-petroleum ether (PCP) extraction. The CPS is mainly composed of 3,6-dideoxyhexose (abequose or colitose), quinovosamine and glucosamine. The LPS of the O139 Bengal strain appears to possess a short polysaccharide which contains glucose, galactose, glucosamine and heptose. Both the LPS and CPS are immunogenic. They react in an enzyme immunoassay with rabbit antibodies generated against whole heat-killed bacteria. By analogy with other capsulated bacteria, the possession of a capsule may confer increased virulence of O139 Bengal.

Bacterial Capsules↗
PubMed1994

Diarrhea associated with Cyclospora Sp. in Bangladesh.

A spherical acid-fast organism measuring approximately 10 microns in diameter (Cyclospora sp.) has recently been implicated in diarrheal diseases in many parts of the world. We detected this organism in the stools of six Bangladeshi patients with diarrhea. Four patients had chronic diarrhea and two had acute diarrhea at the time of presentation. This is the first report of infection with this organism in the indigenous population from this region.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Monoclonal antibodies specific for Shigella dysenteriae serotype 13. Production, characterization, and diagnostic application.

Three mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) (ICL3, ICL4, and ICL5) were produced that specifically recognized the lipopolysaccharide antigen of the newly recognized Shigella dysenteriae serotype-13 strain. All three mAbs reacted with all nine reference isolates of S. dysenteriae 13 in different tests. The mAbs also detected colonies of S. dysenteriae-13 isolates by direct slide agglutination test. The mAbs also reacted with the reference Escherichia coli 0150 strain and showed its close antigenic relationship with S. dysenteriae 13. Use of these mAbs in our clinical laboratory during an 8-month period detected three S. dysenteriae-13 isolates that were also detected by a polyclonal rabbit antiserum. It should now be possible to define the epidemiologic importance of S. dysenteriae serotype 13 in diarrhea by using these mAbs.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1994

An epidemic of cholera due to Vibrio cholerae O139 in Dhaka, Bangladesh: clinical and epidemiological features.

We describe the disease spectrum and socio-demographic and epidemiological features of an epidemic of cholera due to a new pathogen, Vibrio cholerae O139, in patients attending a very large hospital in the metropolitan city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. This hospital treats 70,000-90,000 patients a year with diarrhoeal diseases. A 4% systematic sample of 1854 patients attending from January to April 1993 were studied. Five hundred and two (27%) of the 1854 patients were culture positive for V. cholerae O139 and 63 (3%) were culture positive for V. cholerae O1 biotype El Tor. Patients with V. cholerae O139 were mainly adults with a short history of watery diarrhoea. Eight-three percent of patients had moderate to severe dehydration. All recovered except one 80-year-old man with compromised renal function who died. Seventy-eight percent of patients required initial intravenous rehydration followed by oral rehydration therapy with rice ORS; they also received tetracycline to reduce diarrhoea severity. Most patients were from urban slums with inadequate sanitation facilities and hygiene practices. The newly recognized V. cholerae O139 infection produced an epidemic of severe dehydrating diarrhoea indistinguishable from clinical cholera in a population which experiences two epidemic peaks of cholera in a year due to V. cholerae O1. Infection with the latter does not appear to confer any cross-protection from V. cholerae O139. The new pathogen suppressed, albeit temporarily, V. cholerae O1. Unlike other non-O1 serogroups of V. cholerae this new serogroup appears to have epidemic potential.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Vibrio mimicus with multiple toxin types isolated from human and environmental sources.

A collection of 13 strains of Vibrio mimicus, including both clinical and environmental isolates from different geographic regions, was examined for various toxins. One strain of environmental origin produced cholera-like toxin (CT) which was completely absorbed with anti-CT immunoglobulin G, five strains produced a haemolysin that cross-reacted with the thermostable direct haemolysin of V. parahaemolyticus and DNA from two strains hybridised with a DNA probe specific for the heat-stable enterotoxin of V. cholerae non-O1. Culture supernates of all strains produced a factor that was cytotoxic to Vero and Chinese hamster ovary cells. In this study, we were able to identify strains of V. mimicus that produced, or had the genetic potential to produce, several toxin types simultaneously. The role of these strains as genetic reservoirs is discussed.

Animals↗