[Endemic goiter in the province of Terni].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Pitzurra.
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The survival time of tetanus heterologous antitoxins, crude or digested, has been controlled by indirect haemagglutination (I.H.A.) and neutralization tests in guinea pigs and rabbits. Digested antitoxins are demonstrable in guinea pigs up to the 8th day, in rabbits only during the first day. They reach the highest level 24 hours after the injection: tested with I.H.A. show a good correlation with the quantity of injected antitoxin. In the sera of three wounded subjects, treated with Ig or digested horse antitetanic serum, after 24 hours the I.H.A. test was negative, while the neutralizing antibody titer was equal to 0.1/0.01 I.U./ml. These contrasting results are probably due to circulating Fab' gragments from decaying tetanus antitoxins.
Haemagglutinating antibodies have been assessed in rabbits undergoing active- passive immunization against tetanus. The animals received 6 injections of horse immune serum, 400 UI/kg, and A1PO4 adsorbed toxoid, 0.35 Lf/kg, every 30th day. One the 5th day, after the first injection, E.A. antibodies appeared, at low levels, as a result of a passive immunization. Thereafter the tests became negative, up to the 70th day, when an active immunization emerged, with a 25 days delay in comparison with controls. Neutralization test in vivo behaved in the same way. The results stress once more the need to give up the use of heterologous immune sera in tetanus prophylaxis, in active-passive immunization as well. Arguments adding force to this point of view are: the sensibilization against heterologous proteins, the very low (if any) passive protective action, and, last not least, the delay in the emergence of active immunization: the only reliable shield against tetanus.
The effect of concanavalin A (ConA), phytohaemagglutinin P (PHA) and Limulus polyphemus haemocyanin (LPH) on the lethal activity of tetanus toxin (TT) is reported. C3H mice treated s.c. with ConA or PHA but not with LPH from 48 h before to 12 h after s.c. TT challenge showed a significant increase in median survival time compared to control mice inoculated with toxin alone. This protective effect was also obtained when PHA or ConA was administered by the i.p. route, TT being injected s.c. In further studies, mice treated with ConA or PHA by different routes (s.c., i.p. or i.v.) were challenged s.c. with graded minimal lethal doses of TT, with or without i.p. administration of horse antitetanus serum (HATS) 24 h after toxin inoculation. The mice treated with ConA or PHA + HATS showed a significantly increased survival rate and a higher percentage of cured mice with respect to control animals treated with lectins alone. In contrast, the mice challenged with TT and treated with HATS alone did not show any increased survival with respect to untreated controls. Sera from ConA- or PHA-treated mice were unable to neutralize the TT. Immune depression in mice by total-body irradiation (400 R) did not abolish the protective activity of the lectins. These results show that in vivo treatment of mice with ConA or PHA but not with LPH can protect against the lethal effects of TT.
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Soluble antigens have been obtained from Candida albicans cultures of different age treated with hypertonic salt solution (3M KC1). The antigens reached against anti-Candida immune sera in double diffusion agar test, also after adsorption of immune serum on Candida cells. Electron microscopic pictures revealed a marked reduction of the outer layers of 3M KC1 extracted cells.
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