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Biomedical subjects

S Stagno

Publications and source records attributed to S Stagno.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

In vitro activity of the spermicide nonoxynol-9 against Chlamydia trachomatis.

The in vitro activity of nonoxynol-9 against four serotypes (C, D, H, and K) of Chlamydia trachomatis was investigated. A constant inoculum of each serotype was exposed to serial twofold dilutions (1:100 to 1:800) of Koromex, Conceptrol, or reference preparations (not containing nonoxynol-9) for 4 and 24 h at 37 degrees C. The mixtures of nonoxynal-9 or nonnonoxynol preparations and control inocula were dispensed into triplicate wells containing McCoy cell monolayers. After incubation at 37 degrees C, the monolayers were fixed and stained with iodine and examined for evidence of infection with C. trachomatis. All nonoxynol-9-containing preparations showed marked antichlamydial activity as judged by percent reduction of glycogen-containing intracytoplasmic inclusions. The reference preparations, which did not contain nonoxynol-9, were markedly less active when tested in this in vitro system.

Chlamydia trachomatis↗
PubMed1985

Immunoglobulin M antibodies detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and radioimmunoassay in the diagnosis of cytomegalovirus infections in pregnant women and newborn infants.

Immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies were detected by a commercially available enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) in 36 of 49 (73%) pregnant women with primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. A positive ELISA-IgM result occurred in 10 of 13 patients (77%) assessed within 8 weeks of seroconversion. The sensitivity of the radioimmunoassay (RIA) to identify primary infection in pregnant women was comparable, 78% in general and 86% for women tested within 16 weeks of seroconversion. Of the 36 women with primary infection who had detectable IgM antibodies by ELISA, 25 (69%) were delivered of congenitally infected infants, whereas of the 13 with undetectable IgM antibodies, 7 (54%) transmitted the infection in utero. IgM antibodies were detected by ELISA in only 5 of 43 (11%) women who experienced a recurrence of CMV which either did or did not result in congenital infection. RIA was less likely to measure CMV-specific IgM in recurrent infection, inasmuch as 1 of 19 (5.2%) women with proven recurrent infection had detectable IgM antibody, giving RIA a better specificity for primary infection. Specific IgM antibodies were detected by ELISA in 42 of 61 (69%) babies congenitally infected with CMV and in 4 of 70 (5.7%) uninfected control newborn infants. The RIA was superior for diagnosis of congenital CMV infection, with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 100%. The lower sensitivity of the ELISA-IgM occurred in the category of congenitally infected infants born to mothers with recurrent infection (43%), a group that is at the lowest risk of disease or to develop sequelae. This commercially available ELISA-IgM could be used in combination with a CMV-specific IgG test for monitoring women during pregnancy for primary infection.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1984

Factors associated with primary cytomegalovirus infection during pregnancy.

We compared a group of 40 susceptible pregnant women who acquired CMV during gestation with a group of 86 women of similar race and socioeconomic background who remained seronegative to define factors associated with the risk of CMV infection during pregnancy. A logistic regression model using a stepwise procedure showed that a positive statistically significant correlation occurred with the age of the mother, the father's high-intensity contact with young children, and children living at home. A negative correlation occurred with mother's high-risk intensity contact with children outside the home. This study underlines the possibility that pregnant women may acquire CMV infection introduced into the household by their young children and husbands, a phenomenon that is reminiscent of rubella infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Occupational risk for primary cytomegalovirus infection among pediatric health-care workers.

The risk of acquiring cytomegalovirus (CMV) from infected infants concerns pediatric health-care workers, particularly those who may be pregnant. We determined the prevalence of CMV antibody, and thus of past infection, in groups of medical students and house staff, nurses, and physicians, and in groups of pregnant and nonpregnant young women in the community. Although age, sex, and race influenced the results, occupation did not. We then estimated the exposure of the health-care workers by determining the prevalence of CMV infection in three groups of asymptomatic infants for whom they provided care; CMV was shed in urine or saliva of 1.6 per cent of newborns, 13 per cent of premature infants hospitalized for over a month, and 5 per cent of older infants seen in outpatient settings. When we determined the incidence of primary infection in the adult groups by retesting the seronegative members about two years later, we found that the annual attack rates in the medical students (0.6 per cent), house staff (2.7 per cent), and nurses (3.3 per cent) were not higher than in young women in the community (2.5 per cent during pregnancy and 5.5 per cent between pregnancies). We conclude that although pediatric health-care workers frequently and unknowingly care for infants shedding CMV, this occupational contact confers no greater risk than that faced by young women in the community at large.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Monoclonal antibodies for rapid diagnosis and typing of genital herpes infections during pregnancy.

Fluorescein-conjugated, type-specific monoclonal antibodies to herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2) and group-specific antibody which recognizes both HSV-1 and HSV-2 were used to detect HSV-infected cells in clinical specimens. Specimens were collected from 66 pregnant women with a past history of herpes genitalis or with suspected lesions. Fourteen of 18 samples from which virus was isolated were positive by immunofluorescence test; four of 18 specimens had an insufficient number of cells (less than 50 per smear) for analysis. In one specimen, a positive reaction by immunofluorescence was not confirmed by virus isolation. HSV was typed directly on smears of clinical specimens in 14 instances: three samples were identified as HSV-1, and 11 as HSV-2. Moreover, the immunofluorescence test was used to type HSV isolates in cell cultures in these cases and 40 additional strains. Examination of viral deoxyribonucleic acid fragments obtained by restriction enzyme digestion confirmed the typings; complete agreement was found among the three methods. Immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies is a reliable test for rapid diagnosis and simultaneous typing of genital HSV infections, even in asymptomatic women. With adequate specimens, the specificity and sensitivity of this method approach 100%.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1983

Prenatal screening of pregnant women for infections caused by cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, herpesvirus, rubella, and Toxoplasma gondii.

A service-oriented screening program for serologic detection of viral and parasitic infections during gestation is described for three different population groups. Significance of a determination of primary cytomegalovirus infection is documented. A screening program for detection of immunity to rubella is recommended, but the feasibility of similar programs for herpes simplex virus and Epstein-Barr virus warrants further study. Because of the low frequency of toxoplasmosis, education of patients instead of screening may be appropriate.

Alabama↗
PubMed1983

Specific cell-mediated immunity and the natural history of congenital infection with cytomegalovirus.

Viral excretion, antibody response, and specific cell-mediated immunity were studied in 104 children with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection followed from birth. The study population demonstrated prolonged viral shedding and stable, moderate levels of serum antibody. The majority of patients ceased salivary shedding of CMV by two years of age but continued to have viruria through the fifth year. Patients who had symptomatic infection or CNS sequelae were similar to asymptomatic patients with regard to both viral excretion and antibody response. Although symptomatic patients had significantly weaker specific blastogenic responses from one to seven years of age, the majority of patients from both groups had no detectable response to CMV through their fifth year. The impairment was highly specific for CMV, as patients with congenital CMV infection who had antibody to herpes simplex virus did have a lymphocyte blastogenic response to the latter virus. Although specific lymphocyte blastogenesis did not correlate with outcome, the presence of a positive response was associated with cessation of viruria.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Cytomegalovirus-infected cell polypeptides immune-precipitated by sera from children with congenital and perinatal infections.

Congenital or perinatally acquired human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in children may be symptomatic or asymptomatic. In this study, we characterized the electrophoretic properties of CMV-infected cell polypeptides immune-precipitated by sera from children with different types of CMV infections from birth to 4 years of age. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel analysis of immune precipitates formed with radiolabeled extracts of cells infected with CMV strain AD169 showed the following. (i) Electrophoretic profiles of CMV polypeptides immune-precipitated by sera from children with perinatal and congenital infections were similar. At least 11 polypeptides with apparent molecular weights of 150,000, 140,000, 110,000, 100,000, 74,000, 66,000, 50,000, 49,000, 34,000, 25,000, and 20,000 were precipitated. Antibody titer in anticomplement immunofluorescence tests and virus titer in urine correlated with the intensity of polypeptide profiles in autoradiograms. (ii) The initial immune response of children with symptomatic congenital infections was delayed as compared to that of children with asymptomatic congenital and perinatal CMV infections. Sera obtained serially from symptomatic children for years after birth continued to precipitate CMV polypeptides, whereas sera from children with subclinical congenital infections precipitated lesser amounts over time. (iii) Immune precipitates obtained with sera from CMV-infected patients and with monoclonal antibodies to CMV contained polypeptides with comparable electrophoretic and immunological properties.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1983

Immunologic studies in asymptomatic hemophilia patients. Relationship to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Asymptomatic hemophilia patients receiving Factor VIII concentrate were found to have normal natural killer (NK) cells and B cells, and an inverted T helper/suppressor ratio due to an increase in cells of T suppressor phenotype. In contrast, a hemophilia patient with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) exhibited nonfunctional NK cells, low B cells, and an inverted T helper/suppressor ratio due to very low numbers of T helper cells. Hemophilia patients on cryoprecipitate therapy exhibited normal immune parameters. A high percentage of hemophilia patients on both treatments had antibody to hepatitis B virus. The isolated finding of elevated levels of T suppressor cells in hemophilia patients receiving Factor VIII concentrate has not been recognized as an early indicator of impending AIDS, and longitudinal studies will be required to determine its clinical significance.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1983

Circulating immune complexes in childhood malignancies: a Pediatric Oncology Group study.

Pretreatment serum samples obtained at diagnosis from 89 children with various pediatric malignancies were examined for circulating immune complexes (CIC) using the [125I]Clq binding assay. The study population consisted of 35 children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), 22 children with acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), 24 with neuroblastoma (NB), and eight with osteosarcoma (OS). Concomitant quantitation of immunoglobulins was performed in 55 patients, revealing normal values for age. Increased levels of CIC at diagnosis were found in 9%, 22%, 42%, and 50% of children with ALL, AML, NB, and OS, respectively. Except for a higher proportion of CIC-positive patients observed in stage IV NB (nine of 17) compared to stage I-III NB (one of seven), no correlation was observed between initial CIC level and presenting clinical features, response to treatment, prognosis, or presence of infection. Longitudinal sampling of six NB and two OS patients did not reveal a clear relationship between disease activity and quantity of CIC. For the pediatric malignancies studied, these data demonstrate minimal value in quantitating CIC as a means of assessing disease activity or predicting response to treatment and are in contrast to the apparently adverse effect of elevated pretreatment CIC on response to therapy and survival observed in adults with ALL, AML, and OS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare infection in a previously healthy patient with classic hemophilia. Clinical, immunologic, and virologic findings.

A previously healthy patient with classic hemophilia who was on a home infusion program with factor VIII concentrates developed an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome manifested by a dramatic weight loss (47 kg over 12 months), lassitude, transient thrombocytopenia, and opportunistic infections with Varicella zoster, Pneumocystis carinii, and Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare. The patient was not homosexual and had no history of intravenous drug abuse. Immunologic studies showed a persistent lymphopenia with reversal of helper/suppressor-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte ratios, depression of human natural killer cell function, and in-vitro lymphocyte proliferative responses to mitogens and viral antigens. Serum IgA levels were also elevated. Serum antibodies against cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2, Epstein-Barr virus, Varicella zoster, and hepatitis B virus were shown, suggesting previous infection by these agents. Reactivation of cytomegalovirus infection was suggested by a rising titer of antibodies against cytomegalovirus concurrent with pneumocystis pneumonia, and was confirmed by the growth of this virus in a throat culture 2 months later.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗