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Biomedical subjects

V Wicher

Publications and source records attributed to V Wicher.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Natural antibodies to treponemal antigens in four strains of guinea-pigs.

A total of 185 serum samples obtained from healthy male and female guinea-pigs of inbred strains 2 and 13 and outbred strains C4D and Hartley A were examined for natural antibodies to treponemal antigens by ELISA using Treponema pallidum (TP), T. phagedenis biotype Reiter (TR) and T. vincentii (TV) antigens and by the FTA test. The prevalence and titres of natural antibodies depended on the age and strain of guinea-pig and the treponemal antigen used. One- and 7-day-old guinea-pigs contained significantly (P less than 0.001) higher levels of natural antibodies than did animals 1 or 3-6 months old. The similar high levels of natural antibodies in newborn guinea-pigs and their mothers (12-30 months old) and the sharp drop observed at the age of 1 month suggested maternal transfer as the mechanism of acquisition. In young adults 3-6 months old, the age group most susceptible to TP infection, antibodies to TP and TR were at their lowest levels, but antibodies reacting to TV had already begun to rise. Natural antibodies were of the IgG1 and IgG2 but not of the IgM class. The highest levels of natural antibodies were in the C4D guinea-pigs; the lowest were in the Hartley A strain. Natural antibody activity was inhibited or adsorbed by TR antigens.

Aging↗
PubMed1986

Immune response of rabbits to intrarectal injections of particulate and soluble antigens with and without enemas.

New Zealand and New York State Flemish giant rabbits were immunized by intrarectal injections of intact sheep red blood cells (SRC) or sonicated whole sheep blood, with or without prior enemas, and were challenged intravenously with SRC. Animals receiving seven injections of 20% washed SRC, with or without prior enema, did not show detectable humoral response or produce plaque-forming cells (PFC). The systemic humoral response increased moderately after a greater dose of SRC but increased sharply after immunization with sonicated whole blood. These results suggest that particulate antigens have a restricted intestinal absorption, which can be overcome by some degree of degradation or fragmentation. The consequent sensitization to intact and sonicated SRC at the intestinal level was suggested by a secondary type of immune response (IgA and IgG), as shown by the results of PFC counts and the lack or relatively low production of hemagglutinating and hemolysin antibodies. The immune response to both soluble and disrupted particulate antigens was significantly increased by a preceding enema. These animals responded much faster and produced antibodies to a wider range of plasma proteins and SRC stromata. Our findings suggest that frequent enemas may predispose to infection and immunodeficiency in some homosexual males.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Immune dysfunction in rabbits associated with chronic administration of enemas and rectal insemination.

NZ rabbits were treated with various combinations of enemas and intrarectal insemination (1 or 3 ml of semen a week) to investigate the effects of intestinal uptake and immunogenicity of seminal components and of an unrelated antigen, bovine serum albumin (BSA), given simultaneously. For 5 months the treatment was limited to enemas and/or semen, and total immunoglobulins and antisperm and antilymphocyte antibodies were determined. Then, without interruption of the treatments, the animals received two courses of three consecutive daily intrarectal administrations of BSA, and the humoral response was determined 7 days after each course of administration. Only 1 of 18 intrarectally inseminated animals responded with production of antisperm antibodies; none had antilymphocyte antibodies. Total immunoglobulins, however, were significantly increased in animals receiving enemas alone (p less than 0.02) or followed by insemination (p less than 0.05). The humoral response to BSA was significantly (p less than 0.01) enhanced by prior administration of enemas but was moderately reduced by simultaneous administration of semen, in a dose-related fashion.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Differences in susceptibility to infection with Treponema pallidum (Nichols) between five strains of guinea pig.

Groups of 10 young male guinea pigs of inbred strains 2 and 13 and outbred strains Hartley A, Hartley B, and one deficient in the fourth component of complement (C4D) were infected intradermally with 80 X 10(6) Treponema pallidum (Nichols). The course of infection and production of antitreponemal antibody were examined. Strain C4D guinea pigs were the most susceptible to infection (100%); inbred strains 2 and 13 and outbred strain Hartley B showed 80-90% symptomatic infection; and the Hartley A strain was the least susceptible to infection (10%). Strain 13 animals responded with the highest antitreponemal antibody activity, and the Hartley A strain with the lowest. The results suggest that genetic factors or complement, or both, may influence the degree of susceptibility to infection with T pallidum in guinea pigs.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Lymphocyte transformation in inbred guinea pigs infected with Treponema pallidum nichols.

T lymphocytes were purified from peritoneal exudates from young male, inbred strain 2 guinea pigs infected with 8 X 10(7) Treponema pallidum Nichols and from control animals injected with normal rabbit testes extract. Groups of animals were sacrificed after 15, 30, 60, and 90 days of infection, and the cells were analyzed for their proliferative response to concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin and to sonicated T. pallidum, Treponema phagedenis biotype Reiter, and normal rabbit testes extract. No significant differences were observed in the responses to mitogens. Cells from infected but not from control animals responded with significant proliferation to T. pallidum antigen, but neither infected nor control cells reacted to T. phagedenis Reiter antigen. Although cells from both infected and control animals responded to normal rabbit testes extract, this response in the infected animals was transient and much lower than the response to T. pallidum antigen.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Studies of rabbit testes infected with Treponema pallidum. III. Immunosuppressive activity of infiltrating mononuclear cells.

When mononuclear cells infiltrating rabbit testes infected with Treponema pallidum were cocultured with autologous or homologous peripheral blood lymphocytes spontaneous stimulation and that induced by concanavalin A were suppressed. The inhibition was not due to the cytotoxic effect of the mononuclear cells or to their interference with the active site of concanavalin A (competitive inhibition). The suppressor activity was present in both T and non-T cells but was not affected by pretreatment of the mononuclear cells with indomethacin, a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor. The suppressor activity may be intrinsic to the mononuclear cells or acquired by the cells in the testicular environment.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Chemotaxis in experimental syphilis.

Peritoneal exudate leukocytes from normal and Treponema pallidum-infected rabbits were examined for their chemotactic response to various chemoattractants and treponemal preparations. Leukocytes from normal and infected animals responded well to bacterial and serum-derived chemoattractants. Suspensions of washed Treponema phagedenis biotype Reiter but not T. pallidum exerted significant chemotactic activity. Cells from rabbits infected for greater than or equal to 7 days demonstrated increased locomotion, suggesting the possibility of increased random motility.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Studies of rabbit testes infected with Treponema pallidum. I Immunopathology.

Rabbit testes were injected with suspensions of Treponema pallidum, washed T pallidum, heat killed T pallidum, or Reiter treponemes. The testes were removed three to 24 days after injection and examined for the number of treponemes, the presence of treponemal antibodies, histopathological changes, and presence of T and B cells. In animals infected with T pallidum a substantial number (10(6)-10(7)/ml) of organisms were still present at day 24 in spite of early local production of antibodies and increasing infiltration with plasma cells, T lymphocytes, and macrophages. In animals infected with washed T pallidum a lower degree of inflammation was observed than in those infected with unmodified T pallidum, and the treponemal antibodies were detected simultaneously in samples of testicular fluid and serum. In the groups injected with heat killed T pallidum and Reiter treponemes no macroscopical or microscopical changes were detected, although in the group injected with heat killed T pallidum treponemal antibodies were detected in the testicular fluid on day 24.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Studies of rabbit testes infected with Treponema pallidum. II Local synthesis of antibodies.

Samples of serum and testicular fluid from normal rabbits and those infected with Treponema pallidum were examined for total protein, albumin, IgG, and IgM concentrations. Total protein concentrations were similar in testicular fluid from normal and infected animals but were lower than in serum. The concentrations of individual proteins in serum did not differ substantially between infected and non-infected rabbits. In testicular fluid, however, the concentrations of all three proteins, especially IgM, were greater in infected rabbits. A significantly (p less than 0.02) raised testis-IgM index, together with a higher concentration of anti-treponemal IgM in the infected testicular fluid than in autologous serum, suggests local synthesis of IgM antibodies.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Reactivity of antiserum to human brain with peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Antisera to human brain (AHBS) and human thymocytes (AHTS) were produced in rabbits and selectively absorbed to render them specific for T cells. After absorption AHBS, but not AHTS, lost most of its cytotoxic activity against T cells. Absorbed AHBS bound up to 95% of peripheral blood T lymphocytes as detected by indirect immunofluorescence and inhibited up to 46% of the lytic activity of AHTS; however, it was incapable of inhibiting the E-rosette formation of T lymphocytes. All 10 samples of human peripheral blood lymphocytes, pretreated with AHBS, were significantly suppressed in their response to antigens, but fewer samples were affected in their response to mitogens and to allogeneic stimulation, indicating diversity in the nature of the receptors involved in the cellular responses.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Cellular response to basic protein and T suppressor cells in multiple sclerosis.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and two control groups, patients with neurologic diseases other than MS and healthy individuals, were examined for their cellular response to basic protein (BP), suppressor cell activity elicited by concanavalin A (ConA) and enumeration of T gamma cells. Lymphocytes from patients with active and chronic progressive MS showed the highest blastogenic stimulation in response to BP, the lowest ConA-induced suppression and the lowest absolute and relative number of T gamma cells. Lymphocytes from patients with nonactive or slowly progressive MS showed BP blastogenic stimulation similar to or slightly higher than that of the control groups. The ConA suppressor activity and the absolute and relative number of T gamma cells in the nonactive MS group were within normal ranges. The results indicate that although hypersensitivity to BP may be accompanied by deficient immunoregulatory activity, there is no pattern in the sequence of events. In addition, in some instances, changes in the immunoregulatory cells occurred with little or no effect on the cellular response to the neural antigen.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1981

Age-related reactivity of lymphocytes from multiple sclerosis patients to myelin basic protein.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 51 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and 23 healthy individuals were examined for their response to human myelin basic protein at three concentrations. Cells from active-MS patients responded in most cases with definitely enhanced blastogenic stimulation (BS), whereas those of the nonactive-MS patients or of patients in remission showed values of BS similar to or below those of the control group. Patients and control individuals were divided in two groups according to their age. The younger group included individuals from 20 to 40 years of age, the older those from 41 to 68 years. The lowest and highest values obtained using the three doses of basic protein was selected and the results compared. The higher values of BS and the greater frequency of active blood samples were observed in the younger than in the older active-MS patients. On the other hand, a larger number of samples obtained from the older patients showed the lowest values of BS. The relevance of age to the suppressor activity induced by the basic protein in the lymphocytes of MS patients is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Effect of Treponema pallidum-infected testis supernatants on the cellular response of normal rabbit lymphocytes.

This report presents evidence indicating that both Treponema pallidum and the T. pallidum-free supernatant from T. pallidum-infected rabbit testes exert an immunosuppressive effect on the spontaneous proliferation and mitogenic response of normal rabbit lymphocytes. This effect seemed to be on the level of clonal expansion since antigenic recognition and blastogenic factor production occurred in spite of the presence of the immunosuppressive substance(s). The implication of this finding for T. pallidum multiplication in rabbit testes is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Response of lymphocytes from multiple sclerosis patients to murine brain extract.

Forty-seven patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), 21 subjects with neurological diseases other than MS (OND), 7 with miscellaneous disease (MD) and 21 healthy individuals (HI) were examined by the standard procedure of blast transformation for the in vitro response to mouse brain (MB), mouse kidney (MK) and mouse lung (ML) tissue extracts. Increased cellular response to MB was limited to the MS and OND groups, whereas high and low values of stimulation index to MK and ML were similarly observed in all groups of individuals examined. No correlation was found between the clinical activity of the MS patients and the in vitro response to MG. The possibility that low sensitivity of the technique and complexity of the antigenic composition of MS are determining factors in the results obtained in these studies is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Dual response of lymphocytes from multiple sclerosis patients to myelin basic protein.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from forty-nine patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), twelve patients with other neurological diseases and twenty-seven healthy individuals were examined by a two-stage procedure based on the Con A stimulation of the basic protein (BP) pre-treated lymphocytes. Enhanced BP-induced blastogenic stimulation (BS) (90--220% was observed in MS individual classified as active (A-MS), whereas suppressed BS (27--120%) was observed in MS patients classified as non-active (NA-MS). The difference was statistically significant (P less than 0.01). The results obtained with the MS patients' lymphocytes also differed significantly (P less than 0.05) from those of the two control groups. Either response obtained with MS lymphocytes could be elicited with a similar concentration of BP. The enhanced or suppressed response to BP did not correlate with the cellular response to common antigens such as candida and streptokinase-streptodornase. Most lymphocytes of individuals from the two control groups showed BS values of 100 +/- 20% in response to BP. However, some degree of stimulation or suppression was also obtained with lymphocytes from a few individuals of both control groups. The potential value and application of the two-stage procedure is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Host response to Treponema pallidum infection. III. Demonstration of autoantibodies to heart in sera from infected rabbits.

Sera from rabbits infected intratesticularly with Treponema pallidum but not from animals injected intratesticularly with other bacteria or with extract of normal rabbit testes demonstrated autoantibody to heart tissue. The antibody was organ-specific with cross-reactivity to skeletal muscle but was not species-specific. It could not be absorbed by T. pallidum, T. reiteri, Veneral Disease Research Laboratory reagent or rabbit mitochondrial preparation. The antibody had a transitional pattern of appearance; it could be demonstrated between 30 and 60 days after infection but it decreased or disappeared thereafter. In many instances, it could be shown between 2 and 3 years after infection. The finding of the heart-reacting antibody strongly suggests an autoimmune phenomenon associated with T. pallidum infection.

Absorption↗
PubMed1977

Nitroblue tetrazolium test in experimental syphilis.

The reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) by phagocytic leucocytes in peripheral blood has been examined in rabbits injected intratesticularly with Treponema pallidum, T. pallidum-free supernatant of orchitic testes, or normal rabbit testes supernatant. A significant (P less than 0.01) increase in NBT reduction was observed only in the infected animals.

Animals↗