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Principles of some novel rapid dipstick methods for detection and characterization of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

AIMS: The verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) serotype most commonly associated with verotoxin (VT) production is O157:H7, but other serotypes have also been implicated in food-borne illness. These serotypes exhibit much greater genetic and biochemical diversity than E. coli O157:H7, making screening for all VTEC difficult. Here we describe development and testing of novel multi-analyte antibody-based dipstick methods for presumptive detection of VTEC cells and VTs, including non-O157 serotypes. METHODS AND RESULTS: The dipsticks are formatted as paddle-style and lateral flow devices. Test materials included raw milk, minced beef, apple juice and salami, spiked with VTEC. Prototype paddle dipsticks gave 47 of 48 E. coli O157-positive samples correct, and, simultaneously, 27 of 31 O26-positive samples correct, across the four food types. Prototype lateral flow dipsticks gave 12 of 12 E. coli O157-positive milk samples correct and, simultaneously, 28 of 28 positive VT samples correct. CONCLUSIONS: This work demonstrates that simple and rapid detection of more than one VTEC characteristic (toxin production and type, serogroup) is possible in a single dipstick test device, directly from a food enrichment culture. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The development of simple easy-to-use rapid methods for simultaneous detection and preliminary characterization of VTEC will enable the risk presented by all VTEC to be more thoroughly assessed (e.g. in surveillance studies, outbreak investigations).

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

Molecular analysis of Iranian families with sickle cell disease.

Sickle hemoglobin is a mutant hemoglobin in which valine has been substituted for the glutamic acid normally at the sixth amino acid of the beta-globin chain. Detection of the single base pair mutation at codon 6 of the beta-globin gene is important for the prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell anemia and sickle cell disease. Application of the polymerase chain reaction technology to detect sickle cell patients and heterozygous carriers in a group of patients suspected for sickle cell disease was carried out. The sample was composed of 52 normal individuals and 52 unrelated outpatients who were attending the Hematology Research Center. All patients were interviewed. Results of their medical histories, physical examination, and the hematological analysis were recorded. The blood samples were collected in EDTA and genomic DNA was extracted from leukocytes. An amplified 110 base pair fragment of the beta-globin gene containing codon 6, was digested with the restriction enzyme MS II, and electerophoresed in 3 per cent agarose. We have established the technical condition for detection of sickle cell disease using a PCR assay. Fifteen patients having haemoglobin (Hb SS) and 37 patients in the heterozygous state (Hb AS) were identified. We confirm that the normal controls have the Hb AA genotype. The standardization of a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic test for sickle cell disease permitted us to identify the normal controls, the homozygotes and heterozygotes. This amplification method is rapid, sensitive and simple, and also has application research that is important for the prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell disease.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗

Application of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis for typing avian Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica.

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was performed for the molecular genetic typing of 30 Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica strains isolated from chickens and ducks in Thailand. Six different primers were tested for their discriminatory ability. While some of the primers could only differentiate between the different serovars, the use of multiple primers showed that the RAPD method could also subdivide within a given serovar. The Ready-To-Go RAPD analysis beads used, resulted in reproducible and stable banding patterns. As the RAPD technique is simple, rapid and rather cheap, we suggest that it may be a valuable new tool for studying the molecular genetic epidemiology of S. enterica ssp. enterica, both inter- and intra-serovars.

Animals↗

MLPA vs multiprobe FISH: comparison of two methods for the screening of subtelomeric rearrangements in 50 patients with idiopathic mental retardation.

Subtelomeric rearrangements not visible by conventional cytogenetic analysis have been reported to occur in approximately 5% of patients with unexplained mental retardation (MR). As the prevalence of MR is high, many patients need to be screened for these chromosomal abnormalities routinely. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) is a new technique for measuring sequence dosage, allowing large number of samples to be processed simultaneously and thus significantly reducing laboratory work. We have assessed its performance for the detection of subtelomeric rearrangements by comparing the results with those of our previous multiprobe fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay. We have tested 50 patients with idiopathic MR, dysmorphic features, congenital malformations, and/or familial history of MR. Our results show a high degree of concordance between the two techniques for the 50 samples tested. On the basis of these results, we conclude that MLPA is a rapid, accurate, reliable, and cost-effective alternative to FISH for the screening of subtelomeric rearrangements in patients with idiopathic MR.

Chromosome Aberrations↗

Effect of extreme amino acid starvation on the protein synthetic machinery of CHO cells.

When CHO cells are incubated under conditions of extreme amino acid starvation, effected by withdrawal of an amino acid from the medium together with genetic or chemical interference with the activity of the corresponding aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, there is a rapid and profound decline in the functional capacity of the protein synthetic machinery. The effect was observed for all amino acids tested including leucine, asparagine, histidine, methionine and glutamine. This decline in protein synthetic potential appears to be due to a progressive permanent inactivation of the specific aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase concerned, as shown by a decline in the amount of cellular, specific aminoacyl-tRNA and a decline in the cell-free enzyme activity, measured after reversal of the starvation conditions. When cells are left for more than several hours under these starvation conditions, they shrink in size, lose viability and eventually disintegrate, with anomalous rapidity. We suggest that the progressive loss of protein synthetic capacity of the cells is the prime cause of these subsequent events. If the starvation conditions are reversed before cell death, regeneration of the protein synthetic potential occurs rapidly but requires protein synthesis itself, implying the existence of strong control mechanisms for cellular aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase activities.

Amino Acids↗

Legislative and technical aspects of mutagenicity testing.

A brief account is given of the history of the legislative acts that give responsibility to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ensuring the safety of foods, drugs, and cosmetics. Within the present legislative framework the FDA has the authority to impose regulations which are designed to ensure the safety of all foods, drugs, and cosmetics. The existing legislative authority is adequate for this purpose; however, the difficulty lies instead with technology and the inadequacy of scientific perspective in the emerging area of mutagenicity testing. Earlier efforts in development of mutagenicity screening systems culminated only a few years ago in the proposal to use the host-mediated assay, somatic cell cytogenetics, and dominant lethal tests collectively. Subsequent research efforts indicated that there were serious practical and scientific deficiencies in using this approach. More recently a new proposal, the tier system, has been suggested as an alternative measure. The proposed tier system at FDA consists of three testing levels of increasing complexity. The first tier is an initial screening effort using techniques having maximum sensitivity that are also useful for large-scale, rapid testing. The second tier is designed to identify and confirm that the presumptive mutagens detected in the first tier are truly mutagenic for higher organisms, most especially, for mammals. The third tier would be devoted to explicit genetic tests in mammals designed to ascertain the imposed risk to man by the introduction of a mutagen in our environment. The FDA is currently involved in a number of research activities in the area of mutagenicity safety screening which will explore the adequacies and possible deficiencies of the tier system approach. These efforts are described for our in-house activities, our contract activities, and our cooperative and collaborative activities with other government agencies and institutions.

Animals↗

Detection of RhD(el) in RhD-negative persons in clinical laboratory.

The Rhesus (Rh) blood group is the most polymorphic human blood group system, and it is clinically significant in transfusion medicine. About 15% of Caucasoid people are RhD-negative, whereas in the Asian population, the RhD-negative blood type only occurs in 0.1% to 0.5%. However, approximately 30% of apparently RhD-negative Taiwanese people actually were RhD(el). Traditionally, we verify RhD(el) by a serologically adsorption-elution procedure with polyclonal anti-D. In our recent report, RhC phenotype is highly associated with RhD(el), and RHD1227A is a useful genetic marker for RhD(el). For setting up a rapid protocol to detect RhD(el) in clinical laboratory, a total number of 395 Taiwanese serological RhD-negative blood samples, those with RhC (+) phenotypes as selected by serological tests, were further screened by adsorption/elution tests and RHD1227A allele by specific sequence primer-polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR) for RhD(el). Among 395 blood samples collected from RhD-negative subjects, the incidence of RhC (+) was 43% (171/395). One hundred and twenty six of the 171 RhC (+) samples were positive for both adsorption/elution for RhD detection and SSP-PCR assay for RHD1227A. The sensitivity and specificity were 96.9% and 97.5%, respectively, for RHD1227A detection as compared with the traditional adsorption/elution test. Our results also indicated that RHD1227A was highly linked to Ce haplotypes (95.2%). In conclusion, combined RhC (+) phenotyping and RHD1227A analysis can be a simple and accurate laboratory screening protocol for RhD(el) detection in RhD-negative population.

Asian People↗

Bile acid transport.

Bile acids undergo a unique enterohepatic circulation, which allows them to be efficiently reused with minimal loss. With the cloning of key bile acid transporter genes in the liver and intestine, clinicians now have a detailed understanding of how the different components in the enterohepatic circulation operate. These advances in basic knowledge of this process have directly led to a rapid and highly detailed understanding of rare genetic disorders of bile acid transport, which usually present as pediatric cholestatic disorders. Mutations in specific bile acid or lipid transporters have been identified within specific cholestatic disorders, which allows for genetic tests to be established for specific diseases and provides a unique opportunity to understand how these genes operate together. These same transporters may also prove useful for development of novel drug delivery systems, which can either enhance intestinal absorption of drugs or be used to target delivery to the liver or biliary system. Knowledge gained from these transporters will provide new therapeutic modalities to treat cholestatic disorders caused by common diseases.

Animals↗

Linkage disequilibrium in growing and stable populations.

Nonrandom associations between alleles at different loci can be tested for using Fisher's exact test. Extensive simulations show that there is a substantial probability of obtaining significant nonrandom associations between closely or completely linked polymorphic neutral loci in a population of constant size at equilibrium under mutation and genetic drift. In a rapidly growing population, however, there will be little chance of finding significant nonrandom associations even between completely linked loci if the growth has been sufficiently rapid. This result is illustrated by the analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence data from humans. In comparing all pairs of informative sites, fewer than 5% of the pairs show significant disequilibrium in Sardinians, which have apparently undergone rapid population growth, while 20% to 30% in !Kung and Pygmies, which apparently have not undergone rapid growth, show significance. The extent of linkage disequilibrium in a population is closely related to the gene genealogies of the loci examined, with "star-like" genealogies making significant linkage disequilibrium unlikely.

Alleles↗

The effect of CYP3A5 and MDR1 (ABCB1) polymorphisms on cyclosporine and tacrolimus dose requirements and trough blood levels in stable renal transplant patients.

Cyclosporine and tacrolimus are immunosuppressive drugs largely used in renal transplantation. They are characterized by a wide inter-individual variability in their pharmacokinetics with a potential impact on their therapeutic efficacy or induced toxicity. CYP3A5 and P-glycoprotein appear as important determinants of the metabolism of these drugs. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of CYP3A5 and MDR1 (ABCB1) polymorphisms on cyclosporine and tacrolimus dose requirements and trough blood concentrations in stable transplant patients. Stable renal transplant recipients receiving cyclosporine (n = 50) or tacrolimus (n = 50) were genotyped for CYP3A5*3 and *6, and MDR1 C1236T, G2677T/A and C3435T. Dose-adjusted trough blood levels (ng/ml per mg/kg body weight) as well as doses (mg/kg body weight) required to achieve target blood concentrations were compared among patients according to allelic status for CYP3A5 and MDR1. Dose-adjusted trough concentrations were three-fold and 1.6-fold higher in CYP3A5*3/*3 patients than in CYP3A5*1/*3 patients for tacrolimus and cyclosporine, respectively. In the case of tacrolimus, the difference was even more striking when considering CYP3A5*1/*1 patients showing dose-adjusted trough concentrations 5.8-fold lower than CYP3A5*3/*3 patients. For both drugs, no association was found between trough blood concentrations or dose requirement and MDR1 genotype. Multiple regression analyses showed that CYP3A5*1/*3 polymorphism explained up to 45% of the variability in dose requirement in relation to tacrolimus use. Given the importance of rapidly achieving target blood concentrations after transplantation, further prospective studies should consider the immediate post-graft period and assess the influence of this specific polymorphism. Beside non-genetic factors (e.g. steroids dosing, drugs interactions), CYP3A5 pharmacogenetic testing performed just before transplantation could contribute to a better individualization of immunosuppressive therapy.

Cohort Studies↗

Evolution of Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility in Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia.

The intracellular bacterium Wolbachia invades arthropod host populations through various mechanisms, the most common of which being cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). CI involves elevated embryo mortality when infected males mate with uninfected females or females infected with different, incompatible Wolbachia strains. The present study focuses on this phenomenon in two Drosophila species: D. simulans and D. sechellia. Drosophila simulans populations are infected by several Wolbachia strains, including wHa and wNo. Drosophila sechellia is infected by only two Wolbachia: wSh and wSn. In both Drosophila species, double infections with Wolbachia are found. As indicated by several molecular markers, wHa is closely related to wSh, and wNo to wSn. Furthermore, the double infections in the two host species are associated with closely related mitochondrial haplotypes, namely siI (associated with wHa and wNo in D. simulans) and se (associated with wSh and wSn in D. sechellia). To test the theoretical prediction that Wolbachia compatibility types can diverge rapidly, we injected wSh and wSn into D. simulans, to compare their CI properties to those of their sister strains wHa and wNo, respectively, in the same host genetic background. We found that within each pair of sister strains CI levels were similar and that sister strains were fully compatible. We conclude that the short period for which the Wolbachia sister strains have been evolving separated from each other was not sufficient for their CI properties to diverge significantly.

Animals↗

Presumptive identification of an emerging yeast pathogen: Candida dubliniensis (sp. nov.) reduces 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride.

Developments in medical intervention and the increasing population of patients with immunodeficiencies and transient or long-term immunosuppression have increased the list of yeast species that can cause disease. Candida dubliniensis is a novel species with close genetic relatedness to C. albicans. The two species share many common physiological and biochemical properties thus making their distinction cumbrous. A rapid and inexpensive way to presumptively differentiate between the two species, having previously performed a germ tube test, is the ability of C. dubliniensis to reduce the tetrazolium salt and it is reported for the first time. Microbiological information about new and emerging yeast pathogens, including rapid means for their identification, equips medical microbiologists with the means to identify and physicians to treat effectively infections attributed to unusual yeasts.

Bacteriological Techniques↗

Disease induction by virus derived from molecular clones of equine infectious anemia virus.

Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), a macrophage-tropic lentivirus, causes persistent infections of horses. A number of biologic features, including the rapid development of acute disease, the episodic nature of chronic disease, the propensity for viral genetic variation, and the ability for many infected animals to eventually control virus replication, render EIAV a potentially useful model system for the testing of antiretroviral therapies and vaccine strategies. The utility of the EIAV system has been hampered by the lack of proviral clones that encode promptly pathogenic viral stocks. In this report, we describe the generation and characterization of two infectious molecular clones capable of causing acute clinical syndromes similar to those seen in natural infections. Virus derived from clone p19/wenv17 caused severe debilitating disease at 5 to 7 days postinfection; initial febrile episodes were fatal in two of three infected animals. Virus derived from a second clone, p19/wenv16, caused somewhat milder primary febrile episodes by 10 to 12 days postinfection in two of two infected animals. Virus derived from both clones caused persistent infections such that some animals exhibited chronic equine infectious anemia, characterized by multiple disease episodes. The two virulent clones differ in envelope and rev sequences.

Acute Disease↗

Heterogeneous mutations in the human lipoprotein lipase gene in patients with familial lipoprotein lipase deficiency.

The DNA sequences were determined for the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene from five unrelated Japanese patients with familial LPL deficiency. The results demonstrated that all five patients are homozygotes for distinct point mutations dispersed throughout the LPL gene. Patient 1 has a G-to-A transition at the first nucleotide of intron 2, which abolishes normal splicing. Patient 2 has a nonsense mutation in exon 3 (Tyr61----Stop) and patient 3 in exon 8 (Trp382----Stop). The latter mutation emphasizes the importance of the carboxy-terminal portion of the enzyme in the expression of LPL activity. Missense mutations were identified in patient 4 (Asp204----Glu) and patient 5 (Arg243----His) in the strictly conserved amino acids. Expression study of both mutant genes in COS-1 cells produced inactive enzymes, establishing the functional significance of the two mis-sense mutations. In these patients, postheparin plasma LPL mass was either virtually absent (patients 1 and 2) or significantly decreased (patients 3-5). To detect these mutations more easily, we developed a rapid diagnostic test for each mutation. We also determined the DNA haplotypes for patients and confirmed the occurrence of multiple mutations on the chromosomes with an identical haplotype. These results demonstrate that familial LPL deficiency is a heterogeneous genetic disease caused by a wide variety of gene mutations.

Adolescent↗

[A study on completely defined agar media for mycobacteria].

A serial of completely defined agar media suitable for growth of the common mycobacteria which are pathogenic was reported in this paper. A tool was supplied for the study of mycobacteria on nutrition and physiology, biochemical feature, genetics and variation and on the mechanism of resistance and susceptibility to antimicrobial drug, and with it would be in favour of developing more satisfactory media for mycobacteria. The majority of strains of the mycobacteria tested grew more rapidly on the completely defined agar media than on Lowenstein-Jensen medium and the final yield of the microbes on the agar media was less than or equal to those on Lowenstein-Jensen medium. There were only small amounts of growing cells on the completely defined agar media among the strain of mycobacterium bovis. Tcolonies with the above mentioned twodifferent patterns were found to grow on the completely defined media from mycobacterium avium. M. intracclluare and M. fortuitum.

Agar↗

Detection of factor V Leiden from a drop of blood by PCR-SSCP.

Recently, a point mutation in the coagulation Factor V gene (G to A in position 1691) has been identified which makes the mutant Factor V (called Factor V Leiden) resistant to activated protein C. This defect is a well established genetic risk factor in venous thrombosis. Because of the high prevalence of Factor V Leiden in normal population (2-7%), it would be reasonable to perform a rapid and simple method for screening the genetic abnormality in population at risk. We have developed a simple, reproducible, rapid and cheap procedure that, using PCR and SSCP, allows the identification of the mutation responsible for Factor V Leiden. Specificity of this method has been tested in 319 samples: 304 normal, 14 heterozygous and 1 homozygous for Factor V Leiden. This assay allows non-isotopic Factor V Leiden identification by using frozen whole blood in 3 h. All these features make this test adequate for routine screening of this mutation in a large number of samples.

Factor V↗

Bluetongue: laboratory diagnosis.

Definitive diagnosis of bluetongue virus (BTV) infection, often subclinical in domestic and wild ruminant relies heavily on laboratory techniques for BTV isolation and demonstration of BTV antigens, viral nucleic acids and antibodies. The virus can be isolated from blood components, mainly the erythrocyte fraction, collected from affected animals during the period of febrile response. Semen collected from male animals at the peak of viremia and tissues from affected animals and fetuses may also be used for BTV isolation. The primary procedure for BTV isolation is inoculation of embryonated chicken eggs with a subpassage onto cell cultures (e.g. BKH-21, Vero cell lines). In addition to the conventional techniques such as fluorescent antibody staining and virus neutralization procedures for sero-grouping and serotyping of BTV isolates, immunohistochemical, immunoenzymatic and immunoelectron microscopic techniques, using monoclonal antibodies (MAb), offer more rapid, specific and sensitive approaches for BTV identification and antigen detection. The progress of molecular biology, especially the development of genetic probes for hybridization analysis and polymerase chain reaction techniques for detection of BTV nucleic acids hold the promise of most efficient diagnostic assays. Among the various serogroup-specific assays for antibody detection, the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) and competitive (C) ELISA are the most widely used tests. Because of its limitations (i.e. anticomplementary serum and complexity of the procedure) the complement fixation (CF) test is virtually abandoned and is used in only a few laboratories. Although the AGID test is simple to perform and rapid, it is not highly sensitive or quantitative and has limitations in its specificity. Sera containing antibodies to other group of Orbiviruses (e.g. epizootic hemorrhagic disease) may result in non-specific reaction in the AGID test. Among several ELISAs that have recently been developed, the C.ELISA in which a group-specific MAb to BTV is used, has proved to be the most sensitive and specific assay for detection of antibodies to BTV. Following extensive national and international validation, the C.ELISA is gradually replacing the AGID as a universal test to certify ruminants for trade purposes and to diagnose BT infection in domestic and wild animals. The cell culture-based microtiter serum neutralization (MTSN) is the most commonly used assay for the detection of serotype-specific antibodies to the recognized BTVs in animal sera. The MTSN may be used to type virus isolates and also to monitor animal population for specific serotypes of BTV in epidemiological investigations.

Animals↗

Congenital Hemorrhagic Disorders: New Insights into the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Hemophilia.

The diagnostic and treatment strategies related to hemophilia are rapidly evolving. This article focuses on some of the issues of importance. Diagnostic advances in molecular genetics are reviewed by Dr. Ginsburg in Section I, including the current state of knowledge regarding the mutations responsible for hemophilia, with reference to the potential clinical applications of DNA diagnosis and prenatal testing. Within the area of new therapeutic approaches in hemophilia, recombinant factor VIII and factor IX concentrates, their use and availability are addressed by Dr. Lusher in Section II as well as the use of so-called "primary prophylaxis" with the aim of decreasing long-term hemophilia athropathy. The use of radionuclide synovectomy as replacement for more invasive methods is also reviewed. Various approaches to the ongoing challenge of the management of hemophilia patients with inhibitors against factor VIII and factor IX are reviewed by Dr. Hedner in Section III, including the principles for immune tolerance induction and the use of recombinant factor VIIa to induce hemostasis in bleeding patients with inhibitors. In Section IV, gene therapy in hemophilia is reviewed by Dr. High, who focuses on recent developments in the rapidly moving field of gene therapy for hemophilia. Three phase I trials of gene therapy for hemophilia were initiated in 1999, and additional proposed trials are currently in the regulatory review process. Certain aspects of the pathophysiology of hemophilia make it an attractive model for a gene-based approach to treatment. These include latitude in choice of target tissue, a wide therapeutic window, the availability of small and large animal models of the disease, and the ease of determining therapeutic efficacy. Since there is very little published information regarding the ongoing trials, this section reviews the approaches being used, the published pre-clinical data, and considerations affecting clinical trial design in hemophilia gene therapy.

Journal Article↗