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Observations concerning a persisting infection of HeLa cells with poliomyelitis virus.

A culture of HeLa cells has been subjected to prolonged observation with the finding that periodically Type III poliomyelitis virus could be isolated from it. A requirement of the culture for survival was the presence in it of serum of certain individuals who had had previous experience with poliomyelitis virus. In the presence of serum containing no antibodies to poliomyelitis virus, the culture demonstrated spontaneous cytopathology. From certain series of passages virus could be isolated while attempts were unsuccessful from others also showing cellular disintegration. The conclusion is reached that the virus does not persist in the culture always in a state exhibiting the infectious property, rather what persists is the potentiality of the culture to give rise to fully active virus. The immune serum could inhibit the cytopathogenic effect of the virus without eliminating the infection.

Animals↗

An unusual sequelae of an infected persistent dermal sinus tract.

CASE REPORT: We present a case of a child born with a birthmark over the lumbar spine, which harbored a pinhole-sized opening. At 6 months of age the child presented with fever of unknown origin. Subsequent lower extremity pain resulted in imaging studies that revealed a spinal mass with extension into the posterior mediastinum. At operation, the child was found to have an infected dermal sinus tract. DISCUSSION: This case highlights the importance of a thorough examination of the midline craniospinal axis in children with fever of unknown origin. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an infected dermal sinus tract with extension into the posterior mediastinum.

Bacteroides Infections↗

Persistent infection with SIVmac chimeric virus having tat, rev, vpu, env and nef of HIV type 1 in macaque monkeys.

A chimeric human and simian immunodeficiency virus carrying the tat, rev, vpu, env, and nef genes of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 was generated. The chimeric virus, NM-3n, grew competently in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from cynomolgus monkeys like the parental SIVmac. Two cynomolgus monkeys and one rhesus monkey inoculated with NM-3n raised antibodies to SIVmac Gag and HIV-1 Env. The antibodies raised in the cynomolgus monkeys persisted for at least 1.7 years. The antibodies contained virus neutralizing activity not only to the original chimeric virus but also to the parental HIV-1. Infectious viruses were isolated from one of the cynomolgus monkeys 37 and 63 weeks after inoculation and from the rhesus monkey continuously from 6 weeks after infection onward. The recovered virus maintained its chimeric structure but included several clones with mutations in the env V3 region. When the recovered virus was inoculated to another rhesus monkey, no difference in the frequency of virus recovery was seen from the originally infected monkeys. These carrier monkeys have so far shown no sign of the disease.

Animals↗

Analysis of Theiler's virus isolates from persistently infected mouse nervous tissue.

The DA strain of Theiler's virus causes a chronic progressive demyelination in mice following intracerebral inoculation. Virus was isolated from chronically infected mice, and then grown in cell culture, and the isolates were compared with the parent virus used for inoculation. No defective interfering particles or temperature-sensitive virus were recovered, and capsid proteins appeared identical by SDS-PAGE. One of three isolates had evidence of genomic mutation by Tl ribonuclease oligonucleotide fingerprinting. The significance of these findings with regard to the generation and maintenance of persistence and to adaptation to cell culture is discussed. Also of interest was the marked difference between the DA fingerprint and that of GD VII, a serologically related strain with different biological activity.

Animals↗

Herpes simplex encephalitis: further evidence for persistent infection in the CNS.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) antibody titers and IgG, IgM and IgA concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid were serially measured in a patient with HSV encephalitis during a follow-up period of 32 months. HSV antibody titers, all classes of immunoglobulins and Ig% showed significant elevation during the course of illness, though IgM% and IgA% gradually declined after the acute phase. Autopsied brain tissue failed to yield a virus isolate, but conspicuous perivascular lymphocyte infiltrate, which is compatible with HSV encephalitis, was seen. These observations suggest the occurrence of HSV persistence and persistent antigen stimulation in the central nervous system, analogous to the well-recognized latent condition within the trigeminal ganglion.

Adult↗

Persistent infection with small colony variant strains of Staphylococcus aureus in patients with cystic fibrosis.

In a 34-month prospective study to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants (SCVs) in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, S. aureus SCVs or SCVs plus normal S. aureus were recovered from 26 of 78 patients; 27 patients harbored only normal S. aureus. By pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, clonal identity was demonstrated of SCV and normal strains isolated at the same time and of multiple S. aureus SCV and normal strains in consecutive specimens from individual patients. All S. aureus SCVs were resistant to antifolate antibiotics, while the corresponding parent strains were susceptible, and in 11 of 12 SCV/normal pairs, gentamicin was less active against S. aureus with the SCV phenotype than against the normal isolate. Analysis of the underlying auxotrophism of SCVs revealed hemin, thymidine, and/or menadione dependencies. Thus, S. aureus SCVs are highly prevalent in respiratory secretions of CF patients, persist over extended periods, and may contribute to S. aureus persistence in CF patients.

Adolescent↗

Evidence of chronic persistent infections with polyomaviruses (BK type) in renal transplant recipients.

Ten renal transplant recipients showing a significant increase in human polyomavirus antibodies, indicative of an acute infection, were followed up serologically over periods ranging from two months to more than two years. Fifty-four serum specimens were available for the study and they were tested by both haemagglutination-inhibition and complement-fixation. Polyomavirus antigens were prepared from the BK and SV40-like strains of polyomaviruses, and from the SV40 virus. One strain of polyomavirus, related to the BK strain was isolated from the urine of one of these patients. Two other BK strains were recovered from the urine and kidney, respectively, of transplant recipients not included in this study. Sera of these two patients were not obtained until the transplantation was made; they were already highly positive for polyomavirus antibodies, precluding the demonstration of an increase in antibody titer. Serologic results have shown that HAI antibodies persist at high titers throughout the observation period. This persistence ranged from two to four months (four cases), seven to eleven months (three cases) and thirteen to twenty months (three cases). In none of the cases could a decrease of high titer be demonstrated. Moreover, density gradient studies have shown that specific IgM antibodies also tend to persist over many months. Similar serologic results were obtained in complement-fixation tests with a BK antigen. Titers were at least 1 in 30 in the study group, but were not observed among healthy blood donors. All sera were uniformly negative for SV40 and SV40-like antigens. One polyomavirus isolation was successful from urine obtained six months after initial serologic evidence for a polyomavirus infection. The other two viruses were isolated from materials taken four and seven months after first detection of polyomavirus antibodies at high titer. Both serologic evidence and viral isolations seem to indicate that polyomaviruses (BK type) might cause a chronic infection in humans.

Animals↗

Transcription of hepatitis B virus in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from persistently infected patients.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been reported to exist in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), but it is not clear whether it replicates there. A precondition for replication should be the formation of covalently closed viral DNA and transcription of all essential viral mRNAs. The mRNAs of HBV form a nested box with common 3' ends. In order to detect even low levels of potential replication, we developed a quantitative reverse transcription-PCR method for detection of a smaller HBV mRNA species in the presence of the larger ones. All three highly viremic patients tested so far had mRNAs for the large and the small surface proteins and the X protein of the virus within PBMC but not in the virus from their sera. Furthermore, we detected by PCR covalently closed viral DNA in their PBMC. These data suggest that HBV may be not only taken up but also replicated by mononuclear blood cells and that these cells may be an extrahepatic site of viral persistence. X mRNA was detected in the largest amount. Possibly, X protein interferes with functions of the mononuclear cells during the immune response against the virus.

Adult↗

Induction of neutrophil apoptosis by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin pyocyanin: a potential mechanism of persistent infection.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonizes and infects human tissues, although the mechanisms by which the organism evades the normal, predominantly neutrophilic, host defenses are unclear. Phenazine products of P. aeruginosa can induce death in Caenorhabditis elegans. We hypothesized that phenazines induce death of human neutrophils, and thus impair neutrophil-mediated bacterial killing. We investigated the effects of two phenazines, pyocyanin and 1-hydroxyphenazine, upon apoptosis of neutrophils in vitro. Pyocyanin induced a concentration- and time-dependent acceleration of neutrophil apoptosis, with 50 microM pyocyanin causing a 10-fold induction of apoptosis at 5 h (p < 0.001), a concentration that has been documented in sputum from patients colonized with P. aeruginosa. 1-hydroxyphenazine was without effect. In contrast to its rapid induction of neutrophil apoptosis, pyocyanin did not induce significant apoptosis of monocyte-derived macrophages or airway epithelial cells at time points up to 24 h. Comparison of wild-type and phenazine-deleted strains of P. aeruginosa showed a highly significant reduction in neutrophil killing by the phenazine-deleted strain. In clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa pyocyanin production was associated with a proapoptotic effect upon neutrophils in culture. Pyocyanin-induced neutrophil apoptosis was not delayed either by treatment with LPS, a powerfully antiapoptotic bacterial product, or in neutrophils from cystic fibrosis patients. Pyocyanin-induced apoptosis was associated with rapid and sustained generation of reactive oxygen intermediates and subsequent reduction of intracellular cAMP. Treatment of neutrophils with either antioxidants or synthetic cAMP analogues significantly abrogated pyocyanin-induced apoptosis. We conclude that pyocyanin-induced neutrophil apoptosis may be a clinically important mechanism of persistence of P. aeruginosa in human tissue.

Apoptosis↗

Antibody to the receptor for polymerized human serum albumin in acute and persistent infection with hepatitis B virus.

The antibody against the receptor for polymerized human serum albumin was determined by radioimmunoassay. The method involved the inhibition by the test serum, absorbed with HBsAg particles without the receptor, on the binding of polymerized human serum albumin to HBsAg particles with the receptor fixed on a solid support. The amount of polymerized human serum albumin captured by the receptor on HBsAg was then determined by the radiolabeled monoclonal antibody directed to an epitope specific for polymerized human serum albumin. In acute infection, the antibody to the receptor for polymerized human serum albumin appeared in the early recovery phase while HBs antigenemia and elevated transaminase levels were still present, preceding the antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs). The antibody was detected in 4 (1%) of 358 sera from asymptomatic carriers of HBsAg containing antibody to HBeAg, and in none of 67 sera containing HBeAg. Although the antibody was found in as many as 111 (74%) of 150 sera from blood donors who had presumably acquired anti-HBs after natural infection, it was not detected in any sera from 77 recipients of hepatitis B vaccine who had seroconverted for anti-HBs. On the basis of these observations, the determination of antibody to the receptor for polymerized human serum albumin helps in further understanding the immunity to hepatitis B virus.

Acute Disease↗

Molecular characterization of a new variant of hepatitis B virus in a persistently infected homosexual man.

Based on the diversity of nucleotide sequences of cloned hepatitis B virus DNA genomes, we have predicted possible replication of genetic variants of human hepatitis B virus. This prediction is exemplified by studies of a chronic carrier of HBsAg/adw2, who lacked anti-HBc but carried exceedingly high levels of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum. Molecular characterization of a number of clones revealed a restriction map that deviated significantly from the typical pattern of the adw2 subtype, especially around the EcoRI site commonly used as a reference point. Mutations appearing consistently in the precore and core regions included (a) mutation in the precore region resulting in a termination codon after the initiation codon, (b) mutation of the core initiation codon and (c) an inframe insert of 36 nucleotides in the precore region with a new initiation site for the core protein. The 36-nucleotide insertion resulted in a new core protein with 12 extra amino acids at its amino-terminal end. A few scattered point mutations were clustered in the amino-terminal half of the core gene. Although the core protein of this hepatitis B virus variant carried immunologically detectable HBcAg, the absence of a humoral immune response to HBcAg could have been caused by previous infection with human immunodeficiency virus. This naturally occurring human hepatitis B virus variant replicated efficiently without expressing the precore region, confirming previous observations made of the artificial mutants of duck hepatitis B virus.

Adult↗

Subacute encephalitis and hydrocephalus in hamsters caused by measles virus from persistently infected cell cultures.

Newborn hamsters were inoculated intracerebrally with measles virus materials from Lu 106 and Vero carrier cell lines. Extracellular and cell-associated materials from cultures incubated at 37 degrees C and at 33 degrees C were used. The lower temperature allows accentuated virus replication. No animals contracted acute encephalitis, but 8 animals developed advanced neurological disease (unsteady gait, serial myoclonic jerks, hypoactivity) 79 to 212 days after injection. Seven out of these 8 animals belonged to a group of 50 animals, which had been inoculated with cell-associated material from cultures incubated at 33 degrees C. Viral antigen and nucleocapsids were found in neurons and glial cells from diseased animals, which showed degenerative changes and inflammation, particularly in the mesencephalon. Some of these animals also had hydrocephalus, which, however, also occurred in many apparently healthy animals. Also this pathological alteration occurred most frequently (5 out of 11 animals examined 9--10 months after inoculation) in hamsters receiving cell-associated material from carrier cutlures incubated at 33 degrees C. Possible mechanisms for the appearance of hydrocephalus are discussed.

Animals↗

Assessment of HBV persistent infection in an adult population in Taiwan.

In order to study the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the adult population of Taiwan, we screened for the presence of HBV DNA in 205 blood samples from adult (20-59-year-old) volunteers. According to the serological markers of HBV, samples were divided into three groups: group I (173 subjects) was negative for both HBsAg and HBeAg; group II (14 subjects) was positive for both HBsAg and HBeAg; and group III consisted of 18 subjects who were HBsAg-positive but HBeAg-negative. Plasma HBV DNA was not detected in group I, but it was found in 85.7% and 11.8% of samples in group II and group III, respectively. A free-form HBV DNA was found in 14.3% of the leukocyte samples in group II. Furthermore, an integrated form of HBV DNA was detected in the leukocytes of two cases of group I who remained healthy based on clinical data. HBV DNA was also detected in the spermatozoa and liver cells of one of the cases.

Adult↗

Stability of human cytomegalovirus genotypes in persistently infected renal transplant recipients.

Although most genes are highly conserved among strains of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), several are unusually variable. By analyzing the sequence of two variable genes (UL146 and UL74) amplified directly from whole blood DNA extracts, multiple HCMV strains were detected in blood samples from 5/11 virus-infected renal transplant patients. These five patients were seronegative prior to transplantation and their likely acquisition of the virus was via the donated organ; HCMV-positive immunocompetent donors may thus be capable of harboring and transmitting multiple virus genotypes. In sequential samples taken up to 140 days post transplant no mutations in either gene were detected from 9/10 patients, and in the remaining patient a single nucleotide change was detected in UL146, and none in UL74. All sequences grouped into previously defined genotypes, with the detection of multiple members of the UL74 group 5 genotype establishing this previously tentative genotype. Additionally, identical sequences were identified in viruses from different patients, including examples from geographically distinct regions. Thus, although UL146 and UL74 exhibit impressive variation among strains, their sequences are maintained stably within and between infected individuals, suggesting that sequence differences between genotypes may be driven by differing gene function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗