No description available.

The purpose of this investigation is to alleviate this confusion by first testing means of separating the antigenic components of the aerobic actinomycetes--obtaining, if possible, a monospecific antigen. Antisera produced from these monospecific antigens will then be tested for their possible use in the serological grouping of the aerobic actinomycetes.

It is the purpose of this investigation to test for serological characteristics of six Streptomyces species which exhibit identical and/or very closely similar morphological and biochemical characteristics.

Bartonella spp. are emerging bacterial pathogens which continue to achieve an ever-increasing level of clinical importance and awareness.  As Bartonella infections are common zoonoses in the U.S., the existence of Bartonella infection in Sweden, which had not been documented prior to the onset of our investigations, was of considerable interest. Initially, serological parameters of Bartonella infection were evaluated using a series of immunoblot analyses in an effort to elucidate the human humoral immunity induced by this pathogen.  An immunodominant epitope of B. henselae was identified, designated Bh83, which was hypothesized to be a conserved antigen during Bartonella infection. Further, an in-depth characterization of the immunoglobulin (Ig) isotype and IgG subclass response revealed a primary role of IgA and IgG1 in the immune induction during Bartonella infection. As the presence and degree of exposure to Bartonella spp. in Sweden was previously unknown, several studies were initiated to evaluate the level of seroreactivity to Bartonella spp. antigen in various subgroups of the Swedish human and animal population using indirect fluorescent-antibody assay (IFA).  A preliminary study of a select group of patients and blood donors represented the first documentation of Bartonella exposure in Sweden, as well as identified the first two cases of B. quintana-like infections in Sweden.  To assess the endemic level of antibodies to Bartonella spp. in Sweden, a large sampling of blood donor sera collected nationwide were subsequently analyzed for reactivity to six Bartonella strains.  The largest seroprevalence was to B. elizabethae, with relatively low baseline levels of reactivity to the other Bartonella antigens tested.  Correlated risk factors for infection included working outdoors and contact with cats, among others.  Further studies of sera obtained from elite orienteers and intravenous drug users in Sweden revealed a high level of exposure to Bartonella spp. in such cohorts, predominantly to B. elizabethae antigen.  Consistent with the aforementioned findings of elevated titers to B. elizabethae in humans, a high seroprevalence was found in cats, a known reservoir for Bartonella spp., as well. With relatively little known of the pathogenicity and epidemiology of Bartonella infection, these studies provide insight into various aspects of the distribution, risk factors for infection, specific humoral immune response to infection, and the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in human and cat populations in Sweden and serve as a framework for future studies.

Objective: Study the clinical, genetic and serological factors associated with new onset ileal inflammation in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients who have undergone ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). Methods: Retrospective assessment of UC patients registered in the MSH surgical database, questionnaire, chart review and serological and genetic analysis of blood sample. Results: There was a positive association between gASCA antibodies, anti-L, smoking status and axial arthritis/ankylosing spondylits with a Crohn’s Disease (CD)-like phenotype post-op in UC/IPAA patients. Associations between alleles of selected genes including ECM1, PTPN2, and CD14 and post-operative phenotype were identified. Conclusions: gASCA is typically associated with CD rather than UC which raises the possibility that gASCA positivity may delineate a subset of UC patients at risk for developing a CD-like phenotype after IPAA. The identification of genotype/phenotype associations in UC/IPAA will help to find those at risk for poor post-operative outcome. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Objective: Study the clinical, genetic and serological factors associated with new onset ileal inflammation in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients who have undergone ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). Methods: Retrospective assessment of UC patients registered in the MSH surgical database, questionnaire, chart review and serological and genetic analysis of blood sample. Results: There was a positive association between gASCA antibodies, anti-L, smoking status and axial arthritis/ankylosing spondylits with a Crohn’s Disease (CD)-like phenotype post-op in UC/IPAA patients. Associations between alleles of selected genes including ECM1, PTPN2, and CD14 and post-operative phenotype were identified. Conclusions: gASCA is typically associated with CD rather than UC which raises the possibility that gASCA positivity may delineate a subset of UC patients at risk for developing a CD-like phenotype after IPAA. The identification of genotype/phenotype associations in UC/IPAA will help to find those at risk for poor post-operative outcome. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

This investigation involved isolation and characterization of specific antigenic materials from known species of Streptomyces. The resulting antigens were then used to establish serological relationships between a number of different species. These groupings were, in turn, compared with similar studies recently established by the ISP, in which other taxonomic criteria were used. By these means, the serological characteristics of the Streptomyces were evaluated for their potential utility as added taxonomic tools in the establishment of species designations within this group.

No description available.

No description available.

For this work, the decision was made to contrast two serological tests, that of the tube agglutination technique and the fluorescent antibody technique for correlation with the coagulase and other characteristics of Staphylococcus strains. This has been a preliminary survey in the hope that as further knowledge is obtained about the staphylococci, grouping of the organisms will become more routine and relatively less complex.