Campylobacter

Microbiology, 1995 Oct, 141 ( Pt 10), 2417 - 24
Physical and genetic map of the genome of Campylobacter upsaliensis; Bourke B et al.; A physical map of Campylobacter upsaliensis ATCC 43954 was constructed from DNA fragments generated by SalI (5' G/TCGAC), NarI (5' GG/CGCC) and BssHII (5' G/CGCGC) restriction digests separated using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis . The size of the C . upsaliensis genome was approximately 2000 kb, providing evidence of the largest Campylobacter genome sized to date . Twenty-one fragments created from these restriction digests were assembled into a physical map using a combination of complementary methods including cross-Southern hybridization, hybridization fingerprint analysis and hybridization with homologous and heterologous (from Campylobacter jejuni) gene probes . The position of ten genetic loci, including that of the iron-uptake regulatory (fur) gene, were localized to the physical map . A genomic library of C . upsaliensis ATCC 43954 was constructed in lambda Gem-11 vector . Fifty thousand recombinants with an average size of 16 kb represent a library about 200 times the size of the genome . Using C . jejuni DNA probes, clones representing C . upsaliensis flaA, fur and ftsZ genes were isolated and localized to the physical map.

J Infect Dis, 1995 Oct, 172(4), 1130 - 4
High-resolution genotyping of Campylobacter coli identifies clones of epidemiologic and evolutionary significance; Stanley J et al.; Campylobacter coli strains from clinical and other sources were examined in terms of O (heat-stabile; HS) serotype and by several molecular typing techniques . Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) around the three 16S rRNA genes revealed 10 variants, none found in Campylobacter jejuni . RFLP analysis of a polymerase chain reaction amplicon generated from the flagellin gene (flaA) yielded 11 polymorphism groups, some of them linked to HS serotypes . Enlarged flaA genes, contributing three further polymorphisms, were detected in strains isolated from fresh water . Restriction of the genome with SmaI and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was the most discriminatory typing method, detecting 33 macrorestriction profiles that subtyped within HS serotypes . The coincidence of HS serotype and the three genotypic markers identified clonal lines of evolutionary and epidemiologic significance.

J Am Vet Med Assoc, 1995 Oct 1, 207(7), 936 - 8
Myositis, lameness, and paraparesis associated with use of an oil-adjuvant bacterin in beef cows; McAllister MM et al.; Right hind limb lameness, progressing to bilateral paraparesis, was observed in 56 of 610 (9%) beef cows . Lameness began 6 days to 4 weeks after vaccination in the right longissimus lumborum (loin) muscle with an Escherichia coli/Campylobacter bacterin in an oil adjuvant . Postmortem examination of 5 affected cows revealed a large inflammatory mass at the site of vaccination . In each cow, the mass spread through adjacent intervertebral foramina into the vertebral canal and compressed the lumbar portion of the spinal cord . Microbiologic procedures did not reveal a microbial agent in affected tissues or in an unopened bottle of bacterin from the same lot used in the herd . Histologic examination revealed pyogranulomatous inflammation of the vaccination site and adjacent epidural tissue, with inflammatory nodules centered around large clear spaces that probably represented remnant emulsion from the oil adjuvant in the bacterin . As evident in these cows, IM injection of irritating products may cause severe myositis . Vaccination into paravertebral muscles is risky because of possible extension of inflammation through intervertebral foramina.

Int J Syst Bacteriol, 1995 Oct, 45(4), 767 - 74
Campylobacter hyointestinalis subsp . lawsonii subsp . nov., isolated from the porcine stomach, and an emended description of Campylobacter hyointestinalis; On SL et al.; The taxonomic relationships of seven isolates obtained from porcine stomachs (the "CHY" group), which resembled (but were distinct from) the type strain and other reference strains of Campylobacter hyointestinalis, were examined by using phenotypic and genomic methods . The phenotypic characteristics and ultrastructure of the new organisms were characteristic of Campylobacter species, although they could be distinguished from all previously described taxa . A numerical analysis of 38 phenotypic characters revealed that the new isolates formed a distinct group at a similarity level of 90.1% and could be clearly distinguished from reference strains representing 20 related taxa, principally species and subspecies belonging to the genera Campylobacter, Arcobacter, and Helicobacter . DNA-DNA hybridization studies revealed that the porcine stomach strains were genomically homogeneous (levels of relatedness, 84 to 90%), although the levels of DNA homology with type and reference strains of C . hyointestinalis were relatively high (56 to 71%) . Differences in the DNA base compositions of the CHY group and C . hyointestinalis strains were also observed . Our data indicate that the new porcine isolates should be considered members of a subspecies of C . hyointestinalis, for which we propose the name Campylobacter hyointestinalis subsp . lawsonii subsp . nov . The type strain is strain CHY 5 (= LMG 14432 = NCTC 12901 = CCUG 34538) . The description of C . hyointestinalis is emended accordingly, and a description of Campylobacter hyointestinalis subsp . hyointestinalis subsp . nov . is given.

J Neuroimmunol, 1995 Oct, 62(1), 53 - 7
HLA-class II alleles in Guillain-Barré syndrome and Miller Fisher syndrome and their association with preceding Campylobacter jejuni infection; Rees JH et al.; HLA typing for class II alleles was performed on 97 patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome or Miller Fisher syndrome and compared with 100 controls . There was a significant association between HLA-DQB1*03 and preceding Campylobacter jejuni infection (Pc = 0.05).

Mol Gen Genet, 1995 Sep 20, 248(5), 563 - 72
Cloning of the Helicobacter pylori recA gene and functional characterization of its product; Schmitt W et al.; The RecA protein is a key enzyme involved in DNA recombination in bacteria . Using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification we cloned a recA homolog from Helicobacter pylori . The gene revealed an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative protein of 37.6 kDa showing closest homology to the Campylobacter jejuni RecA (75.5% identity) . A putative ribosome binding site and a near-consensus sigma 70 promoter sequence was found upstream of recA . A second ORF, encoding a putative protein with N-terminal sequence homology to prokaryotic and eukaryotic enolases, is located directly downstream of recA . Compared to the wild-type strains, isogenic H . pylori recA deletion mutants of strains 69A and NCTC11637 displayed increased sensitivity to ultraviolet light and abolished general homologous recombination . The recombinant H . pylori RecA protein produced in Escherichia coli strain GC6 (recA-) was 38 kDa in size but inactive in DNA repair, whereas the corresponding protein in H . pylori 69A migrated at the greater apparent molecular weight of approx . 40 kDa in SDS-polyacrylamide gels . However, complementation of the H . pylori mutant using the cloned recA gene on a shuttle vector resulted in a RecA protein of the original size and fully restored the general functions of the enzyme . These data can be best explained by a modification of RecA in H . pylori which is crucial for its function . The potential modification seems not to occur when the protein is produced in E . coli, giving rise to a smaller but inactive protein.

J Infect, 1995 Sep, 31(2), 137 - 43
An outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni enteritis associated with failed milk pasteurisation; Fahey T et al.; This paper describes an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness affecting at least 110 people, of whom 41 had microbiological confirmation of Campylobacter jejuni infection . The outbreak of infection was found to have been associated with consumption of inadequately pasteurised milk from a local dairy . The problem of enforcement of food and safety regulations when milk from dairies fails the phosphatase test is discussed . The prevalence of seroconversion to campylobacter in the community is estimated from a sample of cases and controls involved in this outbreak.

Br Poult Sci, 1995 Sep, 36(4), 563 - 73
In ovo oral vaccination with Campylobacter jejuni establishes early development of intestinal immunity in chickens; Noor SM et al.; 1 . Chick embryos were orally immunised at day 16 of incubation by injection of heat-killed Campylobacter jejuni organisms into the amniotic fluid . The response to vaccination was observed at 5 d after hatching or, in some birds which received a postnatal oral booster vaccination, at 7 d after hatching, and the response was observed at 14 d of age . 2 . The titres of antibody in serum, bile and intestinal scrapings, the distribution of immunoglobulin-containing cells in the spleen, duodenum and ileum and the expression on peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) of the T cell surface markers CD3, CD4 and CD8 were determined . 3 . Whereas low titres of anti-flagellin antibody were detected in serum, bile and intestinal scrapings of unimmunised birds, high titres were observed in immunised birds . 4 . An increase in antibody of all isotypes was detectable in serum but the elevation in IgA antibody in intestinal scrapings and bile was particularly striking . This response was reflected in a dramatic increase in immunoglobulin-containing cells, detected by fluorescent histology, particularly those associated with IgA and IgM isotypes in the spleen and intestine of immunised birds . 5 . Secondary oral boosting after hatching resulted in a depression in serum anti-flagellin antibody in immunised birds compared to pre-boosting titres (although still significantly higher than in non-immunised controls) but an increase in IgA antibody in intestinal scrapings and bile . The number of immunoglobulin-containing cells was also increased after boosting . 6 . Neither immunisation regimen caused a significant change in the numbers of circulating CD3, CD4 or CD8 T cells . 7 . These results indicate that in ovo oral immunisation with C . jejuni antigens stimulates the precocious development of immunity in chicks.

Rev Hosp Clin Fac Med Sao Paulo, 1995 Sep-Oct, 50(5), 284 - 8
{Abdominal aortic aneurysm infected with Campylobacter fetus spp fetus . Report of a case and review of the literature}; Kuzniec S et al.; Aortic aneurysm infected with Campylobacter fetus spp fetus is rare, the first case having been reported in 1971 . We present a case of abdominal aortic aneurysm, with a history of abdominal pain, fever and chills, with identification of this gram negative bacillus in the culture of the aortic wall and visualization of the microorganism in histological examination . Surgical correction was performed by interposition of a dracon prosthetic graft . The patient had a good postoperative course, receiving prolonged antibiotic therapy (intravenous cephalothin for 7 days and oral erythromycin for 6 months), remaining without symptoms for 12 months, when the follow-up was ended . In the 11 cases reported in the literature, 9 presented fever, suggesting the infectious etiology . Four were operated on with the aneurysm already ruptured and all of them died . The other patients, with non-ruptured aneurysms at the time of the operation, were all symptomatic, and they survived . Anatomic reconstruction was performed in 4 cases, with dacron graft interposition and antibioticotherapy, without reported signs of infection on the follow-up (6 to 45 months) . Aortic infection with Campylobacter fetus spp fetus is potentially fatal, needing immediate surgical treatment . It is possible to have good long term results with an anatomically placed prosthetic graft and antibiotic therapy.

Plasmid, 1995 Sep, 34(2), 132 - 43
Genetic analysis of the minimal replicon of plasmid pIP417 and comparison with the other encoding 5-nitroimidazole resistance plasmids from Bacteroides spp; Haggoud A et al.; The nucleotide sequence of the DNA replication origin region of a Bacteroides vulgatus plasmid, pIP417, encoding 5-nitroimidazole resistance has been determined . This region of 1934 bp presents some characteristics similar to those of other replication protein-dependent origins . It contains a large open reading frame which could encode a basic Rep protein (RepA) of 36.8 kDa . Upstream of this ORF exist an AT-rich region, three direct repeats (iterons) of 21 bp, multiple DnaA binding sites, and sites, and sites for the integration host factor (IHF) . Moreover, the amino acid sequence of the pIP417 RepA protein shows similarities with those of other Rep proteins encoded by plasmids of gram-negative bacteria: pRO1600 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa; pPS10 from Pseudomonas syringae; pFA3 from Neisseria gonorrhoeae; and two cryptic plasmids from Campylobacter hyointestinalis and Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens . Although RepA can be expressed in an Escherichia coli in vitro transcription-translation assay, vectors containing the pIP417 replication origin did not replicate in E . coli . The homology of the pIP417 replication region with the corresponding regions of other Bacteroides spp, plasmids was also studied by Southern blot hybridization . The results indicated that the repA gene of plasmid pIP417 is homologous to that of plasmid pIP421, but not of plasmid pIP419 . The replication region of plasmid pIP421 was sequenced and showed about 80% identity at the nucleotide level with that of pIP417 . A small (3634-bp) cloning vector (pFK12) of entirely defined nucleotide sequence was constructed for Bacteroides spp.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1995 Sep, 39(9), 2019 - 22
Evidence for an efflux pump in multidrug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni; Charvalos E et al.; Mechanisms of drug resistance in Campylobacter jejuni were investigated . Mutant strains 34PEFr, which was resistant to pefloxacin (128-fold increase in the MIC), and 34CTXr, which was resistant to cefotaxime (32-fold increase in the MIC) and which was derived from the susceptible parent 34s, were obtained by serial passages on pefloxacin and cefotaxime gradient plates, respectively . Both mutants showed cross-resistance to erythromycin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, beta-lactams, and quinolones . While the quinolone resistance of strain PEFr could be explained by a mutation at codon 86 of the gyrA gene, the multidrug resistance phenotype of both strains was further investigated . Accumulation of pefloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and minocycline was measured by fluorometry and was found to be lower in the mutant strains than in the parent strain . Preincubation of the cells with carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, however, completely abolished this difference . Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of outer membrane preparations from both mutant strains showed overexpression of two proteins of 55 and 39 kDa which were absent from the outer membranes of the wild-type strain . These results indicate that in C . jejuni 34PEFr and 34CTXr, multidrug resistance is associated with an efflux system with a broad specificity.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1995 Sep, 39(9), 1965 - 9
Bactericidal properties of Campylobacter jejuni-specific immunoglobulin M antibodies in commercial immunoglobulin preparations; Autenrieth IB et al.; Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common enterocolitis-causing microorganisms worldwide . It is of particular importance in immunodeficient patients, who frequently are prone to develop extraintestinal manifestations . Since these cases respond poorly to antibiotic treatment, a supportive immunomodulating therapy including the administration of C . jejuni-specific immunoglobulins would be desirable . In the present study, nine commercial immunoglobulin preparations for intravenous use were tested for the presence of C . jejuni lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and outer membrane protein (OMP)-specific antibodies by using immunoblot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques . The immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody reactivities against these antigens were comparable in eight of nine tested immunoglobulin preparations . Only in one preparation were C . jejuni OMP- and LPS-specific IgM antibodies found . In this preparation the immunoblot test revealed a strong reactivity against both flagellin and a major OMP . Moreover, all immunoglobulin preparations recognized OMPs of C . jejuni serotypes Lior 4, 9, 11, and 29 equally strongly, while the reactivity to an anti-Lior 36 isolate was less marked . Furthermore, the bactericidal properties of three immunoglobulin preparations were tested by means of chemiluminescence signaling in and bacterial killing by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) . The results show that the IgM preparation enhanced Campylobacter-triggered chemiluminescence signaling in PMNL as well as killing of C . jejuni by PMNL, while the other immunoglobulin preparations did not do so . These results suggest that the administration of immunoglobulin preparations containing C . jejuni-specific IgM antibodies would be beneficial for patients with severe C . jejuni infections.

Dan Med Bull, 1995 Sep, 42(4), 374 - 7
The Helicobacter pylori theory and duodenal ulcer disease . A case study of the research process; Christensen AH et al.; OBJECTIVES: To describe the medical research process from the time of the generation of a new theory to its implementation in clinical practice . The Helicobacter pylori (H . pylori) theory, i.e . the theory that H . pylori plays a significant causal role in duodenal ulcer disease was chosen as a case . MATERIAL: Abstracts from 1984 to 1993, identified in the CD-Rom, Medline system, ("Silverplatter"), using the search terms Campylobacter pylori and Helicobacter pylori, and reviews and editorials about H . pylori in some of the most widespread clinical journals . RESULTS: 2204 papers on H . pylori were published, of which 64% (1,403) were original articles . Of these, 30% (415/1,403) were descriptive clinical studies, 5% (64) were epidemiological studies, 33% (459) were laboratory studies of disease mechanisms, 8% (112) were therapeutic intervention studies, and 24% (336) concerned diagnostic and therapeutic techniques . A total of 204 of the clinical studies addressed duodenal ulcer disease . Of these, 72% (147) were cross-sectional studies, 3% (7) were observational cohort studies and 25% (50) were therapeutic intervention studies . Thirty-one editorials and reviews concerning the etiological role of H . pylori in duodenal ulcer disease had been published in some of the most widespread clinical journals . In half of the papers the authors were convinced of the causal role of H . pylori in duodenal ulcer disease, while in the remainder they were sceptical . In seven cases the authors stated which patients should be selected for H . pylori eradication treatment . CONCLUSION: Descriptive clinical studies and laboratory studies of disease mechanisms were the prevailing types of research about H . pylori . Comparatively few therapeutic intervention studies were done; this fact may have hampered the acceptance of the H . pylori theory and the introduction of eradication therapy in clinical practice.

Clin Infect Dis, 1995 Sep, 21(3), 634 - 8
Emergence of multidrug resistance in Campylobacter jejuni isolates from three patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus; Tee W et al.; Single-drug resistance to tetracycline, doxycycline, erythromycin, or fluoroquinolones in Campylobacter isolates recovered from humans has been documented worldwide . Multidrug resistance to these antibiotics is rare in Campylobacter jejuni . We report the sequential development of multidrug resistance in C . jejuni isolates from three patients who were infected with human immunodeficiency virus . Multiple isolates recovered from stool specimens from these patients were ribotyped, and antibiotic susceptibility profiles were determined . The results indicated that each patient was infected with a single strain of C . jejuni that had progressively acquired resistance to the antibiotics used during treatment . The emergence of resistant isolates appeared to correlate with clinical relapse . In these patients, campylobacter enteritis was prolonged, severe, and relapsing, and antimicrobial therapy was required . Once these first-line antibiotics become ineffective, few other antibiotics are available for treating patients with campylobacter enteritis . Acquisition of antibiotic resistance in C . jejuni is therefore of concern in these cases.

Clin Infect Dis, 1995 Sep, 21(3), 536 - 41
Use of azithromycin for the treatment of Campylobacter enteritis in travelers to Thailand, an area where ciprofloxacin resistance is prevalent; Kuschner RA et al.; We evaluated the use of azithromycin (500 mg) or ciprofloxacin (500 mg) daily for 3 days for the treatment of acute diarrhea among United States military personnel in Thailand . Stool cultures were obtained and symptoms were recorded on study days 0, 1, 2, 3, and 10 . Campylobacter species were the most common pathogen isolated (44 isolates from 42 patients) . All Campylobacter isolates were susceptible to azithromycin; 22 were resistant to ciprofloxacin . Among the 42 patients with campylobacter infection, there were 2 clinical and 6 bacteriologic treatment failures in the ciprofloxacin group and no treatment failures in the azithromycin group (P = .021 for bacteriologic failures) . Overall, azithromycin was as effective as ciprofloxacin in decreasing the duration of illness (36.9 hours vs . 38.2 hours, respectively) and the number of stools (6.4 vs . 7.8, respectively) . Among those not infected with Campylobacter species (n = 30), the duration of illness was 32.9 hours vs . 20.7 hours (P = .03) for the azithromycin and ciprofloxacin groups, respectively . Azithromycin is superior to ciprofloxacin in decreasing the excretion of Campylobacter species and as effective as ciprofloxacin in shortening the duration of illness . Azithromycin therapy may be an effective alternative to ciprofloxacin therapy in areas where ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter species are prevalent.

Int J Food Microbiol, 1995 Sep, 27(1), 91 - 8
Efficacy of a lactic acid/sodium benzoate wash solution in reducing bacterial contamination of raw chicken; Hwang CA et al.; Raw chicken wings inoculated with Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, or Escherichia coli O157:H7 were washed in water (control) or a solution of a 0.5% lactic acid/0.05% sodium benzoate (LB) (pH 2.64) for 30 min . Viable cells of pathogenic bacteria and naturally occurring psychrotrophic bacteria on wings were enumerated after 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days of storage at 4 degrees C . Lower populations of pathogenic and psychrotrophic bacteria were detected on wings immediately after washing with LB compared to populations detected on control wings . LB solution was more effective in killing Salmonella, C . jejuni, and E . coli O157:H7 than L . monocytogenes, and S . aureus . During refrigerated storage, populations of Salmonella, C . jejuni, L . monocytogenes, and E . coli O157:H7 decreased significantly on LB-washed wings, as compared to populations of respective pathogens on control wings . The growth of psychrotrophic bacteria on LB-washed wings was significantly retarded as compared to growth on control wings during refrigerated storage . Washing chicken wings with a solution containing 0.5% lactic acid and 0.05% sodium benzoate can greatly reduce the populations of pathogenic and psychotrophic bacteria, thus enhancing safety and extending shelf life.

Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1995 Sep-Oct, (5), 60 - 3
{The characteristics of the epidemiology of campylobacteriosis under modern conditions}; Kirik DL et al.; The results of the clinico-epidemiological study of campylobacteriosis in a concrete area (Kiev and the Kiev region) are presented . The proportion of campylobacteriosis cases was found to be 6.4% among patients hospitalized in connection with acute enteric infections . Hens were most frequently the source of human infection . Thus, at the local poultry farm the proportion of hens contaminated with bacteria of the genus Campylobacter was 44.8% . The possible routes of the spread of Campylobacter infection and the factors of its transmission were established . The most important element of the epidemiological marking of Campylobacter bacteria is the determination of their species and serotype.

Infect Immun, 1995 Sep, 63(9), 3731 - 5
Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a prototype Campylobacter killed whole-cell vaccine in mice; Baqar S et al.; The immunogenicity and efficacy of an experimental inactivated Campylobacter jejuni whole-cell (CWC) vaccine were evaluated in mice . Mice were orally immunized in a three-dose primary series (48-h intervals) at doses of 10(5), 10(7), or 10(9) CWC vaccine particles alone or in combination with 25 micrograms of a mucosal adjuvant, the heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli (LT) . The comparative immunogenicities of both formulations were assessed on the basis of the generation of antigen-specific antibodies in serum and intestinal secretions, and efficacy was determined by measuring the degrees of protection afforded against intestinal colonization and systemic dissemination of challenge organisms . Campylobacter-specific intestinal immunoglobulin (Ig) A responses were dependent on the use of LT, whereas IgA and IgG responses in serum were not . Colonization resistance was induced over a broad range of vaccine doses when LT was included . However, only the highest dose of CWC alone gave comparable levels of protection . Both formulations provided equivalent protection against systemic spread of challenge organisms . These results indicate that both whole-cell vaccine formulations deserve further evaluation as candidate vaccines and also highlight the potential value of mucosal adjuvants, like LT, in enteric vaccine development.

Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1995 Sep, 69(9), 987 - 90
{In vitro antibacterial activity of balofloxacin (BLFX) against isolates from patients with bacterial enteritis}; Fukuyama M et al.; In vitro antibacterial activity of balofloxacin (BLFX), a newly developed fluoroquinoline, was compared with that of norfloxacin (NFLX), ofloxacin (OFLX) and ciplofloxacin (CPFX) . Bacterial strains used in this experiment were freshly isolated from patients with infectious enteritis just before BLFX therapy . The isolates were 43 strains of Vibrio cholerae O1, 1 strain of Campylobacter sp., 4 strains of Aeromonas spp., 3 strains of Plesiomonas shigelloides, 1 strain of Vibrio mimicus and 1 strain of Vibrio cholerae non-O1 . MIC90 of BLFX against 43 strains of Shigella spp., 13 strains of Salmonella spp . and 9 strains of E . coli were 0.39, 0.39, 0.2 micrograms/ml, respectively . All strains of Aeromonas spp . and P . Shigelloides were inhibited by the concentrations under 0.39 and 0.05 micrograms/ml . MIC90 of BLFX, NFLX, OFLX and CPFX against a total of 79 strains were 0.39, 0.2, 0.2 and 0.05 micrograms/ml, respectively.

J Appl Bacteriol, 1995 Sep, 79(3), 286 - 91
Penner serotyping of Campylobacter isolates from poultry, with absorbed pooled antisera; Jacobs-Reitsma WF et al.; The Penner serotyping system, based on detection of heat-stable antigens with a passive haemagglutination technique, was used in studies on Campylobacter epidemiology in poultry . Preparation of specific antisera by absorption allowed the use of pooled antisera . Over 80% of the Campylobacter isolates were typable with this modified Penner serotyping system . Typability of strains was clearly affected by storage of the strains before actual typing . Extracted antigens appeared to be stable for at least 6 months at 4 degrees C . Therefore, it is advisable to store extracted antigens from freshly isolated Campylobacter strains instead of reculturing frozen-stored strains, when actual typing cannot be performed directly after primary isolation . Untypability of isolates may partly be explained by the detection of Campylobacter serovars not yet represented in the serotyping system . Experiments on repeated serotyping of several Campylobacter strains did not suggest any serovar instability within the strains.

Br J Rheumatol, 1995 Sep, 34(9), 838 - 42
Reactive arthritis: urogenital swab culture is the only useful diagnostic method for the detection of the arthritogenic infection in extra-articularly asymptomatic patients with undifferentiated oligoarthritis; Erlacher L et al.; Reactive arthritis (ReA) is a seronegative oligoarthritis triggered by a preceding extra-articular infection . While evidence of a microbial infection is mandatory for establishing the diagnosis of ReA, the sensitivity of bacteriological and serological tests has not been determined in patients without symptoms of infection . In a retrospective study, we evaluated the usefulness of urogenital swab cultures, serology and stool culture to identify infections in 234 patients with undifferentiated oligoarthritis . One hundred and forty-four patients complaining about joint pain who had no sign or history of inflammatory arthritis served as controls . Urogenital swab cultures showed a microbial infection in 44% of the patients with oligoarthritis (15% Chlamydia, 14% Mycoplasma, 28% Ureaplasma), whereas in the control group only 26% had a positive result (4% Chlamydia, 7% Mycoplasma, 21% Ureaplasma) (P < 0.001) . A Chlamydia IgG-antibody titre > or = 1:256 was found in 22% of the patients in the oligoarthritis group and in 9% of the controls (P < 0.01) . However, for only half of Chlamydia IgG-positive patients could a Chlamydia infection be confirmed by urogenital swab culture . Twenty-one per cent of patients with oligoarthritis vs 23% of the controls had positive antibody titres for Salmonella (not significant), 15% vs 5% for Yersinia (P < 0.05) and 17% vs 3% for Borrelia IgG (P < 0.01) . In two patients, stool cultures were positive for Campylobacter . Urogenital swab culture is a sensitive diagnostic method to identify the triggering infection in ReA . A single determination of antibodies against Chlamydia trachomatis is of limited value because of the high prevalence of positive results in the control group.

Lett Appl Microbiol, 1995 Sep, 21(3), 194 - 7
Survival of Campylobacter jejuni in foods and comparison with a predictive model; Curtis LM et al.; Campylobacter jejuni was inoculated into a range of raw and cooked foods and survival determined during storage at 2 degrees, 10 degrees and 20 degrees C for up to 56 d . To facilitate easy enumeration, two antibiotic-resistant strains of Camp . jejuni, which had similar survival characteristics to the parent strain, were used . Campylobacter jejuni survived for longer at lower temperatures in all foods and inactivation was most rapid in pate . There was generally good agreement between the survival data and predictions from a Camp . jejuni survival model (Food MicroModel).

Schweiz Med Wochenschr, 1995 Aug 19, 125(33), 1540 - 5
{Intestinal spirochetosis and seronegative spondylarthropathy: association or coincidence?}; Pellet L et al.; Reactive spondylarthropathies include mono- or asymmetrical polyarthritis as well as axial skeletal involvement . Usually they occur after urogenital or gastrointestinal infections caused by Yersinia, Salmonella, Shigella or Campylobacter . Reactive arthritis can also result from infections with other agents . We report the case of a patient with clinical features of seronegative spondylarthropathy . The endoscopic examination revealed intestinal spirochetosis . Other possible arthritogenous agents were ruled out serologically . The pathogenicity of intestinal spirochetosis is controversial . It can be associated with diarrhea . In Western countries the prevalence of intestinal spirochetosis is below 2%, male homosexuals being especially prone to these infections . Spirochetosis is often associated with a mild inflammatory reaction only, while a local increase in IgE plasma cell count has been described.

Rinsho Shinkeigaku, 1995 Aug, 35(8), 901 - 3
{Axonal Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with anti-GalNAc-GD1a antibody subsequent to Campylobacter jejuni (PEN 43) enteritis}; Ihara Y et al.; We reported a 16-year-old boy who had Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) after suffering diarrhea . Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from his stool, and the serotype belonged to PEN 43 . Neurologic examination revealed distal-dominant muscle weakness atrophy, and mild sensory disturbance . Motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities were normal, but compound muscle action potentials were markedly reduced . Serum from the patient had high titers of anti-FalNAc-GD1a antibodies . He had HLA-A24, B51, DRB1*04 and DRB1*09 . His elder sister showed diarrhea and serum anti-C . jejuni antibody, but did not showed GBS and serum anti-ganglioside antibody . Her HLA types were A24, B51, DRB1*09 and DRB1*14.

J Clin Periodontol, 1995 Aug, 22(8), 642 - 7
Oral microbiota in subjects with a weak or strong response in experimental gingivitis; Lie MA et al.; The purpose of the present study was to examine the composition of the oral microbiota in subjects who had previously demonstrated to develop either a weak or strong response to experimental gingivitis . For this study, subjects were selected from a pool of 25 individuals who had participated twice in an experimental gingivitis trial . Out of these 25 panellists, 6 subjects were selected who had developed 2X a weak gingival inflammatory response and 7 subjects who had developed 2X a strong gingival inflammatory response . Approximately 9 months after the 2nd experimental gingivitis trial, we evaluated the clinical condition and the prevalence of a panel of selected oral micro-organisms in these subjects . The subjects were clinically examined for the presence of plaque, bleeding, pocket depth and loss of attachment . For the microbiological evaluation, samples were taken from the mucous membranes, subgingival sites and saliva . Samples were analyzed for the presence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Peptostreptococcus micros, Actinomyces spp., Fusobacterium nucleatum, Campylobacter rectus, spirochaetes and motile rods . Clinical evaluation showed that most subjects had a relatively healthy periodontal condition . No clinically significant differences could be detected between the weak and strong responding groups . The microbial evaluation showed absence of A . actinomycetemcomitans, P . gingivalis and P . micros in all subjects in either group . Analysis of the microbial data for the weak and strong responding group showed no differences between the groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Clin Infect Dis, 1995 Aug, 21 Suppl 1, S84 - 93
Bacterial enteric infections in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus; Angulo FJ et al.; We review the epidemiology and prevention of and future research priorities for bacterial enteric infections in persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) . HIV-infected persons are more frequently infected with Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, and (possibly) Shigella species than are individuals not infected with HIV . In addition, Salmonella and (possibly) Campylobacter infections are more likely to be severe, recurrent, or persistent and associated with extraintestinal disease when they occur in HIV-infected persons . Infections caused by Shigella and Vibrio species can also result in more serious disease in HIV-infected persons than in those not infected with HIV . Risk of these infections can be reduced with proper precautions, particularly those pertaining to food hygiene, animal contact, and travel . Individuals infected with HIV should be informed of their increased risk of acquiring these diseases and should be counseled on the recommended precautions.

Brain, 1995 Aug, 118 ( Pt 4), 841 - 7
Guillain-Barré syndrome without sensory loss (acute motor neuropathy) . A subgroup with specific clinical, electrodiagnostic and laboratory features . Dutch Guillain-Barré Study Group; Visser LH et al.; We analysed data obtained from 27 out of a group of 147 patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome, who did not have sensory loss during a follow-up period of 6 months (motor Guillain-Barre syndrome) . These patients had a distinctive clinical pattern compared with the other 120 Guillain-Barre syndrome patients . The clinical course was marked by a more rapid onset of weakness (3.9 versus 6.1 days, P = 0.002), an earlier nadir (6.3 versus 9.1 days, P < 0.001), an initially predominant distal weakness (67% versus 27%, P < 0.001), sparing of the cranial nerves (26% versus 68%, P < 0.001) and the disease was more often preceded by a gastro-intestinal illness (41% versus 13%, P = 0.001) often caused by a Campylobacter jejuni infection (67% versus 28% in the other Guillain-Barre syndrome patients, P < 0.001) . High titres of anti-GM1 antibodies were also significantly more common in motor Guillain-Barre syndrome patients (42% versus 5%, P < 0.001) . Electromyographic data of the motor Guillain-Barre syndrome patients at nadir revealed little or no evidence for demyelination . Abundant denervation activity was present in half of the patients . The response to immune globulin treatment was good but with plasma exchange significantly fewer motor Guillain-Barre syndrome patients reached the stage of independent locomotion after a follow-up period of 6 months especially if the acute motor neuropathy occurred after a C.jejuni infection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ann Neurol, 1995 Aug, 38(2), 170 - 5
Anti-GM1 IgG antibodies and Campylobacter bacteria in Guillain-Barré syndrome: evidence of molecular mimicry; Oomes PG et al.; In Guillain-Barre syndrome antibodies to GM1 and the presence of an antecedent Campylobacter jejuni infection are correlated with a more severe course of the disease . From a group of 137 consecutive GBS patients, 11 sera had elevated titers of anti-GM1 IgG antibodies during the acute stage of disease . Each serum sample was preincubated with three different Penner serotypes of whole C . jejuni (PEN O:4/59, PEN O:41) and Campylobacter coli (PEN O:22) bacteria . The PEN O:4/59 serotype, isolated from the stools of a Guillain-Barre syndrome patient, inhibited 63 to 93% of the anti-GM1 activity in 6 of 11 patients . The PEN O:41 inhibited 63 to 100% of the anti-GM1 antibody activity in 9 of 11 patients . The PEN O:22 inhibited anti-GM1 antibody activity in only 2 of 11 patients (80 and 86%) . Two Guillain-Barre syndrome patients did not show antibody absorption by any of the Campylobacter serotypes tested, although this does not exclude the involvement of other serotypes . An Escherichia coli control strain did not significantly absorb anti-GM1 antibodies . The results of this study indicate that anti-GM1 IgG antibodies in Guillain-Barre syndrome sera recognize surface epitopes on whole Campylobacter bacteria and that this recognition is strain-specific . This provides evidence for molecular mimicry in the pathogenesis of Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Epidemiol Infect, 1995 Aug, 115(1), 15 - 22
The Public Health Laboratory Service national case-control study of primary indigenous sporadic cases of campylobacter infection; Adak GK et al.; The aetiology of sporadic campylobacter infection was investigated by means of a multicentre case-control study . During the course of the study 598 cases and their controls were interviewed . Conditional logistic regressional analysis of the data collected showed that occupational exposure to raw meat (odds ratio {OR} 9.37; 95% confidence intervals {CI} 2.03, 43.3), having a household with a pet with diarrhoea (OR 2.39; CI 1.09, 5.25), and ingesting untreated water from lakes, rivers and streams (OR 4.16; CI 1.45, 11.9) were significant independent risk factors for becoming ill with campylobacter . Handling any whole chicken in the domestic kitchen that had been bought raw with giblets, or eating any dish cooked from chicken of this type in the home (OR 0.41-0.44; CI 0.24, 0.79) and occupational contact with livestock or their faeces (OR 0.44; CI 0.21, 0.92) were significantly associated with a decrease in the risk of becoming ill with campylobacter.

Curr Microbiol, 1995 Aug, 31(2), 92 - 6
Targeted and random mutagenesis of the Campylobacter coli chromosome with integrational plasmid vectors; Dickinson JH et al.; A number of integrational vectors were developed for use as genetic tools in the food-borne pathogen Campylobacter coli . Integration of the plasmids occurred following genetic recombination via a Campbell-like mechanism . For an integrative plasmid containing a DNA fragment internal to the C . coli catalase gene, the insertion was mutagenic and led to a catalase-deficient phenotype . A procedure for generating random mutations in the C . coli chromosome, with these suicide-plasmids, was developed . In addition, the construction and utility of an integrable plasmid for generating transcriptional fusions to a cat reporter gene is described.

AIDS, 1995 Aug, 9(8), 881 - 5
Campylobacter infections in HIV-infected patients: clinical and bacteriological features; Molina J et al.; OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical and bacteriological features of Campylobacter infections in HIV-infected patients . DESIGN: A retrospective analysis (1989-1992), followed by a prospective analysis (1992-1994) . SETTING: Hospital HIV inpatient unit . PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients with Campylobacter spp . identified by the laboratory of microbiology at Saint-Louis Hospital, Paris were studied, and their clinical features as well as their response to therapy recorded . RESULTS: During the study period, Campylobacter infection was documented in 38 HIV-infected patients, 76% of whom had AIDS . Campylobacter spp . was isolated from stools in 36 cases and from blood cultures in four cases . Species identification yielded C . jejuni (84%) and C . coli (16%) . High-level resistance to quinolones was frequently observed (21%), but resistance to erythromycin (3%) and tetracycline (5%) was rare . Diarrhoea, fever and abdominal pain were the main clinical features of infection . Other intestinal pathogens were found in 42% of patients . Most patients had an acute illness with rapid resolution under appropriate antimicrobial therapy . However, eight patients (21%), experienced chronic diarrhoea with persistent isolation of Campylobacter and in vivo selection of resistant strains, requiring multiple courses of antibiotics . CONCLUSIONS: Campylobacter usually cause acute diarrhoea in patients with HIV infection . Antimicrobial therapy should be guided on in vitro susceptibility testing because of the prevalence of antibiotic resistance . Despite appropriate therapy, some patients will present with prolonged diarrhoea and in vivo selection of multiresistant isolates.

J Clin Microbiol, 1995 Aug, 33(8), 2176 - 8
Comparison of preservation media for storage of stool samples; Wasfy M et al.; Transportation of clinical samples and long-term recoverability of pathogens are critical to epidemiological studies, particularly when conditions do not permit immediate processing . This study confirms that Cary-Blair medium (CB) is suitable for the preservation of Salmonella and Shigella isolates for more than 2 weeks at 25, 4, or -70 degrees C . Campylobacter jejuni was not recovered after 2 days of storage in CB at 25 degrees C when an inoculum of 12 x 10(8) cells per ml was used . Lower temperatures supported the recovery of this organism for 6 days . When individual pathogens were preserved with stools in CB and incubated at 25, 4, or -70 degrees C, the Salmonella and Shigella concentrations dropped from 12 x 10(8) cells to 1 x 10(3) or 1 x 10(4) cells per ml within 2 days and then remained stable for the rest of the observation period (15 days) . C . jejuni survived preservation with stools for 5 to 9 days . The addition of blood and glycerol to CB improved the recoverability of all enteropathogens, particularly C . jejuni, which was consistently detected for 7 to 9 days at the different preservation temperatures used . When trypticase soy broth-glycerol (freezing medium), with or without blood, was used, there was little or no decrease in the Salmonella and Shigella concentrations during 2 weeks of preservation with stools at -70 degrees C . C . jejuni demonstrated a relatively sustained high concentration in Trypticase soy broth-glycerol with 5% blood . The use of defibrinated, laked sheep blood as a long-term freezing medium supported the recovery of low concentrations of Salmonella and Shigella spp . (10(2) to 10(3) cells per ml) for more than 14 weeks . Recovery of C . jejuni was consistent for 7 weeks when an initial concentration of 10(6) cells per ml present in stools . Laked blood provided a simple, sterile, and inexpensive medium for the preservation of individual isolates and clinical samples.

Eur J Biochem, 1995 Aug 1, 231(3), 570 - 8
Chemical structures of the core region of Campylobacter jejuni O:3 lipopolysaccharide and an associated polysaccharide; Aspinall GO et al.; The complete structure for the core oligosaccharide region of the water-insoluble low-M(r) lipopolysaccharide of Campylobacter jejuni serotype O:3 from phenol/water extraction of bacterial cells was assigned through studies on derivatives of the liberated oligosaccharide . Structure determinations were performed using 1H-NMR and 31P-NMR spectroscopies, methylation analysis supported by fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry, and Smith degradation experiments . It was concluded that the complete chains in the core oligosaccharide had the following structure in which a proportion of the terminal residues were phosphorylated: {formula: see text} From a similar series of experiments, it was concluded that an associated polysaccharide, which was isolated from the water phase of the phenol/water extracts, had the following repeating unit in which a proportion of the previously unknown L-glycero-D-ido-heptose (L-alpha-D-ido-Hep) residues were present as 3-hydroxypropanoyl esters, and were not covalently linked to the lipopolysaccharide: {formula see: text}

J Bacteriol, 1995 Aug, 177(15), 4266 - 71
Conformational analysis of the Campylobacter jejuni porin; Bolla JM et al.; The major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of Campylobacter jejuni was purified to homogeneity by selective solubilization and fast protein liquid chromatography . The amino acid composition of the MOMP indicates the presence of cysteine residues . The amino-terminal sequence, determined over 31 residues, shows no significant homology with any other porin from gram-negative bacteria except in a discrete region . Immunocross-reactivity between Escherichia coli OmpC and the MOMP was analyzed, and a common antigenic site between these two porins was identified with an anti-peptide antibody . From circular dichroism and immunological investigations, the existence of a stable folded monomer, containing a high level of beta-sheet secondary structure, is evident . Conformational analyses show the presence of a native trimeric state generated by association of the three folded monomers; the stability of this trimer is reduced compared with that of E . coli porins . This study clearly reveals that the C . jejuni MOMP is related to the family of trimeric bacterial porins.

Int J Food Microbiol, 1995 Aug, 26(3), 295 - 303
The isolation of Campylobacter jejuni from contaminated surfaces and its survival in diluents; Humphrey T et al.; The isolation rates of campylobacters from contaminated surfaces were improved if swabs were placed directly into selective media rather than being stored in diluents before culture . Storage in diluents resulted in a loss of viability and the remaining viable campylobacter cells were often sub-lethally injured which sensitised them to selective agents in culture media and reduced isolation rates . Campylobacter jejuni, suspended in small drops of blood, was capable of prolonged survival on work surfaces if the drops remained liquid but the bacterium died rapidly once drops had dried.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1995 Aug, 39(8), 1717 - 20
Partial characterization and effect of omeprazole on ATPase activity in Helicobacter pylori by using permeabilized cells; Belli WA et al.; ATPase activity in permeabilized cells of Helicobacter pylori as well as those of Helicobacter felis and Campylobacter jejuni was analyzed . The ATPase activities in these cells were most susceptible to sodium azide, fluoroaluminate, and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, which are typical inhibitors of F ATPases . Optimal values for maximal activity were found to be at approximately pH 6.4, 6.0, and 6.0 for C . jejuni, H . pylori, and H . felis, respectively . The substituted benzimidazole compounds omeprazole, lansoprazole, and Eisai 3810 were found to have no effect on the F ATPase activity of H . pylori at concentrations which are inhibitory for cell growth (MICs) . In addition, an extracellular, vanadate-susceptible ATPase activity was detected in H . pylori, which was also relatively insusceptible to the benzimidazole compounds . Thus, the mechanism of killing mediated by omeprazole and related compounds in Helicobacter pylori does not appear to be due to diminished ATPase activity.

Mol Cell Probes, 1995 Aug, 9(4), 247 - 50
Specific detection of Campylobacter concisus by PCR amplification of 23S rDNA areas; Bastyns K et al.; The phenotypic detection of Campylobacter concisus, a species of considerable genomic and phenotypic heterogeneity, has proven to be rather tedious in the past . Although alternative methods like DNA:DNA hybridization, immunotyping or whole-cell protein electrophoresis are valuable for the specific detection of C . concisus, they are too laborious to be performed in routine settings . Hence a simple Campylobacter concisus-specific PCR assay was developed, based on a target sequence which comprises the most variable areas of 23S rDNA . The PCR assay was successfully evaluated on a broad selection of C . concisus strains and phylogenetically related bacteria.

J Periodontol, 1995 Aug, 66(8), 700 - 7
Evaluation of periodontal treatments using controlled-release tetracycline fibers: microbiological response; Lowenguth RA et al.; In a 12-month multi-center study of 116 adult periodontitis subjects, six putative periodontal pathogens were monitored by DNA probe methods in a subset of 31 subjects . Monitored species included Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), Eikenella corrodens (Ec), Campylobacter rectus (Cr), and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) with an average detection limit of 1.8 x 10(4) bacterial colony forming units/sample . The microbiological response to four periodontal treatments was studied, one treatment in each quadrant; scaling and root planing (S), scaling and root planing with tetracycline (TC) fiber (SF), a single application of TC fiber (F) and two serial applications of TC fiber (FF) . Generally two sites were sampled in each quadrant, however, in some quadrants only one site was selected . These treatments were evaluated at baseline; immediately following therapy; and post-treatment at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months . The study was conducted with a split-mouth design with no maintenance therapy over a 12-month period . At baseline, 70.8% of sites had detectable Fn; 42.9% Pg; 63.5% Pi; 29.7% Ec; 28.3% Cr; and 5.5% Aa . No significant differences were seen in baseline proportions of these species between centers . Numbers and proportions of detectable pathogens (with the exception of Pg) exhibited a triphasic temporal response: a precipitous initial decrease immediately following therapy; a rise in proportions in the 1- to 3-month post-therapy period; and a spontaneous decline in the absence of therapy over the 3- to 12-month period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 1995 Jul 14, 44(27), 501 - 3
Outbreak of acute gastroenteritis attributable to Escherichia coli serotype O104:H21--Helena, Montana, 1994.
{The comparative identification of Campylobacter strains by traditional enzymatic tests and the gene amplification reaction}
Sicinschi L.

Universitatea de Stat de Medicina si Farmacie N . Testemitanu, Chisinau39 strains of Campylobacter isolated from 153 diarrhoeal children (0-3 years) were comparatively identified by the traditional enzymatic tests and by the Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR) . The hippurate hydrolysis test appreciated 27 strains as Campylobacter jejuni (69.2%) and 12 strains as Campylobacter coli (30.8%) . The P.C.R . realised in France has appreciated 29 strains as Campylobacter jejuni (74.4%) and 10 strains as Campylobacter coli (25.6%) . The analysis of the results discrepancy permitted to reveal 4 strains appreciated by two methods as different ones . The supplementary examinations of dubious strains by API-Campy test systems permitted to confirm the PCR results and to explain their divergence in contrast to hippurate hydrolysis test results . Two results were appreciated as false ones for hippurate test (5.1%) . Other two errors were due to two hippurate-negative Campylobacter jejuni strains . The PCR results were exact, without errors and not influenced by modified phenotypical characters of Campylobacter strains . Thus, the efficiency of the identification by the hippurate hydrolysis test was only 89.7% in comparison to 100% efficiency of PCR (p<0.05) . The discrepant cases indicated the necessity of supplementary differentiation of hippurate-negative Campylobacter strains including genetical methods in order to define the species exactly and to prevent the grave consequences especially characteristic of Campylobacter jejuni.

Int J Syst Bacteriol, 1995 Jul, 45(3), 592 - 4
Characterization of the type strain of Campylobacter coli, CIP 70.80, by plasmid typing; Stonnet V et al.; A 1.9-kb plasmid DNA fragment from the type strain of Campylobacter coli, CIP 70.80, was used as a probe to characterize this type strain, other C . coli type strains obtained from several culture collections, and other C . coli strains . A specific hybridization pattern was obtained, and this pattern can be used to identify, characterize, and follow up C . coli type strains in culture collections.

Mikrobiol Z, 1995 Jul-Aug, 57(4), 49 - 54
{The antibiotic resistance of strains of Campylobacter of different origins}; Kirik DL et al.; Antibioticograms of different campylobacteria strains have been analyzed . It is shown possible to develop a system of epidemiological marking on this basis . With this purpose sensitivity of campylobacteria to gentamycin, canamycin, carbenicyllin, tetracylin and erythromycin has been studied . No statistical difference in the average markers of resistance in the studied groups of strains was observed . This permitted supposing that R-plasmids in "human" strains may be isolated not only from the human intestine microflora, but also from other sources (animals, birds, environmental objects) as well . There are found common R-spectra in different groups of strains (Gm Kb Tc Er; Kb and Kb Tc), which confirms the same infection source . The study of antibioticograms of campylobacteria which circulate among people, animals, birds and environmental objects permits revealing regularities of epidemic process in case of campylobacteriosis.

FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, 1995 Jul, 11(4), 329 - 36
Secretory monoclonal IgA class-switch variants against bacterial enteric pathogens in bile and intestinal secretions; Steinmetz I et al.; In a previous study we analyzed the molecular forms of monoclonal IgA class-switch variants (moIgA variants) and their transport into murine respiratory secretions . The aim of the present study is to characterize the transport of moIgA variants into bile and intestinal secretions so that their applicability in a passive immunization model of the gut can be evaluated . Different moIgA variants were directly isolated from IgG1 and IgG2a producing hybridoma clones specific for the same surface determinants of bacterial enteric pathogens (Salmonella typhimurium and Campylobacter jejuni) as their respective parent IgG clones . Hepatobiliary transport experiments clearly revealed the selective transport of biologically active polymeric forms of the IgA variants into the murine and rat bile after intravenous injection . Biotinylation of polymeric IgA variants prior to intravenous injection resulted in the recovery of functional, labeled SIgA . Moreover biotin-labeled polymeric IgA variant was recovered in bile with an increased molecular weight, suggesting that the secretory component had been added during passage through the liver . When IgA variant and IgG parent clones were both used in a murine backpack tumor model for passive immunization, IgA variant was selectively transported into intestinal secretions in comparison to IgG . The experimental model described here is suitable for use in comparative studies on the role of IgA and IgG with identical specificity in invasive infections of the intestinal tract.

J Antimicrob Chemother, 1995 Jul, 36(1), 259 - 63
A placebo controlled evaluation of lomefloxacin in the treatment of bacterial diarrhoea in the community; Ellis-Pegler RB et al.; We compared 40 patients taking lomefloxacin 400 mg once daily for 5 days in a double blind trial with 44 placebo takers with proven community acquired bacterial diarrhoea (85% due to Campylobacter spp.) . Lomefloxacin eradicated Campylobacter spp . in 75% but did not alter clinical outcome . Twenty-eight per cent of the campylobacter isolates developed resistance . Thirty-three per cent developed side-effects . Lomefloxacin is not recommended for community-acquired bacterial diarrhoea when Campylobacter spp . predominate.

J Antimicrob Chemother, 1995 Jul, 36(1), 23 - 39
Fluoroquinolones and bacterial enteritis, when and for whom?
Wistrom J, Norrby SR.
During the last decade quinolones such as norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and fleroxacin have emerged as drugs of choice for treatment of various bacterial enteric infections . Controlled studies have shown that quinolones, administered in varying regimens ranging from a single dose to 5 days treatment, significantly reduce the intensity and severity of travellers' diarrhoea as well as shigellosis . They have also been found to be highly effective in the treatment of invasive non-typhoid salmonellosis as well as typhoid fever . Results from trials evaluating quinolone treatment of uncomplicated salmonella and campylobacter enteritis have generally been disappointing . We studied norfloxacin for the empirical treatment of suspected bacterial enteritis of less than 6 days duration in a large placebo controlled trial . Although statistical differences in clinical outcome favouring norfloxacin were found among 259 culture positive patients, the differences were not striking and of doubtful clinical importance . However, a clear beneficial effect of norfloxacin, resembling that observed in early treatment of travellers' diarrhoae was found among the severely ill patients who initiated treatment within 48 h of onset of symptoms to start of treatment seemed to be of major importance in relation to therapeutic efficacy . Quinolone treatment of bacterial enteritis is furthermore limited by the rapid development of resistance seen in Campylobacter spp . and the failure of these compounds to eradicate Salmonella spp . Presently quinolones can be recommended in treatment of travellers' diarrhoea and shigellosis as well as enteric fever . They have limited usefulness for the routine empirical treatment of bacterial enteritis caused by Salmonella spp and Campylobacter spp . Treatment should be restricted to early empirical treatment of the severely ill and vulnerable patients with an underlying health problem.

Res Microbiol, 1995 Jul-Aug, 146(6), 467 - 76
Nucleotide sequence and characterization of peb4A encoding an antigenic protein in Campylobacter jejuni; Burucoa C et al.; The 29-kDa protein PEB4, a major antigen of Campylobacter jejuni, is present in all C . jejuni strains tested and elicits an antibody response in infected patients . By screening a lambda gt11 library of chromosomal DNA fragments of C . jejuni strain 81-176 in Escherichia coli Y1090 cells with antibody raised against purified PEB4, a recombinant phage with a 2-kb insert expressing an immunoreactive protein of 29 kDa was isolated . DNA sequence analysis revealed that the insert contains two complete open reading frames ORF-A and ORF-B . ORF-A (peb4A) encodes a 273-residue protein with a calculated molecular mass of 30,460 daltons . The deduced amino acid sequence, composition and pl of the recombinant mature protein are similar to those determined for purified PEB4 . The first 21 residues resemble a signal peptide . Gene bank searches indicated 33.7% identity with protein export protein PrsA of Bacillus subtilis and 23.8% identity with protease maturation protein precursor PrtM of Lactococcus lactis . PCR experiments indicate that peb4A is highly conserved among C . jejuni strains . ORF-B begins 2 bp after the last codon of peb4A and encodes a putative protein of 353 residues with 63.4% identity with E . coli fructose 1,6-biphosphate aldolase . The sequence arrangement suggests that these two genes form an operon.

J Hosp Infect, 1995 Jul, 30(3), 225 - 8
An outbreak of campylobacter food poisoning in a health care setting; Murphy O et al.; An outbreak of campylobacter food poisoning in a group of health care workers is reported . The outbreak involved 12 of 31 staff members attending a departmental party . Investigations revealed that a chicken dish was the most likely vehicle of infection . The relative risk of developing symptoms after eating this dish was 6.15 (P < 0.002) . Further investigation established that not only had the cooking instructions been misunderstood but storage of the the food the morning of the party did not comply with Department of Health guidelines . The outbreak was associated with considerable morbidity and cost . It is important that health care workers other than professional catering staff are aware of the guidelines available to ensure the correct preparation and storage of food if such events are to be held in hospital departments . It is also important that manufacturers of chicken products ensure that labelling regarding further cooking is clear and in large print.

Can J Vet Res, 1995 Jul, 59(3), 183 - 6
Bactericidal effects of ozone at nonspermicidal concentrations; Gradil C et al.; A study was conducted to assess the use of ozone (O3) to control pathogens or contaminants of concern to animal breeders and regulatory officials . In separate experiments, samples of fresh bovine semen and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, or Campylobacter fetus subsp . venerealis were diluted with antibiotic-free milk (10(6) sperm and 10(6) organisms/mL of diluted semen), exposed in the previous day to a constantly monitored level of 5, 10, 15, or 20 micrograms/mL of O3 for 3-5 min . After 10 min at 30 degrees C, sperm motility was assessed and the samples cooled to 5 degrees C . Two and 18 h after the beginning of cooling, aliquots of each semen sample were evaluated for motility and cultured for organisms . Reductions were observed in P . aeruginosa and E . coli colony counts of 2 logs, and in C . fetus of 5 logs, after exposure for 2 h to O3 at a concentration of 5 micrograms/mL that had a moderate effect on sperm motility (reduction of 20%) . Fewer than 100 colonies, i.e., a 4 logs reduction of all bacteria, were counted after dilution with ozonized-treated milk at 20 micrograms/mL of O3 . However, this concentration of O3 reduced sperm motility by 50% 10 min after dilution . The results of these experiments indicate that a concentration and exposure time to O3 can be selected to reduce P . aeruginosa, E . coli, and C . fetus in contaminated bull semen diluted with milk while having only minimal effects on sperm motility.

Mil Med, 1995 Jul, 160(7), 331 - 4
A survey of enteropathogens among United States military personnel during Operation Bright Star '94, in Cairo, Egypt; Oyofo BA et al.; Acute gastroenteritis is a potential cause of substantial morbidity in U.S . military personnel during deployment . This study was conducted to evaluate enteric pathogens associated with diarrhea in a U.S . military population on deployment in Cairo, Egypt, during November 1993 . Enteric pathogens found to be associated with cases of diarrhea included: enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), 27% (22% heat-stable {ST}, 3% heat-labile {LT}, and 2% ST/LT producers); Campylobacter spp., 3%; and Salmonella spp . 3% . Other enteric pathogens, namely Shigella, Aeromonas, Plesiomonas, Vibrio spp., Bacillus cereus, and enteric parasites, were not found in any of the 36 patients . Of the 8 patients who were ETEC-positive, three expressed colonization factor antigens (CFA)/II, and two expressed putative colonization factor antigen (PCF) 0159 . All of the latter isolates produced ST . ETEC with different surface protein antigens were found to have surface hydrophobicity in the range of 0.2 M to greater than 2.0 M . Plasmid profiles of the ETEC strains showed no correlation with toxin production . In vitro susceptibility testing of the ETEC strain showed that 32% of the strains were resistant to three or more antimicrobial agents, whereas 24% showed 100% susceptibility . The enteropathogens tested were susceptible to norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and nalidixic acid, suggesting that the quinolones might be useful for the treatment of diarrheic patients.

Arch Microbiol, 1995 Jul, 164(1), 1 - 6
Purification and characterization of ferritin from Campylobacter jejuni; Wai SN et al.; We purified an iron-containing protein from Campylobacter jejuni using ultracentrifugation and ion-exchange chromatography . Electron microscopy of this protein revealed circular particles with a diameter of 11.5 nm and a central core with a diameter of 5.5 nm . The protein was composed of a single peptide of 21 kDa and did not serologically cross-react with horse spleen ferritin . The UV-visible spectrum of the protein showed no absorption peaks in the visible region, indicating that little or no heme is bound . The ratio of Fe:phosphate of C . jejuni ferritin was 1.5:1 . From these morphological and chemical examinations, we concluded that the C . jejuni purified protein is a ferritin of the same class as that of Helicobacter pylori and Bacteroides fragilis and differs from the heme-containing bacterioferritin of Escherichia coli . The 30 N-terminal amino acids were sequenced and were found to resemble the sequences of other ferritins strongly (H . pylori ferritin, 73% identity; B . fragilis ferritin, 50% identity; E . coli gene-165 product, 50% identity), and to a lesser degree, bacterioferritins (E . coli bacterioferritin, 26% identity; Azotobacter vinelandii, 26% identity; horse spleen ferritin 30% identity) . Proteins that cross-reacted with antiserum against the ferritin of C . jejuni were found in other Campylobacter species and in H . pylori, but not in Vibrio, E . coli, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 1995 Jul, 61(7), 2713 - 9
Temperature-dependent membrane fatty acid and cell physiology changes in coccoid forms of Campylobacter jejuni; Hazeleger WC et al.; The effect of temperature and the availability of nutrients on the transition of spiral Campylobacter jejuni cells to coccoid forms was investigated . Ageing of spiral C . jejuni cells in either nutrient-poor or nutrient-rich environments resulted in the formation of nonculturable coccoid cells at 4, 12, and 25 degrees C after different periods, with the cells incubated at 4 degrees C in nutrient-deficient media remaining culturable the longest . To study the phenomenon, ATP levels, protein profiles, and fatty acid compositions were monitored under conditions where the transition from spiral to coccoid cells occurred . During storage, the levels of intracellular ATP were highest in cells incubated at low temperatures (4 and 12 degrees C) and remained constant after a small initial decrease . During the transformation from spiral to coccoid forms, no alteration in protein profiles could be detected; indeed, inhibition of protein synthesis by chloramphenicol did not influence the transition . Furthermore, DNA damage by gamma irradiation had no effect on the process . Membrane fatty acid composition of cocci formed at low temperatures was found to be almost identical to that of spiral cells, whereas that of cocci formed at 25 degrees C was clearly different . Combining these results, it is concluded that the formation of cocci is not an active process . However, distinctions between cocci formed at different temperatures were observed . Cocci formed at 4 degrees C show characteristics comparable to those of spirals, and these cocci may well play a role in the contamination cycle of C . jejuni.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

J Med Microbiol, 1995 Jul, 43(1), 75 - 7
Campylobacter jejuni in the stomach; Sahay P et al.; Campylobacter jejuni is the commonest cause of acute bacterial enteritis in the UK . However, in this case a 74-year-old lady underwent gastroscopy for an upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage and was noted to have a gastric ulcer . Gastric biopsy revealed spiral gram-negative bacteria and culture yielded a moderate growth of C . jejuni . Identification was confirmed by growth characteristics, biochemical tests and PCR amplification of the species-specific flagellin gene--fla A . To prevent misidentification, it is important that laboratories routinely culturing gastric biopsies for Helicobacter pylori should perform a rapid urease test and not rely solely on microscopic morphology.

J Neurol, 1995 Jul, 242(7), 460 - 5
Electrophysiological studies in Guillain-Barré syndrome: correlation with antibodies to GM1, GD1B and Campylobacter jejuni; Vriesendorp FJ et al.; A retrospective study of 50 patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) correlated analysis of serial motor nerve conduction studies with the presence of antibodies to Campylobacter jejuni, GM1 and GD1b, determined by ELISA . GBS patients with antibodies to C . jejuni (n = 8), GM1 (n = 4), or GD1b (n = 4) showed electrophysiological features suggestive of demyelination with prolonged distal motor latencies and temporal dispersion/conduction block similar to GBS patients without these specific antibodies . Three of 50 GBS patients had poor recovery with inability to walk at 1 year after onset of symptoms . All three patients had antibodies to C . jejuni, but not to GM1 or GD1b . Although later on in the clinical course distal motor responses were absent in two of these patients, reflecting extensive axonal degeneration, early nerve conduction studies showed findings suggestive of demyelination . We suggest that demyelination of peripheral nerve may be the initial disease mechanism in GBS independent of the presence of antibodies to C . jejuni, GM1 or GD1b.

Vet Microbiol, 1995 Jul, 45(2-3), 269 - 74
DNA diversity among isolates of Campylobacter jejuni detected by PCR-based RAPD fingerprinting; Lam KM et al.; A PCR-based randomly amplified polymorphic DNA method was used to amplify Campylobacter jejuni DNA using a single oligonucleotide primer derived from either a homologous source or from Mycoplasma gallisepticum . The method was able to detect the heterogeneity of amplified DNA from human, chicken and turkey sources and can be used as a tool to study the epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni infection.

J Periodontol, 1995 Jul, 66(7), 559 - 67
Occurrence of certain bacterial species and morphotypes in juvenile periodontitis in Chile; Lopez NJ et al.; The occurrence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Eikenella corrodens, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Campylobacter rectus, Capnocytophaga species, and certain bacterial morphotypes was determined in 18 affected and 18 unaffected sites in 10 localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP) patients, and in 10 affected and 10 unaffected sites in 5 generalized juvenile periodontitis (GJP) patients . The subgingival proportion of the 7 bacterial species was determined by selective and nonselective culturing . The results showed that when considering the pure prevalence of bacteria ( > 0%) there were significant differences (P < 0.05) in the subgingival plaque microflora of the affected sites versus those of the unaffected sites for P . gingivalis, A . actinomycetemcomitans, P . intermedia, E . corrodens, C . rectus, and F . nucleatum in LJP, and for P . gingivalis, P . intermedia, and F . nucleatum in GJP . The mean proportions of cocci, motile rods and spirochetes were also significantly different (P < 0.05) in affected sites compared to unaffected sites . Capnocytophaga sp, F . nucleatum, P . intermedia, and E . corrodens were found in more than 75% of affected sites in LJP . When taking the approach that an organism, to be associated with periodontal disease, has to be detected above a certain minimum threshold, the results indicated that bacteria most frequently associated with LJP and GJP in Chile are P . gingivalis (66% of LJP and 80% of GJP affected sites), and A . actinomycetemcomitans (44% of LJP and 50% in GJP affected sites) . Different bacterial species may be judged to be important in the disease process depending upon whether a pure bacterial prevalence, or a prevalence above a certain detection level, is considered.

J Clin Pathol, 1995 Jul, 48(7), 683 - 5
Evaluation of the API-campy system in the biochemical identification of hippurate negative campylobacter strains isolated from faeces; Reina J et al.; The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of the API-Campy system in the biochemical identification of 62 hippurate negative campylobacter strains isolated from the faeces . The strains were identified manually as 34 nalidixic acid susceptible C coli (NAS), 20 nalidixic acid resistant C coli (NAR), and eight C lari . The 34 strains of NAS C coli were identified as such by the API-Campy system . Of the 20 strains of NAR C coli, 15 (75%) were correctly identified by the commercial system . None of the five NAR C coli strains which were also erythromycin resistant was identified as such by the system . The eight C lari strains could not be identified by the API-Campy system because the bionumber obtained does not exist in the database of the computer system . The API-Campy system could be very useful for the identification of NAS C coli . However, failure to allow for a higher percentage of resistance to nalidixic acid in this species does not permit good identification of NAR strains . More important discrepancies are observed in C lari strains . In order to improve the identification of NAR C coli and C lari stains, it is advisable to include, or recommend as complementary, the indoxyl acetate hydrolysis test.

J Clin Microbiol, 1995 Jul, 33(7), 1691 - 8
Arcobacter-specific and Arcobacter butzleri-specific 16S rRNA-based DNA probes; Wesley IV et al.; The genus Arcobacter encompasses gram-negative, aerotolerant, spiral-shaped bacteria formerly designated Campylobacter cryaerophila . Two genus-specific 16S rRNA-based oligonucleotide DNA probes (23-mer and 27-mer) were developed . The probes hybridized with strains of Arcobacter butzleri (n = 58), Arcobacter cryaerophilus (n = 19), and Arcobacter skirrowii (n = 17) . The probes did not cross-react with any of the reference strains of Campylobacter, Helicobacter, including "Flexispira rappini," or Wolinella . The 27-mer hybridized with 61 Arcobacter spp . field isolates originating from late-term aborted porcine (n = 54) and equine (n = 2) fetuses and humans with enteritis (n = 5) . The species of Arcobacter isolates (n = 56) recovered from aborted livestock fetuses were determined by ribotyping and were as follows: A . cryaerophilus group 1A (11 of 56; 20%), A . cryaerophilus group 1B (37 of 56; 66%), A . butzleri (5 of 56; 9%), and unknown (3 of 56; 5%) . The five human field strains were identified as A . butzleri . A species-specific DNA probe (24-mer) for A . butzleri was also developed since there is evidence that this organism may be a human pathogen . This probe hybridized with previously characterized strains of A . butzleri (n = 58), with 10 field strains identified as A . butzleri by ribotyping and with 2 strains having an indeterminate ribotype . The A . butzleri-specific probe did not cross-react with strains of A . skirrowii (n = 17) and A . cryaerophilus (n = 19).

J Neuroimmunol, 1995 Jul, 60(1-2), 161 - 4
Subclass of IgG antibody to GM1 epitope-bearing lipopolysaccharide of Campylobacter jejuni in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome; Yuki N et al.; Sera of patients who develop Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) subsequent to Campylobacter jejuni enteritis frequently have IgG anti-GM1 antibody . Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of C . jejuni isolated from a GBS patient has a GM1 ganglioside-like structure . IgG subclass distribution of the anti-GM1 antibody in GBS patients is mainly restricted to IgG1 and IgG3 . Since IgG antibodies to bacterial polysaccharide generally are restricted to IgG2 subclass, some investigators have assumed that either the general rules for immune response to LPS are broken in the patients or an alternative antigen has yet to be identified . To clarify whether the LPS participates in the production of the anti-GM1 antibody, we investigated the subclass of IgG antibody to the LPS that bears GM1-like structure . The subclasses of IgG antibody to the LPS were restricted predominantly to IgG1 and IgG3 . The GM1 epitope-bearing LPS may function in the production of the anti-GM1 antibody in patients with GBS subsequent to C . jejuni infection.

Infect Immun, 1995 Jul, 63(7), 2473 - 7
Expression of adhesion molecules on human granulocytes after stimulation with Helicobacter pylori membrane proteins: comparison with membrane proteins from other bacteria; Enders G et al.; Type B gastritis in its active form is characterized by a dense infiltration of the lamina propria with granulocytes . Since the bacterium Helicobacter pylori does not invade the epithelial barrier, a signaling pathway chemoattractive for granulocytes must exist across this mucosal boarder . One possible mechanism tested was whether granulocytes are directly activated by water-soluble membrane proteins (WSP) from H . pylori . These findings were compared with the effects of WSP from other bacteria (Helicobacter felis, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus) . A unique activation pattern by H . pylori WSP was found . Like all other WSP tested, they induced an upregulation of CD11b but had no influence on CD11c and, most strikingly, CD62L expression . In contrast, E . coli WSP, e.g., not only induce a strong CD11b and CD11c expression but also lead to a loss in surface CD62L . The lack of CD62L shedding conserves rolling of granulocytes along the endothelium, creating a favorable precondition for granulocytes to stick more readily to activated endothelium after H . pylori stimulation via CD11b-CD54 receptor-counterreceptor interaction . This may explain why H . pylori infection is a very strong stimulus for granulocyte infiltration . The active fraction for the induction of CD11b on granulocytes is a heat- and protease-sensitive protein with a molecular mass between 30 and 100 kDa . One activation step involved may be the binding of WSP to CD15 determinants on granulocytes with subsequent induction of CD11b.

Nippon Saikingaku Zasshi, 1995 Jul, 50(3), 881 - 8
{Characterization by RFLP of DNAs from Campylobacter jejuni Lior serotype reference strains and clinical isolates and detection of C . jejuni by DNA-probe}; Shibata Y et al.; The Lior serotype reference strains and clinical isolates of Campylobacter jejuni were compared in the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) pattern to distinguish C . jejuni strains . These reference strains showed RFLP patterns different from one to another, while the patterns of some isolates were not coincident with those of the same serotype reference strains . Furthermore, we tried to hybridize HindIII-digested fragments from these strains with the DNA probe encoding the 46-kDa protein of C . jejuni by Southern and slot blottings . The 1.8-kbp fragments from all strains of C . jejuni hybridized with this probe, but those from other species of Campylobacter or enterobacteria did not . These results indicate that the Lior serotype is unrelated with the RFLP pattern of DNA of C . jejuni strains, but the DNA probe is useful to detect C . jejuni.

J Biol Chem, 1995 Jun 23, 270(25), 15093 - 101
Segmental conservation of sapA sequences in type B Campylobacter fetus cells; Dworkin J et al.; Campylobacter fetus cells may exist as either of two defined serogroups (type A or B) based on their lipopolysaccharide (LPS) composition . Wild-type strains contain surface array proteins (S-layer proteins) that have partial antigenic cross-reactivity but bind exclusively to LPS from homologous (type A or B) cells . Type A cells possess 8 homologs of sapA, which encodes a 97-kDa S-layer protein; the gene products of these homologs have a conserved N terminus of 184 amino acids . To further explore the structural relationships between the C . fetus S-layer proteins and their encoding genes, we sought to clone and express an S-layer protein from type B strain 84-91 . The cloned type B gene (sapB) was similar in structure to the previously cloned type A gene (sapA) and encoded a full-length 936-amino acid (97-kDa) S-layer protein . Sequence analysis of sapB indicated that the conserved N-terminal encoding region in sapA was absent but that the remainder of the ORF (encoding 751 amino acids) was identical to that of sapA in spite of the nonconserved nature of this region among sapA homologs . Noncoding sequences both 300 base pairs 5' and 1000 base pairs 3' to the sapB and sapA ORFs, including the sapA promoter and transcriptional terminator sequences, were essentially identical . Southern analyses revealed that the sapB N-terminal encoding region was conserved in multiple copies in type B strains but was absent in type A strains . Recombinant sapA and sapB products bound to a substantially greater degree to cells of the homologous LPS type compared with the heterologous LPS type, indicating that the conserved sapA- and sapB-encoded N termini are critical for LPS binding specificity . The parallel genetic organization and identity at the nucleotide level in both coding and noncoding regions for sap homologs in types A and B cells indicates the necessity of both homolog conservation and high fidelity DNA replication in the biology of sap diversity.

Tijdschr Diergeneeskd, 1995 Jun 15, 120(12), 366 - 9
{Zoonoses as a public health problem}; Schaapveld K et al.; Zoonoses can be defined as infectious diseases that are transmitted from vertebrate animals to man under natural conditions . Applying this definition, a review is presented of zoonoses, occurring in the Netherlands . Data about this group of infectious diseases were collected from public health and veterinary data sources . From the results of the inventory it can be concluded that the major part of the zoonoses is caused by foodborne infections . It has been estimated that yearly a total number of 420,000 persons suffer from Salmonella and Campylobacter infections . The remaining zoonoses under study were found to be of limited importance for the general population; because of their concentration in some professional groups and because of the availability of preventive measures, these infections are important in certain subgroups of the population.

Singapore Med J, 1995 Jun, 36(3), 282 - 4
Characterisation of Campylobacters from Malaysia; Tay ST et al.; Eight-five clinical and 15 poultry isolates of Campylobacter species were characterised by biotyping, serotyping and by using a radiolabelled DNA probe . A total of 80% of the isolates from both sources were identified as C . jejuni . Also amongst the clinical strains were 5 c . jejuni subsp . doylei, 7 C . coli, 3 C . lari and 8 were untypable . The similarity in the distribution of C . jejuni in the clinical and poultry isolates adds credibility to published reports of chickens being the most common source of Campylobacter infections . Although the gold standard for identification of C . jejuni is the DNA probe, serotyping is more discriminating while biotyping is the most feasible method in most laboratories.

Lett Appl Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 20(6), 371 - 4
Discrepancy between Penner serotyping and polymerase chain reaction fingerprinting of Campylobacter isolated from poultry and other animal sources; Aarts HJ et al.; Thirty-four Campylobacter jejuni or coli strains, isolated from various livestock and darkling beetles from two Dutch poultry farms during different broiler production cycles, were subjected to Penner serotyping and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprint analysis . Ten different Penner serotypes were determined in the isolates . Visual scoring of the PCR fingerprints resulted in 14 clearly different profiles . Some strains with identical Penner serotypes exhibited different PCR fingerprints and conversely strains with different serotypes produced identical PCR fingerprints . Discrepancies between Penner serotyping and PCR fingerprinting were most obvious between isolates from different animal sources . Indications for the occurrence of genomic rearrangements were found . The inconsistency between serotyping and fingerprinting of Campylobacter strains suggests that conventional typing methods should be used in combination with fingerprinting if the epidemiological factors that contribute to Campylobacter colonization of live chickens are to be assessed reliably.

Lett Appl Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 20(6), 338 - 40
Sensitivity of Campylobacter spp . to irradiation in poultry meat; Patterson MF; The sensitivity of Campylobacter jejuni (three strains), Camp . coli (three strains), Camp . fetus (one strain) and Camp . lari (one strain) to irradiation in poultry meat was investigated . There was no significant difference in the counts obtained on Blood or Skirrows agar . Preston agar gave a significantly lower recovery of the pathogens after irradiation so these results were not included in calculations of D10 values . The D10 values ranged from 0.12 to 0.25 kGy and there was a significant difference in the radiation sensitivity between different Campylobacter spp . and within strains of the same species . These values indicate that Campylobacter spp . are more radiation-sensitive than Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes irradiated under similar conditions . Therefore irradiation treatments suggested to eliminate the latter from poultry carcasses would also be sufficient to remove Campylobacter.

Epidemiol Infect, 1995 Jun, 114(3), 423 - 31
Restriction fragment length polymorphisms among the flagellar genes of the Lior heat-labile serogroup reference strains and field strains of Campylobacter jejuni and C . coli; Burnens AP et al.; Several typing systems have been described for Campylobacter jejuni and C . coli, to assess the complex epidemiology of these important enteric pathogens . In the present study two typing methods, slide agglutination according to the Lior scheme, and the demonstration of restriction-fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) of flagellar genes, have been used in parallel on a set of 194 strains . This set comprised 118 sero-reference strains of C . jejuni and C . coli of the Lior scheme, as well as 76 clinical isolates . All isolates were serotyped and subjected to PCR for amplification of flagellar genes, and the PCR product was restricted with Alu I . Flagellar genes could be amplified in 152 strains . Among 85 seroreference strains, 74 different RFLP patterns were observed, and among 67 clinical isolates, there were 36 patterns . There was only limited correlation between flagellar RFLP and the Lior serogroup, and the variability of patterns in serogroups HL2 and HL4 were as marked as the variability between serogroups . Flagellar gene RFLP patterns are shown to be stable, highly discriminatory epidemiologic markers.

Epidemiol Infect, 1995 Jun, 114(3), 413 - 21
Epidemiology of Campylobacter spp . at two Dutch broiler farms; Jacobs-Reitsma WF et al.; Broiler flocks on two Dutch poultry farms were screened weekly for the presence of campylobacter in fresh caecal droppings during eight consecutive production cycles . Hatchery and fresh litter samples were taken at the start of each new cycle . Water, feed, insects, and faeces of domestic animals, present on the farms were also included in the sampling . Penner serotyping of isolates was used to identify epidemiological factors that contribute to campylobacter colonization in the broiler flocks . Generally, broiler flocks became colonized with campylobacter at about 3-4 weeks of age with isolation percentages of 100%, and stayed colonized up to slaughter . A similar pattern of serotypes was found within the various broiler houses on one farm during one production cycle . New flocks generally showed also a new pattern of serotypes . Most serotypes isolated from the laying hens, pigs, sheep and cattle were different from those isolated from the broilers at the same time . Campylobacter serotypes from darkling beetles inside the broiler houses were identical to the ones isolated from the broilers . No campylobacter was isolated from any of the hatchery, water, feed or fresh litter samples . Conclusive evidence of transmission routes was not found, but results certainly point towards horizontal transmission from the environment . Horizontal transmission from one broiler flock to the next one via a persistent contamination within the broiler house, as well as vertical transmission from breeder flocks via the hatchery to progeny, did not seem to be very likely.

Infect Immun, 1995 Jun, 63(6), 2185 - 93
Isolation of the Helicobacter pylori recA gene and involvement of the recA region in resistance to low pH; Thompson SA et al.; To understand the potential roles of the important DNA repair protein RecA in Helicobacter pylori pathogenesis, we cloned the recA gene from H . pylori 84-183 . Degenerate PCR primers based on conserved RecA protein regions were used to amplify a portion of H . pylori recA, which was used as a probe to isolate the full-length recA gene from H . pylori genomic libraries . The H . pylori recA gene encoded a protein of 347 amino acids with a molecular mass of 37.6 kDa . As expected, H . pylori RecA was highly similar to other RecA proteins and most closely resembled that of Campylobacter jejuni (75% identity) . Immediately downstream of recA was an open reading frame whose predicted product showed 58% identity to the Bacillus subtilis enolase protein . recA and eno were disrupted in H . pylori 84-183 by insertion of antibiotic resistance genes . Reverse transcription-PCR demonstrated that recA and eno were cotranscribed and that insertion of the kanamycin resistance gene into recA had polar effects on expression of the downstream eno . The H . pylori recA mutants were severely impaired in their ability to survive treatment with UV light and methyl methanesulfonate and with the antimicrobial agents ciprofloxacin and metronidazole . The eno mutant had sensitivities to UV light and metronidazole intermediate to those of wild-type and recA strains, suggesting that truncation of the recA-eno transcript resulted in lowered recA expression . For survival at low pH, a recA mutant was approximately 10-fold more sensitive than strain 84-183, while the eno mutant demonstrated intermediate susceptibility . This difference occurred in the presence or absence of urea, implying the involvement of a gene in the recA region in an acid resistance mechanism distinct from that mediated by urease.

Microbiology, 1995 Jun, 141 ( Pt 6), 1369 - 76
Molecular characterization of katA from Campylobacter jejuni and generation of a catalase-deficient mutant of Campylobacter coli by interspecific allelic exchange; Grant KA et al.; A gene encoding catalase (hydrogen-peroxide:hydrogen-peroxide oxidoreductase; EC 1.11.1.6) from Campylobacter jejuni was cloned by functional complementation of a catalase-deficient mutant of Escherichia coli . The catalase structural gene, designated katA, was assigned by subcloning and its nucleotide sequence determined . The deduced protein product of 508 amino acids, which had a calculated molecular mass of 58,346 Da, was found to be structurally and enzymically similar to hydrogen-peroxidases from other bacterial species . The region of DNA containing the structural catalase gene was disrupted by insertion of a tetracycline-resistance marker and the modified sequence then introduced into a strain of Campylobacter coli via natural transformation . Genetic and enzymic analyses of a tetracycline-resistant C . coli transformant confirmed that catalase-deficient mutants had arisen via interspecific allelic exchange . Compared to the isogenic parental strain the mutant was more sensitive to killing by H2O2.

Microbiology, 1995 Jun, 141 ( Pt 6), 1359 - 67
The gene for Campylobacter trigger factor: evidence for multiple transcription start sites and protein products; Griffiths PL et al.; A gene encoding a protein of apparent molecular mass 56 kDa that shares 31% identity with the amino acid sequence of trigger factor from Escherichia coli (a protein thought to be involved in cell division), was cloned from Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168 . The clone was selected from a lambda ZAP II genomic DNA library following an immuno-screen using antiserum raised against glycine-extractable proteins from C . jejuni . The gene has two potential initiation codons, giving rise to two possible nested protein products . Complex differential growth-phase-dependent transcripts give rise to these products.

J Clin Gastroenterol, 1995 Jun, 20(4), 307 - 9
Multiple abscesses of the liver caused by Campylobacter jejuni; Brmbolic B; A 37-year-old woman developed multiple liver abscesses caused by Campylobacter jejuni, as a consequence of unrecognized and inadequately treated Campylobacter enteritis . The diagnosis was established by isolation of Campylobacter jejuni from blood and pus obtained from one of the liver abscesses during laparoscopy . The abscesses were successfully treated with intravenously and orally administrated antibiotic drugs, without further percutaneous drainage.

Int J Food Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 26(1), 43 - 76
Culture media for the isolation of campylobacters; Corry JE et al.; The history of the development of selective media for isolation of campylobacters, including the rationale for choice of selective agents is described . Developments have included modifications to allow incubation at 37 degrees C instead of 42 or 43 degrees C and changes in the types and concentrations of antibiotics in order not to inhibit organisms such as Campylobacter upsaliensis, C . jejuni subsp . doylei and some strains of C . coli and C . lari . When examining foods, plating media originally developed for isolation from faeces are normally used, sometimes after liquid enrichment . Most of the media include ingredients intended to protect campylobacters from the toxic effect of oxygen derivatives . Most commonly used are lysed or defibrinated blood; charcoal; a combination of ferrous sulphate, sodium metabisulphite and sodium pyruvate (FBP); and haemin or haematin . To date no medium includes an indicator system--for instance a pH indicator to show whether colonies produce acid or alkali from particular substrates . The manner in which liquid enrichment media are used has been modified for food samples to avoid inhibitory effects on sublethally damaged cells by toxic components in the formula . This is done by a preliminary period of incubation at reduced temperature and sometimes by delayed addition of antibiotics . Expensive and time-consuming methods have been proposed to achieve a microaerobic atmosphere while using liquid enrichment media . To date there is no generally accepted 'standard' method of isolating campylobacters from food.

J Clin Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 33(6), 1676 - 8
Analysis of strains of Campylobacter fetus by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis; Fujita M et al.; Campylobacter fetus chromosomal DNA from 21 strains was analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis . The fingerprint patterns generated with SmaI and SalI were distinctive . Using the profiles obtained by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, we established the phylogenetic dendrogram of C . fetus to identify the genetic relationship of the strains.

Can Vet J, 1995 Jun, 36(6), 379 - 82
The relationship between the presence of Helicobacter pylori, Clostridium perfringens type A, Campylobacter spp, or fungi and fatal abomasal ulcers in unweaned beef calves; Jelinski MD et al.; A case-control study involving 30 unweaned beef calves was conducted to determine whether specific species of bacteria or fungi were associated with fatal abomasal ulcer formation . Special microbiological and histological techniques were used to detect Clostridium perfringens type A, Helicobacter pylori, or Campylobacter spp . It has been speculated that these bacteria are potential ulcerogenic agents of unweaned beef calves . Calves were recruited for the study at necropsy, with those dying of either a perforating or a hemorrhagic ulcer representing the cases, and calves of a similar age dying of a disease unrelated to the abomasum representing the controls . Helicobacter pylori was not visualized in or cultured from any of the abomasal tissue samples . Clostridium perfringens type A was isolated from 78.6% of the cases and 75% of the controls . These isolates were further dichotomized into "heavy" and "light" growth; no significant association was found between ulcers and the amount of growth . A light growth of Campylobacter spp . was recovered from 3 cases and 3 controls . There was no compelling evidence to suggest that Clostridium perfringens type A, Helicobacter pylori, or Campylobacter spp . were involved in ulcer formation.

Poult Sci, 1995 Jun, 74(6), 937 - 41
Campylobacter spp . in broilers on the farm and after transport; Stern NJ et al.; Colonization of the ceca and contamination on carcasses of chickens by Campylobacter spp . was investigated . Samples were taken on the farm and after transport and holding . In the first set of experiments, 20 chickens, obtained from each of 10 broiler farms, were collected from houses containing 6- to 7-wk-old birds . Half of the birds were slaughtered at the farm; the other half were transported (10 birds per chicken coop) to a holding facility and killed within 16 to 18 h . The levels of Campylobacter spp . on the carcass and in the ceca were assessed . Ceca from birds in 9 of the 10 farms sampled were positive for Campylobacter spp . Colonization levels ranged from 10(4.11) to 10(7.28) cfu Campylobacter spp./g cecal matter, except on one farm, where the organism was not isolated . The mean count on the farm was 10(5.44) cfu Campylobacter spp./g cecal material, and after transport the mean was 10(6.15) cfu/g . Significant increases (P = .0085) in levels of Campylobacter spp . on the chicken carcasses occurred after transport . Levels of Campylobacter spp . enumerated from unprocessed chicken carcasses after transport averaged 10(7.11) per carcass, up from an average of 10(3.66) cfu per carcass of the farm . To further verify this observation, field trials were conducted to assess levels on carcasses before and after commercial transport . Employing five farms and 200 6-wk-old chickens, the above observations were confirmed: prior to transport 12.1% of the chickens harbored an average of 10(2.71) cfu per carcass, but after transport 56.0% of the chicken exteriors harbored an average of 10(5.15) cfu per carcass . The results of this study indicate that transport and holding prior to processing contributes to the Campylobacter spp . of > 10(4) cfu normally found on processed poultry carcasses.

Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1995 Jun, 69(6), 673 - 7
{Isolation of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli from pediatric patients suffering from enteritis with bloody stool and intussusception}; Morooka T et al.; We tried to isolate verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) on sorbitol-MacConkey (SMAC) agar and in part by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method from sporadic enteritis patients with bloody stools and intussusception patients who came to three pediatric clinics in the Fukuoka area from October 1990 to September 1994 . VTEC O157:H7 strains were isolated from 6 (10.5%) of 57 patients with bloody stools, Campylobacter spp . 15 (26.3%), Salmonella spp . 14 (24.6%) and Yersinia enterocolitica 2 . We were not able to detect VT genes by PCR from 11 of 20 patients from whose stools no causative bacteria were isolated . Massive fresh bloody stools following frequent watery diarrhea were typical of the VTEC enteritis patients . Only 1 patient had fever and 2 had leukocytosis, but the C-reactive protein in all of them was below 1+ . The VTEC strains were isolated during the summer season, 1 in June, 2 in July, and 3 in September . Since in the area O157:H7 appeared to be the most prevalent VTEC serotype, SMAC is very useful for screening VTEC in bloody stools . VTEC seems to be a rare pathogen of intussusception because the organisms were detected from none of the 30 patients.

Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1995 Jun, 69(6), 666 - 72
Fumarate hydration test for differentiation of Campylobacter and Helicobacter species; Shingaki M et al.; A total of 65 Campylobacter and Helicobacter strains comprising 15 species were tested for fumarate hydration by using a rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method . All strains of C . jejuni, C . coli, C . jejuni subsp . doylei, C . fetus, C . hyointestinalis, C . lari, "C . lari variant", C . upsaliensis, H . fennelliae and H . pylori hydrated fumarate, whereas no strains of C . sputorum (all three biovars), H . cinaedi or H . mustelae did . L-malic acid was detected in the supernatant of the cultures of all strains that hydrated fumarate, but not in the culture supernatant of any of the strains that failed to hydrate fumarate . These findings show that all Campylobacter and Helicobacter strains that hydrated fumarate were able to form L-malic acid from fumarate . HPLC determination of organic acid is a rapid method that requires no chemical treatment before analysis . Because it is reproducible, the HPLC fumarate hydration test should be useful as conventional method for identification of Campylobacter and Helicobacter spp.

Brain, 1995 Jun, 118 ( Pt 3), 597 - 605
Guillain-Barré syndrome in northern China . Relationship to Campylobacter jejuni infection and anti-glycolipid antibodies; Ho TW et al.; Guillain-Barre syndrome has been considered to be primarily an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) . Our experience with Guillain-Barre syndrome in northern China differs from the traditional concept . Electrophysiologically and pathologically, most of our patients have motor axonal degeneration with minimal cellular inflammation, which we have termed 'acute motor axonal neuropathy' (AMAN) . The current studies were undertaken to characterize prospectively the clinical, electrophysiological, and serological features of Guillain-Barre syndrome, defined clinically, in northern China . In 1991 and 1992, we characterized by electrodiagnostic criteria 129 Chinese patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome . The AMAN form was present in 65% of patients, the AIDP form in 24% and 11% were unclassifiable . For the 38 patients who presented from January to October, 1992, we performed serological assays for antibodies to Campylobacter jejuni and to glycolipids . Of these 38 patients, 55% had AMAN, 32% had AIDP and 13% were unclassifiable . Sixty-six percent of the 38 had serological evidence of recent C . jejuni infection as compared with 16% of village controls (P = 0.001) . Seventy-six percent of AMAN patients and 42% of AIDP patients were seropositive . IgG anti-GM1 antibodies were more frequent in Guillain-Barre syndrome patients compared with village controls (42% versus 6%; P < 0.01) . However, no statistically significant correlations were found between the pattern of disease, AMAN or AIDP, anti-glycolipid antibodies, or C . jejuni antibodies . Based on electrophysiological criteria, Guillain-Barre syndrome in northern China can be divided into two predominant forms: AIDP and AMAN . The AMAN form is more common and predominates in the yearly summer outbreaks of Guillain-Barre syndrome.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1995 Jun, 14(6), 539 - 42
Comparison of two selective media and a membrane filter technique for isolation of Campylobacter species from diarrhoeal stools; Piersimoni C et al.; Diarrhoeal stool specimens from 415 patients were examined for Campylobacter spp . by culture on charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar (CCDA), Skirrow medium and Columbia blood agar overlaid with a 0.65 micron pore size membrane filter . Forty-eight Campylobacter strains were isolated from 45 (10.8%) specimens by all media; 44 were Campylobacter jejuni (91.7%), three were Campylobacter coli (6.3%) and one was Campylobacter hyointestinalis (2.0%) . The percentages of Campylobacter-positive specimens isolated on Skirrow medium, CCDA and the membrane filter were 62, 82 and 95%, respectively . The recovery of more Campylobacter spp . from the same stool sample was achieved by the membrane filter method only . The highest isolation rate (100%) was observed when culture on CCDA and the membrane filter method were combined.

J Clin Periodontol, 1995 Jun, 22(6), 449 - 58
Some suspected periodontopathogens and serum antibody response in adult long-duration insulin-dependent diabetics; Thorstensson H et al.; The subgingival microflora and serum antibody response were examined in long-duration insulin-dependent diabetics and age- and sex-matched non-diabetics . The material consisted of 9 diabetics aged 40-49 years and 19 aged 50-59 years, 13 non-diabetics aged 40-49 years and 21 aged 50-59 years . The bacterial species studied (Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Campylobacter rectus, Capnocytophaga spp, Eikenella corrodens, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia) were recovered in diabetics as well as in non-diabetics . Significantly more diabetics in both age groups harboured P . gingivalis compared to non-diabetics . Prevalence of P . gingivalis was associated with deepened periodontal pockets among non-diabetics but not among diabetics . In diabetics and non-diabetics, the serum antibody titres for most antigens were similar.

Mol Biotechnol, 1995 Jun, 3(3), 266 - 8
Detection and identification of Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni by two-step polymerase chain reaction; Comi G et al.; Flagellin gene was used as target sequence to detect and distinguish C . coli and C . jejuni by a "nested PCR" technique . The method shows a high level of sensitivity and specificity . Application of this rapid diagnostic tool could provide further information about epidemiological and pathogenetic implications of each of these two microorganisms.

Clin Infect Dis, 1995 Jun, 20 Suppl 2, S304 - 7
Detection of putative periodontal pathogens in subgingival specimens by 16S ribosomal DNA amplification with the polymerase chain reaction; Slots J et al.; The utility of the 16S ribosomal RNA-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Bacteroides forsythus, Campylobacter rectus, Eikenella corrodens, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, and Treponema denticola was examined and compared with that of anaerobic culture . Primer pairs consisting of 20-27 nucleotides amplified 404- to 688-bp regions of 16S ribosomal RNA genes of these organisms . This method had a lower detection limit of 50 target cells in a background of 10(7) cells . Its specificity for B . forsythus, P . gingivalis, and T . denticola seemed high . The primers for A . actinomycetemcomitans, C . rectus, and P . intermedia cross-reacted with some closely related species but did not reveal amplification products in tests with more distantly related organisms . The primers for E . corrodens did not seem to cross-react with oral organisms . This PCR technique was sensitive, reproducible, and easy to perform . PCR-based amplification may prove valuable for the detection of some periodontal pathogens in crude subgingival specimens.

J Vet Med Sci, 1995 Jun, 57(3), 587 - 90
Invasion and viability of Campylobacter jejuni in experimentally contaminated Japanese quails' eggs; Maruyama S et al.; In Japanese quail eggs experimentally immersed in a suspension of Campylobacter jejuni from human patients (Y6817, Y6878), strain Y6817 was recovered from 15 (18.8%) eggs among 80 between 0.5 hr and 72 hr after immersion . Invasion of the eggs by strain Y6878 was also seen in 10 (12.5%) of 80 eggs between 0.5 hr and 24 hr after immersion . When egg yolk was inoculated with both strains and held at 4 degrees C, the organisms were detectable for a longer time than the ones kept at 20 degrees C . On the other hand, when albumen was inoculated with both strains, the organisms died within 96 hr at 4 degrees C and within 24 hr at 20 degrees C.

Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen, 1995 May 30, 115(14), 1735 - 8
{Peripheral neuropathies}; Mellgren SI; Some new aspects of peripheral nerve disease are reviewed . Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy (HSMN) constitutes a genetically heterogeneous group of chronic polyneuropathies with loci mapping to chromosome 17 (type Ia), chromosome 1 (type Ib), and the X chromosome (X-linked HSMN) . Although peripheral nerve abnormalities occur in approximately 50% of diabetic patients, the frequency of severe diabetic neuropathy even in insulin-dependent persons is rather modest (6%) . Intensified insulin treatment seems more important for preserving peripheral nerve function than treatment with aldose reductase inhibitors . Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (Guillain-Barre syndrome) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy may both be beneficially influenced by plasma exchange or intravenous immunoglobulin . In acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, campylobacter jejuni infection is a common preceding event . There is some evidence of cross reactivity between this infectious agent and the ganglioside GM1 in peripheral nerve myelin.

Gene, 1995 May 19, 157(1-2), 109 - 10
Two novel restriction endonucleases from Campylobacter jejuni; Vitor JM et al.; We have discovered two unusual restriction endonuclease (ENases) in two Campylobacter jejuni strains that recognize asymmetrical, interrupted sequences and cleave the DNA both before and after their recognition sites . Both enzymes require AdoMet as a cofactor for their ENase activity.

Ann Neurol, 1995 May, 37 Suppl 1, S14 - 31
Guillain-Barré syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy: immune mechanisms and update on current therapies; van der Meche FG et al.; The relation between Guillain-Barre syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy is discussed . Most likely they represent parts of a continuum, arbitrarily separated by their time course . Within the concept of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy the presence of a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance is discussed . The pathogenesis of inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies has not been elucidated yet, but involvement of the immune system has been firmly established . Preceding infections, especially with Campylobacter jejuni, and the analysis of antiganglioside antibodies lend new support to the hypothesis of molecular mimicry between epitopes on infectious agents and peripheral nerve constituents as one of the mechanisms in Guillain-Barre syndrome . In the future, a further classification of individual patients based on clinical, epidemiological, electrophysiological, pathological, microbiological, and immunological criteria may give a basis for more individualized treatment strategies . In Guillain-Barre syndrome the efficacy of high-dose intravenous immune globulin treatment was established after earlier positive findings with plasma exchange; immune globulins are easier to administer and may be superior . Even with these treatments it should be anticipated that one fourth of patients after immune globulin treatment and one third of patients after plasma exchange will show further deterioration in the first 2 weeks after onset of treatment . Despite this, just one treatment course usually is indicated in the individual patient, and no valid arguments were found to switch to the other treatment modality . In chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, prednisone, plasma exchange, and immune globulins are effective in a proportion of patients . The last two are equally effective . Patients may respond to one of these if a previous treatment failed, and here switching therapy may be effective due to the chronic course of the disease . Complexity and costs make plasma exchange the last choice . Whether prednisone or immune globulin is the first choice depends on the speed of recovery and the estimation of long-term loss of quality of life due to side effects of prednisone versus the costs of immune globulins . The mechanism of immune globulins in inflammatory polyneuropathies is discussed . There is evidence that idiotypic-antiidiotypic interaction may play a role, but several other mechanisms also may be involved.

J Indian Med Assoc, 1995 May, 93(5), 169 - 70
A study of infective aetiology of chronic diarrhoea in children in Amritsar; Jindal N et al.; Examination of 150 stool samples from children of less than 3 years of age of chronic diarrhoea showed the presence of various enteropathogens in 58.7% cases . Cryptosporidium in pure form, Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia were detected in 1.3%, 2% and in 4% cases respectively . In 1.3% children Candida albicans was isolated . The predominant bacterial isolate was enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (21.4%) . Salmonella typhimurium, shigella and campylobacter were isolated in 8.6%, 4% and 0.7% children respectively.

J Bacteriol, 1995 May, 177(9), 2396 - 402
Expression and characterization of Campylobacter jejuni benzoylglycine amidohydrolase (Hippuricase) gene in Escherichia coli; Hani EK et al.; The basis for the difference between Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli is the presence and expression of the N-benzoylglycine amidohydrolase (hippuricase) gene only in C . jejuni . A pBR322 recombinant clone (pHIP-O) of C . jejuni TGH9011 capable of converting hippuric acid into benzoic acid and glycine, the hallmark of hippuricase activity, was characterized and sequenced . The hippuricase gene (hipO) was identified by use of deletion subclones and insertional inactivation . The transcription start point of the hippuricase gene was determined by primer extension analysis . A hippuricase-specific gene fragment was used to determine the presence of the gene in Campylobacter species . Maxicell analysis of recombinant plasmid pHIP-O by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis demonstrated the production of a 42-kDa protein corresponding to the HipO gene product, in excellent agreement with the predicted molecular mass of the protein.

J Bacteriol, 1995 May, 177(9), 2259 - 64
Molecular characterization of a Campylobacter jejuni lipoprotein with homology to periplasmic siderophore-binding proteins; Park SF et al.; A genomic library of Campylobacter jejuni (NCTC 11351) was used to identify genes which could confer a hemolytic phenotype to Escherichia coli . Accordingly, when transformants were screened on blood plates, hemolytic colonies appeared at a frequency of 3 x 10(-4) . The gene conferring the hemolytic activity was identified by subcloning and was found to be responsible for the phenotype of all hemolytic transformants isolated . The open reading frame conferring this activity encodes a protein of 36,244 Da with a typical endopeptidase type II leader sequence . The protein is modified with palmitic acid when it is processed in E . coli, confirming that it is a typical lipoprotein . The deduced gene product of 329 amino acids has significant homology to the group of solute binding proteins from periplasmic-binding-protein-dependent transport systems for ferric siderophores, including the FatB protein from Vibrio anguillarium and the FhuD protein from Bacillus subtilis . In particular, the protein contained the signature sequence for siderophore-binding proteins, suggesting that the protein may be the siderophore-binding protein component of an iron acquisition system of C . jejuni.

Infect Immun, 1995 May, 63(5), 1681 - 87
Interleukin-8 response of gastric epithelial cell lines to Helicobacter pylori stimulation in vitro; Sharma SA et al.; Gastric infection with Helicobacter pylori activates a mucosal inflammatory response by mononuclear cells and neutrophils that includes expression of cytokines interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and IL-8 . In this study, we analyzed the IL-8 response of human gastric cancer cell lines (Kato III, AGS, and MKN28) to H . pylori infection in vitro . IL-8 mRNA expression was detected by reverse transcription-PCR amplification of RNA extracted from epithelial cells after incubation with different H . pylori wild-type and mutant strains, and IL-8 secretion was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay . Exposure to viable H . pylori induced IL-8 mRNA and protein synthesis in all three gastric cell lines but not in nongastric epithelial cell lines . Heat-killed H . pylori and a crude cytotoxin preparation did not induce significant IL-8 secretion . IL-8 mRNA peaked between 2 and 4 h postinfection, and IL-8 protein production was maximal 24 h postinfection . Exposure of gastric carcinoma cells to other gastrointestinal bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Campylobacter jejuni, and Escherichia coli, but not Campylobacter fetus, induced IL-8 synthesis . Wild-type strains that expressed the vacuolating cytotoxin (Tox+) and a cytotoxin-associated gene (cagA) product (CagA+) induced significantly more IL-8 than did CagA- Tox- strains . However, there was no decrease in IL-8 induction by isogenic mutants of CagA-, Tox-, or Cag- Tox- strains or by a mutant lacking the urease subunits . These results indicate that exposure to H . pylori and other gram-negative organisms that do not colonize the gastric mucosa induces IL-8 production by gastric carcinoma cells in vitro . Although the CagA+ Tox+ phenotype of H . pylori is associated with enhanced IL-8 production by gastric cell lines, other bacterial constituents are clearly essential.

Arkh Patol, 1995 May-Jun, 57(3), 23 - 7
{Pathomorphology of the large intestinal mucosa in acute infectious colitis}; Shcherbakov IT et al.; 634 biopsies of distal colon mucosa from 393 patients with acute intestinal bacterial and viral infections were studied histologically, histochemically and morphometrically . Acute catarrhal or catarrhal-hemorrhagic inflammation was found regardless of the colitis etiology (Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter, rotavirus) . The most pronounced inflammation was in shigellosis and minimal one in rotavirus infection . Marked eosinophilic infiltration of the epithelium and tunica propria was observed in colonic contamination with C . pylori . Correlation analysis between morphometric indices in shigellosis and salmonellosis revealed a decrease in the number of strong functional links and the appearance of new ones indicating morphofunctional derangement.

Rinsho Shinkeigaku, 1995 May, 35(5), 509 - 12
{A case of critical illness polyneuropathy in association with peritonitis after sigmoid colon perforation}; Kawada J et al.; We presented a case of critical illness polyneuropathy after bacterial peritonitis . A 62-year-old male was received an emergency colectomy because of perforation of the sigmoid colon five days after the endoscopic polypectomy . He developed sepsis from peritonitis after operation in spite of the antibiotics therapy . On 15-th hospital days he developed muscle weakness and numbness of all limbs . He needed an artificial ventilator due to respiratory failure . Hematological and blood chemical findings showed a leukocytosis and metabolic acidosis with renal dysfunction because of sepsis . Serum anti-Campylobacter antibody was negative . Serial CSF examinations failed to show any abnormalities including albuminocytologic dissociation . Electrophysiological studies revealed a primary axonal degeneration, mainly in the motor, but also in the sensory nerve . Compound muscle and sensory action potentials were not elicited or markedly reduced without conduction velocity prolongation . Microscopic findings of the left sural nerve biopsy showed a primary axonal degeneration without evidence of inflammation . His prognosis was poor and three months later, he still required ventilatory assistance . Because of these clinical findings this patient was thought to have a critical illness polyneuropathy after excluding various etiologies of polyneuropathies . This case suggests that sepsis may be one of a cause of primary axonal polyneuropathy . The certain mechanism of this disease is still unknown . However cytokine, tumor necrotic factor(TNF) and/or Platelet activating factor(PAF) that secreted during sepsis may have an important role for the primary axonal degeneration.

Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi, 1995 May, 29(3), 144 - 6
{Epidemiological investigation of Campylobacter Jejuni infection in children}; Chen Z et al.; Epidemiological studies on campylobacter jejuni infection in children were carried out in Chengdu during December 1987 to October 1989 . Detection rate of campylobacter in 1,092 children with diarrhea was 11.36%, with the highest in children aged 1-2 and the lowest in babies within six months . Campylobacter jejuni could be detected in young children with acute diarrhea all the year round, with a higher detection rate in the spring and summer and lower in the autumn and winter . Campylobacter jejuni could be detected in 5.09% of healthy children, with a significant difference between kindergartens due to their living conditions . Use of spectrum of drug-resistance and plasmid analysis in children of nurseries and kindergartens to study campylobacter infection suggested campylobacter jejuni infection in children could be caused by a lot of distant-associated strains with genetic homogeneity.

Int J STD AIDS, 1995 May-Jun, 6(3), 156 - 60
Reactive arthritis; Svenungsson B; Reactive arthritis (ReA) develops after an infection elsewhere in the body, generally in the genitourinary or intestinal tract . Chlamydia trachomatis, Yersinia enterocolitica, salmonella, shigella, and campylobacter are frequent triggering agents . Between 60% and 90% of patients are positive for HLA-B27 . The arthritis occurs within 4 weeks of the primary infection and is oligoarticular and asymmetric . Extra-articular manifestations include mucocutaneous symptoms, ocular inflammation, and urethritis . The average duration of arthritis is 4 to 5 months but two-thirds of patients have symptoms for more than a year . Bacterial antigens have been found in synovial specimens from patients with ReA, but cultures are sterile . The treatment of ReA comprises non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, intra-articular steroid injections, and physical treatment . Short-term antibiotic treatment has no effect in manifest ReA, whereas a tendency to improvement has been seen with treatment over months, at least after chlamydia infection.

J Periodontol, 1995 May, 66(5), 403 - 12
Clinical and laboratory studies on a patient with early onset periodontitis and her family members . A case report; Takahashi K et al.; Extensive clinical, microbiological, hematological, and immunological studies were performed on a patient with early onset periodontitis (EOP) and two other members of the family . The proband, a 27-year-old female, had early onset periodontitis and a high level of serum rheumatoid factors (RF) with no diagnosable medical disease . Her mother had lost all her teeth at the age of 50 because of advanced periodontitis, while her elder sister was unaffected by periodontitis . Neither the proband's periodontally-affected mother nor her unaffected sister exhibited a detectable level of RF . In this study, we examined: 1) serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titers against putative periodontal pathogenic bacteria; 2) peripheral neutrophil functions; 3) phenotypic analyses of peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations; and 4) peripheral lymphocyte functions (T cell proliferative activity, ability of cytokine {interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-gamma, IL-6 and IL-8} and IgG and IgM productivity) . High antibody titers to Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Campylobacter rectus were detected in the sera of the proband, as were high serum antibody titers to P . gingivalis in the mother and to C . rectus in the unaffected sister compared to the non-periodontitis affected subjects . The proband also showed enhanced neutrophil chemotaxis; a high percentage of pan-B cells; and high productivity of IL-6, IgG, and IgM compared to individuals who were not periodontally affected . The mother showed slightly low helper/induced T cells (Th/i) suppressor/cytotoxic T cells (Ts/c) ratios due to the elevated count of Ts/c, and high IFN-gamma productivity compared to control subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

J Periodontol, 1995 May, 66(5), 386 - 90
Periodontal microbiota of mobile and non-mobile teeth; Grant DA et al.; The mechanism of accelerated periodontal destruction around teeth with occlusal trauma and increased mobility remains unclear . One possibility is that tooth mobility creates a subgingival environment conducive to overgrowth by periodontal pathogens . This study compared the subgingival microflora in mobile and non-mobile teeth of 35 adults on supportive maintenance therapy and 15 with untreated adult periodontitis . In each subject, subgingival paper-point samples were obtained from a mobile tooth with a probing depth of 4 mm or greater and from a non-mobile tooth with similar probing depth and gingival index . Samples were transported in VMGA III medium . Pockets around mobile teeth harbored significantly higher proportions of Campylobacter rectus (P = 0.001) and Peptostreptococcus micros (P = 0.05) than pockets with non-mobile teeth . Mobile teeth also tended to show elevated levels of Porphyromonas gingivalis, but this did not reach statistical significance . This study suggests that tooth mobility may constitute a risk for periodontal breakdown due to an increased subgingival occurrence of specific periodontopathogens . This hypothesis needs to be verified in longitudinal clinical and microbiological studies.

Yonsei Med J, 1995 May, 36(2), 202 - 5
In vivo pefloxacin-resistant Campylobacter fetus responsible for gastro-intestinal infection and bacteremia associated with arthritis of the hip; Watine J et al.; The authors report a case of Campylobacter fetus subsp . fetus gastro-intestinal infection and bacteremia with poly-arthritis, mainly of the hip, in a French patient simultaneously suffering from cirrhosis of the liver . The outcome was eventually favorable, however only after a trial of ineffective pefloxacin-gentamicin therapy . The authors suggest: (i) gentamicin should not be given alone in C . fetus subsp . fetus infections, and (ii) pefloxacin should not be given if antibiotic sensitivities data are not available . The inconclusive reliability of disk diffusion tests for C . fetus subsp . fetus should be recognized.

J Clin Microbiol, 1995 May, 33(5), 1341 - 3
Evaluation of disk method for hippurate hydrolysis by Campylobacter species; Nicholson MA et al.; A disk method for hippurate hydrolysis was compared with the ninhydrin tube method by using 140 genetically confirmed Campylobacter strains . Results were similar for 129 (92%) strains when the inoculum size for the disk method was standardized . Six strains (4.2%) showed variable results by each method . Our results conflict with those obtained in studies by others, who found the two methods to be dissimilar.

J Clin Microbiol, 1995 May, 33(5), 1136 - 40
Differentiation of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains by using restriction endonuclease DNA profiles and DNA fragment polymorphisms; Korolik V et al.; The chromosomal DNA fragment patterns from a total of 169 Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolates from poultry and humans were analyzed by using DNA restriction endonucleases ClaI and EcoRV . The DNA restriction patterns produced by ClaI and EcoRV consisted of unique DNA fragments of 9 to 9.5 kb and 3.5 kb generated with ClaI and a single unique fragment of 3.0 kb produced by EcoRV . These patterns were obtained with all strains of C . jejuni tested . The DNA restriction patterns were further examined by Southern blot analysis with a previously constructed DNA probe, pMO2005, which is also able to distinguish between C . jejuni and C . coli spp . (5) . Two types of patterns were produced by hybridization with the ClaI-cleaved DNA of C . jejuni strains, one of a single 18.5-kb genomic fragment and the other of 14.5- and 4.0-kb fragments . This indicated the presence of an extra ClaI site in this genomic fragment in the strains with the duplex pattern . The Southern blot analysis of 169 C . jejuni and C . coli isolates from poultry and from humans with DNA probe pMO2005 demonstrated that 78% of C . jejuni strains isolated from chickens hybridized with DNA probe pMO2005 with a characteristic 14.5- and 4.0-kb banding pattern and 22% hybridized with a single 18.5-kb fragment, whereas 71% of human isolates hybridized with the single 18.5-kb fragment and only 29% hybridized with 14.5- and 4.0-kb fragments . These findings suggest that only a small proportion of C . jejuni strains that colonize chickens may cause disease in humans.

East Afr Med J, 1995 May, 72(5), 288 - 9
Enteric pathogens in malnourished children with diarrhoea; Kakai R et al.; Enteric pathogens were determined from stools of 273 children aged less than 5 years at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), 43.6% (119/273) of whom were malnourished according to the Wellcome criteria . Rotavirus was detected by ELISA test, Salmonella, Shigella and E . coli by culture on MacConkey and Salmonella-Shigella agar at 37 degrees C overnight and Campylobacter on Skirrow's selective media at 42 degrees C for 48 hrs . These were identified by biochemical tests and serotyping using specific antisera . Whereas isolation rate for Campylobacter (0.0% vs 5.0%, p = 0.006), well malnourished ETEC-LT (0.6% vs 5.0%, p = 0.003) and T . hominis (0.0% vs 3.4%, p = 0.03) was higher in the malnourished children, EPEC (30.5% vs 10.1%, p < 0.001) and Salmonella+ETEC-LT (7.8% vs 1.7%, p = 0.02) was higher in children . The other enteric pathogens were equally isolated from normal and malnourished children . A larger proportion of malnourished children had diarrhoea of unknown aetiology compared to the well nourished (26.6% vs 50.4%, p < 0.001) . Campylobacter and T . hominis may be opportunistic infections due to immuno-suppression in malnutrition . Diarrhoea of unknown aetiology may be due to aetiological agents that were not determined in this study.

J Neurol Sci, 1995 May, 130(1), 112 - 6
Ganglioside-like epitopes of lipopolysaccharides from Campylobacter jejuni (PEN 19) in three isolates from patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome; Yuki N et al.; Sera from patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) frequently have anti-GM1 antibody . We earlier showed that an lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from Campylobacter jejuni (PEN 19) isolated from a GBS patient has a GM1 ganglioside-like structure . Aspinall et al . (Biochemistry, 61 (1994) 335-337) reported that OH 4382 has an LPS that bears a CD3 ganglioside-like structure and that OH 4384 has an LPS that bears a GT1a-like structure; both strains were isolated from patients with GBS . They also suggested a GM1-like structure is present in the LPSs from OH 4384, but failed to show the presence in the LPSs from OH 4382 . To clarify the pathogenesis of GBS after infection by C . jejuni (PEN 19), we investigated the carbohydrate structures of the three strains by thin-layer chromatography immunostaining with cholera toxin and monoclonal anti-ganglioside antibodies . We found that both OH 4382 and OH 4384 have an LPS with the GM1 epitope as well as one with the GT1a or GD3 epitope.

J Clin Microbiol, 1995 May, 33(5), 1360 - 2
Identification of Campylobacter fetus by PCR-DNA probe method; Blom K et al.; A PCR method for rapid identification of Campylobacter fetus subsp . fetus was evaluated . A fragment of the gene coding for 16S rRNA was amplified from crude cell lysates of 18 C . fetus strains and 30 strains representing other Campylobacter species and subspecies . The amplicons were probed by dot blot hybridization with a digoxigenin-labeled C . fetus-specific oligonucleotide probe . The probe reacted only with C . fetus subsp . fetus and C . fetus subsp . venerealis and may be useful for rapid identification in clinical laboratories.

Biochim Biophys Acta, 1995 Apr 24, 1270(2-3), 179 - 92
Calcium and protein kinase C play an important role in Campylobacter jejuni-induced changes in Na+ and Cl- transport in rat ileum in vitro; Kanwar RK et al.; The pathophysiological mechanism of Campylobacter jejuni (enterotoxigenic) induced secretory diarrhoea remains least understood . To investigate the mechanism(s) involved, the unidirectional fluxes of Na+ and Cl- were measured across the C . jejuni live culture infected and control (non infected) rat ileum (unstriped), in vitro by Ussing technique under short circuit conditions, in the presence or absence of: Ca2+ ionophore A23187 (5 microM), 1-verapamil (100 microM), calmodulin (CaM) antagonist W-7 (100 microM), dantrolene (25 microM), protein kinase C (PKC) activator PMA (100 ng/ml) and H-7 (60 microM), selective inhibitor of PKC . There was net absorption of Na+ and enhanced Cl- secretion in infected animals while in control animals there was net absorption of Na+ and marginal secretion Cl-.Ca2+ ionophore A23187 mimicked the effects of C . jejuni infection whereas 1-verapamil had significant antisecretory effect on Na+ and Cl- secretion in infected animals . In vitro measurement of undirectional 45Ca fluxes in Ussing chamber experiments revealed net absorption of Ca2+ in infected rat ileum as compared to net secretion of Ca2+ in control rat ileum . These observations clearly indicate that there is increased stimulation of Ca2+ uptake from extracellular milieu to the enterocytes during C . jejuni-induced diarrhoea . The intracellular calcium levels (Ca2+}i (as measured by fluorescent probe Fura-2AM) were found to be raised significantly (P < 0.0001) in enterocytes isolated from C . jejuni infected ileum as compared to the enterocytes from control ileum . The observed increase in {Ca2+}i in enterocytes isolated from C . jejuni live culture supernatant treated rat ileum further shows the involvement of enterotoxin in diarrhoeal process . Dantrolene decreased significantly C . jejuni-induced net Na+ and Cl- secretion but it could not reverse it to absorption suggesting the partial involvement of Ca2+ mobilised from intracellular stores in mediating secretion . W-7 failed to inhibit the C . jejuni-induced net Na+ and Cl- secretion . In addition the CaM activity estimated in intestinal microvillar core remained same in both the control and C . jejuni infected animals . This indicates that C . jejuni-induced diarrhoea is not mediated through the activation of Ca(2+)-CaM complex pathway of the Ca2+ messenger system . The PKC activator PMA, induced net secretion of Na+ and Cl- in the control animals but it could not enhance further the C . jejuni-induced Na+ and Cl- secretion, suggesting that there is overlapping effect of PMA and C . jejuni live culture infection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Indian J Pathol Microbiol, 1995 Apr, 38(2), 177 - 80
Enterotoxigenic enteric bacteria causing secretory diarrhoea; Jindal N et al.; Two hundred and fifty enteric bacteria isolated from cases of secretory diarrhoea of all age groups were studied for their enterotoxigenicity and prevalence of drug resistance . The principal pathogens were Escherichia coli 44.4%, Vibrio cholerae 28.8%, Salmonella typhimurium 19.2% and Campylobacter jejuni 2.4% . 104 (42.6%) strains were enterotoxigenic; V . cholerae (100%), Escherichia coli (25.2%) and Non-E . coli enterobacteria (6.5%) . While 89.3% and 100% Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium strains were multi drug resistant, 40% and 100% respectively showed transfer of R-plasmids to standard receipt strains . In V . cholerae multi drug resistance was observed in only 5.5% strains.

J Bacteriol, 1995 Apr, 177(7), 1734 - 41
A lipopolysaccharide-binding domain of the Campylobacter fetus S-layer protein resides within the conserved N terminus of a family of silent and divergent homologs; Dworkin J et al.; Campylobacter fetus cells can produce multiple S-layer proteins ranging from 97 to 149 kDa, with a single form predominating in cultured cells . We have cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli a sapA homolog, sapA2, which encodes a full-length 1,109-amino-acid (112-kDa) S-layer protein . Comparison with the two previously cloned sapA homologs has demonstrated two regions of identity, approximately 70 bp before the open reading frame (ORF) and proceeding 550 bp into the ORF and immediately downstream of the ORF . The entire genome contains eight copies of each of these conserved regions . Southern analyses has demonstrated that sapA2 existed as a complete copy within the genome in all strains examined, although Northern (RNA) analysis has demonstrated that sapA2 was not expressed in the C . fetus strain from which it was cloned . Further Southern analyses revealed increasing sapA diversity as probes increasingly 3' within the ORF were used . Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and then Southern blotting with the conserved N-terminal region of the sapA homologs as a probe showed that these genes were tightly clustered on the chromosome . Deletion mutagenesis revealed that the S-layer protein bound serospecifically to the C . fetus lipopolysaccharide via its conserved N-terminal region . These data indicated that the S-layer proteins shared functional activity in the conserved N terminus but diverged in a semiconservative manner for the remainder of the molecule . Variation in S-layer protein expression may involve rearrangement of complete gene copies from a single large locus containing multiple sapA homologs.

J Clin Microbiol, 1995 Apr, 33(4), 855 - 9
Identification of Campylobacter jejuni on the basis of a species-specific gene that encodes a membrane protein; Stucki U et al.; To facilitate discrimination between the closely related enteropathogens Campylobacter jejuni and C . coli, unique differences in antigenic surface structure were examined . A genomic library of C . jejuni 81116 was constructed in plasmid pBluescriptIISK- and expressed in Escherichia coli K-12 . Rabbit hyperimmune serum raised against C . jejuni ATCC 29428 recognized a clone expressing a C . jejuni 24-kDa membrane-associated protein . Antiserum raised against sonicated recombinant E . coli expressing the 24-kDa protein reacted with C . jejuni, whereas C . coli did not react specifically . Determination of the nucleotide sequence of the DNA insert of this recombinant plasmid revealed an open reading frame encoding 214 amino acids; the gene was designated mapA; and its gene product was designated MAPA . The 18 N-terminal amino acid residues constitute a signal sequence characteristic of prokaryotic membrane lipoproteins . In a dot blot hybridization assay with a mapA probe, 120 clinical isolates of C . jejuni were unequivocally discriminated from 126 other campylobacters, including 34 C . coli isolates . A PCR test based on the mapA sequence was developed for identification of C . jejuni . A PCR product was obtained with all of the clinical isolates of C . jejuni tested from human, dog, cat, bovine calf, and chicken sources . Recombinant MAPA with an added C-terminal six-histidine tail was affinity purified and used to immunize rabbits . The rabbit anti-MAPA serum specifically recognized the protein in whole cells of C . jejuni on Western blots (immunoblots) . The MAPA protein was present in all of the C . jejuni strains tested and was absent in C . coli and related campylobacters.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1995 Apr 1, 127(3), 201 - 6
Development of a PCR assay combined with a short enrichment culture for detection of Campylobacter jejuni in estuarine surface waters; Hernandez J et al.; Two extraction procedures were examined, and it was found that DNA recovered from Campylobacter jejuni lysed by the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method was more suitable for use as a PCR template than DNA released by the boiling method . The region targeted for PCR amplification was a 1.73-kb portion of the flagellin A gene of C . jejuni . The detection limit was lower than 30 cells per 100 ml in artificially contaminated waters . PCR assay and conventional culturing method had the same sensitivity, but results of the PCR technique were available within 48 h and so shortened the time necessary for detection by 48 h.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 1995 Apr, 61(4), 1341 - 7
Detection of Campylobacter jejuni added to foods by using a combined selective enrichment and nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA); Uyttendaele M et al.; An assay to detect Campylobacter jejuni in foods that uses a short selective enrichment culture, a simple and rapid isolation procedure, NASBA amplification of RNA, and a nonradioactive in solution hybridization was studied . The presence of high numbers of indigenous flora affected the sensitivity of the assay . However, detection of C . jejuni was possible up to a ratio of indigenous flora to C . jejuni of 10,000:1 . Interference by food components was eliminated by centrifugation following the enrichment step . Fourteen food samples artificially inoculated with C . jejuni (1 to 1,000 CFU/10 g) were analyzed with the NASBA assay and the conventional culture method with Campylobacter charcoal differential agar (CCDA) . A few false-negative results were obtained by both NASBA (1.42%) and CCDA (2.86%) isolation . Yet the use of enrichment culture and NASBA shortened the analysis time from 6 days to 26 h . The relative simplicity and rapidity of the NASBA assay make it an attractive alternative for detection of C . jejuni in food samples.

J Neuroimmunol, 1995 Apr, 58(1), 77 - 80
IgG anti-GM1 antibodies from patients with acute motor neuropathy are predominantly of the IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses; Ogino M et al.; Increased titers of IgG anti-GM1 and anti-asialo GM1 (GA1) ganglioside antibodies are present in some patients with the Guillain-Barre syndrome, particularly with the motor axonal variant, and following infection with Campylobacter jejuni or parenteral administration of gangliosides . The subclass distribution of IgG anti-GM1 or GA1 antibodies from 19 patients with acute motor neuropathy and elevated antibody titers were measured by ELISA using mouse monoclonal antibodies specific for human IgG subclasses . The anti-GM1 or GA1 antibodies were predominantly of the IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses, which are capable of complement fixation, and are characteristic of a T cell-dependent antibody response.

J Bacteriol, 1995 Apr, 177(8), 1976 - 80
Protein shift and antigenic variation in the S-layer of Campylobacter fetus subsp . venerealis during bovine infection accompanied by genomic rearrangement of sapA homologs; Garcia MM et al.; Campylobacter fetus subsp . venerealis isolated from a case of human vaginosis was inoculated into the uterus of a C . fetus-negative heifer . Isolates obtained weekly from the vaginal mucus exhibited variations in high-molecular-mass-protein profiles from that of the original inoculum, which had a dominant 110-kDa S-layer protein . Immunoblots of the weekly isolates with monoclonal antibody probes against the 110-kDa S-layer protein and other C . fetus S-layer proteins demonstrated antigenic shifts . Genomic digests of the isolates probed with a 75-mer oligonucleotide of the conserved sapA region also indicated that antigenic variation of the S-layer is accompanied by DNA rearrangement.

Avian Dis, 1995 Apr-Jun, 39(2), 355 - 9
Campylobacter bacteria in breeder flocks; Jacobs-Reitsma WF; Nine Dutch breeder farms with a total of 43 separately housed flocks were examined for the presence of Campylobacter spp . and Salmonella spp . Penner serotyping of Campylobacter isolates was used to identify epidemiological factors contributing to the Campylobacter infection of these breeder flocks . Campylobacter was isolated from 29 of the 43 flocks (67%), and Salmonella was isolated from 12 flocks (28%) . Two of the nine farms were both Campylobacter- and Salmonella-free at the time of sampling . Two other farms were Salmonella-free but Campylobacter-positive . A total of 330 Campylobacter isolates were serotyped, and 19 different Campylobacter serotypes were isolated in this study . Some similarities were observed in the patterns of serotype occurrence in houses of a given farm . Campylobacter colonization of breeder flocks indicates a potential role of vertical transmission via the egg to progeny . However, serotyping results did not support a vertical transmission route via the egg . Therefore, breeder flocks have to be recognized as another reservoir of Campylobacter, and it is more appropriate to consider them a potential risk factor in horizontal transmission routes.

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1995 Apr, 14(4), 355 - 9
Rapid detection of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from clinical specimens using the polymerase chain reaction; Stonnet V et al.; Seventeen Campylobacter strains isolated from 16 children hospitalised with acute diarrhea were analysed by in vitro enzymatic amplification using two sets of oligonucleotide primers specific for Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, respectively . Thirteen strains (76%) were identified as Campylobacter jejuni and four strains (24%) as Campylobacter coli . Subsequent bacteriological identification confirmed the identity of the same 13 Campylobacter jejuni strains and the 4 Campylobacter coli strains . Thus, these PCR methods enabled rapid and specific detection of all the Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains without any false-positive or false-negative results.

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1995 Apr, 14(4), 346 - 9
Value of routine stool cultures in hospitalized patients with diarrhea; Barbut F et al.; In a prospective study conducted over a six-month period, the relative yield of 721 routine cultures of stool from adult inpatients as a function of the time after hospital admission was assessed . Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella or Yersinia spp . were recovered from 10.9% (41/377) of patients within three days of hospitalization and from only 1.5% (5/344) after three days . However, a review of these patients' charts did not suggest nosocomial transmission but rather a delay in stool collection or asymptomatic carriage . Clostridium difficile was isolated with a high frequency in patients both within and after three days of hospitalization (10.3% and 10.2%, respectively) . Thus, stool specimens from adults hospitalized for more than three days should not be cultured except for Clostridium difficile unless there are plausible clinical or epidemiological reasons to do so.

FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, 1995 Apr, 11(2), 121 - 30
Biological and serological characterization of Campylobacter jejuni lipopolysaccharides with deviating core and lipid A structures; Moran AP; Lipopolysaccharides from Campylobacter jejuni were tested for their ability to induce toxic lethality in galactosamine-sensitized mice, pyrogenicity in rabbits and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) secretion from mouse peritoneal macrophages . Compared with those of Salmonella LPS, lethal toxicity was 50% lower, pyrogenicity was 30- to 50-fold lower, and ability to induce TNF was 100-fold lower . C . jejuni LPS and lipid A exhibited higher phase-transition temperatures than those of Salmonella preparations, and thus the former have lower fluidity at 37 degrees C . This lower fluidity of acyl chains may influence the biological activities of C . jejuni LPS, but acyl chain characteristics and diaminoglucose replacing glucosamine in the hydrophilic lipid A backbone may also influence the supramolecular structure of lipid A, thereby affecting biological activities . Although diaminoglucose is present in the backbone of C . jejuni lipid A, antigenically the latter resembled classical lipid A of the Enterobacteriaceae when tested with anti-lipid A antibodies . Chemical investigations suggested the presence of glucuronic acid in an acid labile linkage in the inner core region, thus producing a structurally unusual region in C . jejuni LPS.

J Vet Diagn Invest, 1995 Apr, 7(2), 237 - 44
Iatrogenic compressive lumbar myelopathy and radiculopathy in adult cattle following injection of an adjuvanted bacterin into loin muscle: histopathology and ultrastructure; O'Toole D et al.; Compressive lumbar myelopathy is a recognized iatrogenic complication of injecting water-in-oil vaccines into paravertebral sites of laboratory animals and chickens . Herein, we report the histologic and ultrastructural features of a similar complication in a herd of cattle . Iatrogenic posterior paresis developed over 34 days in 56 of 610 cows (9.2%) following injection of a commercial bacterin 11-34 days earlier into M . longissimus lumborum . The bacterin was composed of inactivated Escherichia coli and Campylobacter fetus ssp . venerealis in a proprietary adjuvant . Tissues were collected for histopathology from 9 affected cattle that died or were euthanized after clinical signs lasting 6-38 days . A range of tissues, including the injection site lesion and lumbar spinal nerve roots, was obtained for ultrastructural examination from a cow with paresis of 31 days duration . There was locally extensive pyogranulomatous myositis with fibrosis and necrosis in right M . longissimus lumborum . Extension of the lesion into the vertebral canal via spinal nerve foramina resulted in focal pyogranulomatous inflammation in epidural fat and in adjacent dura mater . There was axonal degeneration in dorsal, lateral, and ventral columns and chromatolysis of spinal motor neurons in lumbar spinal cord, secondary to compression . A distinctive histologic and ultrastructural feature of pyogranulomata was the presence of osmiophilic material at the center of inflammatory foci, surrounded by macrophages and giant cells that contained intracytoplasmic lipid droplets . Ultrastructural examination of entrapped spinal nerves revealed axonal degeneration and loss of myelinated and unmyelinated fibers, segmental demyelination with remyelination, axonal spheroid formation, and early axonal regeneration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Rinsho Shinkeigaku, 1995 Apr, 35(4), 391 - 5
{Fisher's syndrome following Campylobacter jejuni enteritis--a case report and review of the literature}; Ichikawa H et al.; A 13-year-old boy presented with ophthalmoplegia, cerebella ataxia and areflexia subsequent to watery diarrhea and pyrexia . Campylobacter jejuni (PEN 2: LIO 4) was isolated from the stools . The patient had a high titer of IgG anti-GQ1b IgG antibody titers which decreased during the clinical course . Although C . jejuni has recently been recognized as the most common microorganism causing infection preceding Guillain-Barre syndrome, only six patients with Fisher's syndrome after this bacterial infection have been reported . This is the first report of a patient with Fisher's syndrome in whom C . jejuni was identified as a causative organism in Japan.

J Clin Microbiol, 1995 Apr, 33(4), 872 - 7
Molecular subtyping scheme for serotypes HS1 and HS4 of Campylobacter jejuni; Owen RJ et al.; We describe a molecular subtyping scheme for two principal O (heat-stable {HS}) serotypes of Campylobacter jejuni, HS1 and the HS4 complex . A 16S rRNA gene-specific probe confirmed that almost all the C . jejuni strains had three copies of this gene, and strains could be assigned with complete typeability to 1 of 16 combined (Pst1 and HaeIII) 16S ribotypes . Macrorestriction profiles (mrps) consisting of up to 10 SmaI fragments from approximately 40 to approximately 480 kbp were resolved by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) . There were 11 mrps among the HS1 strains and 9 mrps among HS4 strains which corresponded to valid types--they occurred in multiple isolates, hosts, places, and times . There were 14 additional single-strain mrp fingerprints in HS1 and 20 in HS4 . PFGE exhibited complete typeability when formaldehyde fixation of cells was employed, and PFGE was generally more differential than ribotyping . The data presented elucidate a high-resolution genotypic subtyping scheme for these common subspecific phenotypes of C . jejuni, which is both coherent and efficient for epidemiological purposes.

Zentralbl Veterinarmed B, 1995 Apr, 42(2), 89 - 99
{Development of humoral precipitating antibodies to Campylobacter spp . in chickens}; Glunder G; Development of humoral precipitating antibodies against Campylobacter spp . in chickens . The development of precipitating antibodies in chickens was examined by two-dimensional immunodiffusion test after immunization with a formol inactivated vaccine and after subcutaneous and oral application of different live campylobacter serovars . The supernatant of bacterial cells after sonication and centrifugation was used as an antigen in the agar-gel precipitin test . Antisera against different campylobacter serovars showed a high percentage of cross-reactions . In chickens immunized with an inactivated vaccine at an age of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 weeks, precipitating antibodies could be demonstrated for the first time at 7 days p.i . Except for 1-week-old birds, sera from the other groups reacted positively at 14 days p.o . After subcutaneous duplication of live organisms to 4-week-old chickens, antibodies could already be demonstrated at 4 days p.i . later in part of the experimental groups . No interrelation could be detected between antibody titers, measured by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA), from precipitating sera, as well as from those from non-precipitating sera . Precipitating antibodies and antibody titers in the ELISA were examined in sera from groups of birds infected at an age of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 weeks . During the Campylobacter excretion period, a distinct peak of antibody titers occurred in 1- and 7-week old birds, whereas other groups showed a steady increase in titers . Precipitating antibodies were only found in 1- and 2-week-old chickens.

J Med Microbiol, 1995 Mar, 42(3), 175 - 80
Detection of haemolytic activity of campylobacters by agarose haemolysis and microplate assay; Tay ST et al.; There are several methods for the detection of haemolytic activity in campylobacters . However, we found the haemolytic effect of campylobacters on conventional blood agar plates to be variable, inconsistent and difficult to interpret . Blood agarose plates showed campylobacter haemolytic activity more clearly . The incubation conditions (temperature and gaseous) appear to be important for the expression of this activity . Ninety four percent of the Campylobacter isolates examined were found to be haemolytic by the microplate assay with minimal haemolytic units that ranged from 1 to 64 . Haemolytic activity was detected only from live bacterial cultures and not from any of the 50 bacterial culture supernates, which suggests that campylobacters may possess a cell-associated haemolysin . The identification of such haemolytic activity in a large number of campylobacters (94%) suggests its potential role as a virulence factor in campylobacter gastroenteritis.

J Clin Periodontol, 1995 Mar, 22(3), 188 - 200
Periodontopathogens in elderly Chinese with different periodontal disease experience; Dahlen GG et al.; If an etiological relationship exists between destructive periodontal disease and putative periodontopathogens, they would be expected to have a very low prevalence in periodontally healthy elderly persons . To test this hypothesis, 2 subgroups of elderly, rural Chinese (a periodontally "best" and a "worst" group, each comprising 15 persons) were identified in 1990 from a cohort aged 55-69 years, examined in 1984 . Assessment of changes in periodontal status over the 6-year period were possible by comparing detailed clinical recordings performed by the same examinator . Subgingival microbial samples were taken at the mesial aspects of an upper central incisor and a lower canine and examined for the presence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia group, Prevotella melaninogenica group, Capnocytophaga, Selenomonas, Campylobacter rectus as well as predominant Streptococcus and Actinomyces species . During the 6 years prior to microbiological sampling, persons in the "best" group had lost an average of 1.21 +/- 0.48 mm attachment, while persons in the "worst" group had lost an average of 1.60 +/- 0.94 mm . The latter group had lost 53.3 teeth, predominantly for periodontal reasons, in contrast to 1.8 teeth lost in the "best" group . "Best" persons did not differ from "worst" persons with respect to the occurrence of the putative periopathogens, total viable count, and total streptococcal and Actinomyces recovery . Similarly, sites which had experienced an attachment loss > or = 2 mm during the 6-year period did not differ microbiologically from sites with less attachment loss . It is concluded that subgingival microbial characterization does not allow for a distinction between elderly individuals with markedly different periodontal disease experiences.

Clin Rheumatol, 1995 Mar, 14(2), 214 - 6
Campylobacter jejuni arthritis in secondary amyloidosis; Simon CH et al.; We describe a case of infectious arthritis caused by C . jejuni which developed after C . jejuni enteritis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and hypogammaglobulinaemia . Extraintestinal infections of this enteropathogen are rare, but in patients with hypogammaglobulinaemia C . jejuni bacteriaemia is relatively common . The present patient suffered from hypogammaglobulinaemia due to a nephrotic syndrome in secondary amyloidosis . C . jejuni infection must be considered in patients with hypogammaglobulinaemia and arthritis.

Cent Afr J Med, 1995 Mar, 41(3), 91 - 4
Prevalence of Campylobacter enteritis in children from Yaounde (Cameroon); Koulla-Shiro S et al.; A cross sectional study on the prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni/coli and its possible aetiologic role in childhood diarrhoea in Yaounde was undertaken in 272 children presenting with diarrhoea and 157 age matched controls from April 1989 to October 1990 . Stool cultures were performed according to standard techniques for Campylobacter jejuni/coli shigella and salmonella species . Rotavirus was detected using a latex agglutination test . Campylobacter jejuni/coli was isolated from 21 (7,7 pc) of 272 patients with diarrhoea and five of 157 (3,2 pc) controls (p > 0.05), all aged zero to four years old . Shigella and salmonella species were cultured from 2,2 pc and 1,1 pc of 272 patients respectively while rotavirus antigen was detected in 19,6 pc of 204 patients . Twenty eight pc of children with Campylobacter enteritis were exposed to chickens while 23,8 regularly drank water from streams which probably were contaminated . Our results indicate a high prevalence of campylobacter enteritis in children living in Yaounde and also suggest that a high rate of carriage of Campylobacter jejuni/coli could exist in children zero to four years without diarrhoeal illness . to four years without diarrhoeal illness.

J Public Health Med, 1995 Mar, 17(1), 98 - 102
The autumn peak in campylobacter gastro-enteritis . Are the risk factors the same for travel- and UK-acquired campylobacter infections?
Neal KR, Slack RC.
BACKGROUND . In the autumn of 1992 there was an excess of campylobacter cases in Nottingham compared with the national average . No relative increase was seen for salmonella infections . METHODS . A case-control study with a postal questionnaire was carried out to determine exposure to possible risk factors . The patients were 282 laboratory confirmed cases of campylobacter and 318 culture negative controls who had submitted a faeces specimen . All patients were aged 18 or older . The main outcome measures were relative risks for campylobacter infection compared with controls with a negative faeces culture . RESULTS . Twenty-five per cent of cases were associated with foreign travel . Eating chicken and handling raw poultry were the main risk factors for UK-acquired infections . The number of cases with a history of contact with puppies or drinking milk that was either unpasteurized or from bottles with bird-damaged tops was small . CONCLUSION . Eating chicken and handling raw poultry are the main risk factors for campylobacter infections . Contact with puppies or drinking potentially infected milk can explain only a small percentage of campylobacter infections . Risk factors for infection acquired abroad follow a different pattern compared with UK-acquired cases.

J Dairy Sci, 1995 Mar, 78(3), 476 - 83
The fate of potentially pathogenic bacteria in Swiss hard and semihard cheeses made from raw milk; Bachmann HP et al.; This study examined the ability of potentially pathogenic bacteria to grow and to survive during the manufacture and ripening of Swiss hard and semihard cheese varieties made from raw milk . The results show that hard cheeses are hygienically safe; 1 wk after fabrication, the inoculated pathogens (Aeromonas hydrophila . Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Yersinia enterocolitica) could no longer be detected . At the age of commercial ripeness, the semihard cheeses were free from the inoculated pathogens and their toxic metabolites, except for L . monocytogenes, which survived the manufacturing and ripening process.

J Periodontal Res, 1995 Mar, 30(2), 132 - 40
Effect of Campylobacter rectus LPS on plasminogen activator-plasmin system in human gingival fibroblast cells; Ogura N et al.; The plasminogen activator (PA)-plasmin system is implicated in the degradation of the extracellular matrix in inflammation through activation of metalloproteases and prekallikrein . We examined the activation of the PA-plasmin system in human gingival fibroblast cells (Gin-1 cells) following treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Campylobacter rectus, which is frequently detected at sites of periodontal disease . The C . rectus LPS stimulated the plasmin activity in the conditioned medium of Gin-1 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and C . rectus LPS also stimulated the PA activity in the conditioned medium . The PA produced by Gin-1 cells was determined to be urokinase PA (uPA), as preincubation of Gin-1 conditioned medium with anti-uPA antiserum completely inhibited the PA activity while that with anti-tPA antiserum had no inhibitory effect . The concentration of PA inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in the conditioned medium was decreased by the addition of C . rectus LPS . Therefore, the enhancement of plasmin activity in the conditioned medium was dependent on increased uPA activity via the decrease of the PAI-1 level of Gin-1 cells treated with C . rectus LPS . Furthermore, the conditioned medium of Gin-1 cells treated with C . rectus LPS showed significantly increased kallikrein activity, indicating the conversion of prekallikrein to kallikrein, which converts kininogen into kinin . These findings suggest that C . rectus LPS is a potent stimulator of inflammation of gingival tissue which acts through stimulation of the PA-plasmin system.

J Clin Microbiol, 1995 Mar, 33(3), 729 - 31
Detection of alpha- and beta-hemolytic-like activity from Campylobacter jejuni; Misawa N et al.; Alpha-hemolytic-like activity from Campylobacter jejuni was clearly apparent when the medium pH ranged from 6.0 to 6.5, but the hemolytic zones disappeared when the pH of the medium increased . Beta-hemolytic-like activity just beneath the bacterial growth appeared after prolonged incubation . The hemolytic activity was not influenced by the species of blood.

Clin Diagn Lab Immunol, 1995 Mar, 2(2), 149 - 55
Cross-reactive antigens shared by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Helicobacter pylori, Campylobacter jejuni, and Haemophilus influenzae may cause false-positive titers of antibody to H . pylori; Johansen HK et al.; Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients suffer from many of the gastrointestinal conditions which occur in non-CF individuals, e.g., dyspepsia and peptic ulceration . These symptoms may be caused by Helicobacter pylori but could also be due to either pancreatic insufficiency or the intensive antibiotic treatment used in CF patients . Since CF patients chronically infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa produce antibodies against a wide range of antigens, including antigens common to many other bacteria, e.g., GroEL and lipopolysaccharide, we studied, by the Western blot (immunoblot) technique, the specificity of immunoglobulin G antibodies to H . pylori in Danish CF patients chronically infected with P . aeruginosa, CF patients without P . aeruginosa infection but with Haemophilus influenzae infection, patients with dyspeptic ulcers associated with H . pylori, and patients recovering from acute Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli infection . Sera from CF patients with chronic P . aeruginosa or H . influenzae infection and patients recovering from acute C . jejuni infection cross-reacted with H . pylori antigens . A strong cross-reacting protein antigen at approximately 14 kDa and minor cross-reactive antigens at approximately 27, 30, and 60 kDa (the heat shock protein GroEL is equivalent to the common antigen of P . aeruginosa) could be demonstrated . The results of this study show that high immunoglobulin G antibody titers against H . pylori in CF patients cannot be regarded as indicating present or past H . pylori infection unless their specificity is proven by absorption studies.

Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1995 Mar-Apr, (2), 39 - 42
{The leading pathways and factors in the transmission of the causative agents of campylobacteriosis under current conditions}; Minaev VI et al.; The authors have studied the epidemiological importance of different paths and factors of the transmission of causative agents in the foci of campylobacteriosis, as well as the character and frequency of microbial associations detected in cases of campylobacteriosis . The family foci of campylobacteriosis have been epidemiologically studied and the detected factors contributing to contacting campylobacteriosis have been analyzed . As revealed in this study, 41.6% of the foci of campylobacteriosis are linked with the active action of the alimentary factor, while 37.9% of the foci are linked with the factor of everyday contacts . High frequency of microbial associations with Campylobacter has been established (20.8%), which makes it possible for sporadic cases and especially outbreaks of campylobacteriosis to be disguised as other infections.

Berl Munch Tierarztl Wochenschr, 1995 Mar, 108(3), 101 - 4
{Infectivity of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in chickens}; Glunder G; The infectivity of four Campylobacter (C.) jejuni strains and one C . coli strain was evaluated by the reisolation rate from cloacal swabs after oral infection of chickens at four weeks of age . One strain did not colonize the digestive tract, another infected only a part of the experimental group and a third was excreted at a lower percentage in the first two weeks p.i . compared to the other two strains . In correlation to age, the excretion rate was highest in 7-week-old birds . In groups of 4 and 10-week-old chickens, the peak of the excretion rate appeared slightly delayed and on average, the excretion was lowest in 10-week-old individuals . A high correlation was found between the isolation rate of Campylobacters from cloacal swabs and from caecal contents.

Rinsho Shinkeigaku, 1995 Mar, 35(3), 306 - 8
{A case of Guillain-Barré syndrome with ophthalmoplegia showing high titers of anti-GQ1b and -GD1b antibodies in the serum}; Hishida R et al.; A 24-year-old housewife developed double vision, tingling sensation, and weakness in the legs following a flu-like illness . She then developed dysphagia and difficulty in standing . On admission her eyes were fixed in midline due to ophthalmoplegia . Doll's eye sign was negative . She had severe generalized muscle weakness and no sensory deficits . All tendon reflexes were lost . CSF protein was 58 mg/dl with cell count of 2/mm3 . Antibodies to campylobacter jejuni, mycoplasma, EBV, and other microbes were negative . We treated her with plasmapheresis after which she showed rapid clinical recovery, although the ophthalmoplegia improved slightly later . Increased titer of IgG class antibodies to GD1b and to GQ1b, and of IgM antibody to GQ1b, were detected in the serum taken during the acute phase of the illness . In parallel with clinical amelioration, both the anti-GD1b and -GQ1b antibodies decreased in titer, or became negative . Since there is no common epitope to GD1b and GQ1b gangliosides, we speculated that the anti-GD1b and -GQ1b antibodies were induced independently by different antigens in this patient . Moreover, the presence of high titer IgM antibody to GQ1b possible indicates that this patient was at the relatively early stage of infection of unknown microbe, which then induced the IgG antibodies to GD1b and GQ1b by cross sensitization, which might correlate with the tetraplegia and the ophthalmoplegia, respectively.

Afr J Med Med Sci, 1995 Mar, 24(1), 81 - 4
Evaluation of the "one-minute" test for detecting Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori infection; Sathar MA et al.; The "one-minute" urease test to detect Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori infection was evaluated using histology and culture as the "gold standard" . The test was performed in a blinded manner and compared with the conventional Christensen's urease test . Helicobacter pylori was detected in 88 of 100 consecutive patients attending the gastrointestinal clinic for upper endoscopy . Although the "one-minute" urease test was more sensitive {86% (76/88)} than the conventional Christensen's urease test {70% (62/88)}, this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.22) . Histology was the most sensitive {97% (85/88)} whilst culture was 80% (70/88) sensitive . All tests exhibited specifications of 100% . The "one-minute" urease test is a simple, rapid and highly specific test to detect Helicobacter pylori which can be performed at endoscopy.

Zentralbl Veterinarmed B, 1995 Mar, 42(1), 35 - 41
Evaluation of immunogenicity of Campylobacter strains isolated from ovine abortions by laboratory test systems; Diker KS et al.; A microagglutination test and in vitro serum bactericidal assay were used for testing cross-reactions and cross-bactericidal activities of 15 Campylobacter strains isolated from ovine abortions . Antisera against certain strains of C . fetus subsp . fetus and C . jejuni showed higher microagglutination titres and bactericidal activity against homologous and/or heterologous strains . In both tests, cross-reactions and bactericidal activity were higher among the strains of homologous species than among those of heterologous species . The pregnant guinea-pig model was used for testing the efficacy of experimental campylobacter vaccines . Monovalent bacterins prepared with either C . fetus subsp . fetus or C . jejuni did not produce immunity to cross-challenge with the opposite species . Guinea-pigs immunized with the bivalent bacterin were found to be immune to both groups of Campylobacter when subsequently challenged . In vaccinated guinea-pigs, their in vivo ability to overcome infection is reflected in the in vitro bactericidal capacity of homologous rabbit antiserum.

Am J Clin Pathol, 1995 Feb, 103(2), 149 - 53
Practice guidelines for ordering stool cultures in a pediatric population . Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Church DL et al.; A comprehensive utilization review was done of all stool culture tests performed at a pediatric hospital during a 3-year period from June 1, 1989 through to July 1, 1992 . A total of 4,460 stool culture specimens were surveyed from 3,420 children . Sixty percent (2,692) of the workload was from inpatients, 22% (1,001) was from emergency room (ER) visits and 18% (767) was from outpatient clinic/office visits . A total of 9% (294 of 3,420) of the children were confirmed to have enteric bacterial infection . Enteric infections in Southern Alberta follow a typical pattern, where most cases of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella sp and Campylobacter jejuni are diagnosed in the summer months between June and September . Marked differences were found in the overall stool culture positivity rate between hospitalized children (94 of 2,141, 4%), and ambulatory children attending the ER (176 of 892, 19%) . Although a significant number of children had more than one stool culture done, most cases of enteric bacterial infections were diagnosed on the first stool sample (290 of 294, 98%) . Most children (89 of 94, 95%) who were hospitalized because of an acute diarrheal illness had a bacteriological diagnosis confirmed within the first 4 days after admission (90 of 94, 96%), including immunocompromised children in the Oncology ward . Over the past year, significant sustainable cost savings have resulted from the implementation of practice guidelines for ordering pediatric stool cultures.

Muscle Nerve, 1995 Feb, 18(2), 154 - 64
Immunopathogenesis and treatment of the Guillain-Barré syndrome--Part II; Hartung HP et al.; In the second part of our review the role of antecedent infections in the pathogenesis of GBS is discussed . The association with Campylobacter jejuni (C . jejuni) is highlighted and the concept of molecular mimicry, i.e., sharing of epitopes between microbes and peripheral nerve, explained . Alternative mechanisms to relate an infection with the immune-mediated neuropathy are elaborated . Current therapies of the GBS include plasma exchange, high-dose intravenous immunoglobulins, and supportive treatment directed to secondary complications . Published therapeutic trials are reviewed and future approaches are outlined . Principles of general care are also summarized.

Muscle Nerve, 1995 Feb, 18(2), 137 - 53
Immunopathogenesis and treatment of the Guillain-Barré syndrome--Part I; Hartung HP et al.; The etiology of the Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) still remains elusive . Recent years have witnessed important advances in the delineation of the mechanisms that may operate to produce nerve damage . Evidence gathered from cell biology, immunology, and immunopathology studies in patients with GBS and animals with experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) indicate that GBS results from aberrant immune responses against components of peripheral nerve . Autoreactive T lymphocytes specific for the myelin antigens P0 and P2 and circulating antibodies to these antigens and various glycoproteins and glycolipids have been identified but their pathogenic role remains unclear . The multiplicity of these factors and the involvement of several antigen nonspecific proinflammatory mechanisms suggest that a complex interaction of immune pathways results in nerve damage . Data on disturbed humoral immunity with particular emphasis on glycolipid antibodies and on activation of autoreactive T lymphocytes and macrophages will be reviewed . Possible mechanisms underlying initiation of peripheral nerve-directed immune responses will be discussed with particular emphasis on the recently highlighted association with Campylobacter jejuni infection.

Rinsho Shinkeigaku, 1995 Feb, 35(2), 208 - 10
{Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with anti-GalNAc-GD1a antibody subsequent to Campylobacter jejuni enteritis}; Tsuda N et al.; We report a 15-year-old man with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) following Campylobacter jejuni enteritis . Neurologic examination revealed distal muscle weakness and mild disturbance of superficial sense on right plantar area . Serial electrophysiologic studies indicated that the predominant process was axonal degeneration of motor nerves . Thin-layer chromatography with immunostaining revealed that serum IgG strongly reacted with GalNAc-GD1a and weakly with GM2, but did not react with GM1 . This is the first report of GBS subsequent to C . jejuni enteritis associated with anti-GalNAc-GD1a antibody.

J Clin Periodontol, 1995 Feb, 22(2), 93 - 9
Periodontal findings in spouses . A clinical, radiographic and microbiological study; Von Troil-Linden B et al.; Clinical, radiographic and microbiological examination of periodontal conditions was carried out in 2 groups of married couples to assess similarities between husband and wife . The diseased probands (n = 10) exhibited advanced periodontitis and the healthy ones (n = 10) were periodontally normal . The clinical examination comprised the assessment of plaque, probing pocket depths, gingival bleeding on probing, suppuration, supragingival and subgingival calculus . The extent and type of alveolar bone loss was determined from panoramic radiographs . Bacterial samples were taken from the 6 deepest and most inflamed periodontal pockets and from stimulated saliva . The samples were cultured for Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Campylobacter rectus and Peptostreptococcus micros . The mean detection frequency of moderately deep pockets (4-5 mm) and deep pockets (> or = 6 mm) was significantly higher in the diseased probands than in their spouses . The mean detection frequency of moderately deep pockets was significantly higher in the spouses of the diseased probands than in the spouses of the healthy ones . Deep pockets were found in 6 spouses of the diseased probands, whereas only in 2 spouses of the healthy ones . Both diseased proband and his/her spouse harbored A . actinomycetemcomitans, P . gingivalis, P . intermedia, C . rectus and P . micros in 4, 6, 9, 9 and 4 couples, respectively . Both healthy proband and his/her spouse harbored the pathogens in 0, 1, 9, 5 and 3 couples, respectively . P . gingivalis was found in 7 spouses of the diseased probands, but only in 2 spouses of the healthy ones.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, 1995 Feb, 10(3-4), 289 - 94
Investigation of Helicobacter pylori ascorbic acid oxidating activity; Odum L et al.; Helicobacter pylori sonicate was shown to oxidize ascorbic acid . Ascorbic acid oxidation was determined by chromatography combined with electrochemical detection . Water soluble ascorbic acid oxidase activity was rather independent of pH with a pH optimum around 2 . By gel filtration the oxidizing activity co-eluted with an absorbency peak at 408 nm . The relative molecular mass (Mr) was approximately 14,000 . It is suggested that this oxidating activity was caused by a cytochrome c-like molecule . Ascorbic acid oxidating activity could also be extracted from bacterial membranes by detergents . Gel filtration showed several forms, the major one with a Mr = 19,000 . pH optimum was 6-7 . Other oxidase-positive bacterial strains like Campylobacter coli, Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa could degrade ascorbic acid . Since ascorbic acid oxidation by Helicobacter pylori whole bacterial lysates has a pH optimum in the acidic range corresponding to pH in gastric fluid, the activity of the cytochrome c-like water soluble oxidant of Helicobacter pylori seems to be primarily important for the destruction of ascorbic acid in the gastric juice of infected patients.

J Vet Med Sci, 1995 Feb, 57(1), 125 - 7
Specific detection of Campylobacter jejuni by means of polymerase chain reaction in chicken litter; Itoh R et al.; A routine detection assay of Campylobacter jejuni was developed with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) . A pair of oligonucleotide primers from the flaA of C . jejuni were used in detection by PCR . Although the primer pair specifically detected C . jejuni strains, they did not detect strains of C . coli, C . fetus, Salmonella spp . or Escherichia coli . In litter inoculated with C . jejuni, specific detection of C . jejuni was obtained by PCR with this primer pair.

Jpn J Antibiot, 1995 Feb, 48(2), 238 - 60
{Pharmacokinetic, bacteriological and clinical studies of SY5555 in the pediatric field}; Motohiro T et al.; Pharmacokinetic, bacteriological and clinical studies on SY5555, a new oral penem, were carried out, and the following results were obtained . 1 . MICs were determined for 6 drugs, SY5555, clavulanic acid/amoxicillin (CVA/AMPC), cefaclor (CCL), cefotiam (CTM), cefpodoxime (CPDX), cefdinir (CFDN) against 20 strains of bacteria isolated from patients who were subsequently treated with SY5555 . MICs of SY5555 for Gram-positive cocci ranged from 0.05 to 0.10 microgram/ml against 10 strains of Staphylococcus aureus . The MIC was < or = 0.025 microgram/ml against one strain of Streptococcus pyogenes, and MICs were from < or = 0.025 to 0.39 microgram/ml against Streptococcus pneumoniae . These MIC values were equivalent or superior to those of the other 5 drugs . MICs of SY5555 for Gram-negative bacilli were 0.39 and 6.25 micrograms/ml against Haemophilus influenzae, and these values were equivalent to those of the other drugs, except CPDX . The MIC of SY5555 was 0.39 microgram/ml against 2 strains of Escherichia coli, and this value was equivalent or superior to those of CVA/AMPC and CCL, similar or inferior to those of CPDX and CFDN, and inferior to that of CTM . The MICs of several drugs were determined for 10 strains of Bordetella pertussis and 30 strains of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from patients before this clinical study . The MICs of SY5555 against the 10 strains of B . pertussis were compared with those of 7 drugs, CCL, CTM, CPDX, ampicillin (ABPC), piperacillin (PIPC), imipenem (IPM) and erythromycin (EM) . The MIC of SY5555 was 0.78 microgram/ml against all of the strains . This value was superior to those of CCL, CTM and CPDX, similar or inferior to that of IPM and inferior to those of PIPC and EM . The MICs of SY5555 against the 30 strains of C . jejuni were compared with those of 7 drugs . CCL, CTM, CPDX, CFDN, ABPC, IPM and EM, and the MIC of SY5555 was < or = 0.025 microgram/ml or 0.05 microgram/ml and these values were equivalent or superior to those of the 7 reference drugs . 2 . SY5555 dry syrup was administered orally at 30 min . after meals, to a total of 5 patients, at doses of 5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg to 2 patients each and at a dose of 15.0 mg/kg to one patient and the plasma concentrations were determined . Peak concentrations were detected 1 to 3 hours after administration in all patients and the peak concentrations were 0.93 and 1.21 micrograms/ml at the 5.0 mg/kg dose, 2.85 and 5.49 micrograms/ml at the 10.0 mg/kg dose and 5.79 micrograms/ml at the 15.0 mg/kg dose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1995 Feb, 39(2), 542 - 44
Susceptibilities of fluoroquinolone-resistant strains of Campylobacter jejuni to 11 oral antimicrobial agents; Gomez-Garces JL et al.; The resistance of Campylobacter jejuni strains to the fluoroquinolones is increasingly frequent, and in our area it reaches nearly 50% . We studied the susceptibilities of 60 of these strains to 11 oral antibiotics . All strains except one were susceptible to the macrolides tested, with azithromycin being the most active agent tested . Of the rest of the antibiotics studied, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, clindamycin, and fosfomycin displayed good in vitro activities . Knowledge of the susceptibilities of these microorganisms to a varied group of oral agents is necessary in view of the appearance of multiresistant strains, such as those included in our series.

J Trop Pediatr, 1995 Feb, 41(1), 57 - 9
Differential clinical and epidemiological features in children with Campylobacter diarrhoea, mixed-agent diarrhoea and Campylobacter diarrhoea plus parenteral infections; Murga H et al.; A prospective study of 111 young Peruvian children with Campylobacter jejuni diarrhoea showed that it behaves as an endemic enterotoxigenic-like, waterborne, milkborne, and zoonotic disease . Although there were no definite differential features between pure C . jejuni diarrhoea, mixed-agent diarrhoea, and C . jejuni diarrhoea plus parenteral infections, children with C . jejuni diarrhoea plus parenteral infections were all inpatients, were more frequently malnourished and more frequently exhibited systemic symptoms . Campylobacter jejuni associated with other enteric pathogens did not seem to act synergistically as the disease was not particularly severe in this group.

J Clin Microbiol, 1995 Feb, 33(2), 381 - 4
Identification of Helicobacter pylori by immunological dot blot method based on reaction of a species-specific monoclonal antibody with a surface-exposed protein; Bolin I et al.; Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against membrane preparations of Helicobacter pylori were produced . One MAb was found to be specific for H . pylori, because it did not react with a number of other bacterial species, including Helicobacter felis and Campylobacter jejuni . This MAb reacted with a 30-kDa protein found in outer membrane preparations of H . pylori . The protein was also detected on the cell surface on intact bacteria when analyzed by immunoelectron microscopy . To facilitate the identification of H . pylori isolates after culturing of biopsies, an immunodot blot assay based on the reaction of this MAb was developed . This assay was found to be highly specific for H . pylori . Sixty-six clinical isolates typed as H . pylori by conventional biochemical tests were found to be positive, whereas no other bacterial species tested gave a positive result . By this method, reliable and rapid identification of H . pylori could be accomplished.

Arzneimittelforschung, 1995 Feb, 45(2), 184 - 6
{Ranitidine and clarithromycin for eradication of Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer}; Frotz H et al.; To compare the efficacy of ranitidine (CAS66357-35-5, Sostril) in combination with clarithromycin (CAS 81103-11-9, Cyllind) against H . pylori, a controlled randomized double-blind study was carried out . Fourty duodenal ulcer patients were treated either with ranitidine 150 mg b.i.d . and clarithromycin 500 mg q.i.d . (20 patients, group 1) or ranitidine 300 mg q.i.d . and clarithromycin 500 mg q.i.d . (20 patients, group 2) for 14 days . Both treatment groups received an additional treatment with ranitidine 300 mg daily for another 14 days . Endoscopy 6 weeks after the beginning of the trial showed complete ulcer healing in all patients . The control of H . pylori status done by CLO (Campylobacter-like organism) test and histology yielded an eradication rate of 84% (group 2) and 61% (group 1) in patients with duodenal ulcer disease treated with ranitidine and clarithromycin . Whether higher suppression of gastric acidity with a higher dose of ranitidine in combination with the antibiotic clarithromycin presents clear advantages in eradication of H . pylori should be investigated in further studies.

Braz J Med Biol Res, 1995 Feb, 28(2), 227 - 9
Effect of the complement system on the sensitivity of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli to human blood serum; Fernandez H et al.; We determined the sensitivity of five strains of Campylobacter jejuni and C . coli isolated from children with diarrhea and from chicken feces to normal human blood serum (undiluted and at concentrations of 10, 30, 50 and 70%), a hypogammaglobulinemic serum and a complement-deficient serum . Both species were highly sensitive to the bactericidal activity of human serum, regardless of their source . The highest bactericidal activity was observed with pooled fresh normal serum, with bacterial survival rates inversely correlated to serum dilutions . Inactivated serum had the least bactericidal activity . When complement was partially restored to inactivated serum, lower survival rates were observed . The hypogammaglobulinemic-normal complement-containing serum had strong bactericidal activity whereas the normal immunoglobulin-containing but complement-deficient serum had little bactericidal activity . These results suggest that Campylobacter may be able to directly activate complement by the alternative pathway.

Ann Neurol, 1995 Feb, 37(2), 260 - 4
Serum anti-GQ1b IgG antibodies recognize surface epitopes on Campylobacter jejuni from patients with Miller Fisher syndrome; Jacobs BC et al.; Three patients who had diarrhea prior to the development of Miller Fisher syndrome are presented . Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from stool specimens from all patients . High titers of anti-GQ1b IgG antibodies were demonstrated in the serum of these patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and thin-layer chromatography overlay . In enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay inhibition studies the anti-GQ1b IgG antibodies bound specifically to whole bacteria of the Miller Fisher syndrome-associated C . jejuni strains . The presence of anti-GQ1b IgG binding epitopes on the surface of the C . jejuni from the patients was not exclusively associated with a specific Penner serotype . It is suggested that anti-GQ1b antibodies are formed during the initial infection that elicits Miller Fisher syndrome . The cross-reactivity of anti-GQ1b IgG antibodies with surface epitopes on Miller Fisher syndrome-associated C . jejuni strains supports the hypothesis of molecular mimicry between bacteria and neural tissue.

Presse Med, 1995 Jan 14, 24(2), 99 - 101
{Hemolytic-uremic syndrome after verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli infection}; Mariani-Kurkdjian P et al.; The haemolytic uraemic syndrome, first described in 1955 by Gasser, is the number one cause of acute renal failure in infants . There are three types of the haemolytic uraemic syndrome: the seasonal epidemic form with prodromic diarrhoea and generally favourable outcome which usually occurs in infants, a less typical form without signs of digestive tract involvement and no seasonal prevalence which occurs more readily in older children and sometimes in families has a less favourable prognosis, and finally drug- or disease-related forms . Currently, overall mortality due to haemolytic uraemic syndrome has been reduced to about 4%, usually as a result of damage to the central nervous system . Several microorganism, including Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella typhi, Campylobacter jejuni, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Rickittsiae and certain viruses (Coksackiae, Influenzae, Epstein-Barr) have been identified as causative agents . In 1983, digestive tract infection due to an Escherichia coli strain producing verotoxin was identified as capable of producing haemolytic uraemic syndrome and more rarely thrombopenic thrombotic purpura . The germ produces two exotoxins (whose effect is accentuated by the E . coli lipopolysaccharide endotoxin) which lead to the glomerular microangiopathy causing haemolytic uraemic syndrome . Diagnosis is based on identification (monoclonal antibodies, ELISA, PCR) of the verotoxins themselves or the two encoding genes in stool samples . Symptomatic treatment is essential but the effectiveness of antibiotics is still debated . Theoretically, antibiotics could worsen the syndrome by increasing endotoxin release from lysed bacteria, but inversely they could also prevent the syndrome if given early enough . Further research is required to acquire precise epidemiological data and identify animal reservoirs of verotoxin producing E . coli.

J Crit Illn, 1995 Feb, 10(2), 105 - 7, 111-2, 115-7
H . pylori infection and GI disease: what critical care physicians need to know . Who should be tested for H . pylori? When is treatment needed?
Duckworth C, Peura DA.
Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori infection has emerged as a major cause of gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric malignancies . Not all patients with H . pylori infection require treatment; however, for those with ulcer disease (particularly those with bleeding), antibiotic therapy can be curative . To confirm infection (or its eradication), use the rapid urease assay, serologic examination or, when available, the urea breath test . Treatment options include triple therapy (with bismuth subsalicylate, metronidazole, and either tetracycline or amoxicillin) and dual therapy (with omeprazole and either amoxicillin or clarithromycin) . For patients with an active ulcer, follow antibiotic therapy with ranitidine or omeprazole.

Biol Res, 1995, 28(3), 205 - 10
Invasive and enterotoxic properties in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains isolated from humans and animals; Fernandez H et al.; Invasive properties of 15 strains of thermotolerant Campylobacter (12 C . jejuni and 3 C . coli) were studied using HeLa cells cultures . In four of them (3 C . jejuni and 1 C . coli), randomly selected, intestinal perfusion experiments were conducted in order to asses enterotoxigenicity . All strains were able to invade HeLa cells . The number of invaded HeLa cells ranged from 3 to 46% . In addition to their invasive properties, the 4 strains used in perfusion experiments were able to induce either a net secretory flux or an impaired sodium transport.

Acta Microbiol Pol, 1995, 44(3-4), 227 - 41
Characterization of Campylobacter jejuni asd gene cloned in Escherichia coli; Raczynska-Pawelec A et al.; asd gene of the human enteric pathogen, Campylobacter jejuni Dz72/92, has been isolated from a genomic library constructed in the expression plasmid vector pUC8-2 in Escherichia coli . The gene has been fished out by complementation of the asd gene deletion present in the genome of E . coli chi 6097 . The smallest recombinant plasmid (pUWM3) able to confer Asd+ phenotype contains a 1.8 kb insert cloned into HindIII site located within the multi-cloning site of the pUC8-2 vector . The origin of the insert has been confirmed by hybridization . Several pieces of evidence indicate that the expression of the cloned house-keeping gene is driven from its own promoter, which can be recognised by E . coli RNA polymerase . The asd gene promoter has been located on 300 kb HindIII-DraI fragment of pUWM3 . Recombinant plasmid pUWM3 specifies a new 38 kDa protein which we believe is the asd gene product . Overproduction of the 38 kDa protein due to the transcription originating from the vector lacZ gene promoter is toxic for the cells.

Bull World Health Organ, 1995, 73(6), 779 - 85
Severe illness in African children with diarrhoea: implications for case management strategies; Lee LA et al.; To identify clinical disorders associated with severe illness in African children with diarrhoea, we studied a group of under-5-year-olds with diarrhoea who had been brought to a large public hospital in central Cote d'Ivoire . The general condition of children with diarrhoea was assessed and classified according to criteria recommended by WHO, and then used as a nonspecific indicator of severity . Of the 264 children with diarrhoea who were enrolled in the study, 196 had nonsevere illness and 68 severe illness . Children with severe illness were significantly more likely than those with nonsevere illness to be dehydrated (45% versus 11%), moderate-to-severely wasted (47% versus 29%), bacteraemic (26% versus 9%), severely anaemic (haemoglobin level <6 g/dl; 15% versus 6%), have Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia (27% versus 14%), and have two or more of these five conditions (60% versus 14%) . Nontyphoidal Salmonella spp . were present in 68% of the blood isolates but were not associated with seropositivity to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) . The study demonstrates the need for a more comprehensive approach to assessment and management of children with diarrhoea that ensures prompt recognition of bacteraemia, anaemia, wasting and malaria, as well as dehydration . Simple nonspecific observational criteria, such as those recommended by WHO for assessing and classifying general condition, are useful for identifying children with diarrhoea who are at high risk of having life-threatening clinical disorders, and can readily be used by health workers whose clinical training and access to diagnostic laboratory facilities are both limitedPIP: Researchers prospectively studied 264 children aged less than 5 years with diarrhea who were admitted to the Bouake Regional Hospital Center in the Ivory Coast between June 10 and August 11, 1991, to identify clinical disorders associated with severe diarrhea . They compared data on the 196 children with non-severe diarrhea with data on 68 children with severe diarrhea . All but three of the children were breast fed . The severely ill children were more likely than the non-severely ill children to have dehydration (45% vs . 11%; p 0.01), severe wasting (22% vs . 7%; p 0.01), anemia (29% vs . 13%; p = 0.01), bacteremia (26% vs . 9%; p 0.01), and malarial parasitemia (27% vs . 14%; p = 0.02) . 68% of the blood isolates had nontyphoidal Salmonella spp . 6% of children had HIV-1 or HIV-2 infection . The most common pathogens in the stool specimens were rotavirus (41 cases), Campylobacter jejuni (22), Shigella spp . (21), and Salmonella spp (10) . These findings indicate a need for a more comprehensive approach to assessment and management of children with diarrhea that secures immediate recognition of bacteremia, anemia, wasting, malaria, and dehydration .

Crit Rev Microbiol, 1995, 21(4), 239 - 61
Strategies to accelerate the applicability of gene amplification protocols for pathogen detection in meat and meat products; Pillai SD et al.; Traditionally, microbiological testing of meat products has involved isolating microorganisms and performing specific biochemical, and in some cases serological, tests to confirm the presence or absence of suspected food-borne pathogens . Given the public attention meat products have received as sources of food-borne disease, there has been considerable interest in the application of rapid detection techniques that require hours rather than days for completion . Theoretically, rapid detection methods could reduce the time from the initial sampling to confirmation so that conclusive results would be available by the time to process the meat product . Both direct gene probe hybridization as well as gene amplification methods show promise as rapid detection techniques . At present, direct gene probe hybridization are being commercially utilized to confirm the presence of a suspected pathogen . A number of gene amplification protocols for detecting food-borne bacterial pathogens have been published . However, many of these studies have utilized spiked samples rather than naturally contaminated samples and many of them have involved extended template extraction/purification methodologies . There is still only a very limited amount of information on the efficacies of the various protocols in detecting bacterial pathogens, especially toxigenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and Listeria spp., in naturally contaminated food samples . In order to develop gene amplification protocols that have relevance to the meat industry, there must be a concerted effort to utilize naturally contaminated samples in the development and evaluation of protocols, as well as to initiate multilaboratory round robin evaluations of select protocols . Availability of multilaboratory tested methodologies would provide a means to design pathogen detection strategies at the quality control level rather than an end product confirmatory response to an already documented outbreak.

Microbiol Immunol, 1995, 39(9), 639 - 45
The purification of a GroEL-like stress protein from aerobically adapted Campylobacter jejuni; Takata T et al.; From plate cultures of Campylobacter jejuni grown in room air a particulate protein of 62 kDa was isolated by ion-exchange chromatography . The protein had a square shape from the side view but when viewed from the top it had a star-shaped structure . The molecular size of the whole particle determined by gel filtration was 850 kDa which suggested the presence of 14 subunits of 62 kDa in each particle . The N-terminal 37 amino residues showed more than 80% homology with the sequence of these heat shock protein (HSP) 60 homologs of Chlamydia trachomatis, Helicobacter pylori, and Escherichia coli (GroEL) . This protein is immunologically cross-reactive with the antiserum for the 60-kDa HSP of Yersinia enterocolitica . Production of the 62-kDa protein increased under heat stress and growth in an aerobic atmospheric environment . From these observations we concluded that the 62-kDa protein is a Campylobacter stress protein (Cj62) which belongs to the HSP 60 family.

Drugs, 1995, 49 Suppl 2, 29 - 35
Mechanisms of resistance to fluoroquinolones: state-of-the-art 1992-1994; Piddock LJ; This paper gives an update on the mechanisms of bacterial resistance to fluoroquinolones . The laboratory techniques currently used to determine the mechanism(s) of resistance are outlined, including the use of restriction fragment length polymorphism and single-stranded conformational polymorphism analysis of mutations in gyrA . Alterations in gyrA have continued to be the most reported cause of resistance, with high level resistance due to 2 or more mutations in this gene . Recently, mutations in gyrA of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Campylobacter jejuni have been described . Complementation studies with plasmid encoded cloned gyrB from Escherichia coli suggest that high fluoroquinolone resistance (minimum inhibitory concentration = 32 mg/L) in Salmonella typhimurium can be due to mutation in both gyrA and gyrB . Decreased fluoroquinolone accumulation into E . coli has been shown to be due to mutations in a number of genes at different loci . Current interest has focused upon the marRAB and soxRS loci, with mutations in genes of either loci giving rise to decreased susceptibility to several unrelated drugs, including fluoroquinolones, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and some beta-lactams, and decreased expression of OmpF . The genetic characterisation of fluoroquinolone efflux from Staphylococcus aureus has shown that efflux occurs in both fluoroquinolone-susceptible and -resistant bacteria . The most likely cause of resistance is overexpression of NorA, giving rise to increased efflux . Recently, 2 efflux systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been proposed, MexA-MexB-OprK and MexC-MexD-OprM, conferring decreased susceptibility to fluoroquinolones, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and some beta-lactams.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Vet Res Commun, 1995, 19(4), 253 - 63
A detection assay for Campylobacter fetus in bovine semen by restriction analysis of PCR amplified DNA; Eaglesome MD et al.; A rapid screening assay for Campylobacter fetus in bull semen was developed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) to complement isolation by culture . An oligonucleotide primer pair (C1/C2) from the hypervariable region of 16S rRNA of C . fetus was used to amplify a 362 base pair fragment by PCR . The PCR/REA assay, which is completed in 10 hours, detected as few as three C . fetus subsp . venerealis cells in experimentally infected raw bull semen and in semen diluted with milk or egg yolk Tris (EYT) . All the strains tested, of both subspecies of C . fetus, were amplified, as were some other Campylobacter species . Restricting the amplified products by AluI differentiated C . fetus from the other organisms . There was no visible product generated by PCR from C . sputorum subsp . bubulus, a saprophytic organism found in the prepuce of bulls, or from seven other species of bacteria found in semen . A modification of the PCR assay, using another primer pair (C3/C2) and two temperature PCR cycling conditions, increased the probability of detecting C . fetus subsp . venerealis . PCR amplification followed by REA could be used to screen bovine semen rapidly for C . fetus . In most cases, sequencing of C1/C2 PCR generated products would be preferable for distinguishing between the two subspecies of C . fetus.

Scand J Infect Dis, 1995, 27(3), 207 - 10
Role of aeromonas isolated from feces of Finnish patients; Rautelin H et al.; Aeromonas species were isolated from 249/13,027 (1.9%) stool samples submitted to the Dept . of Bacteriology and Immunology, University of Helsinki, during 1 year, to be cultured for bacterial enteropathogens . Aeromonas was the third most common enteropathogen isolated, after campylobacter (3.6%) and salmonella (3.3%) . Isolates and clinical information from 234 Aeromonas patients were available for further study . A . caviae (41%), A . hydrophila (27%), and A . veronii biovar sobria (22%) were the most frequent isolates . In 15% of the patients, other enteropathogens were found along with aeromonas . Only 2% of all aeromonas-positive patients were found to be asymptomatic, whereas no aeromonas isolates were detected in the stools of 343 asymptomatic individuals . Almost all (96%) patients with aeromonas in their feces had gastroenteritis . Patients infected with A . veronii biovar sobria had a shorter illness course and had more often travelled abroad . In conclusion, Aeromonas spp . were found to be a potential cause of diarrhea in Finnish patients.

Acta Clin Belg, 1995, 50(5), 269 - 73
Infectious gastroenteritis: are they all the same?
Baert D, De Man M, Oosterbosch L, Duyck MC, Van der Spek P, Lepoutre L.
Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella spp are the most frequently cultured micro-organisms in infectious gastroenteritis among patients hospitalized at the departments of gastroenterology and geriatrics . As a whole, the hospitalized patient population with Campylobacter gastroenteritis is a younger one, compared to the Salmonella-infected group . Both pathogens can be associated with a biochemical pancreatitis, which is usually without clinical importance . However, serious complications can occur, with a predominance of visceritis for C . jejuni, and renal function impairment for Salmonella spp . Finally, an asymptomatic carrier state is well known in the Salmonella infection spectrum, whereas C . jejuni might cause a recurrent disease in some patients.

Microbiology, 1995 Jan, 141 ( Pt 1), 95 - 101
Variation of the flagellin gene locus of Campylobacter jejuni by recombination and horizontal gene transfer; Wassenaar TM et al.; The capacity of Campylobacter jejuni to generate genetic diversity was determined for its flagellar region . Recombination within a genome, as well as recombination after the uptake of exogenous DNA, could be demonstrated . The subunit of the flagellar filament of C . jejuni is encoded by two tandem genes, flaA and flaB, which are highly similar and therefore subject to recombination . A spontaneous recombination within this locus was demonstrated in a bacterial clone containing an antibiotic-resistance gene inserted in flaA . A recombinant was isolated in which the antibiotic-resistance gene had been repositioned into flaB, indicating that genetic information can be exchanged between the two flagellin genes of C . jejuni . The occurrence of recombinational events after the uptake of exogenous DNA by naturally competent bacteria was demonstrated with two mutants containing different antibiotic-resistance markers in their flagellin genes . Double-resistant transformants were formed when purified chromosomal donor DNA was added to a recipient strain, when the two bacterial cultures were mixed under conditions that induce natural competence, or when the two strains were cocultured . Both mechanisms of recombination may be used by the pathogenic organism to escape the immunological responses of the host or otherwise adapt to the environment.

Int J Syst Bacteriol, 1995 Jan, 45(1), 61 - 6
Campylobacter hyoilei sp . nov., associated with porcine proliferative enteritis; Alderton MR et al.; Campylobacter hyoilei sp . nov . is the name proposed for an organism formerly described as strain RMIT 32AT (T = type strain) and a group of similar bacteria isolated from intestinal lesions of pigs with proliferative enteritis . The phenotypic characteristics of these organisms indicated that they are closely related to each other and are not strains of other Campylobacter spp . commonly isolated from pigs . The results of probing of ClaI-, EcoRV-, or BglII-cleaved genomic DNAs from C . hyoilei strains with a radiolabeled DNA probe that distinguishes between Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli indicated that C . hyoilei and C . coli are closely related . However, the 16S rRNA sequence of the reference strain of C . hyoilei, RMIT 32AT, was four bases different from the 16S rRNA sequence of C . jejuni CCUG 11284T and five bases different from the 16S rRNA sequence of C . jejuni subsp . doylei CCUG 24567T, suggesting that C . hyoilei is more closely related to C . jejuni than to C . coli . Hybridization between DNA from C . hyoilei type strain RMIT 32A and DNAs from selected type and reference strains of other Campylobacter species and subspecies, including C . jejuni, C . jejuni subsp . doylei, C . coli, Campylobacter mucosalis, and Campylobacter hyointestinalis, as well as the other C . hyoilei strains (the RMIT 32AT-like isolates), revealed that high levels of DNA hybridization (> 70%) occurred only between the reference strain and other strains of C . hyoilei.

Int J Syst Bacteriol, 1995 Jan, 45(1), 145 - 52
Chemotaxonomic analyses of Bacteroides gracilis and Bacteroides ureolyticus and reclassification of B . gracilis as Campylobacter gracilis comb . nov; Vandamme P et al.; The cellular fatty acids, respiratory quinones, and proteins of the generically misnamed taxa Bacteroides gracilis and Bacteroides ureolyticus were analyzed and compared with the corresponding chemotaxonomic features of their closest relatives, the campylobacters . Our results and previously published data for genotypic and phenotypic characteristics were used in a polyphasic approach to reconsider the classification of these organisms . We transfer B . gracilis to the genus Campylobacter as Campylobacter gracilis comb . nov . B . ureolyticus can be considered a campylobacter on genotypic grounds; in contrast, the proteolytic metabolism and fatty acid components of this taxon exclude it from the genus Campylobacter . We prefer to consider this taxon a species incertae sedis pending the isolation and characterization of additional B . ureolyticus-like bacteria.

J Pediatr, 1995 Jan, 126(1), 55 - 7
Fisher syndrome after Campylobacter jejuni enteritis: human leukocyte antigen and the bacterial serotype; Yuki N et al.; We describe two children who had Fisher syndrome subsequent to Campylobacter jejuni enteritis . The C . jejuni isolates from both patients, who lived in different areas, belonged to PEN 2: LIO 4 . One patient had the following human leukocyte antigens (HLAs): HLA-A24, 33; B44, 52; DQ1; and DR2, 6 antigens . Another had the HLA-A24, 33; B44, 54; Cw1; DQ1, 4; and DR4, 6 . An effort should be made to isolate C . jejuni from patients with Fisher syndrome and to perform HLA typing so that the pathogenesis of this syndrome can be clarified.

Gastroenterology, 1995 Jan, 108(1), 65 - 74
Expression of interleukin 8 and CD54 by human gastric epithelium after Helicobacter pylori infection in vitro; Crowe SE et al.; BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori is associated with neutrophil infiltrates, although the mechanism of their recruitment is only partially defined . The aim of the study was to determine if Kato III, a human gastric epithelial cell line, expressed cytokines and the intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), which could contribute to the initiation of inflammation during infection with H . pylori . METHODS: Kato III cells were stimulated with H . pylori and were examined for evidence of infection, cytokine production, and the expression of ICAM-1 . RESULTS: The expression of interleukin 8 messenger RNA and immunoreactive protein by Kato III cells was significantly increased over constitutive levels within 3 hours of infection with H . pylori . Infected Kato III supernatants activated neutrophils as evidenced by increased CD11b/CD18 and decreased L-selectin that could be blocked by anti-interleukin 8 . In contrast, Campylobacter jejuni, lipopolysaccharide, killed H . pylori, and supernatants from cultures of H . pylori did not increase interleukin 8 . Interleukins 2 and 6; interferons alfa, beta, and gamma; and tumor necrosis factor were not produced by resting or H . pylori-stimulated Kato III cells . In addition to producing interleukin 8, Kato III constitutively expressed surface ICAM-1, which acts as an intercellular adhesion molecule for neutrophils . CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that H . pylori stimulates the gastric epithelium to initiate inflammation and neutrophil recruitment and activation.

Avian Dis, 1995 Jan-Mar, 39(1), 147 - 51
Incidence of campylobacters in the intestine of avian species in Alabama; Oyarzabal OA et al.; Avian species necropsied at the C . S . Roberts Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Auburn, Alabama, from December 1993 until May 1994 were examined for the incidence of intestinal campylobacters . Ninety-one intestinal swabs, representing 66 separate cases and 17 different avian species, were collected and placed into Cary-Blair transport medium . Selective enrichment and culture media were used for initial isolation of Campylobacter spp . Presumptive colonies were identified as Campylobacter spp . by phase-contrast microscopy and Gram stain, and they were confirmed by serological latex agglutination . Campylobacter spp . were isolated in 18 (19.7%) of the 66 cases . From the remainder of the cases, 13 (15%) yielded presumptive colonies on Campy-Cefex agar; however, they were not confirmed serologically as Campylobacter spp . Use of Cary-Blair transport medium held in refrigeration for up to 24 days did not hinder the determination of campylobacters in intestinal samples . A variety of avian species, including chicken, emu, hawk, ostrich, and parrot, harbored commensal campylobacters and therefore should be considered potential reservoirs.

J Antimicrob Chemother, 1995 Jan, 35(1), 173 - 8
Incidence and transmission of antibiotic resistance in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli; Velazquez JB et al.; One-hundred and two Campylobacter clinical isolates were characterized for their in-vitro resistance to erythromycin (1.9%), three fluoroquinolones (31.3-34.3%), tetracycline (43.1%), kanamycin (4.8%), ampicillin (18.6%) and other 16 antimicrobial agents . Conjugative transfer of tetracycline and kanamycin resistances among these strains was achieved and small plasmids of 4.3, 4 and 1.9 kb were observed in kanamycin-resistant Campylobacter coli strains.

Wien Klin Wochenschr, 1995, 107(8), 242 - 5
{Infections caused by Campylobacter jejuni in the pediatric department of the Leoben district hospital 1983-1993}; Moser R et al.; Over the period 1983-1993 10,344 stool cultures were undertaken in children with gastrointestinal symptoms at the pediatric department of the Landeskrankenhaus Leoben . Campylobacter jejuni was diagnosed as pathogen in 238 cultures taken from 196 patients aged one month to 16 years . Thus, Campylobacter jejuni infections (2.3% of all stool cultures) were second in frequency to various forms of salmonella (6.1% of all stool cultures; 332 patients) . Apart from diarrhea (92% of cases), the most frequent clinical features were fever exceeding 38 degrees C (61%), abdominal pain (58%), blood in the stools (48%) and vomiting (34%) . Treatment was based on appropriate diet . Fluid replacement with glucose-electrolyte infusions was required in 24% of the patients and erythromycin was administered orally in 30% of cases.

Res Microbiol, 1995 Jan, 146(1), 85 - 97
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of pathogenic microorganisms in bacteriological monitoring of dairy products; Allmann M et al.; The presence of pathogenic bacteria poses a serious problem in sustaining the safety of dairy products . Microbiological routine controls of these products make use of selective culture techniques . To detect pathogenic species, isolated colonies are characterized by specific metabolic activities and by serotyping . We present an alternative biochemical approach that does not require culture of bacteria . The total bacterial populations of food samples were isolated by centrifugation and analysed by PCRs specific for pathogenic species . A total of 90 raw milk samples and dairy products made from raw milk were screened by this method for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, enterotoxigenic E . coli, Campylobacter jejuni and C . coli . Detection rates were 12/90 (13%) for L . monocytogenes, 41/90 (46%) for E . coli, 18/90 (20%) for enterotoxigenic E . coli producing heat-labile toxin type I or heat-stable toxin type I, and 6/90 (7%) for C . jejuni or C . coli . Except for the use of different amplification primers, this approach is identical for any bacterial species to be detected . Direct PCR analysis of food samples offers rapid screening for the presence of specific bacteria and enables selection of critical samples prior to culture.

Z Rheumatol, 1995 Jan-Feb, 54(1), 16 - 25
{Value of antigen, antibody and pathogen-specific lymphocyte detection in diagnosis of pathogen-induced arthritis}; Hermann E et al.; In the differential diagnosis of infection-related arthritis (infectious arthritis, viral arthritis, reactive arthritis or Reiter's syndrome, Lyme disease) various laboratory methods are applied for the detection of the inciting antigen, specific antibodies or microbe-specific T-lymphocytes . In infectious (septic) bacterial or fungal arthritis, the definitive diagnosis can be made only by recovering the organism from the synovial fluid or membrane . Also, in reactive arthritis following extraarticular infection with Yersinia, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, or Chlamydia, one of the major shifts in perception of disease pathogenesis has been the detection of bacterial determinants by immunological methods and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) actually within the joint . In sexually acquired reactive arthritis, the etiologic diagnosis should be based on the direct detection of the pathogen (mainly C . trachomatis) from the urogenital smear specimen . For clinical routine, serological tests for bacteria specific antibodies (IgM and IgA class) are often necessary to show recent or persistent infection with the triggering pathogen . However, a cautionary note regarding the diagnostic significance of antibacterial antibody profiles has been sounded in several studies because of the high prevalence of bacteria-specific antibodies in the healthy population . The same problem may arise in the interpretation of virus-specific antibodies in the differential diagnosis of acute polyarthritis . Antigen-specific proliferation of synovial fluid lymphocytes can confirm the clinical diagnosis in patients with reactive arthritis and Lyme disease, although unspecific proliferation to several bacteria can also be observed in reactive arthritis as well as in many other arthritis.

J Periodontal Res, 1995 Jan, 30(1), 66 - 72
Predominant microflora of severe, moderate and minimal periodontal lesions in young adults with rapidly progressive periodontitis; Kamma JJ et al.; The purpose of this investigation was to study the microflora of severe, moderate and minimal periodontal lesions, in young adults with rapidly progressive periodontitis (RPP) . Subgingival plaque samples were taken from 142 periodontal lesions in 10 young adults aging 25 to 35 years . The examination of the subgingival microflora indicated that certain species, including Porphyromonas gingivalis, Bacteroides forsythus, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, and Campylobacter species were found to be predominant in severe periodontal lesions . B . forsythus, P . gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, F . nucleatum, Capnocytophaga ochracea, were predominant in medium lesions while Streptococcus species and Actinomyces species, C . ochracea, Haemophilus segnis and Veillonella parvula, were found in higher levels in minimal periodontal lesions.

Arch Med Res, 1995 Spring, 26(1), 23 - 9
Inappropriate treatment in children with bloody diarrhea: clinical and microbiological studies; Torres J et al.; It is suggested that in dysentery physicians should treat empirically, as early treatment seems to improve outcome . A constantly updated knowledge of the relative frequency of enteropathogens and their sensitivity to antimicrobials is needed to choose the right therapy . We studied microbiological and clinical findings in 119 children with bloody diarrhea in Mexico City . Patients were divided into those < 1 year (infants) and those 1-5 years (children) . Shigella was more frequent in children (35%) than in infants (10%) . Campylobacter was more common in infants (29%) than in children (12%); Salmonella more frequent in infants (22%) than in children (8%); cytotoxic E . coli (EHEC) more frequent in children (20%) than in infants (13%) . No cases of amebiasis were identified . Fever was the most sensitive indicator of infection for Shigella (70%), as compared for Salmonella (50%), Campylobacter (42%) and EHEC (36%); whereas specificity was about 50% for all pathogens . In contrast, the absence of fever was 80% predictive for the absence of these pathogens . In children with dysentery, the specific etiology cannot be predicted in the absence of culture . Almost 50% of the Shigella, Salmonella and EHEC isolates were resistant to ampicillin . In our community, the use of ampicillin and metronidazole should be discouraged.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1995 Jan, 39(1), 107 - 11
Nucleotide sequence of the gyrA gene and characterization of ciprofloxacin-resistant mutants of Helicobacter pylori; Moore RA et al.; PCR was used to amplify a 238-bp region from Helicobacter pylori which corresponded to the quinolone resistance-determining region in Escherichia coli . The gyrA gene of H . pylori was cloned and sequenced . An open reading frame of 2,478 nucleotides coded for a polypeptide of 826 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 92,508 Da . The amino acid sequence showed an overall 52% identity with other bacterial gyrA genes but was most closely related to the gyrA subunit of Campylobacter jejuni (76.5% identity) . Sequencing of the amplification product from ciprofloxacin-resistant mutants of H . pylori revealed four classes of mutations with substitutions at amino acid 87 (Asn-->Lys), amino acid 88 (Ala-->Val), and amino acid 91 (Asp-->Gly, -->Asn, or -->Tyr) and a double substitution at amino acids 91 and 97 (Ala-->Val) . Ciprofloxacin-susceptible strains of H . pylori could be transformed to ciprofloxacin resistance by using the amplified fragment from resistant strains as donor DNA . Of the 11 ciprofloxacin-resistant mutants examined, only one did not have an alteration within the quinolone resistance-determining region, suggesting that, in H . pylori, resistance to quinolones is primarily a result of alterations in gyrA.

Lijec Vjesn, 1995 Jan-Feb, 117(1-2), 39 - 46
{The complement fixation reaction: a traditional, updated method for the detection of antibodies in the diagnosis of infections}; Jung M et al.; Complement-fixation (CF) is still an important basic serologic test for the diagnosis of infectious diseases . In several areas of microbiology (viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal) it has served as a reference standard against which other methods have been compared . Its partial displacement by other techniques, as advocated in some recent literature, is often unfounded and uncritical; displacement is mostly due not to problems inherent in the method, but rather to the lack of reagents of satisfactory quality . The CF technique has been greatly improved in recent years . Improvements include the replacement of reaction tubes with microtiter 96-well plate systems, the availability of semi-automated and automated pipetting devices, the wide range of commercially offered antigens (over 60, by far larger than the range of antigens available for other test systems), an extreme stability of freeze-dried reagents with shelf-lives over decades and, last but not least, low reagent costs (particularly if compared with some other methods) . For some diseases CF is still the method of choice (Campylobacter jejuni, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Influenza A and B and some other respiratory viruses) . CF has been recognized as a confirmatory test for Lyme disease (B . burgdorferi) and, probably, for Legionellosis . It has been used routinely for the follow-up of antibiotic treatment in syphilis and, recently, in Helicobacter pylori infections . A positive CF result is also indicative for the treatment of complications in Entamoeba histolytica carriers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Nippon Saikingaku Zasshi, 1995, 50(2), 547 - 50
{Comparison by SES-PAGE of molecular weights of lipopolysaccharides from Campylobacter jejuni Lior serotype reference strains and clinical isolates}; Amano K et al.; To compare the molecular weights (MWs) of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) from 30 Lior serotype reference strains and 17 clinical isolates of Campylobacter jejuni, we analyzed their migration rates by SDS-PAGE and the silver staining of the gel . LPSs from the serotype strains showed one band in the low-molecular-weight region of the gel as did those from R mutants of enterobacteria . Based on those from Salmonella minnesota R mutants, MWs of LPSs from C . jejuni strains were calculated to fall within a range of 3900 to 5300 . Furthermore, in comparison of MWs of LPSs from the clinical isolates with those from the same serotype reference strains, six out of eight serotypes did not coincide each other . These results indicate that the Lior method is unrelated with the Penner method in the serotyping of C . jejuni.

Cytobios, 1995, 82(329), 73 - 9
Detection of genomic variability among isolates of Campylobacter jejuni from chickens by crossed-field gel electrophoresis; Matsuda M et al.; Digestion with Sal I facilitated the subclassification of 41 strains of Campylobacter jejuni into seven types, and digestion with Sma I enabled subclassification into twelve types . Sma I was potentially more useful for the detection of variability among the 41 strains, but both restriction enzymes seemed to be potentially useful for detecting variability among crossed-field gel electrophoresis profiles of the strains . The results clearly demonstrated that C . jejuni strains from different sources and with different routes of transmission had invaded the three farms investigated . At farms Sa and Ai, approximately 70% (23 strains) of isolates of C . jejuni (33 strains) were subclassified into the two major genotypes (I and II) on the basis of cleavage profiles with both Sal I and Sma I . These two major genotypes appeared to have invaded, expanded in and occupied the two chicken farms . All nine strains from farm Ai belonged genotype I.

Med Tr Prom Ekol, 1995, (6), 13 - 5
{Morphological changes in the gastric mucosa in workers with chronic mercury poisoning}; Alymbaeva DB et al.; The authors studied morphologic changes in gastric lining of patients facing chronic mercuric intoxication . The examinees are former burners at metallurgic plant of Khaidarkansk mercuric enterprise . The patients demonstrated significant destruction of the superficial epithelial cells and the accumulation of Campylobacter piloridis . The parietal and zymogen cells appeared to have depressed functional activities . The cells in gastric antrum had ultrastructure characterized by vacuoles with dense filaments which could be a morphologic marker of mercuric intoxication.

Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, 1995, 67(4), 377 - 83
Analysis of flagellin gene expression in flagellar phase variants of Campylobacter jejuni 81116; Nuijten PJ et al.; Flagella production in Campylobacter jejuni 81116 is subject to phase variation; the bacterium is able to switch its flagellum synthesis, and thereby its motility, on and off . Under standard laboratory growth conditions flagellar phase variants can be maintained as stable, pure cultures . We found conditions that efficiently induced a phase shift in vitro . The flaA gene but not the flaB gene is subject to the on and off switch . Minor amounts of FlaB are still present in aflagellate cells . We previously showed that flagellin gene expression in phase variants was regulated at the transcriptional level . Here, sequence data prove that abolishment of flaA transcription is not caused by DNA rearrangements or mutations within the flagellin locus . Since flaA is preceded by a typical sigma 28 promoter a C . jejuni sigma 28 homolog could play a role in regulation of flaA gene expression but such a gene or protein could not be detected . However, in vitro transcription could be detected using sigma 28-holoenzyme preparations from Bacillus subtilis . Possible regulatory mechanisms that may control flagellar phase variation in Campylobacter are discussed.

Vaccine, 1995 Jan, 13(1), 22 - 8
Safety and immunogenicity of a prototype oral whole-cell killed Campylobacter vaccine administered with a mucosal adjuvant in non-human primates; Baqar S et al.; The safety and immunogenicity of two prototype oral Campylobacter killed whole-cell (CWC) vaccines were tested in rhesus monkeys . Animals were immunized with a primary two-dose series (days 0 and 14) of vaccine consisting of CWC (10(10) particles/dose) given alone or in combination with 0.5-1000 micrograms of the heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli as an oral adjuvant (OA) . A booster vaccination, 4 weeks after primary immunization, was given to animals receiving CWC alone or supplemented with 0.5, 5 or 50 micrograms of OA . Both CWC and CWC-OA were well tolerated, with no adverse side-effects noted . Campylobacter-specific as well as adjuvant-specific antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) were determined in peripheral blood collected 7 days after each vaccine dose . Campylobacter-specific IgA ASC responses were enhanced by OA in a dose-dependent manner (p = 0.025), while IgG ASC responses were not . Seroconversions (both IgA and IgG) to Campylobacter antigens were also enhanced in monkeys receiving adjuvanted vaccine . No significant booster vaccination effect was observed in circulating ASCs in any of the immunization groups . In vitro T-cell proliferative responses to Campylobacter jejuni antigens were somewhat enhanced in both the CWC and CWC-OA immunization groups . These results demonstrate that CWC-OA is safe and superior to CWC alone in its ability to stimulate both local and systemic Campylobacter-specific IgA and IgG responses in primates and they support its further evaluation in human clinical studies.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1994 Dec 15, 124(3), 381 - 5
Impairment of Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity following enterotoxigenic Campylobacter jejuni infection: changes in Na+, Cl- and 3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport in vitro, in rat ileum; Kanwar RK et al.; Unidirectional fluxes of Na+, Cl- and 3-O-methyl-D-glucose (3-MG) were measured in vitro across Campylobacter jejuni live culture-infected and control rat ileal short-circuited tissues by the Ussing Chamber technique . Net secretion of Na+ and enhanced secretion of Cl- ions was observed in the infected animals (P < 0.001, n = 6) as compared to the net absorption of Na+ and marginal secretion of Cl- ions in the control animals . There was a significant decrease in the mucosal-to-serosal fluxes of 3-MG in C . jejuni-infected rat ileum . The specific Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity when measured biochemically in the membrane-rich fraction of enterocytes was found to be significantly lower (58%) in the infected group as compared to the control group (P < 0.001) . Our results therefore suggest that infection with an enterotoxigenic C . jejuni inhibits the Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in rat enterocytes . The impairment of Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity thus appears to induce a secondary change in Na+,Cl- and 3-MG transport in vitro in rat ileum.

Presse Med, 1994 Dec 3, 23(38), 1762 - 6
{Macrolides . New therapeutic prospects}; Bryskier A et al.; The aim of the development of semisynthetic derivatives was to overcome the problem of chemical stability of erythromycin A in acid medium, with less variability in gastro-intestinal absorption and leading to renewed interest in macrolides . The new macrolides have the same antibacterial spectrum as erythromycin A including Gram-positive and Gram-negative cocci, intracellular bacteria, mycoplasma, Campylobacter sp., Helicobacter pylori, mycobacteria spp., Gram-negative bacilli including Haemophilus influenzae, Bordetella pertussis, Pasteurella multocida, Gram-positive bacilli including Corynebacterium diphtheriae and anaerobic species . In vitro activity against Haemophilus influenzae is still a controversial subject . Macrolides are among the best tolerated antibacterial agents . Theoretically, macrolides could be given to a large range of patients even those suffering from underlying diseases . The new macrolides, roxithromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, dirithromycin, rokitamycin and miokamycin, are indicated for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections and lower respiratory tract infections due to intracellular bacteria or Mycoplasma pneumoniae . Macrolides could be used as first line therapy for non-gonococcal urethritis, especially those due to Chlamydia trachomatis or Ureaplasma urealyticum . In pelvic inflammatory infections in which Chlamydia trachomatis is involved macrolides could also be used . Other non-conventional indications under discussion are H . pylori and Lyme's disease . Macrolides in combination with other antibacterials could be an alternative for Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare infections . The antiparasite effect of erythromycin has been known since the 1950s . Extensive experimental work is currently underway to determine the potential use of these drugs in this setting . Research during the 80s in the macrolide field, led to enhanced pharmacokinetic properties . Current research is focused on expanding the antibacterial spectrum and to overcome cross-resistance among 14-membered-ring macrolides.

Arch Latinoam Nutr, 1994 Dec, 44(4), 232 - 41
{Ecological and food safety considerations about products of vegetable origin}; Tapia de Daza MS et al.; Media have paid much attention in recent years to emerging microbiological problems in foods of plant origin . The potential for contamination of fruits and vegetables is high because of the wide variety of conditions to which produce is exposed during growth, harvest, processing and distribution . These considerations acquire great significance in the current scenario of the new processing techniques that offer attributes of convenience and fresh-likeness in response to changes in consumption patterns and increased demand of fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables . Thus, reliance on low temperature storage and on improved packaging materials/techniques have increased . Even if produce had not been considered a major vector for foodborne diseases, technologies that extend shelf-life by decreasing the rate of product deterioration might increase the risks associated with pathogenic microorganisms, especially of psychotropic nature, by allowing sufficient time for their growth when retarding the development of competitive spoilage organisms . Processing steps that modify the food microenvironment open new possibilities to support pathogens that, for ecological reason, would have never been naturally present in produce . Ecological and safety aspects related to fruits and vegetables as well as foodborne disease outbreaks traceable to produce and reportedly due to Salmonella and Shigella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium botulinum, Aeromonas hydrophila, Campylobacter jejuni are reviewed.

Epidemiol Infect, 1994 Dec, 113(3), 435 - 44
Flies and water as reservoirs for bacterial enteropathogens in urban and rural areas in and around Lahore, Pakistan; Khalil K et al.; The study was conducted to isolate and characterize campylobacter, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-labile toxin (ETEC-LT), shigella and salmonella in flies and water . The material for the study, flies (n = 300) and water samples (n = 148), was collected from different localities in and around Lahore, Pakistan . Cultivation of the samples was performed on conventional standard media . Membrane filtration technique was used for water prior to culture . Determination of ETEC-LT was done by GM1 ELISA . Results of our study showed that flies and water were reservoirs for all the four pathogens, campylobacter, ETEC-LT, shigella and salmonella . Flies from the village were carrying fewer enteropathogens, while water from the village was found to be more contaminated as compared to the city . Campylobacter and ETEC-LT were the most frequently isolated pathogens in both flies and water . Thus the incidence of diarrhoeal disease in children of developing countries may be decreased by providing plenty of safe drinking water, improving excreta disposal, toilet facilities and giving education in personal hygiene.

AIDS, 1994 Dec, 8(12), 1639 - 48
Diagnostic strategies in HIV-infected patients with diarrhea; Mayer HB et al.; PIP: Infectious disease specialists have proposed guidelines on diagnostic evaluation of HIV infected patients with diarrhea . They are based on using clues from a careful history, physical examination, and evaluation of known laboratory data . Early on, clinicians must differentiate between small and large bowel diarrhea to properly evaluate any patient with diarrhea . If available, they should use the patient's absolute CD4 count, duration of diarrhea, frequency and characteristics of stools, degree of weight loss, and exposure history (e.g., residence and water supply) . When conducting the patient history, clinicians should ask about recent antibiotic or antiretroviral use, previous opportunistic infections, and other illnesses or hospitalizations . The physical exam should include height and weight, orthostatic blood pressure, and degree of wasting . Abnormalities of skin and mucous membrane may indicate nutrient deficiencies (e.g., vitamin B deficiency = stomatitis) . The disease specialists provide us with an algorithm to the diagnostic evaluation of HIV infected patients with diarrhea using the CD4 cell count and the type of diarrhea (small or large bowel) as the defining factors . For example, clinicians should request stool cultures for Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Yersinia and examination with saline and iodine for the presence of ova and parasites for patients with CD4 counts greater than 200 cells x 1 million/l and small bowel diarrhea . If the patient also has a fever, blood cultures should be done to test for Salmonella . If all these tests are negative and the patient still has symptoms, modified acid-fast staining should be done to look for cryptosporidium oocysts . If this test is negative and symptoms continue, upper endoscopy with biopsy is warranted . This strategy should result in a less time-consuming and more directed diagnostic strategy that may improve quality of life .

J Clin Microbiol, 1994 Dec, 32(12), 3093 - 4
Abortion associated with Campylobacter upsaliensis; Gurgan T et al.; Campylobacter upsaliensis was isolated from the blood and fetoplacental material of an 18-week-pregnant woman who had contact with a household cat . We believe this is the first report of abortion associated with C . upsaliensis infection.

J Clin Microbiol, 1994 Dec, 32(12), 3037 - 9
Helicobacter sp . strain Mainz isolated from an AIDS patient with septic arthritis: case report and nonradioactive analysis of 16S rRNA sequence; Husmann M et al.; A campylobacter-like organism was isolated from an effusion of the left knee joint of an AIDS patient 2 weeks after bacteremia with a morphologically identical organism . Amplified genomic 16S rRNA sequences were analyzed by a nonradioactive blotting technique . The closest match was found with Helicobacter fenelliae (97.7% homology) . Sequence data and phenotype suggest that the isolate may represent a so far unrecognized species of the genus Helicobacter.

Oral Microbiol Immunol, 1994 Dec, 9(6), 327 - 34
The gingival immune response to periodontal pathogens in juvenile periodontitis; Hall ER et al.; A gingival explant culture system was utilized to evaluate the reactivity of local immunoglobulins produced by juvenile periodontitis tissue . Gingival explant culture supernatant fluids were screened, via a standardized dot-immunobinding assay, for antibodies reactive to: Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Campylobacter rectus, Eikenella corrodens, Peptostreptococcus micros, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius, Capnocytophaga ochracea, Eubacterium nodatum and Fusobacterium nucleatum and one nonoral microorganism, Porphyromonas asaccharolytica . Of the 75 juvenile periodontitis supernatant fluids tested, the organisms that reacted with the highest numbers of supernatant fluids were E . nodatum (72%) and A . actinomycetemcomitans (49%) . More juvenile periodontitis than healthy tissue samples showed supernatant fluid reactivity to P . intermedia, C . ochracea, E . nodatum and P . micros . No significant difference was observed between the juvenile periodontitis group supernatant fluids reactivity and the supernatant fluids of the other periodontal disease groups tested . Cluster analysis revealed the association, as determined by supernatant fluid reactivity, of P . micros and C . ochracea in the juvenile periodontitis group . The data from this investigation are consistent with a hypothesis of multiple possible etiologies of periodontal destruction in juvenile periodontitis and other forms of periodontal diseases.

Rinsho Byori, 1994 Dec, 42(12), 1294 - 8
{Detection of Campylobacter species by using polymerase chain reaction and nonradioactive DNA probes . III . DNA probe for identification of C . laridis}; Yamashita K et al.; The development of a rapid and specific DNA probe assay for identification of Campylobacter species, including C . jejuni, C . coli, C . laridis, C . fetus, and C . hyointestinalis is important in determining the precise diagnosis of Campylobacter infections . Sequence data of our previous studies for a 240-base DNA fragment was used to select primers and probes conjugated to alkaline phosphatase, complementary to a portion of DNA between primers . However, a 21-base probe (CL (1)) tested here for detection of C . laridis was cross-reactive with PCR-amplified fragments of C . jejuni, C . coli and C . hyointestinalis, although it was not reactive with C . fetus and C . fetus subsp . fetus . To solve this problem, further modifications of the probe were therefore made to improve the specificity for those particular species . A second 21-base probe with a single base-substitution (CL (2)) and a third 20-base probe (CL(3)) were ineffective for identification of C . laridis, too . A fourth 20-base probe with a single base substitution (CL(4)) was a significant improvement over the results obtained by other three probes specifically to detect C . laridis, Thus, the alkaline phosphatase-labeled probe method developed so far is an interesting alternative without access to radioisotopes for clinical laboratories for identification of Campylobacter species, including C . jejuni/coli/hyointestinalis, C . laridis, and C . fetus/fetus subsp . fetus.

J Trop Pediatr, 1994 Dec, 40(6), 351 - 4
Infectious agents causing acute watery diarrhoea in infants and young children in Bangladesh and their public health implications; Hoque SS et al.; We studied the age specific distribution of enteropathogens in young children presenting at a large diarrhoeal diseases hospital in urban Bangladesh . A 5 per cent systematic sample was used to examine 1207 rectal swab specimens of children aged 1-35 months with acute watery diarrhoea . Variation in isolation rates of enteropathogens was observed in different age groups . Overall rotavirus (26 per cent) and Campylobacter (26 per cent) were the most common pathogens followed by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (15 per cent), Vibrio cholerae 01 (7 per cent), other Vibrios (9 per cent), Shigella (4 per cent), and Salmonella (< 1 per cent) . In early infancy (1-5 months) more rectal swab specimens did not yield any enteropathogen compared to older children of 24-35 months old (44 v . 30 per cent) . Rotavirus was most frequently detected (35 per cent) in children between 6 and 11 months old . Attendance of cholera cases at the hospital was alarmingly high in the third year of life (29 per cent) . The study provided useful information that, in general, children under 2 years are predominantly infected with agents {rotavirus, Campylobacter, and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC)} for which antibiotic therapy is not usually indicated . These patients can be managed effectively with oral rehydration therapy and proper feeding . Knowledge of pathogens associated with more severe forms of diarrhoea may help in optimizing strategies for vaccination when suitable vaccines are available against enteric infections.

Neth J Med, 1994 Dec, 45(6), 250 - 6
Agammaglobulinaemia; van der Meer JW et al.; Agammaglobulinaemia is the most common of the primary immunodeficiencies . Three major types can be distinguished: X-linked agammaglobulinaemia, early-onset agammaglobulinaemia and late-onset agammaglobulinaemia . In X-linked agammaglobulinaemia, the molecular defect has been elucidated, and genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis and carrier detection have become important issues . The pathogenesis of early- and late-onset agammaglobulinaemia is heterogeneous and usually not within the B-cell lineage . Patients with agammaglobulinaemia mainly suffer from infections caused by pneumococci or encapsulated Haemophilus influenzae located in the respiratory tract, paranasal sinuses, ears and meninges . Other prominent infections are Campylobacter jejuni bacteraemia and Giardia lamblia infection of the intestine . Among the more rare infections are those caused by Ureaplasma and Mycoplasma hominis . There is quite a number of non-infectious abnormalities which bother agammaglobulinaemic patients, especially those with late-onset agammaglobulinaemia . Of these, gastric carcinoma and intestinal lymphoma in late-onset agammaglobulinaemia and colorectal cancer in X-linked agammaglobulinaemia are the most dramatic . Life-threatening bacterial infections can largely be prevented by immunoglobulin substitution, even at relatively low dosages . However, insufficient immunoglobulin substitution is associated with recurrent airway infection and cumulative damage to the respiratory tract . for adequate substitution, efficacieous and safe intravenous immunoglobulin preparations are available . For selected patients (children, adults with poor venous access, and those experiencing side-effects on intravenous immunoglobulin), 16% immunoglobulin can be given by the subcutaneous route . With optimal substitution and--in the case of infection--adequate antimicrobial treatment, these patients have a good prognosis.

J Appl Bacteriol, 1994 Dec, 77(6), 694 - 701
Identification of Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli and campylobacter lari by the nucleic acid amplification system NASBAR; Uyttendaele M et al.; NASBAR, an isothermal amplification technique for nucleic acids, was evaluated for the specific identification of Campylobacter jejuni, Camp . coli and Camp . lari . A set of primers and a probe were chosen from the 16S rRNA sequence of Campylobacter . The probe was hybridized in solution with the amplified nucleic acids of 12 Campylobacter species and nine other Gram-negative bacteria . The probe was shown to hybridize specifically to the amplified single-stranded RNA of Camp . jejuni, Camp . coli and Camp . lari in an enzyme-linked gel assay (ELGA) . In a Camp . jejuni model system the combination of NASBAR and ELGA was able to detect ca 1000 rRNA molecules . The presence of an excess of Gram-negative bacteria did not influence the sensitivity of detection . A number of 6 cfu of Camp . jejuni, present in a total count of 4 x 10(6) cfu of Gram-negative bacteria, resulted in a positive hybridization signal.

J Appl Bacteriol, 1994 Dec, 77(6), 666 - 73
Oxygen tolerance estimates in Campylobacter species depend on the testing medium; Hodge JP et al.; Oxygen tolerance of the microaerophile Campylobacter jejuni subsp . jejuni varied with different brands of complex media which were used for plating the dilute cell suspensions . The tryptone component was one factor . With some tryptones growth occurred at 21% oxygen whereas with others there was no growth at oxygen levels of 15% or higher . A chemically-defined, agar-solidified plating medium was used to estimate the oxygen tolerance of Camp . jejuni subsp . jejuni, Camp . coli and Camp . fetus subsp . fetus, and also to assess the effect of added scavengers of reactive oxygen intermediates on the oxygen tolerance . Some scavengers such as allopurinol, azelaic acid, caffeine, cimetidine, TEMPOL and pyruvate enhanced oxygen tolerance markedly whereas others such as carnosine, dimethyl thiourea, spermidine and superoxide dismutase had little effect.

Biologicals, 1994 Dec, 22(4), 353 - 60
Control testing of combined vaccines: a consideration of potential problems and approaches; Corbel MJ; Vaccines comprising combinations of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) components with Haemophilus influenzae b polysaccharide--protein conjugates (DTP-Hib) are now available . Combinations of DTP-Hib with additional components such as inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine, hepatitis B vaccine, meningococcal and pneumococcal polysaccharide-protein conjugates are under development . Other combinations, such as Hib vaccine with meningococcal A, B and C components and possibly pneumococcal conjugates, or non-capsulated Haemophilus components combined with pneumococcal conjugates, developed against bacterial meningitis and otitis media respectively, are of potential interest . Combination vaccines against enteric infections and including potentially cholera, typhoid, ETEC, Shigella, rotavirus and possibly Campylobacter and Helicobacter components, may become available in the longer term . The control of these combinations is likely to be based on pharmacopoeial requirements for the individual components . However, the evaluation of combinations may not be straightforward and the interaction of the components with each other may influence reactogenicity, immunogenicity and stability and will complicate laboratory control tests . Indications of this have already arisen with some DTP-Hib combinations but are likely to increase as additional components are added . For example, the use of diphtheria and tetanus proteins as carriers for multiple polysaccharide conjugates may lead to excessive antitoxin production and epitope suppression of anti-polysaccharide responses . Other problems may result from competition for binding sites on adjuvant molecules . The requirements for new vaccine combinations need to be considered carefully and should not be made solely on assumptions based on the properties of individual components.

J Diarrhoeal Dis Res, 1994 Dec, 12(4), 270 - 3
Antimicrobial susceptibility and plasmid analysis of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from diarrhoeal patients and healthy chickens in northern India; Prasad KN et al.; Seventy-five strains of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from humans with diarrhoea (45 strains) and healthy chickens (30 strains) were tested for their susceptibility to different antimicrobial agents: ampicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, gentamicin, kanamycin, furazolidine and quinolones (nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin) . The frequencies of resistance to ampicillin and tetracycline were 16 and 9.3% respectively . Two strains (2.7%) exhibited resistance to quinolones as mentioned . One strain (1.3%) was resistant to erythromycin, and both ampicillin plus tetracycline . One strain (1.3%) exhibited resistance to multi-drugs (ampicillin, tetracycline and erythromycin) . Resistance to ampicillin was higher in human strain (22.2%) compared to chickens (6.7%) . On the contrary, the frequency of resistance to tetracycline was higher in chicken strains (13.3%) than in human (6.7%) . All the ampicillin-resistant strains produced beta-lactamase . None of the ampicillin, erythromycin and quinolone-resistant strains contained any plasmid but all the tetracycline-resistant strains contained 23 kilobase (kb) plasmid which could be transferred to an ampicillin-resistant C . jejuni strain . This study thus shows that ampicillin and tetracycline resistance in C . jejuni are common in northern India . Ampicillin resistance is chromosomally determined but tetracycline resistance is mediated through 23 kb plasmid.

Zentralbl Hyg Umweltmed, 1994 Dec, 196(4), 327 - 37
Risk factors for Campylobacter enteritis in Switzerland; Schorr D et al.; From February to December 1991, 167 sporadic cases of Campylobacter enteritis in Switzerland and 282 controls were enrolled in a case-control study using self-administered questionnaires . In the multivariate matched analysis, travel abroad was identified as the most important risk factor for an infection with Campylobacter (adjusted odds ratio {OR} = 21.2, 95% confidence interval {CI}7.6-56.2) . Having foreign citizenship also increased the risk (OR = 6.7, 95% CI 1.3-34.5) . Among food items consumed within five days before onset of illness, consumption of poultry liver was shown to be a risk factor (OR = 5.7, 95% CI 1.4-22.8), while the consumption of curd or cottage cheese lowered the risk (OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.9) . The unmatched analysis confirmed travel abroad and the consumption of poultry liver as risk factors and the consumption of curd or cottage cheese as being protective, and, in addition, identified the consumption of poultry as a risk factor (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.1-3.3) . The study showed the feasibility of using self-administered questionnaires for this type of analysis . The method is logistically simple and reduces the cost of case-control studies.

Vet Q, 1994 Dec, 16(4), 206 - 8
In vitro susceptibility of Campylobacter and Salmonella isolates from broilers to quinolones, ampicillin, tetracycline, and erythromycin; Jacobs-Reitsma WF et al.; Recently, an increased resistance of Campylobacter to fluoroquinolones, a newer class of antimicrobial agents in both human and veterinary medicine, has been reported . Campylobacter isolates (617) from 150 broiler flocks were tested for their susceptibility to cephalothin (control), ampicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, and the quinolones nalidixic acid, flumequine, enrofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin by a disc diffusion method . Almost complete cross-resistance was found between the quinolones tested . Campylobacter isolates (181, 29%), originating from 55 flocks (37%), were quinolone resistant . Salmonella isolates (94) from 40 flocks were also tested for their antimicrobial susceptibility . Eight isolates (8.5%), from three broiler flocks (7.5%), showed resistance to nalidixic acid and flumequine (and tetracycline), but not to ciprofloxacin or enrofloxacin.

Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 1994 Dec, 6 Suppl 1, S93 - 6
Helicobacter pylori infection in gastric carcinoma; Kato T et al.; PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to compare the pathoclinical findings in gastric adenocarcinoma with serum IgG antibody to Helicobacter pylori . MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined 185 patients with histologically established gastric cancer . The presence of immunoglobulin (Ig)G antibody in the high molecular cell-associated antigen of H . pylori was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay . Pepsinogens I and II were measured by radioimmunoassay . The distribution of H . pylori on the gastric mucosa was assessed by the Campylobacter-like organism test and phenol red dye spraying . RESULTS: H . pylori IgG antibody was detected in 93.1% of patients with gastric cancer (mean age 61.7 years), 94.3% of patients with early gastric cancer and 91.2% with advanced gastric cancer . No statistical difference in serology was observed between type of gastric cancer, depth of cancer invasion, tumor size or histology . Only in patients with diffuse-type cancer of the cardia was there a lower percentage of positive results (80.0%) . The ratio of pepsinogen I to pepsinogen II was higher in the patients who exhibited no H . pylori antibodies . CONCLUSIONS: H . pylori antibodies were common in patients with gastric cancer, and were not correlated with histological type nor stage of cancer . In the Niigata district, a higher percentage of patients with gastric carcinoma displayed H . pylori antibodies compared with other districts in Japan.

Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol, 1994 Dec, 6 Suppl 1, S53 - 6
Genetic heterogeneity of Helicobacter pylori by pulse-field gel electrophoresis and re-evaluation of DNA homology; Takami S et al.; PURPOSE: The genetic heterogeneity of Helicobacter pylori isolates was re-evaluated by using pulse-field gel electrophoresis to examine macrorestriction patterns and by studying DNA homology . MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty H . pylori isolates, two closely related species, H . mustelae and H . felis, and Campylobacter spp . were used . Notl-digested macrorestriction patterns were examined by pulse-field gel electrophoresis . DNA homology was examined by the S1 nuclease method, using {3H}-labeled DNA from H . pylori NCTC11637 and two H . pylori isolates for reference . RESULT: Intergenus DNA homology between H . pylori and Campylobacters was 50-60% . Interspecies homology between H . pylori and H . mustelae or H . felis was around 60% . Intraspecies homology among H . pylori isolates was above 80%, except for a few that exhibited 70-80% homology . These findings indicate that all H . pylori isolates were homogeneous and belonged to the same species . Notl pulse-field gel electrophoresis patterns of H . pylori isolates differed markedly at the individual strain level . There was no specific relationship to any deviation from DNA homology, and the differences were observed within rather homogeneous members of the species . CONCLUSION: The polymorphism in the Notl pulse-field gel electrophoresis patterns of H . pylori isolates differed markedly among strains, even though these isolates displayed species homogeneity, with DNA homology of 70-100%.

Antibiot Khimioter, 1994 Dec, 39(12), 19 - 22
{Antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter strains and its role in evolutionary processes in bacteria of the genus Campylobacter}; Kirik DL; The influence of multiple antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter strains determined by R plasmids on their virulence was studied . It was shown that the strains with multiple resistance were mostly isolated from children with campylobacteriosis (26.5 per cent) . The number of such strains isolated from the infected adults, hens and environmental objects amounted to 25.8, 23.3 and 21.4 per cent respectively . The difference of the resistance determinants in the tested strains was statistically insignificant . It was suggested that the R plasmids of the human strains could be as well detected in the strains from the infected hens and environmental objects . A chromosome-plasmid pattern of the Campylobacter resistance to kanamycin, tetracycline and erythromycin was determined . The analysis of the cytopathogenic activity of the plasmid-containing strains and their aplasmid clones revealed that this criterion of the virulence statistically significantly increased after the plasmid loss by the strains . It was concluded that the antibiotic resistant strains had a selective superiority while circulating in various ecological niches.

Mol Microbiol, 1994 Dec, 14(5), 883 - 93
Isolation of motile and non-motile insertional mutants of Campylobacter jejuni: the role of motility in adherence and invasion of eukaryotic cells; Yao R et al.; A method of insertional mutagenesis for naturally transformable organisms has been adapted from Haemophilus influenzae and applied to the study of the pathogenesis of Campylobacter jejuni . A series of kanamycin-resistant insertional mutants of C . jejuni 81-176 has been generated and screened for loss of ability to invade INT407 cells . Eight noninvasive mutants were identified which showed 18-200-fold reductions in the level of invasion compared with the parent . Three of these eight show defects in motility, and five are fully motile . The three mutants with motility defects were further characterized to evaluate the method . One mutant, K2-32, which is non-adherent and non-invasive, has an insertion of the kanamycin-resistance cassette into the flaA flagellin gene and has greatly reduced motility and a truncated flagellar filament typical of flaA mutants . The adherent non-invasive mutants K2-37 and K2-55 are phenotypically paralysed, i.e . they have a full-length flagellar filament but are non-motile . All three mutants show an aberration in flagellar structure at the point at which the filament attaches to the cell . Mutants K2-37 and K2-55 represent overlapping deletions affecting the same gene, termed pflA (paralysed flagella) . This gene encodes a predicted protein of 788 amino acid residues and a molecular weight of 90,977 with no significant homology to known proteins . Site-specific insertional mutants into this open reading frame result in the same paralysed flagellar phenotype and the same invasion defects as the original mutants . The differences in adherence between the two classes of flagellar mutant suggest that flagellin can serve as a secondary adhesion, although other adhesins mediate a motility-dependent internalization process . Characterization of the mutants at the molecular level and in animal models should further contribute to our understanding of the pathogenicity of these organisms.

Int J Food Microbiol, 1994 Dec, 24(1-2), 273 - 81
Detection of the coccoid form of Campylobacter jejuni in chicken products with the use of the polymerase chain reaction; Hazeleger W et al.; Detection of the coccoid form of Campylobacter jejuni with the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was examined . Coccoid cells of this pathogen, formed at different temperatures, showed different detection characteristics in the PCR . For spirals and cocci formed at 4 degrees C and 12 degrees C, the detection limit was about 2 x 10(3) cells/PCR . However, for detection of coccoid cells formed at 25 degrees C and 37 degrees C, at least 2 x 10(4) cells per PCR were needed . PCR was also performed on homogenates in peptone saline solution and enrichment broths of chicken meat and chicken liver that were artificially contaminated with cocci formed at 4 degrees C . PCR-products of these samples could not be demonstrated clearly.

Int J Food Microbiol, 1994 Dec, 24(1-2), 161 - 70
Occurrence of plasmids and tetracycline resistance among Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from whole market chickens and clinical samples; Lee CY et al.; Twenty whole market chickens, purchased from 10 different stores in the Taipei Metropolitan area, were examined for the presence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli . The microorganisms were recovered from 95% of the chickens . A survey of different sites on--breast, thigh and tail--showed that contamination was equally common on all these sites . One hundred and sixty-seven chicken isolates and the 41 clinical isolates of Campylobacter jejuni were examined for the occurrence of plasmid DNA in association with tetracycline resistance . A high plasmid occurrence rate of 91% and 44% was observed for C . jejuni from chickens and clinical isolates, respectively . Plasmids ranged in size from 16 to 208 Kb . A 61 Kb plasmid and a 50 Kb plasmid were common to the chicken isolates and clinical isolates, respectively . All chicken isolates and 78% of clinical isolates were tetracycline-resistant . The high rate of tetracycline resistance in chicken isolates probably related to use of tetracycline as a growth promoter for poultry . A tetO DNA Probe, highly specific for the detection of tetracycline resistance in C . jejuni and C . coli, was used to find the location of tetracycline resistance . Of 157 chicken isolates, 98% of isolates were positive with the tetO probe, 87% (137/157) on plasmids and 11% (17/157) on the chromosome; only three isolates did not hybridize with the tetO probe . Of 32 clinical isolates, 88% isolates hybridized with the tetO probe, 47% (15/32) on plasmids and 41% (13/32) on the chromosome; four isolates did not hybridize with the tetO probe.

Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 1994 Dec, 8(6), 579 - 84
Review article: infective complications of therapeutic gastric acid inhibition; Larner AJ et al.; Gastric acid secretion has a non-specific bactericidal action which contributes to gastrointestinal defence mechanisms against micro-organisms . Therapeutic inhibition of acid secretion with histamine H2 receptor antagonists and proton pump inhibitors might therefore be expected to predispose to infection . This article reviews clinical reports of infection occurring during therapeutic gastric acid inhibition, and assesses the risk of infection incurred by such treatment . Non-typhoid salmonelloses, Campylobacter infections, local candidiasis, and possibly Strongyloides hyperinfections may be more prevalent after acid inhibitory treatment, but concurrent impairment of other gastrointestinal defence mechanisms may be necessary to permit infection.

J Vet Med Sci, 1994 Dec, 56(6), 1123 - 7
Adhesion activity of Campylobacter jejuni for intestinal epithelial cells and mucus and erythrocytes; Maruyama S et al.; Live and formalin- or heat (100 degrees C, 30 min)-treated cells of Campylobacter jejuni strains Y6878 and Y6817, and the supernatant of the heat-treated bacterial suspension had agglutinating activity for the intestinal epithelial cells of Japanese quails and human (INT407) . Among the erythrocytes derived from 7 animal species (human, horses, sheep, rabbits, mice, chickens, and quails), only rabbit erythrocytes were agglutinated by live and glutaraldehyde-, formalin-, or heat-treated cells of 15 strains of C . jejuni examined . The treated and non-treated C . jejuni strains Y6878 and Y6817 did not agglutinate formalin- or glutaraldehyde-fixed rabbit erythrocytes . Flagellar fraction of strains Y6878 and Y6817 showed no hemagglutinating activity for non-fixed rabbit erythrocytes . The supernatant of heat-treated strain Y6878 also had the adhesion activity for the intestinal mucus derived from the Japanese quails . It was found that hemagglutination using rabbit erythrocytes is a simple and useful tool for the study of C . jejuni adhesion factor and that the adhesion factor of C . jejuni is the formalin-, glutaraldehyde-, and heat-resistant substances existing on the bacterial surface . It was suggested that the hemagglutination for the detection of adhesion factor may require the intact receptors on the surface of rabbit erythrocytes.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1994 Dec, 38(12), 2917 - 20
Susceptibilities to 10 antimicrobial agents of 1,220 Campylobacter strains isolated from 1987 to 1993 from feces of pediatric patients; Reina J et al.; We report the in vitro antibiotic susceptibility of 1,220 strains belonging to the thermotolerant Campylobacter species, isolated from the feces of pediatric patients with diarrhea in the period from 1987 to 1993 . The strains were identified as 1,148 C . jejuni isolates and 72 C . coli isolates . The overall results show that the strains showed drug resistance as follows: 51.8% to ampicillin, 4.4% to clindamycin, 2.6% to chloramphenicol, 21.2% to tetracycline, and 1% to gentamicin . Twenty-one strains (1.7%) displayed resistance to the combination of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, and 3.2% of the strains were resistant to erythromycin (MIC of > or = 4 micrograms/ml), with a notable difference according to the species under consideration . While C . jejuni remained stable at 0.9 to 4% resistance to erythromycin, for C . coli the percentages detected ranged from 0 to 33%, with overall rates of 2.5 and 15.2% for the two species, respectively . Resistance to nalidixic acid (MIC of > or = 32 micrograms/ml) was found in 27.2% of the strains (27.8% for C . jejuni and 18% for C . coli), and resistance to ciprofloxacin (MIC of > or = 4 micrograms/ml) was found in 24.2% of the strains for C . jejuni and 15.2% for C . coli) . Cross-resistance between nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin was found in 89.1% of the strains (type 1 mutants), while 10.9% were resistant to nalidixic acid but susceptible to ciprofloxacin (type 2 mutants).

Lab Anim Sci, 1994 Dec, 44(6), 579 - 83
Ribosomal RNA patterns identify additional strains of Campylobacter jejuni and C . coli among isolates serotyped by heat-stable and heat-labile antigens; Russell RG et al.; Heat-stable (HS, O-antigen) and heat-labile (HL) serotyping are the most common methods used to type Campylobacter jejuni and C . coli for epidemiologic purposes . In this study, we conducted RRNA analysis to differentiate strains of C . jejuni and C . coli that had been serotyped by use of the passive hemagglutination (heat-stable) and slide agglutination (heat-labile) methods . Ribotyping of isolates within HS and HL serotypes revealed further discrimination of strains . Four ribotypes were identified by Pvu II and Pst I digests of eight HS serotype-34 isolates . Ribotyping also differentiated strains within HL serotypes . Ribotyping also was conducted on 10 representative isolates of C . jejuni and C . coli isolated from an infant macaque . The eight ribotypes confirmed previous results of serotyping and other phenotypic analyses, which indicated that the infant was repeatedly reinfected with different strains of C . jejuni and C . coli . Results of the study indicated that ribotyping is a sensitive molecular marker for distinguishing strains of C . jejuni and C . coli . Furthermore, some isolates with similar ribotype patterns had variability in their HS and HL serotypes.

Microbiology, 1994 Dec, 140 ( Pt 12), 3441 - 9
Helicobacter pullorum sp . nov.-genotype and phenotype of a new species isolated from poultry and from human patients with gastroenteritis; Stanley J et al.; Campylobacter-like organisms were isolated from the liver, duodenum and caecum of broiler and layer chickens, and from humans with gastroenteritis . They formed a unique DNA homology group and a polyphasic taxonomic analysis was made of 16 strains . Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene from seven of the strains identified them as belonging to a single species, within the genus Helicobacter . This conclusion was supported by the studies of relative DNA homology and of total protein electrophoretic patterns . The new species could be biochemically differentiated from other helicobacters and its ultrastructure in the electron microscope was typical of the genus except that the flagellum was not sheathed . We propose the name Helicobacter pullorum sp . nov . for this group . Like H . fennelliae or H . cinaedi it represents another non-gastric urease-negative Helicobacter species colonizing the lower bowel . Its isolation from the livers of chickens with vibrionic hepatitis is significant . We describe a species-specific PCR assay for H . pullorum sp . nov . which will facilitate its identification and further studies of its epidemiology.

Bull Tokyo Dent Coll, 1994 Nov, 35(4), 207 - 16
Effect of initial therapy on dynamics of immunogloblin G levels to some periodontopathic bacteria in serum and gingival crevicular fluid; Hosaka Y et al.; Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the IgG antibody levels to specific gram-negative periodontopathic bacteria in serum of 21 adult periodontitis patients and the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) from 42 sites with destructive lesions and 21 healthy sites were evaluated before and after initial preparation . Porphyromonas gingivalis, Bacteroides forsythus, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella nigrescens, Campylobacter rectus, Treponema denticola and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in subgingival plaque samples from the patients were examined by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy . Subgingival plaque, GCF, and serum samples were taken at baseline and three weeks after initial preparation . For 14 patients, changes in clinical parameters due to the initial preparation were correlated with reduction of periodontopathogens and to IgG antibody levels in GCF and serum against them . P . gingivalis, T . denticola and C . rectus were found to be predominant in destructive sites . No significant differences were found in GCF IgG antibody levels between destructive and healthy sites . In destructive sites, the prevalence of P . gingivalis and C . rectus was significantly correlated with elevated IgG antibody against these microorganisms in GCF . The initial preparation resulted in significant reduction of serum IgG antibody levels against all microorganisms tested . No decrease in GCF IgG antibody was observed, but levels to P . gingivalis and C . rectus were significantly increased (p<0.05) . The assessment of GCF IgG antibodies to specific periodontopathic bacteria may be of considerable value in reflecting the conditions of periodontitis.

J Appl Bacteriol, 1994 Nov, 77(5), 591 - 6
A note: comparison of different homogenization procedures for detecting Campylobacter spp . in sewage sludge; Holler C et al.; Crude sewage sludge contains Campylobacter spp . in a concentration of 10(1)-10(3) cfu 100 ml-1 on average . Because large variations in the number of bacteria are seen when samples are examined in parallel, we attempted to improve the detection method . Seeded sewage sludge samples were homogenized by a high-speed blender, ultrasonic bath and ultrasonic bar . Bacterial counts were determined by the MPN method in triplicate . The recovery rate was < 10% . Subsequently, sludge samples without artificial contamination were also examined . The bacterial counts varied considerably, as seen earlier . In order to enhance the detection rate of campylobacters homogenization times and frequencies were increased, samples were diluted prior to treatment and pre-enriched in non-selective broth or supplemented with detergent . None of the methods applied proved satisfactory . The bacterial counts achieved with all methods varied greatly, with minimum and maximum values lying at least two orders of magnitude apart.

J Appl Bacteriol, 1994 Nov, 77(5), 490 - 6
The immediate bactericidal effect of lactic acid on meat-borne pathogens; Van Netten P et al.; The kinetics of the bactericidal effect of lactic acid decontamination (LAD) on meat-borne pathogens (Salmonella spp., Campylobacter jejuni and Listeria monocytogenes) was studied in an in-vitro model . The bactericidal effect was greatest on organisms in the lactic acid film that replaced the natural fluid on the meat surface during LAD . A stepwise increase in pH from 2.6 to 3.5 and 4.0 progressively reduced the bactericidal effect of decontamination . For treatment with 2% lactic acid for 30-90 s at 21 degrees C, the immediate death of Salmonella spp . decreased from about 0.5-2 log10 cfu at pH 2.6 to an insignificant level at pH 4.0 . The immediate death for Camp . jejuni decreased from 2.6 to > 5.3 at pH 2.6 to 0.3-1.0 at pH 4.0 . The decrease in bactericidal effect with increasing pH could, however, be countered by an increase in the temperature from 21 degrees C to 37 degrees C . It is suggested that 2% LAD at 37 degrees C for 30-90 s is suitable for elimination of salmonellas on meat but not for L . monocytogenes . Decontamination with 1% lactic acid at pH 3.0 and 21 degrees C for at least 30 s was effective for Camp . jejuni . Mesophilic Enterobacteriaceae were reliable indicators of the LAD-induced bactericidal effect on Salmonella spp . and Camp . jejuni.

Nippon Rinsho, 1994 Nov, 52(11), 2952 - 8
{Guillain-Barré syndrome}; Yuki N; Sera from patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) following Campylobacter jejuni infection have autoantibody to GM1 ganglioside in the acute phase of the illness . There is a strong association between GBS and Penner's serotype 19 (PEN 19) of C . jejuni . The terminal structure of the bacterial lipopolysaccharide is identical to the terminal tetrasaccharide of GM1 ganglioside . Anti-GM1 antibody inhibits motoneuron excitability . Molecular mimicry between infectious agents and nerve tissue components may function in the development of GBS.

Am J Trop Med Hyg, 1994 Nov, 51(5), 585 - 9
Diarrheal disease in Peru after the introduction of cholera; Begue RE et al.; Surveillance was conducted one day each week from December 1992 through May 1993 to determine the clinical features and etiology of diarrhea among a population in a suburban community of Lima, Peru . Patients who had had three or more loose stools during the previous 24 hr were enrolled at a clinic located in the community or at a nearby regional hospital . A total of 143 cases of diarrhea were detected for an overall rate of 7.1 cases per 1,000 population . The enteropathogens isolated were Vibrio cholerae 01 (31%), enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (22%), and Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and Aeromonas species (10%) . Specimens from the remaining cases were negative for enteropathogens . All isolates of V . cholerae were susceptible to tetracycline, doxycycline, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, and cephalothin . Cases of diarrhea associated with V . cholerae were more common among adults, and more likely to experience severe dehydration and require hospitalization than the non-cholera cases . Data indicated that among the cases diagnosed, V . cholerae and enterotoxigenic E . coli were the more common causes of diarrhea in a suburban community of Lima during the summer season.

Mol Microbiol, 1994 Nov, 14(3), 453 - 62
High-frequency S-layer protein variation in Campylobacter fetus revealed by sapA mutagenesis; Blaser MJ et al.; Campylobacter fetus utilizes paracrystalline surface (S-) layer proteins that confer complement resistance and that undergo antigenic variation to facilitate persistent mucosal colonization in ungulates . C . fetus possesses multiple homologues of sapA, each of which encode full-length S-layer proteins . Disruption of sapA by a gene targeting method (insertion of kanamycin (km) resistance) caused the loss of C . fetus cells bearing full-length S-layer proteins and their replacement by cells bearing a 50 kDa truncated protein that was not exported to the cell surface . After incubation of the mutants with serum, the survival rate was approximately 2 x 10(-2) . Immunoblots of survivors showed that phenotypic reversion involving high-level production of full-length (98, 127 or 149 kDa) S-layer proteins had occurred . Revertants were serum resistant but caused approximately 10-fold less bacteraemia in orally challenged mice than did the wild-type strain . Southern hybridizations of the revertants showed rearrangement of sapA homologues and retention of the km marker . These results indicate that there exists high-frequency generation of C . fetus sapA antigenic variants, and that intracellular mechanisms acting at the level of DNA reciprocal recombination play key roles in this phenomenon.

J Infect, 1994 Nov, 29(3), 305 - 10
Biotyping of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli infections in Spain; Jimenez A et al.; Biochemical profiles were studied in 102 Campylobacter isolates from patients affected by enteric disease in Orense (Spain) over a 1-year period . The isolates were identified as hippurate-positive Campylobacter jejuni (n = 90), Campylobacter coli (n = 10) and hippurate-negative C . jejuni (n = 2) . Seventy-seven of the hippurate-positive and both hippurate-negative C . jejuni isolates were biotyped as C . jejuni subsp . jejuni biotype 1, nine as C . jejuni subsp . jejuni biotype 2 and four as C . jejuni subsp . doylei . Hippurate-hydrolysis was correlated to a simple scheme based on L-arginine arylamidase production, propionate assimilation and malate assimilation which yielded sensitivity and specificity values of 0.90 and 1.00, respectively . Effective grouping of nalidixic acid-resistant C . jejuni and C . coli isolates (38.5% of the total) was also achieved.

J Periodontol, 1994 Nov, 65(11), 1073 - 8
Microbiota of rapidly progressive periodontitis lesions in association with clinical parameters; Kamma JJ et al.; The microbial population in 73 rapidly progressive periodontitis (RPP) lesions in 10 young adults aged 25 to 35 years (5 males, 5 females) was studied in relation to the clinical parameters probing depth, bleeding on probing, and suppuration, which were recorded at the sampled sites . Porphyromonas gingivalis was found to predominate (26.7%) in 73 periodontal lesions with clinical probing depth > 6 mm, followed by Bacteroides forsythus (23.6%), and Prevotella intermedia (15.7%) . The prevalence of P . gingivalis was 91.7%, Fusobacterium nucleatum, 90.4%; Streptococcus intermedius, 87.7%; and B . forsythus, 53.4% . Significant differences between bleeding index 0, 1, and 2 (P < 0.05) in frequency of detection were found for P . intermedia, Campylobacter concisus, Selenomonas sputigena, and Peptostreptococcus micros at bleeding sites and for Streptococcus sanguis, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, and B . forsythus (P < 0.001) at non-bleeding sites . Between suppurating and non-suppurating sites, significant differences (P < 0.05) in frequency of isolation were found for P . intermedia, Capnocytophaga ochracea, and A . actinomycetemcomitans at suppurating sites and for F . nucleatum at non-suppurating sites.

J Periodontol, 1994 Nov, 65(11), 1022 - 8
Effect of treatment on some periodontopathogens and their antibody levels in periodontal abscesses; Hafstrom CA et al.; Twenty patients suffering from abscess of periodontal origin were treated and followed clinically and microbiologically for 6 months . Microbiological examination was performed by culture technique . One deep and one shallow periodontal pocket in the same patient were examined concomitantly . Serum was collected and analyzed for specific antibody level using ELISA methodology . Treatment included supragingival scaling, drainage, and irrigation of the periodontal pocket with 0.85% sodium chloride and systemic tetracycline administration, 1 g per day for 2 weeks . At baseline, 90% of the abscesses harbored Porphyromonas gingivalis and/or Prevotella intermedia . After 6 months, abscess sites demonstrated a reduced probing depth, less bleeding on probing, and gain of attachment . Abscess sites showed no P . gingivalis and the proportion of P . intermedia was significantly reduced 6 months after treatment . In deep periodontal pockets a similar pattern was seen . Shallow pockets demonstrated few clinical signs of inflammation and the number of bacteria was generally low . Campylobacter rectus, Capnocytophaga spp, and Fusobacterium nucleatum were frequently seen in low numbers in most sites during the study period, while Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans was detected only in a few sites . The IgG levels in patient sera against antigens of homologous bacterial strains remained fairly constant for 6 months . The result of the present study indicates that P . gingivalis and P . intermedia are involved in periodontal abscess formation . Also, treatment where drainage is combined with tetracycline administration promotes healing and reattachment.

Rev Esp Enferm Dig, 1994 Nov, 86(5), 845 - 7
{Campylobacter fetus, an infrequent microbe, as a cause of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhosis}; Saro C et al.; Campylobacter fetus has been implicated in the etiology of sepsis and bacteriemias in immunosupressed subjects . In a few cases, it has also been reported to be responsible for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhotic patients . We describe the clinical picture of a woman with terminal liver cirrhosis who had bacteriemia and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis caused by this agent . We argue about the history of cleansing enemas and their probable role in the development of the infection . We stress the excellent response to the antibiotic treatment.

Rinsho Byori, 1994 Nov, 42(11), 1188 - 93
{An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of IgG antibodies against urease of Helicobacter pylori}; Mizukami T et al.; We have developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of IgG antibodies against Helicobacter pylori (HP) using purified HP urease as an antigen . The urease was purified from ultrasonicated extract of HP by NaCl linear gradient system on DEAE-Sepharose 4B chromatography . Two molecular weight bands, 65kD and 27kD were observed on a SDS-PAGE gel in the purified urease sample . The urease antigen did not crossreact to rabbit antibodies prepared against Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni . Out of 93 gastric biopsy patients, sixty nine patients (74.2%) were positive in HP culture test . Serum HP antibody titers (AU: arbitrary unit) of HP culture positive and negative patients were 42.9 +/- 47.4 and 16.7 +/- 25.7 (mean +/- SD), respectively (p < 0.05) . The ELISA system have sensitivity of 72.5% and specificity of 70.8% . We believe that the ELISA system is useful for diagnosis and monitoring of HP infection.

Acta Paediatr, 1994 Nov, 83(11), 1137 - 42
Antibodies against some bacterial antigens in children; Kontiainen S et al.; The prevalence of bacterial antibodies was determined in 173 children aged 0-15 years . The prevalence of IgG Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in titres > 500 in children less than 8 years of age was 6% while none of the older children had these antibodies in titres > 400 . IgG Helicobacter pylori antibodies were detected only in children older than 6 years of age, with a prevalence of 6.5%, as were IgA H . pylori antibodies, with a prevalence of 3.7% . The prevalence of high-titre IgG Campylobacter jejuni antibodies was 1.2%, that of IgA 1.8% and IgM 1.2% . The prevalence of high-titre (> 500 IU/ml) antistreptolysin O was 3%, that of antistaphylolysin-alpha (> or = 4 IU/ml) 2% and that of anti-teichoic acid antibodies (titre 2) 2% . Low-titre Yersinia antibodies were detected in 2% . High-titre Bordetella pertussis antibodies were detected in 6% of recently vaccinated children and in 8% of children in their first years of school . In the latter, high-titre antibodies were mainly of the IgM and IgA classes . Altogether 35 children tested positive for bacterial antibodies other than Bordetella pertussis antibodies . Clinical evaluation revealed a possible infection, suggested by the antibody, in 5 (3%) of the children . Two (vaccinated) children had evidence of whooping cough . Eight of the 35 children with high-titre bacterial antibodies (23%) also had elevated levels of autoantibodies (but not autoimmune diseases).

Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1994 Nov, 68(11), 1409 - 16
{In vitro antibacterial activity of fleroxacin (FLRX) against clinical isolates from bacterial enteritis}; Imagawa Y et al.; Antibacterial activity of fleroxacin (FLRX), a new quinolone antimicrobial, against 36 strains of Shigella app., 14 strains of Salmonella spp., 11 strains of Escherichia coli, 9 strains of Vibrio spp . (including 2 strains of V . cholerae O1), 14 strains of Campylobacter jejuni/coli, 3 strains of Aeromonas spp . and 1 strain of Plesiomonas shigelloides isolated from infectious enteritis patients in this study was determined . Its activity was compared with that of ciprofloxacin (CPFX), norfloxacin (NFLX) and nalidixic acid (NA) . The MIC90 values of FLRX were 0.1 microgram/ml against Shigella spp . and E . coli, 0.2 microgram/ml against Salmonella spp . and Vibrio spp., and 12.5 micrograms/ml against C . jejuni/coli MIC90 of FLRX was comparable to that of CPFX and NFLX against Vibrio spp. . Against other species, MIC90 of FLRX were 2- to 4-fold higher than those of CPFX, whereas equal to or 2-fold lower than NFLX . FLRX demonstrated excellent activity against an NA-resistant (MIC: > 100 micrograms/ml) isolate of E . coli, with MIC 0.78 microgram/ml . FLRX showed 8-fold higher activity than NA against other strains . The antibacterial activity of FLRX was compared with that of NA against stocked strains (clinical isolates from August 1989 to February 1991), consisting of 11 strains of Shigella spp., 10 strains of Salmonella spp., 8 strains of E . coli, 10 strains of V . cholerae O1, 10 strains of V . parahaemolyticus and 14 strains of C . jejuni/coli . MICs of FLRX were 0.78 and 12.5-25 micrograms/ml against Shigella spp . and C . jejuni/coli that showed resistance of NA (MIC: > or = 100 micrograms/ml), respectively . Based on the above, although the absolute MICs are low against E . coli and shigella spp., a value of 0.78 micrograms/ml for FLRX suggested that such strains should be considered to be resistant.

Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss, 1994 Nov, 87(11), 1483 - 7
{Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus endoaortitis on a Bentall tube prosthesis . Apropos of a case}; Abassade P et al.; Campylobacter fetus is a rare cause of endocarditis and endoaortitis: the authors believe this to be the second reported case of infection of an intracardiac prosthesis . The patient was a man who had already undergone replacement of the aortic valve and ascending aorta, and a gastrectomy, which were predisposing factors . The portal of entry was not found . The diagnosis was confirmed by positive blood cultures and transoesophageal echocardiography . The outcome was rapidly fatal despite antibiotic therapy and surgery, because of the seriousness of the lesions (pseudo-aneurysm of the aorta ruptured into the right atrium), the precarity of the terrain and surgical difficulties.

Lett Appl Microbiol, 1994 Nov, 19(5), 357 - 8
Inhibition of DNAse activity in PFGE analysis of DNA from Campylobacter jejuni; Gibson JR et al.; DNAse-positive strains of Campylobacter jejuni degrade their chromosomal DNA during standard preparative procedures before pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) . A simple method for inactivation of this DNAse activity is described . Formaldehyde fixation of the bacterial cells resulted in the preservation of the DNA in a state suitable for restriction digestion and subsequent electrophoretic analysis.

Lett Appl Microbiol, 1994 Nov, 19(5), 301 - 3
A PCR assay for the detection of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in water; Kirk R et al.; A PCR assay has been developed for the detection of Campylobacter jejuni and Camp . coli in water samples . The sample is filtered through a membrane which is subjected to sonication to release the impacted cells . After removal of the filter from the cell suspension and a freeze/thaw cell lysis step, a semi-nested PCR is carried out on the filtrate using the primers CF02, CF03 and CF04 (Camp . jejuni flaA and flaB gene sequences) . Incorporation of a sonication stage allows removal of the filter membrane since they have been shown to inhibit the PCR . In experiments with spike water samples (20 ml) a theoretical sensitivity of 10-20 campylobacter cells ml-1 was achieved . Using a sample volume of 100 ml this sensitivity can be increased to approximately 2 campylobacter cells ml-1.

Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo, 1994 Nov-Dec, 36(6), 497 - 9
Chicken as potential contamination source of Campylobacter lari in Iquitos, Peru; Tresierra-Ayala A et al.; In order to know the importance of chicken as natural reservoir of Campylobacter lari in Iquitos, Peru; samples were obtained by cloacal swabs from 200 chickens and immediately placed into a semisolid enrichment medium; these were streaked on modified Skirrow Agar . The organism was isolated from 21 (10.5%) samples, corresponding 58.8% to biovar I and 41.2% to biovar II (Lior scheme) . The results provide evidence that chicken appear to be prominent reservoirs of Campylobacter lari in Iquitos.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1994 Nov 1, 123(3), 299 - 304
Isolation and characterization of the flagellar hook of Campylobacter jejuni; Glenn-Calvo E et al.; A method for purification of the flagellar hook of Campylobacter jejuni is described . The hook was shown to be composed of a subunit protein, which has a molecular mass of 92,000 and an isoelectric point of pI 4.8 . A monoclonal antibody and a polyvalent antiserum was raised against the purified flagellar hook of C . jejuni . Immuno-electronmicroscopy revealed that the epitope recognized by the monoclonal antibody is surface-located . However, this antibody reacted only with the hook of the immunization strain, but not with other strains or other flagellated bacteria . Thus, our data indicate that the immunodominant epitopes are located on the surface of the hook and that these epitopes are strain-specific.

Ann Neurol, 1994 Nov, 36(5), 791 - 3
Molecular mimicry between GQ1b ganglioside and lipopolysaccharides of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from patients with Fisher's syndrome; Yuki N et al.; We isolated Campylobacter jejuni from 2 patients with Fisher's syndrome subsequent to enteritis . Crude lipopolysaccharide fractions were extracted from the bacteria and separated by thin-layer chromatography . Monoclonal antibodies to GQ1b ganglioside (GMR13 and 7F5) reacted with both lipopolysaccharide fractions, indicating that the lipopolysaccharides bear the GQ1b epitope . This is the first report of molecular mimicry between neural tissue components and the antecedent infectious agents of Fisher's syndrome.

N Z Med J, 1994 Oct 26, 107(988), 430 - 2
A case control study to determine risk factors for campylobacter infection in Christchurch in the summer of 1992-3; Ikram R et al.; AIM . This study was designed to determine the risk factors for acquiring campylobacter infection in Christchurch in the summer of 1992/3 . METHODS . A case control study was conducted of 100 cases and controls from urban areas matched for age and sex . Cases and controls were interviewed by telephone using a questionnaire and results analysed using the Epi Info statistical computer programme . RESULTS . Eighty one percent of both cases and controls had recently consumed poultry . Eating poultry at a friends house (OR = 3.18, CI 1.0, 10.73, p = 0.03), at a barbecue (OR = 3.00, CI 0.99, 9.34, p = 0.03) or eating undercooked chicken (OR = 4.94, CI 1.03, 23.62, p = 0.05) was a risk whereas eating at home was protective (OR = 0.36, CI 0.14, 0.9, p = 0.02) . Other factors associated with increased risk were drinking water from a nonurban supply (OR = 2.7, CI 0.89, 8.33, p = 0.09) or consumption of chicken bought fresh (OR = 1.8, CI 0.85, 3.82, p = 0.10) . CONCLUSION . Poorly cooked or handled chicken is a significant source of human campylobacter infection . Morbidity may be reduced by increased public awareness and improvement of cooking practices.

J Biol Chem, 1994 Oct 21, 269(42), 26107 - 15
Biodiversity of apidaecin-type peptide antibiotics . Prospects of manipulating the antibacterial spectrum and combating acquired resistance; Casteels P et al.; Insects have a unique repertoire of peptide antibiotics but, to date, prospects of clinical applications are not clear . Apidaecin, a small peptide isolated from honeybees, inhibits viability of Gram-negative bacteria; lethal activity is near immediate, independent of a conventional "lytic" mechanism, and involves stereoselective recognition of target molecules . Here we report structural analysis of 14 naturally occurring apidaecin-type peptides and the existence of evolutionarily conserved ("constant") regions . By detailed analysis of activities against clinically relevant bacteria, we demonstrate that the diversity of the intervening ("variable") regions confers specificity to the antibacterial spectrum of each homolog . As a result, apidaecin-homolog-based antibiograms (using 16 peptides) differ markedly between bacterial strains, contrasting the most between Yersinia enterocolitica and Campylobacter jejuni . Furthermore, in at least one instance, acquired resistance to apidaecin could be negated by minor substitutions in the variable regions . The delineation in a short peptide of constant and variable regions, responsible for, respectively, general antibacterial capacity and specificity of the antibacterial spectrum, is unprecedented . Taken together, we provide evidence that antibacterial spectra of apidaecin-type peptides can be manipulated, and that, in some cases, resistance can be countered and perhaps prevented . The current findings will guide rational design of second generation peptide antibiotics for clinical trials.

Schweiz Rundsch Med Prax, 1994 Oct 18, 83(42), 1176 - 8
{Differential therapy of infectious diarrhea}; Grundmann H; Worldwide, diarrheal diseases caused by communicable pathogens rank first in morbidity and mortality, particularly in young children . Underprivileged groups of poor societies may still suffer from endemic typhus, bacillary dysentery, or cholera . In children however, a significant proportion of recurrent diarrhoeal episodes is caused by toxigenic enterobacteria, non-thyphoidal salmonella, campylobacter, and viruses . Although outbreaks of classical waterborne epidemics have not been reported from industrialized nations, infectious diarrhea is by no means scarce . Industrial cattlebreeding and food production facilitate the spread of nonthyphoidal salmonella, Campylobacter, and possibly Yersinia enterocolitica . Changes in travel patterns, an increasing number of immunocompromised patients, and migration of people from countries with lower sanitary standards warrants awareness to hitherto exceptional pathogens.

J Immunol, 1994 Oct 15, 153(8), 3756 - 63
Expression of a novel autoantibody defined by the VH3-15 gene in inflammatory bowel disease and Campylobacter jejuni enterocolitis; Berberian LS et al.; This study newly introduces anti-VH mAbs to assess the role of clonal B cell activity in inflammatory bowel disease . Immunohistochemistry of colonic biopsies in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), but not unaffected individuals, demonstrated uniform staining of intravascular erythrocytes with BK2, a monoclonal specific for the VH3-15 Ig heavy chain gene product . Staining was caused by erythrocytes opsinized in vivo by anti-erythrocyte Abs present in patient sera and by using the VH3-15 gene product . The erythrocyte Ag was identified by immunoprecipitation as 22- and 28-kDa membrane proteins . A direct flow cytometric assay was developed to measure this serum autoantibody and was tested in 101 individuals with UC, CD, other acute or chronic colitis, and healthy controls . Compared with normal subjects, BK2+ anti-erythrocyte Abs were elevated in most sera from patients with CD and UC (including postcolectomy) . BK2+ anti-erythrocyte Abs also were elevated in 10 of 38 noninflammatory bowel disease patients, all of whom had Campylobacter jejuni enterocolitis . These findings suggest that a common immunopathogenetic factor, manifested by VH3-15 B cell activation may be shared in UC, CD, and Campylobacter jejuni enterocolitis.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 1994 Oct, 60(10), 3647 - 52
Metabolic activity of pathogenic bacteria during semicontinuous anaerobic digestion; Kearney TE et al.; In natural environments such as anaerobic digesters, bacteria are frequently subjected to the stress of nutrient fluxes because of the continual changes in the flow of nutrients, and to survive, they must be capable of adapting readily to nutrient changes . In this study, the metabolic activities of Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter jejuni were studied within culture bags (Versapor-200 filters, 0.22-microns pore size) in laboratory anaerobic digesters . The metabolic activity of these bacteria was indicated by their adenylate energy charge (EC) ratios and their ability to incorporate {3H}thymidine, which was related to the respective changes in viable numbers within the culture bags during anaerobic digestion . Fluctuations in the adenylate EC ratios, the uptake of {3H}thymidine, and the viable numbers of E . coli, S . typhimurium, Y . enterocolitica, and L . monocytogenes cells were probably due to constant changes in the amount of available nutrients within the anaerobic digesters . The viability of S . typhimurium increased quickly after a fresh supply of nutrients was added to the system as indicated by the uptake of {3H}thymidine and an increase in the adenylate EC ratios . The viable numbers of E . coli, S . typhimurium, Y . enterocolitica, and L . monocytogenes organisms declined rapidly from 10(7) to 10(8) CFU/ml to 10(3) to 10(4) CFU/ml and remained at this level for an indefinite period . The decimal reduction time calculated during the period of exponential decline ranged from 0.8 to 1.2 days for these bacteria . C . jejuni had the greatest mean decimal reduction time value (3.6 days).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Int J Syst Bacteriol, 1994 Oct, 44(4), 842 - 5
Proposal of minimal standards for describing new species of the family Campylobacteraceae; Ursing JB et al.; The International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Campylobacter and Related Bacteria has agreed in principle on minimum requirements for the description of new species of the family Campylobacteraceae . These requirements, as well as methods for determining specific characteristics, are proposed as minimal standards for the description of new species . In addition to specified phenotypic characteristics, molecular data are required . The placement of a new species should be consistent with the current view on classification usually based on methods such as nucleic acid sequencing, hybridization, or protein fingerprinting.

J Med Microbiol, 1994 Oct, 41(4), 224 - 30
Development of a tissue culture assay system for Campylobacter jejuni cytotoxin and the influence of culture conditions on cytotoxin production; Misawa N et al.; A tissue culture assay system to detect Campylobacter jejuni cytotoxin was developed, and the effect of culture conditions on cytotoxin production was examined . Broth-culture filtrates from clinical isolates were used . The expression of cytotoxicity was dependent on the presence of serum in the culture medium . Although the titre of cytotoxin was low, the greatest cytotoxicity was revealed when newborn calf (NCS), adult bovine or goat serum was added to minimum essential medium . Moderate or weak cytotoxicity was observed when fetal calf (FCS), swine or human serum was added, and no cytotoxicity was seen with the addition of horse, rabbit, cat or chicken serum . Furthermore, the cytotoxic titre in serum-free culture (SFC) for Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was higher than that with serum supplementation . CHO cells showed the highest sensitivity in FCS, NCS and SFC assay systems, whereas HeLa, Vero, HEp-2 and Intestine 407 cells were sensitive only in the NCS assay . Brucella broth was excellent for cytotoxin production, but iron supplementation had no effect . Cytotoxic expression in the three assay systems differed between stationary and stirred cultures . Our results on cytotoxin production by reference strains of C . jejuni did not agree with the original reports . These findings suggest that several different cytotoxins may be produced by C . jejuni, and that the assay system may be important for the expression of cytotoxic activity.

J Infect Dis, 1994 Oct, 170(4), 828 - 33
Seroreactivity to Campylobacter jejuni and gangliosides in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome; von Wulffen H et al.; Seroreactivities to Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli and to the gangliosides GM1 and GD1b were studied by quantitative and immunoglobulin class-specific ELISAs in 42 patients with recent onset of acute Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), in 39 patients with positive Campylobacter serology but no neurologic disease, and in 52 healthy blood donors . GBS patients showed positive reactivities to C . jejuni in 57%, 26%, and 2% for IgG, IgA, and IgM, respectively, while blood donors had corresponding values of 6%, 2%, and 4% . IgG, IgA, and IgM reactivities to GM1 were 48%, 78%, and 56% for GBS patients and 4%, 2%, and 4% for blood donors, respectively . Reactivities to GD1b were 77%, 51%, and 15% for the GBS group and 2%, 8%, and 8% for the blood donors, respectively . Patients with positive Campylobacter serology but no neurologic disease also had antibodies to GM1 and GD1b in over half of the cases . Increased titers to C . jejuni closely correlated with increased titers to GM1 and GD1b.

Infect Immun, 1994 Oct, 62(10), 4526 - 33
Identification of surface-exposed outer membrane antigens of Helicobacter pylori; Doig P et al.; Despite the potential significance of surface-localized antigens in the colonization by and disease processes of Helicobacter pylori, few such components have been unequivocally identified and/or characterized . To further investigate the surface of this bacterium, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to a sarcosine-insoluble outer membrane fraction prepared from H . pylori NCTC 11637 were raised . MAbs were selected on the basis of their surface reactivity to whole cells by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence, and immunoelectron microscopy . By use of this selection protocol, 14 surface-reactive MAbs were chosen . These MAbs were used to identify six protein antigens (molecular masses, 80, 60, 51, 50, 48, and 31 kDa), all of which were localized within or associated with the outer membrane . Two of the MAbs recognized the core region of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) . Only these two anti-LPS MAbs also recognized the flagellar sheath, indicating a structural difference between the sheath and outer membrane . Three of the protein antigens (80, 60, and 51 kDa) were strain specific, while the other three antigens were present in other strains of H . pylori . Both the 51- and 48-kDa antigens were heat modifiable and likely are porins . A conserved 31-kDa protein may represent another species of porin . A method involving sucrose density ultracentrifugation and Triton extraction that allows the preparation of H . pylori outer membranes with minimal inner membrane contamination is described . Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis showed that the protein content of the H . pylori outer membrane is similar structurally to those of other species of Helicobacter but markedly different from those of taxonomically related Campylobacter spp . and Escherichia coli . H . pylori also appeared to lack peptidoglycan-associated proteins.

Infect Immun, 1994 Oct, 62(10), 4256 - 60
Heat shock- and alkaline pH-induced proteins of Campylobacter jejuni: characterization and immunological properties; Wu YL et al.; The protein response to physiological stress was characterized in Campylobacter jejuni 81176 after exposure to heat and pH shock and following periods of recovery . Immunoreactivities of major stress-related proteins were determined with anti-Campylobacter immune rabbit serum and intestinal lavage fluid . Distinct proteins with molecular masses ranging from 10 to 120 kDa were induced and/or released by selective heat or pH treatments . The most notable responses were those of two proteins with apparent molecular masses of 45 and 64 kDa that were induced and two other proteins of 10 and 12 kDa that were released by selective heat shock, alkaline pH treatment, or both . On the basis of N-terminal sequence analysis and immunological cross-reactivity data, the 64- and 10-kDa proteins were the C . jejuni homologs of Escherichia coli GroEL and GroES proteins, respectively . Enhanced chemiluminescence Western blotting (immunoblotting) revealed that all four proteins were among the major protein antigens recognized by anti-Campylobacter rabbit serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immune rabbit intestinal lavage IgA (secretory IgA) . The results of this investigation suggest that the C . jejuni 10-, 12-, 45-, and 64-kDa proteins and a number of minor stress-related proteins deserve further evaluation of their respective roles in Campylobacter pathogenesis and immunity.

Epidemiol Infect, 1994 Oct, 113(2), 221 - 34
Flagellin gene polymorphism analysis of Campylobacter jejuni infecting man and other hosts and comparison with biotyping and somatic antigen serotyping; Owen RJ et al.; Flagellin gene sequence polymorphisms were used to discriminate amongst 77 strains of Campylobacter jejuni from sporadic and outbreak-associated human enteric infections, and from chickens, sheep and calves . The results were assessed in relation to Lior biotyping and serotyping (Penner somatic antigens) . Eight DNA PCR-RFLP patterns (genotypes) were identified by analysis of HinfI fragment length polymorphisms in flagellin gene (flaA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products . One genotype (F-1) was a feature of 55% of strains . Strains within the genotypes were heterogeneous with respect to somatic antigens with 12 serogroups represented amongst the C . jejuni isolates of flaA type F-1 . Serogroups Pen 1, 2 and 23 were the commonest (45%) amongst the 20 different serogroups represented . Several unique clusters of isolates with diverse biotypes were defined, and one cluster (F-7/Pen 23) contained epidemiologically implicated outbreak strains as well as sheep and calf isolates . We conclude that HinfI flaA typing is reproducible and offers high typability, and its combination with serogrouping provides a novel approach to characterizing isolates of C . jejuni with improved discrimination.

FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, 1994 Oct, 9(4), 273 - 80
Urease-mediated destruction of bacteria is specific for Helicobacter urease and results in total cellular disruption; Williams C et al.; The survival of Helicobacter mustelae, Proteus mirobilis, Escherichia coli and Campylobacter jejuni in the presence of urea and citrate at pH 6.0 was examined . H . mustelae, which has urease activity similar to H . pylori, had a markedly reduced survival, median 2.5% (0-78%) (P < 0.001) when incubated under these conditions . Only 7% of the ammonia produced by H . mustelae urease activity was recovered from the buffer, a similar percentage to that previously reported with H . pylori . None of the other organisms, all of which had lower urease activity, had impaired survival under these conditions . Electron microscopical studies demonstrated extensive structural damage to H . pylori following exposure to urea and citrate at pH 6.0 . This structural damage to the organisms makes it unlikely that the low recovery of ammonia was due to retention of ammonia within the bacteria and suggests that the ammonia may have been incorporated into glutamate or other amino acids . Incorporation of ammonia into these compounds would deplete the cell of the key metabolic intermediate alpha-ketoglutarate and could thus explain the mechanism of the urease-dependent destruction of the organism.

Eur J Epidemiol, 1994 Oct, 10(5), 581 - 5
An outbreak of Campylobacter infection associated with the consumption of unpasteurised milk at a large festival in England; Morgan D et al.; Seventy-two laboratory confirmed cases of Campylobacter infection were identified in people who attended a large festival in England . A case-control study was undertaken to identify the vehicle of infection . Potential risk factors included the water supply to the site, and food, bottled spring water and unpasteurised milk sold at the event . Only the consumption of unpasteurised milk showed a statistical association with having a Campylobacter infection, strongly suggesting that this was the vehicle of infection.

J Ethnopharmacol, 1994 Oct, 44(2), 73 - 7
Cryptolepis sanguinolenta activity against diarrhoeal bacteria; Paulo A et al.; Cryptolepine is the main alkaloid of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl.) Schlechter, a plant used in traditional medicine in West Africa . The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of cryptolepine, ethanol and aqueous extracts of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta root were determined for 65 strains of Campylobacter jejuni, 41 strains of Campylobacter coli isolated from sporadic cases of gastroenteritis in Portugal and 86 strains of Vibrio cholerae isolated from patients with enteric infections in Angola, Brazil and Portugal . The ethanol extract activity against Campylobacter strains (MIC90% = 25 micrograms/ml) is higher than that of co-trimoxazole and sulfamethoxazole and Campylobacter strains susceptibility for cryptolepine (MIC90% = 12.5 micrograms/ml) is equal for ampicillin . The ethanol extract and cryptolepine show some activity against the Vibrio cholerae strains, although their activities are lower than that of tetracycline . The results suggest that these roots could be a therapeutic alternative for bacterial etiologic diarrhoea in West Africa.

Pediatr Ann, 1994 Oct, 23(10), 570 - 4
Laboratory diagnosis of infectious diarrhea; Hoshiko M; The microbiology laboratory, in conjunction with the medical staff, must determine a reasonable approach to the evaluation of diarrheal stools since the cost to rule out all potential pathogens is prohibitive and control of the use of laboratory services is now a major focus in all institutions . All stool cultures should be examined for Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Shigella, the most common causes of inflammatory bacterial diarrhea in the United States . Special media for other pathogens should be added only if there is high regional endemicity or significant clinical suspicion . If a child has bloody diarrhea, a search for E coli O157:H7 is indicated . For patients with a history of raw seafood ingestion or foreign travel, the laboratory should be asked to screen specimens for Vibrio and Plesiomonas species . The report from the laboratory should specifically state what enteropathogens have been excluded, for example, "No Salmonella, Shigella, or Campylobacter isolated." A report of "negative" or "no enteric pathogens" is not very useful . Diagnosis of viral and parasitic enteritis and antibiotic-associated diarrhea require a variety of additional tests . Clinicians are encouraged to discuss these issues with the pathologist or microbiologist at their local laboratory and be familiar with community microbiology practice, particularly which organisms require a special request for the laboratory to attempt identification.

Pediatr Ann, 1994 Oct, 23(10), 538 - 43
Salmonella, Shigella, and Campylobacter: common bacterial causes of infectious diarrhea; Stutman HR; Salmonella, Shigella, and Campylobacter species are the most common causes of acute bacterial enteritis in the United States . These pathogens should be considered seriously in children who progress rapidly from secretory to inflammatory diarrhea syndrome or in whom diarrhea persists beyond 5 to 6 days . Furthermore, children who appear more toxic than their state of dehydration would suggest should be suspected of having an acute bacterial etiology for their diarrhea . Systemic, extraintestinal dissemination of these organisms is uncommon, with the exception of salmonella infection during the first year of life and in immunocompromised hosts . In this latter situation, culture of blood and other appropriate body fluids should be considered, along with empiric systemic antibiotic therapy . When antibiotics are warranted in patients with shigella or campylobacter infection, oral therapy is usually sufficient . Careful attention to handwashing and personal hygiene is always appropriate to prevent further spread of these organisms . The very low infectious dose of shigella infection mandates an even more compulsive attention to these latter recommendations when this organism is implicated.

Acta Paediatr Jpn, 1994 Oct, 36(5), 557 - 61
Breast feeding: overview and breast milk immunology; Hanson LA et al.; The transfer of host defence capacity to the human offspring provides a remarkable model of passive transfer of immunity . In fact it may also provide an example of active immunization . The transfer of mucosal protection via breast feeding offers many additional advantages for the mother and infant . Through its contraceptive effects it increases the spacing between births, thus diminshing the infant mortality and the burden on the mother . It also enhances bonding between mother and child, it seems to increase the IQ and school result of the infant and might decrease the risk of certain malignancies and perhaps of juvenile diabetes . A fully breast-fed infant receives as much as 0.5-1 g of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) antibodies daily, the predominant antibody of human milk . This can be compared to the production of some 2.5 g of SIgA per day for a 60 kg adult . These SIgA antibodies have been shown to protect against Vibrio cholerae, ETEC, Campylobacter, Shigella and Giardia . Furthermore, milk is rich in receptor analogues for certain epithelial structures which microbes need for attachment to host tissues as an initial step in infections . Thus the adherence of Haemophilus influenzae and pneumococci for example to retropharyngeal cells is efficiently inhibited by human milk . This may be one explanation for the fact that breast-fed babies have less otitis media than the non-breast-fed . Other milk factors like lysozyme and lactoferin may contribute to the host defence, but this has not yet been well defined . However, human milk also supports the well-being of the infant by being anti-inflammatory.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

J Clin Microbiol, 1994 Oct, 32(10), 2598 - 9
Detection of Campylobacter upsaliensis from a blood culture by using the BacT/Alert system; Carnahan AM et al.; Campylobacter upsaliensis was isolated from the blood of a 60-year-old female with hairy cell leukemia . This spiral-shaped organism was detected in the aerobic BacT/Alert bottle (Organon Teknika, Durham, N.C.) by acridine orange staining and was recovered only on chocolate agar in a microaerophilic atmosphere at 35 degrees C.

Curr Opin Neurol, 1994 Oct, 7(5), 386 - 92
Guillain-Barré syndrome; Hughes RA et al.; Guillain-Barre syndrome has now become recognized as a clinical syndrome that may be due to several pathological entities, consisting of an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy as well as an acute motor axonal neuropathy . Campylobacter jejuni infection is a common preceding event and, together with anti-ganglioside GM1 antibodies, is associated with axonal damage and a poor outcome . The mechanism by which such antibodies damage axons is not clear . The Miller Fisher syndrome is very closely associated with antibodies to ganglioside GQ1b that may be important in pathogenesis . Treatment of Guillain-Barre syndrome with intravenous immunoglobulin appears to be as effective as plasma exchange in one controlled trial . Two small series have reported a high incidence of early relapses following intravenous immunoglobulin, and its efficacy is being reexamined in a further controlled trial.

Clin Infect Dis, 1994 Oct, 19(4), 728 - 34
Clinical features and duration of traveler's diarrhea in relation to its etiology; Mattila L; Clinical features of traveler's diarrhea (TD) were studied among 126 adult Finnish tourists who developed this illness during or shortly after a visit to Morocco . Enteric pathogens were identified in 76 (60%) of cases, whereas the etiology remained unidentified in 50 cases (40%) . Patients with an identified pathogen did not differ from those with TD of unknown etiology in terms of the time of onset of illness or the median frequency of unformed stools in the first 24 hours . In contrast, the median frequency of unformed stools between 24 and 48 hours (i.e., on the second day) was 1.0 among patients with no pathogen and 2.0 among those with enteric pathogens identified (P < .001) . A similar difference was evident on the third day (1.0 vs . 2.5) . Moreover, a lower proportion of patients with no pathogen identified had watery stools (28% vs . 55%) . The durations of diarrhea and concomitant symptoms were significantly shorter and the recovery from TD was significantly quicker among the patients without an identified pathogen . Patients with one or more invasive pathogens had disease that was clearly more severe than that of patients with no pathogen identified; the difference in severity of disease was less marked for patients with invasive vs . noninvasive pathogens . Individuals with diarrhea due to Campylobacter species tended to have the most severe disease, whereas diarrhea caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli seemed milder than that caused by other agents . Unfortunately, the clinician has only a limited opportunity to predict the etiology of TD and thus to assess the need for antimicrobial therapy at the onset of disease.

Trop Doct, 1994 Oct, 24(4), 161 - 3
Detection of Helicobacter pylori in endoscopic biopsies in Sudan; Azim Mirghani YA et al.; We studied the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in Sudanese subjects with gastroduodenal inflammation . H . pylori was looked for in biopsy specimens taken from the antrum by two methods: rapid urease test {Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test} and culture using Skirrow's selective supplement . One hundred subjects were studied . H . pylori was found in 80% of patients with gastritis, 56% of patients with duodenal ulcer, 60% of patients with duodenitis and 16% of normal control subjects . It was neither detected in patients with gastric ulcer, nor in patients with oesophagitis or in those with oesophageal varices due to schistosomiasis, when using culture . However, it was found in 50% of patients with oesophagitis, when using CLO test.

Singapore Med J, 1994 Oct, 35(5), 453 - 6
Campylobacter enteritis in children: clinical and laboratory findings in 137 cases; Puthucheary SD et al.; One hundred and thirty-seven children with Campylobacter diarrhoea were reviewed . The predominant species was C . jejuni . Ninety-five percent of the children were below 5 years of age with 61% of these being 2-12 months old . A slight male preponderance was noted . About half the cases presented with fever and bloody diarrhoea; vomiting was seen in 28% and abdominal colic in only 8% . Moderate to severe diarrhoea was present in 48% of the children . Thirty-seven percent had a history of recent or concurrent illness . Other bacterial enteropathogens together with Campylobacter were isolated in 15% of the children . Erythromycin, the most useful drug, when indicated for Campylobacter infections, had an MIC90 of 2 mg/l with 96.2% of the strains being sensitive.

Rev Latinoam Microbiol, 1994 Oct-Dec, 36(4), 307 - 24
{Epidemiology and etiology of infectious diarrheas . The case of Mexico}; Valdespino-Gomez JL et al.; Gastrointestinal infections represent a health problem . It is estimated that 1647 million cases of diarrhea and 3.2 million deaths due to this cause occur among children less than five years of age per year . Those belonging to this age group have 15 times more risk of dying because of diarrhea . Cases of liquid acute diarrhea with blood represent 80% of cases, diarrhea with blood represent 10% . Most frequent causes of liquid diarrhea are enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and rotaviruses and most frequent causes of bloody diarrhea are Shigella, E . coli (EHEC and EPEC) . Campylobacter jejuni and Entamoeba histolytica . Annually 15,000 cases of typhoid fever are reported that continue being a public health problem . A negative correlation has been observed between the use of oral rehydration and infant mortality due to diarrhea . After prevention and control measures for cholera, a decrease in morbidity and mortality due to diarrhea has been observed . However, to reduce mortality due to this cause, it is necessary to treat the cases of acute dysentery and persistent diarrhea as well as to increase coverage of health care, to standardize the studies of etiology of diarrhea in Mexico, to establish surveillance centers for the study of diarrhea that give information on the distribution, frequency and trends of microbial agents and to achieve standardized microbiological and parasitological studies of etiology of diarrhea that support public health interventions as vaccination and selective administration of antibiotics.

Mol Microbiol, 1994 Oct, 14(2), 235 - 41
Identification and characterization of an intervening sequence within the 23S ribosomal RNA genes of Campylobacter jejuni; Konkel ME et al.; Campylobacter jejuni is a significant cause of bacterial enteritis in humans . Three of seven C . jejuni isolates examined were found to contain fragmented 23S rRNA . The occurrence of fragmented 23S rRNA correlated with the presence of an intervening sequence (IVS) within the 23S rRNA genes . The IVS is 157 nucleotides in length and replaces an eight nucleotide sequence in the 23S rRNA genes of C . jejuni isolates that contain intact 23S rRNA . The two ends of the IVS share 31 bases of complementarity that could form a stem-loop structure . Fragmentation of the 23S ribosomal RNA results from the excision of the IVS from the transcribed RNA; the 3' cleavage site maps within the putative stem-loop formed by the IVS . Southern hybridization analysis revealed that the IVS is not present in the genomes of isolates that contain intact 23S rRNA, suggesting that the IVS is not derived from Campylobacter chromosomal sequences . The C . jejuni IVS is located at a position analogous to that of the IVSs found in both Salmonella and Yersinia spp.

J Bacteriol, 1994 Sep, 176(18), 5852 - 6
Iron-responsive genetic regulation in Campylobacter jejuni: cloning and characterization of a fur homolog; Wooldridge KG et al.; The Fur protein of Escherichia coli represses transcription from Fur-responsive genes in an iron-dependent manner . We have demonstrated a Fur-like iron-responsive genetic regulatory activity operating in Campylobacter jejuni by using a chloramphenicol acetyl transferase reporter gene separated from its promoter by a synthetic Fur-responsive operator . A fur-like gene has been cloned from C . jejuni by partial functional complementation of an E . coli fur mutation . Sequence analysis has shown that, at the amino acid level, the C . jejuni Fur protein is 35% identical with its E . coli counterpart.

Infect Immun, 1994 Sep, 62(9), 3922 - 9
Biochemical characterization of Campylobacter fetus lipopolysaccharides; Moran AP et al.; Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of five strains of the human and animal pathogen Campylobacter fetus were electrophoretically and chemically characterized . Analysis with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that all the strains produced smooth-form LPS with O side chains of relatively constant chain length . Upon extraction, LPS partitioned into both the water and phenol phases of phenol-water extracts, which showed that two chemical species of LPS were present in each C . fetus strain . Constituents common to all the LPS, though differing in molar ratios, were L-rhamnose, L-fucose, D-mannose, D-glucose, D-galactose, L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, and D-glycero-D-manno-heptose . L-Acofriose (3-O-methyl-L-rhamnose) was present in only two of the C . fetus strains . On the basis of these differences, it was possible to distinguish between LPS from strains of different serotypes and biotypes . Furthermore, chemical analysis indicated that the phenol phase LPS had a lower level of substitution by certain neutral sugars than did water phase LPS . N-Acetylneuraminic (sialic) acid and D-galactosamine were present in all the C . fetus LPS . Constituents normally found in the core and lipid A regions of LPS, 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid, D-glucosamine, ethanolamine and its phosphorylated derivatives, and fatty acids {14:0, 16:0 14:0(3-OH), and 16:0(3-OH)} were detected . Unlike Campylobacter jejuni, in which 2,3-diamino-2,3-dideoxy-D-glucose occurs as a constituent of the lipid A backbone, this amino sugar was absent from C . fetus LPS, indicating major structural differences in the lipid A's of these species.

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