Z Gastroenterol, 1993 Jun, 31(6), 388 - 91 Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 infections in Austria; Solder B et al.; To determine the prevalence of Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) serotype O157 associated diarrhea in the Austrian patient population, we surveyed all stool specimens of liquid consistency submitted to the Federal Public Health Laboratory (FPHL) in Innsbruck for 2 years for this organism . This laboratory serves a population of approximately 1 Million people . Of 5,265 stool specimens, 7 yielded O157 VTEC . Five isolates of E . coli O157 phage type 32, VT2 were cultured from specimens received during a three day period from residents in the county of Schwaz . During the investigation of this "outbreak" E . coli O157 strains were also isolated from two household contacts . Only 1 out of 8 persons with E . coli O157 diarrhea had bloody stools, although 5 of 7 tested specimens (= 71%) also yielded Campylobacter jejuni . None of our patients received antimicrobial therapy directed against E . coli O157 (one child had josamycin) . There were no fatalities and no cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (follow up period: 6 months) . Consumption of hamburger, roast beef, and unpasteurized milk was not confirmed in this study . In Austria, no O157 VTEC strain was isolated till June 1992, although at the FPHL in Innsbruck stool specimens of liquid consistency were cultured for this organism since January 1991. Vet Microbiol, 1993 Jun, 35(3-4), 269 - 74 Medical and veterinary use of antimicrobial agents: implications for public health . A clinician's view on antimicrobial resistance; Shah PM et al.; It is often proposed that the indiscriminate use of antimicrobial agents in the veterinary field leads to increased resistance in bacteria pathogenic to humans . Although for human medicine there is some potential danger behind the use of antimicrobial agents in animals, very few species (such as Staphylococci, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Yersinia and Campylobacter) isolated in animals, which are also pathogenic to man, have been mentioned in the literature . The present paper analyzes the areas and bacteria where the clinician faces problems in the treatment of infection in man. J Clin Microbiol, 1993 Jun, 31(6), 1531 - 6 Flagellin gene typing of Campylobacter jejuni by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis; Nachamkin I et al.; We developed and studied a molecular typing approach for Campylobacter spp . with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the flagellin gene flaA in C . jejuni . Using polymerase chain reaction, we amplified the flaA gene from strains comprising different HL:O serotypes by using a primer set directed at the conserved 5' and 3' flaA gene sequence to generate a 1.7-kb amplicon . The amplicon was further digested with the restriction enzyme DdeI, and the fragments generated were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis . In 43 non-outbreak strains of six common HL serotypes (HL 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, and 36) in the United States, 18 RFLP patterns were observed . In U.S . outbreak strains previously studied by 10 other typing methods, flaA typing correlated with the HL serotype within each outbreak, and six additional flaA types were identified . Our results suggest that RFLP analysis of the flaA gene from Campylobacter spp . has sufficient discrimination to be useful as a practical typing method for clinical and epidemiologic investigations. J Clin Microbiol, 1993 Jun, 31(6), 1525 - 30 Common somatic O and heat-labile serotypes among Campylobacter strains from sporadic infections in the United States; Patton CM et al.; Somatic O (formerly heat-stable) and heat-labile (HL) serotyping methods are commonly used to type Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolates . Although both systems are effective, the labor and time required for each have limited their application . These systems can be simplified by reducing the number of antisera used . To find an appropriate panel of antisera, we determined the distribution of common serotypes in the United States among a representative sample of 298 Campylobacter isolates . The strains, obtained between July 1989 and June 1990 from persons with sporadic cases of diarrhea, were collected from 19 randomly chosen counties in all geographic (census) regions of the United States . All strains were serotyped by the O and HL systems . By phenotypic methods, 288 C . jejuni, 9 hippurate-negative C . jejuni/C . coli, and 1 Campylobacter lari were identified . Of 57 O antisera, 24 typed 252 (84.6%) strains . Of the 55 HL antisera, 23 serotyped 253 (84.9%) strains . All strains were typeable in the unabsorbed O antisera . In the absorbed HL antisera, four strains were nontypeable and 14 were rough and untypeable . In each geographic region, 9 or more O and HL serotypes were found . Serotypes O:1, O:4, and O:13,16,43,50 and HL 1 were identified in all regions . The combination of both schemes gave greater discrimination than either system alone, but the maintenance of both requires a large resource investment . A serotyping scheme incorporating the 24 most prevalent O and 23 most prevalent HL serotypes could be useful for outbreak support and for surveillance . In the near future, we anticipate using a molecular subtyping method in combination with limited serotyping to distinguish Campylobacter strains. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1993 May, 59(5), 1269 - 73 Role of Campylobacter jejuni flagella as colonization factors for three-day-old chicks: analysis with flagellar mutants; Nachamkin I et al.; Campylobacter jejuni, an important cause of human gastrointestinal infection, is a major food-borne pathogen in the United States and worldwide . Since poultry becomes colonized and/or contaminated during the early stages of production and is a major food-borne source for this organism, we studied the role of C . jejuni flagella on the ability of the bacterium to colonize the chicken gastrointestinal tract . Three-day-old chicks were orally challenged with a motile wild-type strain of C . jejuni IN9 or with flagellar mutants created from IN9 by disrupting the flagellin genes with a kanamycin resistance cassette by using shuttle mutagenesis (A . Labigne-Roussel, P . Courcoux, and L . Tompkins, J . Bacteriol . 170:1704-1708, 1988) . One mutant, IN9-N3, lacked flagella and was nonmotile . The other, IN9-N7, produced a truncated flagellum and was partially motile . Three-day-old chicks were orally challenged with different doses of the wild-type strain and the two mutants . At challenge doses ranging from 3.0 x 10(4) to 6.6 x 10(8) CFU per chick, only the fully motile, wild-type strain colonized the chick ceca . Our results show that intact and motile flagella are important colonization factors for C . jejuni in chicks. Eur J Biochem, 1993 May 1, 213(3), 1029 - 37 Chemical structure of the core region of Campylobacter jejuni serotype O:2 lipopolysaccharide; Aspinall GO et al.; The complete structure for the core region of Campylobacter jejuni serotype O:2 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was assigned through studies on derivatives of the liberated oligosaccharide (OS 2) and the intact LPS . Structure determinations were performed using 1H-NMR spectroscopy, methylation studies supported by fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry and linkage analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, Smith degradation, and oxidation with chromium trioxide . It was concluded that complete oligosaccharide chains had the following structure: {formula: see text} J Clin Microbiol, 1993 May, 31(5), 1394 - 6 Detection of immunoglobulin A in urine specimens from children with Campylobacter-associated diarrhea by a chemiluminescent indicator-based western immunoblot assay; Wu SJ et al.; A Western blot (immunoblot) assay was used to detect Campylobacter-specific immunoglobulin A in urine . Acute-phase urine samples from six children with Campylobacter diarrhea had titers ranging from 2 to 8 . The highest titer was detected 4 days postonset . Campylobacter-specific immunoglobulin A was undetectable in the paired convalescent-phase specimens and urine samples from three control children. J Med Microbiol, 1993 May, 38(5), 316 - 21 Pathological changes in the rabbit ileal loop model caused by Campylobacter jejuni from human colitis; Everest PH et al.; Four strains of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from children with inflammatory diarrhoea were assayed in the rabbit ileal loop model of infectious diarrhoea . All caused inflammatory reactions with severe macroscopic and microscopic damage in infected rabbit ileal tissue similar to that observed in the patients by endoscopy and histological analysis of colonic biopsies . Haemoglobin and other proteins were observed in loop fluids, consistent with leakage of serum from damaged mucosa . Loop fluids also contained significant bicarbonate concentrations, indicative of an active secretory component similar to that in control loops inoculated with cholera toxin . However, although three of the four clinical strains produced small amounts of a protein immunologically related to cholera toxin in vitro, none such was detected in either tissues or fluids of infected ileal loops . We propose instead that host-derived mediators of secretion may be important in pathogenesis . A mutant strain of C . jejuni with impaired motility, obtained from the National Collection of Type Cultures, did not induce tissue damage or fluid secretion in rabbit ileal loops. J Appl Bacteriol, 1993 May, 74(5), 564 - 9 Production of hyperimmune bovine colostrum against Campylobacter jejuni; Husu J et al.; Serial immunization of dairy cows with Campylobacter jejuni resulted in an enhanced serum antibody response and production of hyperimmune colostrum in all vaccinated animals . An approximate 10-fold decrease in the Camp . jejuni-specific antibody titres in colostrum was observed within 2 d post-partum . The lyophilized colostral concentrate fed to newborn calves resulted in a rapid increase in serum antibody response . Specific Camp . jejuni immunoglobulins could be detected in these animals for a further 10 weeks . The lyophilized hyperimmunized colostrum was very stable in vitro at different storage temperatures . It could be used for passive immunization to campylobacteriosis. Infect Immun, 1993 May, 61(5), 2220 - 3 Arcobacter (Campylobacter) butzleri-associated diarrheal illness in a nonhuman primate population; Anderson KF et al.; After DNA hybridization identified an isolate from an ill rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) as Arcobacter (Campylobacter) butzleri, we initiated a study to determine whether A . butzleri was associated with diarrheal disease in nonhuman primates at the Yerkes Primate Research Center . By using Campy-CVA medium incubated at 35 degrees C, 15 A . butzleri isolates were obtained from 14 macaques; 7 macaques were coinfected with Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni . A . butzleri was not isolated from normal feces, despite the fact that feces from 76 macaques were cultured at necropsy . Histologic evaluation of colonic specimens from three macaques from which A . butzleri had been isolated showed mild to moderately severe chronic, active colitis . Ribotype analysis of the 15 A . butzleri isolates revealed nine different strains; these data suggest that A . butzleri may be endemic in this primate population and that a point source of infection is unlikely . This is the first report of the presence of A . butzleri in juvenile and adult macaques with diarrhea, and it may present an opportunity to study the pathogenesis of this organism, which appears to be associated with persistent diarrhea in humans. Infect Immun, 1993 May, 61(5), 1764 - 71 Role of flagella in adherence, internalization, and translocation of Campylobacter jejuni in nonpolarized and polarized epithelial cell cultures; Grant CC et al.; Previous studies of Campylobacter jejuni have suggested that flagellin is an adhesin for epithelial cells and that motility is a virulence factor of this bacterium . The role of flagella in the interactions of C . jejuni with nonpolarized and polarized epithelial cells was examined with flagellar mutants . Flagellated, nonmotile (flaA flaB+ Mot-) and nonflagellated, nonmotile (flaA flaB Mot-) mutants of C . jejuni were constructed by in vivo homologous recombination and gene replacement techniques . Both classes of mutants were found to adhere to cells of human epithelial origin (INT 407) equally well; however, on the basis of the percentage of the inoculum internalized, internalization of the flaA flaB Mot- mutants was decreased by factors ranging from approximately 30 to 40 compared with the parent . The flaA flaB+ Mot- mutant was internalized by the INT 407 cells at levels six- to sevenfold higher than the flaA flaB Mot- mutants . Both classes of mutants, unlike the parent, were unable to translocate across polarized Caco-2 monolayers . These results indicate that flagella are not involved in C . jejuni adherence to epithelial cells but that they do play a role in internalization . Furthermore, the results suggest that either the motility of C . jejuni or the product of flaA is essential for the bacterium to cross polarized epithelial cell monolayers. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1993 May, 37(5), 1203 - 5 In vitro activity of azithromycin against bacterial enteric pathogens; Gordillo ME et al.; The in vitro activity of azithromycin against enteric bacterial pathogens was determined by agar dilution . Azithromycin was highly active against Campylobacter spp . (MIC for 90% of strains tested {MIC90} = 0.125 micrograms/ml) and against enterotoxigenic, enterohemorrhagic, enteroinvasive, and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (MIC90 = 2 micrograms/ml), Shigella spp . (MIC90 = 1 micrograms/ml), and Salmonella spp . (MIC90 = 4 micrograms/ml), including Salmonella typhi (MIC90 = 1 microgram/ml) . On the basis of the in vitro activity of the drug against these organisms, clinical studies of azithromycin in enteric diseases should be considered; the high intracellular concentrations achieved by azithromycin may be particularly relevant for organisms like S . typhi, Campylobacter spp., and Shigella spp . which typically invade cells as part of their infectious process. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1993 May, 37(5), 1174 - 6 Susceptibilities of beta-lactamase-positive and -negative strains of Campylobacter coli to beta-lactam agents; Lachance N et al.; The percentages of susceptibility of 28 strains of Campylobacter coli to beta-lactam agents were 96% for amoxicillin and ampicillin, 57% for ticarcillin, 4% for cefoxitin and cefuroxime, 61% for cefotaxime, and 11% for ceftazidime . None of the strains were susceptible to penicillin G, piperacillin, cefazolin, cephalothin, cefamandole, and cefoperazone . All strains were susceptible to imipenem and ciprofloxacin, and 21% were susceptible to erythromycin . A beta-lactamase was detected in 68% of the strains by cefinase disks and by the nitrocefin method . The beta-lactamase-positive strains were significantly less susceptible to amoxicillin, ampicillin, and ticarcillin than the beta-lactamase-negative strains (P < or = 0.003) . Clavulanic acid (0.25 microgram/ml) but not sulbactam and tazobactam (2 micrograms/ml) lowered to susceptible levels the amoxicillin and ampicillin MICs of the only strain of C . coli resistant to amoxicillin, ampicillin, and ticarcillin. Vet Microbiol, 1993 May, 35(1-2), 133 - 9 A cytotoxicity test for the detection of Campylobacter jejuni toxin; Lam KM; A 7-h 51Cr-release cytotoxicity assay has been developed to detect the presence of Campylobacter jejuni toxin in the culture supernatant . Some of the culture supernatants have cytotoxic effects against labeled chicken lymphocytes, while some others do not have this effect . There is no direct correlation between the pathogenicity of the organisms and the presence of the toxin . The supernatant of C . jejuni retains its cytotoxicity after heating at 100 degrees C for 10 min.; therefore, it is a heat stable toxin. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1993 May, 31(5), 699 - 709 The antimicrobial activity and beta-lactamase stability of cefpirome, a new fourth-generation cephalosporin in comparison with other agents; Cheng AF et al.; The antimicrobial activity of cefpirome was compared with amoxycillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin/sulbactam, cefuroxime, ceftazidime, gentamicin and amikacin against 743 non-duplicate clinical isolates . MIC50 and MIC90 showed that the antibiotic was active against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms . Cefpirome was highly active against most of the Enterobacteriaceae, including indole-positive Proteus spp., Aeromonas spp . (MIC < or = 1 mg/L) and Salmonella spp . (MIC < or = 0.5 mg/L) . Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Haemophilus influenzae (including beta-lactamase producers) were all susceptible, with MIC less than 0.5 and 0.25 mg/L respectively . Cefpirome was more active than cefuroxime and ceftazidime against Campylobacter spp . (MIC < or = 2 mg/L), but less active than ceftazidime against Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Cefpirome was active against Streptococcus pneumoniae . Streptococcus bovis and coagulase-negative staphylococci (MIC < or = 0.5 mg/L) and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MIC < or = 2 mg/L) . Methicillin-resistant S . aureus, Gram-positive and Gram-negative anaerobes were resistant to cefpirome . The stability of cefpirome to TEM-1, TEM-2, PSE-1, SHV-1 and the chromosomal-mediated P99 and K-1 beta-lactamases was comparable to ceftazidime. Pediatr Infect Dis J, 1993 May, 12(5), 386 - 9 Presentation of Yersinia enterocolitica enteritis in children; Naqvi SH et al.; Yersinia enterocolitica enteritis is a potentially treatable infection . To understand its seasonal incidence and clinical presentation in children, we reviewed case records of children seen in Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St . Louis, MO . We found the incidence of Yersinia enteritis to be as frequent as enteritis caused by Campylobacter . It occurred more frequently during the winter months (P < 0.002) than during the rest of the year . Fever was common in infants with Yersinia enteritis . Abdominal pain and distention were infrequent . Seventeen (35%) patients were 3 months of age or younger; 4 of 17 (28%) developed Yersinia sepsis as a complication of the enteritis . Physicians should perform stool cultures for Y . enterocolitica in young infants who present with high fever and diarrhea in winter months, especially when there is blood in stools or the patient appears septic. East Afr Med J, 1993 May, 70(5), 267 - 9 The microbiology of acute diarrhoeal disease in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia; al-Freihi H et al.; A prospective study of acute diarrhoeal diseases in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia was carried out over a 19-month period to determine aetiology, risk factors and other epidemiological characteristics . Of the 853 subjects studied, 344 were cases and 509 controls . More cases were seen in children than in adults . Enteric pathogens were detected in 49% of the cases, but none in the controls . Of the pathogens, 68% were bacterial with Salmonella (34%) and Shigella species (14.7%) being the most common; Campylobacter jejuni emerged as an important cause especially in adults . Contrary to most reports, rotaviruses were responsible for only 11.5% of the cases in children . Entamoeba histolytica (13.5%) and Giardia intestinalis (10.4%) were parasites commonly detected . Shigella organisms were the only pathogens that were isolated in hospital cases without being isolated in cases from the community. Eur J Biochem, 1993 May 1, 213(3), 1017 - 27 Chemical structures of the core regions of Campylobacter jejuni serotypes O:1, O:4, O:23, and O:36 lipopolysaccharides; Aspinall GO et al.; Complete structures, including the location of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) residues, were assigned for the core regions of Campylobacter jejuni serotypes O:1, O:4, and O:23 and O:36 lipopolysaccharides (LPS) . In continuation of earlier studies, structure determinations of liberated oligosaccharides and, where necessary, of intact LPS, were by 1H-NMR spectroscopy, Smith degradation, chromium trioxide and enzymic degradations, in conjunction with methylation studies supported by fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry and linkage analyses by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry . It was concluded on the basis of the following structures, in which each was linked 1-->5 to a terminal 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid residue, that the core regions with qualitatively similar sugar compositions showed serotypic differences in one or more of their sequences, linkage types, and anomeric configurations: {formula: see text} {corrected} . The outer regions of each structure carry Neu5Ac residues linked 2-->3 to available beta-D-Galp residues and show striking similarities with various glycosphingolipids of the ganglioside family . However, Neu5Ac epitopes are not apparently involved in determining serospecificity. Lik Sprava, 1993 May-Jun, (5-6), 92 - 4 {The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of campylobacteriosis in Ukraine}; Kirik DL et al.; Clinical course and epidemiological features of campylobacteriosis in Ukraine are described . The disease accounts for 11.2% of the total number of acute enteric infectious cases . Ratio of bacterial contamination of hens and their role in spread of campylobacteriosis have been established . Possible ways of transfer of the infection are discussed. J Bacteriol, 1993 May, 175(10), 3051 - 7 Distribution and polymorphism of the flagellin genes from isolates of Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni; Alm RA et al.; The complex flagellar filaments of the LIO8 serogroup member Campylobacter coli VC167 are composed of two highly related subunit proteins encoded by the flaA and flaB genes which share 92% identity . Using oligonucleotide primers based on the known DNA sequence of both the flaA and flaB genes from C . coli VC167 in the polymerase chain reaction, we have shown conservation of both fla genes among isolates within the LIO8 heat-labile serogroup by digestion of the amplified product with PstI and EcoRI restriction endonucleases . Amplification and subsequent restriction analysis of the flaA flagellin gene from Campylobacter isolates belonging to 13 different LIO serogroups further identified 10 unique polymorphic groups . Within most of the serogroups examined, isolates appeared to contain flaA genes with conserved primary structures . Only in serogroups LIO11 and LIO29 did independent isolates possess flagellin genes with different primary structures . Furthermore, by employing primers specific for the flaB gene of C . coli VC167, all serogroups examined contained a second fla gene corresponding to flaB . In all serogroups except the LIO5 and LIO6 isolates which were identical to each other, the polymorphic pattern of this flaB gene was identical to that of the corresponding flaA gene . These data indicate that the presence of a second highly homologous flagellin gene is widespread throughout Campylobacter isolates and that in most instances, the primary structure of the two fla genes is conserved within isolates belonging to the same heat-labile LIO serogroup . This may represent the presence of clonal evolutionary groups in Campylobacter spp. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1993 Apr 15, 108(3), 275 - 80 Antigenic properties of Campylobacter rectus (Wolinella recta) major S-layer proteins; Kobayashi Y et al.; The antigenic properties of the surface layer (S-layer) proteins of various Campylobacter rectus strains including 24 clinical isolates and the type strain ATCC 33238 were examined . S-layer proteins were extracted from whole cells by acid treatment according to the method of McCoy et al . (Infect . Immun . 11, 517-525, 1975) . The acid extracts from 23 of the isolates and ATCC 33238 contained two major proteins with molecular masses of 130 kDa and 150 kDa, both of which were identified as subunits of the S-layer after comparison with the protein profiles of acid-treated (S-layer-deficient) cells . An S-layer protein from one isolate (CI-808) demonstrated a different molecular mass (160 kDa) . Both the 150-kDa proteins of ATCC 33238 and isolate CI-306 and the 160-kDa protein of CI-808 were purified by ion-exchange chromatography in the presence of urea . In Ouchterlony immunodiffusion experiments with these purified proteins and rabbit antiserum raised to each purified protein, both common and strain-specific antigenic determinants were identified in the C . rectus S-layer proteins. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1993 Apr, 12(4), 248 - 54 Early diagnosis of typhoid fever by an enzyme immunoassay using Salmonella typhi outer membrane protein preparations; Verdugo-Rodriguez A et al.; An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for detection of serum antibodies in patients with typhoid fever was developed using Salmonella typhi outer membrane protein (OMP) preparations as antigen . Acute phase (first week) sera from adult typhoid fever patients were tested as well as sera from the following control groups: adult travellers with diarrhea caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, children infected with Campylobacter jejuni, healthy Mexican adult blood donors, and adults with septicemia caused by other organisms . At a 1:3,125 serum dilution, the mean absorbance values were 1.41 in the typhoid fever patients, and 0.57, 0.55, 0.51 and 0.52 in the respective control groups . Inhibition EIA studies using OMP preparations or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as free antigen indicated that proteins can play an important role in the detection of antibodies in early typhoid fever . This EIA may be useful for the diagnosis of typhoid fever since results were obtained within about five hours and in an endemic area antibodies against Salmonella typhi OMP preparations appear early in the course of the disease. Vet Microbiol, 1993 Apr, 34(4), 381 - 8 Interactions of porcine lymphocytes with Campylobacter-like organism membranes purified from proliferative enteropathy; McOrist S et al.; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells prepared from 6 healthy pigs and 6 pigs apparently affected by proliferative enteropathy were incubated with dilutions of a sonicate of purified Campylobacter-like organisms 872/87 prepared from a separate case of proliferative enteropathy . Incubations were carried out in RPMI 1640 medium, supplemented with foetal calf serum, L-glutamine, sodium pyruvate and 2-mercaptoethanol for 5 days, with relevant concanavilin A and medium controls . Marked stimulation of lymphocyte proliferation was clearly evident in samples prepared from the pigs apparently affected by proliferative enteropathy (peak stimulation index 4.4-13.2) compared to the healthy pigs (peak stimulation index 3.0) . Diagnosis of proliferative enteropathy in these naturally derived cases was confirmed by a specific IgM indirect immunofluorescence assay . The results suggested that a specific antigen-related mitogenesis of blood lymphocytes occurs in pigs affected by proliferative enteropathy . This may have implications for immunization regimes. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, 1993 Apr, 6(4), 331 - 9 Heat-labile and heat-stable haemolysins of Campylobacter jejuni; Hossain A et al.; During studies on the virulence mechanisms of Campylobacter jejuni clinical isolates it became apparent that some strains produced one or more haemolysins and some did not . There was no great difference between Group C (cholera-like) strains and Group D (dysentery-like) strains . The protein haemolysin(s) showed a spectrum of activity against erythrocytes from different animals; with maximum activity against rabbit and minimal activity against chicken erythrocytes . The results suggested a two-stage activation mechanism for haemolysis which involved a multi-hit lytic activity . It was concluded that the C . jejuni haemolysins were not identical to those described in other organisms and they may be involved in iron acquisition in vivo. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, 1993 Apr, 6(4), 317 - 24 Immunological activity of lipopolysaccharide of Helicobacter pylori on human peripheral mononuclear blood cells in comparison to lipopolysaccharides of other intestinal bacteria; Birkholz S et al.; Lipopolysaccharide of Helicobacter pylori was tested for its mitogenicity and for its ability to stimulate cytokine release in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy and H . pylori-infected blood donors . Mitogenicity in PBMC induced by H . pylori LPS was similar to that induced by Campylobacter jejuni lipopolysaccharide, but lower than that induced by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide in the H . pylori negative blood donor group . Furthermore, H . pylori LPS was able to induce tumour necrosis factor (TNF) interleukin 1 (IL-1) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) secretion of PBMC . Compared with the ability of C . jejuni and E . coli lipopolysaccharides to stimulate cytokine release, H . pylori lipopolysaccharide induced a significantly lower TNF and IL-1 secretion of PBMC than the other tested bacterial lipopolysaccharides . Similar amounts of IL-6 release were obtained by stimulation of PBMC with H . pylori and C . jejuni lipopolysaccharides, whereas a higher IL-6 release was measured by stimulation with E . coli lipopolysaccharide . The results of this study suggest that H . pylori lipopolysaccharide has a lower immunological activity than lipopolysaccharides of other intestinal bacteria . This is probably due to its unusual acylation and phosphorylation pattern of lipid A. Int J Syst Bacteriol, 1993 Apr, 43(2), 386 - 7 The phylogenetic position of Helicobacter nemestrinae; Sly LI et al.; Comparison of the Helicobacter nemestrinae 16S ribosomal DNA with published homologous sequences from members of the genera Helicobacter, Wolinella, and Campylobacter reveals a close relationship between H . nemestrinae, H . pylori, and H . acinonyx . This finding is unexpected since these species differ significantly in their DNA guanine-plus-cytosine contents (24 to 38 mol%). J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr, 1993 Apr, 16(3), 247 - 51 Serodiagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in children by an indirect immunofluorescence test; Rocha GA et al.; The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of an indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) test for serodiagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in children and to determine how the test is affected by the presence of antibodies against Campylobacter jejuni . We studied 65 consecutive children (two with endoscopically confirmed duodenal ulcer) and a series of 18 children with duodenal ulcer . Thirty children were H . pylori negative, as determined by culture, by the preformed urease test, and by carbolfuchsin-stained smears . The microorganism was identified by microbiological methods in 35 of the 65 (53.85%) consecutive patients studied and in all children with duodenal ulcer . The titer of the IIF test was > or = 1:20 in the sera of all children with duodenal ulcer and in the sera of 30 of 33 H . pylori-positive children without duodenal ulcer . No H . pylori-negative children had titers > 1:10 . A serum dilution of 1:20 discriminated between H . pylori-infected and noninfected children . Absorption with C . jejuni did not change the levels of IgG against H . pylori . When five patients who had been successfully treated with metronidazole, amoxycillin, and furazolidone for 7 days were retested, a slight decrease in anti-H . pylori IgG levels was noted from the third month on . The decrease was more significant 9 months after the eradication of the microorganism. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1993 Apr, 59(4), 987 - 96 Colonization of broiler chickens by waterborne Campylobacter jejuni; Pearson AD et al.; Chickens on a broiler farm in southern England were found to be colonized with Campylobacter jejuni of a single serotype, Lior 1 Penner 4 . The farm was the sole supplier of a local slaughterhouse associated with a campylobacter outbreak in 1984 caused by this serotype . The serotype persisted on the farm for at least 18 months after the outbreak; its prevalence in the human population served by the farm remained high until it disappeared from the farm in 1986 . The possible sources and routes of transmission of C . jejuni to the broilers on the farm were investigated . The results showed that vertical transmission, feed, litter, small mammals, and environmental or airborne cross-contamination between sheds or successive crops could be excluded as persistent sources of C . jejuni . The predominant source of C . jejuni on the farm was shown to be the water supply . Direct microscopy and fluorescent antibody methods revealed presumptive campylobacters throughout the farm's water system . Campylobacter-free chickens raised in an animal house and given water from the farm supply became colonized with the serotype of C . jejuni endemic on the farm (Lior 1 Penner 4) . An intervention program based on water chlorination, shed drinking system cleaning and disinfection, and withdrawal of furazolidone from feed reduced the proportion of birds colonized with campylobacter from 81 to 7% and was associated with a 1,000- to 10,000-fold reduction in campylobacters recoverable from the carcasses . Two months after the end of the intervention program colonization of the birds returned to high levels (84%), indicating that there was a temporal association between intervention and reduced colonization with C . jejuni . Investigations continue to establish the general applicability of these findings. J Med Microbiol, 1993 Apr, 38(4), 293 - 300 Characteristics of an avirulent Campylobacter jejuni strain and its virulence-enhanced variants; Field LH et al.; The virulence of Campylobacter jejuni for 11-day-old chick embryos is associated with the ability to invade the chorio-allantoic membrane, to resist phagocytosis and to survive and proliferate in vivo . The pathogenicity of a well characterised avirulent C . jejuni strain was enhanced by passaging it intravenously and chorio-allantoically through chick embryos . The resulting isogenic variants had greatly increased ability to survive in vivo . In this study, the morphological and cell-surface characteristics of the avirulent parental strain were compared with those of the more virulent variants to determine whether pathogenicity was associated with one or more cell-surface constituents . Changes associated with the increased virulence of the two variants included alterations in cultural and cellular morphology, loss of flagella, expression of a new outer-membrane protein, alterations in cell-surface carbohydrates and decreases in cell-surface hydrophobicity. Epidemiol Infect, 1993 Apr, 110(2), 267 - 72 The seasonality of canine births and human campylobacteriosis: a hypothesis; Evans SJ; The seasonality of canine births was investigated using records from the Kennel Club and the breeding centre for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association . In these populations a distinct seasonal pattern was found with a greater number of puppies being born in the summer months than the winter . The hypothesis that the greater number of puppies acquired as pets during the summer months may contribute to the seasonal rise in human campylobacter cases, seen at this time, is discussed. Epidemiol Infect, 1993 Apr, 110(2), 261 - 5 A point source outbreak of campylobacter infection related to bird-pecked milk; Riordan T et al.; A point source outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni affected 11 children in a day nursery . Milk consumed by the children was known to have been pecked by magpies on occasions . Illness was significantly associated with consumption of milk on a single morning . Examination of milk from a bottle pecked after the outbreak yielded campylobacters . The level of contamination was approximately six cells of C . jejuni per 500 ml of milk. J Clin Microbiol, 1993 Apr, 31(4), 900 - 3 Evaluation of commercial antisera for serotyping heat-labile antigens of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli; Nicholson MA et al.; Commercial antisera for serotyping 22 heat-labile antigens of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli were evaluated by using 66 isolates from human and nonhuman sources . Test results were compared with results of tests using antisera produced at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta, Ga . All strains (three isolates of each of the 22 serotypes) were typeable with the CDC antisera . Of 66 test strains, 39 (59%) were typed as the same serotype with both sets of antisera . Twenty-four strains (36%), including two heat-labile serotype reference strains, were nonreactive with the commercial antisera, and three strains (4.5%) were typed as serotypes different from those obtained with CDC antisera . Five of the 22 commercial antisera correctly serotyped all homologous strains . Our study indicated that two polyvalent antiserum pools, 7 unabsorbed antisera, and 16 absorbed monovalent antisera are weak and need modification to enhance their antibody titers . Further studies are necessary to explain the antigenic change to a different serotype in three strains. J Trop Med Hyg, 1993 Apr, 96(2), 107 - 12 Infectious diarrhoea in Hong Kong; Ling JM et al.; The role of enteric pathogens in diarrhoeal patients presenting at a large general hospital in Hong Kong from May 1984 to December 1990 was assessed . A total of 3267 organisms were isolated . The gastroenteric salmonellae were the most common pathogens (45%), followed by rotavirus (34%) and campylobacters (11%) . Shigellae or vibrios constituted 5% or less of the total isolations . Both salmonellae and campylobacters were isolated more often from infants while rotavirus was more common in young children aged 1-4 years . Shigellae commonly affected young adults and vibrios mainly older patients . Rotavirus was most commonly isolated in the winter months while salmonellae and vibrios were more common in the hotter months . There was no seasonal predominance for shigellosis . Multiple infections occurred in 86 patients (3% of total cases); 42 of these patients had concurrent Salmonella and rotavirus infections and 22 had Campylobacter and rotavirus infections . Salmonellae remain a major public health problem in Hong Kong. Pathol Biol (Paris), 1993 Apr, 41(4), 294 - 301 {Compared antibacterial activity of a new fluoroquinolone, sparfloxacin (AT 4140, RP 64206) and four other fluoroquinolones against 332 strains of enteropathogen bacteria}; Le Noc P et al.; The in vitro bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity of five fluoroquinolones--sparfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, lomefloxacin and pefloxacin--was tested against 332 strains of enteric pathogens belonging to the genera Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia, Yersinia, Vibrio, Campylobacter and Helicobacter . Some of the strains were resistant to one or several antibiotics . Each fluoroquinolone showed identical bacteriostatic activity against susceptible and resistant strains except of those resistant to nalidixic acid . MIC 90% were always below 1 mg/l . The MIC were lowest with ciprofloxacin followed by sparfloxacin and highest with pefloxacin . The five compounds showed different activity against nalidixic acid resistant strains: MIC 90% increased from 0.06 to 4 mg/l for Salmonella, from 0.5 to 4 mg/l for C . jejuni strains, from 0.12 to 16 mg/l for H . pylori strains . All strains remained susceptible to ciprofloxacin and sparfloxacin, but some were intermediate or resistant to the three other compounds . The minimal bactericidal concentrations of the five agents against the nalidixic acid susceptible or resistant strains were one or two times the corresponding MIC. J Biol Chem, 1993 Mar 25, 268(9), 6263 - 8 Lipopolysaccharide of Campylobacter coli serotype O:30 . Fractionation and structure of liberated core oligosaccharide; Aspinall GO et al.; Lipopolysaccharide from phenol-water extraction of cells of Campylobacter coli serotype O:30 was separated as a water-insoluble gel of low M(r) from a water-soluble antigenic polysaccharide of high M(r) . Acetic acid hydrolysis of the ketosidic linkages to lipid A in the lipopolysaccharide furnished a core oligosaccharide . Structural investigations were performed using 1H and 13C NMR, fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry of permethylated derivatives, and methylation linkage analysis on the core oligosaccharide and the products of two successive Smith degradations . It is concluded that the highly branched 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid-terminated oligosaccharide chains carried at the nonreducing end disaccharide units of beta-D-Qui3NAc-(1-->2)-beta-D-Qui3NAc (where Qui3NAc represents 3-acylamino-3,6-dideoxy-D-glucose), in which N-acyl residues were either both (R)-3-hydroxybutanoyl or both 3-hydroxy-2,3-dimethyl-5-oxoprolyl . The demonstration of these unusual features provides further evidence for a wide variety of structures within the core oligosaccharide region of lipopolysaccharides from Campylobacter sp. J Mol Biol, 1993 Mar 20, 230(2), 359 - 63 Significance of duplicated flagellin genes in Campylobacter; Alm RA et al.; The complex flagellum of Campylobacter coli VC167 contains two highly related (98%) flagellin subunit proteins which are produced from two 92% homologous, tandemly orientated genes, flaA and flaB . Mutants expressing only flaA form a full-length flagellar filament that confers slightly less than wild-type motility to the bacterium . However, flagellin mutants expressing only flaB produce extremely short, truncated filaments, and are only slightly motile . We have shown that the presence of two essentially identical genes is advantageous, in that flaAflaB+ mutants become highly motile upon passage by an event which allows the production of a full length simple flagellar filament containing a single FlaA-FlaB chimeric flagellin protein . Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the reassortment of DNA that results in this chimeric protein can occur by two mechanisms: intragenomic recombination and transformation-mediated intergenomic recombination. Gene, 1993 Mar 15, 125(1), 19 - 24 Isolation of a restriction-less mutant and development of a shuttle vector for the genetic analysis of Campylobacter hyointestinalis; Waterman SR et al.; A cosmid shuttle cloning vector, pCHI15, was constructed which could be mobilized from Escherichia coli K-12 to a putative restriction-less mutant of Campylobacter hyointestinalis, C . fetus subsp . fetus, and C . fetus subsp . venerealis at a frequency of 10(-4) transconjugants per donor . A previously described C . coli shuttle vector, pILL550, could not be mobilized into the C . hyointestinalis restriction-less mutant, implying that the C . coli replicon was not functional in a C . hyointestinalis host . The type strains of C . jejuni, C . coli, C . fetus subsp . fetus, and C . hyointestinalis were analysed for their ability to be transformed by plasmid DNA which had been modified by other Campylobacter species . Each Campylobacter species was found to be most efficiently transformed by plasmid DNA that had been previously passaged in the same species . pCHI15 could be mobilized from C . coli into C . fetus subsp . fetus and the putative restriction-less mutant of C . hyointestinalis at a frequency of 3.0 x 10(-4) and 2.5 x 10(-3) transconjugants per donor, respectively. Gene, 1993 Mar 15, 125(1), 11 - 7 Characterization of the replication region of the small cryptic plasmid of Campylobacter hyointestinalis; Waterman SR et al.; The complete nucleotide sequence of a 2.5-kb cryptic plasmid from Campylobacter hyointestinalis was determined . Only one open reading frame (ORF), encoding a polypeptide of M(r) 39,667, designated RepA, could be identified within the sequence . This was confirmed by minicell analysis . Analysis of the region upstream from the ORF showed an A+T-rich region followed by four 19-bp direct repeats . Together, these features are characteristic of other replication origins (ori(s)) . The promoter sequence of the repA gene was identified by primer extension analysis and both the putative -10 and -35 regions were found to lie within two potential hairpin-loop structures . RepA showed marked amino acid sequence homology to a replication-initiation protein from the Neisseria gonorrhoeae plasmid, pFA3, and with other replication-initiation proteins over two conserved motifs . A putative partitioning (par) locus was identified upstream from the ori and consisted of a perfect 9-bp inverted repeat and six putative DNA gyrase-binding sites . A putative mobilization origin (oriT) region was identified . This featured a 19-bp imperfect inverted repeat adjacent to a sequence of 12 bp which showed strong homology to the consensus sequence of the 'nick regions' in a variety of oriTs of other plasmids. Ann Neurol, 1993 Mar, 33(3), 243 - 7 Campylobacter jejuni strains from patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome belong mostly to Penner serogroup 19 and contain beta-N-acetylglucosamine residues; Kuroki S et al.; Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from stool cultures from 14 (30%) of 46 patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome and from 6 (1.2%) of 503 healthy persons, and the difference was highly significant (p < 0.0001) . In addition, serological evidence of recent C . jejuni infection was found in 5 of 29 patients with negative stool cultures . Therefore, 41% of patients were associated with C . jejuni infection . Ten of 12 (83%) isolates from patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome belonged to Penner serogroup 19, which is a rare serogroup in sporadic patients with C . jejuni enteritis . In the lectin typing study, all serogroup 19 strains from patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome were shown to contain terminal beta-N-acetylglucosamine residues on their cell surface, but serogroup 19 strains from patients with enteritis were not. Infection, 1993 Mar-Apr, 21(2), 101 - 5 Three-year prevalence of enteropathogenic bacteria in an urban patient population in Germany; Liesenfeld O et al.; The prevalence of enteropathogenic bacteria over a three-year period was 3.1% in an urban population in Germany . Nontyphoidal Salmonella spp . (1.8% prevalence) represented 59.3% of all positive isolates, followed by Campylobacter spp., which constituted 22.1% of such isolates . Clostridium difficile toxin was detected in 5.6% of samples submitted specifically for detection of cytotoxigenic C . difficile . The seasonal distribution showed an increase of Salmonella, Shigella and Aeromonas/Plesiomonas isolates in the post-holiday season, partly due to returning travelers . An epidemic five-fold increase of Salmonella enteritidis isolates was found over the three-year-period . Enteropathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and cytotoxigenic C . difficile were common etiologic agents of gastrointestinal tract infections in patients with AIDS . We conclude that travelers and HIV-infected subjects are especially prone to infection with enteropathogenic bacteria; preventive measures to control the Salmonella enteritidis epidemic are essential. Mod Pathol, 1993 Mar, 6(2), 212 - 9 An immunocytochemical search for infectious agents in Crohn's disease; Cartun RW et al.; Microorganisms have long been suspected of causing Crohn's disease (CD); however, an etiologic agent has yet to be identified . Few studies have employed immunocytochemistry (ICC) to examine tissue from patients with CD for microbial antigens . We investigated 36 formalin-fixed tissues from 16 patients with CD with ICC . No evidence of adenovirus, Borrelia, Brucella, BVDV, Campylobacter, Campylobacter-like organisms, Chlamydia, coronavirus, CMV, EBV, Legionella, mycobacteria, Pseudomonas, rotavirus, Salmonella, Shigella, staphylococci, Toxoplasma gondii, Treponema, or Yersinia was found . ICC identified E . coli and streptococcal antigens in 11 (69%) and 10 (63%) of the 16 cases studied, respectively . Escherichia coli immunoreactivity was located in ulcers, within the lamina propria, and along fissures . Streptococcal immunolabeling occurred within mucosal epithelial cells, in the lamina propria, in ulcers, along fissures, in granulomatous inflammation including multinucleate giant cells, and in lymph nodes . These results suggest that some of the granulomas in CD may result from immunologic processing of bacterial antigens following their penetration through a compromised mucosa . E . coli and streptococcal antigens may contribute to the pathogenesis of CD. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1993 Mar, 31 Suppl C, 39 - 49 In-vitro activity of dirithromycin in comparison with other new and established macrolides; Bauernfeind A; Improvements with regard to the in-vitro activity of new macrolides are marginal and apply mainly to Haemophilus spp., Moraxella catarrhalis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (e.g . azithromycin is two to eight times more active than erythromycin) and to non-enterococcal streptococci (e.g . clarithromycin is two to four times more active than erythromycin) . The increase in activity against staphylococci is even less striking, being restricted to a few species and limited to clarithromycin (twice as active as erythromycin) . The Enterobacteriaceae, as well as glucose non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli, remain outside the therapeutic range of the new macrolides, as they were for the established compounds . The majority of enterococci and Corynebacterium jeikeium are resistant to all macrolides, whereas Corynebacterium diphtheriae is highly susceptible . In-vitro susceptibilities both of Campylobacter jejuni/coli and Helicobacter pylori indicate only moderate susceptibility to macrolides and the azalide . In the case of anaerobic organisms, clarithromycin is the most active macrolide against the majority of species . Dirithromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin and josamycin, and the azalide azithromycin, are similar in their antibacterial spectrum to erythromycin . New macrolides differ from established compounds largely in their pharmacokinetic behaviour and only minor progress has been achieved in improving their antibacterial spectrum. J Periodontol, 1993 Mar, 64(3), 155 - 61 Microbial composition and pattern of antibiotic resistance in subgingival microbial samples from patients with refractory periodontitis; Listgarten MA et al.; A series of 993 subgingival microbial samples sent to a diagnostic microbiology laboratory included 196 samples that could be identified as compatible with a clinical diagnosis of refractory or recurrent periodontitis . In descending order of prevalence the associated microbiota included Bacteroides forsythus (84%), spirochetes (83%), motile rods (76%), Fusobacterium species (68%), Porphyromonas gingivalis (63%), Campylobacter rectus (47%), Capnocytophaga species (38%), Prevotella intermedia (23%), Peptostreptococcus micros (18%), Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (16%), Candida (14%), enteric rods (9%), Staphylococcus species, not including aureus (5.6%) . Eikenella corrodens (3%), Staphylococcus aureus (1.5%), and Enterococcus species (< 1%) . Antibiotic resistance to tetracycline, penicillin G, or metronidazole was particularly noticeable for enteric rods, Fusobacterium species, Capnocytophaga species, Staphylococcus, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans . It was largely absent for Campylobacter rectus . No antibiotic sensitivity data were obtained for Porphyromonas gingivalis or Bacteroides forsythus, as these species were detected by immunofluorescence . The results indicate that a substantial number of microorganisms associated with refractory periodontitis are variably resistant to commonly-used antibiotics . Diagnostic microbiology must be considered an essential adjunct to the therapist faced with periodontal lesions refractory to conventional treatment. J Clin Gastroenterol, 1993 Mar, 16(2), 109 - 12 Blastocystis hominis in inflammatory bowel disease; Nagler J et al.; We retrospectively examined the hospital course of 12 patients with exacerbated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), who also had stool specimens positive for Blastocystis hominis to determine the effect of B . hominis on their disease . Bloody bowel movements were common with ulcerative colitis patients and watery diarrhea with Crohn's disease; other findings included abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting . All patients responded favorably to medical therapy . Three responded to treatment with corticosteroids alone, and one patient improved with bowel rest without medications . Five patients failed to improve on metronidazole; four of them responded to a subsequent course of corticosteroids, whereas the fifth patient became asymptomatic after erythromycin treatment for concomitant Campylobacter jejuni . Finally, three patients responded to treatment with metronidazole alone, which is known to eradicate B . hominis but may also have a beneficial effect on IBD . In no case did corticosteroid treatment worsen the condition . Our findings indicate that B . hominis is not a significant pathogen in IBD and treatment must be directed toward the underlying illness. J Clin Microbiol, 1993 Mar, 31(3), 727 - 8 Two cases of Campylobacter mucosalis enteritis in children; Figura N et al.; Two cases of Campylobacter mucosalis enteritis in children are reported . The patients recovered without antimicrobial therapy . Strains were isolated only by the feces filtration technique . In one child, bactericidal antibodies to the homologous strain were detected in a convalescent-phase serum sample . C . mucosalis should be considered a primary intestinal pathogen. J Clin Microbiol, 1993 Mar, 31(3), 708 - 10 Three supplementary diagnostic tests for Campylobacter species and related organisms; Burnens AP et al.; We analyzed 307 recent clinical isolates and reference strains of Campylobacter spp., Helicobacter spp., and Arcobacter spp . for arylsulfatase and pyrazinamidase activities and susceptibility to polymyxin B . All isolates studied were identified by DNA dot hybridization prior to testing . Campylobacter concisus, C . sputorum, and Helicobacter fennelliae were positive for arylsulfatase . C . jejuni, C . coli, C . lari, C . upsaliensis, and C . concisus were positive for pyrazinamidase . Only Helicobacter spp . were resistant to polymyxin B . C . fetus subsp . fetus, C . hyointestinalis, C . mucosalis, and Arcobacter spp . were negative in all three tests . The tests were simple to perform and read, and with the exception of C . sputorum biovars, all isolates within a species gave consistently positive or negative results in all the assays . These three phenotypic tests may help refine current methods for phenotypic identification of Campylobacter spp . and related organisms in a reference laboratory setting. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol, 1993 Mar-Apr, 14(2), 444 - 8 Postinfectious encephalopathy in a child following Campylobacter jejuni enteritis; Nasralla CA et al.; We report a case of acute postinfectious encephalopathy in a child following Campylobacter jejuni enteritis . Serial MR scans showed lesions involving predominantly gray matter and the adjacent subcortical white matter--findings different from those in other immune-mediated disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, in which either white or gray matter may be involved, and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, in which white matter abnormalities predominate with involvement of the subcortical white matter. Clin Infect Dis, 1993 Mar, 16(3), 439 - 40 Prosthetic hip infection and bacteremia due to Campylobacter jejuni in a patient with AIDS; Peterson MC et al.; Campylobacter jejuni is a common enteric pathogen in healthy individuals and in patients with AIDS . It usually causes a self-limited diarrheal illness with fever and abdominal pain . We report what we believe is a unique case of C . jejuni osteomyelitis in a 60-year-old man who had hemophilia A, AIDS, and a hip prosthesis . He presented to the hospital with a 4-day history of fever and diarrhea and a 1-day history of hip pain . Findings on plain films and a bone scan were suggestive of osteomyelitis in the proximal femur . Cultures of blood and a hip aspirate yielded C . jejuni. Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex, 1993 Mar, 50(3), 151 - 6 {Prevalence of enteropathogenic bacteria in children with acute bloody diarrhea}; Suarez-Hoil GJ et al.; Between January to October 1991, were studied 148 samples of feces corresponding to the same number of children with acute diarrhea . In 41 (27.7%) samples, were found macroscopic or microscopic blood . At least one associated bacterial pathogen capable to produce bloody diarrhea was isolated from 22 (53.7%) of these samples . Were isolated five (12.2%) Salmonella strains, all of them were S . enteritidis; nine (22.0%) Shigella: seven S . flexneri, one S . boydii, and other one S . sonnei; two (4.9%) enteroinvasive Escherichia coli strains, and six (14.6%) Campylobacter jejuni strains . A single associated invasive bacterial pathogen was isolated in 13 (31.7%) children . Mixed culture were found in nine children: five (12.2%) children had invasive pathogens association, and four (9.8%) children had invasive and no invasive pathogens association. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1993 Mar, 37(3), 457 - 63 Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the Campylobacter jejuni gyrA gene and characterization of quinolone resistance mutations; Wang Y et al.; The gyrA gene of Campylobacter jejuni UA580, which encodes the A subunit of DNA gyrase, was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined . An open reading frame of 2,589 nucleotides was identified, which could code for a polypeptide of 863 amino acids with a M(r) of 97 kDa . Both the nucleotide sequence and the putative amino acid sequence show ca . 50% identity with those of other gyrA genes from gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria . The locations of the gyrA gene on genome maps of both C . jejuni UA580 and Campylobacter coli UA417 were determined . Six nalidixic acid-resistant isolates of C . jejuni were shown to carry mutations in gyrA . Three clinical isolates had Thr-86-to-Ile substitutions . Three laboratory mutants had substitutions of Thr-86 to Ile, Asp-90 to Ala, and Ala-70 to Thr, respectively . The mutation at Thr-86, which is homologous to Ser-83 in Escherichia coli, was associated with high-level resistance to ciprofloxacin in C . jejuni. J Clin Microbiol, 1993 Mar, 31(3), 593 - 7 Rotavirus-inhibitory activity in serial milk samples from Mexican women and rotavirus infections in their children during their first year of life; Brussow H et al.; A total of 75 children born in rural Mexico were followed for diarrheal diseases and rotavirus (RV) excretion during the first year of life . For 18 children, an average of 14 serial breast milk samples were obtained between days 2 and 360 after delivery and were tested for RV-inhibitory activity . Of these samples, 70, 62, and 85% showed inhibitory activity against serotype (ST) 1 human RV, ST4 human RV, and ST3 simian RV, respectively; the median titers were 10, 10, and 20, respectively . Some 89% of the milk samples showed RV-specific antibodies in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (median titer, 20) . Surprisingly, 98% of the milk samples inhibited ST6 bovine RV . ST6, but not ST1, RV-inhibitory activity survived heat treatment (10 min at 80 degrees C) . Of the 18 children tested, 13 children experienced 23 episodes of diarrhea (enterotoxigenic {n = 8} and enteropathogenic {n = 3} Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni {n = 4}, Shigella flexneri {n = 2}, RV {n = 1}) and 5 children experienced 6 RV infections . Only one RV infection was associated with diarrhea . The five RV excretors did not differ from the nonexcretors with respect to the RV-inhibitory activity in the breast milk fed to them . The RV-inhibitory titers were too low in the majority of the studied Mexican milk samples to indicate an important effect of breast-feeding on the take rate of oral human, simian, or reassortant RV vaccines . Breast-feeding might, however, inhibit the take rate of a bovine RV vaccine. Clin Exp Rheumatol, 1993 Mar-Apr, 11 Suppl 8, S29 - 36 Reactive arthritis: a paradigm for inflammatory arthritis; Kingsley GH; Reactive arthritis (ReA) is an inflammatory arthritis which follows either chlamydia-induced non-specific urethritis or gastroenteritis due to yersinia, salmonella, shigella or campylobacter . It is distinguished from other infection-induced arthritides by its association with the MHC class I antigen HLA-B27, the pattern of arthritis (a lower-limb oligoarthritis often associated with sacroiliitis) and its systemic features (conjunctivitis, circinate balanitis and skin rash) . ReA is unique among inflammatory arthritides in the clear definition of its trigger, its onset, its HLA association, and the demonstrating of a triggering antigen-specific cell-mediated immune response in the joint . Clear delineation of these factors makes it possible to test pathogenetic hypotheses which cannot be analysed in other more common forms of arthritis . However, since there are many similarities between these and ReA, the mechanisms established in ReA may have general relevance in understanding synovitis. Microb Pathog, 1993 Mar, 14(3), 203 - 15 Isolation and partial characterization of the Campylobacter rectus cytotoxin; Gillespie MJ et al.; Previously, we reported the antigranulocytic activity of Campylobacter rectus media supernatants containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and a 104 kDa protein . Here, we monitored the release of protein and LPS through the growth cycle of C . rectus ATCC 33238 and identified the 104 kDa protein as the cytotoxin . LPS in media supernatants was quantitated by a KDO assay; the 104 kDa protein was detected on immunoblots with specific antibody (A104) and quantitated by amino acid analysis of membrane immobilized protein bands . C . rectus cell product release was independent of cell lysis . Over 24 h, the 104 kDa protein was released linearly while LPS was released in two plateaus; both increased in C . rectus culture supernatants 3 h after inoculation achieving maximum concentrations at 21 h of 3.1 micrograms/ml and 14.6 micrograms/ml, respectively . In 2 h, trypan blue viability assays, 37-47 micrograms of 12, 18 and 24 h supernatant protein killed 33-43% of HL-60 cells . Supernatant toxicity was heat sensitive and inhibited by A104 . Sequencing the 16 N-terminal amino acids of the cytotoxin distinguished it from described C . rectus proteins . Similarities between epitopes and amino acid compositions of the Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin and C . rectus cytotoxin were observed . These data indicate that C . rectus secretes a 104 kDa cytotoxin. East Afr Med J, 1993 Feb, 70(2), 78 - 81 The microbial aetiology of summer paediatric gastroenteritis at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital in South Africa; Geyer A et al.; Stool material from seventy-eight children below the age of three years was examined for the presence of various enteropathogens . The patients had been admitted to the Ga-Rankuwa hospital for rehydration therapy . A causative agent was identified in 76.9% of the cases studied . The most prevalent organisms identified were 38.5% entero-toxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), 25.6% Cryptosporidium parvum, 15.4% Campylobacter sp., 14.1% enteric adenoviruses and 12.8% rotavirus . In 38.5% of cases, a mixed infection was observed with up to four different organisms being identified from a single patient . ETEC elaborating heat-labile toxin (LT) found together with C . parvum was the most common combination seen in mixed infections. Oral Microbiol Immunol, 1993 Feb, 8(1), 24 - 9 An analysis of the subgingival microflora in randomly selected subjects; Papapanou PN et al.; The aim of this study was to describe the presence of some microbial species in the subgingival microflora of a randomly selected subject sample . A further objective was to analyze the association between some microbiological characteristics and the periodontal conditions of the subjects . A total of 171 individuals aged 30-65 years were included . A pooled subgingival plaque sample was obtained from the mesial aspect of the 6 Ramfjord teeth by the use of the paper-point method . The samples were processed and analyzed according to standardized procedures . The periodontal condition of the subjects was examined clinically and included assessment of plaque, gingivitis, probing pocket depth and probing attachment level . The results showed that 81% of the subjects were positive for Campylobacter rectus, 80% for Fusobacterium nucleatum, 77% for Streptococcus sanguis, 72% for Streptococcus mitis, 66% for Eikenella corrodens, 58% for Prevotella intermedia, 32% for Capnocytophaga, 27% for Selenomonas, 25% for Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, 14% for Porphyromonas gingivalis and 13% for Streptococcus mutans . Small differences in the periodontal conditions were observed between subjects harboring P . gingivalis, A . actinomytecomitans or > 5% P . intermedia and the rest of the sample . Similarly small differences in the clinical parameters were revealed when the subjects were grouped according to proportions of disease-associated and health-associated species in their subgingival samples. Pediatr Emerg Care, 1993 Feb, 9(1), 1 - 3 Missed appendicitis in a pediatric emergency department; Reynolds SL; Appendicitis is the most common cause of abdominal pain requiring surgery in children . Missed appendicitis is also a frequent cause of professional liability in an emergency department (ED) . A retrospective review of all patients with appendicitis diagnosed in the ED was undertaken to identify: 1) how many patients required more than one visit to diagnose appendicitis and 2) the clinical characteristics that distinguished the patients who visited twice from patients who were diagnosed on the first visit . A total of 87 patients with appendicitis were seen by pediatricians in the ED from 1987 to 1989 . The patients included 43 girls and 44 boys (mean age, 8.9 years) . Six patients (7%) were seen twice before the diagnosis of appendicitis was made . They returned to the ED on average 29 hours after the first visit . The ED discharge diagnosis of the six "missed" patients included: probable Campylobacter (n = 1), viral urinary tract infection (n = 1), gastroenteritis (n = 2), and abdominal pain (n = 2) . The six missed patients were different from the other patients with appendicitis . They were more likely to have a normal appetite, to have diarrhea, and to be afebrile . All the patients had at least two of the four following signs and symptoms: vomiting, tenderness, guarding, and right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain . At the time of surgery, 23/81 (28%) of the one-visit group had a ruptured appendix, whereas 3/6 (50%) of the missed patients had a ruptured appendix . Conclusions: 1) Seven percent of the patients were seen twice in our ED before the diagnosis of appendicitis was made.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Microbiologia, 1993 Feb, 9 Spec No, 57 - 65 Incidence and control of Campylobacter in foods; Haba JH; Campylobacter jejuni is known as the most common human enteropathogen in developed countries . The epidemiology of the organism has now been adequately determined and indicates that campylobacteriosis is a zoonotic disease . Pets, water, and contaminated foods are the main sources of sporadic infections in humans, and no single animal food source can be excluded as a potential vehicle for infection of humans . The available information indicates that 50 to 70% of cases of enteritis in man are associated with poultry . Cross-contamination and improper handling and cooking of foods of animal origin account for the majority of disease . Hygienic measures must be applied in order to reduce the incidence of campylobacteriosis in humans. Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1993 Feb, 67(2), 137 - 42 {Differences in susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to macrolide and other antibiotics in tests using blood agar and albumin agar}; Ishii E et al.; Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of penicillin G, cefazolin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, four aminoglycosides, and seven macrolides against Helicobacter pylori strains were determined on Brucella agar supplemented with bovine serum albumin fraction V (albumin agar) and compared with those on blood agar . MICs of the macrolides against H . pylori determined on albumin agar were markedly lower than those found with blood agar . The susceptibilities of 26 H . pylori strains to the macrolides were estimated from the MIC50 values determined on blood agar and albumin agar, which were 0.39 and < or = 0.05 micrograms/ml for erythromycin, midecamycin and rokitamycin, 3.13 and 0.10 micrograms/ml for clindamycin, 1.56 and < or = 0.05 micrograms/ml for josamycin, 1.56 and 0.10 micrograms/ml for kitasamycin, and 0.10 and < or = 0.05 micrograms/ml for roxithromycin, respectively . However, the MICs of other antibiotics against H . pylori and of all antibiotics against two reference Campylobacter strains differed minimally between values obtained on blood agar and albumin agar. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis, 1993 Feb, 16(2), 137 - 9 Increased resistance to quinolone in Catalonia, Spain; Mirelis B et al.; From 1989 to 1991, the level of resistance to ciprofloxacin in our hospital increased from 0.47% to 6.7% in opportunistic Enterobacteriaceae, from 9.9% to 16% in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and from 8.27% to 31.8% in Campylobacter jejuni-coli . We also observed an increase in quinolone consumption from 1.1 in 1989 to 1.5 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 1991. Q J Med, 1993 Feb, 86(2), 111 - 7 Antibodies to gangliosides in Guillain-Barré syndrome: specificity and relationship to clinical features; Gregson NA et al.; Antibodies to ganglioside GM1 have been associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome . To clarify their role we have studied their frequency, fine specificity and relationship to clinical features in a series of patients with this disease . Antibodies to ganglioside GM1 were identified, by both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and binding to thin-layer chromatograms of human brain, in 12 (28.6%) of 42 patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome and in only 1 (2.4%) of 41 normal control subjects (p = 0.002) . Eight sera contained IgM antibodies and six sera contained IgG antibodies, including 2 sera which contained both . The fine specificity of the sera varied . Only four of the 12 sera also showed reactivity with ganglioside GD1b and gangliotetraosyl-ceramide (asialo-GM1), consistent with reactivity with the terminal Gal beta 1-3GalNAc disaccharide . Two sera had low titre anti-asialo-GM1 antibodies of a different class to the anti-ganglioside GM1 antibodies . The antibodies in these sera therefore react with a variety of epitopes . There was a strong relationship between the presence of anti-ganglioside GM1 antibodies in the acute stage and prolonged disability, especially if IgG antibodies were present . Seven of 12 patients with anti-ganglioside GM1 antibodies had serological evidence of recent Campylobacter jejuni infection, but antigens from a strain of this bacterium not associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome did not absorb the anti-ganglioside GM1 antibodies. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1993 Feb 1, 106(3), 271 - 4 Effect of host lineage on the virulence of Campylobacter jejuni/coli in the chick embryo model; King V et al.; The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) inoculated chick embryo model was used to study the effect of host lineage on the virulence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli . LD50 values were used to compare the susceptibilities of chick embryos from eight inbred chicken lines to infection by four strains of C . jejuni and one strain of C . coli . Differences in susceptibility were found between inbred chicken lines . These were shown not to be due to maternal antibody status, nor transfer of antibody to the developing embryo . Susceptibility to infection was also found to vary according to the Campylobacter strain used . These results indicate that both the bacterial strain and host lineage of the chicken line used affect resistance to infection in the CAM inoculated chick embryo model. J Appl Bacteriol, 1993 Feb, 74(2), 155 - 63 Methods for the detection of thermotolerant campylobacters in foods: results of an inter-laboratory study; Scotter SL et al.; An inter-laboratory comparison of three methods for the detection of thermotolerant campylobacters is described . One of two proposed by the International Standards Organisation was significantly better for detecting campylobacters in minced chicken skin naturally contaminated at levels of either 2 or 10 cells per 10 g, but involved extensive manipulations not likely to be well received in a busy laboratory . This method yielded 18% false negative results compared with 48-54% for the other two but also gave 8% false positive results . Pre-enrichment of samples with a gradual addition of antibiotics to suppress competing organisms seemed to improve the recovery of campylobacters, as did a non-selective blood agar isolation medium used in combination with a membrane filtration technique. J Med Microbiol, 1993 Feb, 38(2), 145 - 50 Campylobacter jejuni adapts to aerobic metabolism in the environment; Jones DM et al.; Campylobacter jejuni, when left on blood agar for prolonged periods, was found to survive better in air than under micro-aerobic conditions . After a period of 2-3 days in air, all strains of C . jejuni examined grew freely in air on subculture, and could be further subcultured apparently indefinitely in air . This adaptation to aerobic metabolism was accompanied by a change in colony morphology and some changes in outer-membrane protein patterns, but no change in serotyping reactions . The ability to colonise mice was unaltered as was the helical morphology of growing cells . The important survival phase of C . jejuni, when outside the animal gut, involves not only a change to coccal morphology but also fundamental changes in the metabolism of the organism . These changes are likely to be relevant to techniques required for culturing C . jejuni from foods and environmental sources. J Infect Dis, 1993 Feb, 167(2), 372 - 7 Pathogenesis of Campylobacter fetus infections: critical role of high-molecular-weight S-layer proteins in virulence; Blaser MJ et al.; Wild-type Campylobacter fetus strains possess high-molecular-weight S-layer proteins (S+) and are highly resistant to serum-mediated killing and phagocytosis . Spontaneous mutant strains lacking these proteins (S-) are serum and phagocytosis sensitive and have reduced virulence in a mouse model . Intact S+ cells were treated with pronase, which made them S- although genotypically S+ and had essentially no effect on other cellular proteins or on viability . Treatment with pronase, but not buffer alone, rendered these cells serum and phagocytosis sensitive and reduced mouse virulence to the level observed for the S- mutant cells . In related studies, purified S-layer proteins diminished neutrophil chemoluminescent responses to a heterologous particulate antigen . Finally, passive administration of antiserum to the 97-kDa S-layer protein partially protected mice against lethal challenge with the S+ strain . These studies define the contribution of the S-layer proteins to C . fetus virulence. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 1993 Jan 15, 202(2), 313 - 8 Lymphocytic/plasmacytic colitis in cats: 14 cases (1985-1990); Dennis JS et al.; Lymphocytic/plasmacytic colitis was diagnosed in 14 cats during a 5-year period . Purebred cats were affected significantly (P < 0.001) more often than were nonpurebred cats . Six cats were male and 8 were female . Mean age at onset of clinical signs was 5.1 years (range, 0.5 to 9 years) . Hematochezia, observed in 13 cats, was the most commonly reported sign; diarrhea was reported in 11 cats . Mildly high serum alanine transaminase activity and hypokalemia were frequent biochemical abnormalities . Campylobacter sp was cultured from the feces of 1 cat . On endoscopic examination, petechia and hyperemia of the colonic mucosa were detected in 7 of 8 cats . Cats were initially treated with dietary management alone or with a combination of dietary and pharmacologic management . Clinical signs in 7 of 11 treated cats completely resolved, whereas signs in 3 cats were considered improved . One cat was euthanatized when an inadequate response to treatment was observed . Most cats were eventually maintained on dietary management alone. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1993 Jan, 12(1), 48 - 50 In vitro susceptibility of quinolone-resistant Campylobacter jejuni to new macrolide antibiotics; Endtz HP et al.; The MICs of erythromycin and three new macrolide antibiotics were determined for 36 quinolone-susceptible and 106 quinolone-resistant Campylobacter jejuni . The MIC90 values of azithromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin and erythromycin were 0.5, 4, 16 and 4 mg/l respectively . No difference was found between macrolide activity against the quinolone-susceptible and the quinolone-resistant strains . Clarithromycin and especially azithromycin might eventually replace erythromycin for the treatment of Campylobacter jejuni infections in view of their pharmacological properties. J Infect, 1993 Jan, 26(1), 97 - 101 Helicobacter (Campylobacter) fennelliae-like organisms as an important but occult cause of bacteraemia in a patient with AIDS; Kemper CA et al.; We describe the isolation and identification of a Helicobacter (Campylobacter)-like organism obtained from the blood of a 32-year-old homosexual man with a 10 months' history of AIDS and progressive mucocutaneous Kaposi sarcoma . Fever and bacteremia persisted despite sequential administration of ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, antibiotics reported to be active against this organism in vitro . Facultative organisms like Campylobacter fennelliae and Campylobacter cinaedi which are difficult to isolate by standard techniques may be important but unrecognized causes of febrile illness in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection . Laboratories should consider use of acridine orange staining and more extensive subculture protocols for blood cultures with progressive growth indices which appear negative by conventional staining and subculture technique. Zentralbl Mikrobiol, 1993 Jan, 148(1), 3 - 10 Characterization of viable but nonculturable stage of C . coli, characterized with respect to electron microscopic findings, whole cell protein and lipooligosaccharide (LOS) patterns; Jacob J et al.; Campylobacter coli CK 205, isolated from swine feces, was examined for changes in cell morphology, protein and lipooligosaccharide (LOS) patterns during starvation-survival experiments . Bottles filled with sterile filtered A . dest . were seeded with campylobacters and incubated at 4 degrees C and 37 degrees C . Transition to the nonculturable stage occurred within 48 hours (37 degrees C) and 2 weeks (4 degrees C), respectively . In contrast to the culturability the electrophoretic studies showed no changes in whole cell protein or LOS patterns . The electron microscopic pictures revealed spiral and coccoid forms, partly with a slightly enlarged periplasmatic space or budding of the membrane . Totally intact non culturable spiral or coccoid forms might be regarded as dormancy forms that cannot be detected by conventional microbiological methods in water examination. Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1993 Jan, 67(1), 66 - 70 {A case of Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus meningitis}; Inoue Y et al.; A 40-year-old male with no history of underlying disease was admitted to Hokusho Central Hospital on May 25, 1991, complaining of high fever and headache . Physical examination on admission revealed a temperature of 38.5 degrees C, a pulse rate of 84 beat/min (relative bradycardia) and no abnormal findings for the chest or abdomen . Slight neck stiffness without Kernig's sign was observed at neurological examination . Laboratory data were: ESR 11 mm/lh, WBC 12000/mm3, C-reactive protein positive . Lumbar puncture showed an initial pressure of 230 mmH2O; CSF revealed a cell count of 2633/3 mm3 with mononuclear pleocytosis, total protein of 76 mg/dl and sugar of 54 mg/dl (CSF:blood glucose ratio 0.47) . We initially suspected tuberculous or cryptococcal meningitis, but Campylobacter fetus subsp . fetus (C . fetus) was isolated from the CSF and venous blood on the 27th hospital day . IPM/CS 1 g/day, MINO 200 mg/day and FOM 4 g/day were intravenously administered . This antibiotic therapy was very effective: the patient was soon afebrile, and gradually all signs and symptoms were resolved . C . fetus was sensitive to IMP/CS, MINO, KM, GM, EM, OFLX, CP . The patient was discharged with no complication . He has eaten raw beef frequently before admission, but stool culture for C . fetus was negative. Am J Epidemiol, 1993 Jan 1, 137(1), 108 - 14 The role of exposure to animals in the etiology of Campylobacter jejuni/coli enteritis; Saeed AM et al.; To determine the role of animals as possible sources for human infection with Campylobacter jejuni/coli, 218 human cases of Campylobacter enteritis diagnosed among members of Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, King County, Washington, from April 1982 through September 1983 were compared with 526 controls, randomly selected from Group Health Cooperative members . All subjects were questioned regarding animal exposures one week prior to illness (cases) or interview (controls) . There was no increase in risk for C . jejuni/coli enteritis associated with contact with various animals . However, exposure to diarrheic animals was associated with a fourfold increase in the risk of C . jejuni/coli enteritis (odds ratio = 4.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9-9.7) . Adjustment for potential confounding factors by logistic regression analysis yielded an odds ratio of 3.3 (95% CI 1.2-7.5) associated with such exposure . An estimated 6.3% of cases of C . jejuni/coli enteritis was attributed to exposure to diarrheic animals. J Periodontal Res, 1993 Jan, 28(1), 72 - 80 Sub-gingival microflora in Macaca mulatta species of rhesus monkey; Eke PI et al.; The Macaca mulatta species of rhesus monkey is one of several non-human primate (nhp) models for periodontal disease . This report presents the bacteriology of the gingival sulci in M . mulatta monkeys . Three sub-gingival sites (maxillary right central incisor, the disto-buccal of the mandibular left second molar and mesio-buccal of the mandibular right second molar) of 9 monkeys were evaluated clinically before scaling and 7 days after scaling . Plaque samples were obtained from sub-gingival sites before clinical examination and studied bacteriologically by dark field microscopy, selective and non-selective culture, and by primary phenotypic characterizations of culture isolates . Several gingival sites presented with mild gingival inflammation . Anaerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria were the predominant flora colonizing the gingival sulci . The major microbial groups were Haemophilus species (100% of sites; percentage of total anaerobic count (TAC): 21-51), Peptostreptococcus micros (89%, 7.5-29.5), Actinomyces sp . (85%, 7-27), Fusobacterium nucleatum (90%, 5-8), Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (73%, 1.3-12), black-pigmented anaerobic rods (BPAR) (80%, 0.6-6.5) and oral streptococci (80%, 0.2-1.0) . Microbial groups detected less often were Wolinella sp . (66%, 0-2.6), Capnocytophaga sp . (30%), Eikenella corrodens (4.7%, 0), Campylobacter sp . (28%, 0-0.1) and spirochetes (4.7%, 0-0.07) . Seven days after gingival sites were scaled, the plaque score and indices for gingival inflammation declined significantly . The gingival flora after scaling were characterized by lower proportions of the Actinomyces sp., P . micros and BPAR; and increased proportions of the oral streptococci, relative to pre-scaling levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) J Appl Bacteriol, 1993 Jan, 74(1), 86 - 93 The effect of slurry storage and anaerobic digestion on survival of pathogenic bacteria; Kearney TE et al.; The decline in viable numbers of Salmonella typhimurium, Yersinia enterocolitica and Listeria monocytogene in beef cattle slurry is temperature-dependent; they decline more rapidly at 17 degrees C than at 4 degrees C . Mesophilic anaerobic digestion caused an initial rapid decline in the viable numbers of Escherichia coli, Salm . typhimurium, Y . enterocolitica and L . monocytogenes . This was followed by a period in which the viable numbers were not reduced by 90% . The T90 values of E . coli, Salm . typhimurium and Y . enterocolitica ranged from 0.7 to 0.9 d during batch digestion and 1.1 to 2.5 d during semi-continuous digestion . Listeria monocytogenes had a significantly higher mean T90 value during semi-continuous digestion (35.7 d) than batch digestion (12.3 d) . Anaerobic digestion had little effect in reducing the viable numbers of Campylobacter jejuni. J Med Microbiol, 1993 Jan, 38(1), 3 - 5 Lior-serotype variants in Campylobacter isolates from the same stool sample; Zollner B et al.; Campylobacter strains isolated from the same stool sample were characterised by determination of biochemical properties and both heat-labile (Lior) and heat-stable (Lauwers) serotypes . In six of 60 campylobacter-infected stools, two or three strains differing in Lior-serotype were isolated from the same stool . In four of these six cases, the isolates with different Lior-serotypes showed identical biochemical reactions and identical heat-stable antigenic patterns . A predominant Lior-serotype was not detected among them but Lauwers-antigens O:3, O:14 and O:16 were found in isolates from three of the six stool samples . Moreover, the isolates were identified as C . coli in 76.5% of the stool samples (p < 0.05) . We believe that variation in heat-labile antigens occurs in vivo and might be associated particularly with certain heat-stable serotypes of C . coli. J Periodontol, 1993 Jan, 64(1), 40 - 7 Microbiological and clinical monitoring of non-localized juvenile periodontitis in young adults: a report of 11 cases; van Steenbergen TJ et al.; It has been shown that patients with localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP) often harbor Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in the subgingival area . However, little is known of the oral microflora in non-LJP juvenile periodontitis patients with less extensive disease . The purpose of this study was to describe the microflora and clinical parameters of young adults with minor to moderate periodontitis during treatment for a period of 1 year . Eleven patients 15 to 16 years of age were studied . All of them had 4 to 8 mm loss of attachment at minimally one site, but the typical clinical description of localized juvenile periodontitis was an exclusion criterion in this study . Microbiological examination of the deepest periodontal pocket and of the tongue revealed that 6 patients harbored Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and 5 harbored Porphyromonas gingivalis . Almost all subjects showed relatively high proportions of Prevotella intermedia, Campylobacter rectus, motile organisms, and spirochetes . On the basis of clinical and microbiological parameters the 11 patients could be assigned to 1 of 2 groups . Six cases had moderate periodontal breakdown with loss of attachment at 7 to 44 sites . All harbored A . actinomycetemcomitans and 5 of them P . gingivalis . These 6 cases responded relatively well to initial treatment despite the continued presence of A . actinomycetemcomitans . The other group consisted of 5 cases with relatively minor periodontal breakdown; i.e, 1 or 2 sites with 4 to 6 mm loss of attachment . Neither A . actinomycetemcomitans nor P . gingivalis was detected in the deepest pocket of these patients . All 5 responded well to initial treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Int J Syst Bacteriol, 1993 Jan, 43(1), 99 - 106 Helicobacter acinonyx sp . nov., isolated from cheetahs with gastritis; Eaton KA et al.; Four strains of a novel Helicobacter species were isolated from the stomachs of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubilatus) with gastritis . These isolates were phenotypically similar to Helicobacter pylori . The isolates were gram-negative, spiral bacteria which grew under microaerophilic conditions at 37 degrees C, but not at 25 or 42 degrees C, and produced urease, catalase, oxidase, alkaline phosphatase, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase . The isolates did not ferment glucose, mannitol, inositol, sorbitol, rhamnose, sucrose, melibiose, amygdalin, or arabinose; hydrolyze hippurate or indoxyl acetate; or reduce nitrate . They did not produce H2S from triple sugar iron agar, and they did not grow in the presence of 1.0% glycine or 1.5% NaCl . They were resistant to nalidixic acid and sensitive to cephalothin and metronidazole . Cells were typically 0.3 by 2.0 microns and possessed tufts of two to five sheathed, monopolar flagella . The G+C content of strain 90-119 was 30 mol% . Cluster analysis of densitometry scans of polyacrylamide protein gels revealed more than 70% similarity of the cheetah isolates to H . pylori, less than 60% similarity to Helicobacter felis, and less than 50% similarity to Helicobacter mustelae . Complete 16S rRNA sequences were determined for two of the cheetah isolates . Phylogenetic analysis was performed by comparing the cheetah sequences to those of 19 reference strains, including H . pylori, H . felis (two strains), H . mustelae, Helicobacter muridarum, "Flexispira rappini," Wolinella succinogenes, Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter concisus, Campylobacter curvus, Campylobacter fetus, Campylobacter hyointestinalis, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter lari, Campylobacter rectus, Campylobacter sputorum subsp . bubulus, a Campylobacter sp . (pig isolate), {Bacteroides} gracilis, and {Bacteroides} ureolyticus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Rev Med Interne, 1993 Jan, 14(1), 41 - 2 {Septic Campylobacter fetus thrombophlebitis: a new case}; el Kouri D et al.; The diagnosis of septic thrombophlebitis is difficult and often delayed, but it must be borne in mind in all cases of venous thrombosis accompanied by signs of local and/or systemic infection, or deteriorating under heparin therapy . We report a case of septic thrombophlebitis caused by Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus . The characteristic features, obtained from the literature, of septic thrombophlebitis caused by Campylobacter spp are presented. Rev Med Interne, 1993 Jan, 14(1), 39 - 40 {Hematologic manifestations in Campylobacter coli septicemia . Apropos of a case}; Brunel V et al.; We report the case of a 71-year old male patient with a chronic lymphoid leukaemia of 10 years' duration who abruptly suffered deterioration of this general condition and haematological disturbances suggesting worsening of this blood disease (Richter's syndrome) . Blood cultures demonstrated a Campylobacter coli septicaemia . Treatment with antibiotics resulted in a return to the previous clinical and biological situation . The various visceral manifestation of the infection are discussed. Vet Res Commun, 1993, 17(3), 183 - 91 The association between antibody titres against Campylobacter fetus and milk production efficiency in dairy cattle; Akhtar S et al.; The association between serological evidence of exposure to Campylobacter fetus and milk production performance was studied in 178 lactating cows from three California Dairy Herd Improvement Association herds using a cross-sectional study design in December 1986 . ELISAs were used to determine the antibody titres against Campylobacter fetus, Haemophilus somnus and Leptospira hardjo, which were classified as either negative or positive . The status of a cow as negative or positive against C . fetus and H . somnus represents the serological evidence of natural exposure to the corresponding bacteria . However, the status against L . hardjo was assumed to be the level of vaccinal titre against this organism since all the cows studied had been vaccinated against this agent . The data on demographic and productivity variables relating to the current lactation of the cows were obtained from Dairy Herd Improvement Association individual cow records for December 1986 . Four measures of milk production efficiency for the current lactation were used . The status against L . hardjo and other covariates suggested by previous studies were included in modelling the relationships of interest . Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to study the adjusted relationship of C . fetus with each measure of milk production efficiency . Multivariate analyses revealed that the adjusted relationships of C . fetus with the test-day's milk production, the extended 305-day milk production and the relative value of milk production were not significant (p > 0.1) . However, after adjusting for possible covariates, C . fetus-positive cows had an average of 7.43% lower mature equivalent milk production than C . fetus-negative cows (p = 0.02).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 1993 Jan, 74(1), 9 - 13 Clostridium difficile-related disease: evaluation and prevalence among inpatients with diarrhea in two freestanding rehabilitation hospitals; Yablon SA et al.; Clostridium difficile has been associated with diarrhea in hospitalized patients receiving antibiotic therapy, and may be nosocomially acquired . Rehabilitation hospital inpatients may require frequent antibiotic intervention and are thus at risk, though few reports of epidemics at such centers have been published . This study describes the evaluation and prevalence of C difficile-related disease, among rehabilitation hospital inpatients . A retrospective review was conducted of all diarrhea evaluations performed among inpatients in two freestanding rehabilitation hospitals over a two-year period . A total of 303 laboratory tests were performed among the 115 patients evaluated . C difficile was determined to be the etiologic agent of diarrhea in 25% of patients undergoing enteric evaluation, and in 39% of patients specifically assayed for C difficile toxin B . Giardiasis was detected in one patient, and no evidence of Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, or Yersinia infection was found . The estimated prevalences for diarrhea and C difficile-related disease were 3.7% and 1.1%, respectively . Thus, C difficile is an important cause of diarrhea among rehabilitation hospital inpatients, though its true prevalence may be underestimated due to inadequate diagnostic evaluation . Enteric bacterial pathogens such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, and Giardia are insignificant causes of diarrhea among these patients . Elimination of routine testing for these pathogens would reduce costs without compromising diagnostic utility . Diagnostic evaluation should include C difficile toxin assay, and if positive, appropriate therapy instituted. Vet Res Commun, 1993, 17(2), 95 - 107 The association between antibody titres against Campylobacter fetus and reproductive efficiency in dairy cattle; Akhtar S et al.; The relationship between the antibody titres against Campylobacter fetus and various indices of reproductive efficiency was studied in a cross-sectional study of 178 dairy cows from three California Dairy Herd Improvement Association herds . Blood samples were collected from the lactating cows during December 1986 . Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to determine the antibody titres of the cow against Campylobacter fetus, Haemophilus somnus and Leptospira hardjo and were classified as either negative or positive . The status of a cow as either negative or positive against Campylobacter fetus and Haemophilus somnus represents serological evidence of natural exposure to the corresponding bacterial agents . However, the status against Leptospira hardjo was assumed to reflect a vaccinal titre since all the cows studied had been routinely vaccinated against this organism in September 1986 . The data on demographic and reproductive parameters pertained only to the current lactation of the cows and were obtained from Dairy Herd Improvement Association individual cow records of December 1986 . Five indices of reproductive efficiency were used, namely the recent calving interval, the calving-to-conception interval, the calving-to-last-service interval, the number of services per conception, and the number of services since last calving . The serological status against Haemophilus somnus, Leptospira hardjo and other covariates suggested by the results of previous studies were included in modelling the relationships of interest . Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were carried out to study the adjusted relationship of Campylobacter fetus with each measure of reproductive efficiency . Multivariate analyses revealed that the adjusted relationship for Campylobacter fetus with all five measures of reproductive efficiency was non-significant (p > 0.05) . Among the covariates, Leptospira hardjo had a strong and independent relationship with recent calving interval, the unstandardized partial regression coefficient being -0.77 . The possible biological mechanisms of these associations are discussed. Medicina (B Aires), 1993, 53(4), 289 - 99 {Enteropathogenic microorganisms in children with acute diarrhea in 2 hospitals of Rosario, Argentina}; Notario R et al.; As part of a multicenter collaborative study the relative frequency of enteropathogenic agents in children less than 5 years of age with acute diarrhea was determined . Rates of isolation were similar as regards sex, age, and season . The frequency of polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) in the stools was significantly higher among patients requiring admission in comparison with ambulatory patients . Enteropathogenic E . coli (EPEC) was isolated more frequently in that group in comparison with outpatients (p < 0.001), mainly among children less than 5 months of age . The most prevalent agents were EPEC (26.1%), enterotoxigenic E . coli (ETEC) (9.7%), Shigella (8.5%), Rotavirus (5.1%), Giardia (3.6%), Campylobacter (3.2%), and Salmonella (2.4%) . The EPEC predominant serogroups were 0 111, 0 55, 0 26, and 0 119 . ETEC serotypes 0 153:H45 and 0 128:H21 were more often isolated . The predominant species in the genus Shigella were S . flexneri (80.5%), and S . sonnei (9.5%); in the genus Campylobacter, the species were C . jejuni (81.3%), and C . coli (18.7%) . Shigella was clearly related to the presence of PMN in the faeces, in children less than 5 months old . Campylobacter was more frequent in ambulatory patients more than one year of age . Rotavirus was found predominantly in autumn and winter . Salmonella and ETEC were more frequent in summer . Giardia was associated with weight loss . In about 10% of the cases there were simultaneous mixed isolations of two or more agents . Salmonella isolates were sensitive to the majority of antimicrobial agents probed . Many Shigella and E . coli were resistant to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and ampicillin (40-80%) . Nearly all enterobacteria were sensitive to gentamicin and norfloxacin. Rev Latinoam Microbiol, 1993 Jan-Mar, 35(1), 15 - 8 {Isolation of Campylobacter jejuni ATCC 29428 from inoculated fried pork meat and roasted chicken}; Castillo-Martinez ML et al.; The human gastroenteritis caused by Campylobacter jejuni in some industrialized countries is higher than gastroenteritis produced by Salmonella and Shigella . This has induced the development of techniques to demonstrate the presence of the microorganism in different foods using some culture media combinations . There is not a method to isolate C . jejuni from roasted chicken and fried pork meat, which are popular foods in Mexico . The sensitivity of two culture media combinations was compared: Rama broth (RB)-Rama agar (RA) and Preston broth (PB)-Skirrow agar (SA) to isolate C . jejuni from these foods . The RB-RA combination demonstrated to be the best one to isolate C . jejuni. Parasitology, 1993, 107 Suppl, S75 - 93 Food-borne bacterial infections; Lacey RW; The number of episodes of diseases caused by bacterial contamination of food has shown a real increase by about threefold in the last decade in the U.K . The numbers for 1992 are estimated to be 2 million . The causes are multifactorial and complex, and 4 representative pathogens are reviewed . The main increase in diseases due to salmonella has been caused by Salmonella enteritidis, especially from eggs . The commonest bacterial food pathogen is campylobacter, which causes an illness with specific season peaks in May and June . This may be related to the activities of birds and mammals . Both these bacteria cause common diseases that are rarely fatal . In contrast, Listeria and E . coli are ubiquitous but rarely produce disease; however, the consequences of any such illness are often dire . Procedures and techniques are available for the control of most of these diseases, but society does not seem determined to implement them. Rev Cubana Med Trop, 1993, 45(2), 139 - 45 {The infectious etiology of acute diarrheal diseases in the Republic of Cuba, 1991}; Estevez Touzard M et al.; This study was carried out in 1991 to learn the behavior of enteropathogenic agents causing acute diarrheal diseases in Cuba . 30 children, admitted in hospitals or seen in outpatient services for acute diarrheal diseases, were selected in each province taking into account that they had not received antibiotic or chemotherapy treatments in the previous 72 hours . Feces samples were taken from all patients for virological, bacteriological, and parasitological studies, and results were sent to the Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine . Data were processed in DBASE III . Higher positivity indices were attained in the winter months . The causative agents most frequently found were: rotavirus (8.2%); Entamoeba histolytica (6.1%); and Salmonella (4.2%) . Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Shigella and rotavirus showed higher indices in winter . Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei predominated . Salmonella serogroups D, B, and C, and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli 0119 and 026 subsets were the most frequently found. Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig, 1993, 44(4), 395 - 402 {Effect of preservatives on survival of Campylobacter jejuni in ground pork meat}; Uradzinski J et al.; Campylobacter jejuni strains: Pen 2, 3, 6, 10 and 20 isolated from the food-borne infections in humans were tested . Fresh ground pork samples supplemented with chemical preservatives: sodium chloride--24,000 mg/kg, sodium nitrite--125 mg/kg, potassium nitrate--500 mg/kg, sodium ascorbate--300 mg/kg and polyphosphate (Hamine S)--3000 mg/kg were contaminated by C . jejuni strains . Survival of C . jejuni in ground pork was determined immediate after the contamination and over a 2-d period at 4 degrees C on Brucella agar (Difco) containing 10% horse blood, which were incubated 48 hrs at 42 degrees C under microaerobic conditions (5% O2, 5% CO2 and 90% N2) . Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from all tested samples at the initial inoculum 2.5 x 10(5) to 1.7 x 10(8) cfu/1 g of meat . It was proved that chemical preservatives, added to meat samples in concentration usually used in meat processing, were affected in differential way on the survival of different strains of C . jejuni . Campylobacter jejuni Pen 2 was resistant to all preservatives used in this studies . Campylobacter jejuni Pen 3 and Pen 10 were sensitive to sodium nitrite, and Pen 10 was sensitive also to sodium chloride, potassium nitrate and composition of all tested chemicals . Also, Campylobacter jejuni Pen 20 was sensitive to sodium chloride, but potassium nitrate, sodium ascorbate and Hamine S stimulated growth of this strain. Z Rheumatol, 1993 Jan-Feb, 52(1), 19 - 27 {Reactive arthritis associated bacteria as the etiology of undifferentiated oligoarthritis}; Sieper J et al.; Undifferentiated oligoarthritis (UOA) resembles clinically reactive arthritis (ReA), but does not fulfill the diagnostic criteria . In 46 patients with UOA, in 16 with ReA, and in 15 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) the humoral and cellular immune response to the ReA-associated bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, Yersinia enterocolitica, Shigella flexneri, Salmonella enteritidis, Campylobacter jejuni and Borrelia burgdorferi was investigated in paired samples of synovial fluid and peripheral blood . An antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation in SF was found in 75% of the ReA and in 39% of UOA patients, but in none with RA . Shigella and Chlamydia in ReA and Yersinia and Chlamydia in UOA were the most frequent stimulating antigens . There was a poor correlation between antigen specific lymphocyte proliferation and specific antibodies . We conclude that these bacteria might have a pathogenetic role, not only in ReA, but also in UOA. Schweiz Med Wochenschr, 1992 Dec 12, 122(50), 1911 - 8 {Bacterial pathogens in diarrhea: demonstration of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli using the polymerase chain reaction}; Luscher D et al.; In 23% of 576 diarrhea patients we were able to demonstrate putative bacterial pathogens . Not included in this number is Clostridium difficile which was found in 8 of 48 (8.3%) specimens analyzed . In addition to Salmonella (8.2%), Campylobacter (6.0%), Aeromonas (2.7%), Shigella (1.9%) and Yersinia (0.8%) we identified verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) in 10 patients (1.9%) . VTEC were found as frequently as Shigella (occurring exclusively in patients returning from the tropics) and we propose that VTEC should be routinely assayed in patients with travel-associated diarrhea as well as in those with diarrhea presumably acquired in Switzerland . Established methods for identification of E . coli O157:H7, which include screening for sorbitol-negative Enterobacteriaceae and agglutination, are laborious and insensitive (only 1 of 10 patients with proven VTEC infection positive) . The other 9 patients were identified by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) . In 7 of these 9 patients we were able to isolate a verotoxigenic strain following a positive PCR result by screening large numbers of colonies . None of them belonged to the O157:H7 serogroup and, in addition, all were sorbitol-positive . The polymerase chain reaction as performed in this study is easy to use, is applicable to large numbers of specimens, and can be regarded as the method of choice for demonstration of VTEC in the clinical diagnostic laboratory. JAMA, 1992 Dec 9, 268(22), 3228 - 30 Campylobacter enteritis outbreaks associated with drinking raw milk during youth activities . A 10-year review of outbreaks in the United States; Wood RC et al.; OBJECTIVE--To determine the incidence of recognized outbreaks of Campylobacter enteritis associated with drinking raw milk during youth activities . DESIGN--Retrospective survey of 51 state and territorial health departments . SETTING--The 50 United States and the Territory of Puerto Rico . POPULATIONS--Persons in preschool through college . MEASUREMENT--Information was obtained for all Campylobacter outbreaks associated with consumption of raw milk during youth activities from 1981 through 1990 that were investigated by state and territorial health departments . RESULTS--Twenty outbreaks were identified in 11 states . Four hundred fifty-eight outbreak-associated cases occurred among 1013 persons who drank raw milk, with an overall attack rate of 45% . At least one outbreak was reported for each year of the 10-year period . Fourteen outbreaks (70%) occurred among children in kindergarten through third grade, compared with one outbreak (5%) among fourth through sixth graders . The remaining five outbreaks (25%) occurred in mixed groups of children and teenagers . Only nine (60%) of 15 outbreaks identified from 1981 through 1988 were reported to the Campylobacter national surveillance system maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . CONCLUSION--Drinking raw milk on school field trips or other youth activities continues despite the occurrence of multiple Campylobacter outbreaks documented from this practice . Such illnesses can be prevented by educating dairy farmers and officials of schools and youth organizations about the hazards of drinking raw milk . Public health organizations need to develop and implement such educational programs. Postgrad Med J, 1992 Dec, 68(806), 972 - 3 Amoebic psoas and liver abscesses; O'Leary C et al.; A 28 year old woman with a history of a dysenteric illness and documented Campylobacter infection presented with amoebic psoas and liver abscesses . A review of the literature of the last 20 years did not yield any reports of an amoebic psoas abscess. Med Hypotheses, 1992 Dec, 39(4), 367 - 74 Helicobacter (aka Campylobacter) pylori as the major causal factor in chronic hypochlorhydria; Cater RE 2nd; Helicobacter (formerly known as Campylobacter) pylori, a recently discovered gastrointestinal bacterial pathogen, has been shown to be etiologic for Type B or antral gastritis, and usually has chronic active pathological changes associated with its presence . Acute Helicobacter infection in most cases induces reduced stomach acid secretion which usually returns to normal levels of secretion after a few months . Yet Helicobacter gastritis has never been known to spontaneously remit after it has been established, and there is evidence suggesting that it often progresses to cause atrophic changes in the ga