Eur J Epidemiol, 1992 Jan, 8(1), 22 - 6 Campylobacter enteritis in Portugal: epidemiological features and biological markers; Cabrita J et al.; From 1984 to 1989, stool samples from 2811 gastroenteritis cases were examined for the presence of Campylobacter jejuni and C . Coli, Salmonella, Shigella and Yersinia species . Isolation rates were: Campylobacter jejuni and C . Coli, 5.3%, Salmonella spp., 14.8%, Shigella spp., 4.6% and Yersinia enterocolitica, 1.1% . Age group distribution analysis shows a higher Campylobacter isolation rate in children under one year of age . Seasonal distribution revealed a peak incidence in winter as in other Mediterranean countries . Predominant biotypes were C . jejuni I (51%), C . jejuni II (21.5%) and C . coli I (18.8%) . Antimicrobial susceptibility testing did not reveal resistance to erythromycin . Thirty of the strains harboured plasmids with 7 different profiles. Microb Pathog, 1992 Jan, 12(1), 69 - 77 Production of an extracellular toxin by the oral pathogen Campylobacter rectus; Gillespie J et al.; The ATCC type strain and six clinical isolates of Campylobacter rectus were tested for toxicity against HL-60 cells and human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) . After challenge with bacterial cell suspensions and media supernatants for up to 4 h, eukaryotic cell viability was assayed by trypan blue dye exclusion and lactate dehydrogenase release . Cells of the C . rectus type strain were not toxic . However, ethanol and (NH4)2SO4 extracts of culture media supernatants killed HL-60 cells in a time and dose dependent manner with 700 micrograms of supernatant protein killing 100% of HL-60 cells in 4 h . Concentrated media supernatants from clinical isolates also killed 100% of HL-60 cells in 30 to 60 min . The bacterial culture supernatants were toxic to PMNs with clinical isolates killing 70 to 90% of PMNs in 2 to 4 h . SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analysis of the toxic media supernatants revealed C . rectus specific proteins and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) . The toxic activity was inhibited by protease, indicating that the toxin was protein . Non-toxic and toxic media supernatants were obtained by altering hemin and fumarate in the growth media . SDS-PAGE analysis of these revealed that all toxic supernatants contained a 104 kDa protein. Med Microbiol Immunol (Berl), 1992, 180(6), 289 - 303 In vitro binding of Campylobacter jejuni/coli outer membrane preparations to INT 407 cell membranes; Moser I et al.; Outer membrane fractions (OMs) of nine Campylobacter (C.) jejuni and two C . coli strains belonging to different serovars, from human and various animal origins, were extracted by treatment with sodium N-lauryl sarcosinate . Using n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside a 42-kDa protein and a flagella-enriched fraction were obtained . The capacity of the crude bacterial OM preparations, the purified 42-kDa protein and the flagella to bind to membranes of the human embryonic intestinal cell line INT 407 was tested by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay . The crude OM and the 42-kDa-enriched fraction were found to bind very well to the cell membranes, whereas the flagella preparation showed only a weak binding . Using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with HS 2-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) specificity, binding of crude HS 2 strain OM preparations to cell membranes was detected in a significant range, whereas with flagellin-specific mAbs binding of OMs and flagella to cell membranes was only detected to a very low extent . Binding of OMs to cell membranes was inhibited by preincubation of OMs with serovar-specific mouse hyperimmune serum, whereas on preincubation with mAbs directed against LPS or flagella binding was practically not inhibited . OMs extracted after pretreatment of the bacteria with proteinase K showed an altered SDS-PAGE pattern especially for the 42-kDa protein subunit and and their capacity to bind to cell membranes was significantly reduced . The binding was also reduced by preincubation of the OMs with L-fucose or D-mannose. J Infect, 1992 Jan, 24(1), 55 - 62 Campylobacter species as a cause of diarrhoea in children in Calcutta; Bhadra RK et al.; From 1985 to 1988, 857 children (aged between 1 day and 60 months) admitted to hospital with diarrhoea and 241 controls (aged between 5 days and 60 months) were examined for campylobacters and other enteric pathogens by means of conventional methods . The difference between the isolation rates of campylobacters in those cases in which no other enteric pathogen was found (4.8%) and controls (6.2%) was not significant (P greater than 0.05) . Strains of Campylobacter jejuni/coli were isolated throughout the year with higher isolation rates during the summer and monsoon months . Mixed infections were very common . Watery diarrhoea (97.6% cases) was the most common clinical presentation of patients found to be infected solely by C . jejuni/coli . Most patients infected with campylobacters were mildly to moderately dehydrated . Biotype I of C . jejuni and C . coli was the dominant biotype associated with cases and controls . All strains of C . jejuni/coli, regardless of their source, were found to be sensitive to erythromycin . From this study, it appears that enteric infections with campylobacters among children in Calcutta are common but often asymptomatic. Acta Med Austriaca, 1992, 19(2), 58 - 60 {Management of patients with traveler's diarrhea}; Diridl G et al.; Traveler's diarrhea starts 5 to 15 days after arrival with 3 or more watery bowel movements daily in 4 to more than 50% of travelers depending on geographical regions . Enterotoxin producing strains of E . coli are isolated in 20 to 50% of patients, followed by shigella, salmonella, campylobacter and vibrio spp . Rarely giardia lamblia, entamoeba histolytica and cryptosporidia are causative organisms . The cornerstone of treatment is oral rehydration . The efficacy of anti-diarrhetics is not convincingly proved and as to loperamid this drug may prolong invasive forms of diarrhea . Antibiotics are indicated if leucocytes or blood are found in stool . Cotrimoxazole and aminopenicillins are loosing efficacy because of growing resistance . The minimal . In a double blind placebo controlled trial with 500 mg ciprofloxacin b.i.d . for 5 days we were able to demonstrate a significant clinical and bacteriologic effect in 132 patients with salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis. Microbiol Immunol, 1992, 36(8), 791 - 801 Production of a monoclonal antibody that recognizes the lipopolysaccharide of a Campylobacter-like organism; Kuan SK et al.; A monoclonal antibody was produced to a Campylobacter-like organism (RMIT 32A) which was isolated from the terminal ileum of a pig with proliferative enteritis . Isotyping of the antibody revealed that it was an IgG2a with kappa light chains . Immunoblots using the antibody against proteinase-K-treated whole cell lysates of RMIT 32A, a selection of Campylobacter species and other enteric bacteria showed that the antibody was specific for RMIT 32A and was directed against the lipopolysaccharide . This antibody can be used for the specific detection of RMIT 32A. Diagn Cytopathol, 1992, 8(6), 563 - 6 Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori in gastric brushing cytology; Edmonds PR et al.; Helicobacter (formerly Campylobacter) pylori is frequently associated with chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer and has been implicated as an etiologic agent . Identification of H . pylori is important for specific treatment with antibiotics and bismuth compounds . We studied 27 patients who presented with symptoms of gastritis or peptic ulcer on whom paired gastric biopsies and gastric brushings for cytology had been performed . Biopsies were stained with H & E and Warthin-Starry or Giemsa for H . pylori . Previously, Papanicolaou-stained brushings were restained with Giemsa and reviewed blindly by two cytologists . Cytologic examination revealed the characteristic 1-3 mu curved or spiral gram-negative bacilli embedded in mucus in 12 of 27 (44%) of cases . Biopsies showed H . pylori in 13 of 27 (48%) of cases . Cytology and histology were concordant in 22 of 27 (81%) of cases . Three cases were positive on biopsy, negative on cytology; two of these were unsatisfactory cytology specimens . Two cases were positive on cytology, negative on biopsy, apparently sampling artifacts . Papanicolaou-stained slides were scored for several morphologic parameters; numbers of acute and chronic inflammatory cells and degree of cytologic atypia . None of these were predictive of the presence of H . pylori . We conclude that Giemsa-stained gastric brushings are a useful complement to gastric biopsies in establishing the diagnosis of H . pylori. Scand J Infect Dis, 1992, 24(5), 685 - 6 Rapid emergence of quinolone resistance in Campylobacter jejuni in patients treated with norfloxacin; Wretlind B et al.; 15/60 subjects from one center, who all took part in a multicenter double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effect of norfloxacin on acute enteritis, had norfloxacin sensitive strains of Campylobacter jejuni in pre-study stool specimens . Eight of the 15 subjects received active drug . In 3 of these 8, high-level quinolone resistant Campylobacter strains of the same serotype as in pre-treatment samples were isolated 4-90 days after the initiation of treatment. Microbiol Immunol, 1992, 36(9), 961 - 7 Structural studies of peptidoglycans in Campylobacter species; Amano K et al.; Peptidoglycans (PG) from Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, and Campylobacter fetus were composed of muramic acid, glucosamine, alanine, glutamic acid, and diaminopimelic acid in a molar ratio of 1.1:1:1.7:1.1:09 . Thirty percent of the amino groups of diaminopimelic acid were involved in cross-linkages between peptides . During cultivation, C . coli and C . jejuni changed from a spiral to a coccoid form . In C . coli, we could isolate PG only from the spiral forms in yields of 0.8-1.2% by dry weight . C . fetus did not change to a coccoid form, and always contained PG . Thus, it is possible that the morphological transformation from the spirals to the coccoid forms of C . coli and C . jejuni is accompanied by, and probably due to, the degradation of PG. Annu Rev Microbiol, 1992, 46, 35 - 64 Genetics of Campylobacter and Helicobacter; Taylor DE; This article reviews the current state of genetic analysis of Campylobacter and Helicobacter . Chromosomal genes cloned from Campylobacter and Helicobacter species are listed along with the method used to identify the cloned gene . Campylobacter plasmid genes that have been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli and that specify resistance to tetracycline, kanamycin, or chloramphenicol are presented . This review also examines our current knowledge of genetic exchange in Campylobacter, including conjugative plasmid transfer, natural transformation, electrotransformation, and bacteriophage transduction . In Helicobacter, natural transformation has been described and both plasmids and bacteriophages have been observed . Plasmid cloning vectors have been constructed for Campylobacter . Available vectors are discussed and restriction maps of some useful vectors that we have constructed are included . The genome sizes of C . jejuni and C . coli are approximately 1.7 megabases (Mb), whereas the genome size of H . pylori ranges from 1.60 to 1.73 Mb . The positions of various genes on the C . jejuni and C . coli genome maps have been determined using both homologous and heterologous DNA probes . Genomic maps of these organisms are presented. Life Sci, 1992, 51(17), 1333 - 7 Alcohol dehydrogenase mediated acetaldehyde production by Helicobacter pylori--a possible mechanism behind gastric injury; Roine RP et al.; Two standard Helicobacter pylori strains showed significant cytosolic alcohol dehydrogenase activity and produced considerable amounts of acetaldehyde when incubated with an ethanol containing solution in vitro . The alcohol dehydrogenase activity of the Helicobacter pylori strains was almost as high as that found in Klebsiella pneumoniae and far greater than that in Escherichia coli or Campylobacter jejuni . The amount of acetaldehyde produced by cytosol prepared from Helicobacter pylori exceeded that by any of the other bacteria studied . The bacterial production of acetaldehyde--a highly toxic and reactive substance--could be an important factor in the pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori associated gastric injury and increased risk of gastric cancer. Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1992 Jan, 66(1), 51 - 8 {In vitro antimicrobial activity of DR-3355, a new quinolone antibacterial agent, against clinical isolates of enteritis-causing bacteria}; Horiuchi S et al.; We determined the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of DR-3355, a newly developed quinolone-derivative antibacterial agent, against clinical isolates of various bacterial species from enteritis patients, and compared them with those of ofloxacin (OFLX), ciprofloxacin (CPFX), nalidixic acid (NA), ampicillin (ABPC), kanamycin (KM) . MIC90 of DR-3355 against 94 strains of Shigella spp . and 5 strains of Escherichia coli, 36 strains of Salmonella spp., 22 strains of Vibrio cholerae, 5 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and 19 strains of Campylobacter jejuni were 0.05, 0.10, 0.0025, 0.39, and 0.78 micrograms/ml, respectively . These values were 1/2 of that of OFLX, and two times of that of CPFX . MIC90 of DR-3355, OFLX and CPFX against C . jejuni were 0.78 micrograms/ml . MIC90 of DR-3355 against isolates from enteritis patients except for Vibrio spp., were 1/30 to 1/60 of those of NA, ABPC, and KM. J Clin Microbiol, 1992 Jan, 30(1), 207 - 10 Serotype distribution of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from hospitalized patients with diarrhea in central Australia; Albert MJ et al.; Campylobacter jejuni and/or Campylobacter coli was cultured from 218 of 1,078 patients of all age groups admitted to Alice Springs Hospital, Alice Springs, central Australia, between July 1988 and June 1989 for treatment of diarrhea . One hundred sixty-six Campylobacter colonies from 127 patients were subjected to O serotyping by using the Penner typing scheme . All except 29 colonies could be serotyped . A total of 46 serotypes were identified, and the predominant serotypes were O:8, 17, O:22, O:1,44, and O:19 . A large proportion of colonies reacted with more than one antiserum, and nine serotypes had antigenic compositions not observed previously . Several patients had multiple infections with more than one serotype, and some patients were shown for the first time to be infected with up to three different serotypes . Repeated reinfections with different serotypes were seen in some patients . In some patients, provided it was not due to reinfection with the same serotype, long-term excretion of the same serotype was seen, and for the first time, one patient showed evidence of excretion of the same serotype for up to 73 days. Rev Latinoam Microbiol, 1992 Jan-Mar, 34(1), 17 - 22 {Preparation and use of fish fillet infusion as a basic medium for culturing bacteria}; Alvariza MC et al.; The authors present the first results on the utilization of fish infusion (IFP) as a basic medium for the cultivation of bacteria . The infusion was obtained from a common marine fish, corvina (Micropogonias furnieri) according to the technique used in the preparation of beef infusion broth . Streptococcus pyogenes, S . pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis were cultured in liquid and solid media prepared with IFP as well as in recommended standard media . Solid media used for cultivation of S . pyogenes, S . pneumoniae, N . meningitidis and C . jejuni were supplemented with 5% of defibrinated sheep blood and for the latter, substances recommended to increase aerotolerance were included in solid and liquid media . All of these strains grew on the media prepared with IFP except S . pneumoniae when cultured in IFP diluted 1:2 with a sodium chloride solution . Only S . pyogenes produced colonies smaller than those of the standard medium . No more differences were detect in the observation of colony morphology . The growth of E . coli, K . pneumoniae, S . marcescens, P . aeruginosa, S . aureus and B . subtilis was measured in liquid media after 8 hours . In solid media, the growth index was expressed by dividing the number of colonies produced in IFP-agar and Nutriente Agar by the number of colonies on Trypticase soy agar plates . Some differences were observed in colonial size and morphology when compared with those generated in standard media . The average value obtained from the analyses of total proteins by biuret reaction in twelve batches of IFP was 5.03 mg/ml . The experiments showed that culture media prepared with IFP supported the growth of bacterial strains used in this work . It suggests that fish infusion has promising conditions of being an alternative substrate for cultural purposes. Res Microbiol, 1992 Jan, 143(1), 15 - 26 Cloning of Campylobacter jejuni genes required for leucine biosynthesis, and construction of leu-negative mutant of C . jejuni by shuttle transposon mutagenesis; Labigne A et al.; Campylobacter jejuni is a Gram-negative pathogen responsible for diarrhoeal diseases in humans . To date, very little is known about the genetic organization and molecular biology of this microorganism . The cosmid vector pHC79 was used to construct a genomic library from the total genomic DNA of C . jejuni strain C31 in Escherichia coli and recombinant cosmids capable of complementing the auxotrophic defect in leucine biosynthesis of E . coli HB101 were identified . Three of 400 clones tested were found to be capable of complementing the nutritional defect of E . coli HB101 as well as those of independent leuB mutants of E . coli strains . These results indicated that the cloned genes responsible for leucine complementation encoded an enzyme analogous to the beta-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase specified by the leuB gene in E . coli strains . The sizes of the recombinant cosmids which became stabilized in E . coli cells ranged from 12.9 to 15.4 kb compared to the expected, originally packaged, 45- to 50-kb molecules, attesting to major rearrangements occurring in this background . The recombinant plasmid pILL547 was shown to carry genes that were analogous to the leuB gene and also to the leuC and leuD genes of E . coli . The gene required for leuB complementation was subcloned on a 1.6-kb restriction fragment and was mapped more precisely by insertional mutagenesis using as transposon a newly constructed (MiniTn3-Km) element engineered to mutagenize Campylobacter genes . The leuB gene of C . jejuni was shown to be expressed from its own promoter in E . coli cells . In E . coli minicells, the cloned insert encoded a polypeptide with an apparent molecular weight of 40 kDa . A leucine auxotrophic mutant of C . jejuni strain C31 was constructed in vitro by allelic exchange, replacing the original copy of the leucine gene by an allele mutated by the insertion of the kanamycin transposable element. Pediatrie, 1992, 47(3), 175 - 7 {Neonatal Campylobacter fetus septicemia: a case secondary to maternal-fetal contamination}; Billaud N et al.; A favourable outcome of a severe Cambylobacter fetus sepsis in a neonate is reported . The transmission was probably vertical . His mother experienced diarrhoea 15 days before birth . No infecting organism was isolated from maternal stools, but maternal antibody response was significant . Such a perinatal infection with meningitis and septicemia is uncommon . Bacteriological diagnosis requires an enriched medium and a long incubation . The diagnosis should be evoked in view of an anamnestic context, a negative culture or a resistance to antimicrobial drugs. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1992 Jan, 29(1), 9 - 17 Detection of ciprofloxacin resistance in gram-negative bacteria due to alterations in gyrA; Power EG et al.; Two plasmids containing the cloned Escherichia coli wild-type gyrA gene were used to transform ciprofloxacin-resistant Gram-negative clinical isolates to screen for DNA gyrase A-mediated quinolone resistance . The results show that the technique is simple and applicable to a wide range of Gram-negative species including E . coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella aerogenes, Morganella morganii, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Campylobacter jejuni and Neisseria gonorrhoeae . The use of an arithmetical MIC series of dilutions (as opposed to standard geometrical ones) was found to be essential during screening for the detection of altered gyrase A . The observations were consistent with the suggestion that DNA gyrase is highly conserved among different species of bacteria and that gyrase A-mediated resistance can occur in all. Arch Inst Pasteur Alger, 1992, 58, 239 - 46 {Result of the refinement of a technique for the isolation and identification of Campylobacter from food commodities}; Mouffok F et al.; Campylobacter jejuni has been researched in raw milk, skin and excrement of chicken . All milk samples are negatives but 66% of chicken skin and 12% of chicken excrements are positives . An enrichment phase using brucella broth added with horse blood and antibiotics is necessary. Acta Microbiol Hung, 1992, 39(2), 133 - 6 Colonization of infant mice with flagellar variants of Campylobacter jejuni; Diker KS et al.; The role of flagella in the colonization of the intestine by Campylobacter jejuni was investigated by challenging infant mice with two flagellated strains and their nonflagellated variants . The intestinal tracts of infant mice were regularly colonized with motile strains, but not by nonmotile variants . Colonization of mice with motile C . jejuni occurred with as few as 1000 bacteria per mouse. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1992, (11-12), 32 - 4 {The leading routes and factors in the transmission of the causative agent of campylobacteriosis under current conditions}; Minaev VI et al.; Epidemiological investigations carried out at the foci of Campylobacter infection in Moscow and the Moscow region in 1987-1990 demonstrated that Campylobacter infection was recently registered as sporadic cases in a few foci . The alimentary route of the transmission of this infection was the main factor of its spread . A high role of everyday contacts in the spread of this infection was noted . The possibility for outbreaks and sporadic cases of Campylobacter infection to be masked by very frequently occurring associations of these bacteria is discussed. S Afr Med J, 1991 Dec 7, 80(11-12), 575 - 8 Evaluation of various laboratory techniques to diagnose Helicobacter pylori in patients with upper gastro-intestinal tract symptoms; Miller NM et al.; Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori is strongly associated with type B gastritis . The detection of H . pylori, which entails histological examination and culture of gastric biopsy specimens, takes several days . There has been much interest in developing more rapid tests, including non-invasive ones . Using histology and/or culture as the 'gold standard', several methods to detect H . pylori were compared and evaluated . The organism was detected in 84 of 100 consecutive patients attending the Gastrointestinal Unit of King Edward VIII Hospital for upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy . Histological examination was the most sensitive (98%) and specific (100%) method used in detecting H . pylori in gastric biopsy specimens . An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect specific IgG antibodies to whole H . pylori organisms is a moderately sensitive (82%), non-invasive method but it is nonspecific (38%) . Although culture was specific (100%), it was less sensitive (68%) than histological examination . The 'conventional' urease assays must be performed under controlled conditions (37 degrees C) for optimal results (sensitivity, 71%). Infect Immun, 1991 Dec, 59(12), 4398 - 404 High-affinity binding of the basement membrane proteins collagen type IV and laminin to the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori; Trust TJ et al.; The ability of 16 isolates of the human gastroduodenal pathogen Helicobacter pylori to bind 125I-radiolabelled tissue proteins was quantitated by liquid-phase assay . While capable of binding generally low levels of collagen types I and II, vitronectin, and fibronectin (average binding, 8%; highest binding, 23%), the various H . pylori isolates were good binders of the basement membrane proteins collagen type IV and laminin (average binding, 27%; highest binding, 60%) . Campylobacter species tested bound lower levels of collagen type IV and laminin (average binding, 12%; highest binding, 17%) . Trypsin and proteinase K treatment of H . pylori cells markedly reduced the binding of collagen type IV and laminin, as did heat treatment, suggesting that the binding of basement membrane proteins is mediated by bacterial surface proteins . Binding of both basement membrane proteins was rapid and saturable . 125I-collagen type IV binding to H . pylori 915 was inhibited by preincubation with unlabelled collagen type IV but was not inhibited by laminin or a number of other proteins . Once bound, radiolabelled collagen type IV but was not displaced by an excess of unlabelled collagen type IV, indicating that the binding interaction was of high affinity . Binding of laminin was partially reversible, and analysis in a solid-phase nonradiolabel assay showed that the interaction was of high affinity, with a Kd of 7.9 nM . This interaction was affected by salt, indicating the presence of a hydrophobic component in the ability of H . pylori to bind laminin. J Korean Med Sci, 1991 Dec, 6(4), 338 - 47 Development of epidemiological method for the Helicobacter pylori by polymerase chain reaction; Lee WK et al.; The polymerase chain reaction was used to develop a method for the detection of Helicobacter pylori, a causative agent of gastritis, as well as for the elucidation of its mode of transmission . A genomic library of Helicobacter pylori DNA in Escherichia coli JM109 was constructed by cloning Hind III-digested DNA fragments into plasmid vector pUC18 . The nucleotide sequences from seven recombinant clones were determined and five sets of oligonucleotide primers were synthesized on the basis of the sequences from five clones (B4, B9, B10, C15 and I22) . The PCR amplifications with these primers were performed using DNA samples from five strains of Helicobacter pylori, two Campylobacter spp . and eleven species of enteric bacteria . Amplifications of the target DNA fragments in all of 5 strains of Helicobacter pylori were observed from the PCR with primers derived from clone B4, B9, C15 and I22 . When the specificity was checked with the DNA samples from 13 other bacteria as template DNA for the PCR, specific amplification that produced the correct size of the target DNA of Helicobacter pylori was shown only in the PCR with primers derived from clone B9 and C15 . The detection limit in the PCR amplification, determined by the heat-lysis method, was 500 cells of Helicobacter pylori. Rev Saude Publica, 1991 Dec, 25(6), 473 - 5 Campylobacter intestinal carriage among stray and pet dogs; Fernandez H et al.; The natural distribution of thermotolerant Campylobacter sp . in dogs (150 stray animals and 64 pets) was studied . Campylobacters were more frequently isolated (p < 0.01) from stray dogs (51.3%) rather than from pet dogs (21.9%) . All the biotypes described by Lior for C . jejuni and C . coli were found among stray animals, whereas only C . jejuni biotypes I and II and C . coli biotype II were found among pet dogs . The need for more studies related to the role of environmental sanitary conditions in the spreading of Campylobacter species is noted. Rev Sci Tech, 1991 Dec, 10(4), 1101 - 29 Organisation of veterinary public health in the south Asia region; Joshi DD; In the South Asia region vast human populations are exposed daily and with considerable intensity to close contact with vast animal populations and their excreta . There is no veterinary public health unit in the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) in New Delhi (India), the Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) in Manila (Philippines) or the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) in Alexandria (Egypt) . However, these offices do support a number of activities on zoonoses and food-borne diseases in WHO member countries of the region . Maintenance of the health of farmers and of their families (often termed "rural health") has assumed increasing importance in most member countries of the region . In most of the countries, there is no actual veterinary public health unit functioning as a national body common to the ministries of health and agriculture . Among the commonest zoonotic diseases prevalent in member countries are rabies, brucellosis, Japanese encephalitis, echinococcosis, tuberculosis, visceral leishmaniasis, taeniasis, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis and leptospirosis . A national plan is necessary for each country to give priority to controlling these diseases, based on health systems research or primary health care, with intersectoral and regional cooperation through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) under Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC) . There should be a strong unit for veterinary public health in all WHO regional offices to coordinate zoonotic disease surveillance, training and control programmes in countries of the region. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1991 Dec, (12), 28 - 31 {Risk factors and transmission routes of the causative agents of campylobacteriosis in commercial poultry plants}; Cherkasskii BL et al.; The study, carried out in two regions of the USSR and aimed at estimation of the contamination of products supplied by industrial poultry complexes (IPC), revealed that the contamination of these products was closely related to the Campylobacter contamination of the personnel of IPC . The causes of high Campylobacter contamination of the products of IPC at all technological stages of their production are described . The species, serovars and biovars of Campylobacter strains isolated from different sources were determined, which made it possible to carry out the specific and intraspecific differentiation of these strains. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1991 Dec, (12), 25 - 8 {The epidemiological aspects of campylobacteriosis in children in arid area}; Minaev VI et al.; Specific epidemiological features of Campylobacter infection in children in Samarkand Province during the period of 1987-1990 are discussed . The specific proportion of this infection in the total structure of acute enteric infections was, on the average, 8.5%, and Campylobacter carriership among healthy children, 7.0% . Among children with Campylobacter infection, children aged up to 1 year constituted 71.5% . The results of the study of the biological properties of Campylobacter strains isolated from sick and healthy children and their difference from strains isolated in other regions are discussed. Mol Microbiol, 1991 Dec, 5(12), 2875 - 82 Alternative sigma factors and the regulation of flagellar gene expression; Helmann JD; Synthesis of bacterial flagella and the accompanying array of chemotaxis receptors and transducers represents a major commitment of energy and resources for a growing bacterial cell and is subject to numerous levels of regulation . Genes for flagellar and chemotaxis proteins are expressed in a complex transcriptional cascade . This regulatory hierarchy acts to ensure that the highly expressed filament structural protein, flagellin, is synthesized only after a prerequisite set of structural proteins has been expressed and properly assembled . Recent evidence suggests that many bacteria utilize an alternative sigma (sigma) subunit, similar in specificity to the Bacillus subtilis sigma 28 protein, to direct transcription of flagellin, chemotaxis and motility genes . In Caulobacter crescentus and Campylobacter spp., both a sigma 54-like factor and a sigma 28-like factor participate in the transcription of flagellar and chemotaxis genes . Conversely, a sigma 28-like factor controls non-motility functions in at least one non-flagellated organism. J Diarrhoeal Dis Res, 1991 Dec, 9(4), 315 - 7 Campylobacter and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) associated gastroenteritis in Turkish children; Hascelik G et al.; From May 1989 to April 1990, stool specimens of 677 children less than 15-years old who were admitted to the Hacettepe University outpatient department of Pediatrics with acute enteritis were collected to search for four common enteric pathogens: Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) . At least one of the three bacteria was detected in 107 (15.8%) of the patients . Campylobacter was found in 72 (10.6%) of the samples . Shigella and Salmonella spp . were isolated in 26 (3.8%) and 11 (1.6%) children respectively . EHEC was not isolated from any of the stool samples . None of the 100 healthy children examined as a control group yielded any of the four pathogens in their stools . Campylobacter should be considered as an important aetiological agent of diarrhoeal diseases in Turkey, where EHEC is not a common pathogen. J Diarrhoeal Dis Res, 1991 Dec, 9(4), 305 - 9 A study of the bacterial and parasitic causes of acute diarrhoea in northern Jordan; Na'was TE et al.; The prevalence of bacterial and parasitic diarrhoeagenic agents in 200 patients suffering from acute diarrhoea and reporting to hospitals and health centres in northern Jordan, and in controls was determined . One or more bacterial or parasitic enteropathogens was isolated from 79 patients (39.5%) . Prevalence rates for these pathogens was as follows: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, 9%; enteropathogenic E . coli, 9%; Salmonella spp . 7%; Campylobacter spp, 5.5%; Yersinia enterocolitica, 4.5%; Shigella spp, 4%; Aeromonas spp, 3.5%; enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens, 2%; Vibrio spp, 2%; and Plesiomonas shigelloides, 0.5% . Both Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica were detected in 2% of the stool samples examined . Although the determination of the aetiologic role of the identified enteropathogens was complicated by more than one factor, the data collected will serve as a baseline for future studies of the subject. Ultraschall Med, 1991 Dec, 12(6), 269 - 71 {Bacterial ileocecitis: a "new" disease}; Seelen JL et al.; In cases of clinical suspicion of an acute appendicitis sonography uncovers another disease as the real cause of the symptoms in about one-quarter of such cases . Bacterial ileocaecitis is most frequently diagnosed (11.6% of N = 786) . In special bacteriological stool cultures, Yersinia enterocolitica and Campylobacter jejuni were identified, whereas Salmonella enteritidis was a rarer finding . The typical sonographic manifestation of bacterial ileocaecitis compared against Crohn's disease of the ileocaecal region is described . These two diseases can be differentiated against each other by means of sonography; likewise, it is also possible to distinguish them from appendicitis . Since stool cultures--which are not always prepared if diarrhoea is only mild or completely absent--are received relatively late in acute cases, knowledge of the sonographic manifestation of bacterial ileo caecitis can help save many an unnecessary laparotomy. J Rheumatol, 1991 Dec, 18(12), 1929 - 31 Campylobacter spondylodiscitis and deficiency of cellular immunity; Mathieu E et al.; We describe a case of spondylodiscitis caused by Campylobacter fetus in a previously healthy patient . This is the first report of this agent causing discovertebral infection, which generated cellular immune deficiency, reversible with the cure. Chin Med J (Engl), 1991 Dec, 104(12), 1005 - 10 Electron microscopic appearance of the chronic Campylobacter jejuni enteritis of mice; Gao JX et al.; Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of human enteritis which mimics the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) . In this study, microstructural changes on the surfaces of the murine gastrointestinal tract persistently colonized by Campylobacter jejuni, strain GJ-S131, were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) . The results revealed that the appearance of the gastrointestinal mucosa in both BALB/C and KM mice resembled that in human with inflammatory bowel disease . Under SEM, the mucosa of the jejunum and ileum, with broken or distorted villi had a "worm eaten" look; crypts were irregular in shape and size, and the mucosa showed atrophy, especially in the colon . Epithelial junctions demonstrated furrows, clefts or deep crevasses, with exudates containing a large number of leukocytes . Cytologic appearances were characterized by microvilli dysplasia and/or atrophy, patchy erosions or necrosis and pelade-like appearance due to absence of microvilli, which were similar to the findings under TEM. Ann Rheum Dis, 1991 Dec, 50(12), 934 - 8 Rheumatic symptoms following an outbreak of campylobacter enteritis: a five year follow up; Bremell T et al.; Eighty six of 106 (81%) guests attending a party were followed up after an outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni enterocolitis . Acute diarrhoeal illness was reported in 35 subjects (33%), of whom seven showed acute rheumatic symptoms either alone or with other symptoms of infection with C jejuni . The antibody response to C jejuni corresponded well with the intensity of the disease . In the early phase of the gastrointestinal disease the patients with acute rheumatic symptoms displayed significantly higher IgM antibody levels in serum samples than the other patients in this study . Levels of antibodies to C jejuni were increased in serum samples from 31 patients (29%) without symptoms of infection with C jejuni . At a follow up after five and a half years, four of these patients suffered from chronic rheumatic disorders . One HLA-B27 positive woman developed reactive arthritis with a relapse seven years later . The remaining 20 subjects (19%) remained healthy and their antibody tests and stool cultures were negative for C jejuni . It is concluded that C jejuni enterocolitis is significantly associated with rheumatic symptoms in the early phase and may also cause chronic rheumatic disorders. Baillieres Clin Gastroenterol, 1991 Dec, 5(4), 861 - 86 Gastroenterological emergencies in the tropics; Cook GC; Significant differences exist in the prevalence of most gastroenterological emergencies in tropical compared with temperate countries . Both ethnic and environmental (often clearly defined geographically) factors are relevant . The major oesophageal lesions which can present acutely in tropical countries are varices and carcinoma; bleeding and obstruction are important sequelae . Peptic ulcer disease (and its complications), often associated (not necessarily causally) with Helicobacter pylori infection, has marked geographical variations in incidence . Emergencies involving the small intestine are dominated by severe dehydration, and its sequelae, resulting from secretory diarrhoea, most notably cholera . However, enteritis necroticans ('pig bel' disease), paralytic ileus (sometimes caused by antiperistaltic agents) and obstruction (secondary to luminal helminths, volvulus and intussusception) are other important problems, especially in infants and children . Enteric fever is occasionally complicated by perforation and haemorrhage; the former (which is notoriously difficult to manage) is accompanied by significant mortality . Ileocaecal tuberculosis is a major cause of right iliac fossa pathology--sometimes associated with malabsorption; amoeboma is an important clinical differential diagnosis . The colon can be involved in invasive Entamoeba histolytica infection (which, like complicated enteric fever, is difficult to manage if the fulminant form, with perforation, ensues), shigellosis, volvulus and intussusception . Acute colonic dilatation occasionally follows Salmonella sp., Shigella sp., Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica and rarely E . histolytica infections . Acute hepatocellular failure is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the tropics and subtropics . It usually results from viral hepatitis (HBV, sometimes complicated by HDV, and HCV), but there is a long list of differential diagnoses . Hepatotoxicity resulting from herbs, chemotherapeutic agents or alcohol also occurs not infrequently . Chronic liver disease and its sequelae (often long-term results of viral hepatitis) are commonplace . Haematemesis and hepatocellular failure are usually very difficult to manage due to a lack of sophisticated support techniques in developing countries . Invasive hepatic amoebiasis usually responds well to medical management; however, spontaneous perforation can occur and the consequences of this are serious . Pyogenic liver abscess, although far less common than amoebic 'abscess', carries a bad prognosis whatever the method(s) of management . Hydatidosis and schistosomiasis also involve the liver, and helminthiases are important in the context of biliary tract disease . Gall stones are unusual in most tropical settings . Acute pancreatitis is overall unusual, but chronic calcific pancreatitis can present as an acute abdominal emergency. J Trop Med Hyg, 1991 Dec, 94(6), 388 - 92 Potential sources of Campylobacter species in the homes of farmworkers in Zimbabwe; Simango C et al.; Chicken faeces, houseflies, household stored drinking water, cooked or prepared foods and handwashings of people of all age groups and hands of children under 5 years old were examined as potential sources and transmission routes of Campylobacter species in a farmworker community . Campylobacter species were found to be common in chicken faeces collected from the homesteads of the farmworkers but were rarely isolated from houseflies or household stored drinking water . They were not isolated from foods and hands of people of all ages . A comparison of Campylobacter species isolated from humans and chickens showed Campylobacter jejuni to be more common than Campylobacter coli in human isolates while the two species were evenly distributed in chickens . Most of the C . jejuni isolates from humans and chickens belonged to biotype II and none belonged to biotype III . There was some similarity in some C . jejuni serotypes isolated from humans and chickens . Chickens were therefore found to be the main potential source of Campylobacter species in the homes of farmworkers. Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin, 1991 Dec, 9(10), 637 - 9 {Utility of the L-alanine-aminopeptidase test for differentiating the cell wall structure of bacteria}; Hernandez Molina JM et al.; Evaluation of a detection test for L-alanine-aminopeptidase enzyme (Bactident Aminopeptidase) for determining the structure of bacterial cell wall . In a total of 246 clinical isolates of aerobic, microaerophilic and anaerobic bacteria, we detect the presence or absence of L-alanine-aminopeptidase using commercial kits (Bactident Aminopeptidase, Merck Diagnostica) . We also identify and further classified the 246 strains . In nearly all gram-negative bacteria L-alanine-aminopeptidase was found, with the exception of Campylobacter spp and gram-negative anaerobic bacilli . All gram-positive and gram-variable bacteria were negative for the L-alanine-aminopeptidase presence . The results suggest a good correlation between the presence or absence of L-alanine-aminopeptidase and Gram stain method. J Clin Microbiol, 1991 Dec, 29(12), 2831 - 4 Detection of Helicobacter pylori in stomach tissue by use of a monoclonal antibody; Husson MO et al.; Monoclonal antibodies were produced against an acid glycine extract of Helicobacter pylori ATCC 43504T . One of these appeared to be specific for H . pylori; it recognized all H . pylori isolates by an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIF) but it did not cross-react with the other strains tested, including different species of the genera Helicobacter, Campylobacter, and Wolinella . Different strains of members of the families Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae or other gram-negative bacteria tested also gave negative reactions . Indirect immunofluorescence assay of antral biopsy specimens identified 54 of 56 infected patients (96.4%), and it may be able to detect nonviable organisms after antibiotic therapy. Lab Anim Sci, 1991 Dec, 41(6), 553 - 8 Clostridium difficile typhlitis associated with cecal mucosal hyperplasia in Syrian hamsters; Ryden EB et al.; A sudden increase in mortality occurred in a closed breeding colony of Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) . The colony consisted of approximately 40 hamsters, 8 of which were affected . Four adult males died suddenly . One pregnant female and one weanling died after having been observed as depressed for 1 day and 2 weeks respectively . One weanling and one adult male were euthanized . All affected hamsters had signs of diarrhea . At necropsy, hemorrhagic fluid-filled ceca were noted in five of eight animals . Clostridium difficile cytotoxin B was present in high titers {10(-3) to 10(-8)} in cecal contents of six of six animals tested, whereas C . difficile culture yielded positive results in only one of six animals . Histopathologically, findings consistent with Clostridium-induced typhlitis including necrosis, epithelial denudation, vascular congestion, and hemorrhage were present in six of six ceca evaluated . In addition, signs of a more chronic disease process included cecal mucosal hyperplasia in five of six hamsters . A silver stain of cecal hyperplastic mucosa for intracellular organisms including Campylobacter-like organisms was negative in all affected hamsters . Antibiotics had not been administrated to any hamster in this colony, nor had the affected animals been experimentally manipulated . Testing for antibiotic residues in the feed was negative, and C . difficile was not isolated from feed, water, or feces of unaffected hamsters . Thus C . difficile-induced typhlitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of deaths in hamsters which have no clinical histories of prior antibiotic administration or experimental manipulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd, 1991 Nov 16, 135(46), 2176 - 80 {Bacterial ileocecitis, a "new" disease}; Puylaert JB et al.; 786 patients with suspected acute appendicitis or appendiceal mass were examined by ultrasonography to distinguish appendicitis from bacterial enteritis . 533 of these patients were described before . In 91 (11.6%) ultrasonography revealed the characteristic picture associated with bacterial enteritis of the ileocaecal region-enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes and mural thickening of the terminal ileum and caecum--but no image of an inflamed appendix . In 64 of these a bacterial infection was confirmed (Yersinia enterocolitica in 28, Campylobacter jejuni in 24, Salmonella enteritidis in 11, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in one) . In the other 27, bacteriological tests were negative (17) or not performed (10) . Only 34 of 91 had diarrhoea . Six of the 91 patients underwent surgery, in all of them the removed appendix was normal . The other 85 patients recovered with conservative treatment . In 38 a planned appendicectomy was cancelled because of the sonographic findings . Bacterial enteritis limited to the ileocaecal region (bacterial ileocecitis) appears to be responsible for an appreciable number of unnecessary appendicectomies . It has characteristic sonographic features which distinguish it from appendicitis. Rev Paul Med, 1991 Nov-Dec, 109(6), 273 - 7 {Cidade Leonor slum, São Paulo . III . Environmental contamination and natural feeding practice}; Torres AL et al.; In this study the authors report the high rate of environmental contamination to which children living in slum areas are exposed . The authors performed a bacteriologic and parasitologic survey in children with acute diarrhea and in controls . Feeding habits were also recorded . The feeding habits revealed that 176 out of 520 children (33.8%) were never breast fed, whereas the remaining 344 (66.7%) were breast fed for an average of 2.2 months . The parasitologic survey was positive in 89% of the stool samples obtained from 83 children, mostly with multiple infections . The bacteriologic survey revealed the presence of enteropathogens and, in particular, invasive E . coli and Campylobacter in 46.7% of the children with acute diarrhea, and in 32.5% of the children in the control group . These findings allow the authors to state that environmental conditions of slum areas directly predispose to the appearance of the diarrhea-malnutrition binomial. Nippon Saikingaku Zasshi, 1991 Nov, 46(6), 921 - 7 {Morphological changes of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli under various culture conditions and the accompanied changes in the cell composition}; Shibata Y et al.; The morphological transformation from the spiral form to the coccoidal form Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli was studied under various conditions by such techniques as electron microscopy, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and chemical analyses . The conversion from the spiral form to the coccoidal form of Campylobacter in microaerophilic cultivation occurred in about 50% of the cells in 48 h and in about 90% of the cells in 72 h . At higher temperatures (37 C and 42 C) under aerophilic conditions, the spiral-form cells converted easily to the coccoidal form in phosphate-buffered saline . Electron-microscopic studies revealed that the envelopes of the coccoidal-form cells were soft in comparison with those of the spiral-form cells . The LPS and protein contents of the cells reached the highest levels after cultivation for 48 h under microaerophilic condition . The 33 K and 28 K polypeptide contents of 24-h and 48-h cultures were higher than those of 72-h and 96-h cultures. Angew Parasitol, 1991 Nov, 32(4), 193 - 7 Cryptosporidium sp . in stool specimens from diarrhoeic and asymptomatic individuals in the Magdeburg area (East Germany); Schuster W et al.; Unselected stool specimens from a total of 2,944 individuals with diarrhoea including 1,172 children under 14 years of age were investigated for Cryptosporidium oocysts in the Magdeburg area from 1987 to 1988, 43 (1.46%) were found positive . Three of these were additionally infected with bacterial pathogens (Campylobacter species) . In all cases the symptoms of diarrhoea ceased spontaneously after an average of 8 days . The incidence was highest among children and infants under 6 years of age (2.50%) . No cryptosporidia were found in stool specimens of 570 healthy individuals of all age groups . Cysts of Giardia sp . were detected more frequently in healthy than in diarrhoeic individuals (3.3% and 2.0%, respectively) . The postulation to search for cryptosporidia in all cases of diarrhoea lasting longer than two days is inferred from these results. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis, 1991 Nov-Dec, 14(6), 507 - 8 Campylobacter jejuni infected bursitis; Schieven BC et al.; Campylobacter jejuni is a common cause of enteritis, and has been isolated from patients with bacteremia, meningitis, and cholecystitis . We describe here an unusual case of a chronically inflamed bursitis infected with C . jejuni. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 1991 Nov-Dec, 85(6), 796 - 8 Acute diarrhoeal diseases in infants aged below six months in hospital in Calcutta, India: an aetiological study; Ghosh AR et al.; In a prospective 2-year study, 218 infants aged less than 6 months admitted to a children's hospital in Calcutta with acute diarrhoea and 102 infants (control group) from the out-patient department of the same hospital with similar age, sex and socio-economic composition as the diarrhoea patients, were concurrently investigated for enteropathogenic agents in the faeces . Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, enterotoxigenic E . coli, and enteroadherent E . coli constituted the 3 types of diarrhoeagenic E . coli most frequently (57.4%) detected in the faeces of diarrhoeic infants either as a sole pathogen or in association with other microorganisms . Other enteropathogens detected were rotavirus, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella typhimurium and Aeromonas hydrophila . The frequency of detection of various aetiological agents was 72%; in the remaining 28% an infectious aetiology could not be determined . The study suggests that diarrhoeagenic E . coli plays a major role in the causation of acute diarrhoea in infants aged under 6 months in Calcutta. East Afr Med J, 1991 Nov, 68(11), 865 - 8 Evaluation of culture media and antimicrobial susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori; Sang FC et al.; Isolation of Helicobacter pylori on artificial culture is hampered by the lack of reliable and cheap media . In this study, three different types of culture media were evaluated for isolation of H . pylori from clinical specimens . These media included: Modified Thayer-Martin (MTM), Skirrow's campylobacter agar and chocolate agar . Modified Thayer-Martin agar was superior in isolation to others with an isolation rate of 47% (31/66) . The size of colonies on this media were larger and clearly defined . Growth was detectable after 4 days of incubation, with a maximum growth after 7 days . Thirty one strains of H . pylori isolated from cases were tested against ten antibiotics (ampicillin, tetracycline, gentamicin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, colistin, kanamycin, sulpharazole and metronidazole) in Mueller-Hinton agar, to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) . H . pylori was very susceptible to most drugs but resistant to nalidixic acid. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1991 Nov, 10(11), 953 - 7 Development of resistance to quinolones in five patients with campylobacteriosis treated with norfloxacin or ciprofloxacin; Adler-Mosca H et al.; Development of resistance to nalidixic acid, norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin was observed in five patients with Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli infection . From all these patients nalidixic acid- and quinolone-susceptible strains were isolated initially, whereas after therapy with norfloxacin or ciprofloxacin strains resistant to these antibiotics were found . Campylobacter strains from the same patient always belonged to the same species and, with the exception of one case, showed identical rRNA gene restriction (rDNA) patterns . This indicates that double-infection with a susceptible and a resistant strain was not responsible for the phenomenon but rather that the infecting strain rapidly developed resistance following treatment. Minerva Pediatr, 1991 Nov, 43(11), 665 - 74 {Current developments in the use of intravenous immunoglobulins}; Bardare M et al.; The use of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) has provided a substantial therapeutic advance in the treatment of antibody deficiency syndromes improving the quality of life of the affected patients . Among the advantages there are the possibility to employ higher doses to reach higher serum levels, with a more efficacious prophylaxis against infections; the prevention of chronic lung disease if IVIG are prescribed early, at diagnosis or at least at the onset of symptoms; the significant improvement of pulmonary function . The IVIG which are likely to be the best choice are the "intact Fc" preparations . In these products, or at least in some preparations, all IgG subclasses are present, which are endowed with specific and differentiated functions . Another important requirement is the presence of specific antibodies (e.g . anti Mycoplasmas, anti Campylobacter, anti Echovirus, anti pyogenic bacteria) . The benefits of the prophylactic use of IVIG in preterm and low birthweight infants to prevent neonatal and late-onset infections are widely accepted . Lastly, IVIG are employed successfully in some autoimmune diseases as PTI and immune cytopenias, myasthenia gravis, acute and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, Kawasaki syndrome, childhood recurrent seizures, juvenile chronic arthritis. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1991 Nov, 57(11), 3388 - 9 Recovery of injured Campylobacter jejuni cells after animal passage; Saha SK et al.; Sixteen freeze-thaw-injured nonculturable stocks of Campylobacter jejuni were passed through rat gut, and seven were reisolated . These reisolated strains were converted to toxin producers, as they were before preservation, following consecutive passages through rat gut . This observation indicated the existence of an injured, viable, but nonresuscitated form of C . jejuni which can be resuscitated to a culturable and fully virulent form by passaging the organism through a susceptible host. Rev Infect Dis, 1991 Nov-Dec, 13(6), 1066 - 8 Use of ciprofloxacin for successful eradication of bacteremia due to Campylobacter cinaedi in a human immunodeficiency virus-infected person; Sacks LV et al.; A 36-year-old homosexual man who was infected with human immunodeficiency virus presented with a 2-month history of fever and intermittent diarrhea . Stool cultures were negative for bacterial pathogens, ova, parasites, and acid-fast organisms . An initial blood culture became positive after 5 days for a curved, gram-negative rod that was identified later as Campylobacter cinaedi . The patient received a series of antibiotic regimens, including a 2-week course of erythromycin followed by a 2-week course of tetracycline, but follow-up blood cultures continued to yield C . cinaedi . The patient was then treated with a 2-week course of oral ciprofloxacin; he remained asymptomatic 11 weeks later, at which time a blood culture was negative for C . cinaedi . To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented case of symptomatic bacteremia due to C . cinaedi that was successfully treated with ciprofloxacin. Pediatr Pathol, 1991 Nov-Dec, 11(6), 827 - 38 Nonsyphilitic spirochetosis in second-trimester fetuses; Abramowsky C et al.; Four female fetuses (17-23 weeks) spontaneously aborted by young women (15-19 years old) showed spirochetal microorganisms predominantly in the intestinal lumen and mucosa and to a much lesser extent in other organs . Fetal tissues showed a brisk lymphocytic-plasmacytic response in intestinal mucosa, lungs, and meninges in some cases . In all instances the placenta had chorioamnionitis and severe chronic villitis, with villous vasculitis in some . One fetus had a concomitant cytomegalovirus infection . The observed lesions were reminiscent of Treponema pallidum infections; however, the spirochetes were morphologically different by light and ultrastructural microscopy from T . pallidum and did not react with a silver-enhanced, gold-labeled anti-T . pallidum antibody . In addition, serologic tests for syphilis of the women before or after the abortions were nonreactive . On the basis of clinical pathologic considerations as well as the absence of immunostaining, it is possible also to rule out infections caused by Lyme and relapsing fever Borrelia, Leptospira, and Campylobacter . The spirochetes' prominent tropism for the intestinal tract raises the possibility of a congenital infection with gastrointestinal spirochetal species described in recent years . The placental findings suggest an ascending transamniotic infection, with initial colonization of the intestinal tract and systemic dissemination of the organisms in the fetus and placental villi. J Clin Microbiol, 1991 Nov, 29(11), 2587 - 9 Comparative evaluation of three selective media and a nonselective medium for the culture of Helicobacter pylori from gastric biopsies; Tee W et al.; Plating on solid media is the standard technique used in most laboratories for the isolation of Helicobacter pylori from gastric biopsies . Recently, various selective media were developed for this purpose . We compared and evaluated three selective media, Skirrow's, Dent's CP, and modified Glupczynski's Brussels campylobacter charcoal media, and chocolate agar medium for the isolation of H . pylori . Gastric biopsies taken from a total of 203 patients were plated in parallel on all four media . An isolation rate of 51% (104 of 203) was obtained with a combination of all four media . Of the 104, 92 (88%) were positive with Dent's medium and with modified Glupczynski's medium . Skirrow's medium gave the highest isolation rate, 96% (100 of 104) . However, growth of H . pylori was scant (only one to five colonies) when growth occurred on Skirrow's medium alone . Overall, modified Glupczynski's medium provided significantly heavier growth . Chocolate agar medium yielded a 76% (79 of 104) positivity rate . We recommend the use of a combination of two selective media for the maximum recovery of H . pylori from antral biopsies. Scand J Gastroenterol, 1991 Nov, 26(11), 1205 - 8 Dental plaque: a permanent reservoir of Helicobacter pylori? Desai HG, Gill HH, Shankaran K, Mehta PR, Prabhu SR. The aim of the study was to observe the relationship between the two reservoirs of Helicobacter pylori--that is, dental plaque and the stomach . With the Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test, H . pylori was detected in dental plaque and in gastric antral and body mucosa in 98%, 67% and 70%, respectively, of 43 consecutive patients with dyspepsia . The rapidity of the CLO test indicates that the density of H . pylori is heaviest in dental plaque, less in the antrum, and least in the body mucosa of the stomach . Triple drug therapy (bismuth, tinidazole, and amoxycillin or doxycycline) was administered for 15 days to 24 patients . By the CLO test, H . pylori was eliminated from the gastric mucosa in all 24 patients but persisted in dental plaque in all of them . Our observations indicate that dental plaque is unaffected by triple drug therapy and is perhaps a permanent reservoir of H . pylori if local therapy also fails to eradicate the organism. Equine Vet J, 1991 Nov, 23(6), 405 - 9 The prevalence of enteric pathogens in diarrhoeic thoroughbred foals in Britain and Ireland; Browning GF et al.; A survey of 77 normal and 326 diarrhoeic foals in Britain and Ireland from 1987 to 1989 revealed a significantly higher prevalence of Group A rotaviruses and Aeromonas hydrophila in diarrhoeic foals . The prevalence of cryptosporidia, potentially pathogenic Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica and Clostridium perfringens was similar in normal or diarrhoeic foals . Rotaviruses had a similar prevalence in all age groups of scouring foals up to three months of age, with an overall prevalence of 37 per cent among diarrhoeic foals . The number of cases of diarrhoea varied considerably from year to year, but in all three years of the survey rotavirus was a significant pathogen . A comparison of diagnostic tests for rotavirus in the faeces showed electron microscopy (EM) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) to have similar sensitivity . The Rotazyme ELISA test kit was found to have the same sensitivity as a combination of EM and PAGE . A . hydrophila had an overall prevalence of 9 per cent among diarrhoeic foals, although its prevalence was higher in some age groups . A . hydrophila has not been established previously as a significant enteric pathogen in foals . Other putative pathogens found at very low prevalence were coronavirus, the putative picobirnavirus, Campylobacter spp . and Salmonella spp . No evidence was found of synergistic effects between rotavirus, cryptosporidia and potentially pathogenic E . coli . Neither coccidia nor non-Group A rotaviruses were found in any of the samples examined. Klin Wochenschr, 1991 Oct 31, 69(17), 813 - 6 Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus infection; Allerberger F et al.; During a six-year period five patients with Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus infections were seen at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota . Bacteremia was observed in two patients, one presenting with aortic valve endocarditis and the other with abdominal atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm . C . fetus subsp . fetus was isolated from tibial tissue of a patient with osteomyelitis . Diarrhea was the main complaint of two further patients, and was also mentioned by the patient with the aortic aneurysm . Despite the use of incubation conditions and selective media geared to detect only Campylobacter jejuni, C . fetus subsp . fetus was isolated from stool specimens of the two patients with gastrointestinal symptoms . The fact that three of five C . fetus subsp . fetus infections observed in this study were associated with intestinal symptoms further supports the importance of the gastrointestinal tract in the pathogenesis of C . fetus subsp . fetus infections. Cas Lek Cesk, 1991 Oct 18, 130(16-17), 497 - 500 {Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori in stomach and duodenal biopsies}; Chlumska A et al.; In bioptic specimens of the gastric mucosa of 57 patients with dyspeptic complaints and/or a duodenal ulcer Helicobacter pylori was detected under the microscope in 82,4% of chronic active gastritis and in 28,6% and 61,5% resp . of chronic gastritis grade I and II . The finding of helicobacteria depended on the number of collected specimens . They were never found at sites with intestinal metaplasia and their numbers did not correspond to the intensity and character of the inflammatory changes . As compared with the antrum, in the corpus of the stomach helicobacteria were found more frequently not only in mild forms of the inflammation but also in the normal mucosa . In the duodenum the finding was negative and the inflammatory changes were only mild . In all patients with a duodenal ulcer and a scar after ulceration in the antrum chronic active or inactive gastritis grade II was found with helicobacteria in 84,6% of the observations . Cultivation was consistent with microscopic evidence in 50 patients (87,7%). J Appl Bacteriol, 1991 Oct, 71(4), 379 - 82 Survival of Escherichia coli and Campylobacter jejuni in untreated and filtered lake water; Korhonen LK et al.; The survival of Campylobacter jejuni and Escherichia coli in lake water was studied using viable counts . Escherichia coli survived better than C . jejuni in all the test conditions studied . Both the species survived better in filtered than in untreated water . This suggests that predation and/or competition for nutrients affect the survival of both the species in an aquatic environment . Campylobacter jejuni survived less well in filtered autoclaved water and in 0.9% NaCl than in filtered water without autoclaving . The lack of some essential nutrients, which may be degraded by autoclaving, might explain these results. Epidemiol Infect, 1991 Oct, 107(2), 363 - 72 Jackdaws and magpies as vectors of milkborne human Campylobacter infection; Hudson SJ et al.; In 1990 we reported that milk bottles pecked by jackdaws and magpies were a probable source of human campylobacter infection . During April to June 1990 an extended study of campylobacter infections was carried out in the Gateshead area . Prior to the study a health education programme was undertaken in an attempt to reduce human infection . Fifty-nine cases of human infection were recorded and 52 were interviewed . Thirty were entered into a case control study which demonstrated a very strong association between consumption of pecked milk and human campylobacter infection (chi 2 = 12.6, P less than 0.0004) . It was estimated that between 500 and 1000 jackdaws (Corvus monedula) were present in the area where milk bottles were pecked and 63 isolates of campylobacter were made from the bill and cloaca . Target bottles were put out in the early mornings and campylobacters were isolated from 12 of 123 pecked bottles . Typing of the campylobacters revealed a wide distribution of strains amongst birds, pecked milk and human infections . The health education programme had only limited success. Ann Med, 1991 Oct, 23(4), 403 - 6 Gastric Helicobacter and upper gastrointestinal symptoms in chronic renal failure; Ala-Kaila K et al.; We studied histologically antral biopsies from 89 consecutive patients with chronic renal failure for Helicobacter pylori (previously Campylobacter pylori) . A dose-response gastric secretion test was also performed . The frequency of Helicobacter-positive subjects was low (15/89, 17%), corresponding to figures reported in the literature for young symptomless volunteers . Helicobacter-positive patients had significantly more frequently upper gastrointestinal symptoms than Helicobacter-negative individuals (P less than 0.05) . Antral gastritis was more common in the Helicobacter-positive than in the Helicobacter-negative renal patients (P less than 0.01), but the incidence of body gastritis did not differ between them . The Helicobacter-positive patients had lower serum urea levels (P less than 0.01) and higher acid outputs (P less than 0.001) than Helicobacter-negative subjects . All patients had raised fasting serum gastrin levels, which possibly obscured the difference between Helicobacter-positive (283 pg/ml) and -negative (331 pg/ml) patients . We conclude that in chronic renal failure gastric colonization of Helicobacter pylori is not more frequent than usual . It correlates positively with antral gastritis, gastric acid output and upper gastrointestinal symptoms, but negatively with serum urea levels. Arch Neurol, 1991 Oct, 48(10), 1080 - 2 Serologic evidence of Campylobacter jejuni/coli enteritis in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome; Gruenewald R et al.; We performed serologic testing for Campylobacter jejuni in 17 consecutive patients with acute Guillain-Barre syndrome from the Boston, Mass area to compare the frequency of this preceding infection with the high rates reported from other areas of the world . The rate of seropositivity, 18%, was considerable, but it was lower than that reported in Australia . Moreover, all of our patients with definite serologic evidence of infection had severe enteritis before Guillain-Barre syndrome, usually with the organism cultured from stool samples . Campylobacter enteritis is an important antecedent illness for Guillain-Barre syndrome but did not precipitate the disease without enteritis. J Neuroimmunol, 1991 Oct, 34(1), 43 - 51 Association between glycoconjugate antibodies and Campylobacter infection in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome; Walsh FS et al.; In a retrospective study, we have analysed sera from a well-characterised Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) patient group for antibodies that react with gangliosides . Of 95 GBS patients and 85 control patients analysed, we found that 14 (15%) of GBS patients but only one control patient had antibodies that react with the gangliosides GM1 and/or GD1b but not GM2, GD1a and GT1b using a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) . This pattern of reactivity suggests binding to the carbohydrate structure Gal(beta 1-3)GalNAc which is shared between some glycolipids and glycoproteins . Similar antibodies have been found previously in a subpopulation of patients with lower motor neuron disease . In the present study, the predominant immunoglobulin class of these anti-glycoconjugate antibodies was IgG rather than IgM . A correlation was found between the presence of these antibodies and prognosis in terms of disability at 3 and 12 months after presentation . Patients with anti-glycoconjugate antibodies also had a higher incidence of previous Campylobacter infections than the rest of the patient group, although the significance of this remains to be determined. Infect Immun, 1991 Oct, 59(10), 3694 - 9 Inhibition of acid secretion from parietal cells by non-human-infecting Helicobacter species: a factor in colonization of gastric mucosa? Vargas M, Lee A, Fox JG, Cave DR. Helicobacter pylori has been shown to produce a protein that inhibits acid secretion from parietal cells . We have examined other non-human-infecting Helicobacter species for this property by measuring the uptake of {14C}aminopyrine into rabbit parietal cells as an indirect assessment of acid secretion . Helicobacter felis and an isolate from a rhesus monkey were shown to inhibit acid secretion . Isolates of Helicobacter mustelae gave variable responses . Whole bacteria and cell-free sonicates impaired the uptake of {14C}aminopyrine . We also tested other bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Campylobacter jejuni . As whole organisms, these control bacteria had little effect on acid secretion, but sonicates caused pronounced inhibition that was partially heat labile . Pronase treatment of H . pylori destroyed its inhibitory effect . These results suggest that most Helicobacter species, but not all isolates, are able to inhibit acid secretion from rabbit parietal cells . This property may be a factor in the establishment of long-term infection by these species. Indian J Pathol Microbiol, 1991 Oct, 34(4), 247 - 52 Prevalence of Campylobacter pylori in non-ulcerative dyspepsia; Ahmed N et al.; Endoscopic biopsies were taken from the gastric antral mucosa, in 150 cases of non-ulcerative dyspepsia at the Gastroscopic Clinic, Dist . Hospital, Belgaum . Spiral or curved bacilli, were demonstrated in specimens from 99 patients . The histologic demonstration of the organism by Warthin Starry stain (66%) was superior to Haematoxylin and Eosin (47.33%), Urease test (42%) and Gram's stain (35.33%) . There was a strong association between C pyloridis in the gastric mucosa and histologically defined gastritis (95.55%). Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1991 Oct, (10), 5 - 8 {The adhesive properties of bacteria of intestinal origin}; Gorskaia EM et al.; Differences between strains of nonpathogenic Escherichia and lactobacilli, as well as some pathogenic bacteria of enteric origin (Escherichia, Shigella, Campylobacter), in their capacity to adhesion to rat enteric and colonic cells have been shown in vitro . The strains under study have been found to possess more pronounced adhesiveness with respect to colonic cells, which is indicative of their higher receptive capacity in comparison with enteric cells . In the absence of normal microflora lactobacilli and Escherichia exhibit increased adhesiveness with respect to enteric cells . Escherichia enterotoxigenic strains, Yersinia enterocolitica and Salmonella typhimurium virulent strains, Campylobacter jejuni clinical isolates possess more pronounced capacity for adhesion to enteric cells of Peyer's plaques than to other types of epithelial cells, which may be of importance in the pathogenesis of these infections. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1991 Oct, (10), 47 - 50 {An immunoenzyme test system for the detection of antibodies to Campylobacter}; Kuz'mina TI et al.; An enzyme immunoassay system for the detection of antibodies to bacteria of the genus Campylobacter in human blood serum has been developed . The system is based on the use of ethanol-treated C . jejuni and C . coli whole cells as antigen . The study of sera obtained from healthy donors in this assay has made it possible to establish the value of the tentative diagnostic titer: 320. Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1991 Oct, 65(10), 1325 - 30 {In vitro antimicrobial activity of rokitamycin, a macrolide antibacterial agent, against clinically isolated strains of Campylobacter and other enteritis-causing bacteria}; Horiuchi S et al.; We determined the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of rokitamycin (TMS-19-Q, RKM), a macrolide antimicrobial agent, against strains of various bacterial species isolated from enteritis patients, and compared them with those of josamycin (JM), erythromycin (EM) and ofloxacin (OFLX) . MIC90 of RKM against 147 strains of Campylobacter jejuni, and each 25 strains of Shigella spp., Salmonella spp . and diarrheagenic Escherichia coli were 1.56, 200, 800 and 200 micrograms/ml, respectively . There was only one RKM resistant (MIC greater than 100 micrograms/ml) C . jejuni strain, while most of the strains of the other species were resistant to RKM . MIC values of the other drugs were all similar to those of RKM . MIC90 of OFLX against 147 strains of C . jejuni was 0.78 micrograms/ml, lower than other drugs. Avian Dis, 1991 Oct-Dec, 35(4), 750 - 5 Phagocytosis and intracellular killing of Campylobacter jejuni by elicited chicken peritoneal macrophages; Myszewski MA et al.; In vitro phagocytosis and intracellular survival of Campylobacter jejuni (strains B540 and Clin 1) in chicken peritoneal macrophages were studied . Macrophages were induced with Sephadex G-50 and harvested 48 hr later by peritoneal lavage . The extent of phagocytosis over time was determined by enumerating the intracellular C . jejuni after removal of extracellular C . jejuni with gentamicin . Pre-incubation of C . jejuni with antiserum generally enabled the macrophages to ingest greater numbers of cells than when the organism was pre-incubated in phosphate-buffered saline . C . jejuni were exposed to macrophage uptake for 30 minutes in a 5% CO2 incubator at 42 C . This suspension was then exposed to 12.5 micrograms gentamicin/ml to eliminate extracellular bacteria . Subsequently, the intracellular survival of C . jejuni was examined by monitoring its number within the macrophage at 30 minutes, 3 hr, and 6 hr after phagocytosis . Macrophages from C . jejuni-colonized chickens and from uncolonized control chickens were able to almost destroy the organism within the experimental period. Can J Microbiol, 1991 Oct, 37(10), 785 - 90 Survival and injury of Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni, and Yersinia enterocolitica in stream water; Terzieva SI et al.; Experiments were done to describe the survival and injury of three strains each of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Campylobacter jejuni in agricultural surface water . Bacterial suspensions within membrane diffusion chambers were immersed in two large vessels of stream water that were held at 6 and 16 degrees C and changed daily . The results of daily plate counts, using selective and nonselective media, revealed some variation among strains and genera . Injury increased rapidly in all of the bacteria examined during an initial 4-day period of population stability . Bacterial persistence was generally prolonged at 6 degrees C, while the occurrence of injury was directly related to temperature . However, both survival and injury in C . jejuni were less dependent on temperature, while Y . enterocolitica displayed the greatest survival at both 6 and 16 degrees C . These results suggest that surface water in the temperate zone might serve as a persistent vehicle for the transmission of these enteropathogenic bacteria between animals and humans. J Gen Microbiol, 1991 Oct, 137 ( Pt 10), 2477 - 82 Recovery of viable but non-culturable Campylobacter jejuni; Jones DM et al.; Suspensions of Campylobacter jejuni became non-culturable after storage in sterilized pond water at 4 degrees C for periods between 18 and 28 d, depending on the strain . Suspensions of four strains of C . jejuni that had been in water for 6 weeks, and shown to be non-culturable, were fed to suckling mice . Colonization of mice was established with two of the strains and failed with the other two strains . Examination of these suspensions under the electron microscope showed some cocci having the appearance of being viable, but most cocci and all remaining spiral forms showed extensive degeneration . The results indicate that non-culturable coccal forms of C . jejuni are capable of infecting mice but that this property may differ between strains. Am J Vet Res, 1991 Oct, 52(10), 1699 - 705 Mass screening of cattle sera against 14 infectious disease agents, using an ELISA system for monitoring health in livestock; Behymer DE et al.; Mass screening ELISA methods were developed for testing cattle serum for antibodies against 14 common livestock diseases simultaneously . The absorbance values were transformed to a %ELISA (spectrophotometric antibody end point) by a computer interfaced with a microplate reader . A histogram indicating a cutoff point and a report for the veterinarian also was generated . The computer program produced a print-out of the antibody profile for each animal tested, the antibody concentration against each disease, and a histogram (antibody profile) showing the prevalence of each disease in the herd . Serum samples were obtained from 1,953 cattle, including 880 dairy cattle from 10 herds and 1,073 beef cattle from 20 herds . These samples were obtained from June 1988 through June 1989 . The highest antibody prevalence was against bluetongue virus . Of the 1,953 cattle tested, 1,223 (63%) were seropositive for bluetongue virus, including 502 (57%) of the dairy cattle and 721 (67%) beef cattle . Other antibody prevalences, in descending order, were: rotavirus (44%), Pasteurella spp (25%), Leptospira spp and Haemophilus spp (22%), Mycoplasma spp (18%), parainfluenza virus (17%), Campylobacter spp (16%), Anaplasma marginale (15%), bovine leukosis virus (13%), Brucella spp (8%), Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (8%), bovine viral diarrhea virus (3%), and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (3%) . Major differences in antibody prevalence between dairy and beef cattle were that only 4% of the dairy cattle were seropositive for A marginale, compared with 25% of the beef cattle, and conversely, 29% of the dairy cattle were seropositive for bovine leukosis virus, compared with 1% of the beef cattle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Oct, 35(10), 2065 - 9 Emergence of fluoroquinolone resistance in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in subjects from Finland; Rautelin H et al.; The in vitro susceptibilities of 102 human campylobacter strains isolated between 1978 and 1980 and 100 strains isolated in 1990 to ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, erythromycin, gentamicin, and doxycycline were examined . The biotypes and heat-stable serotypes of the strains as well as antimicrobial treatments and travel history of the campylobacter-positive patients were also studied . The results indicated that susceptibility to erythromycin, gentamicin, and doxycycline has remained the same during the past 10 years . No gentamicin-resistant strains were found . Resistance to erythromycin was 3% in both groups of strains . However, the number of norfloxacin-resistant strains increased from 4 to 11% in the follow-up period, and ciprofloxacin-resistant strains, which had not occurred 10 years ago, composed 9% of the strains isolated in 1990 . Thus, the increase of fluoroquinolone resistance in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli has been significant in Finland in the past 10 years. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Oct, 35(10), 1989 - 96 Characterization of erythromycin resistance in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli; Yan W et al.; The mechanism of resistance to erythromycin, the drug of choice in the treatment of campylobacter gastroenteritis, was investigated . Erythromycin resistance (MICs, greater than 1,024 micrograms/ml) in three clinical isolates of Campylobacter jejuni and one C . coli isolate was determined to be constitutive and chromosomally mediated . In vivo protein synthesis in erythromycin-susceptible C . jejuni and C . coli strains was completely inhibited by low levels of erythromycin (5 micrograms/ml), whereas a high concentration of the antibiotic (100 micrograms/ml) had no effect on protein synthesis in erythromycin-resistant strains . Biological assays showed that extracellular degradation of erythromycin was not responsible for erythromycin resistance in strains of Campylobacter species . The rates and amounts of uptake of {14C}erythromycin by resistant and susceptible campylobacter cells were determined to be similar . Binding assays with purified campylobacter 70S ribosomes as well as 50S ribosomal subunits showed that those from erythromycin-resistant strans bound much less {14C}erythromycin than did those from susceptible strains . Genomic DNA from C . coli UA585 was used to transform erythromycin resistance to C . coli UA417 . The erythromycin resistance marker was associated with a 240-kb SmaI fragment of the C . coli UA585 genome . Our results rule out erythromycin inactivation or efflux and are not consistent with the production of an RNA methylase, although they are consistent with a mutational mechanism of resistance due to a change in a ribosomal protein gene . This study constitutes a detailed biochemical and genetic characterization of erythromycin resistance in Campylobacter species. Tierarztl Prax, 1991 Oct, 19(5), 469 - 73 {The significance of sheep and goats as carriers of zoonoses in this country}; Weber A; The significance of sheep and goats in this country in connection with the zoonoses rabies, tick-borne encephalitis, contagious ecthyma, Q-fever, chlamydiosis, brucellosis, campylobacteriosis, echinococcosis and toxoplasmosis is discussed. Nippon Koshu Eisei Zasshi, 1991 Oct, 38(10), 815 - 20 {Isolation of Yersinia, campylobacter, Plesiomonas and Aeromonas from environmental water and fresh water fishes}; Nakajima H et al.; Yersinia, Campylobacter, Plesiomonas and Aeromonas are known causative agents in waterborne diseases . For about 10 years, outbreak of diarrhea has been observed, especially among children, in the mountain areas of Okayama . Y . pseudotuberculosis recently isolated from non-chlorinated drinking water sources such as mountain streams and wells has been suspected to be the causative bacteria of the disease . Attempts were made to isolate Yersinia and Campylobacter from water samples from rivers in rural areas and Plesiomonas and Aeromonas from samples of well water and fresh water fishes in Okayama prefecture from 1987 to 1990 . The isolation rate of Yersinia from river water samples was 7.5% with a higher rate in the mountain areas than in the nonmountain areas . While Y . enterocolitica was isolated throughout the year, Y . pseudotuberculosis was only seen during the winter . Various serogroups including human types of Y . enterocolitica and serogroup 2B, 4A and UT of Y . pseudotuberculosis were detected . Campylobacter was isolated from 0.5% of river water samples . Plesiomonas from 1.5% of fresh water fishes, and Aeromonas was isolated from 6.9% of well water samples and 47.1% of fresh water fishes. J Clin Gastroenterol, 1991 Oct, 13(5), 537 - 40 Can isolation of Aeromonas hydrophila from human feces have any clinical significance? Qadri SM, Zafar M, Lee GC. A total of 27,480 stool specimens from 15,548 patients with gastroenteritis were analyzed for bacterial enteropathogens during a 4-year period between 1986-89 at a major referral center in Saudi Arabia . Bacterial pathogens were isolated from 1,152 patients, Salmonella being the most frequent, followed by Campylobacter, Shigella, and Aeromonas hydrophila . The latter bacterium was found in 58 patients; seven of them were associated with other enteric pathogens, but A . hydrophila was the only organism in 51 patients . All had gastrointestinal symptoms, the most common being diarrhea (92%), followed by abdominal pain (68%), fever (37%), and vomiting (27%) . Stool specimens from 1,368 control patients were negative for A . hydrophila. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Oct, 35(10), 2020 - 5 A DNA sequence upstream of the tet(O) gene is required for full expression of tetracycline resistance; Wang Y et al.; The DNA sequences upstream of the tet(O) and tet(M) open reading frames (ORFs) (ca . 300 bp) were found to share a higher degree of homology than those of the tet(O) and tet(M) ORFs themselves . A transcription initiation site for tet(O) was located by primer extension analysis . Campylobacter coli was found to use a promoter sequence different from that used by Escherichia coli . The sequence upstream of tet(O) was shown to be required in cis for high-level resistance to tetracycline. J Clin Microbiol, 1991 Oct, 29(10), 2093 - 8 Evaluation of a simplified procedure for serotyping Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli which is based on the O antigen; Mills SD et al.; A simplified procedure for serotyping Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli on the basis of thermostable antigens was developed and tested for its applicability as a routine typing method . The assay involves the sensitization of erythrocytes with an antigenic extract and performance of a slide agglutination assay with specific antisera . In order to simplify the typing system to a greater extent, the standard typing antisera were pooled into nine groups for C . jejuni and four groups for C . coli . The five antiserum samples allocated to each pool were selected so that pairs or groups of cross-reacting antisera were included in the same pool . When this system was tested with the serotype reference strains, it was found that, in most cases, a strain reacted in only one pool . The specific serotype of that strain could then be further defined by typing in each of the antisera belonging to that pool . To evaluate the specificity of the simplified method, 246 clinical isolates of C . jejuni and 57 clinical isolates of C . coli were typed at the same time by the standard passive hemagglutination assay and by the rapid slide agglutination system . Although both schemes effectively differentiated isolates and results from both schemes were generally very similar, differences were noted for a few isolates . On the basis of these findings, the simplified procedure may be recommended as an alternative means for serotyping these species for epidemiological purposes. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1991 Oct, 10(10), 813 - 20 Spectrum of activity of azithromycin; Williams JD; In recent years, a number of newer macrolides have been developed . One such antibiotic is azithromycin, which has a 15-membered ring structure and is classed as an azalide . The limitations of erythromycin and the discovery of pathogenic bacteria such as Campylobacter, Legionella and Chlamydia species provide incentives to study the usefulness of newer antibiotics of this class . Azithromycin has good activity against staphylococci, streptococci, Moraxella catarrhalis and other rapidly growing pyogenic bacteria . The good activity of azithromycin against Haemophilus influenzae (MIC90 0.5 mg/l) is particularly important as erythromycin has only marginal activity against this organism . Azithromycin has also been shown to be more potent than the macrolides against Enterobacteriaceae . In common with erythromycin and tetracycline, the agent has good activity against Legionella, Chlamydia and Campylobacter . Opportunistic infections involving Toxoplasma gondii and Pneumocystis carinii are an increasing problem and azithromycin is particularly interesting in view of its activity against these difficult-to-treat organisms. Muscle Nerve, 1991 Oct, 14(10), 1013 - 20 In vivo effects of sera from Guillain-Barré subgroups: an electrophysiological and histological study on rat nerves; Oomes PG et al.; Serum from 20 patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), 10 healthy controls and 10 patients with recent cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, or Campylobacter jejuni/coli infections was injected into rat sciatic nerve . The 20 GBS patients consisted of 2 groups of 10 patients with different electrophysiological and clinical disease patterns . The main aim of the study was to investigate possible differences in humoral (auto)-immunity between these subgroups . We found no statistically significant differences in electrophysiological or histological parameters between nerves injected with sera from the 2 GBS groups . The sera of the GBS groups caused significantly more compound muscle action potential reduction at 3 to 5 days postinjection than the healthy control sera . No significant difference in nerve conduction was found between nerves injected with GBS serum and serum of patients with proven infections without GBS . Histological analysis of the same nerves that were studied electrophysiologically showed no significant differences in demyelination or other histological parameters between patients and controls at 5 days postinjection . Based on the findings in this study that sera of GBS groups with important differences in disease pattern and sera of patients with proven infection but without GBS show similar in vivo effects on rat nerves, we suggest it may be more likely that these effects are caused by aspecific serum factors associated with immune-system activation, especially by precedent infections, than by specific disease-related factors such as anti-myelin antibodies. Neurology, 1991 Oct, 41(10), 1561 - 3 HLA-B35 and acute axonal polyneuropathy following Campylobacter infection; Yuki N et al.; We performed HLA typing for class I antigens on five Japanese patients with acute polyneuropathy following Campylobacter infection, all of whom showed axonopathy causing pure motor dysfunction associated with IgG anti-GM1 antibodies . We demonstrated a statistically significant association between the disease and the HLA-B35 antigen. Med Clin (Barc), 1991 Sep 7, 97(7), 262 - 4 {Bacteremia from Campylobacter fetus . Increasing interest and incidence}; Pedro-Botet Montoya ML et al.; Three bacteremias of Campylobacter fetus were described . One was a male patient and two were females . Underlying illnesses were present in all of them (Hodgkin disease, AIDS and hepatic cirrhosis respectively) . They were all admitted because of fever and no other symptoms of infectious focus were present . Physical findings were not relevant . The blood cultures became positive in days 6, 7 and 9 respectively . Antibiotic treatments were not standardised, so no conclusions can be drawn . The evolution was correct except for the patient infected by the human immunodeficiency virus who carried out a recurrent course . The authors comment on the increasing interest of this pathogen causing extraintestinal infection. J Biol Chem, 1991 Sep 5, 266(25), 16363 - 9 Identification, purification, and characterization of major antigenic proteins of Campylobacter jejuni; Pei ZH et al.; Evidence from developing countries and volunteer studies indicates that immunity to Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli may be acquired, but the antigenic basis for this protection is poorly defined . We have purified to homogeneity four proteins with molecular weights of 28,000 (PEB1), 29,000 (PEB2), 30,000 (PEB3), and 31,000 (PEB4) from epidemic C . jejuni strain 81-176 using acid extraction and sequential ion-exchange, hydrophobic interaction, and gel filtration chromatography . The relative amino acid compositions of these four proteins are similar . NH2-terminal sequence analysis indicates that all four proteins are different, although the first 35 amino acids of PEB2 and PEB3 are 51.4% homologous . Isoelectric focusing showed that all four are basic proteins with pI of 8.5 for PEB1 protein and greater than 9.3 for the others . Use of the purified proteins as antigens in an IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) found that seroconversion to the PEB1 or PEB3 proteins occurred in 15 of 19 patients with sporadic C . jejuni or C . coli infection . In comparison, only two, six, and 14 of these patients seroconverted to PEB2, PEB4, or the acid extract antigen . In an ELISA with whole bacterial cells as antigens, antiserum to the acid-extracted antigens showed broad recognition of C . jejuni, C . coli, C . fetus, C . lari, and Helicobacter pylori . Antiserum to PEB1 recognized all 35 C . jejuni and all 15 C . coli strains but none of the isolates of the other three bacterial species . The PEB1 and PEB3 proteins appear to be candidate antigens for both a Campylobacter vaccine and for serological assays for the pathogen. Mil Med, 1991 Sep, 156(9), 484 - 7 The etiology of diarrhea among American adults living in Peru; Pazzaglia G et al.; During 1984-1989, 655 diarrheic and 287 nondiarrheic stool specimens from adult U.S . citizens living in Lima, Peru were tested for presence of bacterial enteropathogens . Frequencies of isolation among diarrheic specimens were: Shigella 9.8%; Campylobacter 6.1%; enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) 6.0%; Plesiomonas 2.0%; Salmonella 1.4%; and Vibrio 0.6% . Isolates recovered from non-diarrheic stools were: Shigella 4.5%; Campylobacter 2.1%; Salmonella 1.0%; ETEC 0.7%; Plesiomonas 0.7%; and Vibrio 0.3% . Aeromonas, an unproven cause of diarrhea, was isolated from 9.2% of cases and 3.5% of controls . Disease occurrence was strongly associated with isolation of Shigella, ETEC, Campylobacter, or Aeromonas (p less than or equal to 0.01) . During the 6-year period of study, shifts in the dominant phenotypes of Shigella and Campylobacter occurred which may have important implications for vaccine development and intervention strategies. J Pathol, 1991 Sep, 165(1), 69 - 73 Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsy specimens . Comparison of culture, modified giemsa stain, and immunohistochemistry . A retrospective study; Loffeld RJ et al.; Antral biopsy specimens of 302 different endoscopic investigations of 200 patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia were studied for the presence of Helicobacter pylori in order to determine the most sensitive detection method . Part of the biopsy was cultured, and part stained using a modification of the Giemsa stain, and with an immunoperoxidase technique using a polyclonal rabbit anti-H . pylori antiserum . Cross-reactivity of this antiserum with other Campylobacter species was minimal . Material from 244 investigations was studied using all three detection methods . Culture was positive in 44 per cent, Giemsa in 78 per cent, and immunoperoxidase in 89 per cent of these biopsy specimens . Only five positive Giemsa stains with negative immunoperoxidase stain were found, whereas in 32 cases a negative Giemsa stain with a positive immunoperoxidase stain was seen . In the latter cases, the bacterial load was very low . The specimens revealed bacteria only sporadically, always confined to the deep layers of the gastric pits . Culture results correlated significantly with the bacterial load observed in the Giemsa stain . It is concluded that culture of H . pylori is the least sensitive detection method, whereas immunoperoxidase staining is the most sensitive . For daily practice the modified Giemsa stain, however, appears to be sufficient to diagnose the presence of the micro-organism. Infect Dis Clin North Am, 1991 Sep, 5(3), 681 - 701 Enteric infections associated with exposure to animals or animal products; Fang G et al.; The epidemiology and clinical presentation of enteric infections are discussed in this article . These include bacterial, viral, and parasitic illnesses, and are associated with the increasing popularity of drinking unpasteurized milk; eating raw fish and shellfish; consuming undercooked pork, poultry, and eggs; and having contact with pets . Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, Vibrio, Yersinia, Aeromonas, Edwardsiella, hepatitis A virus, Norwalk virus, Anisakis, Eustrongylides, Diphyllobothrium, Nanophyetus, Isospora, and Cryptosporidium are included . The importance of preventing these increasingly recognized enteric infections is emphasized. Am J Vet Res, 1991 Sep, 52(9), 1518 - 22 Comparative study of colonizing and noncolonizing Campylobacter jejuni; Meinersmann RJ et al.; Campylobacter jejuni A74/O and A74/C are congenic strains . An oral dose of 10(5) organisms of strain A74/C colonizes chicken intestines . Strain A74/O, from which A74/C is derived, does not colonize the chicken intestines with an oral dose of 10(5) organisms . In this study, the congenic bacteria were compared to identify possible colonization mechanisms . Differences were not observed in plasmid content or by HindIII, Pst I, Acc I, HincII, Ava I, Ava II, Xba I, and BamHI restriction enzyme digestion of total DNA . Transmission electron microscopy of negatively stained samples revealed no differences between the strains . Sections of cecal tissue from nonfed day-of-hatch chicks were cultured with each strain for 2 hours and then examined by light and electron microscopy . Both strains caused necrosis of villus epithelial cells . Immunofluorescent or silver staining revealed strain A74/C located deep in numerous epithelial crypts, but strain A74/O only was present in one sample mixed with sloughed necrotic cells . Similarly, organisms were detected by transmission electron microscopy deep in crypts in tissues cultured with A74/C, but not A74/O . Cells of A74/C detected in crypts did not appear to associate with epithelial cells . The strains did not differ in chemotactic behavior to mucin or fucose. J Med Microbiol, 1991 Sep, 35(3), 162 - 7 Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli associated with infant diarrhoea in Galicia, north-western Spain; Blanco J et al.; To assess the role of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in infantile diarrhoea, 482 children with diarrhoea and 103 healthy controls, from three localities of Galicia, north-western Spain, were investigated between 1985 and 1988 . Rotavirus (37.3%) and Salmonella spp . (12.8%) were the most common causal agents, followed by ETEC (3.9%), Campylobacter jejuni (2.3%), Shigella spp . (0.9%) and Yersinia enterocolitica (0.5%) . ETEC were significantly more frequently isolated from children with diarrhoea who were under 1 month of age (26.5%) than from older diarrhoeic children (2.2%) (p less than 0.001) or from healthy children who were under 1 month of age (0%) (p less than 0.05) . Among children who harboured ETEC, five of the nine children under 1 month of age developed diarrhoea in hospital, whereas none of the 10 children over 1 month of age did so . Seventeen ETEC isolates produced heat-stable enterotoxin (STa) only, four produced only heat-labile enterotoxin (LT), and two produced both toxins . Colonisation factor antigens CFA/I and CFA/II were detected in 11 (55.0%) of the 20 ETEC isolates that remained enterotoxigenic after maintenance in the laboratory . Most ETEC isolates belonged to serotypes O153:K-:H45 (nine STa+ CFA/I+ isolates), O27:K-:H7 (three STa+ isolates) or O6:K15:H16 (two LT+ STa+ CFA/II+ isolates) . Our results suggest that ETEC constitute an important cause of neonatal diarrhoea in this part of Spain. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1991 Sep, 10(9), 735 - 41 Causative role of Yersinia and other enteric pathogens in the appendicular syndrome; Van Noyen R et al.; In 2,861 consecutive patients undergoing appendicectomy for clinically suspected appendicitis an enteric pathogen was isolated from the appendix in almost 7% using an optimal combination of culture media . The pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica serotypes 03 and 09 predominated (3.6%), followed by Campylobacter and nontyphoid Salmonella . The same pathogen was isolated from the stool in 72.5% of patients with a culture-positive appendix and in 84.1% of those positive for a pathogenic Yersinia . Conversely, no pathogenic Yersinia were isolated in 326 gynaecologic control patients, in whom a normal appendix was removed . No frank appendicitis but mesenteric adenitis and/or terminal ileitis were found in 62.3% of 138 patients with a culture positive appendix, and in 74.6% of those positive for a pathogenic Yersinia . Histologic findings available in 135 patients showed acute suppurative appendicitis in only six (4.5%) patients, and in only one of 73 (1.4%) positive for a pathogenic Yersinia . In contrast, 46.8% of a group of 345 culture-negative appendices showed acute inflammation . A positive stool culture in a patient with suspected appendicitis, if consistent with sonographic and clinical findings, should be taken as strong evidence against the presence of true appendicitis. Acta Gastroenterol Belg, 1991 Sep-Dec, 54(5-6), 368 - 74 {The role of serology in the diagnosis of Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori infection}; Fannes F et al.; The purpose of the communication is to review the different aspects of the Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori infection . The first part of the communication is devoted to the description of the different gastric pathologies induced by the Helicobacter pylori infection and to the different methods used for the detection of this infection . Today a consensus assesses a causal role to Helicobacter pylori in the development of chronic active gastritis (or type B gastritis), in the pathogenesis of duodenal ulcer, and a major contributing factor in the development of peptic ulcer disease . The possible role played by this bacterium in the development of non-ulcer dyspepsia is still unclear . H . pylori infections can be detected using different methods including invasive methods--requiring an endoscopy (e.g.: culture of the micro-organism, urease test, microscopy) and non-invasive methods (e.g.: breath test, serology) . Each of these methods has advantages but also some disadvantages, and none shows an absolute sensitivity and specificity . The second part of the presentation analyses the results obtained with a serologic method using a specific fractioned and purified antigenic complex extracted from Helicobacter pylori . This report demonstrates a good correlation with the other detection methods . Serology appears also as a useful tool for the therapeutical monitoring of infected patients . Serological results must however be interpreted in the light of the complete clinical examination of the patient. J Diarrhoeal Dis Res, 1991 Sep, 9(3), 244 - 9 Childhood diarrhoea in a low-income urban community in Bangkok: incidence, clinical features, and child caretaker's behaviours; Punyaratabandhu P et al.; A one-year surveillance study of childhood diarrhoea in a low-income urban community in Bangkok revealed an annual incidence of 2.2 episodes per child among infants, and that the overall annual incidence among children under five years of age was 0.9 per child . Rotavirus, Salmonella and Campylobacter jejuni were common aetiologic agents . In children less than one year, diarrhoea was caused mostly by rotavirus and Salmonella . In 1-2 year old children, the major causative agent was rotavirus while E . coli, Campylobacter jejuni and Shigella were subsequent aetiologic agents . In grown up children (aged 2-5 years), the more common diarrhoeal pathogens were Shigella and E . coli . The clinical characteristics of diarrhoeal illness due to different pathogens were shown . The sources of drugs and the usage of available facilities in treating diarrhoea are also described . Caretakers treated childhood diarrhoea with ORS (53%), antibiotics (10%), and a combination of these in 15% of cases . These findings imply that the available facilities in this community can be better utilised to obtain more effective control of diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 1991 Sep-Oct, 85(5), 667 - 9 Diarrhoeal disease in children less than one year of age at a children's hospital in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China; Ming ZF et al.; We performed a case-control study of diarrhoea to determine its causes in children less than 1 year old in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China, in April to September 1989 . Stools were cultured for Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter and vibrios by standard techniques; rotavirus (RV) was identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; and specific deoxyribonucleic acid probes were used to identify Escherichia coli containing genes coding for Shiga-like toxin I and II, enteropathogenic E . coli adherence factor, and enteroinvasive E . coli (EIEC) . E . coli isolates were tested for heat-labile toxin (LT) and heat-stable toxin (ST) production and mannose-resistant adherence to HeLa cells . Rotavirus was identified in 13 of 174 children with diarrhoea (cases) and in 2% of 174 age-matched children without diarrhoea (controls), P less than 0.001 . C . jejuni was identified in 10% of cases and 2% of controls, P = 0.003 . Giardia lamblia was identified in 4 cases, LT and ST enterotoxigenic E . coli (ETEC) in 2, and S . flexneri in 1 case; they were not found in controls . ETEC that produced LT only was isolated from 5 cases and 3 controls, P = 0.721; E . coli that adhered to HeLa cells in a diffuse pattern was isolated from 30 cases and 40 controls, P = 0.229; and E . coli that adhered in an aggregative pattern was isolated from 20 cases and 18 controls, P = 0.863 . EIEC was not isolated from cases or controls . Nine cases (5%) developed persistent diarrhoea (greater than 14 d duration) . C . jejuni and aggregative E . coli were isolated from different children with persistent diarrhoea.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Zentralbl Veterinarmed B, 1991 Sep, 38(7), 523 - 8 The barren camel with endometritis--isolation of Trichomonas fetus and different bacteria; Wernery U; This study constitutes the first reported isolation of Trichomonas fetus from the uterus of breeding camels . Twenty-four of 68 camels, which were barren for 1-4 years were found to be positive for T . fetus . One preputial washing of