Streptococci

Can J Microbiol, 1986 Apr, 32(4), 310 - 8
Phosphoproteins and the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system of Streptococcus salivarius . Detection of two different ATP-dependent phosphorylations of the phosphocarrier protein HPr; Waygood EB et al.; Phosphoproteins which arise from incubation of Streptococcus salivarius ATCC25975 crude extracts with {32P}phosphoenolpyruvate and {gamma-32P}ATP, were separated and detected by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography . These procedures were carried out using the methodology that has been developed to allow for the detection of phosphoproteins containing 1-P-histidinyl and 3-P-histidinyl residues, and also to distinguish between these and phosphoproteins containing acid-stable phosphoamino acids such as phosphoserine, phosphothreonine, and phosphotyrosine . Extracts of cells which had been grown with various sugars as carbon sources were investigated to determine both constitutive and inducible phosphoproteins . No evidence was found for phosphoproteins specifically induced by a sugar, and in particular no evidence was found for any IIIsugar phosphocarrier protein of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) . Incubation with {gamma-32P}ATP showed that histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein (HPr) of the PTS could be phosphorylated to give both acid-stable and acid-labile phosphoamino acid residues . The acid-labile ATP-dependent phosphorylation activity was activated by glucose-6-P and appeared to produce a 3-P-histidinyl residue in HPr.

Arch Dis Child, 1986 Apr, 61(4), 377 - 81
Carriage of penicillin resistant pneumococci; Klugman KP et al.; A survey of 303 urban and 156 rural children showed nasopharyngeal carriage of relatively resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae organisms in 14.2% and 19.2% of children, respectively . These organisms have minimum inhibitory concentrations for penicillin in the range of 0.12-1 microgram/ml . An analysis of 40 relatively resistant S . pneumoniae strains showed resistance to co-trimoxazole in 47.5%, trimethoprim in 42.5%, fusidic acid in 20%, tetracycline in 2.5%, and rifampicin in 5% . All the strains were susceptible to chloramphenicol and vancomycin, while the minimum inhibitory concentrations of third generation cephalosporins and imipenem were comparable with or lower than those of penicillin . Eighty three per cent of the strains tested belonged to serogroups 6 and 19 . These findings are discussed in relation to the poor clinical response to treatment with penicillin for relatively resistant S . pneumoniae meningitis, and the minimum inhibitory concentrations of alternate agents under review for treatment of systemic pneumococcal disease are presented.

Ophthalmology, 1986 Apr, 93(4), 456 - 61
Epidemiology of neonatal conjunctivitis; Rapoza PA et al.; Chlamydial conjunctivitis was diagnosed in 46 of 100 infants less than two months old presenting with conjunctivitis . Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Hemophilus species were most frequently identified in the remainder . All infants with chlamydial conjunctivitis were black and were born by vaginal delivery (P less than 0.001) . Average age at presentation was 13 days for chlamydial and 21 days for other causes of bacterial conjunctivitis (P less than 0.001) with symptoms present an average of five to six days prior to presentation . There was no statistically significant difference in sex, birthweight, APGAR scores, bilaterality, fever, or prophylactic drops administered . Mothers of infants with chlamydial conjunctivitis averaged 19.5 years old versus 23.0 for the bacterial group (P less than 0.001) . There was no statistically significant difference in past obstetrical or sexually transmitted disease history . Persistent chlamydial conjunctivitis following a two-week course of oral erythromycin as recommended by Centers for Disease Control was documented in 19% of patients with chlamydial infection.

J Clin Microbiol, 1986 Apr, 23(4), 718 - 24
Comparative evaluation of four systems for determining susceptibility of gram-positive organisms; Henry D et al.; A study was undertaken to compare four commercial systems for testing the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of gram-positive cocci . The reference method was an agar dilution method . The systems evaluated were the MS-2 system (Abbott Diagnostics Div., Mississauga, Ontario), the AutoMicrobic system (AMS) (Vitek Systems, Inc., Hazelwood, Mo.) with the gram-positive susceptibility (GPS) card, the Sceptor system (BBL Microbiology Systems, distributed by Becton Dickenson, Canada Inc., Mississauga, Ontario), and the Micro-Media system (Beckman Instruments, Inc., Anaheim, Calif.) . There was a greater than 98% essential accord (EA) between all test results and the reference method results when testing 134 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus . In testing 79 isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci the EA was greater than 97% with all systems except the MS-2 . In the MS-2 system only, 30% of tests were interrupted by the instrument because of insufficient growth in the control chamber . Excluding the Sceptor system, the EA was greater than 96% on testing 70 isolates of enterococcus . In testing 15 isolates of group B Streptococcus there was 91% EA with the AMS and Sceptor systems and only 71 and 88% EA with the MS-2 and Micro-Media systems, respectively . The new AMS GPS MIC card was tested against 29 methicillin-resistant S . aureus, 10 coagulase-negative staphylococci, and 9 enterococci, and it gave more accurate results than the earlier GPS breakpoint card . The Micro-Media and MS-2 systems did not reliably detect marginally methicillin-resistant S . aureus . The MS-2 was the least expensive system to operate on a cost per test basis ($3.59 Can.), whereas the Sceptor was the most expensive system ($5.29 Can.) . The AMS ws the least labor intensive (0.9 min per test), and the Sceptor system was the most time consuming (2.9 min per test).

Vet Microbiol, 1986 Apr, 11(4), 387 - 92
Bacteriostatic activity of bovine milk lactoferrin against mastitic bacteria; Rainard P; The bacteriostatic activity of bovine lactoferrin (Lf) against mastitic bacteria was assessed with an in vitro microassay . The most susceptible species was Escherichia coli; all of the 35 isolates tested were susceptible to bacteriostasis by apo-Lf (0.1 mg ml-1), although a few strains showed a lower degree of inhibition . Heterogeneity among strains was more pronounced among 10 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, four of which were apparently unaffected by apo-Lf (1 mg ml-1) . Under the same conditions, Streptococcus agalactiae (six isolates) and Str . uberis (five isolates) resisted the bacteriostatic action of apo-Lf.

J Rheumatol, 1986 Apr, 13(2), 434 - 6
Pectoralis pyomyositis: an unusual cause of chest wall pain in a patient with diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis; Caldwell DS et al.; We describe a case of isolated pectoralis swelling and tenderness, without systemic signs of infection, in a North American adult with diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis . The etiology was discovered to be pyomyositis, usually thought to be a disease of tropical climates . It is the first such case with group B Streptococcus as the causative organism.

J Appl Bacteriol, 1986 Apr, 60(4), 301 - 10
A laboratory microcosm (artificial mouth) for the culture and continuous pH measurement of oral bacteria on surfaces; Hudson DE et al.; A laboratory microcosm has been designed for the cultivation of bacteria on surfaces subjected to an adjustable supply of fluids . Bacteria are grown as a microbial film on halved premolar teeth, mounted back to back . Synthetic saliva is dropped slowly over the teeth throughout experiments . A nutrient supplement is provided at regular intervals . The drops of fluid retained by the teeth can be sampled for metabolic end-products . Alternatively, a miniature glass electrode may be set into one half of a tooth assembly to monitor the pH continuously at the stagnation site between tooth segments . Up to six replicate culture flasks and six electrodes can be accommodated in a single experiment . Satisfactory electrode performance was maintained during 66 h experiments . In initial 48 h experiments, teeth were inoculated with Streptococcus rattus BHT or 'Streptococcus mitior' LPA-1 in pure culture and provided with 1% (w/v) glucose for 1 h every 6 h . Bacteria produced typical responses to glucose feeds leading to the formation of 'Stephan'-like curves of pH-fall . Under these conditions, 'Strep . mitior' was more acidogenic than Strep . rattus and the pattern of acid production was distinct for each organism.

Mol Cell Biochem, 1986 Apr, 70(1), 57 - 66
Isolation and partial characterization of a type II Fc receptor from a group A streptococcus; Yarnall M et al.; A group A streptococcal strain rich in Fc receptors was selected by an immunoblotting technique and used as the source for isolation of a functionally active Fc receptor . A variety of extraction techniques were compared including (1) heat extraction at neutral, acid or alkaline pH, (2) treatment with the enzymes mutanolysin, hyaluronidase, trypsin, papain or phage lysin, or (3) autoclaving or heating in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate . The most homogeneous receptor was recovered following heat extraction and contained two molecular weight forms . The major form had a molecular weight of 56 000 daltons and the minor form had a molecular weight of 38 000 daltons . These two proteins could be isolated without loss of activity by binding to and elution from a column of immobilized human IgG . An antibody prepared against a single form of the affinity purified receptor demonstrated reactivity with both molecular weight forms of the heat extracted receptor . The group A receptor was found to be both antigenically and physicochemically distinct from either the type I receptor found on the majority of Staphylococcus aureus strains or the type III Fc receptors found on the majority of group C streptococcal strains.

Am Rev Respir Dis, 1986 Apr, 133(4), 643 - 7
Ascorbate modulates antibacterial mechanisms in experimental pneumococcal pneumonia; Esposito AL; To evaluate the influence of vitamin C on pulmonary antibacterial mechanisms, normal CD-1 mice were administered sodium ascorbate (200 mg/kg/24 h) and challenged intratracheally with type 3 Streptococcus pneumoniae . Survival rates were similar in ascorbate-treated and control animals . When infected with a high inoculum (1 X 10(6) cfu), animals given vitamin C demonstrated a significant enhancement in their capacity to clear viable pneumococci from the lungs at 24 h after challenge; the augmented pulmonary clearance was associated with an increased influx of granulocytes at 6 and 24 h . After infection with a lower inoculum (1 X 10(5) cfu), animals treated with the vitamin exhibited a significant advantage in pulmonary clearance and granulocyte recruitment but at 6 h only . After a very low inoculum challenge (1 X 10(4) cfu), the clearance of viable pneumococci was retarded in ascorbate-treated mice . In vitro, the pneumococcidal capacity of resident alveolar macrophages from animals given vitamin C was significantly reduced, but the ability of these cells to generate leukocyte chemoattractant activity after stimulation with the calcium ionophore A23187 remained unaltered . We conclude that in the mouse, large doses of vitamin C alter pulmonary defense mechanisms against S . pneumoniae; however, these changes do not appear to convey a substantial advantage to the host.

Infect Immun, 1986 Apr, 52(1), 144 - 50
Nucleotide sequence of the type A streptococcal exotoxin (erythrogenic toxin) gene from Streptococcus pyogenes bacteriophage T12; Weeks CR et al.; The gene specifying type A streptococcal exotoxin (speA), also known as erythrogenic toxin, was cloned from the Streptococcus pyogenes bacteriophage T12 genome and analyzed by nucleotide sequencing . The speA gene consists of 753 base pairs and codes for a 29,244-molecular-weight protein . The speA gene product contains a putative 30-amino acid signal peptide, resulting in a molecular weight of 25,787 for the secreted protein . A possible promoter and ribosome-binding site are present in the region upstream from the speA gene, and a transcriptional terminator is located 69 bases downstream from the translational termination codon . The amino acid sequence of the carboxy-terminal portion of the type A streptococcal exotoxin exhibits extensive homology with the carboxy terminus of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins B and C1.

Clin Pediatr (Phila), 1986 Apr, 25(4), 222 - 4
Infective endocarditis following cardiac catheterization in infancy . A case report and review; Yu LC et al.; A 4.5-month-old infant with transposition of great vessels and large ventricular septal defect developed acute infective endocarditis following cardiac catheterization . Beta-hemolytic streptococcus was recovered from three blood cultures . The infant survived after 6 weeks intravenous antibiotic therapy . The occurrence of infective endocarditis following cardiac catheterization during infancy is briefly reviewed and discussed . The importance of distinguishing febrile episodes of infancy from infective endocarditis and the use of two-dimensional echocardiography for diagnosis is re-emphasized.

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 1986 Apr, 112(4), 448 - 9
Acute uvulitis associated with epiglottitis; Westerman EL et al.; Acute infectious uvulitis is a rare condition . A case caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae occurred in a 56-year-old woman who also had coexisting epiglottitis . One other case of uvulitis reported in the literature has also been associated with acute epiglottitis . Because of potentially lethal complications, epiglottitis should be suspected in any patient who presents with acute painful swelling of the uvula.

Scand J Dent Res, 1986 Apr, 94(2), 164 - 73
An experimental study of the adhesion of bacterial layers to some restorative dental materials; Tullberg A; In the present study a powerful method for measuring adhesion is introduced . It is based on the observation that the bacterial layer is usually capable of maintaining an interior pressure, but fractures when this pressure exceeds a certain critical value characteristic of the mechanical and adhesive properties of each specific bacteria and its formed matrix . A water jet from a nozzle was directed on the bacterial layer of the specimen . A specimen covered with a layer of Streptococcus mutans, grown in an artificial mouth, was placed on a sledge and displaced twice, at constant speed in front of the jet, thus forming two grooves in the plaque layer . When the grooves are made in parallel utilizing different water pressures, the critical pressure for causing disengagement of the plaque, pc, can be evaluated . It is claimed that pc gives an estimate of the plaque adhesion . Polished and ground surfaces of four materials were investigated, namely amalgam, PMMA, gold and porcelain-coated gold.

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol, 1986 Apr, 61(4), 338 - 42
New concept in chemoprophylaxis of bacterial endocarditis resulting from dental treatment; Littner MM et al.; Bacteremia following dental procedures may lead to bacterial endocarditis in susceptible patients . Traditional methods of chemoprophylaxis with a parenteral loading dose of penicillin followed by oral penicillin have proved impractical outside the hospital . In 1978, it was suggested in England that amoxicillin be substituted as the drug of choice in the prophylaxis of bacterial endocarditis . The recommended mode of treatment was a single oral dose of 3 g amoxicillin administered 1 hour before onset of the dental procedure . Amoxicillin is absorbed to a greater extent and more rapidly than penicillin V . It maintains its effectiveness throughout the critical postoperative period at concentrations well over the minimum necessary to combat Streptococcus viridans . Amoxicillin has two mechanisms of protection: bactericidal and inhibition of bacterial adherence to the thrombotic vegetation on injured heart valves . Data obtained from 206 susceptible patients undergoing dental treatment under chemoprophylaxis with amoxicillin showed that in no case did infective endocarditis occur . Only in 13.1% of the patients could very mild side effects of this drug be observed . With this new method, there is a higher incidence of patient compliance and administration is easier to supervise.

Microb Pathog, 1986 Apr, 1(2), 191 - 204
Isolation of a C (Ibc) protein from group B Streptococcus which elicits mouse protective antibody; Valtonen MV et al.; The C (Ibc) proteins of group B Streptococcus (GBS) have been shown to induce mouse protective antibodies when present as immunogens on whole organisms . However, characterization of specific proteins responsible for inducing protection has not been reported . We have grown type Ic GBS in a dialysate of Todd Hewitt broth and analyzed the proteins extruded into the broth . Multiple proteins of varying size were visualized by SDS-PAGE . Ultrafiltration was used to separate the GBS components by molecular weight (MW) into 2 pools, those below 30,000 MW but above 10,000 MW (P10) and those above 30,000 MW (P30) . The P10 contained 4 major proteins, including a 14,000 MW protein . Balb-c mice were immunized with the P10 fraction and the antisera used in mouse protection studies . This immune sera protected 100% of mice against challenge with type Ib GBS and protection was not altered by prior absorption of the sera with type Ia or Ib capsular polysaccharide . The P10 was fractionated by column chromatography and eluted proteins examined by SDS-PAGE and Western blot with the mouse protective antisera elicited to the P10 . There was one major immunologically reactive protein at 14,000 MW which eluted in a partially purified form from the column . The 14,000 MW protein was reisolated from preparative SDS-PAGE gels and used to elicit antiserum in a rabbit . In mouse protection studies this rabbit antiserum protected mice against subsequent challenge with type Ib GBS (89% protection) . Surface antigens were extracted from 125I-labelled type Ic GBS and immunoprecipitated with antiserum to the 14,000 MW protein . The 14,000 MW protein and multiple higher molecular weight proteins were immunologically cross-reactive suggesting the presence of shared epitopes . Thus the 14,000 MW protein from type Ic GBS that is antigenic and elicits mouse protective antibodies against the heterologous type Ib GBS fulfills the criteria for a C protein of GBS.

J Virol, 1986 Apr, 58(1), 31 - 5
Formation of a covalent complex between the terminal protein of pneumococcal bacteriophage Cp-1 and 5'-dAMP; Garcia P et al.; Incubation of extracts of Cp-1-infected Streptococcus pneumoniae with {alpha-32P}dATP produced a labeled treatment with micrococcal nuclease and sensitive to treatment with proteinase K . Incubation of the 32P-labeled protein with 5 M piperidine for 4 h at 50 degrees C released 5'-dAMP, indicating that a covalent complex between the terminal protein and 5'-dAMP was formed in vitro . When the four deoxynucleoside triphosphates were included in the reaction mixture, a labeled complex of slower electrophoretic mobility in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels than the terminal protein-dAMP complex was also found, indicating that the Cp-1 terminal protein-dAMP complex can be elongated and, therefore, that it is an initiation complex . Treatment of the 32P-labeled terminal protein-dAMP complex with 5.8 M HCl at 110 degrees C for 2 h yielded phosphothreonine . These results, together with the resistance of the terminal protein-DNA linkage to hydroxylamine, suggest that the Cp-1 terminal protein is covalently linked to the DNA through a phosphoester bond between L-threonine and 5'-dAMP, namely, a O-5'-deoxyadenylyl-L-threonine bond.

Gan To Kagaku Ryoho, 1986 Apr, 13(4 Pt 2), 1635 - 41
{Intra-tumoral injection therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma}; Watanabe S et al.; Ten patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) received intra-tumoral injection of OK-432 (6 patients), 99.5% ethanol (2 patients) or both (2 patients) . Under ultrasonographic control, a PTC needle (22 G) was inserted percutaneously into the tumor and OK-432, which was prepared with a solution of Su-strain Streptococcus pyogenes A3, or 99.5% ethanol was injected . Patients were injected with OK-432 repeatedly at one-to two-week intervals (up to 5 times) for a total duration of 5 to 15 weeks . The degree of skin test reaction for Streptococcus pyogenes was increased in all patients after the treatment . Over 40% tumor regression was noted in 6 out of 9 patients who received intra-tumoral injection of OK-432 . Complete regression was noted in one patient . Before treatment, Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell activity in peripheral blood lymphocytes decreased in HCC patients . Two of 6 patients showed markedly increased activity of LAK-cells one week after treatment with OK-432 . One other patient had moderately increased LAK-cell activity after treatment with OK-432 . No increase in LAK-cell activity was seen in 3 patients who received intra-tumoral injection of ethanol . An especially increased response of LAK-cell activity was seen in patients with small-sized HCC (diameter below 5 cm).

Infect Immun, 1986 Apr, 52(1), 50 - 5
Transposon mutagenesis as a tool to study the role of hemolysin in the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes; Gaillard JL et al.; The role of hemolysin in the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes was studied by using transposon mutagenesis . The 26-kilobase conjugative transposon Tn1545, originally found in Streptococcus pneumoniae, was transferred to a hemolytic virulent strain of L . monocytogenes . The frequency of transfer was estimated to be about 10(-8) per recipient . This allowed us to isolate a nonhemolytic mutant which most likely harbors a single copy of Tn1545 . Loss of hemolysin production was associated with loss of virulence . The 50% lethal dose of the mutant was assessed to about 10(9.6) bacteria per mouse after intravenous challenge . Nonhemolytic bacteria were unable to grow in host tissues and were rapidly eliminated from the spleen and liver of infected mice . Virulence was restored in hemolysin-producing revertant obtained by spontaneous loss of transposon Tn1545 . These results strongly suggest that hemolysin is a major virulence factor implicated in the intracellular growth of L . monocytogenes.

Mol Immunol, 1986 Apr, 23(4), 367 - 75
Monoclonal antibodies against isotypic and isoallotypic determinants of human IgA1 and IgA2: fine specificities and binding properties; Delacroix DL et al.; We have analysed and compared the fine specificity and behavior in various immunoassays of 10 mouse monoclonal antibodies, from three independent laboratories, directed against IgA1, IgA2 or non-IgA2m(2) . The following observations were made . (1) Although all of the monoclonal antibodies were specific for a particular IgA subclass or isoallotype in a radioimmunoassay, three of them were not specific when tested in indirect immunofluorescence on plasma cells derived from pokeweed-activated peripheral blood lymphocytes . In this highly sensitive system, contrary to direct immunofluorescence previously performed using formalin-fixed lymphoid tissue, the anti-IgA1 69.114 reacted with some of the IgA2 plasma cells, the anti-IgA2 DLDB7 reacted with some of the IgA1 plasma cells and the anti-IgA2 16.512 dimly reacted with all IgM plasma cells . (2) Among the eight anti-IgA subclass antibodies, seven were directed against the CH2 domain of IgA whereas the anti-IgA1 1-155-1 recognised an epitope destroyed by Streptococcus sanguis IgA1 protease and localised in the hinge region of IgA1 . The two anti-isoallotype antibodies were directed against epitope(s) probably localised in the 65 C-terminal amino acid residues of the alpha-CH3 domain . All of the 10 antibodies were able to react with endogeneously produced surface IgA on B-cells . (3) Using monoclonal anti-IgA subclass antibodies in radioimmunoassay may be hazardous in the absence of knowledge of their affinity constants and of careful control experiments: some of the antibodies were not sensitive in radioimmunoassays designed to measure the serum titer of specific IgA1 and IgA2 antibodies . Moreover, major differences were observed between the different monoclonal reagents with respect to the influence of the size of IgA on a solid-phase sandwich radioimmunoassay . While three of the anti-IgA1 underestimated dimeric IgA relative to monomeric IgA, the fourth anti-IgA1 and all the anti-IgA2 overestimated dimeric IgA relative to monomeric IgA, by a factor sometimes close to 7.

Klin Wochenschr, 1986 Mar 17, 64(6), 287 - 9
Is "primary" subphrenic abscess caused by Streptococcus milleri a result of unrecognized gastrointestinal perforation?
Admon D, Gottehrer N, Leitersdorf E.
An unusual case of subphrenic abscess presenting as empyema of the pleural cavity is described . The abscess developed secondarily to an occult perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, which was, diagnosed indirectly by the discovery of a fishbone within the abscess . Isolation of Streptococcus milleri from the pus was an important clue for the existence of an underlying gastrointestinal pathology.

J Clin Pathol, 1986 Mar, 39(3), 328 - 31
Serotyping of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains by coagglutination; Smart LE; The coagglutination test, which uses staphylococcal protein A, for serotyping strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, was extended to include serotyping within serogroups . Serotyping was performed with "factor sera" prepared in the laboratory . Fifty one strains of S pneumoniae, which belonged to one of the seven serogroups included in the 14 valent vaccine formulation, were tested, and no inconsistency was found when compared with the capsule swelling reaction.

Pediatr Infect Dis, 1986 Mar-Apr, 5(2), 201 - 7
Clinical and epidemiologic studies of pneumococcal infection in children; Gray BM et al.; Streptococcus pneumoniae was isolated from 1310 children in a 5-year period from 1979 through 1984 . There were 44 cases of meningitis, 172 bacteremic infections, 787 cases of otitis media and 307 respiratory and miscellaneous isolates . The majority of infections could be accounted for by a small number of serotypes, with types 3, 6, 14, 19 and 23 predominating . Most infections (70%) occurred in infants younger than 2 years of age . However, nearly one-fourth of those suffering systemic illness had some underlying condition which may have contributed to their risk for infection, even beyond 2 years of age . Ten of the 12 deaths occurred in patients with altered host defenses . Characteristics of pneumococcal disease and the distribution of serotypes are discussed in relation to the work of other investigators over the past 50 years.

J Infect Dis, 1986 Mar, 153(3), 511 - 9
Human IgG antibody to group b Streptococcus type III: comparison of protective levels in a murine model with levels in infected human neonates; Gotoff SP et al.; We determined the serum concentration of human IgG antibody to the native capsular polysaccharide of group B Streptococcus (GBS) type III needed to passively protect mice against lethal homologous challenge . Antibody was measured by an ELISA, standardized by two methods, and corrected for nonprecipitating antibody . A concentration of 1.3 micrograms of IgG antibody to GBS type III/ml protected 126 (97%) of 130 mice from an 80%-96% lethal dose bacterial challenge . Concentrations of IgG antibody to GBS type III in sera from 42 infected infants were less than or equal to 0.3 micrograms/ml . Concentrations of antibody ranged from less than 0.02 to 21.7 micrograms/ml in sera from 102 unselected pregnant women (median, 0.05 microgram/ml); 13% had concentrations greater than or equal to 1.3 microgram/ml . Levels in 25 women colonized with GBS type III who gave birth to normal infants were significantly higher and ranged from 0.1 to 10.7 microgram/ml (median, 0.78 micrograms/ml) . In a study of transplacental passage of antibody, protective levels were found in a number of infants with gestational ages between 28 and 36 weeks.

J Bacteriol, 1986 Mar, 165(3), 756 - 62
Structural properties of fibrillar proteins isolated from the cell surface and cytoplasm of Streptococcus salivarius (K+) cells and nonadhesive mutants; Weerkamp AH et al.; Most Streptococcus salivarius (K+) cells contain two protein antigens with different adhesive functions . The subcellular distribution and some structural properties of purified proteins were studied . Antigen B (AgB), a protein involved in interbacterial coaggregation with gram-negative bacteria, was present in the cell wall fraction only of the wild-type strain and was absent from the cells of a nonadhesive mutant . Antigen C (AgC), a glycoprotein involved in host-associated adhesive functions, was predominantly associated with the cell wall of the wild-type strain (AgCw), but accumulated in high amounts in the cytoplasmic fraction (AgCin) of mutants lacking the wall-associated form . AgB, AgCw, and AgCin had molecular weights of 380,000, 250,000 to 320,000, and 488,000, respectively, upon gel electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions . In the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and beta-mercaptoethanol the molecular weights were only slightly lower, suggesting that the free, isolated molecules exist as monomers under native conditions . AgCin readily stained with periodate-Schiff reagent, indicating a significant content of carbohydrate, similar to AgCw . Circular dichroism spectra showed that about 45% of the amino acids of AgCw were involved in alpha-helical coiled structures . AgB had a significantly lower proportion of ordered coiled structure . Electron microscopic observations of low-angle-shadowed preparations of purified antigens showed that they were flexible, thin rods with thickened or globular ends . Measurements corrected for shadow thickness showed lengths of 184 nm (AgB), 112 nm (AgCin), and 87 nm (AgCw) . Treatment of AgCw with protease destroyed the fibrillar core, but seemed not to affect the globular ends . Comparison of the results with the localization of the antigens in wild-type and specific mutant strains suggested that each antigen molecule may represent a single, characteristic surface fibril with a specific adhesive capacity.

J Bacteriol, 1986 Mar, 165(3), 689 - 95
Localization of competence-induced proteins in Streptococcus pneumoniae; Vijayakumar MN et al.; Intracellular locations of 11 proteins associated with the development of competence in Streptococcus pneumoniae were examined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of subcellular fractions prepared from protoplasts . Controls showed that the competence-induced proteins were stable during the formation of protoplasts at 25 degrees C even though some had a half-life of only 8 min at 37 degrees C . Five competence-induced proteins p38, p27, p19.5, p16, and p14.5, were found in the cytoplasm . Two, p52 and p41, were associated with the membrane, and one, p10, was extracellular . Three others, p50, p36, and p29, were recovered in both cytoplasmic and membrane fractions . No competence-induced protein was detected in the periplasmic fraction except under conditions where leakage of all components was occurring, a phenomenon that was seen in many preparations . Similar fractionation of competent cells soon after uptake of {3H}DNA showed the "eclipse complex" of single-stranded DNA and p19.5 was associated approximately one-third with membranes and two-thirds with cytoplasmic fractions, with almost none in the periplasm . This result suggests strongly that at the time the donor DNA entered the cytosol it was in single-stranded form and it had not yet paired with the recipient DNA.

Obstet Gynecol, 1986 Mar, 67(3 Suppl), 10S - 12S
Legionnaire disease complicating pregnancy; Soper DE et al.; Although pneumonia complicating pregnancy remains an unusual occurrence, it can have serious consequences for both the mother and fetus . Although Streptococcus pneumoniae remains the most common bacterial pathogen, recent epidemics have emphasized the importance of considering Legionella pneumophila as the etiologic agent . Presented is the first case of Legionnaires disease to be diagnosed during pregnancy.

Pediatrie, 1986 Mar, 41(2), 109 - 13
{Amniotic fluid and neonatal infection}; Aujard Y; Bacterial contamination of amniotic fluid (AF) leads to a fetal contamination and, in less than 10% of cases, to an infection . A rupture of the membranes longer than 24 hours increases the frequency of bacterial contamination/infection of the fetus . However an AF contamination, due to a pathogen bacteria found in the vaginal flora, is possible trough intact membranes . Quantitative bacteriological studies of AF allows to predict an high risk of fetal infection . Antibacterial substances are found in AF, specially a zinc protein complex which has bacteriostatic activity against E . Coli and Streptococcus B in, respective, 68% and 36% of caucasian women . Heavy contamination, virulence of the pathogen and neonatal immunity are, with AF antibacterial factors, the parameters explaining why an AF contamination can lead to fetal/neonatal infection.

Jpn J Antibiot, 1986 Mar, 39(3), 783 - 806
{Clinical and bacteriological studies of Streptococcus pneumoniae . Yearly changes in isolation frequencies from clinical specimens, serotype distributions and drug susceptibilities, especially those of beta-lactam-resistant strains}; Oguri T; Although chemotherapeutics have markedly reduced the mortalities of infectious diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, it has recently been recognized that S . pneumoniae is still clinically significant for the infants, highly-aged and high-risk patients . This work was planned to examine the isolation frequency of S . pneumoniae from clinical specimens and its drug-susceptibilities, especially to beta-lactam antibiotics . The strains were obtained from in- and out-patients in Main and Branch Hospitals of Juntendo University from 1961 to 1985 . Drug-susceptibility tests were carried out against 39 different drugs including 10 penicillins, 16 cephalosporins, 3 tetracyclines, 3 macrolides, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, vancomycin, 3 pyridone carboxylic acids and sulfamethoxazoletrimethoprim using agar dilution method . The sero-typing of the isolates was made by the Quellung technique using Diagnostic Pneumococcal Anti-Sera (Statens Seruminstitut, Copenhagen) . The following results were obtained: S . pneumoniae was isolated mostly from sputum and throat swabs, but rarely from the blood and cerebrospinal fluid . S . pneumoniae was also isolated from the pus and discharges of ears, sinuses and eyes . The isolation frequency of S . pneumoniae was higher in Branch Hospital where subjects were mostly out-patients than in the Main Hospital . Frequent sero-types of S . pneumoniae were groups 23, 6, 19, and type 3, regardless of clinical specimens and years . Against tetracycline and chloramphenicol, approximately 40 to 70% of the strains were resistant, while against maclorides, resistant strains were few . Resistant strains were still fewer against beta-lactam antibiotics . Tetracycline- and chloramphenicol-resistant strains are recently decreasing, while macrolides- and beta-lactam-resistant strains are somewhat increasing . Nine beta-lactam-resistant strains of S . pneumoniae were isolated from sputum and throat swabs, with benzylpenicillin-MICs ranging from 0.39 to 3.13 micrograms/ml . Three (2 of 23F and 1 of 23A) out of the 9 strains were resistant to beta-lactams, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, erythromycin and lincomycin . Four strains (3 of 23F and 1 of group 23) were resistant to beta-lactams, tetracycline, erythromycin and lincomycin . One strain (type 45) was resistant to beta-lactams, tetracycline and chloramphenicol . One strain (23A) was resistant to beta-lactams only . Those 9 beta-lactam-resistant strains were isolated mostly from children . Most of the patients had been given beta-lactam antibiotics before those resistant strains were isolated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

J Gen Microbiol, 1986 Mar, 132 ( Pt 3), 625 - 31
In Streptococcus faecium penicillin-binding protein 5 alone is sufficient for growth at sub-maximal but not at maximal rate; Canepari P et al.; In Streptococcus faecium inhibition by both benzylpenicillin and cefotaxime of cells growing at maximal and at reduced rates was associated with saturation of different penicillin-binding proteins . Cells growing at reduced rates were not inhibited by benzylpenicillin concentrations that saturated all penicillin-binding proteins except penicillin-binding protein 5, but did stop growing when this protein was saturated.

Br Poult Sci, 1986 Mar, 27(1), 3 - 10
Gordon memorial lecture . The biologists' debt to the domestic fowl; Coates ME; Although it is highly desirable to reduce the need for experiments with animals, in vitro methods cannot entirely supplant them . Observations made in simple systems must be checked in a live subject if they are to be relevant to man or other higher animals . Young growing chicks are very susceptible to vitamin deficiencies . Biological assays in chicks have been used to check the validity of chemical and microbiological methods of measuring vitamins in foods . Experiments with chicks and chick embryos deprived of vitamin B12 have served to predict the likely clinical effects of analogues of the vitamin . The discovery of the growth-promoting properties of dietary antibiotics stimulated research into the influence of the gut microflora on its host . Studies in germ-free and gnotobiotic chicks have implicated Streptococcus faecium as one of the organisms responsible for the growth depression reversed by antibiotics . In general the growth of conventional chicks given adequate diets is slightly less good than that of their germ-free counterparts, although small beneficial effects of the microflora have been observed in special circumstances . The most important function of the indigenous microflora appears to be as a barrier against invasion by pathogens . To sustain this protective barrier may incur a small cost to the host in terms of dietary energy and other nutrients.

Res Vet Sci, 1986 Mar, 40(2), 183 - 8
Changes in immunoglobulin levels in whey during experimental Streptococcus agalactiae mastitis; Mackie DP et al.; Total protein and immunoglobulin levels in the wheys of eight first lactation heifers, four vaccinated and four unvaccinated, were measured during three consecutive experimental intramammary infections with Streptococcus agalactiae . There were no significant differences between infections 1, 2 and 3 in the protein or immunoglobulin content of the uninfected quarters . Peak whey total protein of the infected quarters came earlier with each infection, until by the third they were seen after eight hours . During this acute phase a reversal of the normal milk IgG1/IgG2 ratio in all infected quarters was measured . Increases in whey IgA and IgM in the infected quarters of the vaccinates were also noted . A similar response only occurred following the third infection of the unvaccinated animals . All whey immunoglobulin levels returned to normal by 48 hours after infection, after which only IgG1 levels increased in infected quarters.

J Pediatr Orthop, 1986 Mar-Apr, 6(2), 232 - 5
Peracute streptococcal pyomyositis: report of two cases and review of the literature; Moore DL et al.; Pyomyositis occurs infrequently in temperate climates . The fulminating peracute form caused by group A Streptococcus is exceedingly rare . We present two children with streptococcal pyomyositis . One child was admitted in septic shock and required intensive supportive care during the acute stage of his illness . Persistent swelling and tenderness of his left thigh presented a diagnostic problem, which was eventually resolved with the aid of computerized tomography . Despite appropriate antibiotic therapy from the onset of illness, surgical debridement of the affected muscle was necessary . The second child presented with pyomyositis of the left paravertebral muscles and signs of incipient shock but did well on antibiotic therapy alone.

Surg Gynecol Obstet, 1986 Mar, 162(3), 204 - 8
Randomized, comparative trial of imipenem/cilastatin and moxalactam in the treatment of serious obstetric and gynecologic infections; Berkeley AS et al.; Thirty-four patients with pelvic inflammatory disease, postoperative, postabortal and postpartum infections were randomized to intravenous therapy with either 500 milligrams of imipenem and cilastatin sodium every six hours or 2 grams of moxalactam every eight hours for a minimum of four days . One patient in the moxalactam group was nonevaluable because of protocol noncompliance; three more patients had no bacteriologic pathogen isolated (two in the moxalactam group and one patient in the imipenem/cilastatin group) . The two groups were similar with respect to age, diagnosis, etiologic agents and duration of therapy . Of the 17 evaluable patients in the imipenem/cilastatin group, all were complete clinical cures . Three patients in the imipenem/cilastatin group had persistence of at least one bacteriologic pathogen despite clinical cure and apparent laboratory evidence of susceptibility . Of the 13 evaluable patients in the moxalactam group, eight were complete clinical cures . Two more patients in that group were clinically improved enough to be discharged on oral antibiotics . There were three clinical failures in the moxalactam group, all of whom had group D streptococcus resistant to moxalactam . An additional three patients in the moxalactam group had other resistant organisms isolated despite clinical cure . Both drugs were well tolerated and no serious complications or side effects occurred in either group . Despite small numbers, our data suggest that imipenem and cilastatin is a more appropriate agent for initial treatment of obstetric and gynecologic infections than moxalactam.

J Exp Med, 1986 Mar 1, 163(3), 697 - 712
Purification and partial characterization of the nephritis strain-associated protein from Streptococcus pyogenes, group A; Johnston KH et al.; We report the isolation and purification of the nephritis strain-associated protein (NSAP) first described by Villareal et al . (8) . Amino acid analysis, and determination of the first 21 amino-terminal amino acids indicated that this 46 kD protein is a streptokinase . Biochemical analysis confirmed that NSAP could act as a plasminogen activator; immunological investigations indicated that NSAP is antigenically different from streptokinase from group C streptococcus, and possibly represents a unique streptokinase . It is this uniqueness that may contribute to the role of NSAP in the pathogenesis of acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis.

J Bacteriol, 1986 Mar, 165(3), 682 - 8
Inhibition of beta-lactam antibiotics at two different times in the cell cycle of Streptococcus faecium ATCC 9790; Pucci MJ et al.; Treatment of Streptococcus faecium ATCC 9790 with sublytic concentrations of beta-lactam antibiotics revealed two different division blocks in the cell division cycle . One block, induced by N-formimidoyl thienamycin and methicillin, occurred before the completion of chromosome replication, whereas the other, induced by cefoxitin and cephalothin, took place later in the cycle . In addition, these antibiotics gave rise to distinct morphological forms; the antibiotics acting at the earlier block point produced mainly "dumbbells," whereas those affecting the later time formed "lemons." When used in combination N-formimidoyl thienamycin and cefoxitin exerted synergistic killing on this strain . These data suggest that beta-lactam antibiotics have at least two sites of action in S . faecium.

J Infect, 1986 Mar, 12(2), 175 - 8
The isolation of Streptococcus pneumoniae from bile; Blenkharn JI et al.; Streptococcus pneumoniae was isolated from the bile of two previously healthy adults presenting with extrahepatic obstructive jaundice . The organism was recovered on two occasions from both patients over periods of at least 10 days indicating established biliary colonisation and at the time of surgery pneumococci were present at multiple sites throughout the biliary tract . In one patient, pneumococcal cellulitis necessitating treatment with benzyl penicillin arose post-operatively at the exit site of an external biliary drainage tube . Both strains of pneumococci exhibited typical colonial and microscopical morphology . They were susceptible to optochin and demonstrated typical solubility in normal human and ox bile as well as in solutions of sodium deoxycholate and sodium taurocholate.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 1986 Mar, 51(3), 566 - 71
Electron microscopic heteroduplex study and restriction endonuclease cleavage analysis of the DNA genomes of three lactic streptococcal bacteriophages; Jarvis AW et al.; Three lactic streptococcal bacteriophages were compared with one another by electron microscopic analysis of heteroduplex DNA molecules . The phages were almost identical in morphology and had been isolated over a period of 10 years on different strains of Streptococcus cremoris from cheese plants situated in different parts of New Zealand . There was a high degree of homology between the DNAs, in agreement with Southern blot hybridization data reported earlier . There were, however, distinct regions of nonhomology, mostly between 0.45 and 1.71 kilobases in length, suggestive of the occurrence of block recombination events . A deletion of 2.23 kilobases in the two more recently isolated phages, or an insertion in the first isolate, was found . All three phage DNAs showed differences in restriction endonuclease cleavage sites . Alignment of the restriction endonuclease maps with the heteroduplex maps showed that differences in cleavage sites occurred most frequently in regions of nonhomology . However, differences in cleavage sites in regions of apparent homology were also detected, indicating that point mutations may have occurred in addition to block recombination events.

Z Naturforsch {C}, 1986 Mar, 41(3), 337 - 42
Some remarks about laser-induced mass spectrometry of bacteria; Albrecht J et al.; In order to investigate the availability of laser-induced mass spectrometry for the determination of bacteria, ten strains of the genera Escherichia and Streptococcus were chosen . Gram-negative as well as Gram-positive lysogenic and non-lysogenic, pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains were examined . Giant pulses of a Nd: YAG laser (frequency quadrupled, wave-length 265 nm) were used to vaporize and partly ionize the bacterial material . The time-of-flight mass spectra obtained could be discriminated by using the stepwise discriminant analysis provided by BMDP software package . Two different methods relating centrifugation and washing procedures were used . With the first method a correct classification between 50.0 and 90.9 per cent (S . sanguis) by means of mass spectra of positive ions and a correct classification between 27.1 and 80.4 per cent (S . lactis-25) by means of mass spectra of negative ions was observed . Using the second method a correct classification between 40.7 and 93.3 per cent (S . lactis-25) by means of mass spectra of positive ions and a correct classification between 56.7 and 95.0 per cent by means of mass spectra of negative ions was obtained . Here S . sanguis with 93.3 and S . lactis-25 with 81.7 per cent were significantly differentiated . In this context it must be emphasized that a correct classification of 27 per cent must be considered statistically significant, if 10 different strains are used.

Carbohydr Res, 1986 Mar 1, 147(1), 135 - 44
Difference in mode of inhibition between alpha-D-xylosyl beta-D-fructoside and alpha-isomaltosyl beta-D-fructoside in synthesis of glucan by Streptococcus mutans D-glucosyltransferase; Nisizawa T et al.; Both alpha-isomaltosyl beta-D-fructoside and alpha-D-xylosyl beta-D-fructoside show strong inhibition of the synthesis of water-insoluble and water-soluble D-glucans from sucrose by a partially purified preparation of a D-glucosyltransferase (GTase) from Streptococcus mutans 6715; however, the inhibitory modes differ substantially . In the presence of alpha-isomaltosyl beta-D-fructoside, the production of reducing sugars and the consumption of sucrose are remarkably enhanced, compared with a control of sucrose alone . Under these conditions, a large proportion of low-molecular-weight glycan (lmwg) and a series of nonreducing oligosaccharides (both containing D-fructosyl groups or residues) are produced . In contrast, in the presence of alpha-D-xylosyl beta-D-fructoside, the production of reducing sugars and the sucrose consumption are strikingly suppressed, and no lmwg or oligosaccharides are produced . Thus, it may be concluded that alpha-isomaltosyl beta-D-fructoside acts as an alternative acceptor for the D-glucosyl and/or D-glucanosyl transfer reactions of the enzyme, and serves to lessen the formation of insoluble and soluble D-glucan, although it stimulates the transferring activity of the enzyme . On the other hand, alpha-D-xylosyl beta-D-fructoside competitively inhibits the sucrose-splitting activity of the enzyme as an analog to sucrose, and thereby diminishes the synthesis of D-glucan.

J Dent Res, 1986 Mar, 65(3), 452 - 5
Effects of certain salts on glucosyltransferase synthesis by Streptococcus mutans strain PS-14; Takada K et al.; We investigated the effects of various salts on the synthesis of extracellular glucosyltransferase in a partially defined medium (M4) by Streptococcus mutans strain PS-14 and by certain other selected strains . The levels of glucosyltransferase produced by S . mutans strain PS-14 were found to increase to a maximum of seven-fold with increasing (NH4)2SO4 concentrations . However, at a 2% concentration of the salt, the level was stimulated 2.5-fold, and the growth was inhibited by 75% . A 1% concentration of MgSO4 or NaCl also caused an increase of glucosyltransferase of six-fold or 2.4-fold, respectively . However, for S . mutans strain B-13N, the enzyme production was not stimulated by (NH4)2SO4, MgSO4, or NaCl . Moreover, the enzyme production by serotypes c, e, and f was found to be stimulated by 1% (NH4)2SO4, whereas the enzyme production by serotypes d and g was not affected.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Mar, 83(6), 1926 - 30
Expression of Mycobacterium leprae genes from a Streptococcus mutans promoter in Escherichia coli K-12; Jacobs WR et al.; Genomic libraries of Mycobacterium leprae DNA partially digested with Pst I were constructed in the expression vector pYA626, which contains the promoter region from the Streptococcus mutans gene encoding aspartate beta-semialdehyde dehydrogenase, which is very efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli . We have detected several clones that complement a mutation in the citrate synthase gene of E . coli . Southern blot analysis demonstrated that the complementing DNA was M . leprae DNA . Sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel analysis of polypeptides produced by minicells containing the citrate synthase-complementing recombinant molecules demonstrated the production of a 46-kDa polypeptide . When the citrate synthase-complementing fragment was cloned in pYA626 in the reverse orientation, the recombinant molecule was no longer able to complement the mutation in the citrate synthase gene and no longer produced the 46-kDa polypeptide . When the DNA fragment was cloned in the Pst I site of pHC79, so as to allow expression from the beta-lactamase promoter, the resulting recombinant failed to complement the mutation in the E . coli citrate synthase gene yet still produced the 46-kDa polypeptide, but in one-fourth the amount than when expressed from the S . mutans asd promoters . This demonstrates that M . leprae translational sequences can be recognized by E . coli translational machinery . Promoter expression vectors can be used to obtain expression of protein antigens to be used for early diagnosis of leprosy or components of a vaccine and proteins that are targets of potential antileprosy drugs.

J Med Microbiol, 1986 Mar, 21(2), 101 - 4
Quantitative bacteriology of acute dento-alveolar abscesses; Lewis MA et al.; A qualitative and quantitative bacteriological study was performed on pus specimens obtained by needle aspiration of 50 acute dento-alveolar abscesses . Most samples contained a mixture of species (average 3.3); 20 (40%) of the abscesses contained anaerobes alone, 3 (6%) contained facultative anaerobes only and the remaining 27 (54%) contained mixtures of both types of bacteria, with anaerobes predominating . In total, 166 bacterial strains were isolated, 75% of which were strictly anaerobic; the most common species were Peptococcus spp, Bacteroides oralis and B . melaninogenicus . Among facultative anaerobes, Streptococcus milleri was particularly common . The mean concentration of bacteria in each abscess was 10(6.9 +/- 0.2) . The mean concentration of anaerobic bacteria was 10(6.2 +/- 0.1) and of facultatively anaerobic bacteria 10(5.7 +/- 0.2).

J Surg Res, 1986 Mar, 40(3), 198 - 201
Treatment of pneumococcal postsplenectomy sepsis in the rat with human gamma-globulin; Offenbartl K et al.; A rat model was used to evaluate the possible effect on experimental postsplenectomy sepsis of a human gamma-globulin preparation for intravenous use (Sandoglobulin) . Sixty splenectomized male Sprague-Dawley rats were given 3 X 10(3) Streptococcus pneumoniae type 1 intravenously . Twelve of the animals received no treatment and all died, in contrast to 12 sham-operated controls which all survived the challenge . The remaining splenectomized rats were divided into four groups, each consisting of 12 animals . One group was given 120 mg human gamma-globulin twice intraperitoneally (0.3 g/kg body wt), at 18 and 42 hr, after challenge; 10 of the 12 survived, in contrast to none of the 12 in the second group receiving 120 mg human albumin instead of gamma-globulin (P = 0.00003) . When the injections were delayed to 24 and 48 hr, 9/12 gamma-globulin-treated animals still survived, in contrast to 0/12 in the albumin group . These findings point to new possibilities for treatment and perhaps prevention of overwhelming postsplenectomy sepsis by administration of high doses of gamma-globulins.

J Bacteriol, 1986 Mar, 165(3), 746 - 55
Negative staining and immunoelectron microscopy of adhesion-deficient mutants of Streptococcus salivarius reveal that the adhesive protein antigens are separate classes of cell surface fibril; Weerkamp AH et al.; The subcellular distribution of the cell wall-associated protein antigens of Streptococcus salivarius HB, which are involved in specific adhesive properties of the cells, was studied . Mutants which had lost the adhesive properties and lacked the antigens at the cell surface were compared with the parent strain . Immunoelectron microscopy of cryosections of cells labeled with affinity-purified, specific antisera and colloidal gold-protein A complexes was used to locate the antigens . Antigen C (AgC), a glycoprotein involved in attachment to host surfaces, was mainly located in the fibrillar layer outside the cell wall . A smaller amount of label was also found throughout the cytoplasmic area in the form of small clusters of gold particles, which suggests a macromolecular association . Mutant HB-7, which lacks the wall-associated AgC, accumulated AgC reactivity intracellularly . Intracellular AgC was often found associated with isolated areas of increased electron density, but sometimes seemed to fill the entire interior of the cell . Antigen B (AgB), a protein responsible for interbacterial coaggregation, was also located in the fibrillar layer, although its distribution differed from that of the wall-associated AgC since AgB was found predominantly in the peripheral areas . A very small amount of label was also found in the cytoplasmic area as discrete gold particles . Mutant HB-V5, which lacks wall-associated AgB, was not labeled in the fibrillar coat, but showed the same weak intracellular label as the parent strain . Immunolabeling with serum against AgD, another wall-associated protein but of unknown function, demonstrated its presence in the fibrillar layer of strain HB . Negatively stained preparations of whole cells of wild-type S . salivarius and mutants that had lost wall-associated AgB or AgC revealed that two classes of short fibrils are carried on the cell surface at the same time . AgB and AgC are probably located on separate classes of short, protease-sensitive fibrils 91 and 72 nm in length, respectively . A third class of only very sparsely distributed short fibrils (63 nm) was observed on mutant HB-V51, which lacks both wall-associated AgB and AgC antigens . The identity of these fibrils and whether they are present on the wild type are not clear . The function of long, protease-resistant fibrils of 178 nm, which are also present on the wild-type strain, remains unknown.

Infect Immun, 1986 Mar, 51(3), 750 - 9
Adherence of Streptococcus sanguis to hydroxyapatite coated with lysozyme and lysozyme-supplemented saliva; Tellefson LM et al.; The adherence of {3H}thymidine-labeled Streptococcus sanguis strains to bare hydroxyapatite and to hydroxyapatite coated with a range of concentrations of lysozyme, poly-L-lysine, poly-L-glutamic acid, whole saliva supernatant, and combinations of some of the above was studied . Adherence of several strains of S . sanguis to bare hydroxyapatite and saliva-coated hydroxyapatite was compared . Saliva present as a pellicle on the hydroxyapatite inhibited adherence of some strains (903, M-5, 73X11) and stimulated that of others (S35, B-4, 66X49) . Strains 903 and S35 were chosen for further study . Adherence of both strains was stimulated up to fivefold by the presence of adsorbed lysozyme or poly-L-lysine on the hydroxyapatite, whereas poly-L-glutamic acid inhibited adherence (80 to 95%) . Adherence of strain S35 to hydroxyapatite coated with combinations of saliva and (i) lysozyme, (ii) poly-L-lysine, or (iii) poly-L-glutamic acid was unaffected compared with adherence to hydroxyapatite coated with saliva alone . In contrast, adherence of strain 903 to hydroxyapatite coated with combinations of saliva and either lysozyme or poly-L-lysine was inhibited up to ca . 90% compared with hydroxyapatite coated with saliva alone . Strain 903 was also unaffected by combinations of poly-L-glutamic acid and saliva on the hydroxyapatite . Adherent cells of both strains were completely (greater than 90%) eluted with high-ionic-strength buffer from either bare hydroxyapatite or hydroxyapatite coated with lysozyme alone . Adherent cells of strain S35 were only poorly eluted (25%) from hydroxyapatite coated with either saliva alone or saliva and lysozyme . Strain 903 elution from hydroxyapatite coated with either saliva alone or saliva and lysozyme was essentially complete . These observations were taken to indicate that the two test strains adhered to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite by different mechanisms . Protein-coated hydroxyapatite was shown not to be saturated under the conditions described here . Examination by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the variously supplemented salivary pellicles formed on the hydroxyapatite demonstrated that major changes in salivary protein composition did not occur when lysozyme, poly-L-lysine, or poly-L-glutamic acid was used to supplement saliva . Lysozyme-dependent aggregation of strain 903 was shown not to occur under the conditions of our experiments . We suggest that the basis for stimulation of adherence to hydroxyapatite coated only with lysozyme is an increase in the cationic surface area available for electrostatic adherence of the microorganisms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

J Immunol Methods, 1986 Feb 27, 87(1), 103 - 8
Class-specific antibodies to Streptococcus mutans in human serum, saliva and breast milk; Aldred MJ et al.; Previous techniques used for the detection and quantitation of antibodies in body fluids may be inappropriate where only small volumes are available, or may not be sensitive enough to detect low levels of specific antibodies . An indirect ELISA technique has successfully been employed to estimate class-specific antibody levels to Streptococcus mutans in serum and secretions in a group of mothers and their neonates, and an attempt has been made to relate such levels to the presence or absence of active caries in the mothers . A high maternal serum IgG antibody level appears to exert a protective effect against dental caries . Antibody levels in maternal saliva and colostrum/breast milk showed no differences between the 2 groups . The presence of active caries in mothers was associated with an elevated IgA antibody level in neonatal saliva . Although ELISA permitted the detection of low levels of antibody in the small volumes of neonatal saliva collected, a further increase in sensitivity and specificity of the assay would be advantageous.

J Immunol Methods, 1986 Feb 27, 87(1), 95 - 102
ELISA detection of human IgG subclass antibodies to Streptococcus mutans; Challacombe SJ et al.; A sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed to measure IgG subclass antibodies against whole cells of Streptococcus mutans and to a purified streptococcal antigen (SA I/II) . Bacterial cells were bound to the solid phase using methyl glyoxal and mouse monoclonal antisera against IgG and each IgG subclass were used to detect antibodies . Natural antibodies to S . mutans were predominantly of the IgG1 and IgG2 subclasses, though IgG3 and IgG4 antibodies were detectable in most subjects, and were the majority response in a few subjects . Antibodies to SA I/II were predominantly of the IgG1 subclass with virtually no activity detectable in the IgG3 and IgG4 subclasses . Inhibition studies suggested some restriction of IgG subclass responses to bacterial antigens since SA I/II and c polysaccharide could inhibit binding of all subclasses to whole cells of S . mutans equally, whereas glucosyltransferase, lipoteichoic acid and dextran showed greatest inhibition of the IgG3 and IgG4 subclasses.

J Chromatogr, 1986 Feb 26, 353, 13 - 8
High-performance liquid chromatographic methods for antibodies, glycosidases and membrane proteins; Josic D et al.; The broad range of applications of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in biochemistry and cell biology is demonstrated by the purification of antibodies, separation of glycosidases and isolation of a liver membrane protein with a molecular weight of 65 000-67 000 daltons . The advantage of HPLC over classical chromatographic methods is shown by the purification of the glycosidases from Streptococcus pneumoniae . These enzymes can be purified to a degree similar to what can be achieved by "classical" ion exchange, combined with affinity chromatography, but the time needed for the HPLC experiment is much shorter and the yield at least three to five times higher . Particular attention is directed to sample preparation before HPLC separation . For the best results, a combination of HPLC with other biochemical and immunochemical methods is necessary, as is also demonstrated.

Vet Rec, 1986 Feb 22, 118(8), 199 - 204
Incidence of clinical mastitis in a cohort of British dairy herds; Wilesmith JW et al.; A three-year survey to determine the incidence of clinical mastitis and the associated bacteria in dairy herds in England and Wales is described . Escherichia coli was the predominant organism in each year . Streptococcus uberis and Staphylococcus aureus were important for part for each year . The annual incidence of mastitis declined from 54.6 cases per 100 cows in 1980 to 41.2 in 1982 . The incidence increased with age and declined with increasing herd size . The culling rate due solely to mastitis was 3 per cent . Strep uberis was the pathogen most frequently isolated from clinical cases which occurred in the dry period . Thirty per cent of all cases recurred at least once and staphylococcal cases exhibited the highest frequency of recurrence.

Pharm Weekbl Sci, 1986 Feb 21, 8(1), 53 - 9
The quinolones in chronic bronchitis; Davies BI et al.; Results are presented from 186 hospitalized patients treated for acute purulent exacerbations of chronic bronchitis with orally administered ciprofloxacin (80 patients), enoxacin (26 patients), ofloxacin (30 patients) or pefloxacin (50 patients) . In general, good clinical results were observed in 50-70% of the patients treated, most failures being due to relapses or reinfections with Streptococcus pneumoniae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Studies on blood and sputum concentration suggested that gastro-intestinal absorption was not always satisfactory . Unwanted drug effects were noted with all agents studied, generally presenting as stomach pain, nausea, hallucinations, or dizziness . Most adverse drug reactions were seen with enoxacin, often but not always during concomitant treatment with theophylline.

Eur J Biochem, 1986 Feb 3, 154(3), 617 - 24
Functional incorporation of beef-heart cytochrome c oxidase into membranes of Streptococcus cremoris; Driessen AJ et al.; Beef heart mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase has been incorporated into membrane vesicles derived from the homofermentative lactic acid bacterium Streptococcus cremoris . Proteoliposomes containing cytochrome c oxidase were fused with the bacterial membrane vesicles by means of a freeze/thaw sonication technique . Evidence that membrane fusion has taken place is presented by the demonstration that nonexchangeable fluorescent phospholipid probes, originally present only in the bacterial membrane or only in the liposomal membrane, are diluted in the membrane after fusion and, by sucrose gradient centrifugation, indicating a buoyant density of the membranes after fusion in between those of the starting membrane preparations . The fused membranes are endowed with a relatively low ion permeability which makes it possible to generate a high proton motive force (100 mV, inside negative and alkaline) by cytochrome-c-oxidase-mediated oxidation of the electron donor system ascorbate/N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine/cytochrome c . In the fused membranes this proton motive force can drive the uptake of several amino acids via secondary transport systems . The incorporation procedure described for primary proton pumps in biological membranes opens attractive possibilities for studies of proton-motive-force-dependent processes in isolated membrane vesicles from bacterial or eukaryotic origin which lack a suitable proton-motive-force-generating system.

Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1986 Feb, (2), 3 - 8
{Kinetics of the processes of Streptococcus pneumoniae batch cultivation in relation to the physiological state of the inoculum}; Gruber IM et al.; The present investigation, carried out with the use of S . pneumoniae as a model, has shown that the kinetics of cultivation processes depend on the preparation of the seed culture . The use of the seed culture, taken at the end of the exponential phase of growth, leads to high initial and maximum specific growth rates and a shorter lag phase, high productivity of the process and the economic coefficient of the yield of the biomass . If pH and pO2 are maintained at a set level, the most operative parameter of the process is the redox potential . A new informative characteristic of the cultivation process (T) is proposed . This characteristic permits the comparison of growth processes and indicates the time in which the fluctuations of Gibbs's free energy per 1000 million cells decrease to a definite level.

J Otolaryngol, 1986 Feb, 15(1), 59 - 61
Capnocytophaga ochracea and group F beta-hemolytic streptococcus suppurative thyroiditis; Goudreau E et al.; The route of infection in acute suppurative thyroiditis is unknown in most cases; when demonstrated, pyriform sinus fistula appears to be the most frequent one . We report the clinical and laboratory findings of a child in whom culture of the thyroid pus yielded two bacteria which are part of the normal oropharyngeal flora: capnocytophaga ochracea and group F Beta-hemolytic streptococcus . The preliminary results of the culture, which showed a mixed flora, prompted us to search and to find a pyriform sinus fistula . Apart from the onset in infancy, the left lobe involvement and the frequent recurrence, the recovery from the thyroid pus of bacteria from normal oropharyngeal flora should be included in the characteristic features of thyroiditis resulting from an infection through the pyriform sinus fistula.

Am J Med Sci, 1986 Feb, 291(2), 128 - 9
Vertebral osteomyelitis caused by Streptococcus bovis; Robbins N et al.; The association of Streptococcus bovis septicemia with abnominal neoplasms has been well-documented . The case of a man who presented with vertebral osteomyelitis due to S . bovis is reported; he was subsequently found to have bacteremia and colonic polyps . It is recommended that patients who present with localized as well as generalized S . bovis infections undergo yearly colonoscopy.

Infect Immun, 1986 Feb, 51(2), 607 - 17
Conditioned medium from stimulated mononuclear leukocytes augments human neutrophil-mediated killing of a virulent Acanthamoeba sp; Ferrante A et al.; Human neutrophils in the presence of serum containing anti-amoeba antibody either lacked amoebicidal activity or were poorly amoebicidal for Acanthamoeba culbertsoni . In contrast, neutrophils preexposed for 1 h to supernatants from human peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes (MNLs) stimulated with phytohemagglutinin demonstrated significant amoeba killing in the presence of serum containing anti-acanthamoeba antibodies . Supernatant from MNL cultured in the absence of phytohemagglutinin were not effective in stimulating significant activity in the neutrophils . Serum containing antibody promoted the adherence of many neutrophils to one amoeba . There was no significant difference between the ability of neutrophils treated with supernatants from stimulated MNLs (stimulated conditioned medium {sCM}) and supernatants from nonstimulated MNLs (nonstimulated conditioned medium {nsCM}) in their binding to acanthamoeba . The effects of sCM on neutrophils was a general phenomenon . For example, the sCM but not the nsCM enhanced the antibody-dependent neutrophil-mediated cytotoxicity against three tumor targets (K562 erythroid myeloid leukemia cell line, B16 melanoma, and P815 (DBA/2 mastocytoma) . Furthermore, the sCM but not the nsCM increased the bactericidal (against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae) and fungicidal (against Torulopsis glabrata) activity of the neutrophil . The sCM but not the nsCM contained activities which inhibited neutrophil migration and stimulated a respiratory burst in these leukocytes . These results suggest that the neutrophil antimicrobial power can be increased by exposing the leukocytes to MNL mediators.

Infect Immun, 1986 Feb, 51(2), 378 - 84
Purification of lipoteichoic acid by chromatography in water-organic solvent systems; Josephson SL et al.; Lipoteichoic acid (LTA), extracted from Streptococcus mutans 10449 by hot aqueous phenol, was partially purified by Sepharose 6B column chromatography in 0.01 M sodium acetate, pH 6.0, containing 0.25 M sodium chloride and 0.001 M EDTA . Nucleic acid and polysaccharide were precipitated from the LTA-containing column peak by the addition of 2 volumes of chloroform-methanol (1:5) . The resulting single-phase chloroform-methanol-water (1:5:3) supernatant contained LTA and small amounts of several contaminating substances as indicated by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography and chemical analyses . LTA was purified further by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, using a concentration gradient of sodium chloride in chloroform-methanol-water (1:5:3) . Two column peaks of LTA were found to contain phosphate, glycerol, glucose, and fatty acids at molar ratios of 1:1:0.11:0.10 and 1:1:0.09:0.04, respectively . The LTA polymers contained 18 and 22 repeating units of unsubstituted glycerophosphate and two glucose residues . The LTA in one column peak had two fatty acids per molecule, whereas that in the second peak contained only one . The yield of LTA was 1.68 mg per g of cell dry weight or 65 mg per g of phenol-water-extracted material . The specific activity of the LTA preparation was increased 128-fold by the purification scheme as determined by a erythrocyte-binding assay . Reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography may be used for rapid separation of LTA molecules containing different numbers of acyl groups.

J Antibiot (Tokyo), 1986 Feb, 39(2), 192 - 7
PD 116,152, a novel phenazine antitumor antibiotic . Discovery, fermentation, culture characterization and biological activity; Tunac JB et al.; A novel phenazine antitumor antibiotic is described, produced by Streptomyces lomondensis subsp . galanosa NRRL 15738 . The antibiotic is selectively active versus the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (MIC less than 0.46 microgram/ml); the antitumor activity versus murine P388 leukemia is T/C 149.

Tijdschr Kindergeneeskd, 1986 Feb, 54(1), 1 - 8
Bacterial meningitis in 366 children in the Netherlands, 1982-1983 . Epidemiology and antibiotic therapy; Spanjaard L et al.; Records of 366 children 0-15 years with bacterial meningitis (April 1982-March 1983) were reviewed in the framework of a medical audit . The general epidemiological pattern and the antibiotics administered are described and the patients in general hospitals are compared with those in academic hospitals . H . influenzae has been isolated from 31% of patients, N . meningitidis from 23% and S . pneumoniae from 10% . Case-fatality ratio was 6.6% overall, but it was higher in disease due to rare pathogens like E . coli and group B-Streptococcus (up to 25%) . These rare pathogens were more common among patients in academic than in general hospitals . However, this difference was not significant, nor were differences in age distribution or case-fatality ratio between the two hospital categories . As initial therapy chloramphenicol plus a penicillin were administered to 30% of patients . On the fifth day of treatment ampicillin was the most frequently used antibiotic in general hospitals (31%), but in academic centres the above-mentioned combination (27%) and penicillin alone (24%) were most popular . It is argued that new antibiotics need to be evaluated carefully . Because this necessitates several hundreds of patients, multi-centered randomised trials should be carried out.

Mol Immunol, 1986 Feb, 23(2), 141 - 5
Characterization of the serotype e polysaccharide antigen of Streptococcus mutans; Pritchard DG et al.; The structure of the Streptococcus mutans serotype e polysaccharide was studied in order to determine the chemical basis of the immunological cross-reactions observed between it and the streptococcal group E polysaccharide . The chemical structure was established using methylation analysis, periodate oxidation, partial methanolysis and 13C NMR spectroscopy . The polysaccharide was found to consist of a polyrhamnose backbone of alternating 2- and 3-linked alpha-L-rhamnose units and sidechain beta-D-glucosyl units linked to the 2-position of rhamnose units in the backbone . This structure of the oligosaccharide repeating unit of the S . mutans serotype e polysaccharide was identical to that of the group-specific polysaccharide of group E Streptococcus . Possible explanations for the previously reported differences in these two polysaccharides are discussed.

Eur Heart J, 1986 Feb, 7(2), 171 - 5
Mitral valve aneurysm formation documented by cross-sectional echocardiography; Vandenbossche JL et al.; We report a case of mitral valve aneurysm secondary to Streptococcus viridans endocarditis of the mitral valve . Cross-sectional echocardiography demonstrated an initial thickening of the anterior mitral leaflet which evolved further into an aneurysm . Surgery showed that this lesion had subsequently perforated . This case highlights the ability of echocardiography to detect gradual anatomic changes in the course of bacterial endocarditis . The diagnosis of such abnormalities might have important therapeutical implications and might lead to a more aggressive surgical approach.

Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg {A}, 1986 Feb, 261(1), 75 - 84
{Isolation and characterization of erythrogenic toxins . VIII . Purification of a biologically active protein of the molecular weight 10,000 (LMP-10k) from filtrates of Streptococcus pyogenes, strain NY-5 . Relationship to erythrogenic toxin type A}; Gerlach D et al.; The "classical" method for purification of erythrogenic toxin type A results in two products: erythrogenic toxin type A and a low molecular weight protein, m.w . 10,000 (LMP-10k) with mitogenic activities . LMP-10k was purified from culture supernatants of S . pyogenes (group A) by CM-Sepharose CL-6B chromatography and Sephacryl S-200 and Sephadex G75 gel filtration to a high degree of purity with minimal amounts of residual erythrogenic toxin A . The isoelectric point of LMP-10k is the same as for erythrogenic toxin A: 5.2 . The immunogenic activity is low, only one of two rabbits produced anti-LMP-10k-antibodies after a prolonged course of immunization . On the other hand it is possible to induce antierythrogenic toxin A-antibodies by immunization with LMP-10k preparations contaminated with small amounts of erythrogenic toxin A . Possibly the data given by some authors for the m.w . of erythrogenic toxin type A as 8 000 D are the results of a mix-up with co-purified LMP-10k.

Am J Vet Res, 1986 Feb, 47(2), 218 - 22
Growth inhibition of environmental mastitis pathogens during physiologic transitions of the bovine mammary gland; Breau WC et al.; Ten dairy cows were infused intramammarily near drying off with concanavalin A (conA) or phytohemagglutinin (PHA) . Mammary secretions were collected during physiologic transitions of the udder and were used in an in vitro microbiological assay to determine growth inhibition of mastitis pathogens . As mammary involution progressed, in vitro growth inhibition of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus uberis increased . Mammary secretions from conA- and PHA-treated glands had significantly increased bacterial growth inhibition . Secretions contained significantly increased concentrations of lactoferrin and a decreased citrate:lactoferrin molar ratio earlier in the dry period than did control mammary secretions . Greatest bacterial growth inhibition was observed in mammary secretions obtained 7 days before parturition . However, differences in secretion composition or bacterial growth inhibition were not found between conA- or PHA-treated and control udder halves during the prepartum period . Bacterial growth inhibition by mammary secretion decreased markedly during early lactation . A highly significant positive correlation was found between bacterial growth inhibition and concentrations of lactoferrin, serum albumin, and immunoglobulin G . A highly significant negative correlation was found in the citrate:lactoferrin molar ratio during early involution and the peripartum period.

J Clin Pathol, 1986 Feb, 39(2), 223 - 6
Detection of group B streptococcal antigen in necropsy specimens using monoclonal antibody and immunoperoxidase staining; Feldman RG et al.; A murine monoclonal antibody, which recognises various serotypes of group B Streptococcus in formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissue, was used to show the organism in necropsy specimens of newborn infant lung by an indirect immunoperoxidase technique . The method seemed to be complementary to that of Gram staining, and may be successfully used to identify group B Streptococcus antigen in histopathological material.

Clin Cardiol, 1986 Feb, 9(2), 65 - 72
Extracranial mycotic aneurysms in infective endocarditis; Mansur AJ et al.; Nine of 217 (4.15%) patients with infective endocarditis who were followed from October 1978 to February 1984 had extracranial mycotic aneurysms (MA) . Age range of patients was 6-43 years (mean of 24.8 years) and 7 were male . Etiologic agents were Streptococcus viridans (3 cases), Staphylococcus aureus (2 cases), Staphylococcus epidermidis (1 case), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1 case) . Two patients had negative blood cultures . The MA involved the arteries of the limbs (5 cases), thoracic (3 cases), and abdominal (1 case) arteries . The diagnosis was made by means of physical examination (5 cases), chest roentgenogram (2 cases), ultrasound examination (1 case), and aortography (1 case), at hospital admission (2 cases), early or before antibiotic therapy (2 cases), and from two days to six months after finishing antibiotic therapy (5 cases) . All but one patient were operated upon due to MA; bleeding occurred in three cases; surgery was an emergency procedure in one case and performed from 8 to 58 days after the diagnosis of the MA in the others . Signs of infection at surgery were found in one case . In the others, further antibiotic therapy was not administered . There were no limb losses in the peripheral MA . Four patients received surgical treatment for endocarditis . There was one in-hospital death and another one 6 months later due to heart failure.

Pediatrics, 1986 Feb, 77(2), 217 - 21
Long-term outcome of group B streptococcal meningitis; Wald ER et al.; Group B Streptococcus is a common cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis . The purpose of this study was to evaluate the neurologic, psychologic, and academic status of children who had group B streptococcal meningitis and to compare these children with their siblings . Seventy-four children who acquired group B streptococcal meningitis between one day and 6 months of life formed the study population . Survivors were 3 to 18 years old at the time of their follow-up evaluations . Twenty children (27%) died, two were institutionalized, one severely affected child died at age 2 years, 15 were assessed by phone interview, and two were lost to follow-up . Thirty-four children and 21 siblings were comprehensively evaluated with physical and neurologic examinations, hearing tests, and tests of intellectual, perceptual-motor, and behavioral-adaptive functions . Of the total population, nine children (12%) had major neurologic sequelae (spastic quadraplegia, profound mental retardation, hemiparesis, deafness, or blindness) . Six children had acute hydrocephalus; two were doing well after shunt placement . In general, those children surviving group B streptococcal meningitis without major sequelae appeared to be functioning normally or comparably to their sibling in intellectual, social, and academic matters.

Community Dent Oral Epidemiol, 1986 Feb, 14(1), 57 - 9
Prevalence of dental caries and Streptococcus mutans in Meo of Northern Thailand; Reichart PA et al.; The prevalence of dental caries was studied in 505 Meo, a minority of Northern Thailand, using the DMFT index . Plaque material from all patients was examined qualitatively for S . mutans . The DMFT (dmft) index score ranged between 1.69 and 7.06 with a mean of 2.17 +/- 3.24 for men and 3.45 +/- 3.72 for women . There was a statistical difference in caries prevalence between males and females (P less than 0.05) . There was no statistical correlation between miang chewing and caries prevalence . Fluoride concentration of water samples was between 0.043 and 0.077 ppm F- . Of 505 plaque samples, 13.3% were positive for S . mutans, mostly of biotype I . Compared to other Northern Thai hill tribes and the Thai rural population, the Meo appear to have a higher dental caries prevalence rate.

J Dent Res, 1986 Feb, 65(2), 85 - 8
Growth of micro-organisms from supragingival dental plaque on saliva agar; De Jong MH et al.; The role of saliva in supporting the growth of dental plaque has scarcely been investigated . We have studied the growth and recovery of micro-organisms from dental plaque samples on saliva-agar plates, prepared from filter-sterilized wax-stimulated whole saliva . Under optimal conditions, the mean recovery of plaque samples on saliva agar was about 50% (range, 22-77) of the recovery on blood agar . Addition of 2.5 mmol/L dithiothreitol (DTT) strongly facilitated filter-sterilization of saliva, but DTT concentrations higher than 1 mmol/L reduced the recovery of plaque micro-organisms on saliva agar . Catalase (100 U/ml) offered protection against the inhibitory effect of DTT . Addition of glucose (1-5 mmol/L) increased only slightly the recovery of plaque micro-organisms on saliva agar . When supragingival plaque was plated on saliva- and blood-agar plates, the composition of the microflora isolated from saliva agar strongly resembled that isolated from blood agar . The predominant species--i.e., Streptococcus and Actinomyces--all grew on saliva agar though usually in numbers somewhat lower than those on blood agar . In addition, most species normally found only in low proportions in supragingival dental plaque were also found to grow on saliva agar . Collectively, the results lead to the conclusion that the supragingival microflora can utilize saliva as a complete source of nutrients.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1986 Feb, 29(2), 342 - 3
Enhanced toxicity of copper for Streptococcus mutans under anaerobic conditions; Evans SL et al.; Copper inhibition of 11 strains (serotypes a through g) of Streptococcus mutans was increased by anaerobic incubation . Anaerobic toxicity was reversed by cuprous, but not by cupric, chelators . Susceptibility to aerobic copper inhibition was related to serotype; serotypes c, e, and f (biotype I) were most sensitive.

J Gen Microbiol, 1986 Feb, 132 ( Pt 2), 331 - 40
Cloning, expression and location of the Streptococcus lactis gene for phospho-beta-D-galactosidase; Maeda S et al.; Genes for lactose catabolism and proteinase production in Streptococcus lactis 712 are encoded by a 56.5 kb metabolic plasmid, pLP712 . A lactose mini-plasmid of only 23.7 kb, pMG820, was constructed by introducing two deletions into pLP712, and was cloned as two segments of DNA into the Escherichia coli vector pAT153 using restriction endonuclease PstI . The lactose genetic region of pLP712, which has been defined by deletion and restriction mapping, was cut into two parts by this process . When the smaller 10.8 kb segment of pMG820 DNA was present, the key lactic streptococcal lactose splitting enzyme, phospho-beta-D-galactosidase, was expressed in E . coli . The gene for phospho-beta-D-galactosidase was more precisely located by introducing a series of deletions into cloned DNA by in vitro manipulations and then assaying for enzyme activity . The presence of this phospho-beta-D-galactosidase activity was correlated with the production of a 58 kDa 35S-labelled protein both by E . coli minicells and after coupled transcription and translation of cloned DNA . The product of a second gene, a 37 kDa protein ('protein X'), and a possible truncated phospho-beta-D-galactosidase protein of 16 kDa were also detected in minicells.

J Bacteriol, 1986 Feb, 165(2), 564 - 9
Streptococcal tetracycline resistance mediated at the level of protein synthesis; Burdett V; The mechanism of tetracycline resistance was examined in strains containing each of the three previously identified resistance determinants in Streptococcus spp . Uptake of tetracycline was measured in tetracycline-sensitive cells as well as in cells containing each of the three resistance determinants . In cells containing tetL, uptake was not observed . However, in sensitive cells and cells containing either tetM or tetN, tetracycline was accumulated approximately 25-fold against a concentration gradient . Furthermore, there was no evidence for modification of intracellular tetracycline recovered from sensitive, tetM, or tetN cells . Protein synthesis in extracts derived from organisms containing tetM or tetN was resistant to tetracycline . In contrast, extracts of sensitive and tetL cells were sensitive to tetracycline.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 1986 Feb, 51(2), 233 - 7
Cloning in Streptococcus lactis of plasmid-mediated UV resistance and effect on prophage stability; Chopin MC et al.; Plasmid pIL7 (33 kilobases) from Streptococcus lactis enhances UV resistance and prophage stability . A 5.4-kilobase pIL7 fragment carrying genes coding for both characters was cloned into S . lactis, using plasmid pHV1301 as the cloning vector . The recombinant plasmid was subsequently transferred to three other S . lactis strains by transformation or protoplast fusion . Cloned genes were expressed in all tested strains.

Infect Immun, 1986 Feb, 51(2), 405 - 13
Isolation and characterization of a 60-kilodalton salivary glycoprotein with agglutinating activity against strains of Streptococcus mutans; Babu JP et al.; A bacterial agglutinin specific for strains of Streptococcus mutans was isolated from human saliva . Physiochemical analyses showed the agglutinin to be a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 60,000 . The agglutinin aggregated four of the eight strains of Streptococcus mutans tested but did not aggregate the strains of Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sanguis, and Streptococcus mitis tested . Chemical modification of carbohydrate moieties of the agglutinin with sodium metaperiodate had no effect on aggregation, whereas modification of the polypeptide portion with trypsin abolished aggregating activity . A set of five murine hybridoma antibodies was employed to further analyze the agglutinin . Two carbohydrate-specific antibodies, directed against D-mannose and N-acetylgalactosamine moieties, respectively, failed to block agglutinin- or whole saliva-mediated aggregation of S . mutans cells . In contrast, two antibodies directed against pronase-sensitive antigenic sites blocked both agglutinin- and saliva-mediated aggregation of S . mutans cells . Western blot analysis with the agglutinin-specific hybridoma antibodies demonstrated the agglutinin in whole saliva and in artificial tooth pellicles formed on hydroxyapatite beads incubated with saliva . These results suggest that a 60-kilodalton glycoprotein of human saliva is a bacterial agglutinin with specificity for certain strains of S . mutans . They further suggest that aggregation is mediated by polypeptide rather than carbohydrate determinants of the glycoprotein.

Arch Biochem Biophys, 1986 Feb 1, 244(2), 607 - 18
Origin and function of the multiple extracellular glucosyltransferase species from cultures of a serotype c strain of Streptococcus mutans; Asem KG et al.; Two methods were used to purify the bifunctional extracellular enzyme sucrose: (1-6)- and (1-3)-alpha-D-glucan-6-alpha-D-glucosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.5; dextransucrase) from continuous cultures of a serotype c strain of Streptococcus mutans . The first method, based on a previously published report, involved Sepharose 6B gel filtration and DEAE cellulose anion exchange chromatography . This resulted in a dextransucrase preparation with an apparent molecular mass of 162 kDa and a specific activity of 125 mg of glucan formed from sucrose h-1 (mg of protein)-1, at 37 degrees C . It was almost homogeneous as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . The ratio of carbohydrate to protein was 0.14 and the recovery was 14% relative to the total glucosyltransferase activity in the original culture fluid . In the subsequently preferred method, hydroxyapatite-Ultrogel was used to purify dextransucrase with a 24% yield . The specific activity, 197 mg of glucan formed h-1 (mg of protein)-1, was the highest yet reported and this preparation contained less than 0.5 glucose-equivalent per subunit of molecular mass 162 kDa . Dextransucrase is therefore not a glycoprotein . Exogenous dextran stimulated activity, but was not essential for activity . The purified protein slowly degraded to multiple lower molecular mass forms during storage at 4 degrees C and 87% of the activity was lost after 20 days . The molecular mass of the most prominent, active degradation product was 140 kDa, similar to that of one of the multiple forms of dextransucrase detected in other laboratories . Preparations in which either the 140-kDa or the 162-kDa species predominated catalyzed the synthesis of a water-soluble glucan with sucrose alone, but catalyzed that of an insoluble glucan with sucrose and a high concentration of either (NH4)2SO4 or polyethylene glycol . The water-insoluble glucan was shown to lack sequences of 1,3-alpha-linked glycosyl residues typical of the insoluble glucan, mutan, which has been implicated in dental caries . We conclude that mutan is synthesized by the concerted action of two independent glucosyltransferases rather than by interconvertible forms of a single enzyme, as was proposed previously.

Carbohydr Res, 1986 Feb 1, 146(2), 259 - 70
Activity of branched dextrans in the acceptor reaction of a glucosyltransferase (GTF-I) from Streptococcus mutans OMZ176; Walker GJ et al.; The ability of several native and chemically synthesized, branched dextrans to stimulate the activity of an alpha-D-glucosyltransferase (GTF-I) of Streptococcus mutans has been compared . The enzyme catalysed the transfer of glucosyl residues from sucrose with the formation of water-insoluble (1----3)-alpha-D-glucan . The rate of this reaction was greatly increased in the presence of dextran, and the extent of stimulation was negatively correlated with the degree of branching of the added dextran . The results refute the concept that growth of water-insoluble glucan occurs from the multiple, non-reducing termini of dextran acceptors.

Infect Immun, 1986 Feb, 51(2), 600 - 6
Human serum antibody response against Streptococcus mutans antigens; Pucci MJ et al.; Antigens from Streptococcus mutans were examined to identify specific polypeptides that may have stimulated antibody responses and possibly play some role in caries immunity . A group of 10 adult human subjects was screened for serum antibodies reactive with antigens from S . mutans . Extracellular and cellular protein preparations from S . mutans LM7 (Bratthall serotype e) and V403 (biotype c) were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by Western electrophoretic transfer and immunoblotting analysis . Antibodies reactive with polypeptides ranging from 34 to 400 kilodaltons in apparent molecular mass were detected by these means . Radioimmunoassay competition experiments revealed that the cellular and extracellular antigens did not compete with each other for serum antibodies . Preabsorption of sera with extracellular proteins from other oral streptococcal species prior to immunoblotting indicated that the antigens unique to S . mutans have molecular masses greater than 100 kilodaltons, and each individual produced antibodies against different antigens of high molecular mass . Examination of sera from young children also indicated heterogeneous responses against S . mutans LM7 antigens.

Biochemistry, 1986 Jan 14, 25(1), 108 - 14
Active streptokinase from the cloned gene in Streptococcus sanguis is without the carboxyl-terminal 32 residues; Jackson KW et al.; The streptokinase expressed by the cloned gene in Streptococcus sanguis has a molecular weight of about 44 000 {Malke, H., Gerlach, D., Kohler, W., & Ferretti, J.J . (1984) MGG, Mol . Gen . Genet . 196, 360-365} while the molecular weight of the native streptokinase is 47 000 . The structural and activity differences of the cloned streptokinase (cSK) as expressed by S . sanguis and the native streptokinase (nSK) were investigated . From a partially purified cSK, two active fractions were obtained by reversed-phase HPLC . The minor fraction cSKL was nearly as active as SK in plasminogen activation . The major fraction cSKs had only about one-fourth of the specific activity . The structures of cSKL and cSKs were studied and compared to the known amino acid sequence of SK {Jackson, K . W., & Tang, J . (1982) Biochemistry 21, 6620-6625} . From the NH2- and COOH-terminal sequences and amino acid composition of the cyanogen bromide (CNBr) fragments, it could be deduced that cSKL and cSKs are without 31 and 32 residues, respectively, from the COOH-terminal end of SK . Since the cloned gene contained the full SK structure, the missing structures must have been due to posttranslational proteolysis . An SK fragment similar in size to cSK was observed from a chymotryptic digest of SK.

Minerva Med, 1986 Jan 14, 77(1-2), 1 - 5
{A case of splenic abscess in a drug addict with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome}; Ferraris R et al.; The complex diagnostic procedure involved in a case of splenic abscess in a young drug addict as a result of septicaemia caused by streptococcus fascalis is described and discussed with an examination of the criteria in support of a more aggressive approach to the removal of septic foci in such patients with AIDS . It is concluded that such criteria are valid even when, as in the case described, splenectomy further depresses the immune system.

Scand J Infect Dis, 1986, 18(1), 45 - 8
Serotype distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid in Sweden; Burman LA et al.; 215 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from blood or cerebrospinal fluid at 3 different laboratories in Sweden were serotyped by coagglutination and subtyped by the capsular reaction test . 78% of the strains belonged to serotypes which are included in or completely cross-immunogenic with serotypes included in the 14-valent vaccine while serotypes included in the 23-valent vaccine covered 89% of the isolates . Types 7F, 14 and 33F, which cannot be detected by counterimmunoelectrophoresis constituted 19% of all strains.

Clin Allergy, 1986 Jan, 16(1), 25 - 32
Pneumococcus-specific immunoglobulin E in cigarette smokers; Bloom JW et al.; A relationship between elevated serum immunoglobulin E levels and smoking has been demonstrated in epidemiological studies . Allergy skin test data suggest that the excess immunoglobulin E of smokers is not specific for aeroallergens . It is possible that the excess immunoglobulin E is specific for microorganisms that often infect the lower respiratory tract of smokers . To investigate this possibility we utilized a radioallergosorbent test assay for detecting serum immunoglobulin E specific for Streptococcus pneumoniae, an organism commonly isolated from the respiratory tract of smokers with chronic bronchitis . We assayed sera of thirty smokers and thirty nonsmokers for immunoglobulin E specific for Streptococcus pneumoniae . Individual sera were considered positive for pneumococcus-specific immunoglobulin E if the binding was at least twice the non-specific binding at the total immunoglobulin E concentration of the particular serum . Eleven of the thirty sera of smokers and two of the thirty nonsmokers were positive for pneumococcus-specific immunoglobulin E . By chi-square analysis of these data, the prevalence of pneumococcus-specific immunoglobulin E was significantly greater in the smoking group compared with the non-smoking group (P less than 0.02) . These results suggest that the excess immunoglobulin E of smokers is, at least in part, specific for microorganisms that infect the airways.

Pediatr Radiol, 1986, 16(2), 150 - 1
Parietal osteomyelitis and epidural abscess: a delayed complication of fetal monitoring; Listinsky JL et al.; Infected cephalohematomas are extremely rare . In this report an infant of 14 weeks developed an infected cephalohematoma, osteomyelitis of the parietal bone and an epidural abscess after fetal monitoring with scalp electrodes . Streptococcus pneumoniae was isolated from the purulent aspirate.

Microbiologica, 1986 Jan, 9(1), 21 - 8
Purification of Streptococcus faecium penicillin binding protein 5, a multifunctional penicillin-binding protein; Grossato A et al.; Penicillin-binding protein 5 of Streptococcus faecium has been solubilized and partially separated from other membrane proteins by covalent affinity chromatography . PBP 5 was successively purified to homogeneity by resolution on SDS-polyacrylamide gel, elution and renaturation of penicillin-binding activity . The purification procedure does not alter the properties that the protein exhibits in the membranous environment.

Antibiot Med Biotekhnol, 1986 Jan, 31(1), 7 - 13
{Thomicide biosynthesis during the cultivation of Streptococcus sp . strain Thom-1606 on a medium of various carbohydrate concentrations}; Blinkova LP et al.; The influence of different concentrations of carbohydrates on biosynthesis of thomicide, an antibacterial agent was studied . Inhibition of sugar consumption beginning at the calculated concentration of more than 1 per cent was shown . The excess of carbohydrates (not consumed carbohydrates) did not inhibit the culture growth and biosynthesis of thomicide . Sucrose in a concentration of 1 per cent proved to be the most optimal carbohydrate substrate for accumulation and preservation of the thomicide activity . Enrichment of the nutrient medium with carbohydrates in the calculated concentrations of 0.5 to 4 per cent promoted an increase in the cell dry weight accompanied by intensive synthesis of biopolymers.

J Surg Res, 1986 Jan, 40(1), 43 - 8
Acute liver failure in rats inhibited by intrasplenic administration of OK-432; Matsumata T et al.; Intrasplenic administration of OK-432, an immunostimulant derived from Streptococcus, prevented hepatic failure induced in rats by D-galactosamine . When OK-432 was given 1.0 K.E . (Group I) or 0.1 K.E . (Group II) into the subcutaneously transpositioned spleen three times prior to dosing with D-galactosamine, survival rates were 100 and 87%, respectively . On the contrary, with a splenic injection of saline (Group III), the survival rate was 47 and 32% in rats given OK-432 1.0 K.E . intraperitoneally (Group IV) . The poisoned rats given no pretreatment (Group V) survived at a rate of 26% . These results show that intrasplenic administration of OK-432 leads to a significant enhancement of survival . Metabolic data and histological findings were compatible with survival rates, in each group . Activation of the reticuloendothelial function by the intrasplenic administration of this immunostimulant seems to have prevented acute liver failure.

J Med Chem, 1986 Jan, 29(1), 25 - 9
5-(Alkylsulfonyl)salicylanilides as potential dental antiplaque agents; Clark MT et al.; A series of 22 5-(alkylsulfonyl)salicylanilides was synthesized and evaluated for in vitro antibacterial and antiplaque activity against Actinomyces viscosus and Streptococcus mutans, adherent microorganisms implicated in periodontal disease and dental caries . The minimum inhibitory concentrations of 25 salicylanilides (including 5-acyl-, 5-alkyl-, and 5-(alkylsulfonyl)-4'-bromo- and -4'-(trifluoromethyl)salicylanilides) were found to correlate (r = 0.94) with estimated log D values . Several salicylanilides, such as 5-(decylsulfonyl)- and 5-(dodecylsulfonyl)-4'-(trifluoromethyl)salicylanilides (15 and 19) were found to exhibit high levels of in vitro antibacterial and antiplaque activity against A . viscosus and S . mutans.

J Infect Dis, 1986 Jan, 153(1), 83 - 9
Alterations in penicillin-binding proteins of clinical and laboratory isolates of pathogenic Streptococcus pneumoniae with low levels of penicillin resistance; Handwerger S et al.; Several recent surveys of clinical isolates have indicated that substantial fractions of naturally occurring populations of Streptococcus pneumoniae have undergone a distinct upward move in the required minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of benzylpenicillin (from a range of 0.006-0.008 to 0.03-0.05 microgram/ml) . Evidence is presented that in clinical pneumococcal isolates, penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) groups 1 and 2 have a decreased affinity for radioactive benzylpenicillin as compared with penicillin-sensitive isolates from the same locale . Exposure of a penicillin-sensitive type 2 strain (MIC, 0.006 microgram/ml) to sequentially increasing concentrations of penicillin allowed the isolation of spontaneous resistant mutants with stepwise increases in the MIC of penicillin required (0.01-0.02, 0.025-0.05, and 0.1 microgram/ml), and in these laboratory isolates too, PBP groups 1 and 2 showed decreased affinity for labeled benzylpenicillin . DNA from the low-level resistant clinical or laboratory isolates could be used to transform the appropriate levels of penicillin resistance into penicillin-sensitive laboratory isolates . These findings suggest that significant fractions of natural pneumococcal populations may have acquired one or two of the low-level penicillin resistance genes.

J Infect Dis, 1986 Jan, 153(1), 78 - 82
Antibiotic-resistant isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from clinical specimens: a cluster of serotype 19A organisms in Brooklyn, New York; Simberkoff MS et al.; Ten of 294 isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from patients enrolled in a Veterans Administration Cooperative Studies Program trial of pneumococcal vaccine efficacy were moderately resistant or resistant to penicillin . Nine of these organisms were serotype 19A isolated from patients at the Brooklyn (New York) V.A . Medical Center over an 18-month period (March 1983-November 1984) . The minimal inhibitory concentration of penicillin for these pneumococci ranged from 1.0 to 2.0 micrograms/ml by the agar dilution technique and from 4.0 to 8.0 micrograms/ml by tube dilution . These organisms were resistant also to other beta-lactam antibiotics and to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole . They were sensitive to erythromycin, clindamycin, vancomycin, and rifampin . The epidemiological source of these isolates was not discovered . However, it is possible that a focus of multiple antibiotic-resistant serotype 19A S . pneumoniae is present in Brooklyn.

Infect Immun, 1986 Jan, 51(1), 119 - 24
Effect of endogenous phosphoenolpyruvate potential on fluoride inhibition of glucose uptake by Streptococcus mutans; Germaine GR et al.; The fluoride sensitivity of glucose uptake by whole cell suspensions of Streptococcus mutans was studied . Preincubation of the organism with up to 1 mM glucose markedly reduced the fluoride sensitivity of subsequent glucose uptake at pH 7.0 and 5.5 . Glucose preincubation was shown to result in the establishment of a stable pool of three-carbon glycolytic intermediates . On the basis of inhibition studies and thin-layer chromatography of cell extracts, we suggest that 3- and 2-phosphoglycerate are the principal constituents of the pool . Increased concentrations of glucose used in preincubation mixtures was associated with increased pool sizes of the glycolytic intermediates and increased fluoride resistance . Transport of 2-deoxy-D-glucose by permeabilized cells was inhibited by fluoride when 2-phoshoglycerate served as the energy source . Increased concentrations of 2-phosphoglycerate were shown to overcome the fluoride inhibition of transport . The data suggest that establishment of a stable pool of glycolytic intermediates that includes 2-phosphoglycerate (or its progenitors) may contribute significantly to the apparent refractoriness of plaque microbes to fluoride in vivo.

Cornell Vet, 1986 Jan, 76(1), 49 - 60
Characteristics of an R antigen common to Streptococcus equi and zooepidemicus; Timoney JF; An R antigen of the group C streptococcus S . equi that cross reacts with a similar antigen of S . zooepidemicus has been identified and characterized . It is acid, heat and trypsin resistant, but pepsin sensitive and has an isoelectric point of 4.8 . The amino acids in highest concentration are glutamic, aspartic, alanine, leucine, and valine . Bacterial components released in a French Press contain large amounts of R antigen, which is present also in culture supernatants and acid extracts . It has a molecular weight of about 82,000 . Trypsin extraction of cells yields molecules of predominantly 56,000 and 25,000 molecular weight that appeared by immunoblotting to be similar to those obtained by trypsinization of purified R protein from preparations derived from the French Press . Although horses naturally infected with S . equi or S . zooepidemicus develop cross reacting R antibodies, the role of the R antigen in pathogenesis is unknown . Purified R protein does not stimulate bactericidal antibody in horses nor is it protective for mice . Its occurrence in antigen preparations in assays for S . equi antibody could be a source of interpretive errors because of the presence in many sera of antibody to the immunologically similar R antigen of S . zooepidemicus, a normal nasopharyngeal commensal of Equidae.

Ann Intern Med, 1986 Jan, 104(1), 1 - 6
Pneumococcal vaccine efficacy in selected populations in the United States; Bolan G et al.; The efficacy of pneumococcal vaccine in groups of patients in the United States at high risk for pneumococcal disease was estimated by comparing distributions of serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from vaccinated and unvaccinated persons . Between May 1978 and March 1984, 187 blood isolates and 62 cerebrospinal fluid isolates from vaccinated patients, and 1447 blood isolates and 191 cerebrospinal fluid isolates from unvaccinated patients were serotyped at the Centers for Disease Control . The study did not include patients who were less than 2 years old or who had Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, or immunoglobulin deficiency . In patients with bacteremic disease, the overall efficacy of pneumococcal vaccine was estimated at 64% (95% confidence limits, 47% to 76%); efficacy did not differ significantly with age . In persons over 65 years of age with diabetes mellitus, chronic heart disease, pulmonary disease, or no underlying illnesses, efficacy was 61% (95% confidence limits, 1% to 85%) . These findings support the use of pneumococcal vaccine in selected populations in the United States.

Biomed Pharmacother, 1986, 40(9), 352 - 5
Effects of arginine butyrate on bacterial growth; Raymond J et al.; The antibacterial activity of arginine butyrate was tested on 15 different strains . Its bacteriostatic action was detected, depending on the organisms, at concentrations between 55 and 250 mM, except for the Streptococcus B . The latter was not only resistant, but its growth was even stimulated at low concentrations (1.95 mM to 31.2 mM) . It is possible that this characteristic is related to its persistence in the female genital tract where the anaerobes produce butyrate . It has previously been demonstrated that this cytostatic activity applies not only to the prokaryotes, but also to the eukaryotes, where it is seen in much lower concentrations (6 mM): since the arginine butyrate could be used in antitumor treatment, it is important to investigate its bacterial growth effects.

Rev Mal Respir, 1986, 3(5), 263 - 7
{Evolution of the resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae to erythromycin at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (1980-1984)}; Nguyen J et al.; From January 1980 to December 1984, 563 swabs for Streptococcus pneumoniae were isolated at the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital in Paris, and of these 63 were resistant to erythromycin . The percentage of swabs resistant to erythromycin rose from 2.7% in 1980 to 19.6% in 1984 and was similar for cultures of blood, serous fluid, bronchial secretions, otolaryngological specimens and smears from the conjunction . For swabs resistant to erythromycin these belonged almost exclusively (57 out of 60 or 90%) to the serotypes 6, 14, 19 and 23; one may ask whether the rise in resistance of S . pneumoniae to erythromycin was due to a rise in the frequency of isolation of these serotypes? Between 1980 and 1984 such rise took place since the frequency of isolation of S . pneumoniae belonging to the serotypes 6, 14, 19 or 23 rose from 38% in 1980 to 50% in 1984, but the rise was not significant (p = 0.1) . In fact S . pneumoniae serotypes 6, 14, 19 or 23 have become resistant is significant (p less than 0.05) . Two factors should be taken into consideration when interpreting these facts . The first is the increased consumption of macrolide antibiotics which doubled overall between 1979 and 1983, both at the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital and in the Public Assistance hospitals of Paris as well as provincial hospitals throughout France . The second factor is the strictly hospital nature of this study which may have led to an overestimation of the frequency of resistance of S . pneumoniae to erythromycin.

J Emerg Med, 1986, 4(3), 201 - 4
Ludwig's angina and pneumococcal sepsis; Gridley J et al.; We present a 75-year-old patient with an unusual bacteriologic cause of Ludwig's angina, Streptococcus pneumoniae . This organism appears more commonly in children . Recognition of Ludwig's angina, its causative organisms, and the necessity for airway management in addition to antibiotic therapy are important to limit its morbidity.

Microbios, 1986, 48(194), 27 - 35
Cadmium uptake by growing cells of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria; Morozzi G et al.; The present study evaluates the effect of the cadmium (Cd2+) on the growth and protein synthesis of some Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus faecium) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria and the cadmium uptake by the same micro-organisms . The Gram-negative bacteria tested were less sensitive to metal ions than the Gram-positive, and P . aeruginosa was the most resistant . The Gram-negative bacteria were also able to accumulate higher amounts of cadmium during growth than the Gram-positive bacteria . The maximum values of specific metal uptake (microgram of Cd2+ incorporated per mg of protein) were: 0.52 for S . aureus, 0.65 for S . faecium, 0.79 for B . subtilis, 2.79 for E . coli and 24.15 for P . aeruginosa, respectively . The differences in the ability to accumulate metal found between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria seems to account for different mechanisms of metal resistance.

Rev Mal Respir, 1986, 3(4), 195 - 200
{Retrospective study of 77 cases of purulent pleurisy}; Fantin B et al.; 77 cases of non-tuberculous empyema were studied retrospectively . The data of past history, laboratory, radiological, bacteriological and outcome were gathered . The mean delay between initial symptoms and clinical diagnosis was 2.6 weeks in this study . It was longer for those anaerobic features (p less than 0.02) whose details were unravelled . "Blind" antibiotic therapy before the first pleural aspirate is still common (46.7% of cases) and did not alter the frequency with which the causal bacteria was found, nor the distribution of the bacterial population . Pleural aspirate enabled the germ or germs responsible to be identified in 63% of cases . Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 15) and anaerobic bacterias (n = 26) infections were predominant . Early pleural drainage in a trained unit care is the essential element in the treatment in association with appropriate antibiotics and prolonged physiotherapy . This triple therapy approach leads to a medical cure in practically all the patients and avoids a recourse to surgery.

Med Pediatr Oncol, 1986, 14(6), 313 - 5
Streptococcus bovis bacteremia and underlying gastrointestinal neoplasms; Friedman E et al.; Two patients are described in whom Streptococcus bovis bacteremia was the only clue to the presence of a colonic neoplasm . A third patient had the rare association of gastric carcinoma and Streptococcus bovis bacteremia that followed an operation for the carcinoma . The need for both complete gastrointestinal survey in patients with Streptococcus bovis bacteremia and administration of appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis during surgical manipulation is emphasized.

Am J Pediatr Hematol Oncol, 1986 Summer, 8(2), 105 - 10
Acute chest syndrome in children with sickle cell disease . A retrospective analysis of 100 hospitalized cases; Sprinkle RH et al.; We reviewed the clinical features of 100 cases of the sickle cell chest syndrome in 57 pediatric patients hospitalized with radiographic findings of pulmonary or pleural disease . Pulmonary infiltration was more common in the lower lobes (86%) than in the upper (25%) or middle lobes (22%) . Pleural effusions were present in 38% of cases . Chest syndrome was recognized on presentation in 79% of cases, but was recognized only later in 21% of patients admitted for other indications . Patients recognized initially were more often febrile on admission (68%) than were subsequently recognized patients (33%) (p less than 0.01), but fever eventually occurred in 99 of 100 cases . Pain was an antecedent or coincident problem in 67% of cases . Median hospital stay was 7 days in those 58 cases in which narcotics were given, but only 4 days in those 42 cases in which narcotics were not administered (p less than 0.001) . Polyvalent pneumococcal vaccine had been administered to 44 of our 57 patients at some time before their hospitalizations, and 18 patients had been on oral penicillin prophylaxis . Blood was cultured in 93 cases and in only two instances grew Streptococcus pneumoniae . Serologic evidence of Hemophilus influenzae type b infection was found in two additional patients . We conclude that the sickle cell chest syndrome is an acute febrile pulmonary disease frequently associated with pain and/or narcotic analgesic therapy but infrequently associated with proven bacterial infection.

Bioelectromagnetics, 1986, 7(1), 91 - 4
Circulating antibody response of mice exposed to 9-GHz pulsed microwave radiation; Liddle CG et al.; Female CD-1 mice immunized against the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae type III were exposed to 9-GHz pulsed microwaves (pulse repetition rate 970-1,000, pulse width 1.0 microseconds, peak power 1 W/cm2) at an average incident power density of 1 mW/cm2 (calculated SAR congruent to 0.47 W/kg) for 2 h per day for 5 days . Circulating antibody titers for the microwave-exposed animals were not significantly different from those of the sham-irradiated animals, and there were no differences in any of the hematological parameters analyzed, indicating that 9-GHz pulsed microwaves at 1 mW/cm2 do not alter the immune response of mice immunized against S pneumoniae.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1986 Jan, 29(1), 58 - 61
Role of the cell membrane in pH-dependent fluoride inhibition of glucose uptake by Streptococcus mutans; Germaine GR et al.; The effect of pH on the fluoride sensitivity of glucose uptake by whole cells and glucose transport by permeabilized cells of Streptococcus mutans was compared . Whole cells exhibited a marked pH-dependent sensitivity to fluoride over the pH range 7.0 to 5.0 . As the pH was decreased, fluoride sensitivity increased . In contrast, no significant effect of pH on the fluoride sensitivity of glucose transport (e.g., phosphorylation) by permeabilized cells energized with 2-phosphoglycerate was noted . The relative effect of pH on the fluoride sensitivity of whole cell glucose uptake and fermentation was similar . These data are consistent with the notion that the cell membrane is impermeable to the fluoride anion and that intracellular accumulation of fluoride depends on translocation of hydrogen fluoride across the membrane.

Vutr Boles, 1986, 25(1), 104 - 7
{Case of infectious endocarditis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy}; Khekimian A et al.; A patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and infectious endocarditis has been described, confirmed clinically and bacteriologically . L-forms of alpha-streptococcus were isolated from the hemocultures . Aortic valve was affected in the course of the septic process . That morbid state was very favourable influenced by the treatment with high dose penicillin, combined with streptomycin . The control hemocultures 40 days after the discontinuation of the treatment proved to be negative.

J Clin Microbiol, 1986 Jan, 23(1), 6 - 10
Microbiological and microhardness evaluation of artificial enamel fissures worn intraorally by humans; Strassler HE et al.; Devices simulating occlusal fissures were constructed from dental enamel and bonded to human maxillary molar teeth for 3 weeks . Facilitation of in vivo caries research in humans is the long-range goal for this model system . In the present investigation, microbial compositions of plaque in the fissural space of the model and natural fissural plaque from teeth bearing the devices were compared . Plaque from models constructed from either bovine or human enamel was also compared . In addition, microhardness of the enamel surfaces was examined before and after oral exposure . Plaque in both bovine and human enamel models differed significantly from natural fissural plaque in several microbial categories . Differences appeared to be related to the increased accessibility of the deep fissural contents of the models . For example, levels of the aciduric Streptococcus mutans and Veillonella species were higher in the models, although levels of a salivary inhabitant, Streptococcus salivarius, were lower . Plaque in bovine and human enamel models was similar, and both models showed significant decreases in enamel microhardness after oral exposure for 3 weeks . The model system should be useful in caries research in that carieslike activity was simulated within a relatively short period of time, and the fissural space became colonized by high levels of cariogenic bacteria.

J Clin Microbiol, 1986 Jan, 23(1), 56 - 61
Relationships between alternative complement pathway activation, C-reactive protein, and pneumococcal infection; Rabinovitch RA et al.; In the absence of specific antibody, opsonization of Streptococcus pneumoniae may be mediated by the alternative complement pathway (AP) or by C-reactive protein (CRP) via C1 binding . To determine the role of these mechanisms in pneumococcal (PNC) disease, we studied 19 patients with differing severities of PNC infection . C4 and CRP levels and zymosan-induced consumption of 50% hemolytic complement (CH50) were measured in specimens obtained acutely and then weekly . In patients with complicated illness, the modified mean CH50 in acute sera was 178 +/- 57 U/ml, significantly lower than the mean CH50 of 331 +/- 80 U/ml in patients with uncomplicated illness (P less than 0.05) . The values of the two groups on a given day approximated each other on days 7, 14, and 23 . Consumption of complement by zymosan was also lower in acute sera of patients with complicated illness, with a mean value of 19 +/- 18 U/ml compared with 58 +/- 30 U/ml in those with uncomplicated illness (P less than 0.05) . This difference was also seen on day 7 (P less than 0.05) . Disease involving lower-numbered PNC serotypes (less than 10) correlated with reduced availability of AP factors in acute sera, independent of illness severity . Mean CRP levels were inversely related to zymosan-induced complement activation in patients with complicated illness . These data suggest that in vivo depletion of AP factors is significantly greater in patients with complicated illness and is associated with high CRP levels . CRP may enhance AP activation via C3 convertase generation and function with it as a preantibody host defense mechanism.

Acta Med Hung, 1986, 43(4), 365 - 8
Gastric acidity: an important factor regulating the composition of the bacterial flora in the small intestine; Pollak R et al.; The role of gastric acidity in regulating the bacterium composition in the small intestine was studied . Gastric acidity was determined with the Kay test . Intestinal juice obtained by a probe was examined for the presence and number of microorganisms . Parallel with the increase in gastric acidity, the number of bacteria in the jejunal juice generally decreased . Their composition also varied: in anacid patients E . coli predominated whereas in those with free hydrochloric acid, Streptococcus alpha haemolyticus and anaerobic Peptostreptococcus formed the bulk of the microflora . These data underline the importance of the role of acidity in the development of bacterial contamination in the jejunum.

Chir Pediatr, 1986, 27(6), 356 - 8
{Osteomyelitic pseudarthrosis of the tibia with loss of substance treated with a graft of the opposite fibula}; Bumbic S; Dragan Dj./Re . No . 2755/76, 5,5-year-old boy, referred to this hospital with signs of bipolar osteomyelitis, destruction and fistulisation of the left tibia and talocrural arthritis . Staphylococcus albus and streptococcus haemoliticus were isolated from the fistula . Osteomyelitis was treated with an adequate therapy including long usage of Lincocin . In Feb . and Oct . of 1977 a sequestrotomy of the mid portion of the tibia and transmedular fixation using Ratschmann's nail were performed . The process resulted in pseudarthrosis of the mid portion of the tibia with loss of bone substance in the length of 2.5 cm and talocrural arthrosis and deformed foot . The boy walking support . In July 1980, in the stage of "ripe" pseudarthrosis a complete resection of pseudoarthrosis with sclerotic portions of tibia to healthy bone was performed . The mid part of the right tibia was resected subperiostally and was grafted centromedularlly into the upper and lower medular channel of the left tibia . Two Kirschner's needles were implanted centromedularlly so as to strengthen the bone osteosynthesis . Complete union of the grafted fibula with treppassage of the medular channel occurred with its tibilisation and growth in length and width . In July 1982, the concave foot was corrected using Bertrand's method . The present difference in the length between the two legs is 4.5 cm which is corrected by the use of padded shoes . Lengthening of the leg is planned to be performed before he reaches the age of 14.

Chir Pediatr, 1986, 27(4), 201 - 4
{Primary peritonitis in children . Apropos of 12 case reports}; Janati R et al.; Primary peritonitis is rare condition in children . Twelve cases in previously healthy children is reported . The diagnosis was made at laparotomy in the absence of intra-abdominal findings, such as intestinal perforation . Organisms was isolated from peritoneal fluid in 7 cases, Staphylococcus aureus in 3, Streptococcus pneumoniae in 2, beta-hemolytic Streptococcus and E . coli in 1 . Peritoneal fluid cultures were sterile in 5 cases, Streptococcus pneumoniae was otherwise incriminated in 2 cases . Recovery was rapid with broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy in 11 cases . One death in an infant was related to late intervention . Recent reports indicate an increase of primary peritonitis caused by gram-negative organisms . The prognosis has improved since the use of antibiotics, but its incidence appears unvarying.

Boll Ist Sieroter Milan, 1986, 65(4), 249 - 53
Blood culture and echocardiography in diagnosis of infective endocarditis: microbiological and clinical observations; Spano C et al.; Short retrospective review of 77 cases of bacterial endocarditis, observed in the 1980-84 period, and diagnosed by means of echography and blood culture . Alfa haemolytic streptococcus strains were isolated (47.6% of 42 isolated strains) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (16.7%) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (11.9%) . Positive bloodculture were more frequent in the patients with valvular prosthesis . The results are analysed and some comments are done.

Pediatr Pathol, 1986, 5(3-4), 271 - 6
Perinatal group B streptococcal infection in midgestation; Singer DB et al.; In a series of 32 fetuses and neonates studied at autopsy at Women and Infants Hospital, group B streptococcus (GBS) was isolated from the right atrial blood or from the lung . Eleven or 34% (5 stillborn fetuses and 6 liveborn infants) were delivered in midgestation, between 18 and 28 weeks, and all weighed less than 1000 g . Maternal clinical features in GBS infection during midgestation included vaginal hemorrhage in 4 and premature rupture of membranes in 8 . The high rate of fetal death associated with this infection in midgestation (45%) bears emphasizing . Reproductive loss among mothers with previous pregnancies seems to be a risk factor for subsequent perinatal loss due to GBS . Of 17 pregnancies among these 11 mothers, only 3 resulted in living children . Colonized mothers with GBS are usually treated late in the third trimester, if at all . This study indicates that attention must be directed to midgestation, at least among the high-risk group.

Gene, 1986, 45(1), 45 - 9
Construction of plasmid vectors for the detection of streptococcal promoters; Achen MG et al.; Plasmid vectors have been constructed for detecting DNA fragments that exhibit promoter activity in Streptococcus sanguis . The plasmids are able to replicate in both S . sanguis and Escherichia coli, and contain an erythromycin resistance marker which is expressed in both hosts . Selection for promoter activity is dependent upon the insertion of appropriate DNA fragments upstream from a promoterless chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene (cat) from Staphylococcus aureus . To facilitate this insertion, a pair of vectors, pMU1327 and pMU1328, were constructed with the polylinker from M13mp 18 in either orientation . The to transcriptional terminator of phage lambda is present downstream from cat . Translation stop codons in all reading frames are located between the polylinker and the initiation codon of cat . These plasmids have been used to isolate DNA fragments from S . sanguis, S . lactis and S . cremoris that exhibit promoter activity in S . sanguis.

Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis, 1986, 9(1), 71 - 7
Evaluation of selective media for primary isolation of Treponema hyodysenteriae and Treponema innocens; Szynkiewicz ZM et al.; A total of 2450 samples of feces, intestinal contents and colon mucosal scrapings were bacteriologically examined . A total of 53 strains of Treponema sp . were isolated, and 45 strains of Bacteroides sp., 30 strains of E . coli, 30 strains of Micrococcus sp . and 10 strains of Streptococcus D isolates were randomly selected . Growth promoting studies showed statistically significant stimulation of Treponema sp . growth by yeast extract, chicken egg yolk and rumen fluid . Different growth inhibitors were also tested . For selective medium the following inhibitors were selected: spectinomycin, colistin, vancomycin, brilliant green . Optimal concentrations of these inhibitors in the medium were determined . Finally TSA medium supplemented with 0.05% yeast extract, 5% bovine blood, 0.01% DTT, 400 micrograms spectinomycin, and 250 micrograms/ml vancomycin, appeared to be optimal selective medium for intestinal Treponema sp . isolation . Quantitative studies showed that the number of Treponema C.F.U . on Songers et al . medium with spectinomycin and on spectinomycin-vancomycin medium, did not differ significantly . The number of overgrowing bacteria was statistically significantly lower on spectinomycin-vancomycin medium, than Songers et al . selective medium with spectinomycin . The TSA supplemented with blood, yeast extract 50 micrograms/ml of colistin and 1 microgram/ml of brilliant green was less selective than spectinomycin-vancomycin medium and inhibited some strains of Treponema sp . In the case of spectinomycin-vancomycin resistant of overgrowing bacteria, colistin-brilliant green medium may be suitable for isolation of Treponema sp.

Can J Vet Res, 1986 Jan, 50(1), 133 - 5
Preliminary observations on the use of latex agglutination test for the detection of mastitis due to Streptococcus agalactiae in cows; Daniel RC et al.; A commercial latex agglutination test for the detection of Group B streptococcal antigens was used to detect infection due to Streptococcus agalactiae in whey of bovine milk samples . Fifteen out of 17 known infections were detected, but it was necessary to incubate the wheys at 37 degrees C for 18 hours in nine of the samples . It was found that the latex agglutination test could detect Group streptococcal carbohydrate antigens in whey samples from artificially infected quarters from one to four days after failure to detect the organism on culture or after antibiotic therapy of the affected quarter.

Boll Ist Sieroter Milan, 1986, 65(2), 138 - 42
{The significance of antipolysaccharide C antibodies from Streptococcus group A . Their importance in the diagnosis of streptococcal infections}; Soffritti E et al.; Here is underlined the role of quantitative determination of streptococcus A polysaccharide C antibody for the diagnosis of streptococcal infection . The Authors suggest to associate this determination with antistreptolysin titer and/or bacterial esoenzyme antibody titer, in order to achieve a wider spectrum of streptococcus induced antibodies for therapeutic and prophylactic applications.

Microbios, 1986, 46(186), 21 - 8
Properties of mutacin b, an antibacterial substance produced by Streptococcus mutans strain BHT; Delisle AL; An antibacterial substance produced by strain BHT of Streptococcus mutans (mutacin b) was found to be a small molecule (MW 3,500-6,000) with remarkable resistance to temperature, alkali and various solvents . Enzyme sensitivity tests of partially purified preparations indicated that mutacin b is a peptide . It is sensitive to several proteolytic enzymes and its lethal effects on sensitive cells can be prevented by adding trypsin to cells exposed to mutacin b . High concentrations of mutacin b inhibited the growth of producer cells, indicating that strain BHT is only partially immune to this substance.

Bull Soc Pathol Exot Filiales, 1986, 79(2), 213 - 6
{Bacterial infections and early Plasmodium falciparum malaria}; Lucht F et al.; Two cases of Plasmodium falciparum malaria associated with bacterial infections--streptococcus A septicemia and Legionnaires' disease--are described . The association of these two infections is probably not incidental, and the hypothesis of Plasmodium falciparum induced immuno-deficiency is discussed.

J Dairy Sci, 1986 Jan, 69(1), 258 - 9
Efficacy of dodecylaminoalkyl glycine teat dip against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae mastitis; Boddie RL et al.; Dodecylaminoalkyl glycine teat dip, diluted to 1.5% active ingredients, was evaluated in a controlled experimental challenge study to determine efficacy for preventing new intramammary infections with Staphylococcus aureus (Newbould 305) and Streptococcus agalactiae (McDonald 44) . The dip reduced the incidence of intramammary infection with Staphylococcus aureus by 81.2% . Reduction of Streptococcus agalactiae intramammary infection was 67.5%.

J Infect Dis, 1986 Jan, 153(1), 71 - 7
Streptococcus pneumoniae-induced alterations in levels of circulating thromboxane and prostacyclin: dissociation from granulocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, and pulmonary leukostasis; Goldblum SE et al.; The role of thromboxane (Tx) A2 in Streptococcus pneumoniae-induced granulocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, and pulmonary leukostasis is unclear . Rabbits were injected with 0.85% NaCl, nonviable pneumococci, or nonviable pneumococci after pretreatment with TxA2 synthetase inhibition . Blood was obtained immediately before and at times after injection for granulocyte and platelet counts and assays of TxB2 and 6-keto prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-ketoPGF1 alpha) . Animals were evaluated for pulmonary leukostasis histologically and biochemically (myeloperoxidase activity) . Pneumococcal challenge induced significant granulocytopenia (P less than .001), thrombocytopenia (P less than .001), and elevations in levels of both TxB2 (P less than .05) and 6-ketoPGF1 alpha (P less than .001) as well as pulmonary leukostasis (P less than .001) . TxA2 synthetase inhibition blocked the pneumococcus-induced elevation in level of TxB2 without significantly altering levels of circulating granulocytes, platelets, or 6-ketoPGF1 alpha . Pulmonary leukostasis was not blocked . In another group of pneumococcus-challenged animals, no significant transpulmonary gradients of either TxB2 or 6-ketoPGF1 alpha were found.

Ophthalmologica, 1986, 193(1-2), 34 - 8
Management of purulent postoperative endophthalmitis; Laatikainen L et al.; In 1985, postoperative purulent endophthalmitis (PPE) was diagnosed in 8 eyes (severe in 5 and presumed in 3 eyes) . All were treated with paraocular injections of cefotaxime, gentamicin and triamcinolone with or without the same antibiotics by intraocular and/or systemic route with or without systemic corticosteroids . The suspect causative organisms were Staphylococcus epidermidis in 2 cases, Staphylococcus aureus in 3 cases, streptococcus in 1 case, in 2 cases the cause remained unknown . Pars plana vitrectomy and anterior chamber lavage were performed on 5 eyes, and anterior chamber and vitreous tap on 1 eye . The intraocular lens implants were not removed at vitrectomy . A useful vision ranging from 0.15 to 0.6 was obtained in all cases . Our present regime for the management of purulent postoperative or posttraumatic endophthalmitis is given.

Gynecol Obstet Invest, 1986, 21(1), 40 - 6
Studies of natural killer activity and augmentation by OK-432 in patients with gynecological malignancies; Negishi Y et al.; The natural killer (NK) and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxic (ADCC) activities were determined in peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with gynecologic malignancy . The effects of a preparation of Streptococcus pyogenes (OK-432) and of interferon were determined . Patients with advanced cancer exhibited lower natural cytotoxicity than normal women . NK and ADCC activities were decreased following surgery and NK activity was decreased following chemotherapy . Radiation reduced the percentage of Leu-7-positive cells in the circulation of the patients . OK-432 augmented the NK activity of both healthy women and patients with early malignancy . Interferon was less effective than OK-432 in augmenting NK activity.

Arch Oral Biol, 1986, 31(12), 849 - 53
Lysis of Streptococcus sanguis by an extracellular enzyme from the bacterium Streptococcus mutans from human dental plaque; Baba H; The ability of crude extracellular enzyme produced by the oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans AL7-1 to lyse living cells of Streptococcus sanguis ATCC 10556, 10557 and 10558 was examined . This enzyme showed lytic activity of living cells and cell walls of only Strep . sanguis ATCC 10558 strain and severed at random the long chains of this strain of living cells . Early log phase cells of this strain were more sensitive to this lytic enzyme than were late-log phase cells . In view of these results, the relationship between this lytic enzyme from Strep . mutans and a decrease in the number of serotype III strains of Strep . sanguis in dental plaque is discussed.

Arch Oral Biol, 1986, 31(1), 1 - 4
Persistence and spread of the orally-implanted bacterium Streptococcus sanguis between persons; Svanberg M et al.; Transformant strains of streptomycin-resistant Streptococcus sanguis persisted 2.5 years after oral implantation in 6 out of 11 subjects . Natural transmission of these bacteria to spouses had occurred in 5 of the 6 infected subjects . At follow-up examinations, the median value of streptomycin-resistant Strep . sanguis per ml saliva was 226,000 c.f.u . in the infected subjects and 352,000 c.f.u . in their spouses . The median values of streptomycin-resistant Strep . sanguis as a percentage of the total Strep . sanguis c.f.u . count were 3.6 and 4.8 per cent in samples from vestibular mucosa, and 18.2 and 7.8 per cent in samples from the teeth of the infected subjects and their spouses, respectively.

J Dent Res, 1986 Jan, 65(1), 57 - 61
Effects of highly concentrated stannous fluoride and chlorhexidine regimes on human dental plaque flora; Schaeken MJ et al.; The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an intensive antimicrobial treatment on the number of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguis, Actinomyces viscosus/Actinomyces naeslundii, and the total Colony-forming Units (CFU) in plaque . The dentition of human volunteers was treated in a dental office with either chlorhexidine (5%) or stannous fluoride (8%) . Following the office treatment with chlorhexidine, selected volunteers rinsed daily at home for seven or 49 days with chlorhexidine solution (0.2%), while another group flossed daily at home for seven days with dental floss impregnated with chlorhexidine . On days one, seven, 21, 35, and 49 after the local applications, we took saliva samples and plaque samples from fissures, smooth surfaces, and approximal areas . Chlorhexidine and stannous fluoride suppressed S . mutans and the Actinomyces species on all surfaces and in saliva . S . mutans on tooth surfaces was suppressed for approximately seven days and returned to the baseline level at day 21 . A . viscosus/naeslundii was suppressed for more than seven days on the teeth . S . sanguis and the total CFU returned to the baseline level within seven days on all surfaces and in saliva . Rinsing or flossing with chlorhexidine suppressed S . mutans during the period of time that these supplements were used . Brushing for seven days with chlorhexidine gel (1%) without a preceding intensive chlorhexidine treatment had virtually no effect on S . mutans in approximal areas and in saliva, but suppressed S . mutans in fissures and on smooth surfaces.

J Dent Res, 1986 Jan, 65(1), 30 - 3
Inhibition of acid production from oral bacteria by fluorapatite-derived fluoride; Harper DS et al.; The inhibitory effect of fluorapatite (FAP)-derived fluoride upon resting cell suspensions of Streptococcus mutans incubated at pH 4.5 and 6.5 was studied using lactic acid production from 0.1% sucrose as an indicator of fermentation activity . Cells incubated with FAP produced significantly less lactic acid than did cells incubated with hydroxyapatite (HAP) . Addition of HAP to cell suspensions containing FAP reduced this inhibition, suggesting that dissolution of the FAP was necessary for inhibition . Incubation with low concentrations of NaF showed significant inhibition in cell suspensions incubated with as little as 0.45 micrograms/mL F at pH 5.0 . These results provide further support to the hypothesis that fluoride levels in plaque and enamel, achievable through use of fluoridated water and/or fluoride dentifrices, may produce appreciable inhibition of glycolysis at the acidic pH levels which are readily achieved in plaque . Thus, bacterial acid production may activate plaque and enamel-bound fluoride, resulting in inhibition of further acid production, and thereby contribute substantially to the other cariostatic mechanisms of fluoride.

Pediatrician, 1986, 13(4), 180 - 8
Acute rheumatic fever in the 1980s; Ruttenberg HD; Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an inflammatory sequela which occurs in 1-3% of children afflicted with group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat) . The major manifestations are carditis, migratory polyarthritis and chorea . ARF recurs with repeated strep throats and frequently leads to rheumatic heart disease (RHD), usually mitral and aortic regurgitation and mitral stenosis . ARF likely results from an abnormal host immune response with a host-antibody/streptococcal antigen production in pharyngeal tissue and subsequent cross-reaction of host antibodies with host end organs . Treatment includes eradication of the streptococcus, use of high doses of salicylates and adrenal corticosteroids, and prolonged bed rest with gradual ambulation after clinical and laboratory signs of the disease are gone . While the incidence and mortality of ARF and RHD have decreased drastically in the affluent industrialized countries of Europe, North America, and in Japan, the disease is a major health problem in the less affluent, 'developing' countries of Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, India and Southeast Asia . The major risk factors for ARF are believed to be genetic or familial, inadequate medical care and crowded conditions . The last two factors are socioeconomic but may also be influenced by ethnic cultural behavior . Genetic propensity for ARF is supported by recent evidence of a specific DR-HLA marker in the majority of people with ARF or RHD . Finally, while ARF appears to be vanishing in most areas of the country, it is still prevalent in some affluent populations and in some disadvantaged minorities.

Nephrol Dial Transplant, 1986, 1(3), 175 - 8
Propionibacteria isolates and asymptomatic infections of the peritoneal effluent in CAPD patients; Sombolos K et al.; During the past two years our laboratory has isolated Propionibacterium-an anaerobic Gram-positive rod-on 40 occasions from the drainage fluid of 25 patients on CAPD and eight on IPD . Most patients had no symptoms and the fluid was sent for culture after treatment of peritonitis, during training period, and occasionally because it was cloudy . No association was found with patients' age, length on dialysis, or previous peritonitis episodes . The only statistically significant association (P = 0.033) was with recent (less than 30 days) catheter insertion . Patients with Propionibacterium as the only organism in their dialysis fluid had normal leucocyte count in the effluent, minimal or no symptoms, and received no treatment . In order to establish the frequency of positive cultures of asymptomatic patients, we cultured 95 dialysate effluents from 33 asymptomatic CAPD patients . Cultures were observed for 4 weeks . We found seven positive fluids (7.4%) in four patients (12%), aerobic sporeformer (2), Staphylococcus epidermidis (2) and Streptococcus viridans (1) . The mean time to grow was 18.6 days . In conclusion, effluents from asymptomatic CAPD patients may contain bacteria . The organisms are commensals requiring prolonged incubation to grow . Propionibacterium isolated from peritoneal effluent of patients with minimal or no symptoms does not require treatment . These findings suggest that errors in the technique of CAPD are not rare but when the number of organisms is small and the organism has low virulence, peritonitis does not occur.

Ann Med Interne (Paris), 1986, 137(8), 652 - 5
{Association of bacterial endocarditis and alcoholic cirrhosis in 9 patients}; Vilde JL et al.; Ten cases of bacterial endocarditis were observed in cirrhotic patients . In 7 cases, endocarditis was due to group D Streptococcus, 5 of which were Streptococcus D . bovis . Special features were the involvement of tricuspid valve and the involvement of two or more valves in 4 cases . Surgery was necessary in the acute phase in 5 patients: cure was definitely obtained in 8 cases after a particularly long interval . A colonic lesion could have been the portal of entry in some cases . Liver cirrhosis was considered as a predisposing factor for bacterial endocarditis, especially due to group D Streptococcus or to other bacteria of intestinal origin . This is probably related to the frequency of the colonic origin of group D Streptococcus endocarditis . Loss of filter function of the liver may partly explain the features of these forms of endocarditis.

Microbios, 1986, 48(194), 43 - 60
Streptococcus mutans ribosomal preparations: purification and properties; Gregory RL; Ribosomal preparations were obtained from Streptococcus mutans . Sucrose density gradient analyses showed the ribosomes to be 70S and dissociated subunits to be 56S and 34S . The ribosomal preparation contained 57.4% RNA and 42.6% protein and gave an absorption maximum at 260 nm and a minimum at 235 nm and ribosomal particles were approximately 150-180 X 190-220 A as determined by electron microscopy . Immunodiffusion analysis of pooled antiserum raised by injecting the ribosomal preparation into rabbits disclosed precipitin lines with glucosyltransferase and lipoteichoic acid preparations from S . mutans . Gas chromatography showed rhamnose and glucose to be present in the ribosomal preparation indicating the presence of nonribosomal carbohydrate materials . The ribosomes were able to synthesize precipitable polypeptides when exogenous mRNA and tRNA were added and anti-ribosomal antibodies reduced this activity . Protease treatment rendered the ribosomal preparation less immunogenic in rats and less antigenic when the ribosomal preparation was used to coat erythrocytes for passive haemagglutination assays, while RNase treatment of the ribosomal preparation had no effect, suggesting that a protein(s) is the principal immunogenic moiety of the ribosomal antigen . Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the ribosomal preparation revealed 27 protein bands of which five were found to react with hyperimmune rabbit antisera to the S . mutans ribosomal preparation by Western blot analysis . Washing the ribosomal preparation with 1 M NH4Cl did not remove any of the five immunogenic ribosomal protein antigens indicating that these were innate ribosomal proteins.

Cancer Immunol Immunother, 1986, 23(1), 41 - 5
Synergistic induction of cytotoxicity in macrophages by murine interferon-gamma and biological response modifiers derived from microorganisms; Nagao S et al.; The ability of recombinant murine interferon-gamma (rMuIFN-gamma) to activate murine macrophages with or without several biological response modifiers (BRM), including synthetic muramyl dipeptide derivatives (MDPs), was investigated . Mouse peritoneal macrophages were activated by rMuIFN-gamma alone to the cytostatic state, but not the cytolytic state . Other BRM as well as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), including a lyophilized preparation of an attenuated strain of Streptococcus hemolyticus, a cell wall skeleton of bacillus Calmette-Guerin and synthetic MDPs, were highly active in generating the synergism with rMuIFN-gamma . Macrophages were endowed with the cytolytic activities by combinations of rMuIFN-gamma and MDP-Lys(L18); the combination of 100 U/ml of rMuIFN-gamma with 10 ng/ml of MDP-Lys(L18) was sufficient to induce cytolytic activities in macrophages . The synergism was observed when the macrophages primed with rMuIFN-gamma were treated with LPS or MDP-Lys(L18), but not when the sequence of treatment was reversed . The cytotoxicity of macrophages induced by rMuIFN-gamma with MDP-Lys(L18) was suppressed by priming with MDP-Lys(L18) . The suppressive effect was also observed by priming with LPS in combinations of rMUIFN-gamma and LPS . The reason for the suppression of macrophage activation by priming with LPS and MDP-Lys(L18) is at present unknown.

J Basic Microbiol, 1986, 26(2), 75 - 81
Expression of the streptokinase gene from Streptococcus equisimilis in Bacillus subtilis; Klessen C et al.; The previously cloned and sequenced streptokinase gene (skc) from Streptococcus equisimilis H46A was inserted into plasmid vectors capable of replication in Bacillus subtilis . The skc gene was expressed by use of its own transcription and translation signals which appeared to meet the stringent requirements of B . subtilis for efficient foreign gene expression . The secreted streptokinase activity began to decline toward the end of the exponential growth phase suggesting that B . subtilis exoproteases hydrolyzed and inactivated the foreign protein.

Clin Ther, 1986, 8(3), 301 - 8
Effect of oral penicillin on pneumococcal carriage in elderly men with chronic bronchitis; Haas H et al.; A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was undertaken to evaluate the effect of penicillin on the pneumococcal carrier state of 32 men with chronic bronchitis . Treatment consisted of 250-mg phenoxymethyl penicillin or placebo tablets taken by mouth twice daily for periods of one to three years . Penicillin eradicated Streptococcus pneumoniae from the respiratory tracts of all carriers and prevented colonization with pneumococci for the duration of treatment, whereas placebo had no discernible effect on the carrier state (P = 0.0015) . The conclusion is that daily penicillin orally in low doses eliminates pneumococci from the oropharynx of elderly patients with clinically stable chronic bronchitis.

Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss, 1986 Jan, 79(1), 47 - 51
{Indications and results of surgery in native valve infectious endocarditis . Apropos of 104 surgically-treated cases}; Bru P et al.; From 1972 to 1984, 104 cases of aortic valve infectious endocarditis were treated surgically . The average age of the patients was 40 years and the majority were men (69/104) . Forty patients had no previous cardiac disease; 44 patients had documented valvular heart disease, which was unlikely in the remaining 20 patients . There were 16 mitral valve, 55 aortic valve, 1 tricuspid, 30 mitro-aortic, 1 mitro-tricuspid and 1 mitro-aorto-tricuspid valve infections . Aerococcus viridans was isolated in only 4 out of 71 positive cultures: the prevalence of the infecting organisms was otherwise normal (30 staphylococcus, 30 streptococcus, 7 rare organisms) . Forty one patients were operated because of haemodynamic deterioration, 13 for resistant infection and 13 for an association of both indications; 37 patients were operated for embolism or threatening vegetations . Eight patients were in functional Class I, 26 in Class II, 52 in Class III and 17 in Class IV . The patients were divided into 4 groups according to the degree of surgical emergency (26 extremely urgent, 26 semi urgent, 32 controlled endocarditis and 20 chronic endocarditis) . The actuarial survival rate was 70% at 5 years . Poor prognostic factors were the presence of previous valve disease, the isolation of a staphylococcus and an aortic valve localisation . The degree of emergency and the precise surgical indication did not seem to be important . Most patients at long term were in functional Classes I or II . There was no preferential indication for bioprosthetic or mechanical valve replacement in endocarditis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Microbiol Immunol, 1986, 30(1), 35 - 47
Purification and immunochemical properties of a protein antigen from serotype g Streptococcus mutans; Okahashi N et al.; A proteinaceous antigen (PAg) was purified from the culture supernatant of Streptococcus mutans 6715 (serotype g) by ultrafiltration, ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-Sephacel ion-exchange chromatography, Phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B hydrophobic chromatography, and subsequent Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration . A yield of 0.1 mg of PAg was obtained from a liter of culture supernatant . The isoelectric point and molecular weight of PAg were pH 4.6 and 210,000, respectively . It contained 35% sugar, which was identified as glucose by gas-liquid chromatography . Amino acid analysis revealed that PAg contains 28% acidic and 11% basic amino acid residues . PAg retained its antigenicity after heating at 80 C for 10 min in deionized water, or after treatment with 0.1 M HC1 or 0.1 M NaOH at 37 C for 1 hr . Immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis analyses revealed that PAg is serologically distinct from other cell-surface antigens such as serotype-specific polysaccharide and lipoteichoic acid . A cross-reaction between PAg and a protein antigen similarly prepared from serotype c S . mutans was observed in immunodiffusion tests.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 1986 Jan, 51(1), 57 - 64
Partial characterization of the genetic basis for sucrose metabolism and nisin production in Streptococcus lactis; Steele JL et al.; We attempted to identify the genetic loci for sucrose-fermenting ability (Suc+), nisin-producing ability (Nip+), and nisin resistance (Nisr) in certain strains of Streptococcus lactis . To obtain genetic evidence linking the Suc+ Nip+ Nisr phenotype to a distinct plasmid, both conjugal transfer and transformation were attempted . A conjugation procedure modified to protect the recipients against the inhibitory action of nisin allowed the conjugal transfer of the Suc+ Nip+ Nisr marker from three Suc+ Nip+ Nisr donors to various recipients . The frequency of transfer ranged from 1.7 x 10(-4) to 5.6 x 10(-8) per input donor, depending on the mating pair . However, no additional plasmid DNA was apparent in these transconjugants . Transformation of S . lactis LM0230 to the Suc+ Nip+ Nisr phenotype by using the plasmid pool of S . lactis ATCC 11454 was not achieved, even though other plasmids present in the pool were successfully transferred . However, two results imply the involvement of plasmid DNA in coding for the Suc+ Nip+ Nisr phenotype . The Suc+ Nip+ Nisr marker was capable of conjugal transfer to a recipient deficient in host-mediated homologous recombination (Rec-), and the Suc+ Nip+ Nisr marker exhibited bilateral plasmid incompatibility with a number of lactose plasmids found in S . lactis . Although our results indicate that the Suc+ Nip+ Nisr phenotype is plasmid encoded, no physical evidence linking this phenotype to a distinct plasmid was obtained.

Arch Dermatol, 1986 Jan, 122(1), 58 - 62
Semipermeable occlusive dressings . Effects on growth of pathogenic bacteria and reepithelialization of superficial wounds; Katz S et al.; Six commercially available semiocclusive dressings were tested for their effect on the growth of resident and pathogenic bacteria and the reepithelialization of experimentally induced wounds in human volunteers . Scarification and abrasion-type wounds inoculated with Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were quantitatively cultured at different times after being covered with the dressings . Reepithelialization was assessed by serial stereomicrographs . None of the dressings was able to prevent clinical infection . All dressings provided microenvironments that were conducive to the growth of resident and pathogenic bacteria . There was no difference in the rates of reepithelialization.

Arch Otorhinolaryngol, 1986, 243(5), 296 - 303
Experimental tympanosclerosis following infection with Streptococcus pyogenes and vitamin D3 intoxication; Mann W; A rat animal model was used to study the ultrastructure of submucosal calcifications induced in the middle ear following inoculation with Streptococcus pyogenes and high doses of parenteral vitamin D3 . The morphological changes present in affected animals resembled the classical picture of tympanosclerosis . While calcification occurred about bacterial remnants and myelin structures, the most important calcification centers were lysosomal and non-lysosomal matrix vesicles in the extracellular spaces . These formed band-like calcifications close to the basal membrane without affecting the epithelial layer . This animal model offers the possibility of studying the effect of various therapeutic regimens in the treatment of the dynamic tympanosclerotic process.

Gene, 1986, 44(1), 79 - 88
Cloning of a gene encoding a DNA polymerase-exonuclease of Streptococcus pneumoniae; Martinez S et al.; A procedure was developed for cloning and characterizing genes that encode proteins with nuclease activity in the Streptococcus pneumoniae {pLS1} host/vector system . Clones are screened for nuclease activity by a DNase colony assay and the nucleases that they produce are characterized by detection of enzyme activity after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . The method was used to clone the gene encoding a DNA polymerase (Pol)-exonuclease of S . pneumoniae . The activity of this enzyme, the predominant DNA Pol of S . pneumoniae, is tenfold greater in cells carrying the multicopy recombinant plasmid than in cells without the plasmid . The enzyme corresponds to a 100-kDa polypeptide, and its properties are similar to PolI of Escherichia coli . A restriction map of the pSM22 plasmid containing the pneumococcal polA gene was obtained . The gene was transferred into Bacillus subtilis and E . coli, and it was expressed in both species . Its direction of transcription was determined by placement of the gene in both orientations in an E . coli hyperexpression plasmid . In one of the orientations the pneumococcal PolI enzyme was produced at a level 50-fold greater than normally found in S . pneumoniae, and it comprised 5% of the total protein.

Gene, 1986, 41(2-3), 153 - 63
Selective advantage of deletions enhancing chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene expression in Streptococcus pneumoniae plasmids; Ballester S et al.; A hybrid plasmid, pJS37, was made by combining pLS1, which confers tetracycline (Tc) resistance, and pC194, which confers chloramphenicol (Cm) resistance . Both pJS37 (7.3 kb) and its derivative pJS140 (6.0 kb), from which pC194 replication genes were removed, were structurally and segregationally stable when introduced into Streptococcus pneumoniae and grown either in the presence of Tc or in the absence of drug . However, both hybrid plasmids underwent systematic deletion when grown in the presence of Cm . One of the deleted forms, pJS4 (3.4 kb), could not be maintained in the absence of a helper plasmid; two others, pJS3 (4.1 kb) and pJS5 (3.8 kb), lost the tet gene but retained the replication functions of pLS1 . They both expressed very high levels of Cm acetyltransferase (CAT), which, in the case of pJS5, were constitutive . Nucleotide sequence determination of the deletion junctions in pJS3 and pJS5 indicated that the deletions occurred, presumably by recombination, between short direct repeats of 6 and 9 bp, respectively . In both cases the tet promoter was juxtaposed to the cat gene . In the case of pJS5, the deletion removed a sequence that sequestered the ribosome-binding site (RBS) for cat, thereby rendering constitutive the production of CAT . The increased resistance to Cm afforded by the hyperexpression of the cat gene apparently provided a positive selective advantage for the accumulation of the deleted forms in the plasmid pool.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Jan, 83(2), 280 - 4
Variable stoichiometry of phosphate-linked anion exchange in Streptococcus lactis: implications for the mechanism of sugar phosphate transport by bacteria; Ambudkar SV et al.; Phosphate/2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate antiport in Streptococcus lactis showed an exchange stoichiometry that varied over a 2-fold range when assay pH was shifted between pH 8.2 and pH 5.2 . At pH 7.0 and above, 2 mol of phosphate moved per mol of sugar phosphate; at pH 6.1 the ratio was 1.5:1, while at pH 5.2 the overall stoichiometry fell to 1.1:1 . This pattern was not affected by valinomycin in potassium-based media, nor could variable stoichiometry be attributed to altered hydrolysis of the sugar phosphate substrate . In kinetic studies at pH 7.0 or pH 5.2, sugar 6-phosphate was a competitive inhibitor of phosphate transport, indicating operation of a single system . Parallel tests showed that the affinity of antiport for its sugar 6-phosphate substrate was insensitive to pH in this range . Overall, such results suggest a neutral exchange that has specificity for monovalent phosphate but that selects randomly among the available mono- and divalent sugar 6-phosphates . A simple model that shows this behavior suggests a mechanistic role for anion exchange in bacterial transport of sugar phosphate or other organic anions.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1986 Jan, 83(1), 140 - 4
Construction and properties of Tn917-lac, a transposon derivative that mediates transcriptional gene fusions in Bacillus subtilis; Perkins JB et al.; A derivative of Tn917 was constructed, referred to as Tn917-lac, which is capable of generating fusions that connect the transcripts of Bacillus subtilis chromosomal genes to the coding sequence of the lacZ gene of Escherichia coli . Two independent insertions of Tn917-lac into the gltA gene and one insertion into the trpE gene (in the trpEDCFBA operon) of B . subtilis were studied in detail, and the results confirmed that Tn917-lac-mediated transcriptional fusions produce levels of beta-galactosidase that reflect accurately the regulated expression of interrupted genes . To facilitate these studies, a procedure was developed that permits the analysis of Tn917-lac-mediated fusions in partial diploids where insertional mutations are complemented by an intact copy of the interrupted genes . Tn917 is known to function efficiently in bacteria representing three quite different Gram-positive genera (Streptococcus, Bacillus, and Staphylococcus) and is known to display a relatively high degree of randomness in its insertions into bacterial genomes, making it likely that Tn917-lac will be useful for the identification and study of many kinds of regulated genes in a wide range of Gram-positive species.

Gene, 1986, 47(2-3), 201 - 9
Cloning and expression of a Streptococcus mutans glucosyltransferase gene in Bacillus subtilis; Burne RA et al.; The gtfA gene of Streptococcus mutans GS-5, which encodes a 55-kDa glucosyltransferase has been isolated from a genetic library in an Escherichia coli-Bacillus subtilis shuttle vector, pMK3 . The construction containing the gene enables E . coli JM83 and a sucrase-deficient mutant of B . subtilis to grow on sucrose as the sole carbohydrate source . The gene is expressed under its own control in both organisms . The level of biochemical activity detectable in B . subtilis carrying the clone is approx . 50% of that found in E . coli harboring the same construction . In Bacillus, the gene is expressed through exponential and stationary phases of growth with a decrease in activity as the culture enters stationary phase, corresponding to increases in intracellular protease levels . The enzyme produced in E . coli or B . subtilis harboring the cloned gene is identical to the enzyme produced by S . mutans GS-5 as determined by migration in native polyacrylamide gels.

Microbios, 1986, 47(190), 53 - 66
A comparative study of the extracellular glucosyl- and fructosyltransferases from cariogenic and non-cariogenic Streptococcus mutans strains of two different serotypes; Asem K et al.; Extracellular proteins from continuous cultures of serotype c and g Streptococcus mutans strains were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate . Gels stained with raffinose after electrophoresis revealed that although serotype c strains secrete two fructosyltransferases of molecular mass 68 kDa and 79 kDa, no fructosyltransferase was secreted by the serotype g strain K1 . A sucrose activity stain was used to detect two glucosyltransferases (GTF) of molecular mass 162 kDa (bifunctional 1,6-alpha-D-glucan 3-alpha- and 6-alpha GTF or 'dextransucrase') and 153 kDa (a 1,3-alpha-D-glucan 3-alpha-GTF) in samples from cariogenic serotype c strains . Neither the 153 kDa protein nor the corresponding GTF activity was secreted by the non-cariogenic mutant C 67-25 . The molecular masses of the corresponding 1,3-alpha and 1,6-alpha-GTF proteins from the serotype g strain K1 were 164 kDa and 158 kDa, respectively . All of the GTF proteins were degraded to discrete bands of lower molecular mass on storage at 4 degrees C even after extensive purification . The results provide an explanation for several outstanding controversies in the GTF literature.

Proc Soc Exp Biol Med, 1986 Jan, 181(1), 9 - 17
Stimulation of macrophage by polyanions and its conjugated proteins and effect on cell membrane; Oda T et al.; Lipophilic anionic copolymer (styrene-maleic acid; SMA) conjugates of albumin and antitumor protein neocarzinostatin (NCS) (smancs) were found to stimulate the release of H2O2 and O-2 from the peritoneal macrophages obtained from mice which had been pretreated with the heat-killed preparation of Streptococcus pyogenes (OK-432) in vivo . Some alkyl esters of SMA exhibited effects similar to protein-polymer conjugates . Among them, butyl-SMA was the most effective followed by ethyl-SMA, whereas hydrolyzed SMA showed no effect . This activity was dose-dependent but exhibited a bell-shape profile . These results suggest that the aliphatic ester residue in SMA as well as the main chain of the copolymer may be important for the activation of macrophages . A strong antitumor effect of smancs reported elsewhere may be attributed partly to the activation of macrophages in addition to the direct damage to the cellular DNA by the NCS component . A preliminary investigation of the subcellular mechanism of macrophage activation was carried out in view of membrane fluidity by the fluorescence polarization method . The results showed that the apparent decrease in the cell membrane fluidity and the degree of macrophage activation paralleled the same dose range and at similar time courses . This indicated the interaction of SMA component and macrophage cell membrane.

Acta Microbiol Pol, 1986, 35(1-2), 91 - 5
Antistreptolysin O titer in horses; Romanowska D et al.; Antistreptolysin O (ASO) titers were determined in the sera of 532 horses from stud farms and 436 working horses from small farms . A statistically significant correlation was seen between the ASO titer and the age of the horses . There was a significant difference between mean ASO titer in horses 0-2 years and horses 2-10 years In horses older than 10 years the titer was significantly higher than mean ASO titer for the group . Twenty four of 30 horses in which ASO titer was higher or equal to 80 I.U . had histories which suggested that streptococcal infection had occurred . Clinical and bacteriological examination showed that in all examined stud farms cases of Streptococcus C infection was noted during the 2 years before serum was collected . Streptococcus C was isolated usually from horses which had low ASO titer . Our results are in agreement with the suggestion that S . zooepidemicus infections increase the ASO titer in serum of horses.

Int J Immunopharmacol, 1986, 8(1), 83 - 92
Studies of the enhancement of natural cytotoxicity by the streptococcal immunopotentiator OK432; Christmas SE et al.; The immunopotentiator OK432, a product of Streptococcus pyogenes A3, enhanced the natural killer (NK) activity of unseparated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) and separated, nonadherent lymphocytes (PBL) containing less than 0.5% contamination with monocytes . Following treatment with OK432, both unseparated and non-adherent cell preparations produced interferon (IFN) alpha and gamma and low levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) . However, in the presence of neutralising amounts of anti-IFN alpha and gamma antisera, the NK enhancing effect of OK432 was not fully inhibited . Filtered supernatants derived from OK432-treated PBM or PBL also enhanced the NK activity of fresh PBM . In this instance, in most experiments, the NK enhancing effect of supernatants (from non-adherent cells) was fully inhibited by anti-IFN antisera . However, in some experiments, enhancement of NK activity by anti-IFN antisera-treated supernatants was still found . It is suggested that the presence of IL-2 or, possibly, other as yet uncharacterized factors secreted following OK432 treatment, account for this residual enhancement of NK activity.

J Chromatogr, 1985 Dec 4, 348(2), 363 - 70
Purification and characterization of cAMP-factor from Streptococcus agalactiae by hydrophobic interaction chromatography and chromatofocusing; Jurgens D et al.; CAMP-factor from Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus) was purified 60-fold from the culture supernatant to electrophoretic homogeneity in 57% yield . The purification procedure involved ammonium sulphate precipitation, ultrafiltration, hydrophobic interaction chromatography on Octyl-Sepharose and chromatofocusing on polybuffer exchanger PBE 94 . The purified CAMP-factor consists of a single polypeptide chain with an apparent molecular weight of 25 kD and an isoelectric point of 8.9 . The properties of the CAMP-factor demonstrated by charge-shift electrophoresis were consistent with those of an amphiphilic polypeptide.

Q J Med, 1985 Dec, 57(224), 867 - 73
Myocardial depression and nephrotic syndrome in Streptococcus sanguis endocarditis; Hackett D et al.; Nephrotic syndrome is a most unusual complication of infective endocarditis . We report a case of Streptococcus sanguis endocarditis of the tricuspid valve in a patient with a small congenital ventricular septal defect who developed this complication . Severe myocardial depression also occurred and the clinical behaviour and subsequent recovery of this closely paralleled that of the nephrotic syndrome . These unusual associations, their possible interactions and pathogeneses are discussed.

Lab Anim Sci, 1985 Dec, 35(6), 635 - 41
Streptococcal enteropathy in infant rats; Hoover D et al.; A spontaneous outbreak of enteric disease with high morbidity and mortality occurred in preweanling rats on a multigeneration toxicity study . The rats had a large number of gram-positive cocci on the surface of villi in the small intestine without associated inflammatory change . Ultrastructural study identified filamentous attachments between adjacent bacteria, and between bacteria and morphologically normal microvilli . The organism was isolated and identified as Streptococcus sp . The disease was reproduced in rat pups by inoculating dams and newborn rats with pure cultures of the Streptococcus . Streptococcal enteropathy is a previously unreported disease in rats.

Carbohydr Res, 1985 Dec 1, 144(2), 289 - 96
Structure of the group-specific polysaccharide of group E Streptococcus; Pritchard DG et al.; The structure of the group-specific polysaccharide of group E Streptococcus was determined by methylation, periodate oxidation, and partial methanolysis, and the configuration of the anomeric linkages by 1H- and 13C-n.m.r . spectroscopy . The trisaccharide repeating unit----2)-alpha-L-Rhap-(1----3)-{beta-D-Glcp-(1----2)}-alpha-L -Rhap-(1----was determined.

Am J Reprod Immunol Microbiol, 1985 Dec, 9(4), 119 - 23
Opsonization of bacteria by uterine secretions of cyclic mares; Brown AE et al.; Uterine flushings collected from mares before and after bacterial-induced inflammation were assayed for ability to opsonize Streptococcus zooepidemicus for phagocytosis by polymorphonuclear leukocytes . Opsonization was measured as the peak phagocytic rate of bacteria preincubated with uterine flushings relative to the peak phagocytic rate of unopsonized bacteria . Flushings from four mares with noninfected uteri were unable to opsonize bacteria regardless of whether uteri were flushed at estrus or on day 10 postovulation . In a second experiment, 7 X 10(9) live S . zooepidemicus were inoculated into the uterus of five mares during estrus . Uterine flushings collected at the estrus before inoculation or at the estrus after inoculation did not opsonize bacteria . Four of five flushings collected 6 hr post inoculation, however, were capable of opsonization . Based on heat inactivation at 56 degrees C, the opsonizing activity of one of four flushes was due to a complement protein . It was concluded that one aspect of the acute inflammatory response of the mare's uterus is accumulation of opsonins in the uterine lumen.

Acta Orthop Scand, 1985 Dec, 56(6), 506 - 8
Dental bacteremia--a neglected cause of arthroplasty infections? Three hip cases; Lindqvist C et al.; We report on three patients with late hip replacement infection . The micro-organism was microaerophilic Streptococcus viridans, an oral organism, in all patients . Dental procedures had preceded the onset of the hip infection in all cases, and severe periodontal disease was observed on subsequent admissions.

J Pediatr Surg, 1985 Dec, 20(6), 728 - 33
Broviac catheter sepsis: the natural history of an iatrogenic infection; King DR et al.; Between January 1982 and December 1983, 335 Broviac catheters placed in 270 infants and children were prospectively evaluated . The average duration of catheter life was 99.7 days, yielding a total accumulated experience of 33,394 catheter days . Blood culture-proven bacteremia occurred on 77 occasions (23%), an average of one spetic episode for every 434 days of catheter use . Temperature elevation was the only consistent clinical sign of infection occurring in 91% of the children . White blood cell counts remained within the normal range in the majority of patients . The differential counts were most helpful, however, documenting a significant increase in the number of immature neutrophils . The rise in band forms was frequently observed 24 to 48 hours before the onset of clinically evident sepsis . Platelet counts did not change significantly . Eighty-eight microorganisms were identified on blood culture . Eighty-three bacterial isolates were recovered (94%) and five fungi . The vast majority of patients (86%) had a single organism on blood culture but polymicrobial sepsis was observed on 11 occasions . Staphylococcus sp (38%) and Streptococcus sp (25%) species were most common . Of particular importance, 48% of coagulase negative staphylococci were nafcillin-resistant . Of the gram negative bacteria, Klebsiella (10%) and Pseudomonas (6%) species were most frequent . In 53 patients, antibiotic therapy was administered in an attempt to salvage the catheter . Bacteremia was controlled successfully in 39 (74%), and in the other 14 children, persistent sepsis dictated catheter removal . One patient (0.4%) died as a result of catheter-related sepsis.

Am Fam Physician, 1985 Dec, 32(6), 101 - 7
Diagnosis and treatment of sinusitis; Stool SE; Maxillary and ethmoid sinusitis may occur at any age . Frontal sinus infections first appear in adolescence . The bacteria that cause sinusitis are similar to those associated with otitis media . Streptococcus pneumoniae and Hemophilus influenzae are recovered from 50 to 70 percent of isolates . Anaerobes are also important pathogens in adults . Fungal sinusitis usually occurs only in diabetics or immunosuppressed individuals.

J Pediatr, 1985 Dec, 107(6), 861 - 6
Acute chest syndrome in sickle cell disease: etiology and clinical correlates; Poncz M et al.; Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a new pulmonic process in a clinically ill patient with sickle cell disease . We prospectively analyzed 102 episodes of ACS in patients in our hospital during a 2-year period to study cause and clinical correlates . In 12% of the episodes, ACS was judged to be secondary to bacterial pneumonia (including only 3% secondary to Streptococcus pneumoniae), 8% was associated with uncomplicated viral pneumonias, and 16% with mycoplasmal pneumonias . The clinical course and seasonal variations in these groups were compared with those in the remaining 64% of episodes . In comparison with episodes of ACS of undetermined origin (presumably secondary to pulmonary infarct, atelectasis, or missed infections), patients with bacterial pneumonia were sicker, as shown by fever and hospitalization of longer duration, the percent of those requiring red blood cell transfusion, and the presence of pleural effusions . The lower incidence of bacterial pneumonias among our patients compared with that previously reported may reflect our use of penicillin prophylaxis and pneumococcal immunization to prevent S . pneumoniae infections.

Infect Immun, 1985 Dec, 50(3), 826 - 32
In vitro inhibition of adherence of Streptococcus mutans strains by nonadherent mutants of S . mutans 6715; Murchison H et al.; Four nonadherent mutants from Streptococcus mutans 6715 mutant UAB66 (serotype g) with similar phenotypes were shown to inhibit the adherence of adherence-proficient S . mutans serotypes c and g strains . One mutant, UAB108, was shown to inhibit adherence by wild-type strains representing serotypes a, d, and e as well . This inhibition of adherence was seen with pairs of strains grown in partially defined (PD) medium supplemented with 1% sucrose in both microtiter plates and glass tubes . The inhibiting factor was present in culture supernatant fluids of inhibiting strains grown in PD medium plus 1% sucrose and was heat stable . Ethanol precipitation of culture supernatant fluids of these strains yielded a water-soluble polymer which effectively inhibited the adherence of UAB66 . This polymer, isolated from UAB108, was also shown to inhibit the adherence of UAB66 at lower concentrations than that needed to inhibit adherence with dextran T10 . Partially purified glucosyltransferase, isolated from the culture supernatant fluids of glucose-grown UAB108, produced a water-soluble glucan which was shown to inhibit the adherence of UAB66 as well . The methods developed permit rapid screening for strains or mutants of strains or both that inhibit adherence or plaque formation or both by wild-type strains of S . mutans.

Infect Immun, 1985 Dec, 50(3), 796 - 9
Local passive immunization by monoclonal antibodies against streptococcal antigen I/II in the prevention of dental caries; Lehner T et al.; Local passive immunization with monoclonal antibodies (Mc Ab) to Streptococcus mutans was attempted as an alternative approach to active systemic immunization . We prepared an immunoglobulin G class Mc Ab to the cell surface protein determinant of streptococcal antigen I/II and applied it repeatedly to the teeth of rhesus monkeys . This resulted in decreased colonization by S . mutans in fissures and smooth surfaces of teeth and no dental caries, unlike the results in control animals, which developed caries and showed a high proportion of S . mutans on their teeth . There was no significant difference in serum, salivary, or gingival fluid antibodies to S . mutans between the two groups of animals . Any objections raised over systemic immunization inducing cross-reactive antibodies are therefore overcome by local passive immunization . The mechanism of prevention of colonization has not been established, but we postulate that the Mc Ab which is directed against an important cell surface antigenic determinant of S . mutans (streptococcal antigen I/II) prevents adherence of S . mutans to the acquired pellicle on the tooth surface . S . mutans reacts with the Mc Ab and becomes opsonized, phagocytosed, and killed by the local gingival traffic of neutrophils.

Arch Otolaryngol, 1985 Dec, 111(12), 794 - 8
Sensorineural hearing loss in experimental purulent otitis media due to Streptococcus pneumoniae; Morizono T et al.; Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) has been described clinically following chronic otitis media with effusion, but to the best of our knowledge, no studies have demonstrated SNHL in an animal model of otitis media . Using the chinchilla model of pneumococcal otitis media, significant SNHL was demonstrated after purulent otitis media, especially at higher frequencies . Animals with otitis media received penicillin G procaine treatment for five days after otitis media with effusion (OME) was first documented; resolution of middle ear infection was confirmed by middle ear effusion culture in all animals . Both the inoculated and uninoculated ears were examined by tone burst-elicited compound action potential at threshold . The inoculated ear showed a marked hearing loss of 13 to 36 dB three to four days after OME was first documented; a hearing loss up to 24 dB persisted two to five weeks after inoculation . The change in the compound action potential was highly significant at all frequencies studied . Conductive losses were largely ruled out because there was no middle ear effusion at death and the tympanogram was normal . Purulent labyrinthitis was ruled out by histopathological study . These results indicate that purulent pneumococcal otitis media in the chinchilla model causes significant SNHL and suggest that the pathogenesis of SNHL associated with chronic OME in humans may be studied in this model.

Br J Ophthalmol, 1985 Dec, 69(12), 920 - 6
Corneal ulceration at an urban African hospital; Carmichael TR et al.; During a one-year survey 283 corneal ulcers from 274 patients were seen at St John's Eye Unit of Baragwanath Hospital . Central bacterial ulcers constituted the largest problem, and the commonest isolate in this group was Streptococcus pneumoniae . Mycotic and dendritic keratitis were relatively uncommon, while marginal catarrhal ulceration secondary to chronic staphylococcal lid disease was frequently seen . The microbiology of the various ulcers is described, and the placing of organisms into classes is stressed in determining significance of isolates . Many of the patients were male Africans who were either manual labourers or unemployed . Half the patients had used topical antibiotics before presentation.

Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg {B}, 1985 Dec, 181(3-5), 374 - 82
Inhibition of small intestinal colonization of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli by streptococcus faecium M74 in pigs; Ushe TC et al.; Colonizing and anti E . coli activity of S . faecium M74 was tested by oral inoculation of cesarean derived, colostrum deprived piglets with Streptococcus faecium M74 and subsequently with a heat stable enterotoxin (ST) producing E . coli (O101 : K30 : K99 : NM) . Enterotoxin neutralization and co-culture studies were also performed in vitro . Bacterial counts in 10 cm ileal segments, fluorescein antibody stained cryostat sections, as well as 0.5 micron sections from the ilea of the experimental pigs taken 16 hours post exposure to enterotoxic E . coli (ETEC) all indicated that S . faecium M74 could not colonize the ileum of the newborn pigs, in a single high (7 X 10(8) - 3 X 10(10)) dose either in TSB or in milk suspension, in contrast to the ETEC . However, S . faecium given in milk suspension resulted a marked decrease in ileal colonization of ETEC and in weight loss of piglets . In vitro experiments indicated that neither extracellular nor cell-bound products of S . faecium M74 could neutralise ST, but there was a significant reduction of pH in the TSB cultures of S . faecium that was accompanied by a reduction in ETEC counts of the mixed cultures.

Arthritis Rheum, 1985 Dec, 28(12), 1402 - 11
Reactivation of streptococcal cell wall-induced arthritis by homologous and heterologous cell wall polymers; Esser RE et al.; Joint inflammation initially induced by intraarticular injection of an aqueous suspension of peptidoglycan-polysaccharide (PG-PS) fragments isolated from Streptococcus pyogenes was reactivated by systemic injection of a normally subarthropathic dose of homologous or heterologous cell wall polymers, including muramyl dipeptide and lipopolysaccharide . Reactivation was not correlated with the severity of the initial inflammatory reaction . Results of studies utilizing 125I-labeled PG-PS fragments suggested that reactivation was associated with increased localization of PG-PS fragments in the joint following reinjection . These results indicate that the initial injury of the joint by S pyogenes PG-PS fragments increases the susceptibility of the joint to subsequent injury . Furthermore, once the inflammatory reaction is initiated, it can be perpetuated by a variety of ubiquitous cell wall polymers derived from normal flora as well as from pathogenic bacteria.

Antibiot Med Biotekhnol, 1985 Dec, 30(12), 911 - 5
{Action of tomicide on bacterial cells . The bacteriostatic, bactericidal and bacteriolytic properties of tomicide}; Blinkova LP et al.; The effect of the minimum bacteriostatic and bactericidal concentrations of native and concentrated tomicid on Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus hemolyticus and Micrococcus was studied . It was shown that the bactericidal effect of tomicid was attained with the use of the doses 2-10 times higher than those required for the bacteriostatic effect . The minimum concentrations of tomicid effective against gram-positive cocci varied within the ranges described for the other biologically active substances of bacterial origin . The dose-dependent lytic effect of tomicid was studied . It was found that for lysis of the cells it was necessary to doses significantly exceeding the bactericidal ones.

Trop Geogr Med, 1985 Dec, 37(4), 328 - 33
Isolation of Gardnerella vaginalis from high vaginal swabs; Chowdhury MN et al.; Vaginal swabs from 2715 consecutive unselected women with vaginal discharge were examined for Gardnerella vaginalis, Candida albicans and Trichomonas vaginalis . Of 2715 women, 2043 had non-specific vaginitis and G . vaginalis was isolated from 269 cases (13.2%) . Thirty five of the strains were isolated together with C . albicans, eight with T . vaginalis, six with Bacteroides species and three each with group B Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus . Two hundred and sixteen (80%) of the isolates were from females between the age of 20 and 34 . All 269 strains hydrolysed hippurate and fermented starch; 161 (60%) were isolated from swabs without clue cells . Although facts suggest that vaginal discharge in most of these cases had been associated with G . vaginalis, a possible aetiological role for other micro-organisms has not been ruled out . However, successful therapy with metronidazole in 80% of those cases suggests that G . vaginalis is one cause of non-specific vaginitis . The prevalence rate of G . vaginalis in 160 randomly selected women without vaginal discharge was 5%.

Acta Odontol Scand, 1985 Dec, 43(6), 367 - 70
Collaborative WHO xylitol field studies in Hungary . IV . Saliva levels of Streptococcus mutans; Banoczy J et al.; Salivary Streptococcus mutans was quantified to detect possible age-, sex-, and group-dependent differences at the end of a 3-year field study assessing the value of partial substitution of sucrose with xylitol (X group) in comparison with systemic administration of fluoride (F group) and restorative treatment solely (C group) . The material of this substudy consisted of 390 institutionalized children aged 9-14 years . S . mutans was determined through the spatula technique and grouped into categories 0, less than 10(5), 10(5)-10(6), and and greater than 10(6) CFU/ml saliva . Zero to less than 10(5) values included more than 80% of the subjects of the X group . The cross-sectional comparison between groups showed lower S . mutans values in the X group than in the F and C groups . These differences between groups were highly significant . S . mutans was not dependent on age or sex.

J Med Chem, 1985 Dec, 28(12), 1896 - 903
Orally absorbable cephalosporin antibiotics . 2 . Structure-activity studies of bicyclic glycine derivatives of 7-aminodeacetoxycephalosporanic acid; Kukolja S et al.; Three positional analogues (4-, 5-, and 7-) of benzothienylglycine and (N-acetylindolinyl)-5-glycine were prepared and coupled to 7-aminodeacetoxycephalosporanic acid (7-ADCA) to give the cephalosporins 17a-c . In addition two isomeric (2,3-b and 3,2-b) thienothiopheneglycines were synthesized and coupled to 7-ADCA to yield cephalosporins 30d and 30e . In vitro testing of these new cephalosporins indicates good activity against Gram-positive bacteria . Against Streptococcus pneumoniae infections compound 25 displayed better mouse protection (both orally and subcutaneously) than cephalexin.

J Dent Res, 1985 Dec, 64(12), 1356 - 60
Development of sustained-release antimicrobial dental varnishes effective against Streptococcus mutans in vitro; Balanyk TE et al.; Two antimicrobial varnishes were developed to be applied to the teeth for the eradication of Streptococcus mutans infections . One of them contained chlorhexidine acetate as the antimicrobial agent and the other, erythromycin base . Both varnishes contained Sumatra benzoin . Each of the two antimicrobial agents was shown to be highly effective against S . mutans and to be compatible with the benzoin vehicle . When applied to extracted teeth, both varnishes dried to form a tough, adherent, and colorless transparent layer . Dried samples of the varnishes, when suspended in frequently-changed buffer, released their microbial agents at low but bactericidal levels for at least 12 days . After the first day, drug release from the chlorhexidine varnish showed approximately zero-order kinetics, while the erythromycin varnish showed a combination of zero-order and first-order kinetics.

Can J Microbiol, 1985 Dec, 31(12), 1103 - 7
Trypsin-susceptible cell surface characteristics of Streptococcus sanguis; Oakley JD et al.; The adherence of Streptococcus sanguis to saliva-coated hydroxylapatite was markedly reduced by treatment of the cells with trypsin . In Scatchard plots of adherence data, protease-treated S . sanguis did not exhibit the characteristic positive slopes, suggesting that trypsin prevented cooperative interactions between the cells and artificial pellicle . Trypsin also reduced the tendency of S . sanguis to bind to hexadecane and to octyl-Sepharose . When sodium dodecyl sulfate was used to elute S . sanguis from columns of octyl-Sepharose, it was observed that the elution profiles of trypsin-treated cells were more complex than those of control cells . Water and salts were incapable of removing the cells from octyl-Sepharose . The results suggest that adherence to saliva-coated hydroxylapatite, binding to hexadecane and to octyl-Sepharose depend on trypsin-susceptible cell surface molecules.

J Clin Pathol, 1985 Dec, 38(12), 1346 - 8
Improving detection of "Viridans streptococcus" bacteraemia by adding sodium polyanethol sulphonate to blood cultures; Shanson DC et al.; To detect streptococcal bacteraemia in patients undergoing dental extraction blood cultures containing glucose broth with 0.05% sodium polyanethol sulphonate (Liquoid) were compared with identical cultures without Liquoid.

J Gen Virol, 1985 Dec, 66 ( Pt 12), 2737 - 41
Characterization of streptococcal bacteriophage c6A; Powell IB et al.; Bacteriophage c6A is a lytic phage that infects strains of Streptococcus lactis . Infection of S . lactis C6 under standard conditions yielded 124 +/- 8 p.f.u . per infected cell after a latent period of 25 min at 30 degrees C . The virion of c6A was shown to contain at least 12 polypeptides and a 21.9 kilobase double-stranded, linear DNA genome with complementary 5'-protruding single-stranded termini . The (G + C) content of this DNA was estimated to be 36.7% . A restriction map was constructed which indicates that a number of restriction endonucleases did not digest the DNA and that others cleaved with a much lower frequency than expected.

J Gen Microbiol, 1985 Dec, 131 ( Pt 12), 3347 - 53
Purification and properties of extracellular glucosyltransferase synthesizing 1,6-, 1,3-alpha-D-glucan from Streptococcus mutans serotype a; Tsumori H et al.; An extracellular glucosyltransferase (sucrose: 1,6-, 1,3-alpha-D-glucan 3-alpha- and 6-alpha-D-glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.-) of Streptococcus mutans HS6 (serotype a) was purified from culture supernatant by DEAE-Sepharose chromatography and preparative isoelectric focusing . The molecular weight measured by SDS-PAGE was 159 000 and the isoelectric point was pH 4.9 . The specific activity was 89.7 i.u . (mg protein)-1 and the optimum pH was 6.0 . The Km value for sucrose was 4.9 mM and the enzyme activity was not stimulated by exogenous dextran T10 . Glucan was synthesized de novo from sucrose by the purified enzyme and consisted of 49.1 mol% 1,6-alpha-linked glucose and 33.9 mol% 1,3-alpha-linked glucose, with 13.6 mol% terminal glucose and 3.3 mol% 1,3,6-alpha-branched glucose.

J Gen Microbiol, 1985 Dec, 131 ( Pt 12), 3243 - 50
Inhibition of the expression of cell-associated fructosyltransferase in Streptococcus salivarius by octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside; Jacques NA; Octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside prevented the expression of cell-associated fructosyltransferase activity in Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 25975 grown in batch culture or incubated in nonproliferating cell suspension medium . This effect was not due to the direct inhibition of enzyme activity nor due to the loss of active enzyme into the external medium . The prevention of enzyme expression did not appear to be due to the inhibition of a general translocation mechanism for protein secretion, since fructosyltransferase activity was not detected within the cytoplasm of lysed cells grown in the presence of octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside; nor was there any observed inhibition of the secretion of the extracellular enzyme glucosyltransferase . These and other observations supported the view that fructosyltransferase was not secreted across the cytoplasmic membrane in an active form before becoming associated with the cell surface.

Infect Immun, 1985 Dec, 50(3), 771 - 7
Purification and characterization of a primer-independent glucosyltransferase from Streptococcus mutans 6715-13 mutant 27; McCabe MM; Affinity chromatography on Sephadex G-50 and subsequent ion-exchange chromatography on Trisacryl-M-DEAE were used to purify the glucosyltransferase (GTF) enzymes produced by mutant 27 of Streptococcus mutans 6715-13 . Complete separation of three types of GTF, including a primer-independent GTF capable of synthesizing a slightly branched, water-soluble glucan (GTF-S), was obtained . The characteristics of this primer-independent GTF-S were compared with those of the normally occurring primer-dependent GTF-S . The Km for sucrose was easily obtained for each enzyme (10(-2) M), but the Km for dextran could only be determined for the primer-dependent GTF-S (5 X 10(-7) M for clinical dextran of molecular weight 60,000 to 90,000) . The primer-independent GTF-S did not respond catalytically to the presence of either clinical dextran or the highly branched, water-soluble glucan produced by primer-dependent GTF-S, although it was capable of binding these polysaccharides at a noncatalytic site and of responding to the low-molecular-weight acceptor 1-O-methyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside . The water-soluble glucan product of primer-independent GTF-S was a superior priming glucan for primer-dependent GTF enzymes as compared with the glucan product of primer-dependent GTF-S . The presence of primer-independent GTF-S in reaction mixtures stimulated glucan synthesis by primer-dependent GTF-S and by GTF synthesizing water-insoluble glucan by at least 10-fold, whereas the presence of similar amounts of primer-dependent GTF-S had no effect on synthesis by GTF synthesizing water-insoluble glucan . Primer-independent GTF-S appears to be a potent source of priming glucan for the primer-dependent GTF enzymes . Its possession of a noncatalytic binding site for glucan, the first observed for the GTF of S . mutans, suggests that it may also serve as a glucan receptor on the S . mutans cell surface.

Infect Immun, 1985 Dec, 50(3), 833 - 43
Inhibition of plaque and caries formation by a glucan produced by Streptococcus mutans mutant UAB108; Takada K et al.; A mutant (UAB108) derived from Streptococcus mutans UAB66, a spectinomycin-resistant (Spcr) isolate of strain 6715, inhibited plaque formation when grown with strain 6715 in a sucrose medium and also inhibited caries formation in gnotobiotic rats infected with both strain UAB108 and 6715 . A substance obtained from UAB108 culture supernatant fluid after ethanol precipitation and DEAE-cellulose treatment, designated glucan 108, inhibited S . mutans 6715 virulence and was shown to be a water-soluble glucan . In the presence of sucrose and increasing concentrations of glucan 108, the activity of a glucosyltransferase (GTase) preparation from S . mutans 6715 to synthesize adhesive water-insoluble glucan (ad-WIG) was inhibited, and the activity to synthesize non-ad-WIG was stimulated . Glucan 108 similarly inhibited sucrose-dependent adherence of heat-treated cells, was a poor inducer of cell aggregation, and inhibited S . mutans 6715-induced dental caries in gnotobiotic rats . In the presence of GTase, glucan 108, and sucrose, the glucose moiety of sucrose was found to be incorporated into glucan 108, and most of this glucose-incorporated glucan 108 was found in the non-ad-WIG fraction . The mode of inhibition of plaque formation by S . mutans 6715 appears to involve a shift from ad-WIG to non-ad-WIG formation . The water-soluble glucan 108 was found to have an approximate molecular weight of 2 X 10(6) and was hydrolyzed by fungal dextranase to yield glucans with an average molecular weight of about 1.2 X 10(4) . This glucan (designated glucan 12k) was further hydrolyzed by bacterial dextranase to yield smaller glucans and oligosaccharides, but was refractile to alpha (1----3) glucanase . These results suggest that glucan 108 is a branched alpha (1----6) glucan, and it is proposed that UAB108 is defective in its ability to polymerize glucan 12k with alpha (1----3)-linked glucosyl residues.

Am J Med, 1985 Nov 29, 79(5B), 78 - 80
Safety and effectiveness of ticarcillin plus clavulanate potassium in treatment of lower respiratory tract infections; Mostow SR et al.; The safety and effectiveness of ticarcillin plus clavulanate potassium was evaluated in an open study of 43 patients with community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections . The mean age of the 28 patients in whom bacteriologic evaluations were possible was 55 years; at least two thirds of the patients had a history of alcoholism or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease . A pathogen was isolated from sputum samples in 23 patients; five of these 23 also had documented bacteremia . There were five additional cases of bacteremia associated with clinical signs and symptoms of pneumonia but with no organisms isolated from sputum cultures . Thirty-five pathogens were isolated from the 33 evaluable infection sites, primarily Streptococcus pneumoniae and Hemophilus influenzae . S . pneumoniae was the causative organism in all 10 cases of bacteremia . Ticarcillin plus clavulanate potassium (3 g of ticarcillin and 100 mg of clavulanic acid) was administered intravenously for a mean of six days . All 35 organisms isolated before treatment were eradicated . In one patient a superinfection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa developed after treatment with ticarcillin plus clavulanate potassium . A clinical evaluation was possible for 32 of the 33 infection sites; clinical cure was achieved at 31 sites and improvement was seen at the other site . All 43 patients were monitored for adverse reactions by both clinical observation and laboratory tests . In one patient, reversible thrombocytopenia developed that required discontinuation of ticarcillin plus clavulanate potassium . In another patient, there was a slight decrease in the potassium level during therapy . No systemic adverse reactions occurred, nor was there any instance of local effects associated with the intravenous infusion of the drug.

Am J Med, 1985 Nov 29, 79(5B), 116 - 21
Ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid (Timentin) therapy for osteomyelitis; Gentry LO et al.; Timentin is an exciting new antibiotic agent that is a combination of ticarcillin and clavulanic acid . Forty-seven patients with osteomyelitis received 3.1 g of Timentin intravenously every six hours . The mean duration of therapy was 32 days . The diagnosis was made by bone biopsy; bone biopsy was repeated at the completion of therapy . The bacterial etiology was predominately gram-positive organisms . Of the organisms isolated, Staphylococcus aureus was the most common isolate and represented 39 percent of the total isolates . Streptococcus species were isolated in 13 percent, Group D Enterococcus in 15 percent, Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 10 percent; 23 percent of the isolates were other gram-negative organisms . All but one organism were initially sensitive to Timentin . Three resistant organisms were isolated during therapy . Twenty-seven patients were classified as having a cure, based on no growth on repeat bone biopsy cultures and clinical signs of bone healing . Twenty-two patients returned for follow-up (one to nine months after therapy) and had no evidence of infection; however, because of the short follow-up period, these patients were classified as showing improvement . Six patients had adverse reactions to Timentin: two had mild allergic phenomena and two had prolonged bleeding times . In all four, therapy was discontinued . Two patients had a transient, mild elevation in the level of serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (less than twice normal levels) . This new agent looks exciting for therapy of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial osteomyelitis.

Infect Immun, 1985 Nov, 50(2), 583 - 5
Structural studies of the rhamnose-glucose polysaccharide antigen from Streptococcus sobrinus B13 and 6715-T2; Linzer R et al.; The rhamnose-glucose polysaccharide antigens from the cell walls of Streptococcus sobrinus B13 and 6715-T2 (formerly Streptococcus mutans serotypes d and g, respectively) were structurally examined by using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy . These data confirmed earlier chemical and serological studies suggesting that these polysaccharides had identical structures . The polysaccharides appeared to have a backbone of alternating 1,2- and 1,3-linked rhamnose units . Branching occurred at 1,2,3-linked rhamnose units . Side chains appeared to be composed of 1,2- and 1,6-linked glucose units with glucose as the only terminal carbohydrate.

Infect Immun, 1985 Nov, 50(2), 545 - 54
Comparative studies on the effect of growth conditions on adhesion, hydrophobicity, and extracellular protein profile of Streptococcus sanguis G9B; Knox KW et al.; Streptococcus sanguis G9B was grown in continuous culture at different generation times and pH values in media containing either glucose or fructose and differing in the concentrations of Na+ and K+ . The growth pH, carbohydrate, and cation concentration each affected the yield of organisms, their ability to adhere to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite beads, and their hydrophobicity, as measured by adhesion to hexadecane . There was no correlation between adhesion to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite beads and hydrophobicity, the values for hydrophobicity varying between 44 and 83% for organisms that adhered poorly and between 24 and 75% for those that adhered effectively . For organisms grown in batch culture at pH 6.0 or 7.0 there was similarly no correlation between adhesion and hydrophobicity . The growth conditions also had a considerable influence on the production of extracellular protein . The total amount was greater at pH 7.5 than at other pH values, and there were also differences in the individual components in response to changes in generation time, pH, carbohydrate source, and cation concentration . Two protein bands were identified, namely, glucosyltransferase and protein P1 (also called antigen B or I/II) . However, there was no correlation between a particular protein component and adhesion.

Infect Immun, 1985 Nov, 50(2), 378 - 81
Regulation of glycolytic rate in Streptococcus sanguis grown under glucose-limited and glucose-excess conditions in a chemostat; Iwami Y et al.; The biochemical mechanisms of the acidogenic potential of Streptococcus sanguis ATCC 10556 grown in glucose-excess and glucose-limited continuous culture were studied . The rate of acid production during the glucose metabolism by the cells grown under glucose limitation (glucose-limited cells) was 2.1 to 2.6 times that by the cells grown in an excess of glucose (glucose-excess cells) . When the glucose-limited cells were metabolizing glucose, intracellular concentrations of glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate, 3-phosphoglycerate, and pyruvate were higher, and that of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate was lower, than those when the glucose-excess cells were metabolizing glucose . The levels of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate were not significantly different between these cells . The activities of glucose-phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system in decriptified cells and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in cell-free extracts of the glucose-limited cells were higher than those in the glucose-excess cells . The activities of glucokinase, phosphoglycerate kinase, and pyruvate kinase in cell-free extracts of these cells were not different significantly . We conclude that the high glycolytic activity of the glucose-limited cells results from the increase in the synthesis of glucose-phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

Ann Surg, 1985 Nov, 202(5), 595 - 9
Methods of splenic preservation and their effect on clearance of pneumococcal bacteremia; Scher KS et al.; The intravascular clearance of type 3 Streptococcus pneumoniae was studied in Sprague-Dawley rats . Sham celiotomy was performed on 20 animals while another 20 rats underwent splenectomy . Four weeks later, bacteremia was induced by intraperitoneal (IP) injection of S . pneumoniae . Serial cultures of peripheral blood were obtained . Splenectomy produced significant impairment of intravascular clearance of bacteria compared to that noted among control animals (p less than 0.01) . Eighty animals were divided into four equal groups: I--splenectomy, II--50% splenectomy with the upper half left in situ connected to the short gastric vessels, III--50% splenectomy with the lower half left in situ connected to the hilar vessels, and IV--splenectomy with implantation of splenic fragments . Pneumococcus was administered IP 16 weeks later . Rats were killed 6 hours after bacterial challenge . Residual splenic tissue was weighed . There was significantly less splenic tissue in Groups II-IV than noted in sham animals after 16 weeks (p less than 0.01) . The type of partial splenectomy did not significantly affect the weight of residual splenic tissue 16 weeks later . Implantation did yield viable splenic tissue, though the amount proved significantly less than that resulting from either type of partial splenectomy (p less than 0.01) . Mean bacterial counts with time for short gastric (Group II) and hilar (Group III) remnant animals were significantly different from those for the asplenic (Group I) rats (p less than 0.02 and p less than 0.001, respectively) . Animals with splenic implants (Group IV) were not significantly different from asplenic rats (Group I) . Animals with hilar splenic remnants proved significantly different from those with short gastric splenic remnants (p less than 0.01) . Partial splenectomy offers protection against pneumococcal bacteremia, though preservation of the hilar blood supply affords the most benefit . The utility of splenic implantation remains unproven.

J Immunol, 1985 Nov, 135(5), 3134 - 7
Immune complexes in purpura hemorrhagica of the horse contain IgA and M antigen of Streptococcus equi; Galan JE et al.; Purpura hemorrhagica is an acute disease of the horse characterized by edema of the head and limbs, leucocytoclastic vasculitis, petechial hemorrhages in mucosae, musculature and viscera, and sometimes glomerulonephritis . It is usually associated with strangles, an upper respiratory tract disease of the horse caused by Streptococcus equi . We have detected and characterized immune complexes in the sera of horses with poststrangles purpura hemorrhagica by using PEG precipitation and Western blot analysis . The immune complexes contained IgA and S . equi-specific antigens similar to those found in acid extracts . We propose that purpura hemorrhagica is an immune complex-mediated disease.

Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss, 1985 Nov, 78(12), 1833 - 9
{Left ventricle-right atrium communications acquired in bacterial endocarditis}; Ollitrault J et al.; Three cases of acquired LV-RA communication during bacterial endocarditis are reported . The causal organisms were Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus . The endocarditis complicated aortic valve disease in 2 patients and a congenital aneurysm of the membranous interventricular septum in the third case . Perforation of the septal abscess was preceded by 1st and 2nd degree AVB in all cases associated with bursts of intrahisian tachycardia in 1 case . The clinical presentation was that of an acute VSD; LV-RA communication was diagnosed by the radiological demonstration of systolic expansion of the RA, by 2D echocardiography using constant and Doppler techniques which gave the exact diagnosis in 1 case, by oximetry showing a large left-to-right shunt situated in the RA, and finally by selective left ventriculography . Surgery is essential and urgent and comprises repair of the fistula by two patches, one atrial shown on via a right atrial approach and the other ventricular via aortotomy associated with correction of the valvular lesions . Third degree AVB is observed in all cases, due to the anatomical location of the His bundle and requires permanent pacing . Good results were observed in 2 cases with follow-up periods of 14 and 48 months respectively.

Ann Cardiol Angeiol (Paris), 1985 Nov, 34(9), 625 - 7
{Splenic abscess disclosing endocarditis}; Haiat R et al.; A 54 year old man, hospitalised for thoraco-abdominal pain resulting from a septicemia which gives positive hemocultures for streptococcus D Bovis, is diagnosed to have a splenic abscess which will require splenectomy . At the same time, an endocarditis develops and gets worse, with auriculo-ventricular blockade and, especially, major aortic insufficiency, which is the cause of death by a brutal and massive pulmonary oedema . In the progression of an endocarditis, the occurrence of a splenic abscess, primary localisation of the initial septicemia or the secondary of an arterial septic embolism, is a rare contingency compared to the frequency of splenomegaly or splenic infarction: less than 2 percent of the cases in the literature . This very atypical and exceptional case serves as a reminder, on the one hand, of the diagnostic inadequacy of echocardiography which cannot visualise vegetation in the course of progressive endocarditis, and, on the other, of the prognostic importance of auriculoventricular blockade in septal and aortic endocardial lesions.

J Dairy Sci, 1985 Nov, 68(11), 3037 - 46
In vitro growth inhibition of mastitis causing bacteria by phenolics and metal chelators; Chew BP et al.; Antimicrobial activities of three phenolic compounds and four metal chelators were tested at 0, 250, 500, and 1000 ppm in vitro against four major mastitis-causing bacteria, Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli . Overall, butylated hydroxyanisole and tert-butylhydroquinone showed the greatest antimicrobial activity . These phenolics were bactericidal at 250 to 500 ppm against all four bacteria tested . The butylated hydroxytoluene was bactericidal against the gram-positive bacteria but was ineffective against the coliforms . At 250 ppm, disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid was bactericidal against the gram-positive bacteria but much less effective against the gram-negatives . However, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid was more growth inhibitory than ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid against the gram-negative bacteria and especially against Escherichia coli . All other compounds were generally much less effective or ineffective against all four microorganisms . Therefore, butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, tert-butylhydroquinone, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid may have practical implications in the prevention or treatment of bovine mastitis.

Pediatr Med Chir, 1985 Nov-Dec, 7(6), 913 - 4
{A case of septic arthritis with a peculiar clinical presentation}; Liotta M et al.; The authors report a case of tibial-tarsal septic arthritis caused by a Group A Beta Haemolytic Streptococcus . The primitive pathologic process was an erysipelas with an unusual localization originally of difficult interpretation.

J Dent Res, 1985 Nov, 64(11), 1272 - 4
Colonization of the human oral cavity by a strain of Streptococcus mutans; Hillman JD et al.; Streptococcus mutans strain JH1001 produces a bacteriocin that can kill virtually all other strains of this micro-organism . The ability of JH1001 to colonize the human oral cavity was tested in a study involving five subjects and three different infection regimens, all of which involved multiple exposures to large numbers of organisms . Two and one-half years after infection, JH1001 was found to have persistently colonized three of the subjects . The indigenous S . mutans in one subject were reduced below the level of detection . Levels of (total) S . mutans and S . sanguis were not affected in persistently colonized subjects . Mutants of indigenous S . mutans resistant to the bacteriocin were not observed . The results indicate the importance of host variability and infection regimen for superinfection by this strain of S . mutans . The efficient replacement of indigenous S . mutans by JH1001 in one subject lends support to the eventual application of replacement therapy to the prevention of dental caries.

J Dent Res, 1985 Nov, 64(11), 1267 - 71
Serotype c Streptococcus mutans mutatable to lactate dehydrogenase deficiency; Abhyankar S et al.; Three lactate-dehydrogenase-deficient mutants of serotype c S . mutans were made by using, as parents, two serotype c strains that produced unusually large amounts of ethanol, acetic acid, and acetoin, and very little lactic acid, when grown in broth containing a limiting amount of glucose . The mutants, obtained with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, were stable during 12 weeks of daily subculture in broth . Crude cell-free extracts of the mutants had less than 1% of the LDH-specific activity of their parent strains . The serotype c mutants resembled serotype g mutants in having molar growth yields at least as high as those of their parents . However, in contrast to the g mutants, the c mutants produced cell crops (cell mass per ml medium) that were as high as those of their parent strains.

Prikl Biokhim Mikrobiol, 1985 Nov-Dec, 21(6), 788 - 93
{Comparative study of lipoteichoic acid from Streptococcus pyogenes type 29 isolated by different methods}; Vylegzhanina ES et al.; A comparative study of lipoteichoic acid preparations extracted from Streptococcus pyogenes with cold and hot phenol and trichloracetic acid was made . The most delicate way for isolation of lipoteichoic acid from the given microorganisms is cold phenol extraction.

Immunobiology, 1985 Nov, 170(4), 293 - 304
Cell wall preparation consisting of group A carbohydrate and peptidoglycan moieties from Streptococcus pyogenes activates murine B lymphocytes; Morisaki I et al.; Cell walls from Streptococcus pyogenes strain Sv (Group A, M type 3) were lysed with M1 endo-N-acetylmuramidase, and the group A-specific carbohydrate antigen was purified by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration . The initial eluting antigen (M1gA) peak was assessed for mitogenic and polyclonal lymphocyte-activating properties in murine spleen cell cultures . Good mitogenic responses were induced over a broad dose range (1-100 micrograms) with M1gA in both BALB/c and C3H/HeJ splenic cultures . Similar mitogenic responses were induced in nude (nu/nu) and nu/+ splenic cultures, suggesting that M1gA is a B cell mitogen . The M1gA induced anti-trinitrophenyl, anti-sheep erythrocytes, and anti-horse erythrocytes polyclonal plaque-forming cell responses in splenic cell cultures . Studies with purified splenic B cells and M1gA suggest that the mitogenic responses were indeed thymic independent . These studies clearly indicate that native group A carbohydrate antigen is a B cell mitogen and polyclonal B cell activator.

Monatsschr Kinderheilkd, 1985 Nov, 133(11), 843 - 4
{Neonatal meningitis caused by Streptococcus mitis}; Ram W et al.; We report on a female newborn, 37 weeks of gestational age, who - after normal pregnancy and delivery - fell ill with a neonatal meningitis caused by streptococcus mitis . Until now this bacillus has been thought to be apathogen . The disease was cured completely by Penicillin therapy . The infection of a healthy newborn caused by streptococcus mitis, a streptococcus viridans, has not been described before.

Diabetes Care, 1985 Nov-Dec, 8(6), 608 - 9
Postsplenectomy sepsis caused by group B streptococcus (S . agalactiae) in an adult patient with diabetes mellitus; Fish HR et al.; Overwhelming postsplenectomy infection (OPSI) due to group B streptococcus developed in an insulin-dependent diabetic patient . The illness began with nonspecific symptoms, followed rapidly by hypotension and disseminated intravascular coagulation . The early institution of appropriate antibiotics, fluid replacement and pressor agents resulted in a favorable clinical outcome . The association of group B streptococcal infection and diabetes mellitus is discussed . The defects in normal host defenses associated with asplenic state and diabetes mellitus are further emphasized . This is the first case report linking the association of OPSI, diabetes mellitus and group B streptococcal septicemia.

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis, 1985 Nov, 3(6), 509 - 14
Discrepancies in fluorescent antibody, counterimmunoelectrophoresis, and Neufeld test for typing of Streptococcus pneumoniae; Kumar A et al.; The techniques of fluorescent antibody (FA) and counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) were compared with the Neufeld test (quellung reaction) for typing of Streptococcus pneumoniae . A total of 88 isolates were examined by these three methods . Pool-, type-, or group-specific pneumococcal antisera were used in all three methods . Each isolate was initially tested with polyvalent antisera and all of the nine pools of antisera . Selection of the type- or group-specific antisera depended upon the reaction of the isolate with the pool sera . Sixty-eight of 88 (77.3%) isolates were positive using pool or typing sera and were correctly typed by CIE, while FA was found to be accurate for only 61 of 88 (69.3%) isolates . Positive reactions with more than one pool- or type-specific antisera, or no reaction, were seen with several of the isolates with both techniques . Even though CIE and FA are rapid and simple techniques, microbiologists should be cautious when utilizing them for typing of S . pneumoniae because of the discrepancies observed in this study.

J Dent Res, 1985 Nov, 64(11), 1286 - 9
Anaerobic and aerobic metabolism of sorbitol in Streptococcus sanguis and Streptococcus mitior; Svensater G et al.; Sorbitol-fermenting strains of Streptococcus sanguis and Streptococcus mitior were grown both anaerobically and in the presence of oxygen in a sorbitol-containing complex medium . Washed-cell suspensions were incubated with an excess of sorbitol, and the production of lactate, formate, ethanol, and acetate was analyzed . Moreover, we determined the lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate formate-lyase activities in cell-free extracts of anaerobically grown cells . The anaerobically grown cells produced lactate, formate, ethanol, and acetate under anaerobic conditions . When these cells were exposed to air, the amounts of formate, ethanol, and acetate were reduced in comparison with those of the strictly anaerobic cells . Cells grown in the presence of oxygen only produced detectable levels of lactate and acetate . Anaerobically grown cells possessed lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate formate-lyase activities under strictly anaerobic conditions . The level of pyruvate formate-lyase was dramatically reduced when cells were exposed to air, while the level of lactate dehydrogenase was about the same as that under strictly anaerobic conditions . Thus, the results indicate that S . sanguis and S . mitior both metabolize sorbitol differently under anaerobic and aerobic conditions . This difference may depend on the oxygen-sensitivity of the pyruvate formatelyase of these micro-organisms.

J Periodontol, 1985 Nov, 56(11 Suppl), 67 - 74
Antibiotic susceptibilities of periodontal bacteria . In vitro susceptibilities to eight antimicrobial agents; Walker CB et al.; In vitro susceptibilities of 369 to 966 bacterial isolates from periodontal lesions to eight antibiotics were determined by agar dilution technique as a means of determining which antimicrobial agents were inhibitory for bacteria frequently associated with destructive periodontal diseases . Although most bacteria were relatively susceptible to the penicillins, greater activity was generally noted with amoxicillin than with either penicillin or ampicillin with the exception of Selenomonas sputigena and Peptostreptococcus . Antibacterial activities obtained with minocycline were significantly higher than with tetracycline for Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Streptococcus but comparable for most other taxa . Clindamycin and metronidazole both demonstrated excellent activity against the anaerobic Gram-negative rods but were less effective against some of the capnophilic and facultative organisms . Eikenella corrodens was exceptionally resistant to both of these drugs; and A . actinomycetemcomitans was generally resistant to clindamycin but relatively susceptible to metronidazole . Erythromycin was considerably less active than the other antibiotics against the majority of the periodontal bacteria . No single antibiotic, at concentrations equivalent to those achieved in body fluids, was uniformly effective in inhibiting all bacteria currently implicated or suspected as etiologic agents of periodontal diseases.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1985 Nov, 28(5), 678 - 83
Transition from resistance to hypersusceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics associated with loss of a low-affinity penicillin-binding protein in a Streptococcus faecium mutant highly resistant to penicillin; Fontana R et al.; Penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 5 of Streptococcus faecium has been shown to have a very low affinity for penicillin, and this PBP was suggested to be responsible for both the natural low susceptibility and high resistance to the antibiotic in this species (R . Fontana, R . Cerini, P . Longoni, A . Grossato, and P . Canepari, J . Bacteriol . 155:1343-1350, 1983) . In this study, an S . faecium mutant (Rev 14) hypersusceptible to penicillin was derived from the highly resistant S . faecium R40 treated with novobiocin, and its properties were compared with those of the parent and S . faecium PS, a relatively susceptible strain from which R40 was isolated . The hypersusceptible strain did not synthesize PBP 5, but it did resemble the parent in cell morphology, growth rate, and autolytic activity . In addition, it was highly susceptible to other beta-lactams but remained as susceptible as R40 and PS to antibiotics of a different mechanisms of action . The affinity of individual PBPs for the beta-lactams tested was the same in all the strains . This finding suggested that Rev 14 hypersusceptibility was due to the lack of PBP 5 and strongly supported the role of this protein in the mechanism of both natural low susceptibility and high-level resistance to beta-lactams in S . faecium.

Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg {A}, 1985 Nov, 260(3), 379 - 86
Antibacterial and antifungal activity of Avarone and Avarol; Seibert G et al.; The sesquiterpenoid hydroquinone and quinone, Avarol and Avarone, were previously found to be potent antitumor agents (Muller et al., 1984) . In the present study it is reported that in aqueous solution (pH 7.2), in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide, Avarol is converted to Avarone . Avarone and to a smaller extent also Avarol were active against a variety of grampositive bacterial species . The highest activity was determined for Streptococcus pneumoniae and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae (MIC 0.781 mg/l) . The antibacterial activity can be augmented 2 to 4-fold by lowering the pH in the culture medium from 7.0 to 6.0 . The efficiency of Avarone and Avarol was abolished in the presence of serum . No antibacterial activity was determined in gramnegative bacterial species . In addition, Avarol and to a smaller extent also Avarone displayed an antifungal activity on Trichophyton species and Microsporum canis (MIC: 15.6-62.5 mg/l), while Avarone and not Avarol was active on Aspergillus niger, no activity was found against Candida species . These data indicate that the antitumor agents Avarol/Avarone display also antibacterial- and antifungal activities against a limited range of microorganisms.

J Pharm Sci, 1985 Nov, 74(11), 1228 - 32
Nonbactericidal approach to reduce colonization of plaque microflora on teeth in vitro and in vivo; Gaffar A et al.; A non-antibacterial, surface-modifying, perfluorosulfonamidoalkyl ester of phosphorous acid (PSAEP, 1) was adsorbed to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite disks in vitro . Pretreatment of saliva-coated hydroxyapatite beads with different concentrations of 1 markedly reduced the adherence of radiolabeled Streptococcus mutans or Actinomyces viscosus when compared with the buffer-treated controls . Pretreatment of the cells with the compound also significantly impaired their subsequent attachment to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite . In a low surface-to-volume ratio adsorption model, i.e., saliva-coated hydroxapatite disks, pretreatment with 1 for 1 min markedly reduced the adsorption of A . viscosus to the disks . A 1% solution applied topically twice a day significantly (alpha = 0.05) reduced S . mutans-induced smooth and fissure caries in rats . The effect of 0.05% 1 in a rinse was also evaluated on experimental gingivitis in beagle dogs for 6 weeks . A topical application twice a day significantly (alpha = 0.05) reduced plaque-induced gingivitis when compared to that achieved with the placebo . Microbial analyses of the plaque adjacent to gingiva indicated reduction in filamentous medium and large spirochetes as compared with that seen in the pretreatment phase . Collectively, the results show that it is possible to reduce dental caries and gingivitis via an interference with the specific adsorption of organisms to teeth.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1985 Nov, 82(22), 7555 - 9
Incorporation of beef heart cytochrome c oxidase as a proton-motive force-generating mechanism in bacterial membrane vesicles; Driessen AJ et al.; Membrane vesicles derived from the strictly fermentative lactic acid bacterium Streptococcus cremoris have been fused with proteoliposomes containing the beef heart mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase by means of a freeze/thaw-sonication technique . Evidence that fusion has taken place was obtained by freeze-etch electron microscopy, showing a less-dense intramembranous particle distribution in the fused membranes than in the bacterial membranes, and by sucrose gradient centrifugation, indicating a buoyant density of the majority of the membranes after fusion that was between the buoyant densities of the starting membrane preparations . In the fused membranes, 55-60% of the cytochrome c oxidase molecules are oriented with the cytochrome c binding site at the outer surface of the membrane . With the electron-donor system ascorbate/N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine/cytochrome c, a high proton-motive force (greater than 130 mV), inside negative and alkaline, can be generated in the fused membrane, and this proton-motive force can drive secondary transport of several amino acids . The procedure described can be used for incorporating a proton-motive force-generating system in isolated membrane vesicles from bacterial or eukaryotic origin that lack a suitable primary proton pump.

Obstet Gynecol, 1985 Nov, 66(5), 733 - 6
Group B streptococcal necrotizing fasciitis arising from an episiotomy; Sutton GP et al.; A case of extensive necrotizing fasciitis arising from an episiotomy is presented . Group B beta-hemolytic streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus were isolated . Prompt recognition and aggressive therapy resulted in a favorable outcome despite significant morbidity . Salient clinical features of this rare postpartum complication are discussed and previous cases are reviewed . In addition to wide surgical resection, therapy included aggressive volume resuscitation with Swan-Ganz catheter monitoring, the use of military antishock trousers (MAST suit) to control diffuse hemorrhage, and temporary application of porcine xenografts.

Gastroenterology, 1985 Nov, 89(5), 1139 - 46
Impaired bacterial degradation by monocytes and macrophages from a patient with treated Whipple's disease; Bjerknes R et al.; A patient with Whipple's disease is described, and multiparameter flow cytometric examinations of several of the patient's phagocyte functions 3 and 9 mo after the start of oxytetracycline therapy are reported . Almost no intracellular degradation of Escherichia coli or Streptococcus pyogenes proteins and DNA occurred after ingestion by the patient's monocytes and macrophages . In addition, only minor digestion of phagocytized zymosan particles was detected . The mononuclear intracellular degradation was equally impaired 3 and 9 mo after the start of therapy . The monocyte and macrophage phagocytosis and intracellular killing, and all granulocyte phagocyte functions tested, were normal . The impaired mononuclear degradation of ingested material that was measured is consistent with the accumulation of periodic acid-Schiff-positive bacterial degradation products seen in macrophages of affected tissues in vivo, and suggests a key role of macrophage dysfunction in the pathogenesis of Whipple's disease.

S Afr Med J, 1985 Oct 26, 68(9), 679 - 80
Brain abscess in children due to Streptococcus milleri . A report of 2 cases; de Moor MM et al.; Brain abscesses due to Streptococcus milleri occurring in 2 previously healthy children are reported . Both children had evidence of liver involvement and both responded well to antibiotic treatment.

Carbohydr Res, 1985 Oct 15, 142(2), 285 - 98
Purification, and comparison, of two forms of dextransucrase from Streptococcus sanguis; Grahame DA et al.; A procedure has been developed whereby native and proteolyzed forms of dextransucrase have been purified; it involves gel filtration, and hydroxylapatite chromatography in the presence of 0.10% sodium dodecyl sulfate . This procedure is highly reproducible, and permits approximately 30% recovery of high purity (94% homogeneous) enzyme as an inactive, SDS complex that can be reactivated by the addition of Triton X-100 . The purified enzymes have been compared with regard to amino acid compositions, and isoelectric and catalytic properties . An analysis of the structure of their product D-glucans was also made . Although the structural characteristics of the enzyme forms differ, proteolysis does not cause alterations in their catalytic properties.

Carbohydr Res, 1985 Oct 15, 142(2), 277 - 84
Interaction of deoxyhalosucrose derivatives with dextransucrase; Bhattacharjee MK et al.; Members of a series of deoxyhalosucrose analogs substituted at one, two, or three primary carbon atoms with bromine or chlorine were prepared . Dextransucrase isolated from Streptococcus sanguis was separately treated with 6-bromo-6-deoxysucrose, 6,6'-dibromo-6,6'-dideoxysucrose, 6,1',6'-tribromotrideoxysucrose, and 6,6'-dichlorodideoxysucrose, in order to determine if they were inactivators . Variation in time of exposure, and in the concentration of the sucrose analogs, did not yield significant irreversible inactivation . In supplementary studies, it was found that the compounds serve as weak, reversible inhibitors.

J Rheumatol, 1985 Oct, 12(5), 1004 - 5
Septic arthritis due to Aerococcus viridans; Taylor PW et al.; A 20-year-old woman was found to have septic arthritis of the hip due to Aerococcus viridans . This organism closely resembles Streptococcus viridans, but forms gram positive tetrads rather than chains in broth media . The organism has been reported rarely to cause endocarditis and one case of osteomyelitis has been observed . To our knowledge septic arthritis due to Aerococcus viridans has not been previously reported.

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 1985 Oct, 10(1), 9 - 20
Experimental pneumococcal otitis media: longitudinal studies in the gerbil model; Fulghum RS et al.; In order to ascertain that the Mongolian gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus, is an acceptable model for studying the development of chronic from acute otitis media, we used previously published methods for experimental otitis media in a longitudinal study of the acute disease and sequellae . The gerbil was found to be susceptible to as few as 30 viable Streptococcus pneumoniae type 3 cells, indicating that only a few viable pathogens are able to cause the disease . Untreated experimental infections with S . pneumoniae type 23 resulted in a mild, self-limiting disease with little permanent sequellae, while S . pneumoniae type 3 produced severe disease characterized by an acute phase of from 2 to 3 weeks, followed by the development of new bone formation and a vascularized granulation tissue which persisted throughout the 13-week study . Viable pneumococci could be recovered from the middle ears for only two weeks . We conclude that the gerbil is a useful model for otitis media.

Can J Comp Med, 1985 Oct, 49(4), 351 - 6
Studies on the immunogenicity of Streptococcus equi vaccines in foals; Srivastava SK et al.; The ability of either formalin-treated or heat-inactivated whole Streptococcus equi cell vaccines or partially purified M-protein of S . equi to give rise to protective antibody levels was studied in Standardbred foals by serological means . Two commercial preparations, i.e . a beta-propiolactone killed whole S . equi cell bacterin and a cell-free extract of S . equi cells were included in the study . The mean passive hemagglutination antibody titers (10 X log2) in sera of foals given either four doses of formalin-treated whole cell vaccine or an initial dose of formalin-treated followed by three doses of heat-inactivated vaccine with or without levamisole were significantly higher two weeks after the final dose . These passive hemagglutination antibody titers were higher in foals given formalin-treated whole cell vaccine (6.7 +/- 1.5) than given commercial bacterin (4.5 +/- 2.1) . The passive hemagglutination antibody titers in all the groups decreased at 12 to 16 weeks after fourth dose of the vaccine . Foals given a commercial cell-free extract did not show a significant increase in passive hemagglutination antibody titers even up to four weeks after third dose . A group of six pony foals immunized with partially-purified M protein showed mean passive hemagglutination antibody titers lower than those observed in foals given whole cell vaccines . In a challenge experiment with S . equi, two of six foals vaccinated with partially-purified M-protein and all three controls developed clinical disease . The passive hemagglutination antibody of vaccinated foals increased after challenge, while at 28 days postchallenge the passive hemagglutination antibody titers of vaccinates and recovered controls were similar.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1985 Oct, 28(4), 473 - 7
Pharmacokinetics of cephalosporins in normal and septicemic rabbits; Ganzinger U et al.; The differences in the pharmacokinetics of cefotaxime, moxalactam, and CPW 86-363, a new expanded-spectrum cephalosporin, were studied in healthy rabbits and in rabbits infected intravenously with Streptococcus pneumoniae . The pharmacokinetic analysis of concentration-time courses in the sera of infected animals according to a two compartment-model evidenced a clear decrease of drug fractions in the central compartment but enhanced drug fractions in the peripheral compartment . The shift was more pronounced in animals which received CPW 86-363 (60%; P less than 0.05) than in those which received cefotaxime (20%) or moxalactam (5%) . Corresponding increases in drug concentration were observed in soft tissue interstitial fluid; therefore, the areas under the curve and mean residence times in the soft tissue interstitial fluid of infected rabbits were prolonged . The shift of drug fractions from the central compartment to other body fluid compartments during infection was thought to be due to cardiovascular changes associated with fever . No changes in serum binding of the three drugs were found during the course of the infection . The quantitative differences in the extent of altered distribution properties of the drugs might be due to variations in the physicochemical properties of the drugs.

Vet Q, 1985 Oct, 7(4), 315 - 21
Streptococcus suis infections in pigs in the Netherlands (Part I); Vecht U et al.; Data are presented on the incidence of various streptococcal infections in pigs in the Netherlands . 314 Strains isolated in the course of routine post-mortem diagnosis were examined . The most frequently occurring streptococcus was S . subacidus (bio) type II which was isolated in 31.2% of the cases . S . suis type 2 (Serogroup R) and S . equisimilis (Serogroup C) constituted 16.2% and 13.7% of the isolates respectively . Besides meningitis, endocarditis and polyserositis S . suis type 2 infections may frequently be associated with pneumonia (42%) . The biochemical profiles of the various S . suis and S . subacidus (bio) types are presented . The profile of both species is almost identical . It seems justified to use the name S . suis for strains with this characteristic profile and to abandon the name S . subacidus . Haemolysis does not appear to be a suitable characteristic to screen for S . subacidus/S . suis types . In comparing three serological methods for typing S . suis type 2, gel precipitation using Fuller's extract and slide agglutination give an almost 100% correlation . These two methods are recommended for serotyping.

J Am Vet Med Assoc, 1985 Oct 1, 187(7), 709 - 11
Antibiotic susceptibility profiles for mastitis treatment; Hinckley LS et al.; Susceptibility tests were performed on milk samples representing prevalent mastitis infections in certain herds . Susceptibility patterns of the same bacterial species from several mastitis infections in the same herd were consistent . The herd antibiotic susceptibility profiles were used as a basis for selecting antibiotics for treatment of all such mastitis cases in that herd . A high degree of correlation was seen between the susceptibility test results and treatment results . Susceptibility patterns of the same bacterial species from mastitis infections in different herds varied greatly, which indicated that any one antibiotic would not work equally well against the same bacterial infection in every herd . Therefore, treatment should be selected on the basis of susceptibility test results . When both Streptococcus and Staphylococcus mastitis occurred in the same herd, the susceptibility patterns for the 2 bacterial species varied widely . Therefore, for herds that experienced both streptococcal and staphylococcal mastitis, antibiotics to which both bacterial species were susceptible were used for treatment.

J Am Geriatr Soc, 1985 Oct, 33(10), 671 - 80
Community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalization . Is it different in the elderly?
Marrie TJ, Haldane EV, Faulkner RS, Durant H, Kwan C.
The authors studied 138 patients, 57 of whom were younger than 65 years of age and 81 who were 65 years of age and older, with community-acquired pneumonia to determine whether or not such pneumonia is different in the elderly and to define how such patients are investigated and treated . Pneumonia in the elderly was characterized by a higher mortality, 30 v 10%; more likely to be of unknown etiology, 54 v 30%; and more likely to show radiographic progression after the patient had been admitted to the hospital, 48 v 11% . In addition, elderly patients were more likely to be afebrile when admitted, 57 v 26% . Twenty-seven etiologic categories were present in 77 patients in whom a cause for the pneumonia was established . Streptococcus pneumoniae accounted for 9.4% of the pneumonia overall and for 27% of the pneumonia among patients who had sputum cultures performed before antibiotic therapy . The diagnostic yield was 11.6% for blood cultures, 38.2% for sputum cultures, 2.3% for throat washing, and 22.1% for serological studies . Twenty-seven percent of patients were receiving antibiotics of the time of admission to the hospital . Most (79%) received more than one antibiotic after admission . This study indicates that community-acquired pneumonia is a serious illness and that an algorithm approach to diagnosis and treatment of such pneumonia is necessary.

J Bacteriol, 1985 Oct, 164(1), 255 - 62
Cell surface components of Streptococcus sanguis: relationship to aggregation, adherence, and hydrophobicity; Morris EJ et al.; Cell surfaces of aggregation, adherence, and hydrophilic variants of Streptococcus sanguis were compared with cell surfaces of the parent strain with regard to their protein and antigenic constituents . Cell surface molecules were released by digestion with mutanolysin . Extraction with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) urea, lithium diiodosalicylate, and boiling water did not solubilize any material which stained with AgNO3 in an SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gel . The parent organism S . sanguis 12, which aggregates in saliva, adheres to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite and is hydrophobic, was found to possess a prominently staining 160,000 molecular weight (MW) protein . This protein was almost completely absent from strain 12na, a hydrophobic nonaggregating variant, and was completely absent from the hydrophilic nonaggregating strain 12L . Trypsinization of strain 12 resulted in the coincident loss of the 160,000-MW protein and the ability to aggregate in saliva . Trypsin treatment reduced but did not eliminate the hydrophobic character of the cells . Boiling destroyed their ability to aggregate, but did not alter their hydrophobicity . Cell wall digests of strain 12 contained a number of proteins which were absent from strains 12na and 12L . Mutanolysin digests of cell walls of the hydrophilic strains contained almost no material that was visible in a silver-stained SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gel . Culture supernatants contained a number of proteins which were immunologically cross-reactive with cell surface proteins . The hydrophilic organisms released a number of 60,000- to 90,000-MW proteins not seen in culture supernatants from the parent strain.

Infect Immun, 1985 Oct, 50(1), 213 - 7
Correlation of serum opsonins with in vitro phagocytosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae; Chudwin DS et al.; C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute-phase reactant which binds to phosphocholine (PC) in the pneumococcal cell wall, and anti-PC antibodies are protective against experimental pneumococcal bacteremia in mice . To determine the relative opsonic capacities of CRP and anti-PC compared with those of antibodies against pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides (anti-PCP), we correlated in vitro opsonic activity for serotype 7F Streptococcus pneumoniae with concentrations of CRP, anti-PC, and anti-type 7F PCP in human sera from 10 normal subjects and 38 patients with sickle cell (SS) disease, a high-risk group for pneumococcal infection . Opsonic activity, measured by a radiolabeled bacterial uptake assay, correlated with anti-PCP levels but not with CRP or anti-PC in both the normal subjects and patients with SS disease . Addition of CRP to normal sera did not increase opsonic activity for serotypes 4 and 7F S . pneumoniae, although it did so for serotype 27, a nonpathogenic strain unique for having PC in its capsule . CRP and anti-PC were not effective opsonins when they bound to the pneumococcal cell wall rather than the capsule . The protective effects of CRP or anti-PC against these serotypes may be produced by means other than complement-dependent opsonization.

Am J Dis Child, 1985 Oct, 139(10), 1054 - 7
Penicillin-intermediate pneumococci in a children's hospital; Willett LD et al.; During the three-year period from 1981 to 1984, all clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae were screened for resistance to penicillin in the clinical bacteriology laboratory at The Children's Hospital of Alabama, Birmingham . Twenty-eight of 828 isolates were presumed resistant by disk diffusion testing with 1-microgram oxacillin disks (zone diameter, less than 20 mm) . Seventeen of the 28 (61%) were found to be intermediately sensitive to penicillin by a conventional agar dilution method . Penicillin-intermediate strains had a minimal inhibitory concentration of 0.125 to 0.5 mg/L; no penicillin-resistant (minimal inhibitory concentration, greater than 1 mg/L) strains were encountered . The prevalence of penicillin-intermediate strains was thus 17 of 828 isolates, or 2.1% . These strains were also examined for susceptibility to ampicillin, vancomycin, cefotaxime, and chloramphenicol . We present the clinical features of 17 patients with disease due to penicillin-intermediate pneumococci.

Endocrinology, 1985 Oct, 117(4), 1431 - 5
Effect of thyroid hormone supplementation on survival after bacterial infection; Little JS; During nonthyroidal illness in man and a number of experimental animals, serum total thyroid hormone levels are decreased . To determine whether the reduction in thyroid hormones that occurs during nonthyroidal illness is beneficial or harmful to the host, an experimental animal model was developed . Male Sprague-Dawley rats were infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae type I, a known human pathogen . By 40 h after inoculation, serum total and free T4 and total T3 decreased significantly . Serum free T3 also decreased slightly but not significantly . When infected animals were injected daily with T4, there was a decrease in the time to death and significant increase in the total number of deaths compared to controls receiving vehicle alone . Control experiments showed that T4 did not affect the growth of S . pneumoniae on blood agar plates, and the injected T4 did not cause hyperthyroidism . These results suggest that the decrease in serum thyroid hormone that occurs during nonthyroidal illness is beneficial and may serve a role in maintaining homeostasis by conserving metabolic energy during infection as an important adaptation that prolongs survival.

Microbiol Sci, 1985 Oct, 2(10), 312 - 3
Dental caries vaccine: some problems solved?
Everhart DL, Mallett CP, Doyle G.
The interest in a dental caries vaccine has been great over the past few years . Studies have shown two possible problems using Streptococcus mutans as an immunogen: (i) the production of heart reactive antibody, and (ii) the need to protect against several serotypes . Possible solutions to these problems are discussed.

Aust N Z J Med, 1985 Oct, 15(5), 647 - 9
Streptococcus group G septic polyarthritis; March L et al.; A case of streptococcus group G polyarthritis has been identified from blood and synovial fluid cultures and was sensitive to penicillin G . The clinical tendency to polyarticular infection by this organism and its discordant response to the antibiotics indicated by in vitro studies are discussed.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 1985 Oct, 50(4), 1100 - 2
Effect of Ca2+ ions on plasmid transformation of Streptococcus lactis protoplasts; von Wright A et al.; The effects of Mg2+ and Ca2+ ions on the efficiency of the plasmid transformation of lysozyme-treated Streptococcus lactis protoplasts were compared . A 33-megadalton plasmid, pLP712, coding for lactose fermentation and a 6.5-megadalton plasmid, pGB301, coding for erythromycin and chloramphenicol resistance were used as model plasmids, and S . lactis MG1614 was the recipient . Replacing Mg2+ with Ca2+ in the transformation buffer was found to increase transformant frequency more than 10-fold with both plasmids.

J Infect Dis, 1985 Oct, 152(4), 701 - 9
Relation between serum opsonic activity for Streptococcus pneumoniae and complement function in sickle cell disease; Bjornson AB et al.; Opsonic activity for Streptococcus pneumoniae mediated by the alternative and classic complement pathways and concomitant binding of activated C3 to the bacteria were measured in sera from children with sickle cell disease and normal siblings of similar age . Uptake of radiolabeled serotypes 7F, 10A, 15B, and 24F by normal human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and intracellular killing were the parameters used to assess opsonization . C3 fixation was quantitated by radioimmunoassay under conditions identical to those used for opsonic measurements . Both classic and alternative pathway-mediated opsonic activities were significantly reduced in a subset of patients . These alterations were associated with reduction in C3 fixation by way of the classic pathway and normal C3 fixation by way of the alternative pathway . The data implicate auxiliary serum factors rather than an intrinsic defect in the complement system in the opsonic alterations . Retrospective data were suggestive of an increased incidence of pneumococcal bacteremia occurring in association with reduction in opsonic activity.

Genitourin Med, 1985 Oct, 61(5), 343 - 4
Cervicitis and urethritis caused by group B streptococcus: case report; Buttigieg G; Group B streptococcus is not often isolated by gynaecologists when a clinical diagnosis of cervicitis is made . I report on a patient suffering from cervicitis and urethritis caused by this organism, whose symptoms completely resolved after she was treated with phenoxymethylpenicillin.

Pediatrie, 1985 Oct-Nov, 40(7), 573 - 5
{Pneumonia and submaxillary cellulitis caused by B group Streptococcus in an infant}; Boutte P et al.; The association of pneumonia and submandibular cellulitis in the case of group B streptococcal LOD (Late Onset Disease) is rare . Concerning the possible nosocomial infection of a 31/2 months infant the authors compare the pulmonary disease with that of the EOD (Early Onset Disease) and like other authors recommend considering GBS as the main cause of any cellulitis for an infant under 4 months.

Clin Immunol Immunopathol, 1985 Oct, 37(1), 93 - 7
Increased activation of the alternative complement pathway in sickle cell disease; Chudwin DS et al.; Complement proteins play an important role in host defenses against Streptococcus pneumoniae, a major cause of serious infections in sickle cell (SS) disease . Previous studies have suggested abnormalities of the alternative complement pathway in SS disease . We measured activation of the alternative pathway in sera from patients with SS disease utilizing an enzyme immunoassay which detects C3b,P complexes, derivative of the C3b,Bb,P alternative pathway convertase . In all, 89% of SS sera had elevated concentrations of C3b,P complexes, indicative of increased alternative pathway activation . Chronic activation of the alternative pathway may contribute to impaired host defense in SS patients.

J Dent Res, 1985 Oct, 64(10), 1229 - 32
The effect of swallowing frequency on oral sugar clearance and pH changes by Streptococcus mitior in vivo after sucrose ingestion; Lagerlof F et al.; A theoretical study of oral sugar clearance (Caries Res 17:321-334, 1983) suggested that the unstimulated salivary flow rate (UNSTFR) and the volume of saliva present in the mouth before swallowing (VMAX) can greatly affect the rate of sugar clearance . The object of this study was to determine whether variations in UNSTFR, by water infusion into the mouth, and in VMAX, which can be altered by varying the swallowing frequency, would influence sugar clearance and whether changes in VMAX would affect the extent of the pH fall produced by S . mitior in vivo after sucrose consumption . In three experiments on each of ten adult subjects, UNSTFR was measured initially (mean value = 0.55 ml/min), and a swallowing schedule was calculated so that the volumes swallowed were either 0.3 ml or 1.0 ml . After a 10-second rinse with 20 ml of a 10% sucrose solution, the subjects maintained a swallowing frequency such that the volumes swallowed were either 0.3 ml or 1.0 ml at normal UNSTFR or were 0.3 ml when UNSTFR was increased by infusing water at 0.5 ml/min . In all subjects, clearance of sugar was faster at the higher swallowing frequency and at the higher flow rate, as predicted by the theoretical model . Small acrylic splints were made to fit over the lower incisors of ten subjects and to hold in the floor of the mouth an antimony microelectrode covered by a 0.5-mm layer of S . mitior, which was held in place by a dialysis membrane.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

J Dent Res, 1985 Oct, 64(10), 1191 - 4
Lactate dehydrogenase-deficient mutants of serotype g Streptococcus mutans; Salem HH et al.; Three LDH-deficient mutants of a serotype g strain of Streptococcus mutans were produced essentially as described by Hillman (1978): They were produced using ethylmethane sulfonate, and isolated using triphenyltetrazolium-glucose agar . Similar attempts to obtain mutants from a serotype c strain were unsuccessful . The g mutant did not revert during 12 weeks of daily transfer in broth, and, when grown in glucose-containing broth, they reached pH values of 4.9 to 5.0, compared with 4.4 for the parent strain . The efficiency of conversion of glucose to cell mass (Yg) was at least as great with the mutants as with the parent strain . The LDH activities of the mutants were less than 1% of that of the parent strain . Like Hillman's (1978) mutants, ethanol, acetic acid, and acetoin were the major products resulting from the metabolism of glucose . Although at pH 7.0 the mutants grew more slowly than did the parent, at pH 5 and pH 6 one of the mutants grew as rapidly as did the parent . The stability, serotype, and ability of these mutants to grow at low pH suggest their potential usefulness for replacement therapy.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 1985 Oct, 50(4), 851 - 8
Streptococcus cremoris M12R transconjugants carrying the conjugal plasmid pTR2030 are insensitive to attack by lytic bacteriophages; Steenson LR et al.; Conjugal transfer of lactose-fermenting ability (Lac+), nisin resistance (Nisr), and phage resistance (Hsp+) was demonstrated in matings between Streptococcus lactis ME2 (donor) and Streptococcus cremoris M43a (recipient), a derivative of M12R . Transconjugants were detected by transfer of Lac+ and were found to exhibit Nisr and harbor a 40-megadalton plasmid (pTR1040) . Fifty-six percent of Lac+ transconjugants were resistant to the S . cremoris M12R lytic phage . Efficiency of plaquing for phage m12r . M12 on a phage-resistant transconjugant, T2r-M43a, was less than 4.3 X 10(-10) . Five additional phages which were virulent for S . cremoris M12R and isolated from industrial sources failed to plaque on S . cremoris T2r-M43a . Mating experiments with T2r-M43a revealed that phage resistance was accompanied by high-frequency conjugation ability (Tra+) and the appearance of both pTR1040 and pTR2030 encoding Lac+ Nisr and Tra+ Hsp+, respectively, in transconjugants of S . lactis LM2302 . Phage-sensitive Lac+ transconjugants of S . cremoris M43a (T2s-M43a) showed no conjugal ability . These observations confirmed that pTR2030 was present and responsible for the phage resistance and conjugal ability exhibited by the S . cremoris transconjugant T2r-M43a . Unlike the S . lactis LM2302 transconjugant carrying pTR2030, resistance of T2r-M43a to phage was not affected at high temperatures (35 to 40 degrees C) or destabilized in repeated transfers through a starter culture activity test . These results demonstrated that phage resistance conferred by pTR2030 in the S . cremoris transconjugant was effective against industrially significant phages under fermentation conditions normally encountered during cheese manufacture.

J Virol Methods, 1985 Oct, 12(1-2), 25 - 30
A modified immunofluorescence test for Epstein-Barr virus-specific IgM antibody; Harnett GB et al.; The fluorescent antibody (FA) test for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific IgM antibody was improved by the use of sodium butyrate to induce a higher level of EBV antigen expression in P3HR-1 slide preparations and by removal of rheumatoid factor (RF) and IgG antibodies from test sera by means of adsorption with suspensions of Sepharose-IgG and Streptococcus pyogenes strain AR1 . This method was compared with the Paul-Bunnell test (PB) on 1106 sera submitted to a routine virus diagnostic laboratory for infectious mononucleosis serology and 96.4% of sera showed concordant results . Thus the EBV-IgM-FA method was suitable for routine diagnostic use . However, it proved helpful to test EBV-IgM positive sera by PB to assist in the detection of cross-reacting IgM antibodies sometimes present.

Infect Immun, 1985 Oct, 50(1), 130 - 5
Mapping of a cloned glucosyltransferase gene in Streptococcus mutans; Perry D et al.; A cloned glucosyltransferase (gtfA) fragment, inserted adjacent to an erythromycin resistance (Eryr) marker in plasmid pVA891, was used in transformation experiments to determine the genetic location of gftA on the Streptococcus mutans chromosome . Eryr (gftA) cotransformed with a methionine (Met+) marker at a frequency of approximately 23%, whereas cotransfer with a number of other markers was not observed . The number of Met+ transformants was approximately 50-fold greater than the number of Eryr transformants . Furthermore, over 20% of the Eryr transformants were always Met+, whereas less than 1% of the Met+ transformants were Eryr, indicating the extreme asymmetrical cotransfer of these markers . The results indicate that S . mutans genes can be mapped by this procedure.

Mol Immunol, 1985 Oct, 22(10), 1159 - 68
Identification and characterization of a hapten-modifiable TEPC 15 cross-reactive idiotype in swine; Butler JE et al.; Rabbits and swine immunized with TEPC 15 IgA, goats immunized with T15-positive IgM and swine immunized with affinity-pure swine anti-phosphorylcholine (PC) all produce antibodies which recognize a hapten-inhibitable idiotypic determinant on swine anti-PC . The similarity in reactivity and order of inhibitability with various PC analogs of the heterologous (swine anti-TEPC 15) and isologous (swine anti-swine anti-PC) reagents indicates that they recognize a related idiotype and suggest it may be the predominant idiotype expressed on swine anti-PC antibodies . The heterologous and isologous anti-idiotypic reagents generated in this study recognize swine and mouse anti-PC but not normal swine IgM, IgG or MOPC 460 . Only reactions with swine anti-PC and mouse T15-positive anti-PC proteins are hapten-inhibitable . The greater inhibitory capacity of trimethylammonium and acetylcholine than PC suggests that the idiotope(s) recognized on swine anti-PC by the anti-idiotypic reagents is integral rather than peripheral to the anti-PC binding site . The nearly exclusive IgM anti-PC response of swine to Streptococcus pneumoniae R36A and PC-Brucella have so far hindered attempts to study the isotypic distribution of the idiotype.

Nucleic Acids Res, 1985 Sep 25, 13(18), 6531 - 44
Detection of a unique human V kappa IV germline gene by a cloned cDNA probe; Marsh P et al.; We have cloned the cDNA encoding the KIV chain of a human antibody with specificity against the major carbohydrate antigen of Streptococcus A . The cDNA has been used as a genetic probe to estimate the number of germline VKIV genes in human DNA . The presence of unique hybridizing bands on digestion of human DNA with several restriction endonucleases and the equivalence of the DNA in a band to a single gene per haploid genome point to the conclusion that there is a unique human VKIV germline gene . The corollary of this conclusion is that the diversity of human VKIV chains must be exclusively due to somatic mutation . This is supported by examination of the sequences of human KIV chain genes and their KIV chain products . Fusion of the unique germline VKIV gene (1) with one of several JK segments, followed by somatic mutations in the V region of the rearranged KIV gene, can account for the known sequences . The restricted germline gene repertoire may account for the small proportion of human KIV chains in the human K chain sequence library (2).

Eur J Biochem, 1985 Sep 16, 151(3), 475 - 83
Inhibition of cell wall synthesis and acylation of the penicillin binding proteins during prolonged exposure of growing Streptococcus pneumoniae to benzylpenicillin; Williamson R et al.; Growing cultures of an autolysis-defective pneumococcal mutant were exposed to {3H}benzylpenicillin at various multiples of the minimal inhibitory concentration and incubated until the growth of the cultures was halted . During the process of growth inhibition, we determined the rates and degree of acylation of the five penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) and the rates of peptidoglycan incorporation, protein synthesis, and turbidity increase . The time required for the onset of the inhibitory effects of benzylpenicillin was inversely related to the concentration of the antibiotic, and inhibition of peptidoglycan incorporation always preceded inhibition of protein synthesis and growth . When cultures first started to show the onset of growth inhibition, the same characteristic fraction of each PBP was in the acylated form in all cases, irrespective of the antibiotic concentration . Apparently, saturation of one or more PBPs with the antibiotic beyond these threshold levels is needed to bring about interference with normal peptidoglycan production and cellular growth . Although it was not possible to correlate the inhibition of cell wall synthesis or cell growth with the degree of acylation (percentage saturation) of any single PBP, there was a correlation between the amount of peptidoglycan synthesized and the actual amount of PBP 2b that was not acylated . In cultures exposed to benzylpenicillin concentrations greater than eight times the minimal inhibitory concentration, the rates of peptidoglycan incorporation underwent a rapid decline when bacterial growth stopped . However, in cultures exposed to lower concentrations of benzylpenicillin (one to six times the minimal inhibitory concentration) peptidoglycan synthesis continued at constant rate for prolonged periods, after the turbidity had ceased to increase . We conclude that inhibition of bacterial growth does not require a complete inhibition or even a major decline in the rate of peptidoglycan incorporation . Rather, inhibition of growth must be caused by an as yet undefined process that stops cell division when the rate of incorporation of peptidoglycan (or synthesis of protein) falls below a critical value.

Presse Med, 1985 Sep 7, 14(29), 1539 - 41
{Acute suppurative myositis . 4 cases}; Guerin JM et al.; Four cases of acute pyomyositis are reported . They were diagnosed at an advanced stage, and the different complementary examinations were of uneven value . The responsible pathogen was Staphylococcus aureus in 3 cases and a strain of Streptococcus in 2 cases (one patient had both germs) . Cure was obtained in 3 patients, including one who required amputation; the 4th patient died . In this disease only the finding of purulent fluid at surgery or by needle aspiration has a diagnostic value . Management consists of antibiotic therapy associated with surgical drainage.

J Biol Chem, 1985 Sep 5, 260(19), 10880 - 7
Low pH-induced fusion of liposomes with membrane vesicles derived from Bacillus subtilis; Driessen AJ et al.; We have investigated the pH-dependent interaction between large unilamellar phospholipid vesicles (liposomes) and membrane vesicles derived from Bacillus subtilis, utilizing a fluorescent assay based on resonance energy transfer (RET) (Struck, D . K., Hoekstra, D., and Pagano, R . E . (1981) Biochemistry 20, 4093-4099) . Efficient interaction occurs only with negatively charged liposomes, containing cardiolipin or phosphatidylserine, as revealed by the dilution of the RET probes from the liposomal bilayer into the bacterial membrane . The initial rate of fluorophore dilution increases steeply with decreasing pH . The interaction involves a process of membrane fusion, as indicated by the proportional transfer of cholesteryl-{1-14C}oleate, 14C-labeled egg PC, and the RET probes from the liposomes to the bacterial vesicles, the formation of interaction products with an intermediate buoyant density, and the appearance of colloidal gold, initially encapsulated in the liposomes, in the internal volume of fused structures as revealed by thin-section electron microscopy . Treatment of B . subtilis vesicles with trypsin strongly inhibits the fusion reaction, indicating the protein dependence of the process . Vesicles derived from Streptococcus cremoris or from the inner membrane of Escherichia coli also show low pH-dependent fusion with liposomes . The fusion process described in this paper may well be of considerable importance to studies on the mechanisms of membrane fusion and to studies on the structure and function of bacterial membranes . In addition, the fusion reaction could be utilized to deliver foreign substances into bacterial protoplasts.

J Immunol Methods, 1985 Sep 3, 82(1), 57 - 63
Use of whole Streptococcus pneumoniae cells as a solid phase sorbent for C-reactive protein measurement by ELISA; Barka N et al.; Monolayers of pneumococcus (serotype 27) on flat bottom polystyrene microtiter plates were used as a solid phase sorbent for the determination of C-reactive protein (CRP) by ELISA . After binding to the monolayer, CRP was quantified with peroxidase conjugated rabbit anti-human CRP immunoglobulin . The method is sensitive (5 micrograms/ml), rapid (less than 2 h) and correlates well with a laser nephelometric assay (r = 0.95, P less than 0.001), and with a classical sandwich ELISA (r = 0.95, P less than 0.001).

Can J Microbiol, 1985 Sep, 31(9), 767 - 72
Antibiotic activity of an isocyanide metabolite of Trichoderma hamatum against rumen bacteria; Liss SN et al.; A metabolite of Trichoderma hamatum, 3-(3-isocyanocyclopent-2-enylidene)propionic acid, was tested for its effects on growth of and carbohydrate metabolism in 11 strains of functionally important rumen bacteria . To standardize the biological activity of this unstable metabolite, a rapid, aerobic disc diffusion assay was developed using Escherichia coli ATCC 11775 . In an anaerobic broth dilution assay using a medium lacking rumen fluid and containing a soluble carbohydrate, the minimum inhibitory concentration of the metabolite which completely inhibited growth of the rumen bacteria for 18 h at 39 degrees C was generally less than 10 micrograms X mL-1; however, the minimum inhibitory concentrations for Megasphaera elsdenii B159 and Streptococcus bovis Pe(1)8 were 10-25 and 25-64 micrograms X mL-1, respectively . In general, the Gram-negative strains were more sensitive than the Gram positive . The minimum inhibitory concentration for Bacteroides ruminicola 23 grown with glucose was 1 micrograms X mL-1; for B . ruminicola GA33 (glucose), B . succinogenes S85 (cellobiose), and Succinivibrio dextrinosolvens 24 (maltose), it was 2 microgram X mL-1 . When added to a cellulose-containing rumen fluid medium, 1-4 micrograms X mL-1 of the metabolite delayed cellulose hydrolysis by B . succinogenes S85, Ruminococcus albus 7, and R . flavefaciens FD1 for up to 4 days, and 6-7 micrograms X mL-1 prevented hydrolysis for at least 1 month . In the presence of the metabolite, the proportion of acetate produced from soluble carbohydrate by the majority of strains increased, but with some strains net production of acetate decreased relative to production of other acidic fermentation products.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Can J Biochem Cell Biol, 1985 Sep, 63(9), 953 - 68
The structure of the specific capsular polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 11F (American type 11); Richards JC et al.; The specific polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 11F (American type 11) is composed of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose (one part), D-glucose (one part), D-galactose (two parts), ribitol (one part), phosphate (one part), and O-acetyl (two parts) . Hydrolysis, dephosphorylation, periodate oxidation, methylation, optical rotation, and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies showed that the polysaccharide is an unbranched linear polymer of a ribitol-phosphate substituted repeating tetrasaccharide unit having the structure: (Formula: see text) . The specific capsular polysaccharides of S . pneumoniae type 11B and 11C (American types 76 and 53) were found to have the same tetrasaccharide repeating unit as the 11F polysaccharide, but differed from it in their mode of O-acetylation and the replacement of the ribitol phosphate by glycerol phosphate in the 11C specific polysaccharide.

Carbohydr Res, 1985 Sep 1, 141(2), 199 - 212
Two synthetic antigens related to Streptococcus pneumoniae type 3 capsular polysaccharide; Chernyak AYa et al.; The synthesis of the allyl beta-glycosides (8 and 20, respectively) of beta-D-GlcpA-(1----4)-D-Glcp and beta-D-Glcp-(1----3)-D-GlcpA (overlapping disaccharide fragments A and B) in the linear chain of the capsular polysaccharide (S3) from Streptococcus pneumoniae type 3 is described . Oxidation of allyl 2,3,6,2',3',4'-hexa-O-acetyl-beta-cellobioside with chromic acid and saponification of the product gave 8 . The synthesis of 20 involved glycosylation of methyl 5-O-acetyl-1,2-O-isopropylidene-alpha-D-glucofuranuronate or its 3-O-trityl derivative and subsequent furanose----pyranose transformation . The derivatives 8 and 20 were each copolymerised with acrylamide . In serological tests (enzyme immunoassay and passive hemagglutination), the resulting antigens exhibited the specificity of S3 . It was concluded that fragment A was a much stronger immunodeterminant than fragment B.

Ann Clin Lab Sci, 1985 Sep-Oct, 15(5), 351 - 6
Infections in newborn infants in a special care unit . A changing pattern of infection; Kumar SP et al.; An analysis of infections in the intensive and intermediate care nurseries (special care unit) of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was made over a three year period . From January 1982 to September 1984, 98 bacteremias were identified in 2571 infants, giving an overall incidence of 3.8 per 100 infants admitted to the special care unit and 11.8 per 1000 hospital births; 7 of 98 infants died, all from early onset disease . Fifty-eight percent of bacteremias were nosocomial . Gram positive organisms accounted for 89 percent of all bacteremias, with coagulase negative staphylococcus and beta hemolytic streptococcus Group B (GBS) being the most frequently identified organisms . Coagulase negative staphylococcus was responsible for 42 percent of bacteremias and 75 percent of all nosocomial infections during this period . Streptococcus Group B was responsible for 78 percent of early onset infection; mortality rate from GBS was 11 percent . In view of the changing pattern of infection and the predominance of coagulase negative staphylococcus, the therapy for nosocomial infection should include antibiotics effective against this organism.

Ophthalmic Surg, 1985 Sep, 16(9), 556 - 9
Proteinaceous film without macrophages covering lens implant in acute panophthalmitis; Wolter JR; A very well-preserved capsule-like proteinaceous film continuously covering a Copeland lens implant in a late stage of alpha streptococcus panophthalmitis exhibits neutrophils and fibrin as well as massive pus on its outer surface . But no macrophages, fibroblast-like cells, or giant cells are found . The proteinaceous film has resisted the proteolytic actions of the massive pus present on and around the implant.

Endoscopy, 1985 Sep, 17(5), 170 - 2
Bacteriaemia associated with endoscopic sclerotherapy of oesophageal varices; Sauerbruch T et al.; Studies on the incidence of bacteraemia following endoscopic injection sclerotherapy produce equivocal results . Accordingly, we performed a prospective study in 24 patients who underwent a total of 40 sclerotherapy sessions . Blood was drawn before, during, and 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 3 hours and 24 hours after sclerotherapy . Transient bacteraemia (mostly during and 5 minutes after sclerotherapy) was detected in 21 (53%) procedures . The bacteraemic events bore no relation to febrile episodes . The most frequently isolated microorganisms were alpha-haemolytic Streptococcus spp . and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. . We conclude that injection sclerotherapy is associated with a high incidence of bacteraemia which, however, in most cases is transient and does not lead to septic disease.

Clin Pharm, 1985 Sep-Oct, 4(5), 566 - 71
Recognition and management of acute suppurative parotitis; Perry RS; Acute suppurative parotitis (ASP) is a rare infectious process occurring after surgery or in debilitated patients . This case describes a 41-year-old man who was hospitalized initially for acute bacterial endocarditis . Late in the hospital course his recovery was complicated by the development of ASP . Subsequent cultures of blood and parotid-fluid samples grew Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Despite early empiric antibiotic therapy followed by more specific therapy with an aminoglycoside, the patient continued to experience severe pain, swelling, and facial-nerve palsy . Surgical incision and drainage of the parotid gland was accomplished on the ninth day after onset of ASP, and the patient experienced a rapid resolution of the disease process . Acute suppurative parotitis was originally attributed to infection with gram-positive organisms, primarily Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus species . More recently, reports of ASP caused by gram-negative and anaerobic bacteria have been published . This review describes the etiology, pathogenesis, microbiology, and clinical features of ASP . Nonpharmacologic, pharmacologic, and surgical management of the disease is discussed . Although ASP is a rare occurrence in the hospital setting, early recognition and appropriate management are important in avoiding serious morbidity and mortality.

Infect Immun, 1985 Sep, 49(3), 674 - 8
Pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in Streptococcus mutans; Carlsson J et al.; Streptococcus mutans NCTC 10449 and Escherichia coli K-12 strain 37 were grown under aerobic and anaerobic conditions . In cell extracts of both strains, pyruvate dehydrogenase activity dependent on thiamine pyrophosphate, coenzyme A, and NAD was shown . The enzyme was induced by pyruvate in the growth medium, and there was higher activity in aerobically grown cells than in anaerobically grown cells . Acetyl phosphate was a potent inhibitor of the activity . This inhibition was partly overcome by inorganic phosphate.

Am J Vet Res, 1985 Sep, 46(9), 1938 - 40
Phagocytic and killing capacities of uterine-derived polymorphonuclear leukocytes from mares resistant and susceptible to chronic endometritis; Cheung AT et al.; The host defense competence of uterine-derived polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from mares considered resistant (grade I uteri) and susceptible (grade III uteri) to chronic endometritis was evaluated for phagocytic and killing (bactericidal) capacities, using a fluorochrome assay . Peripheral blood PMN from noncategorized mares and from grade I and grade III mares were used as controls . Uterine-derived PMN from mares with grade I uteri were functionally competent for phagocytosis and killing of Candida albicans, whereas uterine-derived PMN from mares with grade III uteri had significantly less phagocytic and killing capacities (P greater than or equal to 0.0001) . Results of the present study, together with data obtained from chemotactic responsiveness and deformability assays of a previous study, indicated an overall deficiency in the host defense mechanism of uterine-derived PMN from mares with grade III uteri obtained 12 hours after induced Streptococcus zooepidemicus infection . This deficiency may account for the susceptibility of mares with grade III uteri to chronic endometritis.

Clin Lab Med, 1985 Sep, 5(3), 545 - 60
The detection of streptococcal antigens using monoclonal antibodies; Harris MC et al.; Recent advances in hybridoma technology have allowed the development of homogeneous immunologic reagents of defined specificity, activity, and reproducibility . During the last few years, the number of monoclonal antibodies directed against bacteria has increased exponentially, and research investigations have focused on the use of monoclonal antibodies for the diagnosis and therapy of infectious diseases . Monoclonal antibody technology offers a rapid, specific diagnosis of bacterial infection, long before culture results are available . We have described the use of monoclonal antibodies for the detection of group B streptococcal (GBS) infections in mothers and infants at risk to develop invasive GBS disease . Specifically, we have used the anti-GBS monoclonal antibodies to detect GBS colonization, serotype bacterial isolates in the laboratory, and identify GBS antigens in body fluid specimens . We have also discussed the use of anti-GBS monoclonal antibodies to confer protection against fatal infection in mice . Monoclonal antibodies against group A streptococcus and Streptococcus pneumoniae have also been developed with the potential for the rapid diagnosis of serious and often life-threatening infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals . With further refinements in monoclonal antibody technology in the future, streptococcal hybridomas may replace standard culture techniques for bacterial identification in the microbiology laboratory.

Z Rheumatol, 1985 Sep-Oct, 44(5), 213 - 7
{Streptococcus antibodies in a rural population and in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases}; Bosmansky K; An account is given of assessed titres of anti-streptolysin O (ASO) and antihyaluronidase (AH) in rheumatic fever, in rheumatic patients of inactive phase and in tonsillitis . The ASO titre was examined in 1739 members of the general public and in 360 patients with chronic rheumatic diseases . The author analyses 6235 examinations of ASO titres and 1210 AH examinations . In rheumatic fever the mean maximum ASO titre was 397 u, while the mean maximum AH titre was 3583 u . In inactive phase rheumatic patients the mean ASO titre was 187 u, the mean AH titre 630 u . The mean ASO titre at the onset of the disease in tonsillitis was 172 u . During the second examination after 3-4 weeks, the mean rise of the ASO titre was 205 u . A increased AH titre above 1280 u was recorded during the first examination in 35.2%, during the second examination in 52.3% . The mean ASO titre in the population group comprising 1739 subjects was 148 u . A titre increased above 200 u was recorded in 20.7% . The mean ASO titre in rheumatoid arthritis was 139 u, in ankylosing spondylitis 199 u, in systemic lupus erythematosus and diffuse scleroderma 128 u . In all groups the ASO and AH levels were inversely proportional to the age of the examined subject . Attention is drawn to the correct evaluation of the assessed antibody titres.

Infect Immun, 1985 Sep, 49(3), 731 - 41
Soluble non-cross-linked peptidoglycan polymers stimulate monocyte-macrophage inflammatory functions; Gold MR et al.; Soluble non-cross-linked peptidoglycan polymers are released by gram-positive bacteria when beta-lactam antibiotics are administered to humans . In this report, we show that this type of peptidoglycan can stimulate monocyte-macrophage functions that cause inflammation . Non-cross-linked peptidoglycan polymers from penicillin-treated Streptococcus faecium were purified and shown to stimulate the production of interleukin 1 by human monocytes and of colony-stimulating factors by a murine macrophage cell line . In addition, the release of plasminogen activator by human monocytes was inhibited by the soluble peptidoglycan . These in vitro results suggest that prolonged treatment with beta-lactam antibiotics, by causing the production of soluble peptidoglycan, may result in interleukin 1-mediated inflammatory reactions, excessive production of monocytes and granulocytes, and increased fibrin deposition.

Acta Cytol, 1985 Sep-Oct, 29(5), 879 - 81
Fatal septic shock after fine needle aspiration of a pancreatic pseudocyst; Ulich TR et al.; Fatal septic shock due to Streptococcus sanguis developed eight days after fine needle aspiration (FNA) of a pancreatic pseudocyst . The pseudocyst was adherent to the transverse colon (as is often the case with pseudocysts), and contamination of cyst fluid with colonic bacteria most likely initiated the infection . The patient had not received prophylactic antibiotics, even though the needle had been observed to pass through the bowel at the time of the CAT-scan-guided aspiration . Although the literature documents the safety and usefulness of FNA in the diagnosis of pancreatic tumors, this case suggests that prophylactic antibiotics be considered at the time of aspiration of pseudocysts or necrotic tumors.

Infect Immun, 1985 Sep, 49(3), 790 - 6
Isolation and characterization of an extracellular glucosyltransferase synthesizing insoluble glucan from Streptococcus mutans serotype c; Mukasa H et al.; A glucosyltransferase which synthesized insoluble glucan in polyacrylamide gel was isolated from the culture supernatant of Streptococcus mutans Ingbritt (serotype c) by ultrafiltration, ethanol fractionation, isoelectric focusing, and preparative gel electrophoresis . The enzyme preparation was electrophoretically homogeneous and immunologically distinct from the highly branched 1,6-alpha-D-glucan synthase and fructosyltransferase from the same strain and glucosyltransferases from serotypes a and g . The molecular weight was 99,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the isoelectric point was 8.5 . The enzyme had the optimum pH of 6.0 and Km value for sucrose of 9.4 mM . Besides the insoluble glucan with 96% 1,3-alpha linkage, this enzyme synthesized a considerable amount of diffusible glucan with 84% 1,6-alpha linkage, separately . This enzyme may be the one released from the enzyme aggregates by extracellular proteases, because the addition of extraneous trypsin to the crude enzyme preparation increased the amount of the enzyme species.

Clin Nephrol, 1985 Sep, 24(3), 151 - 4
Polyclonal B cell hyperplasia associated with Epstein-Barr virus causing acute renal allograft failure; Ludwin D et al.; Six weeks post cadaver renal transplantation, a patient developed a flu-like illness . Acute renal failure unresponsive to anti-rejection therapy occurred and he died four days later from Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and Streptococcus viridans septicemia . Autopsy revealed a diffuse polymorphic polyclonal B cell infiltrate occupying most organs, including the allograft . Primary Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infection was established by 1) rising anti-EBV antibody titres; 2) the demonstration of EBV nuclear antigen in the infiltrate and 3) the presence of EBV specific DNA sequences in affected tissues . EBV associated polymorphic B cell hyperplasia can mimic rejection and result in acute allograft failure.

Microbiologia, 1985 Sep, 1(1-2), 35 - 41
{Phenotypical curing of Streptococcus pneumoniae treated with amidase induced by the Dp-1 bacteriophage}; Garcia P et al.; A phage-associated murein hydrolase activity (PAL) induced in an autolysis-defective mutant of Streptococcus pneumoniae infected with the bacteriophage Dp-1 has been recently isolated and purified to electrophoretic homogeneity as well as biochemically characterized as an endo-N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanine amidase (1, 3, 4) . The PAL and the inactive form (E-form) of the host cell autolysin show a remarkable biochemical similarity, although they differ in their immunological characteristics . The PAL was adsorbed onto a live, defective mutant of pneumococcus (cwl) and such cells reverted to the wild type phenotype ("cured" cells) in some important characteristics present in the wild type strain (R6), as: i) lysis of the culture in the stationary phase, ii) protoplast formation by hypertonic sucrose, and iii) bacteriolytic response against the penicillin in contrast with the bacteriostatic response of the "non-cured" cwl . The adsorbed enzyme segregates during growth of the "cured" cells . Our results demonstrate that PAL acts in the phenotypically "cured" cells in a similar way to that previously described for the host enzyme, and also confirm the finding that the autolysins play a direct role in the irreversible effects produced in S . pneumoniae by the betalactamic antibiotics.

Int J Gynaecol Obstet, 1985 Sep, 23(4), 339 - 41
Pneumococcal peritonitis with the presence of an intrauterine device; Ron-El R et al.; PIP: This article presents the case of a 39-year old gravida in whom pneumococcal peritonitis was diagnosed . She was admitted to the hospital with presenting symptoms of septic shock . A Lippes Loop IUD, inserted 2 years before admission, had been symptom-free . Laparotomy revealed purulent fluid throughout the abdominal cavity associated with a thick fibrinous exudate covering the adnexa and abdominal viscera . Streptococcus pneumoniae was cultured from peritoneal and pleural exudates . A total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy and left oophorectomy was performed . Primary pneumococcal peritonitis is rarely encountered today, and early patient referral and antibiotics have decreased the poor prognosis of the disease . 5 cases in previously healthy adults have been described in the literature in the last 15 years, all of them in the presence of an IUD . However, the organism Str pneumoniae was isolated in only 1 of these cases . The present case illustrates the severe complications of primary pneumococcal peritonitis that can be encountered in females in the presence of an IUD . The device should be removed following acute infection . Explorative laparoscopy is indicated in cases where definitive cul-de-sac exudate is unobtainable . Peritoneal dialysis is recommended for patients who desire future pregnancy . This may be combined with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in cases where future fertility is not a consideration .

Infect Immun, 1985 Sep, 49(3), 593 - 7
Streptococcus pneumoniae cocultured with fibroblasts enhances both interferon production and cytotoxic activity by lymphocytes; Weigent DA et al.; Cell-mediated cytotoxicity against normal human fibroblasts was dependent on treatment of the fibroblasts with Streptococcus pneumoniae . Both spontaneous and interferon (IFN)-enhanced lymphocytes killed human foreskin (HFS) or skin muscle cells cocultured with S . pneumoniae five- to eightfold more than control nontreated cells . Based on Percoll gradient centrifugation, the cytotoxic effector cell migrated like a large granular lymphocyte . The human IFN produced from mixtures of HFS cells, lymphocytes, and S . pneumoniae was observed to be both a mixture of IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma and in an amount 500 times greater than that observed with lymphocytes on HFS cells alone, and it was in an amount 12 times greater than when lymphocytes and bacteria were cultured together . A mixture of antibodies to IFN-alpha and -gamma added to cocultures of fibroblasts and bacteria blocked the killing of fibroblast targets by lymphocytes (47 versus 13%) . Thus, endogenously produced IFN was essential for the effective killing of the fibroblasts . Treatment of HFS cells with IFN before bacterial treatment protected the HFS cells from lysis by lymphocytes . The observation that normal diploid cells exposed to bacteria can be killed by lymphocytes suggests that natural cytotoxic cells are active at the site of bacterial infection and conceivably play roles in defense or pathogenesis.

Biochemistry, 1985 Aug 27, 24(18), 4772 - 7
Role of isomerization of initial complexes in the binding of inhibitors to dihydrofolate reductase; Blakley RL et al.; Stopped-flow measurements of protein fluorescence quenching when methotrexate (MTX) binds to dihydrofolate reductase (isoenzyme II) of Streptococcus faecium (SFDHFR II) analyze as the sum of two differentials: a rapid binding phase and a second phase for which the observed rate constant is independent of methotrexate concentration . Analysis of variation of the ratio of the amplitude of the fast and slow phases with methotrexate concentration indicates that the second phase is an isomerization of the initial binary complex . At pH 7.3, the equilibrium constant for this isomerization is 21.9, and the forward and reverse rate constants are 0.57 and 0.026 s-1, respectively . Similar results were obtained for binding of 3-deazamethotrexate to SFDHFR II, but the forward rate constant is greater (2.9 s-1 at pH 7.3) . The equilibrium constants for these isomerizations are pH independent, but the rate constants decrease as the pH is raised, probably due to deprotonation of one or more groups on the enzyme . Analysis of progress curves obtained by the development of inhibition when SFDHFR II is added last to reaction mixtures containing dihydrofolate, NADPH, and MTX gives an association constant for initial reactions of 4.3 X 10(7) M-1 . Since a preliminary estimate of the association constant for the binding reaction is 7.6 X 10(5) M-1, this suggests an isomerization of the ternary complex(es) with an equilibrium constant of about 56 . In addition, analysis of the progress of development of inhibition indicates a further very slow isomerization with equilibrium constant 419 and forward rate constant 2.6 min-1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

J Mol Biol, 1985 Aug 20, 184(4), 645 - 56
Constraints on flagellar rotation; Khan S et al.; The motion of tethered cells of Streptococcus was analyzed at low values of protonmotive force (delta p) . Cells repeatedly energized and de-energized stopped at discrete angular positions, indicating a rotational symmetry of barriers to rotation of order 5 or 6 . At values of delta p smaller than -30 mV, constraints imposed by these barriers were evident when cells were starved and gradually energized, but not when they were energized first and then gradually de-energized . At values of delta p larger than about -30 mV, the cells behaved as if there were no barriers . Cells spinning in this regime also executed rotational Brownian movement . At energy levels above threshold, the motor determines torque; it does not fix the position of the rotor relative to the stator.

Biochim Biophys Acta, 1985 Aug 16, 841(2), 166 - 72
Immunochemical properties and intracellular localization of two molecular forms of arginine aminopeptidase in Streptococcus mitis ATCC 9811; Hiraoka BY; Streptococcus mitis contains two multiple forms of arginine aminopeptidase (I and II) which differ from each other with respect to their content, immunochemical properties and cellular localization . Immunological analyses by Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion and immunoprecipitation showed an antigenic difference between each form by the use of antisera specific for each enzyme . The amounts of enzymes I and II within the cell were estimated to be 230 +/- 4.3 and 646 +/- 20 ng/mg protein (+/- S.D.), respectively, using a standard curve of purified enzyme in a single radial immunodiffusion assay . When intact cells were treated with the cell wall lytic enzyme, N-acetylmuramidase, though both enzymes were solubilized, a time lag was observed for the solubilization of enzyme II . Enzyme I was detected only in the cell wall fraction and showed no detectable associated with the membrane . Although most of the enzyme II activity was recovered in the cell wall fraction, a slight amount (7.5%) of the total activity was also found in the membrane fraction.

Am J Med, 1985 Aug 9, 79(2A), 25 - 31
Treatment of community-acquired pneumonias; McKellar PP; Community-acquired pneumonia resulting in hospitalization may have a mortality rate of 10 to 25 percent . The exact incidence of community-acquired pneumonia is unknown because it is not a reportable disease . The etiologic spectrum appears to be changing . Streptococcus pneumoniae causes most of the cases; the rank ordering of other pathogens is uncertain . With the exception of Legionella, colonization of the upper respiratory tract usually precedes clinical pneumonia . Subtle aspiration of the posterior pharyngeal flora accounts for the majority of pneumonias . The need for prompt antibiotic therapy mandates an efficient approach to diagnosis, although it is often difficult to establish a precise etiology . Empiric therapy is often initiated prior to an etiologic diagnosis, and should be as specific as possible . Initial choice of therapy is dictated by the clinical presentation (e.g., "bacterial-like" or "viral-like"), inquiries into the possibility of aspiration or gram-negative pneumonia, and the results of gram-stain examination . When the clinical presentation and Gram-stain results are consistent with pneumococcal pneumonia, penicillin is the drug of choice . A more obtuse presentation in an otherwise healthy patient may call for erythromycin to cover Legionella and Mycoplasma . "Marginally compromised" hosts, such as alcoholics, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and elderly nursing home patients, may require empiric broad-spectrum cephalosporin therapy for the first few days . Prevention of pneumonia using available vaccines must be emphasized.

Acta Pathol Microbiol Immunol Scand {B}, 1985 Aug, 93(4), 283 - 7
Genetic transformation in Streptococcus sanguis . Effects on genetic transformation by culture filtrates of Streptococcus sanguis (serogroups H and W) and streptococcus mitis (mitior) with reference to identification; Gaustad P; Streptococcus sanguis (serogroups H and W) strains are frequently competent in genetic transformation . In a collection of 18 strains of S . sanguis isolated from blood cultures, 12 strains were spontaneously competent in transformation by streptomycin-resistant DNA, and three strains were induced to competence by the use of culture filtrates containing competence factor (CF) . Culture filtrates from spontaneously competent S . sanguis strains only induced competence in transformation of strains of the same species . In addition to the three "constitutional" types of S . sanguis with regard to specificity of transformation previously reported (originally represented by the strain Challis, 13b and NCTC 7863), a possible fourth type, (represented by strain 21452) was found . Further studies are required to ascertain the role of these types . The "constitutional" types are characterized by the range of activity of their CF's . These specificities seem useful in identification of S . sanguis and its separation from S . mitis (mitior) . Tests of spontaneously competent strains with culture filtrates from other competent strains showed variable effects on the transformation frequencies in different strains.

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