Rheumatol Int, 1998, 17(5), 203 - 5 Antibiotic sensitivity and proticine typing of Proteus mirabilis strains associated with rheumatoid arthritis; Wilson C et al.; Urinary isolates of Proteus mirabilis, obtained from 49 RA patients and 44 healthy controls, were tested for susceptibility to antibiotics by the disc diffusion method . In addition, P . mirabilis isolates were also tested for proticine production and sensitivity (p/s) typing by the inhibition of growth of each test isolate against 13 reference strains of P . mirabilis . The P . mirabilis isolates from both RA patients and healthy controls were highly susceptible to norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim, but less to minocycline . The urine of RA patients contained fewer different types of P . mirabilis strains than those isolated from healthy controls . All of the strains found in the RA patients were proticine producers (P < 0.001), mostly of proticine 3 (P < 0.005) . The presence of such strains provides evidence of a sub-clinical upper urinary tract infection with P . mirabilis in some RA patients . Therapeutic intervention in RA with relevant antibiotics requires evaluation. Infect Immun, 1998 Jun, 66(6), 2410 - 9 Cytochalasin-induced actin disruption of polarized enterocytes can augment internalization of bacteria; Wells CL et al.; Cytochalasin-induced actin disruption has often been associated with decreased bacterial internalization by cultured epithelial cells, although polarized enterocytes have not been systematically studied . In assays using confluent polarized HT-29 enterocytes, cytochalasin D appeared to increase internalization of wild-type Salmonella typhimurium, Proteus mirabilis, and Escherichia coli . HeLa and HEp-2 epithelial cells, as well as HT-29 and Caco-2 enterocytes, were used to clarify this unexpected observation . Resulting data showed that cytochalasin D was associated with increased internalization of S . typhimurium and P . mirabilis by both HT-29 and Caco-2 enterocytes and with increased internalization of E . coli by HT-29 enterocytes; with either HeLa or HEp-2 cells, cytochalasin was associated with no change or a decrease in internalization of these same bacterial strains . Cytochalasin caused decreased internalization of Listeria monocytogenes by HT-29, Caco-2, HeLa, and HEp-2 cells, indicating that cytochalasin did not consistently augment bacterial internalization by polarized enterocytes . Fluorescein-labeled phalloidin confirmed marked disruption of filamentous actin in cytochalasin-treated HT-29, Caco-2, HeLa, and HEp-2 cells . Cytochalasin had no noticeable effect on epithelial viability but caused distorted apical microvilli, cell rounding, and separation of adjacent enterocytes in confluent cultures (with a corresponding decrease in transepithelial electrical resistance) . Scanning electron microscopy showed that cytochalasin-induced enhanced bacterial internalization was associated with preferential bacterial adherence on the exposed enterocyte lateral surface . Colchicine, used to disrupt microtubules, had no noticeable effect on bacterial internalization by HT-29 or Caco-2 enterocytes . These data indicated that for HT-29 and Caco-2 enterocytes, cytochalasin-induced disruption of filamentous actin might augment internalization of some bacterial species by a mechanism that appeared to involve exposure of the enterocyte lateral surface. Eur Radiol, 1998, 8(4), 585 - 7 A mild form of Proteus syndrome; Hauer MP et al.; Proteus syndrome is a rare congenital hamartomatous syndrome . We report on the clinical and radiological appearances of a boy in order to illustrate the typical signs which include subcutaneous masses, in mild forms partial gigantism of hands and feet, hemihypertrophy, and bony abnormalities . We discuss how to make the definitive diagnosis on the basis of using a known rating scale, important aspects of differential diagnosis and clinical features, and diagnostic management. J Pediatr Orthop, 1998 May-Jun, 18(3), 337 - 45 Gigantism of the foot: our experience in seven cases; Turra S et al.; We report our experience in seven patients with congenital gigantism of the foot with the following diagnoses: neurofibromatosis (two), fibrolipomatosis (two), Proteus syndrome (two), and idiopathic localized gigantism (one) . Our purpose is to introduce a new classification of foot gigantism, based on the concept of "neuroinduction." In our experience, intraoperative examination and subsequent histologic examination show consistently pathologic findings in the plantar nerve and its terminal branches in the foot affected by gigantism . Limited surgical treatment was used in five patients . To prevent forefoot enlargement and recurrence of deformity, we suggest complete ray resection . We evaluated our results using radiographs, functional status, and cosmetic considerations. Ann Plast Surg, 1998 May, 40(5), 528 - 32 Pediatric peripheral neuropathy in proteus syndrome; Choi ML et al.; Proteus syndrome is a rare congenital disorder comprised of subcutaneous and internal hamartomas, pigmented skin nevi, skull exostoses, hemihypertrophy, and macrodactyly of the hands and feet . A 5-year-old girl diagnosed with Proteus syndrome presented with distal median compression neuropathy with the primary complaint of severe pain involving the left hand . Surgical exploration of the hand revealed a lipofibromatous hamartoma of the median nerve . The transverse carpal ligament was released and epineurectomy of the median nerve was performed . The patient remains symptom free at the 9-month follow-up . This report is the first description of a hamartoma directly involving a peripheral nerve in Proteus syndrome . Decompression of the nerve with the removal of the fibrofatty neural sheath resulted in the resolution of the symptoms in this patient . The surgeon should consider this approach as a potential first line of treatment before a more radical resection of the nerve is contemplated. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1998 Apr, 41(4), 435 - 42 An in-vitro study of carbapenem-induced morphological changes and endotoxin release in clinical isolates of gram-negative bacilli; Horii T et al.; One hundred clinical isolates, including Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris and Proteus mirabilis, were exposed to carbapenems (imipenem, panipenem, meropenem and biapenem) at 0.5 x MIC for 3 h, then their morphology was examined and endotoxin release determined . Ceftazidime, which induces filament formation, was used as a control . Scanning electron microscopy showed that these carbapenems induced formation of spherical or ovoid cells, except for P . aeruginosa treated with meropenem and biapenem; these latter cells had a 'bulge' midway along them and we have termed them 'oval-centred' . There was a relationship between morphology and the amount of endotoxin released following exposure to carbapenems or ceftazidime . Of all the species investigated, P . aeruginosa showed the most variable morphological changes . P . aeruginosa exposed to biapenem were longer oval-centred in shape, and released significantly more endotoxin than those exposed to imipenem, panipenem (spherical) or meropenem (shorter oval-centred cells) (P=0.030, 0.017 and 0.002, respectively) . In all strains except P . aeruginosa, carbapenems induced significantly less endotoxin release than ceftazidime (P < 0.05). Zentralbl Chir, 1998, 123(1), 46 - 52 {Risk factors and pathogenic microorganisms in patients with insufficient esophagojejunostomy after gastrectomy}; Schardey HM et al.; It was the aim of the study to find by retrospective analysis of data from totally gastrectomized patients risk factors for the development of esophago-jejunal anastomotic leakage, that may be avoidable or influenced therapeutically . PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study design was retrospective involving 838 patients with total gastrectomy for gastric cancer from the years 1973-1993 . In 134 cases leakage of the esophago-jejunostomy occurred . The relative risk for the development of leakage associated with individual parameters was determined by comparing the data from 704 patients without leakage to the data from 134 patients presenting with this complication . For a subgroup of 86 patients with anastomotic leakage microbiological data of swabs taken from the anastomoses were available, which were evaluated with respect to potentially pathogenic bacilli . RESULTS: The overall leakage rate of esophago-jejunal anastomoses was 15.9% (n = 134) . The mortality rate during this time period amounted to 14.3% . Leakage was a most highly significant factor for mortality (p = 0.0001) . Significant risk factors for leakage of the esophago-jejunostomy were tumors of the cardia, splenectomy, a duration of operating time of more than 5 hours and manual suture technique compared to stapler anastomoses . Tumor unrelated associated disease, tumor stage and a history of other preexisting gastric diseases were not associated with an increased relative risk . At the time of the initial clinical manifestation of leakage the following pathogenic bacilli could be isolated from leaking anastomoses with decreasing incidence: E . coli, S . aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae a.o . The bacterial spectrum has not changed during the observation period of 20 years . SUMMARY: With the exception of the choice of suture techniques the identified clinical risk factors cannot be avoided or influenced therapeutically due to a lack of potentially curative treatment alternatives . In contrast potentially pathogenic bacilli associated with leakage can be prevented from coming in contact with anastomoses thereby preventing infection and leakage. Zhonghua Nei Ke Za Zhi, 1996 Oct, 35(10), 668 - 72 {The evaluation of cefmetazole in clinical use . The study group of cefmetazole in clinical use}; Si C et al.; To study the clinical effect of cefmetazole (CMZ), we treated with CMZ 1,926 patients with various infections involving the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, liver and biliary tract, skin and soft tissue and others . The marked effect rate was 56.5%, and the effect rate 33.7% . The sensitivity test of CMZ was also performed in vitro . Staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus, staphylococcus epidermis, E . coli, S . typhi, B . salmonella, B . shigella, B . Klebsiella pneumoniae, B . proteus, etc . were sensitive to CMZ . Injecting CMZ can prevent the infection of operation . The study of the adverse reaction of CMZ showed, an adverse reaction rate of 4.2% (the gastrointestinal tract, allergy, kidney and nervous system) . These results suggested that CMZ is an antibiotic of broad spectrum, high efficacy and low toxicity . It is effective in treating sensitive bacterial infection, unknown pathogenic infection and mixed bacterial infection, and preventing infection in surgery. Arch Esp Urol, 1998 Mar, 51(2), 160 - 2 {Lithiasis in megacalyosis}; Monreal Garcia De Vicuna F et al.; OBJECTIVE: To review our series of lithiasis associated with megacalyosis, a rare disease entity . METHODS/RESULTS: The clinical records of patients treated from 1976 to 1994 were reviewed . Of 39 cases of megacalyosis, 27 were associated with lithiasis and was slightly more prevalent in males (59.3%) . Struvite and whewelite calculi were more prevalent and 40.7% also had urinary tract infection, E . coli, Pseudomonas and Proteus being the most frequent pathogens . ESWL with hyperhydration was the most frequently utilized treatment . CONCLUSIONS: Megacalyosis is an embryogenic anomaly of Malpighi's pyramids that is associated with lithiasis in 69.2% of our series, frequently localized to the left side . We have found no significant difference according to sex or a hereditary component . IVP is the principal diagnostic method for megacalyosis . The frequent association of urinary tract infection should be taken into account when instituting treatment. J Neurosurg, 1998 May, 88(5), 895 - 7 Abscess formation within a parasagittal meningioma . Case report; Eisenberg MB et al.; The authors present the case of a 78-year-old woman who developed right lower-extremity paralysis after a focal seizure . Neuroradiological studies revealed a small parasagittal meningioma, which at the time of resection was found to contain a bacterial intratumoral abscess secondary to Proteus mirabilis . This is only the second reported case of intratumoral abscess formation in a meningioma and the first such occurrence to be reported in an otherwise healthy, immunocompetent individual. Cell Biol Int, 1997 Sep, 21(9), 565 - 73 ADHESION-DEPENDENT F-ACTIN PATTERN IN AMOEBA PROTEUS AS A COMMON FEATURE OF AMOEBAE AND THE METAZOAN MOTILE CELLS Gr&ecedil;becka L, Pomorski P, Gr A, Lopatowska A. Adhesion and movement of Amoeba proteus are both dependent on the appropriate arrangement of the F-actin cytoskeleton and on the presence of the cell nucleus . In this study the F-actin organization was examined by routine FITC-phalloidin staining and confocal laser microscopy in intact amoebae and in their nucleated and anucleated fragments, at different levels of cell adherence to the substratum . In the adhering and migrating intact cells and nucleated cell fragments dot-like aggregates of F-actin are scattered over the ventral side at sites close to the substratum . In the case of de-adhesion of nucleated specimens this pattern disappears and F-actin is accumulated in the cell centre and/or dispersed in the cytoplasm . The same actin distribution, without ventral dots, is found in the anucleated fragments which usually fail to attach to the substratum . Re-adhesion of anucleated fragments, induced by a modified substratum or spontaneous, is accompanied by restoration of actin dots at the lower cell side . It is concluded that: (1) adhering specimens of A . proteus display the same dot-like actin pattern on the ventral cell side, as many metazoan motile cells; (2) organization or disorganization of this pattern may occur independently of the presence of the cell nucleus, under the control of cell adhesion to the substratum . Pediatr Surg Int, 1998 Mar, 13(2-3), 146 - 8 Does circumcision alter the periurethral bacterial flora? Wijesinha SS, Atkins BL, Dudley NE, Tam PK. A prospective study of 25 boys who underwent circumcision for medical reason was performed . Specimens of periurethral bacterial flora were taken before operation as well as 3 weeks after surgery, so that each boy acted as his own control . Before circumcision, 13 (52%) harboured uropathogenic organisms (Escherichia coli and other coliforms, Enterococcus spp, Proteus spp, Pseudomonas spp, and Klebsiella spp); after circumcision, none of the boys had uropathogens, the only organisms cultured from the periurethral region being skin commensals . We postulate that circumcision converts a 'cul-de-sac' that is a reservoir of organisms capable of causing ascending urinary tract infection into a surface colonised by natural skin organisms . This study provides circumstantial evidence supporting the idea that circumcision in well-selected patients may confer protection from urine infection. J Rheumatol, 1998 Apr, 25(4), 743 - 7 Antibodies to Klebsiella pneumoniae in Dutch patients with ankylosing spondylitis and acute anterior uveitis and to Proteus mirabilis in rheumatoid arthritis; Blankenberg-Sprenkels SH et al.; OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the association between increased humoral reactivity against Klebsiella and HLA-B27 associated diseases could be confirmed in Dutch patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and acute anterior uveitis (AAU) . METHODS: Under coded conditions sera from Dutch patients with AS, AAU, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and from HLA-B27 positive and negative healthy controls were studied for IgA anti-Klebsiella (K54) and IgG anti-Proteus antibodies with the indirect immunofluorescence assay on whole bacteria fixed in suspension with paraformaldehyde . Each group consisted of at least 17 sera . RESULTS: IgA anti-Klebsiella antibody titers were elevated in AS and HLA-B27 negative AAU compared to the HLA-B27 positive and negative controls or patients with active RA (p < 0.001) . Furthermore, patients with active RA had elevated levels of IgG antibodies against P . mirabilis compared to every other test or control group (p < 0.001) . There was no significant difference between the AS and RA patients in terms of serum C-reactive protein levels, although these were significantly elevated in both compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001), suggesting that the antibody elevations were not due to a nonspecific inflammatory effect . The same sera were blindly tested with negative results by 2 other centers . The discrepancies are probably the result of differences in the methods used . CONCLUSION: Our data support the hypothesis that Klebsiella are involved in the pathogenesis of AS and AAU and that the same might be true for Proteus in RA. Med Dosw Mikrobiol, 1997, 49(3-4), 169 - 76 {Establishing the types of Dienes compatibility in clinical Proteus mirabilis strains}; Jozefowicz-Piatkowska H; The aim of the study was to use the Dienes phenomenon for the differentiation of Proteus mirabilis strains isolated from urine by the method of making possible their typing . The subject of the study were 351 strains of Proteus mirabilis obtained from the laboratory of the Institute of Pediatrics, Medical Academy in Lodz . For establishing of the compatibility type 18 indicator strains were taken, each of them had action antagonistic towards all other ones . The results were read according to the presence or absence of the demarcation line between indicator strains and the studied strain . Out of 351 strains in 190 (54%) the reactions were compatible with one or more indicator strains . They were classified into 30 Dienes compatibility types . In the view of the simplicity and easy performance the method can be used in every microbiological laboratory. J Mol Biol, 1998 Feb 27, 276(3), 603 - 23 Crystal structure of tryptophanase; Isupov MN et al.; The X-ray structure of tryptophanase (Tnase) reveals the interactions responsible for binding of the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) and atomic details of the K+ binding site essential for catalysis . The structure of holo Tnase from Proteus vulgaris (space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a = 115.0 A, b = 118.2 A, c = 153.7 A) has been determined at 2.1 A resolution by molecular replacement using tyrosine phenol-lyase (TPL) coordinates . The final model of Tnase, refined to an R-factor of 18.7%, (Rfree = 22.8%) suggests that the PLP-enzyme from observed in the structure is a ketoenamine . PLP is bound in a cleft formed by both the small and large domains of one subunit and the large domain of the adjacent subunit in the so-called "catalytic" dimer . The K+ cations are located on the interface of the subunits in the dimer . The structure of the catalytic dimer and mode of PLP binding in Tnase resemble those found in aspartate amino-transferase, TPL, omega-amino acid pyruvate aminotransferase, dialkylglycine decarboxylase (DGD), cystathionine beta-lyase and ornithine decarboxylase . No structural similarity has been detected between Tnase and the beta 2 dimer of tryptophan synthase which catalyses the same beta-replacement reaction . The single monovalent cation binding site of Tnase is similar to that of TPL, but differs from either of those in DGD. Curr Microbiol, 1998 Mar, 36(3), 164 - 70 Flies and their bacterial loads in greyhound dog kennels in Kansas; Urban JE et al.; Breeders of greyhound dogs traditionally feed racing animals and nursing bitches raw meat, and that meat generally is obtained frozen from commercial renderers . Previous studies have shown that the rendered meat is frequently contaminated with enteric bacteria, including Salmonella spp., and that during thawing the rendered meat is exposed to filth flies common in dog kennels . Nursing greyhound pups tend to experience a high morbidity and mortality from intestinal infections, and we attempted to determine in this study whether enterics could be spread to pups through contaminated flies . At intervals during 1995 and 1996, flies were trapped or were net-collected from 10 dog breeding kennels in the region around Abilene, KS . Trapped flies were identified and counted to determine population numbers, and netted flies were cultured in tetrathionate broth and streaked to medium selecting for Salmonella sp . and other lactose-negative Gram (-) bacteria . The relative numbers of different fly species varied with the sampling method, but traps and sweep nets produced similar proportions of the different fly species . Blow flies were twice as likely to be contaminated with enteric bacteria as any other fly . The most common enteric bacteria found were Proteus spp., followed by Providencia spp., Pseudomonas spp., and Salmonella spp . The incidence of Salmonella and Proteus spp . seemed to correlate more with accessibility of flies to dog excrement than to rendered meat . The apparent high incidence of enteric contamination of filth flies clearly implicates them as vectors of enteric diseases in kennels. Heart Lung, 1998 Mar-Apr, 27(2), 146 - 8 Proteus penneri urosepsis in a patient with diabetes mellitus; Latuszynski DK et al.; Proteus penneri has been isolated from many different clinical sources, including surgical wound infections, urine, and blood . We describe the first reported case of P . penneri nosocomial urosepsis in a patient with diabetes . P . penneri was subsequently isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and a pulmonary artery catheter tip. Pharmazie, 1998 Mar, 53(3), 190 - 2 Antimicrobial activity of organic thiosulfates (Bunte salts); Stefanska JZ et al.; A number of organic thiosulfates (Bunte salts) were prepared from appropriate primary bromides or iodides . In the case of substrates with long aliphatic chains, an addition of benzyltrimethylammonium chloride as phase transfer catalyst was very successful . The Bunte salts obtained were tested for antibacterial and fungicidal activity by means of the agar disc-diffusion method and by assignation of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) . It was found that the microorganisms Proteus vulgaris, Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus showed the highest sensitivity . Biological activity of the compounds studied was dependent on the length of the aliphatic chain . Among the investigated compounds, aliphatic thiosulfates with 10-13 carbon atom chain were the most potent. J Membr Biol, 1998 Mar 15, 162(2), 127 - 38 Molecular mechanisms of polymyxin B-membrane interactions: direct correlation between surface charge density and self-promoted transport; Wiese A et al.; We have studied the interaction of the polycationic peptide antibiotic polymyxin B (PMB) with asymmetric planar bilayer membranes via electrical measurements . The bilayers were of different compositions, including those of the lipid matrices of the outer membranes of various species of Gram-negative bacteria . One leaflet, representing the bacterial inner leaflet, consisted of a phospholipid mixture (PL; phosphatidylethanolamine, -glycerol, and diphosphatidylglycerol in a molar ratio of 81:17:2) . The other (outer) leaflet consisted either of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from deep rough mutants of PMB-sensitive (Escherichia coli F515) or -resistant strains (Proteus mirabilis R45), glycosphingolipid (GSL-1) from Sphingomonas paucimobilis IAM 12576, or phospholipids (phosphatidylglycerol, diphytanoyl-phosphatidylcholine) . In all membrane systems, the addition of PMB to the outer leaflet led to the induction of current fluctuations due to transient membrane lesions . The minimal PMB concentration required for the induction of the lesions and their size correlated with the charge of the lipid molecules . In the membrane system resembling the lipid matrix of a PMB-sensitive strain (F515 LPS/PL), the diameters of the lesions were large enough (d = 2.4 nm +/- 8%) to allow PMB molecules to permeate (self-promoted transport), but in all other systems they were too small . A comparison of these phenomena with membrane effects induced by detergents (dodecyltriphenylphosphonium bromide, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide, sodiumdodecylsulfate) revealed a detergent-like mechanism of the PMB-membrane interaction. J Chemother, 1998 Feb, 10(1), 22 - 4 Two nosocomial strains of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia transferring antibiotic resistance to Proteus mirabilis P-38 recipient strain; Blahova J et al.; In this report we describe a specific transfer of carbenicillin and cephaloridine resistance determinants from two different strains of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: No . 215 and 221 isolated from two critically ill patients treated in different Intensive Care Units of a large University Hospital in Ostrava, Czech Republic . These strains were resistant to flouroquinolones and the following beta-lactam drugs: carbenicillin, cephaloridine, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefepime, imipenem, meropenem and aztreonam . Both strains transferred carbenicillin and cephaloridine resistance determinants, with rather different frequency, to Proteus mirabilis P-38 . All carbenicillin-selected transconjugants were found by an indirect selection method to be co-resistant to cephaloridine only . In a second cycle of transfers Proteus mirabilis R+ strains directly transferred carbenicillin and cephalothin determinants to Escherichia coli K-12 No . 185 nal+ lac+ recipient strain. J Indian Med Assoc, 1997 Sep, 95(9), 500 - 4 Pre-labour rupture of membrane: the histological study of membrane and bacteriological profile; Banerjee S et al.; One hundred two (102) cases of pre-labour rupture of membrane (PROM) were studied and special attention was given to the histological study of the amniotic membrane as well as to the bacteriological study of high vaginal flora, cervical flora and flora of amniotic fluid, in search of probable causes or factors leading to PROM . The incidence was found to be 3.16% in the age group of 20-25 years without any relation to parity; and the duration of gestation was 38 to 40 weeks in most of the cases . The histological study revealed: (a) Focally denuded amniotic epithelium, focally separated amniotic epithelium from chorion layer, lesser density of focal squamoid change of the epithelium and thicker chorion layer probably indicating focal immaturity of the chorio-amnion, (b) lesser thickness of collagen layer, focal hydropic degeneration and mild cellular infiltrate, (c) presence of focal hyaline degeneration and focal calcification of chorio-amnion . Microbial culture revealed: (a) Higher rate of positive culture in high vaginal swab, cervical swab and amniotic fluid showing presence predominantly of Esch coli, Strept haemolyticus, klebseilla species, Staph aureus, Strept non-haemolyticus, proteus species and pseudomonas species against that of positive cultures in the control cases, (b) no anaerobic bacteria from high vaginal swab, cervical swab or from amniotic fluid . It was presumed that focal immaturity of chorio-amnion or focal irregularity in the chorio-amnion at the microscopical level, focal degeneration of collagen superadded with bacterial infection, however mild, could be the factors leading to weakness in the tensile strength of chorio-amnion, again leading to PROM, in the face of stress factors of foetal origin. Infect Immun, 1998 Apr, 66(4), 1759 - 63 MrpB functions as the terminator for assembly of Proteus mirabilis mannose-resistant Proteus-like fimbriae; Li X et al.; Insertional mutagenesis studies of mrpB, a putative pilin-encoding open reading frame of the mrp gene cluster, which encodes mannose-resistant Proteus-like (MR/P) fimbriae of Proteus mirabilis, indicate that MrpB functions as the terminator for fimbrial assembly. J Perinatol, 1998 Jan-Feb, 18(1), 28 - 30 Microbiology of necrotizing fasciitis associated with omphalitis in the newborn infant; Brook I; OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to report the aerobic and anaerobic microbiology of periumbilical necrotizing fasciitis in newborn infants . STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review was done of the author's 20-year experience . RESULTS: Specimens obtained from 11 newborn infants with periumbilical necrotizing fasciitis were cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria . A total of 38 bacterial isolates was recovered: 21 aerobic and facultative and 17 anaerobic . Aerobic or facultative bacteria only were present in 1 specimen (9%), anaerobes only in 2 (18%), and mixed aerobic and anaerobic flora in 8 (73%) . Multiple organisms were recovered from all instances and the number of isolates varied from two to six (average 3.5 isolates per specimen) . The predominant isolates were Peptostreptococcus sp . (7 isolates); Bacteroides fragilis group (6); streptococcus group B (4); and Staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus group D, Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis (3 each) . All patients underwent extensive debridement and resection, and they received supportive and antimicrobial therapy . Six (55%) of the patients died . CONCLUSIONS: These findings illustrate the polymicrobial aerobic-anaerobic flora of periumbilical necrotizing fasciitis. Microbiol Immunol, 1998, 42(1), 47 - 9 Response of blood platelets to Proteus mirabilis lipopolysaccharide; Wachowicz B et al.; The effects of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Proteus mirabilis on the production of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and the generation of superoxide radicals (O2) by pig blood platelets were studied in vitro . The effect of LPS on TBARS formation in platelets was dependent on the concentration of endotoxin . LPS at concentrations above 0.1 microg/10(8) platelets caused the production of TBARS concomitant with the generation of superoxide radicals . The responses of platelets to LPS suggest that endotoxin, like thrombin (a strong platelets agonist), stimulates an enzymatic cascade of platelet arachidonate via cyclooxygenase and produces thromboxane A2 (TXA2) concomitant with malonyldialdehyde (MDA). Microbiol Immunol, 1998, 42(1), 7 - 14 Structural and immunochemical studies of two cross-reactive Proteus mirabilis O-antigens, O6 and O23, containing beta1-->3-linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose residues; Cedzynski M et al.; A marked serological cross-reactivity was observed by ELISA and a precipitation test between anti-Proteus mirabilis O23 serum and the lipopolysaccharide as well as the O-specific polysaccharide from the Proteus mirabilis strain belonging to serogroup O6 . The structures of the O-specific polysaccharides were elucidated using chemical and NMR spectroscopic analyses, and the only common component, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose (beta-D-GlcNAc), was revealed, which was suggested to be responsible for the cross-reactivity observed . Both anti-O23 and anti-O6 sera were shown to react with 1, 3-Linked beta-D-GlcNAc-containing O-antigen from Salmonella enterica ssp . arizonae O59 also . The lack of reactivity of Smith-degraded P . mirabilis O6 O-specific polysaccharide with homologous antiserum indicated the crucial role of alpha-D-glucuronic acid in specific antibody binding. Am J Med Genet, 1998 Mar 5, 76(2), 145 - 9 Alice Vance ("Das Bärenweib"): a historical case of Nievergelt syndrome; Urban M et al.; Several malformed individuals were presented at the World Exhibition in Antwerp in 1894 . Among them was Mrs . Alice Vance from Mount Pleasant, Texas, with congenital limb defects, and Mr . Eugen Berry, who had asymmetrical, monstrous enlargement and macrodactyly of the feet, i.e., Proteus syndrome . After the World Exhibition Mrs . Vance presented herself to the public in Castan's Panopticon imitating a bear . She became famous under the stage name "Das Barenweib" ("the bear-like woman") and was examined by several German clinicians, and her malformations were considered to be of high scientific interest . Mrs . Vance had mesomelic dwarfism and her mother was known to have similar malformations . Her limb deficiencies were generally considered a unique congenital condition those days, and the diagnosis of "a maternally inherited malformation of the forearms and the shanks" {Daffner 1898: Munch Med Wochenschr 25:782} was made . Virchow {1897: Verh Berl Ges Ethnol Urgeschichte 29:624}, feeling attacked by a daily newspaper stating that the physicians as well as the police of Berlin had missed the diagnosis of an "English disease," eventually exercised his authority and diagnosed Alice Vance as a "phocomelic." Clearly, she was not a phocomelic according to past and current definition of this term . Thus, from a historical point of view, the story illustrates how pressure from the daily press altered the definition of an up-to-then precisely defined medical term for decades . According to the clinical data and an X-ray report available from the literature, Alice Vance had a dominantly inherited type of mesomelic dwarfism . We propose the diagnosis of Nievergelt syndrome. FEBS Lett, 1998 Feb 20, 423(2), 122 - 4 Site-directed mutagenesis of the Proteus mirabilis glutathione transferase B1-1 G-site; Casalone E et al.; In order to investigate the roles of near N-terminus Tyr, Cys, and Ser residues in the activity of bacterial glutathione transferase (GSTB1-1) site-directed mutagenesis was used to replace the following residues: Tyr-4, Tyr-5, Ser-9, Cys-10, Ser-11, and Ser-13 . The results presented here show that, unlike all other alpha, mu, pi, theta and sigma classes of glutathione transferases so far investigated, GSTB1-1 does not utilise any Tyr, Ser or Cys residue to activate glutathione . These results also suggest that the bacterial glutathione transferases may require classification into their own class. J Clin Microbiol, 1998 Mar, 36(3), 641 - 7 Reduction of carriage of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cattle by inoculation with probiotic bacteria; Zhao T et al.; Bacteria inhibitory to Escherichia coli O157:H7 were isolated from cattle and evaluated for their potential for reducing carriage of E . coli O157:H7 in calves . Eighteen of 1,200 bacterial isolates from cattle feces and intestinal tissue samples were screened and determined to inhibit the growth of E . coli O157:H7 in vitro . Seventeen of the isolates were E . coli and one was Proteus mirabilis . None produced Shiga toxin . Genomic DNA fingerprinting by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed 13 distinguishable profiles among the 18 isolates . Two calves inoculated perorally with a mixture of all 18 isolates (10(10) CFU) appeared to be normal and did not develop signs of clinical disease throughout a 25- to 27-day observation period . These bacteria colonized segments of the gastrointestinal tract and were in feces at the termination of the experiment (25 and 27 days postinoculation) at levels of 50 to 200 CFU/g . Fifteen cannulated calves were studied to determine the efficiency of the probiotic bacteria in reducing or eliminating the carriage of E . coli O157:H7 . Nine calves served as controls, with each animal receiving perorally 10(10) CFU of E . coli O157:H7 . E . coli O157:H7 was detected intermittently in the rumen samples from all control animals throughout 3 weeks postinoculation, whereas E . coli O157:H7 was shed at various levels in feces continuously throughout the experiment (mean, 28 days) . E . coli O157:H7 was isolated from the rumens and colons of eight of nine and nine of nine calves, respectively, at the termination of the study . Six calves each received perorally 10(10) CFU of probiotic bacteria and then 2 days later received 10(10) CFU of E . coli O157:H7 . E . coli O157:H7 was detected in the rumen for only 9 days postinoculation in two animals, for 16 days in one animal, for 17 days in two animals, and for 29 days in one animal . E . coli O157:H7 was detected in feces for only 11 days postinoculation in one animal, for 15 days in one animal, for 17 days in one animal, for 18 days in one animal, for 19 days in one animal, and for 29 days in one animal . At the end of the experiment (mean, 30 days), E . coli O157:H7 was not recovered from the rumen of any of the six animals treated with probiotic bacteria; however, E . coli O157:H7 was recovered from the feces of one of the animals . This animal was fasted twice postinoculation . These studies indicate that selected probiotic bacteria administered to cattle prior to exposure to E . coli O157:H7 can reduce the level of carriage of E . coli O157:H7 in most animals. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1998 Feb 15, 159(2), 145 - 50 Expression of the carboxypeptidase T gene from Thermoactinomyces vulgaris in stable protoplast type L-forms of Proteus mirabilis; Bushueva AM et al.; The structural gene of the carboxypeptidase T (cpt) was successfully expressed in cell wall-less L-form cells of Proteus mirabilis . The DNA sequence encoding the PhoA leader peptide was fused with a truncated cpt gene encoding the mature enzyme . The modified gene in a pUC-based kanamycin resistance vector under the control of the lac promoter was transformed into L-form cells of P . mirabilis . They were able to produce the recombinant CpT both as a secretory and as a cell-bound insoluble form . The co-secretory processing of the PhoA leader peptide was quite efficient . The yield of the secreted CpT was not less than 20 mg l-1 and should be improvable. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1998 Mar 1, 160(1), 81 - 6 Purification and characterization of a novel glutathione transferase from Ochrobactrum anthropi; Favaloro B et al.; Glutathione transferase was purified from Ochrobactrum anthropi and its N-terminal sequence was determined to be MKLYYKVGACSLAPHIILSEAGLPY . The apparent molecular mass of the protein (24 kDa) was determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis . The amino acid sequence obtained showed similarities with known bacterial glutathione transferases in the range of 72-64% . Immunoblotting experiments performed with antisera raised against glutathione transferase from O . anthropi did not show cross-reactivity with two bacterial glutathione transferases belonging to Serratia marcescens and Proteus mirabilis. Infect Immun, 1998 Mar, 66(3), 923 - 6 Structural properties of lipopolysaccharides from Rickettsia typhi and Rickettsia prowazekii and their chemical similarity to the lipopolysaccharide from Proteus vulgaris OX19 used in the Weil-Felix test; Amano KI et al.; The lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) isolated from typhus group (TG) rickettsiae Rickettsia typhi and Rickettsia prowazekii were characterized by chemical analysis and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) followed by silver staining . LPSs from two species of TG rickettsiae contained glucose, 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid, glucosamine, quinovosamine, phosphate, and fatty acids (beta-hydroxylmyristic acid and heneicosanoic acid) but not heptose . The O-polysaccharides of these LPSs were composed of glucose, glucosamine, quinovosamine, and phosphorylated hexosamine . Resolution of these LPSs by their apparent molecular masses by SDS-PAGE showed that they have a common ladder-like pattern . Based on the results of chemical composition and SDS-PAGE pattern, we suggest that these LPSs act as group-specific antigens . Furthermore, glucosamine, quinovosamine, and phosphorylated hexosamine were also found in the O-polysaccharide of the LPS from Proteus vulgaris OX19 used in the Weil-Felix test, suggesting that they may represent the antigens common to LPSs from TG rickettsiae and P . vulgaris OX19. Shock, 1998 Feb, 9(2), 121 - 7 Transmucosal passage of bacteria across rat intestinal epithelium in the Ussing chamber: effect of nutritional factors and bacterial virulence; Kurkchubasche AG et al.; Transmucosal passage of bacteria across the intestine, the essential and prerequisite step for bacterial translocation, cannot be effectively studied using in vivo models of translocation . We have adapted the Ussing chamber into a fresh, sterile organ culture system that can facilitate the study of bacterial-epithelial interactions . Intestinal membranes were mounted in the Ussing chamber and perfused with a solution rich in putative mucosal micronutrients . The transmembrane potential difference was constantly monitored as a marker of intestinal integrity . Transmucosal passage of various bacteria across the normal intestinal epithelium was quantitated, and the mucosal membrane was examined by light and transmission electron microscopy . The addition of potassium cyanide to the mucosal perfusate resulted in an irreversible loss of potential difference . Oxygen deprivation also led to a precipitous drop in potential difference, but it was reversible with prompt reoxygenation . In contrast, intestinal membranes perfused with a solution consisting of Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium + 20 mM glutamine maintained their potential difference for a sustained period (>180 min) . Both the viability and structural integrity of the ileal intestinal membrane were maintained in culture ex vivo using this perfusate . Qualitative differences were observed in the mechanism of transmucosal passage of mild to moderately virulent bacteria such as Escherichia coli C-25 and Proteus mirabilis M-13, which pass through the intestinal epithelium without causing overt damage to the mucosa, and more virulent organisms such as Salmonella typhimurium, which cause extensive mucosal damage by light and transmission electron microscopy . The Ussing system should provide a useful model of intact organ culture for the study of the mechanisms of bacterial translocation and the pathogenesis of enteric infections. Int Immunol, 1998 Jan, 10(1), 7 - 15 H2M3wt-restricted, Listeria monocytogenes-immune CD8 T cells respond to multiple formylated peptides and to a variety of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria; Nataraj C et al.; A subset of H2M3wt-restricted, Listeria monocytogenes (LM)-immune CD8 effectors recognize antigen-presenting cells (APC) preincubated with heat-killed LM . The responsible product, which we have previously designated heat-killed Listeria-associated antigen (HAA), is extremely hydrophobic and resistant to proteolytic degradation . Despite the protease resistance of HAA, we now report that HAA-immune clones are uniformly responsive to fMIGWII, a formylated oligopeptide derived from the recently described LM product, lemA . While fMIGWII was by far the most potent peptide tested, over half our clones also responded to the LM-derived peptide fMIVII and cross-reactive responses to two other unrelated formylated peptides at concentrations of <1 microM were frequently observed . One of these peptides (fBlaZ) did not share any amino acid in common with fMIGWII except N-formyl methionine at position 1 . Unformylated variants of the same peptides were inactive . HAA-immune CD8 cells also responded in an H2M3wt-restricted manner to APC pretreated with heat-killed or live preparations of other gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria such as Streptococcus pyogenes (SP) and Proteus vulgaris (PV) . Unlike fMIGWII which is water soluble and protease sensitive, the native antigens extracted from SP and PV, like HAA, were very hydrophobic and proteinase K resistant, presumably reflecting in each case the association of cross-reactive polypeptides with bacterial lipid or phospholipid . Thus, HAA/lemA-immune, H2M3wt-restricted effectors can respond to a variety of formylated peptides and bacterial antigens in vitro . Similar cross-reactions in vivo might have physiologically significant implications. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 1998 Jan, 49(1), 51 - 8 Expression and secretion of functional miniantibodies McPC603scFvDhlx in cell-wall-less L-form strains of Proteus mirabilis and Escherichia coli: a comparison of the synthesis capacities of L-form strains with an E . coli producer strain; Kujau MJ et al.; The paper describes the synthesis of the phosphorylcholine-binding miniantibody McPC603scFvDhl x in cell-wall-less L-form strains of Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis . Cells of these strains were transformed with the plasmid pACK02scKan, carrying the miniantibody (miniAb) coding sequence under the control of the lac promoter . L-form transformants of both species were able to synthesize the functional miniAb as an extracellular soluble product . The highest quantities were obtained by P . mirabilis L-form strains after induction with 5 mM isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) . Yields of 45-75 mg/l total antibody protein and of 10-18 mg/l functional miniAb were estimated in the growth medium of shaking cultures 40-80 h after induction with IPTG . About 10% of the active miniAb remained cell-bound . The yields of functional miniAb could be optimized by lowering the growth temperature from 37 degrees C to 26-32 degrees C and by supplementation of the medium with 80 mM sodium fumarate . A comparison of the specific activities revealed that the P . mirabilis L-form strains have a similar synthesis capacity (2-4 mg functional miniAb/g cell dry weight) to that of the producer strain E . coli RV308 . The results show that the processes of correct folding and assembling of the miniAb molecules are possible without the periplasmic compartment. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1997 Dec, 40 Suppl A, 59 - 62 The role of fluoroquinolones in respiratory tract infections; Grossman RF; Quinolones, because of their excellent pharmacokinetic properties, high antimicrobial activity and low incidence of side-effects, have been broadly accepted for the treatment of many infections . Because of perceived limitations against Streptococcus pneumoniae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus there has been some reluctance to use them for respiratory tract infections . Ciprofloxacin is the drug of choice for malignant external otitis, a disease caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and it has also been used successfully for the treatment of chronic otitis media where P . aeruginosa, S . aureus and Proteus mirabilis are main pathogens . Quinolones are as efficacious as the beta-lactams and cephalosporins in the treatment of acute sinusitis but most clinicians will not use quinolones for this indication . Acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis respond to antimicrobial therapy and quinolones have been demonstrated to be at least equivalent to second- and third-generation cephalosporins, co-amoxiclav and beta-lactams . Recently published guidelines in Canada, USA and Great Britain do not recommend quinolones for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia except for patients with life-threatening disease requiring ICU admission . A quinolone in combination with an aminoglycoside and macrolide is a regimen that can be used as initial empirical therapy until the results of microbiological investigations are available . For patients with severe hospital-acquired pneumonia, where multiply resistant aerobic Gram-negative bacilli are a consideration, a quinolone in combination with an antipseudomonal penicillin or cephalosporin has been recommended . In the absence of P . aeruginosa, monotherapy with a quinolone is at least as effective as third-generation cephalosporins or imipenem . Early switch therapy from parenteral antibiotics to oral fluoroquinolone has been demonstrated to be very successful. Biochemistry (Mosc), 1997 Dec, 62(12), 1444 - 7 Structure of a neutral O-specific polysaccharide of the bacterium Proteus mirabilis O24; Senchenkova SN et al.; Lipopolysaccharide of the bacterium Proteus mirabilis O24 was found to have a neutral O-specific polysaccharide chain containing D-galactose, 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose, and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-galactose in ratios 1:2:1 . On the basis of 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, including two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (COSY), H-detected 1H, 13C heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence (HMQC), and nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY), the following structure of the branched tetrasaccharide repeating unit of the O-specific polysaccharide was established: -->3)-beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1-->4)-beta-D-GalpNAc-(1-->4)-beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1--> {formula: see text} beta-D-Galp. Biochimie, 1997 Nov, 79(11), 667 - 71 Structural analysis of compound I in hemoproteins: study on Proteus mirabilis catalase; Jouve HM et al.; Ferryl catalysis has attracted considerable interest, because a diverse variety of enzymes use ferryl intermediates to perform difficult chemistry . The structure of the reactional intermediate compound I of Proteus mirabilis catalase (PMC) has been solved using time-resolved X-ray diffraction techniques and single crystal microspectrophotometry . Formation of compound I is characterized by significant changes in the absorbance spectrum, and the creation of an oxoferryl group on the distal side of the heme . This group is clearly visible in the X-ray electron density maps . An unidentified electron density, likely to be an anion because of the nature of its environment, appears during the reaction, in a site distant from the heme . The structure of compound I in PMC is compared with that of compound I in cytochrome c peroxidase (CCP). Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 1997, 53(3-4), 251 - 5 Penetration of ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxacin into the aqueous humours of patients by different topical application modes; von Keyserlingk J et al.; OBJECTIVE: A prospective study was undertaken to determine the transcorneal penetration of three topically applied fluoroquinolones into aqueous humour . METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-four patients undergoing cataract extraction received 0.3% ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin or ofloxacin eye drops by two different administration modes with different frequencies and intervals of application . At the beginning of cataract extraction (0.5-3 h after the last drop), 50-100 microliters aqueous fluid was aspirated from the anterior chamber and immediately stored at -80 degrees C . Antibiotic concentrations were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography . RESULTS: Generally, topical ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin yielded aqueous humour levels higher than topical norfloxacin . The highest concentrations of all tested fluoroquinolones were measured after using an application mode, in which one drop was given every 15 min between 0600 hours and 0800 hours, prior to operation . When applied by this mode, ciprofloxacin achieved a mean aqueous level of 0.380 (+/- 0.328) microgram.ml-1 (range 0.033-1.388 micrograms.ml-1), norfloxacin 0.182 (0.118) microgram.ml-1 (range 0.038-0.480 microgram.ml-1) and ofloxacin 0.564 (0.372) microgram.ml-1 (range 0.064-1.455 micrograms.ml-1) . These mean concentrations were above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC90), concentrations required for inhibition of 90% of pathogen strains in vitro of gram-negative bacteria, such as Proteus mirabilis and Escherichia coli . Therapeutic values above the MIC90 of Staphylococcus epidermidis, the pathogen causing eye infections most frequently, were reached by 67.5% of patients after ofloxacin and by 41% after ciprofloxacin, but never after norfloxacin treatment . CONCLUSION: Of the currently available topical fluoroquinolones, ofloxacin achieved the highest aqueous humour concentration . This fluoroquinolone may be an useful ophthalmic agent for topical antibacterial management, but it does not seem to be prophylactically effective against Streptococcus pneumoniae or Pseudomanas aeruginosa. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod, 1998 Jan, 85(1), 82 - 5 Proteus syndrome . A case report of a hamartomatous syndrome with severe mandibular hemihypertrophy; Pinto PX et al.; Proteus syndrome is a rare congenital hamartomatous malformation that is characterized by a wide range of deformities, including craniofacial deformities . Skin and skeletal developmental malformations are common and may assume tremendous proportions . The syndrome is often mistaken for other, more commonly recognized conditions, including neurofibromatosis . The soft-tissue masses in Proteus syndrome are not nerve tumors but are usually hamartomatous proliferations . The case report describes its varied manifestations, which include significant craniofacial dysmorphism, and discusses the differential diagnosis and management. Rev Neurol, 1997 Oct, 25(146), 1572 - 4 {Neurophysiological aspects of Proteus syndrome}; Manquillo A et al.; INTRODUCTION: The Proteus Syndrome was defined in 1983 by Wiedeman . However, the first case mentioned in the literature was that of Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, presented by Sir Frederick Treves in 1884 . It is a rare pathological condition . Its multiple clinical features include; partial gigantism of hands and/or feet, pigmented nevi, hemihypertrophy of the body, tumors, skeletal anomalies, growth disorders and visceral anomalies . Hereditary transmission has not been clearly defined . Diagnosis and treatment require the participation of experts from several medical and surgical specialties . CLINICAL CASE: We present a case sent to our hospital for the surgical correction of cranio-facial malformations . Epileptic crises post-operatively indicated the need for neurological and neuro-physiological study . This was done by means of conventional electro-encephalography: brainstem, somato-sensorial and visual auditory evoked potentials, together with imaging techniques which showed the structural and functional asymmetry of the central nervous system at both cerebral and brainstem levels . CONCLUSIONS: Few neuro-physiological studies are included in the literature we reviewed for this paper . Therefore we do not know whether the functional anomalies of the central nervous system which we describe should be considered to be part of the syndrome. Nuklearmedizin, 1997 Aug, 36(5), 183 - 6 {Simultaneous use of different nuclear medical examinations in Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome--vs . Proteus syndrome}; Rink T et al.; A three-year-old male patient presented already at his birth a disproportion macrosomia of the left foot and a large, nodular nevus flammeus in the left hip region, which led to the tentative diagnosis of a Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome . In the following years, both changes showed a continuous progression, with distinct soft-tissue swelling as well as papillomatous and verruciform vegetations of the nevus . Additionally, large, plain subcutaneous masses developed under the right shoulder, and a macrodactyly of the first and second left toe could be observed . Although several examinations had been performed in the meantime, the tentative diagnosis could not be confirmed up to that time . On the occasion of a severe local infection in the hip region, which led to the consideration of a surgical therapy, a radionuclide lymphography, a blood pool scintigraphy including dynamic phlebography and ventriculography as well as a bone scintigraphy were performed . These examinations were done simultaneously at one day in order to avoid a longer period of immobilization . The findings led to the diagnosis of a large lymphangioma, which could be confirmed histologically after surgery . In consideration of all results, the basic disorder seems to be the rare proteus syndrome rather than a Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1997, 147(1), 157 - 62 Effect of anaerobic environment on the glutathione transferase isoenzymatic pattern in Proteus mirabilis; Allocati N et al.; When Proteus mirabilis was cultured anaerobically in the presence of nitrate as terminal electron acceptor, a dramatic reduction of glutathione transferase production occurred . The analysis of the glutathione affinity purified materials in terms of substrate specificity, SDS-PAGE pattern, IEF pattern and immunoblotting revealed that a significantly different glutathione transferase pattern also occurred: two new glutathione transferase forms with an isoelectric point at pH 4.8 and 5.0 appeared . Their N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis as well as the ability to bind to a glutathione affinity column indicate that major differences between anaerobic and aerobic glutathione transferase forms are mainly located in the C-terminal region of the primary structure . In contrast, no significant changes occurred in the production of glutathione transferase isoenzymes when P . mirabilis was grown anaerobically in the absence of a terminal electron acceptor . These results support the idea that bacterial glutathione transferase expression is not strictly related to the absence of oxygen stress. Folia Microbiol (Praha), 1997, 42(5), 441 - 4 Isolation and characterization of heavy metals resistant bacteria from Lagos Lagoon; Olukoya DK et al.; A total of 228 bacteria with an ability to resist toxic heavy metals were isolated from 8 selected sites of the Lagos Lagoon . The bacteria isolated were Staphylococcus sp., Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Streptococcus sp., Moraxella sp., Escherichia coli, Proteus sp., Klebsiella sp . and Salmonella sp . The heavy metals to which resistance was recorded were mercury, lead, zinc, cobalt, copper and chromium . The lagoon sites from which the highest number of resistant bacteria were isolated were Marina and Ebute-Ero . The heavy metal to which most bacteria were resistant was cobalt, while the least was chromium . The significance of the result is discussed in relation to the Nigerian environment and human health. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz), 1997, 45(5-6), 435 - 41 Structural and immunochemical studies on the O-specific polysaccharide of Proteus penneri strain 15; Zych K et al.; On the basis of sugar analysis and 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, it was shown that the O-specific polysaccharide of Proteus penneri strain 15 has a trisaccharide repeating unit, including an acetal-linked pyruvic acid residue, and is structurally identical to the capsular polysaccharide of Proteus vulgaris strain ATCC 49990 . Serological studies supported this conclusion and demonstrated the presence in the homological antiserum of both anti-core and anti-O chain antibodies reacting with a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) epitope containing N-acetylglucosamine and galactose residues. Can J Microbiol, 1997 Nov, 43(11), 1054 - 62 Isolation, purification, and characterization of the major autolysin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Watt SR et al.; The major (26 kDa) autolysin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa was purified to apparent homogeneity by a combination of preparative electrophoresis, ion-exchange, and dye-ligand chromatographies . This purification was facilitated by the development of a spot-assay that involved the spotting and subsequent incubation of autolysin samples on polyacrylamide gels containing peptidoglycan . The pl of the 26-kDa autolysin was determined to be between 3.5 and 4 and disulfide bonds within the enzyme were essential for activity . The autolysin catalyzed the release of reducing sugars from the peptidoglycans of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli indicating it to be a beta-glycosidase . It was ineffective at hydrolysing the peptidoglycan from Gram-positive bacteria and the O-acetylated peptidoglycans from either Proteus mirabilis or Staphylococcus aureus . The N-terminal sequence of the purified autolysin was determined to be His-Glu-Pro-Pro-Gly . The 26-kDa autolysin together with a 29-kDa autolysin was determined to be secreted into the medium by a mechanism that involves the production and release of surface membrane vesicles during normal growth, but the enzymes were not found free and active in culture broth supernatants. J Eukaryot Microbiol, 1997 Nov-Dec, 44(6), 614 - 9 A symbiont-produced protein and bacterial symbiosis in Amoeba proteus; Pak JW et al.; Gram symbiotic X-bacteria present in the xD strain of Amoeba proteus as required cell components, synthesize and export a large amount of a 29-kDa protein (S29x) into the host's cytoplasm across bacterial and symbiosome membranes . The S29x protein produced by E . coli transformed with the s29x gene is also rapidly secreted into the culture medium . Inside amoebae, S29x enters the host's nucleus as detected by confocal and immunoelectron microscopy, although it is not clear if S29x is selectively accumulated inside the nucleus . The deduced amino-acid sequence of S29x has a stretch of basic amino acids that could act as a nuclear localization signal, but there is no signal peptide at the N-terminus and the transport of S29x is energy independent . The functions of S29x are not known, but in view of its prominent presence inside the amoeba's nucleus, S29x is suspected to be involved in affecting the expression of amoeba's nuclear gene(s). Vet Res, 1997 Nov-Dec, 28(6), 581 - 8 Pharmacokinetics of fosfomycin in chickens after a single intravenous dose and tissue levels following chronic oral administration; Aramayona JJ et al.; This paper describes the pharmacokinetics of fosfomycin following a single i.v . bolus dose (10 mg/kg of body weight) in broiler chickens . Serial blood samples were collected up to 5 h post-administration . Fosfomycin serum concentrations were determined by a microbiological method, using Proteus mirabilis as the test microorganism . The serum concentration versus time curves after i.v . administration followed a biexponential decline . The main pharmacokinetic variables were t1/2 lambda l = 23 min, t1/2 lambda n = 112 min, VDarea = 575 +/- 190 mL/kg and CLb = 3.12 +/- 0.44 mL.min-1.kg-1 . Tissue levels of fosfomycin in kidney, liver, lung, muscle, heart, fat, gizzard and serum were also determined after oral chronic administration of the drug in drinking water (150 micrograms/mL) . During the oral chronic administration period, high FOS concentrations in serum were maintained (mean 6.1 +/- 1.1 micrograms/mL), but a significant decline over time could be observed (P < 0.05) . Fosfomycin was detected in all tissues except muscle, with mean concentrations ranging from 0.63 microgram/g in fat to 13.48 micrograms/g in kidney . Twenty-four hours after the treatment was finished, fosfomycin levels were below the assay detection limit in all tissues tested. Infect Immun, 1998 Jan, 66(1), 330 - 5 Use of green fluorescent protein to assess urease gene expression by uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis during experimental ascending urinary tract infection; Zhao H et al.; Proteus mirabilis, a cause of complicated urinary tract infection, expresses urease when exposed to urea . While it is recognized that the positive transcriptional activator UreR induces gene expression, the levels of expression of the enzyme during experimental infection are not known . To investigate in vivo expression of P . mirabilis urease, the gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) was used to construct reporter fusions . Translational fusions of urease accessory gene ureD, which is preceded by a urea-inducible promoter, were made with gfp (modified to express S65T/V68L/S72A {B . P . Cormack et al . Gene 173:33-38, 1996}) . Constructs were confirmed by sequencing of the fusion junctions . UreD-GFP fusion protein was induced by urea in both Escherichia coli DH5alpha and P . mirabilis HI4320 . By using Western blotting with antiserum raised against GFP, expression level was shown to correlate with urea concentration (tested from 0 to 500 mM), with highest induction at 200 to 500 mM urea . Fluorescent E . coli and P . mirabilis bacteria were observed by fluorescence microscopy following urea induction, and the fluorescence intensity of GFP in cell lysates was measured by spectrophotofluorimetry . P . mirabilis HI4320 carrying the UreD-GFP fusion plasmid was transurethrally inoculated into the bladders of CBA mice . One week postchallenge, fluorescent bacteria were detected in thin sections of both bladder and kidney samples; the fluorescence intensity of bacteria in bladder tissue was higher than that in the kidney . Kidneys were primarily infected with single-cell-form fluorescent bacteria, while aggregated bacterial clusters were observed in the bladder . Elongated swarmer cells were only rarely observed . These observations demonstrate that urease is expressed in vivo and that using GFP as a reporter protein is a viable approach to investigate in vivo expression of P . mirabilis virulence genes in experimental urinary tract infection. J Ethnopharmacol, 1997 Nov, 58(3), 143 - 7 Antimicrobial activity of Micromeria nervosa from the Palestinian area; Ali-Shtayeh MS et al.; Organic and aqueous solvent extracts and fractions of Micromeria nervosa (Desf.) Benth . (Labiatae) were investigated for antimicrobial activities on several microorganisms including bacteria and yeast . The different extracts differed significantly in their antimicrobial activities with the ethanolic extract being most active, followed by ethyl acetate and petroleum ether extracts . The least active extract was the aqueous . No significant difference between the different test microorganisms in their susceptibility to different extracts, with Candida albicans being the most susceptible to ethanolic extract giving 1.5 times the effect of nystatin . One of the main active ingredients of M . nervosa was isolated and identified as carvacrol . No significant difference in antimicrobial activity was found between carvacrol and its isomer thymol . The most susceptible test microorganism was Proteus vulgaris to carvacrol, and P . vulgaris and C . albicans to thymol . The least susceptible bacterium to both fractions was Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal or fungicidal concentrations (MBC or MFC) were determined for both compounds. Med Dosw Mikrobiol, 1997, 49(1-2), 83 - 7 {Bacterial flora in chronic inner ear infections in adults}; Radosz-Komoniewska H et al.; The aim of the study was to analyse microbiologically middle ear exudate obtained from 56 patients, aged 17 to 83 years, treated for chronic otitis media . Aerobic bacteria only were found 49 patients (87,5%) . Mixed aerobic and anaerobic isolates were recovered from 7 patients (12,5%) . The most common bacteria isolated from the middle ear exudate, in descending order frequency, were Staphylococcus aureus (45%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (34%), Proteus mirabilis (16%) and Prevotella melaninogenica (9%) . Other organisms were isolated less frequently . In 34 patients only one isolate was recovered, in 22 patients the isolated bacteria coexisted with other microorganisms. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis, 1997 Nov, 29(3), 129 - 32 Transferable antibiotic resistance in nosocomial Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain; Blahova J et al.; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (298/85) was isolated from the extensively inflamed conjunctiva of a neonate in a regional hospital in Ostrava, Czech Republic . It was resistant to all available antibiotics except cefepime and trimethoprim . The donor S . maltophilia strain 298/85 transferred carbenicillin and cephaloridine resistance determinants to recipient strains of Escherichia coli K-12 3110 rif+ and Proteus mirabilis P-38 rif+ . All transconjugant colonies were co-resistant also to kanamycin, cefotaxime, and aztreonam . Active hydrolysis of imipenem in the original strain was inhibited by ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid, and hydrolysis of cefotaxime and aztreonam in the original strain and in the E . coli K-12 transconjugant was inhibited by clavulanate . In contrast, ceftazidime was hydrolyzed by the original strain and was not inhibited by clavulanate, indicating a different character of the resistance to cefotaxime or aztreonam and ceftazidime. Chemotherapy, 1997 Nov-Dec, 43(6), 424 - 9 Inhibition of motility and adherence of Proteus mirabilis to uroepithelial cells by subinhibitory concentrations of amikacin; Tawfik AF et al.; The effect of subinhibitory concentrations of amikacin on Proteus mirabilis motility and adherence to human uroepithelial and to HeLa cells was compared with that of gentamicin . In addition, the effect of both antibiotics on cell surface hydrophobicity was also examined . Exposure of bacterial cells in the logarithmic phase to one fourth of amikacin or gentamicin at one fourth of their respective minimal inhibitory concentrations causes the inhibition of swarming and motility of Proteus strains . Amikacin significantly reduced adhesion of Proteus strains to human uroepithelial cells and gentamicin exerts the same effect to a lesser extent . Such inhibitory concentrations of amikacin or gentamicin had no significant effect on the attachment ability of these strains to HeLa cells compared to the nontreated cells . Treatment of the bacterial cells with amikacin or gentamicin changed significantly the cell surface hydrophobicity towards the hydrophilic state compared to nontreated cells, and it was found to be strain dependent . Since motility and attachment ability are considered as pathogenic traits, these data indicate the impact of amikacin on the virulence factors especially in urinary tract infections with Proteus strains. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi, 1996 Oct, 17(5), 275 - 7 {Etiological investigation on diarrhoeal diseases in the rural area of Suixian county, Yu Dong plain in China}; Shen GJ et al.; To study the etiology of diarrhoeal diseases in the rural area, we carried out a study on diarrhoeal diseases in two natural villages . 15 kinds of diarrhoeal pathogens including 172 strains were isolated from 318 patients with diarrhoea making the isolation rate 49.37%; 12 kinds of diarrhoeal pathogens and 69 strains were isolated from 310 healthy controls and the isolation rate was 22.26%; 6 kinds of diarrhoeal pathogens and 44 strains were isolated in 405 samples obtained from the envronmenfal samples . The major pathogens isolated from various samples were ETEC (LT) and proteus, followed by Shigella, Rotavirus . Analysis on the pathogenetic agents and preventive measurements were also carried out. J Basic Microbiol, 1997, 37(5), 361 - 70 The simultaneous production of both Hly- and Hpm-like hemolysins is characteristic of the Proteus penneri species; Serwecinska L et al.; Clinical isolates of Proteus penneri were tested for the presence of genes encoding hemolytic activity . Strains possessing DNA sequences similar to the hlyCABD genes in Escherichia coli were found . Each secreted a 110 kDa protein which reacted with a specific anti-HlyA antiserum . Southern blotting analysis revealed that the HindIII restriction fragment pattern for the hlyCABD genes of these strains was conserved . Similarly, the chromosomal location of these genes is relatively conserved based on the pattern of NotI digested DNA fragments separated by pulsed field gel electrophoresis . One strain carried an additional copy of the hlyCABD determinant which was mapped on a second NotI genomic fragment . All strains contained also chromosomally encoded sequences related to the hpmBA genes originally cloned from Proteus mirabilis . All strains produced a 166 kDa exoprotein detected in immunoblots with a specific antiserum raised against HpmA hemolysin . The hpmBA genes were located on other NotI fragments than hlyCABD genes . In contrast to the other Proteae, the simultaneous production of both hemolysins seems to be a common characteristics of Proteus penneri isolates. J Med Microbiol, 1997 Oct, 46(10), 819 - 24 Production and characterisation of monoclonal antibodies to heat-shock protein 60 of Helicobacter pylori; Yamaguchi H et al.; Two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), designated as H9 (IgG2a) and H20 (IgM), directed against heat-shock protein 60 (HSP60) of Helicobacter pylori strain TK1029 were established . Affinity-purified antigens cross-reacted in immunoblots with MAb H9 and MAb H20 respectively . These antigens also reacted with the 3C8 MAb previously established in this laboratory, which recognised Yersinia enterocolitica HSP60 . By amino-acid sequence analysis, the N-terminal amino-acid sequence of the protein recognised by both H9 and H20 MAbs was confirmed as the amino-acid sequence of H . pylori HSP60 reported previously . Both MAbs reacted with nine strains of H . pylori in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblot analysis . In addition, MAb H9 reacted with extracts of other bacteria including H . mustelae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Vibrio cholerae, Serratia marcescens, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli and Shigella sonnei . In contrast, MAb H20 reacted only with strains H . pylori . These results suggest that both the species-specific epitope recognised by MAb H20 and the common epitope recognised by MAb H9 exist on HSP60 of the bacterial cell . Both MAbs also reacted with the 60-kDa protein in the lysate of human gastric carcinoma (MKN45) cells . It was shown by immunohistochemical staining that gastric epithelial cells of four out of six biopsy specimens examined stained positively with MAb H20 . These results suggest that there is a common epitope in H . pylori HSP60 and human gastric epithelial cells. ASAIO J, 1997 Sep-Oct, 43(5), M842 - 7 An infection inhibiting urinary catheter material; Whalen RL et al.; Catheter associated bacteriuria is a common infection in hospitals and nursing homes . An infection inhibiting catheter material for fabricating urinary catheters is being developed . The material consists of silicone rubber elastomer compounded with chlorhexidene gluconate (CHG) matrix . The antibiotic is released in sustained fashion over at least 4 weeks . A method was established for adding CHG to silicone rubber . To protect the CHG, it is suspended in a water soluble wax that also modulates CHG release from the elastomer . It was found that CHG is randomly dispersed in the elastomer and that the primary release mechanism is by diffusion . The antibacterial activity of the material with a range of 0.1 to 5% CHG by weight was examined using in vitro zone inhibition testing . The new material demonstrated significant inhibitory activity against three pathogens tested (Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus epidermidis.) . The release rate of CHG was measured in vitro using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) . With 5% CHG loading, the antibiotic was released at a steady rate of approximately 8.4 mg/cm2/day for periods extending beyond 4 weeks . This new material for urinary catheters has the potential to provide protection against infection and surface colonization. Eur Urol, 1997, 32(3), 375 - 9 Focal xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: partial nephrectomy as definitive treatment; Osca JM et al.; OBJECTIVES: We report 11 cases of focal xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (FXGP), a disease that is very uncommon . The aim of the present work is to assess the effectivity of conservative treatment . MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eleven of the 82 cases of XGP (12.5%) diagnosed between 1970 and 1995 presented the focal form (FXGF) . Clinical features, laboratory findings, radiological imaging studies, surgical treatment and follow-up were evaluated . RESULTS: FXGP occurred in middle-aged women (female/male ratio 4.5:1) who had a history of calculosis, urinary infections produced by Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis, or urinary tract abnormalities . FXGP was unilateral in all cases . The most frequent symptom was flank pain . Some hematological and biochemical parameters were altered . Intravenous urography and sonography revealed calculosis, hydronephrosis or renal mass, but these findings are nonspecific . Only abdominal CT scan can establish the correct diagnosis . Five of these patients (45.5%) underwent partial nephrectomy at our hospital . During the follow-up, patients showed no relapse in the ipsilateral or contralateral kidney . Serum parameters were in normal range . CONCLUSION: When FXGP is diagnosed, local excision is recommended in all cases, since relapse in the affected kidney is unusual. J Physiol Paris, 1997 Apr, 91(2), 75 - 9 Population-specific behavioral electrosensitivity of the European blind cave salamander, Proteus anguinus; Schlegel P et al.; In nine salamanders from different Slovenian populations of the urodele Proteus anguinus, including three specimens of its 'black' variety, P anguinus parkelj, thresholds of an overt avoidance response to electrical field stimuli were estimated as a function of frequency (continuous sine-waves in water) . Thresholds down to 0.3V/cm (ca 100 nA/cm2) and up to 2 mV/cm (670 nA/cm2), at 'best frequencies' of around 30 Hz were found . Sensitivity covered a total frequency range of below 1 Hz, excluding DC, up to 1-2 kHz with up to 40 dB higher thresholds . Thresholds and tuning curves are compared with those of a Proteus population raised in captivity for more than 35 years . The biological significance and the apparently still ongoing evolution of the electrical sense in urodeles, ie in the genus Proteus, are interpreted in terms of comparative sensory physiology and ethological ecology as a result of more recent evolutionary diversification during and since glaciation in the Pleistocene. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1997 Aug, 16(8), 563 - 7 Five-year prospective study of bacteraemic urinary tract infection in a single institution; Bishara J et al.; In order to determine the epidemiology, microbiology, and outcome of bacteraemia originating in the urinary tract in hospitalised patients, a prospective study was conducted in a large general hospital in Israel . Data from all patients with bacteraemia were collected prospectively, and a subgroup of patients with bacteraemia secondary to urinary tract infection was analysed . There were 702 episodes of bacteraemia secondary to urinary tract infection during a five-year period (33.9% of all episodes of bacteraemia) . The mean age of the patients was 76 years, and the male:female ratio was 0.9:1.0 . The most common pathogens were Escherichia coli (52%), Klebsiella spp . (14%), and Proteus spp . (9%) . Pseudomonas spp . were isolated from 8% of all patients, from 19% of those who had received antibiotics, and from 15% of males . Enterococcus spp . were isolated from 4% of males but from no females . Five percent of the episodes were polymicrobial, and 16% of the infections were hospital acquired . On logistic multivariate regression analysis, predictors of mortality were: hospitalisation in a medical department, hospital-acquired infection, inappropriate empiric antibiotic treatment, presence of decubitus ulcer(s), respiratory or renal failure, and elevated urea and decreased albumin levels. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1997 Sep, 40(3), 445 - 8 Concentrations of prophylactic ceftriaxone in abdominal tissues during pancreatic surgery; Martin C et al.; Ceftriaxone concentrations in abdominal tissues were evaluated after administration as antibiotic prophylaxis for pancreatic surgery . Ten patients were given ceftriaxone (1 g i.v.) 30 min before surgery . Ceftriaxone concentrations in fatty tissues ranged from 2.5 to 6.2 microg/g . Ceftriaxone concentrations were 6.0 +/- 8.6 microg/g in pancreatic tissues, 2.1 +/- 2.5 mg/L in pancreatic fluid, 1179 +/- 1271 mg/L in pancreatic bile, and 18 +/- 16 microg/g in the liver . In fatty tissues, 8-10 patients had tissue levels greater than the MIC90 for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and the 10 patients had tissue levels greater than the MIC90 for Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis . In other tissues, penetration was greater than the MIC90 for potential pathogens in 50-100% of the patients. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1997 Sep, 40(3), 365 - 70 Permeability to carbapenems of Proteus mirabilis mutants selected for resistance to imipenem or other beta-lactams; Villar HE et al.; An imipenem-resistant mutant of Proteus mirabilis lacked a 26 kDa outer membrane protein (OMP) . It has previously been postulated that this protein is a porin, but the present mutant, which was cross-resistant to mecillinam but not to other beta-lactams, proved as permeable to carbapenems as its parent . A mecillinam-selected mutant had similar cross-resistance yet retained the 26 kDa OMP, confirming that this protein was not important to resistance . In contrast, cefoxitin-selected mutants retained the 26 kDa protein but had diminished expression of major 41 and 44 kDa OMPs and showed reduced uptake of carbapenems, although this promoted resistance only when a carbapenemase was also present . We conclude that the imipenem-selected mutant owed its resistance to some factor other than porin loss, probably to a lesion in penicillin-binding protein 2. Hautarzt, 1997 Jun, 48(6), 414 - 6 {Torus mandibularis}; Nolte A et al.; Solitary or bilateral, symptomless exostoses on the lingual surface of the mandibule are called mandibular torus . It is mainly seen in young males and has a benign clinical course . The etiopathology is not known . Both genetic and environmental factors such as the anatomy of the lower jaw are considered . Syndromes associated with facial exostoses such as Proteus syndrome or Gardner's syndrome should be clinically excluded . A 40-year-old man with exostoses of the jaw is reported . With this case report we would like to draw attention to a disease which has rarely been described in the German dermatological literature. Indian J Exp Biol, 1997 Mar, 35(3), 300 - 1 Antimicrobial potentiality of a new beta-lactum antibiotic fosfomycin; Dastidar SG et al.; Antimicrobial action of penicillin and some of its derivatives including fosfomycin was studied with respect to 225 strains of Gram-positive and Gram negative bacteria . Fosfomycin was found to possess somewhat less activity against Staphylococcus aureus compared with other penicillins; however, it showed powerful activity towards Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp . and Proteus mirabilis. J Eukaryot Microbiol, 1997 Sep-Oct, 44(5), 412 - 9 Evidence for symbiont-induced alteration of a host's gene expression: irreversible loss of SAM synthetase from Amoeba proteus; Choi JY et al.; Symbiont-bearing xD amoebae no longer produce a 45-kDa cytoplasmic protein that functions as S-adenosylmethionine synthetase in symbiont-free D amoebae . The absence of the protein in xD amoebae is attributable to xD amoeba's failure to transcribe the corresponding gene as a result of harboring bacterial symbionts . However, xD amoebae have about half the level of enzyme activity found in D amoebae, indicating that they use an alternative source for the enzyme . xD amoebae originated from D amoebae by bacterial infection and now depend on their symbionts for survival . xD amoebae exhibit irreversible nucleolar abnormalities when their symbionts are removed, suggesting that X-bacteria supply the needed enzyme . A monoclonal antibody against the 45-kDa protein was produced and used as a probe in cloning its corresponding cDNA . The product of the cDNA was found to have S-adenosylmethionine synthetase activity . These results show how symbiotic X-bacteria may become essential cellular components of amoeba by supplementing a genetic defect for an amoeba's house-keeping gene that is brought about by an action of X-bacteria themselves . This is the first reported example in which symbionts alter the host's gene expression to block the production of an essential protein. Can J Microbiol, 1997 Aug, 43(8), 709 - 17 The expression of nonagglutinating fimbriae and its role in Proteus mirabilis adherence to epithelial cells; Tolson DL et al.; Proteus mirabilis is a common causative agent of human urinary tract infections, especially in catheterized patients and in those patients with structural abnormalities of the urinary tract . In addition to the production of hemolysin and urease, fimbriae-mediated adherence to uroepithelial cells and kidney epithelium may be essential for virulence of P . mirabilis . A single P . mirabilis strain is capable of expressing several morphologically distinct fimbrial species, which can each be favoured by specific in vitro growth conditions . The fimbrial species reported to date include mannose-resistant/Proteus-like fimbriae, ambient temperature fimbriae, P . mirabilis fimbriae, and nonagglutinating fimbriae (NAF) . Here, using intact bacteria or purified NAF as immunogens, we have generated the first reported NAF-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) . Bacteria expressing NAF as their only fimbrial species adhered strongly to a number of cell lines in vitro, including uroepithelial cell lines . Binding of P . mirabilis was markedly reduced following preincubation with NAF-specific mAbs and Fab fragments . The presence of NAF with highly conserved N-terminal sequences on all P . mirabilis strains so far examined, combined with the ability of both anti-NAF mAbs and purified NAF molecules to inhibit P . mirabilis adherence in vitro, suggests that NAF may contribute to the pathogenesis of P . mirabilis. Mol Microbiol, 1997 Aug, 25(3), 597 - 604 A motile but non-swarming mutant of Proteus mirabilis lacks FlgN, a facilitator of flagella filament assembly; Gygi D et al.; A TnphoA mutant of Proteus mirabilis was isolated, which had lost the ability to swarm, yet was still motile . The transposon had inserted into flgN, a flagella gene encoding a 147-amino-acid protein of undefined function . Proteus flgN is arranged in an operon with the class III anti-sigma28 gene, flgM, flanked by the class II genes, flgA, flgBCD and flhBA, and a novel putative virulence-related gene . The flgN mutation caused a substantial reduction in cell surface-associated flagellin, particularly during differentiation to the normally hyperflagellated swarm cell . This was not due to an effect on flagella gene expression or a typical defect in the flagella export apparatus as there was no class III gene downregulation by FlgM feedback, or intracellular flagellin accumulation . Loss of FlgN nevertheless caused a severe reduction in the incorporation of pulse-labelled flagellin into the membrane/flagellum fraction of differentiating cells . Substantial amounts of both non-oligomeric flagellin and flagellin degradation products appeared in the extracellular medium, although the few mature filaments made by the mutant were no more sensitive to proteolysis than those of the wild type . FlgN appeared soluble and active in the cytosol . The data suggest that the function of FlgN is to facilitate the initiation of flagella filament assembly, a role that may be especially critical in attaining the much higher concentration of surface flagellin required for swarming . Proteus FlgN has leucine zipper-like motifs arranged on potential amphipathic helices, a feature conserved in cytosolic chaperones for the exported substrates of flagella-related type III virulence systems . While gel filtration of FlgN from the soluble cell fraction did not establish an interaction with flagellin, it indicated that FlgN may associate with an unknown component and/or form an oligomer. Cell Motil Cytoskeleton, 1997, 38(1), 38 - 53 Chemotaxis of Amoeba proteus in the developing pH gradient within a pocket-like chamber studied with the computer assisted method; Korohoda W et al.; A new "U" shaped, pocket-like chamber was used to observe the chemotactic responses of individual cells . This method permits monitoring of both the development of the concentration gradient of a tested substance and cell locomotion . We investigated the chemotactic responses of Amoeba proteus and observed that the amoebae moved in positively and negatively developing {H+} gradients towards the solution of lower pH in a pH range 5.75-7.75 . The chemotactic response of amoebae to {H+} gradients required the presence of extracellular calcium ions . It was blocked and random locomotion was restored by the replacement of calcium with magnesium in the cell medium . Time-lapse video recording and data processing were accomplished with computer-assisted methods . This made it possible to compare selected methods of data presentation and analysis for cells locomoting in isotropic and anisotropic conditions . The cell trajectories were determined and displayed in circular diagrams, lengths of cell tracks and final cell displacements were estimated and a few parameters characterizing cell locomotion were computed. J Bacteriol, 1997 Sep, 179(17), 5585 - 8 Negative feedback from a Proteus class II flagellum export defect to the flhDC master operon controlling cell division and flagellum assembly; Furness RB et al.; The Proteus mirabilis flagellum class I flhDC operon was isolated, and its transcript was shown to originate from a sigma70 promoter 244 bp 5' of flhD and 29 bp 3' of a putative cyclic AMP receptor protein-binding site . Expression of this regulatory master operon increased strongly as cells differentiated into elongated hyperflagellated swarm filaments, and cell populations artificially overexpressing flhDC migrated sooner and faster . A class II flhA transposon mutant was reduced in flagellum class III gene expression, as would be expected from the FlgM anti-sigma28 accumulation demonstrated in Salmonella typhimurium, but was unexpectedly also reduced in cell elongation . Here, we show that levels of flhDC transcript were ca . 10-fold lower in this flagellum export mutant, indicating that in cells defective in flagellum assembly, there is additional negative feedback via flhDC . In support of this view, artificial overexpression of flhDC in the flhA mutant restored elongation but not class III flagellum gene transcription. Rev Neurol, 1997 Sep, 25 Suppl 3, S250 - 8 {Neurocutaneous syndromes with vascular alterations}; de Felipe I et al.; There are several syndromes in which neurological and cutaneous alterations of vascular origin, among other symptoms, occur . The key point of this fact is that these cutaneous signs permit early diagnosis, thus helping in further recognition of more complex syndromes and preventing unnecessary, harmful and costly diagnostic procedures or having to wait until the appearance of neurological signs . Therefore, these diseases should be classified attending to the most notorious vascular lesions they show, though they may show other less frequent cutaneous vascular lesions . In this way, these syndromes can be classified as associated with nevus flammeus (Sturge-Weber, Shapiro-Shulman, Bonnet-Dechaume-Blanc, Cobb, Klippel-Trenaunay, Fegeler, Robert), cavernous hemangiomas (Maffucci, blue-rubber-bleb-nevus, Proteus, Bannayan-Zonana, Riley-Smith, familial cavernous angiomatosis, POEMS syndrome), capillary hemangiomas (Rubinstein-Tayabi, Coffin-Siris, PHACE syndrome), telangiectasia (congenital telangiectatic cutis marmorata, Rendu-Osler-Weber, ataxia telangiectasia, Cockayne, De Sanctis-Cacchione), livedo reticularis (Sneddon, Divry-van-Bogaert), angioqueratoma (Fabry disease, Fucosidosis) and hemangioblastoma (Von Hippel-Lindau) . Though we have tried that these vascular lesions should be named as angiomas if they are malformations and hemangiomas if they are benign neoplasias, they are called following morphological aspects rather than other criteria, due to their unknown origin. Biochemistry, 1997 Aug 19, 36(33), 10311 - 9 Mechanisms of action of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein BPI on reconstituted outer membranes of gram-negative bacteria; Wiese A et al.; The mechanisms of interaction of the recombinant N-terminal portion of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein, rBPI21, with various planar asymmetric and symmetric bilayer membranes, including the lipid matrix of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, were investigated via electrical measurements . For the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) leaflet of the outer membrane, isolated deep rough mutant LPS of Escherichia coli strain F515 (F515 LPS) and Proteus mirabilis strain R45 (R45 LPS) were used . The addition of rBPI21 to the LPS side of asymmetric LPS/phospholipid membranes, as well as to black lipid membranes made from dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol (DOPG), led to membrane rupture . The innermembrane potential difference resulted in a slight increase from 0 to 5 mV for symmetric DOPG membranes but changed for asymmetric F515 LPS/PL membranes from -36 to +8 mV and for R45 LPS/PL membranes from -37 to -5 mV following the addition of rBPI21 . In all cases, the addition of rBPI21 led to an increase in membrane current . The effect of rBPI21 on the innermembrane potential difference of LPS/PL membranes was significantly reduced in the presence of 40 mM MgCl2 (shift from -36 to -31 mV for F515 LPS) . On the basis of these results and from our studies on the interaction of rBPI21 with lipid monolayers and aggregates {Wiese, A., et al . (1997) Biochemistry 36, 10301-10310}, a model is discussed explaining how the observed membrane rupture, increase of membrane current, and change of transmembrane potential as induced by rBPI21 may contribute to bacterial dysfunction. Am J Med Genet, 1997 Aug 8, 71(2), 167 - 71 Multiple, juxtasutural, cranial hyperostoses and cardiac tumor: a new hamartomatous syndrome? Nishimura G, Nishimura J. We report on a Japanese girl with multiple cranial hyperostoses and a cardiac tumor, both of which manifested in early childhood . Unique juxtasutural lesions characterized the cranial findings, including a chain of almost symmetrical osseous protuberances involving the frontozygomatic and frontoparietal junctions, and discrete bony bumps on the right occipitoparietal junction and left temporo-occipital junction . These lesions histologically consisted of thickened mature bone intervened with sparse fibrous tissues, mimicking osteoma . The cardiac mass remained pathologically unknown, but was shown to have fatty elements on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) . The patient showed no evidence of gnathic hyperostoses, ophthalmological abnormalities, skin lesions, or other visceral abnormalities, which ultimately precluded known hamartomatous syndromes with craniofacial hyperostoses, such as Gardner and Proteus syndromes . Yet regional Proteus syndrome could not be completely excluded . The craniofacial deformity as a sequel of hyperostoses in our patient superficially resembled that of X-linked calvarial hyperostosis; however, the vacuolated histiocytes that characterized the hyperostotic lesions were not found in our patient . The present disorder may represent a hitherto unknown hamartomatous syndrome. Biochemistry, 1997 Aug 5, 36(31), 9356 - 64 EPR investigation of compound I in Proteus mirabilis and bovine liver catalases: formation of porphyrin and tyrosyl radical intermediates; Ivancich A et al.; Compound I of Proteus mirabilis and bovine liver catalases (PMC and BLC, respectively) were studied combining EPR spectroscopy and the rapid-mix freeze-quench techniques . Both enzymes, when treated with peroxyacetic acid, form a catalytic intermediate which consists of an oxoferryl porphyrin pi-cation radical . In PMC this intermediate is semistable, and an unexpected reversible equilibrium under pH influence takes place between two forms of compound I with different coupling between the oxoferryl and the porphyrin pi-cation radical . At acid pH, one form has a ferromagnetic character as in Micrococcus luteus compound I . At neutral pH, another form with a much smaller coupling, reminiscent of the horse radish peroxidase compound I, is detected . The approximate midpoint, estimated for these changes in the range 5.3 < pH < 6.0, approaches the pKa value of an histidyl residue . The residues possibly involved in the transformation are discussed in terms of the known structure of PMC compound I . The EPR spectrum of BLC compound I (pH 5.6), obtained in the millisecond time scale (40 ms), also showed a mixture of two forms which, most probably, correspond to two different magnetic exchange interactions, as in the case of PMC . Taken together, the low-temperature electronic absorption and the EPR spectra of BLC compound I formed in the 0.04-15 s range show that the porphyrin pi-cation radical disappears and, instead, a tyrosyl radical is formed . ENDOR experiments confirm our previously estimated hyperfine couplings to the C2,6 and C3,5 ring protons and the beta-methylene protons of the purported tyrosyl radical . Candidates for such a tyrosyl radical are discussed in connection with the possible electron transfer pathways between the heme active site and the NADPH cofactor. Eur J Biochem, 1997 Aug 1, 247(3), 951 - 4 Structure of the O-specific polysaccharide of Proteus vulgaris O25 containing 3-O-{(R)-1-carboxyethyl}-D-glucose; Knirel YA et al.; The O-specific polysaccharide of Proteus vulgaris O25 was studied by acid hydrolysis and by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopies, including one-dimensional NOE and two-dimensional COSY and heteronuclear 13C,1H correlation (HETCOR) spectroscopy . The polysaccharide was found to contain 3-O-{(R)-1-carboxyethyl}-D-glucose (D-RGlc), and the following structure of the pentasaccharide repeating unit was established: {structure in text} J Appl Microbiol, 1997 Aug, 83(2), 175 - 80 Carbenicillin-hydrolysing penicillinase mediated by a plasmid of Proteus mirabilis and its relationship to the PSE-type enzymes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Ito Y et al.; The nucleotide sequence of a carbenicillin-hydrolysing (carbenicillinase) gene occurring in an endogenous plasmid, pCS229, of Proteus mirabilis was determined . The amino acid sequence of the mature enzyme, comprising 271 amino acids with a molecular mass of 29,506 Da, was deduced . The pCS229 carbenicillinase showed only 46.4% similarity, in the overall amino acid sequence, to the chromosomal carbenicillinase of Pr . mirabilis GN79; however, the enzyme showed about 98% similarity to a Pseudomonas-specific plasmid-encoded carbenicillinase, PSE-4, that was isolated from Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Only five of 271 amino acids differed from those of PSE-4 . This study proved the close relationship between the carbenicillinase genes distributed in Pr . mirabilis and Ps . aeruginosa. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth, 1997 Aug, 11(5), 565 - 70 Concentration of cefamandole in plasma and tissues of patients undergoing cardiac surgery: the influence of different cefamandole dosage; Menges T et al.; OBJECTIVE: To develop an improved regimen of antibiotic prophylaxis in cardiac surgery, three antibiotic prophylactic regimens for patients scheduled to have elective cardiothoracic surgery involving a median sternotomy were evaluated . DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, unblinded study . SETTING: A university teaching hospital . PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-nine men scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with extracorporeal circulation (ECC) were included in the study . INTERVENTIONS: The patients were selected at random to receive 2 g of cefamandole (CM) at induction of anesthesia (group 1, n = 24), or 2 g of CM at the beginning of anesthesia followed by an additional dose (2 g) immediately after onset of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (group 2, n = 22), or 4 g of CM just at the initiation of anesthesia (group 3, n = 23) . Samples from the mammary artery, sternum, and plasma were obtained at various intervals after injection of the antibiotic (10 minutes intravenously) to compare antibiotic levels, assayed for CM concentrations, with high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and plasma bactericidal activity as well as infectious complications in these sites as a function of time for the three groups . MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There were no significant differences in biometric data, duration of hospitalization, or management of cardiopulmonary bypass, including urinary tract drainage and infusion volume . The mean plasma t1/2 (distributive or alpha-phase) before bypass was 51.7 +/- 16.7 minutes for group 1 and 2 patients and 54.9 +/- 15.9 minutes for group 3 patients . CM plasma values were significantly higher in group 2 (170.3 +/- 105.8 micrograms/mL) than in groups 1 and 3 (111.8 +/- 42.2 micrograms/mL, 101.2 +/- 57.2 micrograms/mL) at the end of bypass periods (p < 0.05) . The antibiotic contents of mammary artery and sternum samples of group 2 (15.6 +/- 4.7 micrograms/mL, 9.5 +/- 4.7 micrograms/mL) were significantly higher after completion of CPB compared with group 1 (5.7 +/- 1.9 micrograms/mL, 3.8 +/- 2.9 micrograms/mL) and group 3 (6.3 +/- 3.5 micrograms/mL, 3.6 +/- 1.8 micrograms/mL) (p < 0.05) . There were no significant differences in distribution of micro-organisms among the three groups, but two patients of groups 1 and 3 with plasma and tissue CM levels below minimal inhibitor concentration (MIC90) for Hemophilus influencea, E coli, Proteus ssp and Klebsiella ssp after completion of CPB, respectively, developed a pneumonia postoperatively caused by Hemophilus influencea (1), E coli (1) and Klebsiella ssp (2) (p < 0.05) . CONCLUSIONS: It would be preferable to infuse the antibiotic shortly before the operative procedure . However, to keep tissue and plasma CM values more than MIC90 for common pathogens during the time period studied, a second infusion of 2 g of CM administered after onset of CPB suggests better protection against the risk of microbial infections . Therefore, the findings might be important for the choice of antibiotic prophylaxis, particularly for high-risk patients. Acad Emerg Med, 1997 Aug, 4(8), 797 - 800 Utility of urine and blood cultures in pyelonephritis; Thanassi M; OBJECTIVE: To determine how often the results of urine and blood cultures led to changes in antibiotic therapy for patients discharged from the hospital with the diagnosis of pyelonephritis . METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed of consecutively admitted patients, 10-90 years old, with an ICD-9 discharge diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis . All patients were admitted to a university-based, tertiary care center and a large HMO medical center from 1993 to 1994 . The association of urine and blood culture results with a change in antibiotic therapy was assessed . RESULTS: Of the 194 patients who met inclusion criteria, 189 (97%) had urine cultures obtained at the time of admission and 139 (71%) had blood cultures obtained . Ampicillin, gentamicin, or both were given as initial antibiotics 81% of the time, and isolated organisms from urine or blood were sensitive to the empiric antibiotics 95% of the time . Most (171/189; 90%) urine cultures were positive, but only 9 (5%) of these led to a change in antibiotic therapy . 80% of the urinary pathogens were Escherichia coli, 5% Enterococcus, 5% Proteus, and 4% Klebsiella . Only 40 (29%) of the 139 blood cultures were positive; none prompted a change in antibiotics . There were no cases in which blood and urine cultures grew different pathogens . CONCLUSIONS: Urine cultures are useful in directing antibiotic therapy in patients with the discharge diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis and support a change in therapy in 5% of cases . Among the patients in this study, blood cultures results did not lead to changes in antibiotic therapy . These findings warrant prospective, multicenter evaluation. J Bacteriol, 1997 Aug, 179(15), 4741 - 6 A nonswarming mutant of Proteus mirabilis lacks the Lrp global transcriptional regulator; Hay NA et al.; Proteus swarming is the rapid cyclical population migration across surfaces by elongated cells that hyperexpress flagellar and virulence genes . The mini-Tn5 transposon mutant mns2 was isolated as a tight nonswarming mutant that did not elongate or upregulate flagellar and hemolysin genes . Individual cell motility was retained but was reduced . The transposon had inserted in the gene encoding the global transcriptional regulator Lrp (leucine-responsive regulatory protein), expression of which was upregulated in differentiating swarm cells . Swarming was restored to the lrp mutant by artificial overexpression of the flhDC flagellar regulatory master operon . Lrp may be a key component in generating or relaying signals that are required for flagellation and swarming, possibly acting through the flhDC operon. FEBS Lett, 1997 Jul 14, 411(2-3), 221 - 4 Structures of the O-antigens of Proteus bacilli belonging to OX group (serogroups O1-O3) used in Weil-Felix test; Ziolkowski A et al.; Structures of the O-specific polysaccharide chains of lipopolysaccharides from Proteus group OX strains (serogroups O1-O3) used as antigens in Weil-Felix test for diagnosis of rickettsiosis, were established . From them, the acid-labile polysaccharide of Proteus vulgaris OX19 (O1) is built up of the following branched pentasaccharide repeating units connected via a phosphate group: {structure in text} where QuiNAc stands for 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxyglucose (N-acetylquinovosamine) . The basis of serospecificity of the Proteus group OX antigens and their cross-reactivity with human anti-rickettsial antibodies is discussed. J Infect, 1997 Jul, 35(1), 55 - 62 Recurrent bacterial meningitis: a 6-year experience in adult patients; Hosoglu S et al.; Ten adult patients with recurrent bacterial meningitis (RBM) of 22 episodes were diagnosed and treated at the Dicle University Hospital from January 1990 to December 1995 . Apart from 22 episodes of RBM these patients had an additional 25 episodes treated at other hospitals . The RBM attacks developed after closed head trauma in four patients, asplenia and chronic otitis media in one patient, chronic otitis media and oto-mastoiditis in one patient, chronic maxillary sinusitis in one patient, chronic mastoiditis in one patients, and suppurative foci of facial bones caused by shrapnel pieces and no predisposing condition in one patient . In 10 RBM episodes, Streptococcus pneumoniae was isolated from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and/or blood culture, and in one episode Proteus vulgaris was isolated from CSF and otitis media suppuration . In the four episodes both cultures were negative, but direct microscopy showed Gram-positive diplococci on Gram-staining . Three of the patients died from meningitis-related complications. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 1997 Jul, 117(1), 83 - 90 Multicenter study of the efficacy and safety of oral ciprofloxacin in the treatment of chronic suppurative otitis media in adults . The French Study Group; Gehanno P; Chronic suppurative otitis media is a common and potentially dangerous clinical condition that is difficult to treat because the most common infecting organisms are often resistant to many antibiotics . Recently, fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin have provided a new therapeutic possibility, offering a wide range of antibacterial activity and proven concentration in the middle ear . Therefore in the current study, we assessed the efficacy and safety of oral ciprofloxacin (500 mg twice daily for 10 days) in the treatment of suppurative chronic otitis media in adults . One hundred sixty-four patients were enrolled during a 3-month period by 49 ear, nose, and throat physicians in general practice . The mean duration of symptoms was 158 months, with the acute exacerbation lasting 72.5 days . Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis were most commonly isolated . At the end of treatment, the otorrhea had disappeared in 104 of the 155 (67.1%) evaluated patients . The bacteriologic eradication rate was 64.5% . After 4 weeks of follow-up care, 93.2% of patients had no recurrence of infection . In 4 patients, treatment was discontinued prematurely after an adverse event . We conclude that ciprofloxacin is an effective and well-tolerated general practice treatment for suppurative chronic otitis media in adults. Carbohydr Res, 1997 Jun 20, 301(3-4), 213 - 20 The structure of the capsular polysaccharide from a swarming strain of pathogenic Proteus vulgaris; Rahman MM et al.; The structure was determined for the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) isolated from a swarming strain of Proteus vulgaris, CP2-96, which was obtained from the spleen of an infected mouse . The CPS was extracted from the cell pellet by hot water, precipitated with ethanol, and further purified by gel-permeation chromatography . The structure was established by glycosyl composition and linkage analyses, and by NMR spectroscopy . The sequence of the glycosyl residues was determined by a NOESY experiment . The CPS is composed of a tetrasaccharide repeating unit with the following structure: OAc {symbol: see text} 4 -->4)-beta-D-Glcp-(1-->3)-beta-D-GalpNAc-(1-->2)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->4)-al pha- D-GlcpA-(1-->. J Paediatr Child Health, 1997 Jun, 33(3), 264 - 6 Proteus syndrome; Ng SC et al.; This female Asian (Malay) baby had clinical features of Proteus syndrome . She had a large right facial lipolymphangioma with hyperpigmentation of the overlying skin . There was a smaller lymphangioma over the left side of her neck with excess nuchal folds, macrodactyly and bilateral talipes equinovarus . Despite the extensive hemifacial swelling, there was no evidence of upper respiratory tract obstruction . Generalized seizures developed on the sixth day of life which were controlled with phenobarbital . The lymphangiomas were excised without recurrence. Med Hypotheses, 1997 Jun, 48(6), 511 - 5 Bartonellosis and human immunodeficiency disease (AIDS): L-forms as persisters, activating factors, and mechanism of disease; Sood FH et al.; Bartonella, genus Proteus, can cause immunodepressive disease . The organisms, in parasitized red blood cells, may invade the brain and every other system and space in the human body . Bartonella henselae is proposed to have a role in the pathogenesis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) encephalopathy . Bartonella bacilliformis produces two known toxins that can induce spasm and angiomatosis, respectively, and manifest as diseases associated with symptomatic AIDS . The skin lesions of bartonellosis may be mistaken clinically and histologically for Kaposi's sarcoma . Bacteria of the genus Proteus produce L-forms: their elementary bodies may be mistaken for what are called the 'human immunodeficiency viruses' (HIV) . Antibiotics, especially penicillin, induce bacteria to produce L-forms . Air pollution and high sugar, salt and fat diets are factors that may increase the lipid content of microbes that produce toxins and L-forms that may persist or revert to bacterial form. Int J Dev Biol, 1997 Jun, 41(3), 533 - 5 Thyroid hormone receptors in perennibranchiate amphibians; Safi R et al.; Thyroid hormone has long been known to induce metamorphosis in amphibians . The understanding of the molecular steps controlling the completion of metamorphosis has nevertheless been hampered by the complexity of this event . The comparison of organisms in which metamorphosis does or does not occur, may provide clues into the molecular cascade that control it . Up to now the available data suggest that perennibranchiate amphibians retain their larval characters mainly because their tissues do not respond to thyroid hormones . In such a context the recent identification of a thyroid hormone receptor alpha in the perennibranchiate Proteus anguinus is provocative (Ho Huynh et al., Int . J . Dev . Biol . 40:537-543, 1996) . In the present paper, we provide evidences that this recently described sequence is in fact a sequence from Xenopus laevis . Indeed, we identified the authentic thyroid hormone receptors of both alpha and beta types in two perennibranchiate species Necturus maculosus and Proteus anguinus . The various controls required to ascertain the authenticity of a developmental gene cloned by PCR or RT-PCR analysis are presented . The results reported in the present paper are relevant with phylogenetical analysis . This induces our team to