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| Jpn J Microbiol, 1975 Apr, 19(2), 133 - 40 Antigenic analyses of Lactobacillus fermenti; Shimohashi H; Antigenic analyses of Lactobacillus fermenti were carried out by double immunodiffusion in agar using extracts prepared with cold trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or hot dilute hydrochloric acid (HCL) . A common antigen of L . fermenti, designated as antigen f by the author, was extracted from whole cells with dilute HCL, but not with TCA . The antigen f was also observed in Lactobacillus casei . In addition, all strains isolated from human saliva contained antigen 6 in their cell walls, while the antigen was not observed in most of the isolates from human feces . Therefore, L . fermenti could be divided into two subgroups based upon the existence of antigen 6 . Antigen 7 which was demonstrated in some strains of L . fementi was shared by other species of lactobacilli belonging to the serological groups D and E . The common antigen 3 found in lactobacilli was extracted from all strains of L . fermenti Sugar components of cell walls were mainly galactose, glucose and glucosamine (including N-acetylglucosamine), but a small amount of rhamnose was present in the cell wall of only one strain . Inhibition tests with various sugars showed that the serologically active sugars were galactose for antigen f and glucose for antigen 6. Arch Microbiol, 1975 Mar 12, 103(1), 83 - 8 {The influence of the antivitamine pyrithiamine on the metabolism of the thiamin-autotrophic Serratia marcescens}; Hagedorn H et al.; A new method is described for the quantitative microbiological analysis of the thiamine analog pyrithiamine present in biological material . The method uses a mutant of Lactobacillus fermenti (ATCC 9338) stimulated by pyrithiamine . By this specific method it is found that Serratia marcescens is able to consume and to phosphorylate the antivitamine (presumably to pyrithiamine monophosphate) . The uptake of the analog influences neither the generation time of Serratia marcescens nor the biomass of the culture, nor the total amounts of carbohydrate and protein within the cells . On the contrary, pyrithiamin stimulates the exponential death-rate k and decreases the quantity of neutral fats . The carbon source glycerol is consumed at a higher rate, which is paralleled by an increased total amount of pyruvate as well as by an increased biosynthesis of acetoin. J Bacteriol, 1975 Mar, 121(3), 777 - 84 Regulation of the L-lactase dehydrogenase from Lactobacillus casei by fructose-1,6-diphosphate and metal ions; Holland R et al.; The lactate dehydrogenase of Lactobacillus casei, like that of streptococci, requires fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) for activity . The L . casei enzyme has a much more acidic pH optimum (pH 5.5) than the streptococcal lactate dehydrogenases . This is apparently due to a marked decrease in the affinity of the enzyme for the activator with increasing pH above 5.5; the concentration of FDP required for half-maximal velocity increase nearly 1,000-fold from 0.002 mM at pH 5.5 to 1.65 mM at 6.6 . Manganous ions increase the pH range of activity particularly on the alkaline side of the optimum by increasing the affinity for FDP . This pH dependent metal ion activation is not specific for Mn2+ . Other divalent metals, Co2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Ni2+, Fe2+, Fe2+, and Zn2+ but not Mg2+, will effectively substitute for Mn2+, but the pH dependence of the activation differs with the metal ion used . The enzyme is inhibited by a number of commonly used buffering ions, particularly phosphate, citrate, and tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane-maleate buffers, even at low buffer concentrations (0.02 M) . These buffers inhibit by affecting the binding of FDP. J Biol Chem, 1975 Feb 25, 250(4), 1348 - 53 Turnover of the cell wall peptidoglycan of Lactobacillus acidophilus . The presence of a fraction immune to turnover; Daneo-Moore L et al.; Exponentially growing cultures of Lactobacillus acidophilus strain 60AM Gasser were previously shown to lose about one-third of their cell wall peptidoglycan per generation via turnover (Boothby, D., Daneo-Moore, L., Higgins, M . L., Coyette, J., and Shockman, G . D . (1973) J . Biol . Chem . 248, 2161-2169) . We now show that 20 to 30% of the {3H}lysine initially present in insoluble peptidoglycan fractions was retained after 4 or more generations of continued exponential growth of cultures in the absence of label . Treatment of peptidoglycan fractions, before and after 6 or 8 generations of chase with lysozyme (EC 3.2.1.17), released soluble products containing {3H}lysine which had electrophoretic mobilities identical with the disaccharide-peptide derivatives obtained from the wall peptidoglycan of this species . Because protein is known to contaminate peptidoglycan residues, the double labeled technique was used to show that one-half or less of the label lysine present after 6 or 8 generations of chase could be attributed to protein contamination . This then left a minimum fraction of 10 to 20% of the peptidoglycan that was immune to turnover . The absence of turnover of peptidoglycan labeled during short pulses has now been quantitated to show that pulses shorter than 12% of a generation (6 to 7 min) did not turn over . This turnover-immune fraction is in reasonably good agreement with the immune fraction of 10 to 20% observed after long periods of chase of extensively labeled peptidoglycan. JAMA, 1975 Feb 17, 231(7), 731 - 3 Oral contraceptives, serum folate, and hematologic status; Paine CJ et al.; Previous reports have suggested deleterious effects on folate balance in users of contraceptives . A study of folate in 526 women attending a family-planning clinic demonstrated, both with the Lactobacillus casei assay and with a new radioassay, that the mean serum folate level for women taking oral contraceptives was not significantly lower than that for women in a control group . There was no correlation between serum folate level and length of time oral contraceptives were taken . Also, there was no macrocytosis or hypersegmentation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and no case of macrocytic anemia in the 280 users of oral contraceptive agents . Probably, oral contraceptive agents do not cause folate deficiency anemia in otherwise normal subjects. J Lab Clin Med, 1975 Feb, 85(2), 185 - 90 The effect of oral contraceptives on folate metabolism . III . Plasma clearance and urinary folate excretion; Shojania AM et al.; PIP: The effect of oral contraceptives (OCs) on folate metabolism was studied by determining plasma clearance and urinary folate excretion in normal women . Folic acid clearance was determined by Lactobacillus casei assay following an iv injection of pteroylmonoglutamic acid (PGA) . Urinary folate excretion was determined in 12-hour specimens also by the above method . In 5 of the 6 women on OCs, plasma clearance of PGA was faster than in the 7 controls . The mean rise of serum folate during 1 hour was lower (p less than .02) in the OC users than in the controls . The mean serum folate of the OC group (93 subjects) was lower than that of the control group (67 subjects), and the urinary folate excretion was higher in the OC group than in the control group . It is concluded that women on OCs excrete more folate in their urine for any given level of serum or red cell folate than do control subjects . Jpn J Antibiot, 1975 Feb, 28(1), 67 - 73 Effects of gentamicin on the intestinal bacterial flora of rats; Ishimura Y et al.; 1) Normal intestinal microbial flora (NF) in feces of rats were examined before and after administration of gentamicin (GM) . Although GM caused no influence on NF after 6 hours, the number of NF decreased markedly 24 hours after GM, viz., the count of coliforms, enterococci and lactobacilli was reduced to 1/10-1/100 of the control value while proteus and fusobacteria declines in number down to 1/100-1/1,000 times as low as the control value . 2) The decreased count of NF tended to recover to some degree at the end of the 1st therapeutic week and the considerably recovered count continued thereafter indicating about 1/10 times as low as the control value until a 12-week experimental period, except that the count of lactobacilli returned to almost normal . 3) Susceptibility of coliforms isolated from GM-treated rats to GM was nearly equal to that of the bacteria isolated from the untreated control rats, which revealed no development of drug resistance to GM . 4) The increasing rate of body weight was higher in GM-treated rats than in the control, and the feed intake was consequently great in the former. Infect Immun, 1975 Feb, 11(2), 320 - 9 Immune responses of specific pathogen-free and gnotobiotic mice to antigens of indigenous and nonindigenous microorganisms; Berg RD et al.; Strains of indigenous Escherichia coli, Bacteroides, and Lactobacillus were isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice . Nonvaccinated SPF mice exhibited in their spleens low numbers of plaque-forming cells (PFC) and rosette-forming cells reacting with antigens of these andigenous bacteria . PFC reacting with these bacterial antigens were not detected in infant SPF mice until 7 days after birth . Compared with nonvaccinated controls, SPF mice vaccinated parenterally with indigenous E . coli or Bacteroides produced a moderate increase in the numbers of specific PFC . Thus, the SPF mouse is capable of responding immunologically after vaccination with microbes indigenous to its intestinal tract . However, more PFC reacting with homologous vaccine antigens were detected after parenteral vaccination of SPF mice with nonindigenous E . coli O127:B8, E.coli O14, or B . fragilis than after parenteral vaccination with indigenous E . coli or Bacteroides . Gnotobiotic mice orally monoassociated with these nonindigenous bacteria exhibited greater immune responses to antigens of the bacteria used to monoassociation than did gnotobiotes monoassociated with the indigenous microbes . The results are consistent with the hypothesis that mice are more responsive immunologically to antigens of nonindigenous bacteria than they are to antigens of certain microbes indigenous to their gastrointestinal tracts. J Clin Microbiol, 1975 Feb, 1(2), 124 - 8 Transmission of Lactobacillus jensenii and Lactobacillus acidophilus from mother to child at time of delivery; Carlsson J et al.; The presence of Lactobacillus jensenii and Lactobacillus acidophilus has been studied in specimens from the rectum and vagina of the mother, from the mouth of the infant at the time of delivery, and from the mouth and rectum of infants six days of age . L . jensenii could be differentiated from other species of lactobacilli by the following combination of characteristics: production of only D-lactate, hydrolysis of arginine, and fermentation of cellobiose, galactose, and ribose, but not of lactose . L . jensenii and L . acidophilus were common inhabitants of the vagina . In spite of a contamination of the infant's mouth by L . jensenii and L . acidophilus during delivery, neither of these organisms became established in the mouth of the newborn infants. Am J Clin Nutr, 1975 Jan, 28(1), 51 - 8 Harmful effect of megadoses of vitamins: electroencephalogram abnormalities and seizures induced by intravenous folate in drug-treated epileptics; Ch'ien LT et al.; Folic acid was administered intravenously during constant EEG monitoring to eight epileptic subjects who had received diphenylhydantoin therapy for more than 1 year . Six of the subjects displayed low folate levels by Lactobacillus casei assay in plasma and/or whole blood . Six patients received 75 mg of folate intravenously over a 30-min period without clinical effect of EEG change . One patient exhibited an increase in spike discharges on the EEG in comparison to the baseline pattern, but no clinical change or seizure while receiveing 150 mg of folate in a 30-min period . One patient displayed a 2-sec burst of spike and slow wave activity on the EEG after receiveing 7.2 mg of folate in a 3-min period . A tonic-clonic seizure occured after the infusion of 14.4 mg of folate, and again after infusion of 19.2 mg of folate . There appear to be wide variation in the ability of drug-treated epileptic subjects to tolerate infusions of folic acid . These variations help explain conflicting reports in the literature concerning the effect of folic acid administration on seizure control . Megadoses of folic acid should be employed with great caution in all subjects, but particularly among epileptics . Information is lacking as to whether folate might induce seizures in certain ostensibly normal individuals . It is postulated that folic acid exerts a direct effect among sensitive subjects on existing pathways concerned with the metabolism of folate, histidine, or other important brain metabolites . The mechanism of the anticonvulsant action of diphenylhdantoin remains unknown, but there is considerable evidence to suggest that it interferes with the deamination of histidine. Tex Rep Biol Med, 1975, 33(3), 433 - 43 Antimetabolites of pantothenic acid, ureido- and carbamoyl-derivatives; Sargent DR et al.; Pantothenic acid analogs have been synthesized that contain alkyl and/or arylureido and carbamate functions in the beta-alanyl portion of the amide moiety of the vitamin . The analogs are inhibitory to growth of lactic acid bacteria at concentrations as low as 0.6 mug/ml, and the inhibitions are competitively reversed by supplements of pantothenic acid . The carbamate derivatives are more toxic to growth of Lactobacillus plantarum 8014 and Pediococcus cerevisiae 8042 than the ureido analogs, and chloro-substitutents on the aryl group significantly increase the toxicity of the analogs. Z Allg Mikrobiol, 1975, 15(4), 269 - 74 Ultrastructure of Lactobacillus fermentum during early and late growth phases and during thiamine deficiency; Neujahr HY et al.; Thin sections of exponentially growing and stationary-phase cells of L . fermentum from thiamine sufficient and thiamine deficient media were studied by electron microscopy . Compared to the exponential-phase cells the stationary-phase cells from both types of media had thicker cell walls and cross walls and fewer and smaller granules of storage material . Exponential-phase, thiamine deficient cells had rather thin cell walls and small mesosomes. Zentralbl Bakteriol {Orig A}, 1975, 231(1-3), 153 - 62 In vitro study of the influence of virginiamycin and spiramycin on the composition and biochemical activities of the gastrointestinal flora of piglets . I . influence on the composition of the flora; Van Assche PF et al.; In vitro fermentations with the gastro-intestinal flora of 18 treated piglets (Control, Virginiamycin, Spiramycin) were carried out to study the influence of Nutritional doses of Virginiamycin and Spiramycin on the composition of the microflora . Each total flora was used for three different incubations: Control, 50 ppm Virginiamycin, 50 ppm Spiramycin . To obtain comparable results with experiments in vivo, an artificial fermentation medium was made on the basis of several chemical analyses of intestinal contents . The treatments with nutritional doses in vivo had little influence on the different in vitro fermentations . Addition of Spiramycin during incubation was of little influence on the growth and the composition of the flora . Virginiamycin on the other hand caused marked changes in the gastro-intestinal microflora, such as a decrease of the total growth and a decrease in the number of Lactobacilli and Enterococci, combined with a slight increase of the Gram negative aerobic population. Vopr Pitan, 1975 Jan-Feb, (1), 47 - 52 {Folacin determination in the blood by a fluorimetric method}; Grigor'eva MP et al.; To determine the blood folacin a fluorometric method is proposed . This includes the following stage-wise operations: liberation of combined forms of folacin under the effect of enzymes contained in the blood investigated; quantification of tyrosine to make a correction for changed fluorescence intensity of this amino acid during oxilation of the solution; measurement of the fluorescence of the substances present in the solution before and after their oxidation with potassium permanganate and calculation of the folacin content . The fluorometric method enables it to greatly speed up the assay by comparison with the microbiological method of determination with the Lactobac . casei as a test-organism, the assay time being cut down from 4-5 days to 4-5 hours without prejudicing the accuracy of the determination. Zentralbl Bakteriol {Orig A}, 1975, 231(1-3), 163 - 74 In vitro study of the influence of virginiamycin and spiramycin on the composition and biochemical activities of the gastrointestinal flora of piglets . II . Influence on the biochemical activities of the microflora; Van Assche PF et al.; Chemical analysis was carried out on 54 in vitro fermentations to study the influence of nutritional doses of Virginiamycin and Spiramycin on the metabolic activity of the gastro-intestinal flora of 18 in vivo treated piglets . Changes in the decomposition of glucose and the production of NH3, volatile acids and lactic acid are recorded in function of time . These results are in good accordance with changes noted in the composition of the bacterial flora, such as a marked decrease in the production of lactic acid, caused by Virginiamycin, combined with a decrease in the number of Lactobacilli and Enterococci . Virginiamycin caused marked changes in the metabolic activity of certain groups of bacteria, while there was only a slight effect noted for Spiramycin, although in vivo treatments with this antibiotic still show up in the results of the in vitro incubations . The overall results indicate that both antibiotics have marked influences on the intestinal flora of the pig, either by selective inhibiting of the flora resulting in a change of the metabolities formed, either by a change in the metabolic activity of some bacterial groups. Prikl Biokhim Mikrobiol, 1975 Jan-Feb, 11(1), 49 - 51 {Electrophoretic characteristics of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes of lactobacilli and determination of their activity}; Gorshkova VI et al.; Lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes of 10 museum strains of lactobacilli were examined electrophoretically in polyacrylamide gel . With respect to the relative electrophoretic motility and enzymic activity certain differences in the isoenzyme spectra of lactate dehydrogenase can give additional evidence for the identification of lactobacillar species. Acta Microbiol Pol B, 1975, 7(4), 243 - 52 L-Glutamate-glyoxylate aminotransferase in Lactobacillus plantarum; Galas E et al.; Glutamate-glyoxylate aminotransferase which mediates the reaction of glyoxylic acid with glutamic acid to yield glycine and alpha-oxoglutaric acid has been isolated and purified 84-fold from extracts of Lactobacillus plantarum . Purified enzyme requires the addition of pyridoxal phosphate and magnesium ions for its activity . The molecular weight of the enzyme estimated by Sepharose 4B gel filtration amounts to 37.000 . Micaelis constants for glyoxylate and glutamate are corresponding to 6.25 X 10(-3) M and 2.75 X 10(-3) M, respectively . Optimal pH in phosphate and veronal buffers is 8.0 and optimal temperature 35--37 degrees C. J Pediatr, 1973 Jun, 82(6), 1082 - 90 Host resistance factors in human milk; Goldman AS et al.; PIP: This paper discusses the nature of host resistance factors in human milk and epidemiologic studies regarding infections and mortality rates in breastfed and nonbreastfed babies . The defense factors and their proposed modes of action are: 1) a growth enhancer of lactobacilli, which interferes with intestinal colonization of enteric pathogens; 2) antistaphylococcal factors, which inhibit staphylococci; 3) secretory IgA and other immunoglobulins, which protect the gut and respiratory tract; 4) C4 and C3 (complement components; C3 fragments have opsonic, chemotactic, and anaphylatoxic activities); 5) lysozome, lysis of bacterial cell wall; 6) lactoperoxidase, killing of streptococci; 7) lactoferrin, kills microorganism by chelating iron, and 8) macrophages and lymphocytes, phagocytosis and cell-mediated immunity . Although it can be postulated that the breastfed infant's resistance to infection would be superior on account of the greater presence of these factors in human milk compared to cow's milk, little is known about the effects of these defense factors on the infant . Epidemiologic studies have reported on the lower morbidity and mortality rates of breastfed infants as compared to bottlefed infants . Other studies have focused on the protective effects of human milk upon the infant, but these have been inconclusive . In countries with poor sanitation and high infection rates, the incidence of bacterial infections is lowest in breastfed infants . The advantages of human milk however are difficult to demonstrate in societies with high standards of sanitation and low infection rates . Infection and mortality rates in infants have in fact declined in developed countries as the practice of breastfeeding declined . Until it is established that immunity to common pathogens is transmitted to the infant by human milk, it will not be known whether human milk does have protective effects . Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1965 Nov 15, 93(6), 904 - 5 Candidial vaginitis associated with the use of oral progestational agents; Walsh H et al.; PIP: A clinical study was undertaken to assess the association between the use of oral progestational agents and the incidence of candidial vaginitis . 96 unselected females, all in their reproductive years, who presented with symptoms of vaginitis at the Gynecology Clinic of the University of Florida Teaching Hospital were used in the study . 24 of the women had used oral progestational agents; the remaining 72 had not . Vaginal microbiological evaluation was carried out on all the women . 22 of the 24 women who had used oral progestagens showed heavy manifestations of Candida albicans . All of these women also showed Lactobacillus species and 50% showed Trichomonas vaginalis as well . Only 16.6% of the other group of women showed Candida albicans . Percentages of women in the nonusage group also exhibiting the other 2 pathogenic organisms were also markedly lower . So far, the literature has not noted a high incidence of monilial vaginitis associated with oral progestational use . Results of this study highlight the need for further research .
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