Science, 1995 Jun 30, 268(5219), 1899 - 902 Common virulence factors for bacterial pathogenicity in plants and animals; Rahme LG et al.; A Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain (UCBPP-PA14) is infectious both in an Arabidopsis thaliana leaf infiltration model and in a mouse full-thickness skin burn model . UCBPP-PA14 exhibits ecotype specificity for Arabidopsis, causing a range of symptoms from none to severe in four different ecotypes . In the mouse model, UCBPP-PA14 is as lethal as other well-studied P . aeruginosa strains . Mutations in the UCBPP-PA14 toxA, plcS, and gacA genes resulted in a significant reduction in pathogenicity in both hosts, indicating that these genes encode virulence factors required for the full expression of pathogenicity in both plants and animals. Science, 1995 Jun 23, 268(5218), 1733 - 5 Electron tunneling in proteins: coupling through a beta strand; Langen R et al.; Electron coupling through a beta strand has been investigated by measurement of the intramolecular electron-transfer (ET) rates in ruthenium-modified derivatives of the beta barrel blue copper protein Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin . Surface histidines, introduced on the methionine-121 beta strand by mutagenesis, were modified with a Ru(2,2'-bipyridine)2(imidazole)2+ complex . The Cu+ to Ru3+ rate constants yielded a distance-decay constant of 1.1 per angstrom, a value close to the distance-decay constant of 1.0 per angstrom predicted for electron tunneling through an idealized beta strand . Activationless ET rate constants in combination with a tunneling-pathway analysis of the structures of azurin and cytochrome c confirm that there is a generally efficient network for coupling the internal (native) redox center to the surface of both proteins. Commun Dis Rep CDR Rev, 1995 Jun 23, 5(7), R102 - 4 Whirlpool baths in nursing homes: use, maintenance, and contamination with Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Hollyoak V et al.; Transmission of Pseudomonas aeruginosa wound infection was associated with the use of a whirlpool bath in a nursing home . The nursing home inspection unit asked for guidance on whirlpool baths in nursing homes and advice for proprietors about their use, cleaning, disinfection, and maintenance . Seventeen whirlpool baths in 16 nursing homes in two health districts were examined for the presence of P . aeruginosa . A survey was made of the use made of whirlpool baths, methods used to clean and disinfect them, and the occurrence of P . aeruginosa wound infection in users . P . aeruginosa were found in large numbers in water samples from all whirlpool baths after agitation . Only one of the 253 residents who used whirlpool baths was known to have a P . aeruginosa wound infection . The local nursing home inspection unit was advised that whirlpool baths could continue to be used in nursing homes but only by continent residents with intact skin . The bath should be cleaned and disinfected, preferably with hypochlorite, after each use; the bath should be more thoroughly cleaned and disinfected daily and the bath should be fully serviced at least once a year . Suspected or confirmed cases of P . aeruginosa infection in residents of nursing homes should be reported to the consultant in communicable disease control . The prevalence of known infection with P . aeruginosa was low in the residents of the nursing homes, but the unguided and unregulated use of whirlpool baths in nursing homes may present an infection hazard to residents who use the bath and to hospitals that admit residents from such nursing homes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Commun Dis Rep CDR Rev, 1995 Jun 23, 5(7), R100 - 2 Pseudomonas aeruginosa wound infection associated with a nursing home's whirlpool bath; Hollyoak V et al.; Whirlpool baths are fitted with hydrojet circulation and/or air induction bubble systems . Water in a whirlpool bath, unlike a spa pool, is not filtered or chemically treated but the bath is drained and cleaned between each bather . This is, we believe, the first report of Pseudomonas aeruginosa wound infection associated with the use of a whirlpool bath in a nursing home . Microbiologically confirmed infections with P . aeruginosa of identical antibiotic sensitivity patterns arose in one week in wounds of four of 24 residents who used a whirlpool bath from which P . aeruginosa was also isolated . P . aeruginosa was not isolated from the wounds of a further seven residents who did not use the whirlpool bath . The incident control team advised that use of the whirlpool bath should be restricted to continent residents with intact skin, and that the bath should be cleaned with a degreasing agent and disinfected with hypochlorite between use by individual residents . The hazard of infection posed by whirlpool baths, particularly in nursing homes, needs to be assessed . National guidance for their cleaning, maintenance, and disinfection is required. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1995 Jun 15, 129(2-3), 251 - 4 Outer membrane permeability of beta-lactamase inhibitors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Satake S et al.; Evaluation of four beta-lactamase inhibitors in terms of their outer membrane permeability in Pseudomonas aeruginosa revealed that sulbactam and tazobactam diffused most efficiently and equally well . That of BRL42715 appeared to be a factor of ten lower than that of the above two, but it showed the strongest beta-lactamase inhibitory activity . This is most likely due to its better beta-lactamase inactivating activity . BRL42715 at 1.56 micrograms ml-1 lowered the minimum inhibitory concentrations of ceftazidime and imipenem in a strain producing fully derepressed beta-lactamase and an undetectable level of the outer membrane protein OprD2. J Chemother, 1995 Jun, 7 Suppl 2, 165 - 73 Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of isepamicin compared with amikacin in the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia and septicaemia; Beaucaire G; Isepamicin is a new aminoglycoside antibiotic which possesses greater stability to aminoglycoside-inactivating enzymes compared with other available aminoglycosides . In this prospective, randomised, open trial, the safety and efficacy of intravenous administration of isepamicin was compared with that of intravenous amikacin in seriously ill adults with nosocomial pneumonia or septicaemia . Each study aminoglycoside was administered concurrently with ceftazidime or imipenem . Patients were randomised to receive isepamicin 15 mg/kg once daily, isepamicin 7.5 mg/kg twice daily or amikacin 7.5 mg/kg twice daily . For patients with nosocomial pneumonia, the proportions of patients in the intent-to-treat population (n = 130) who were clinically cured at the end of treatment were similar in each treatment group: 18/44 (41%) isepamicin once daily; 19/45 (42%) isepamicin twice daily; and 17/41 (42%) amikacin . Corresponding results for the efficacy population (n = 58) were: 12/20 (60%) isepamicin once daily; 14/21 (67%) isepamicin twice daily; 9/17 (53%) amikacin . In patients with septicaemia, clinical cure was achieved in 8/10 (80%) patients treated with isepamicin once daily, compared with 8/13 (62%) patients who received isepamicin twice daily, and 7/12 (58%) patients treated with amikacin . For both diagnoses, there were no statistically significant differences between the treatment groups in clinical cure rate . The most commonly isolated target pathogen was Pseudomonas aeruginosa . For both nosocomial pneumonia and septicaemia, the proportion of patients in the intent-to-treat population whose pretreatment valid target pathogens were eliminated was similar in each treatment group . In total, 51 patients (30%) died during study, mostly due to disease progression or complications, or concurrent illness . All three treatment regimens were well tolerated . The proportion of patients experiencing at least one adverse event was 11%, 25% and 9% for isepamicin once daily, isepamicin twice daily and amikacin, respectively . The incidence of ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity was relatively low in both treatment groups. J Chemother, 1995 Jun, 7 Suppl 2, 137 - 42 Comparison of the efficacy and safety of isepamicin and amikacin in the treatment of acute lower respiratory tract infections caused by gram-negative organisms; Covi M et al.; In a prospective multicentre open trial, hospitalised adult patients with acute lower respiratory tract infections, mainly pneumonia or bronchitis, were randomised to receive either isepamicin 8 or 15 mg/kg once daily depending on the severity of the infection or amikacin 7.5 mg/kg twice daily . Patients with infections known to be caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa were to be given concomitant treatment with ceftazidime . In the intent-to-treat population, i.e . patients who received at least one dose randomised treatment, a clinical cure or improvement at the end of treatment was seen in 112/125 (90%) isepamicin patients and 55/60 (92%) amikacin patients . The corresponding rates for patients with a primary diagnosis of pneumonia were 45/52 (87%) and 25/28 (89%) . Cure/improvement rates for patients with P . aeruginosa as the causative pathogen (34 of whom also received ceftazidime) were 28/30 (93%) and 16/18 (89%), respectively . In the efficacy population (patients who had a valid pretreatment culture and who met other evaluability criteria), total elimination (documented or presumed if infection had resolved) of target pathogens occurred in 54/63 (86%) of isepamicin patients and 25/30 (83%) of amikacin patients . P . aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus were commonly isolated pathogens . Treatment-related adverse were mainly mild or moderate in severity and occurred in 10% of isepamicin patients and 13% of amikacin patients . Four patients (3 isepamicin and 1 amikacin) discontinued treatment because of severe adverse events and a further isepamicin patient withdrew because of a mild adverse event . Nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity occurred infrequently. J Chemother, 1995 Jun, 7 Suppl 2, 129 - 35 The efficacy and safety of isepamicin and ceftazidime compared with amikacin and ceftazidime in acute lower respiratory tract infection; Colardyn F; Isepamicin is a new aminoglycoside antibiotic which has a superior stability to aminoglycoside-inactivating enzymes compared with other available aminoglycosides . In this multicentre, randomised, open study, the safety and efficacy of isepamicin plus ceftazidime was compared with that of amikacin plus ceftazidime in adults with acute lower respiratory tract infection . Patients with severe infections received intravenous administration of isepamicin 15 mg/kg once daily + ceftazidime 2g twice daily (n = 121) or amikacin 7.5 mg/kg twice daily + ceftazidime 2g twice daily (n = 61) . Those with less severe infection received intramuscular or intravenous administration of isepamicin 8 mg/kg once daily + ceftazidime 1g twice daily (n = 56) or amikacin 7.5 mg/kg twice daily + ceftazidime 1g twice daily (n = 28) . In the efficacy populations, the proportion of patients clinically cured in the isepamicin group (87/100; 87%) was similar to that in the amikacin group (36/47; 77%) . Significantly more patients in the isepamicin group were cured or improved compared with the amikacin group (97% vs 89%; p = 0.042) . The difference between treatment groups was also significant in patients with pneumonia (p = 0.05) . The most commonly isolated target organisms were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae . The proportion of patients in the efficacy population whose pretreatment valid target organisms were eliminated was similar in each treatment group (90% isepamicin vs 89% amikacin) . A retrospective analysis showed there were slightly fewer clinical successes and a higher death rate in patients with nosocomial rather than community acquired pneumonia . Both treatments were well tolerated . Fourteen per cent of isepamicin and 11% of amikacin patients experienced adverse events . The incidence of ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity was low. Pathol Biol (Paris), 1995 Jun, 43(6), 551 - 3 {Effects of azithromycin on the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa}; Reinert P; Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a saprophyte opportunistic bacteria which frequently colonizes the respiratory tract of patients presenting a severe chronic bronchitis pathology . Secreting a number of exotoxins and enzymes inducing an inflammation and necrosing of the surrounding tissues, it provokes irreversible pulmonary lesions . Different experimental in vitro works evidenced macrolides activity on the production and/or secretion of these factors, with a diminution of elastase, protease, lecithinase and D-nase synthesis . Among the macrolides, azithromycin seems to have the most pronounced activity . In vivo, some patients suffering from bronchiolitis or cystic fibrosis have been clinically improved with a treatment using erythromycin, or clarithromycin or azithromycin . These very preliminary results demand to be confirmed but the macrolides could allow a decrease of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenicity and thus stop the deterioration of pulmonary functions. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 61(6), 2172 - 9 Copper as a signal for alginate synthesis in Pseudomonas syringae pv . syringae; Kidambi SP et al.; Plant-associated pseudomonads are commonly exposed to copper bactericides, which are applied to reduce the disease incidence caused by these bacteria . Consequently, many of these bacteria have acquired resistance or tolerance to copper salts . We recently conducted a survey of 37 copper-resistant (Cur) Pseudomonas spp., including P . cepacia, P . fluorescens, P . syringae, and P . viridiflava, and found that a subset of the P . syringae strains showed a dramatic increase in exopolysaccharide (EPS) production on mannitol-glutamate medium containing CuSO4 at 250 micrograms/ml . A modified carbazole assay indicated that the EPS produced on copper-amended media contained high levels of uronic acids, suggesting that the EPS was primarily alginic acid . Uronic acids extracted from selected strains were further confirmed to be alginate by demonstrating their sensitivity to alginate lyase and by descending paper chromatography following acid hydrolysis . Subinhibitory levels of arsenate, cobalt, lithium, rubidium, molybdenum, and mercury did not induce EPS production, indicating that alginate biosynthesis is not induced in P . syringae cells exposed to these heavy metals . A 200-kb plasmid designated pPSR12 conferred a stably mucoid phenotype to several P . syringae recipients and also increased their resistance to cobalt and arsenate . A cosmid clone constructed from pPSR12 which conferred a stably mucoid phenotype to several P . syringae strains but not to Pseudomonas aeruginosa was obtained . Results obtained in this study indicate that some of the signals and regulatory genes for alginate production in P . syringae differ from those described for alginate production in P . aeruginosa. J Med Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 42(6), 415 - 20 Electronmicroscopic investigation of the effects of biocides on Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO bacteriophage F116; Maillard JY et al.; Electronmicroscopy was used to observe morphological changes of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA0 bacteriophage F116 when treated with various biocides commonly used as antibacterial and antifungal agents . Because of its large size (145 nm) and its organised structure (an isometric head and a tail), it was possible to classify structural damage into eight categories . The morphological changes induced depended on the type of biocide used and its concentration . Glutaraldehyde increased the number of phages with empty heads . Peracetic acid and phenol altered the appearance of the viral genome packaged inside the head, produced fractured heads, and damaged the tail . Peracetic acid also induced folding of the phage heads . The alcohols tested also altered the head structure . Cetylpyridinium chloride induced mainly fractured head damage . Chlorhexidine had little effect on the structure of F116. Lett Appl Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 20(6), 357 - 60 Energy dispersive analysis of X-rays study of the distribution of chlorhexidine diacetate and cetylpyridinium chloride on the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteriophage F116; Maillard JY et al.; Using an energy dispersive analyser of X-rays fitted to a scanning electron microscope, chlorhexidine was shown not to bind onto F116 bacteriophage, unlike cetylpyridinium chloride, which possibly penetrated the phage . This could explain the difference in viricidal activity between the two compounds. Am J Ophthalmol, 1995 Jun, 119(6), 738 - 43 The effect of cleaning and disinfection of soft contact lenses on corneal infectivity in an animal model; Aswad MI et al.; PURPOSE: Bacterial contamination of previously worn soft contact lenses, especially at sites of lens deposits, might play a role in the pathogenesis of lens-associated bacterial keratitis . We studied the effects of three commercial contact lens cleaners and disinfectants in a rabbit model to determine whether cleaning and disinfection reduced infectivity . METHODS: Duragel 75 soft contact lenses, designed to fit the eyes of rabbits, were worn by rabbits under tarsorrhaphies, then were removed and cleaned in one of three cleaner and disinfectant solutions according to the manufacturers' instructions . The lenses were contaminated by overnight incubation in a suspension of 10(8) Pseudomonas aeruginosa/ml and were placed under tarsorrhaphies on the eyes of fresh rabbits . The rabbits were observed for two weeks for signs of infection . Control rabbits wore new, uncleaned but contaminated lenses or worn, uncleaned but contaminated lenses . RESULTS: The rates of infection with the three commercial cleaner and disinfectant solutions ranged from 18% (two of 11) to 31% (four of 13); these incidences were not significantly different from one another or from the 19% (three of 16) incidence with new, contaminated but uncleaned lenses . By contrast, when worn, uncleaned but contaminated lenses were placed in rabbits' eyes, seven of eight were infected, a rate that is significantly higher than that of the other four groups (P = .0003) . CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the three commercial lens cleaner and disinfectant solutions were of similar efficacy in reducing the infectivity of contaminated contact lenses to a level similar to that of new, unworn lenses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Epidemiol Infect, 1995 Jun, 114(3), 395 - 402 Epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis in contact lens wearers; Stapleton F et al.; This study evaluated the epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis in contact lens (CL) wearers; the relationships between CL storage case contamination and CL hygiene practice and between CL hygiene and the development of keratitis . Sixteen CL wearers with keratitis were compared with 44 asymptomatic controls . Lens hygiene practice was assessed and CL care materials, domestic water sites and endogenous sites were evaluated microbiologically . Poor CL hygiene was not associated with Ps . aeruginosa keratitis . There was an association between keratitis and bacterial contamination of the CL and storage case (P < 0.0005) . Lens and storage case contamination were not significantly associated with poor hygiene . No domestic or endogenous source for Ps . aeruginosa was found . Causative organisms may be derived from other sources, but CLs and CL storage cases provide a favourable environment for Ps . aeruginosa colonization . Changing the CL care environment to one less favourable for Ps . aeruginosa may help to eliminate this problem. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 1995 Jun, 36(7), 1371 - 8 In vivo bacterial protease production during Pseudomonas aeruginosa corneal infection; Kernacki KA et al.; PURPOSE . To establish if active pseudomonal proteases are present in vivo during corneal infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and to determine if the mouse strains used in these and previous studies have the ability to mount a nonocular antibody response to the purified proteases because antibodies to the bacterial proteases were not detected previously during in vivo ocular infection . METHODS . At certain times after corneal infection with P . aeruginosa, corneas were harvested and supernatants from the corneal homogenates were analyzed for proteolytic activity by zymography and immunoreactivity by immunoblotting . The efficiency of the extraction procedures used in these studies was determined by incubating uninfected corneal homogenates with the purified proteases . The resultant supernatants were analyzed for alkaline protease and elastase activity . Additionally, mice were immunized intraperitoneally with the purified proteases with and without adjuvant to determine if the animals could mount a nonocular antibody response . RESULTS . Corneas infected with P . aeruginosa demonstrated the presence of alkaline protease, but not elastase, by the two methods examined . The kinetics of the in vivo alkaline protease response closely parallels previously reported bacterial clearance studies in that peak alkaline protease activity was detected in corneal tissue when peak bacterial numbers also were observed in the eye, and it was absent when the eyes were sterile or nearly sterile . In addition, C57BL/6J mice were capable of mounting a nonocular antibody response to microgram quantities of both proteases only in the presence of adjuvant . CONCLUSIONS . In the model described, enzymatically active alkaline protease, but not elastase, was demonstrated in corneal tissues during in vivo infection . Concentrations of these proteases were much lower than those required to stimulate an antibody response. J Bacteriol, 1995 Jun, 177(11), 3021 - 6 The OprB porin plays a central role in carbohydrate uptake in Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Wylie JL et al.; Using interposon mutagenesis, we have generated strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa which lack or overexpress the substrate-selective OprB porin of this species . A marked decrease or increase in the initial uptake of glucose by these strains verified the role of OprB in facilitating the diffusion of glucose across the outer membrane of P . aeruginosa . However, we also demonstrated that the loss or overexpression of OprB had a similar effect on the uptake of three other sugars able to support the growth of this bacterium (mannitol, glycerol, and fructose) . This effect was restricted to carbohydrate transport; arginine uptake was identical in mutant and wild-type strains . These results indicated that OprB cannot be considered strictly a glucose-selective porin; rather, it acts as a central component of carbohydrate transport and is more accurately described as a carbohydrate-selective porin. J Hosp Infect, 1995 Jun, 30(2), 125 - 31 Investigation of a nosocomial outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia in an intensive care unit by random amplification of polymorphic DNA assay; Kerr JR et al.; From July to September 1993 in the intensive care unit of the Royal Victoria Hospital there were 10 cases of pneumonia associated with sputum culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The isolates had an identical biotype and pyocine typing profile . The same strain of P . aeruginosa was recovered from the sink plug-hole in two rooms, and the tap handles and ventilator tubing in a third room . All strains were retrospectively typed by the random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method using a 26-mer oligonucleotide primer, and were identical in profile . Recommendations to medical and nursing staff included secretion isolation precautions, terminal disinfection after patient discharge, use of disposable vinyl gloves by hospital staff for all body substance contacts, thorough handwashing with 4% chlorhexidine gluconate before and after dealing with all patient contacts, and prompt, appropriate antibiotic treatment for P . aeruginosa pneumonia . RAPD is a simple and effective method to determine the relatedness of P . aeruginosa isolates, and typing results are available within a single working day; thus dramatically increasing its clinical relevance over existing molecular methods. Jpn J Antibiot, 1995 Jun, 48(6), 741 - 8 {Annual number of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated inpatients, and antibacterial activity of various antibiotics against P . aeruginosa isolated from clinical specimens of inpatients}; Kouda M et al.; In recent years, isolation rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has decreased, while the rate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa has increased . This phenomenon may be a result of regulation of use of antibiotics which belongs to the third cephems and extensive preventive measures against hospital acquired infections due to MRSA . Based on our investigation in which we determined MICs of various antibiotics against P . aeruginosa strains isolated from inpatients, the antibacterial activities of cefclidin (CFCL) was superior to those of other antibiotics . The antibacterial activity of CFCL against P . aeruginosa tested was similar to or stronger than that of tobramycin. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol, 1995 Jun, 18(6), 1272 - 5 Removal of infected dual chambered transvenous pacemaker and implantation of a new epicardial dual chambered device with cardiopulmonary bypass: experience with seven cases; Abad C et al.; Seven patients with infected transvenous dual chambered pacemakers have undergone removal of the device using cardiopulmonary bypass . There were four women and three men with a mean age of 58 years . Six patients had localized infection in the generator pocket (mean of 4.6 previous unsuccessful operations for surgical sterilization) . Four infections were due to Staphylococcus epidermidis, two to Staphylococcus aureus, and one patient presented septicemia caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The atrial and ventricular transvenous electrodes were removed under direct vision using cardiopulmonary bypass . A new dual chambered epicardial pacemaker was implanted . The procedure was well-tolerated, and all patients are infection free with working pacemakers after a mean follow-up of 25.4 months. Can J Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 41(6), 461 - 9 Survival of and lacZ expression in recombinant Pseudomonas strains introduced into river water microcosms; Leung K et al.; The lacZY gene cassette inserted into the chromosome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa UG2Lr and Pseudomonas aureofaciens Ps3732RNL11 was used as a genetic marker to study the fate of the Pseudomonas strains in river water microcosms . Expression of the lacZ marker in UG2Lr and Ps3732RNL11 was detected in microcosms containing as few as 12 and 14 colony-forming units (cfu)/mL of river water, respectively, by fluorimetric measurement of the beta-galactosidase activity against 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-galactoside as the substrate . The persistence of and lacZ expression in the pseudomonas strains were monitored in sterile and nonsterile river water in the presence and absence of added nutrients by dilution plating and fluorimetry, respectively . After incubation for 10 d at 10 degrees C, culturable populations of strain UG2Lr in sterile water samples, with and without nutrient added, decreased from an initial density of 1.5 x 10(4) to 1.7 x 10(3) and 4.6 x 10(3) cfu/mL, respectively . Despite similar numbers of UG2Lr cells in the two treatments, expression of the lacZ marker in the surviving cells of the nutrient-supplemented sample was 24 times higher than in the cells of the unamended sample . In nonsterile water samples, the density of UG2Lr declined to less than 6 cfu/mL in 30 d regardless of the nutrient conditions . A nutrient supplement increased the growth of the native bacterial population but did not enhance growth of and lacZ expression in the bacteria . Polymerase chain reaction analysis showed a decrease in amplification signal indicating a genuine decline in viable UG2Lr cell density in the water samples.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Planta Med, 1995 Jun, 61(3), 275 - 6 An antibacterial vitamin E derivative from Tovomitopsis psychotriifolia; Setzer WN et al.; The crude ethanol extract from the leaves of Tovomitopsis psychotriifolia (Clusiaceae) exhibits antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The biologically active agent in the extract has been isolated by chromatographic techniques and identified by NMR spectroscopy as trans-delta-tocotrienoloic acid. Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1995 Jun, 69(6), 711 - 22 {Study on azithromycin in treatment of diffuse panbronchiolitis}; Kobayashi H et al.; In the treatment of diffuse panbronchiolitis, azithromycin (AZM), a new macrolide antibiotic with 15-membered lactone ring, was studied for its efficacy and safety . AZM, 250 mg, was intermittently administered to a total of 60 patients twice a weeks, for 3 months as a rule, and its efficacy was clinically evaluated in 52 patients and the safety in 55 . The rate of efficacy was 84.6% (44/52) . Clinical findings 12 weeks after the start of administration showed a decrease in sputum volume in 30 of 46 patients and amelioration of dyspnea on exertion in 23 of 46 patients, and no worsening of symptoms was observed in the patients . Vital capacity (4/22), FEV1.0 (6/21), cold agglutination reaction (22/28), and CRP (16/36) were also improved . The rate of eradication of organisms isolated from the sputum except for indigenous organisms was 39.5% (15/38); 4 of the 22 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were eradicated . Adverse reactions were observed in 4 of the 55 patients (7.3%), 1 patient each with rash, itching, diarrhea, and a gastric symptom (heavy feeling in the stomach) . 4 of the 54 patients (7.4%) exhibited abnormal changes in clinical laboratory test values values . These were an increase in eosinophil count in 2, elevation of GOT in 1, and elevation of Al-P in 1 . These adverse reactions and abnormal changes in laboratory tests were mild or moderate . Therefore, long-term intermittent administration of AZM, twice a week, is expected to have the same effect in the treatment of diffuse panbronchiolitis as long-term small-dose administration of 14-membered macrolides such as erythromycin and clarithromycin, whose effects have already been established. Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1995 Jun, 69(6), 696 - 700 {Effectiveness of antibacterial clothes and wall material against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa}; Okuda K et al.; To evaluate the antibacterial activities of antibacterial clothes and wall material, we measured the reduction rates of MRSA and P . aeruginosa using four products of antibacterial clothes and one wall material . Antibacterial activities are judged by the reduction rates of bacteria after 18 hours incubation at 35.0 degrees C . In the 50 strains of MRSA tested, two of four brands of clothes showed over 99% reduction rates, while only one brand showed a reduction rates over 99% in the 13 strains of P . aeruginosa . The wall material tested showed a reduction rates over 99% for the 50 strains of MRSA and over 90% for the 50 strains of P . aeruginosa . These data indicate that usage of some products of antibacterial clothes and wall material in the hospital may be useful the prevention of nosocomial infection. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 11(3), 191 - 5 Purified Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA-I lectin induces gut growth when orally ingested by rats; Grant G et al.; The effects of PA-I lectin isolated from the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa upon cellular metabolism in vivo have been studied using the rat gut as a model system . Orally ingested PA-I lectin stimulated metabolic activity and induced polyamine accumulation and growth in the small intestine, caecum and colon . The nature and extent of the changes induced by PA-I lectin were similar to those caused by dietary kidney bean lectin and were likely to lead to impaired epithelial cell function and integrity . This finding contributes to our understanding of the possible roles of these lectins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1995 Jun, 39(6), 1324 - 8 Noncytotoxic combinations of topical antimicrobial agents for use with cultured skin substitutes; Boyce ST et al.; Cultured skin grafts are destroyed more easily than split-thickness skin grafts by common burn wound organisms, including gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and fungi . To increase the survival and engraftment of cultured skin grafts, formulations of antimicrobial agents were tested for cytotoxicity to cultured human keratinocytes and fibroblasts and for activity against common organisms from burn wounds . On the basis of previous studies, a base formulation containing neomycin (40 micrograms/ml), polymyxin B (700 U/ml), and mupirocin (40 micrograms/ml) was prepared, to which ciprofloxacin (20 micrograms/ml) or norfloxacin (20 micrograms/ml) and amphotericin B (0.25 microgram/ml) or nystatin (100 U/ml) were added . Toxicity to cultured human cells was determined by the growth response of cell cultures (n = 6) to each drug combination over 4 days . Activity against clinical isolates (n = 40) of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, other gram-negative bacteria, and Candida spp . was determined by the wet disc assay . Analysis of variance testing showed no significant differences in the growth of keratinocytes or fibroblasts under control or experimental conditions . Medium without antimicrobial agents was not effective against any of the 40 microbial strains tested . The base formulation was effective against all bacterial strains tested but against none of the fungi, while all experimental formulations were effective against all microbial strains tested . These findings suggest that neomycin, mupirocin, and polymyxin B may be combined with a quinolone and an antimycotic agent to provide broad antimicrobial activity for a formulation for topical use with cultured skin on burns . However, the formulations described here are strictly experimental and are not recommended for clinical use without further evaluation. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1995 Jun, 39(6), 1314 - 9 Different patterns of bacterial DNA synthesis during postantibiotic effect; Gottfredsson M et al.; Studies on bacterial metabolism during the postantibiotic effect (PAE) period are limited but might provide insight into the nature of the PAE . We evaluated the rate of DNA synthesis in bacteria during the PAE period after a 1-h exposure of organisms in the logarithmic growth phase to various antibiotics . Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 was exposed to vancomycin, dicloxacillin, rifampin, and ciprofloxacin; Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 was exposed to gentamicin, tobramycin, rifampin, imipenem, and ciprofloxacin; and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 25783 was exposed to imipenem, tobramycin, and ciprofloxacin . DNA synthesis was determined by measuring the rate of {3H}thymidine incorporation in S . aureus and E . coli and {3H}adenine incorporation in P . aeruginosa . DNA synthesis in S . aureus was suppressed during the PAE phase with vancomycin, dicloxacillin, and rifampin, it was suppressed in E . coli with rifampin, and it was suppressed in P . aeruginosa after exposure to tobramycin . Conversely, DNA synthesis was relatively enhanced in the gram-negative bacilli after exposure to imipenem and in all three species after exposure to ciprofloxacin . However, DNA synthesis in E . coli was only minimally affected after exposure to tobramycin and gentamicin . The differences in DNA synthesis observed after exposure to various antimicrobial agents suggest multiple mechanisms for the PAE. J Chemother, 1995 Jun, 7(3), 179 - 83 Comparative in vitro killing activity of meropenem versus imipenem against multiresistant nosocomial Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Giamarellos-Bourboulis EJ et al.; In order to compare the in vitro killing activity of meropenem and imipenem against multiresistant P.aeruginosa 14 strains were used . All nosocomial isolates were susceptible to meropenem and imipenem minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC < or = 4 micrograms/ml) and resistant to at least two other antimicrobial agents of diverse chemical class with antipseudomonal activity . Forty-two killing curves were performed by exposing a 5 x 10(5) CFU/ml log-phase inoculum to 1x minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of each carbapenem . Meropenem was found to possess a slower killing rate than imipenem over the first 5 hours of P.aeruginosa exposure, but to be equally effective as imipenem after 24 hours of incubation . Forty percent and 11.1% of P.aeruginosa strains developed resistance to imipenem and meropenem respectively after a 24-hour exposure to carbapenem . The authors speculate about the underlying mechanisms explaining the higher rate of resistance development to imipenem than to meropenem. J Hosp Infect, 1995 Jun, 30 Suppl, 275 - 81 Contact lens wear by hospital health care staff: is there cause for concern? Hay J, Seal DV. Microbial keratitis can occur in association with contact lens wear . The absolute risk of infection is low but may be enhanced as a consequence of increased exposure to potentially pathogenic microbes in a hospital setting . There is variation in risk depending on type of lens worn and its modality of use . Extended-wear lenses carry the greatest risk . Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acanthamoeba are causes of potentially devastating ocular infections in contact lens wearers . The risk of these infections could be reduced by fastidious hygiene practice . Hydrogen peroxide disinfection is recommended when a storage case is included in the care regimen . This should be cleaned thoroughly and dried prior to disinfection and never exposed to tap water . Daily wear of one-day 'disposable' soft contact lenses or use of rigid gas permeable lenses is recommended for hospital staff . Contact lenses should be removed immediately and discarded or disinfected if the eye becomes contaminated and/or use of an eyewash is required. Intern Med, 1995 Jun, 34(6), 564 - 8 Ruptured subcapsular giant hematoma of the spleen as a complication of chronic pancreatitis; Kuramitsu T et al.; We present a 63-year-old man with chronic pancreatitis and the rare complication of giant subcapsular splenic hematoma . The hematoma showed no size reduction for 6 weeks . Then, the hematoma was infected with pseudomonas aeruginosa after the recurrence of the pancreatitis, and it finally ruptured . This case suggested that in cases of giant subcapsular splenic hematoma with chronic pancreatitis reductive pressure treatment should be administered as early as possible. APMIS, 1995 Jun, 103(6), 447 - 59 Tumor necrosis factor alpha plus interleukin 1 beta treatment protects granulocytopenic mice from Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection: role of an unusual inflammatory response; Amura CR et al.; We have recently demonstrated that treatment with interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) plus tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) protects granulocytopenic hosts from Pseudomonas aeruginosa aerosol challenge . In this study we characterized the inflammatory response induced by P . aerugionsa in granulocytopenic mice treated with 2,000 U IL-1 beta plus 2,000 U TNF alpha . Treatment with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent piroxicam abolished both the protective effect of cytokine treatment and the increase in myeloperoxidase (MPO) pulmonary activity . Histopathological studies revealed that, after aerosol challenge with P . aeruginosa, treatment with these cytokines induced migration and extravasation of mononuclear cells of immature appearance into the lung parenchyma . These cells contained MPO in their cytoplasm and displayed phagocytic capacity . Resident alveolar macrophages exhibited signs of activation and appeared in reduced numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid . We suggest that the inflammatory response promoted by low TNF alpha plus IL-1 beta doses may be one mechanism responsible for protection of granulocytopenic hosts from P . aeruginosa aerosol challenge. J Clin Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 33(6), 1461 - 6 Genetic diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from patients with cystic fibrosis revealed by restriction fragment length polymorphism of the rRNA gene region; Martin C et al.; The restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns of rDNAs from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from the respiratory tracts of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis were obtained to evaluate the genetic polymorphism of this population of strains . Eighty-seven P . aeruginosa strains isolated from 87 patients from diverse areas of France and the ATCC 10145 strain were examined . Four restriction enzymes were used: BamHI, ClaI, EcoRI, and PstI . Forty-nine strains (56%) were in the three most frequent ribotypes (ribotypes R1 to R3) . In addition, hierarchical clustering analysis of the data showed that 71 of the 88 strains (81%) clustered at a distance of less than one-third of the greatest distance observed in the total population . This indicates that clinical isolates implicated in the pathology of cystic fibrosis present a low degree of heterogeneity of rRNA operons, in contrast to the heterogeneity of strains of P . aeruginosa isolated from patients with various other pathologies . This relative homogeneity of rRNA genes was observed independently of the clinical status of the patient and the colony morphology. J Bacteriol, 1995 Jun, 177(11), 3052 - 7 Transcriptional analysis of the amidase operon from Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Wilson SA et al.; The transcriptional start point for the amidase structural gene (amiE) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been identified, and the promoter (pE) has been shown to function constitutively, as predicted for a system regulated by transcription antitermination . Northern (RNA) analysis results show that in cells grown under inducing conditions, a major 1.3-kb amiE transcript arises from pE, and in addition, a larger transcript of approximately 5.0 kb in length has been shown to derive from the same promoter, encoding all of the genes of the operon . DNA sequencing and S1 nuclease mapping have located a transcription terminator downstream of amiE, which terminates approximately half of the pE transcripts . Previously, two RpoN-dependent promoter-like sequences (pN1 and pN2) were identified upstream of the negative regulator gene, amiC, and we have now constructed a promoter probe vector which shows weak constitutive promoter activity within this region . This promoter would be expected to provide basal levels of expression of the amiC and amiR regulatory genes to allow induction of the system. Clin Immunol Immunopathol, 1995 Jun, 75(3), 214 - 24 Role of the low zinc bioavailability on cellular immune effectiveness in cystic fibrosis; Mocchegiani E et al.; An altered cellular immune response as a secondary phenomenon has been suggested to be probably involved in the bronchopulmonary infections by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis (CF) . The difficulty to eradicate with modern anti-pseudomonal antibiotics the bronchopulmonary infections has led us to further investigate the possible existence of other cellular immune defects and their cause . Alterations in zinc turnover are present in CF . Zinc is relevant for good immune functioning . In particular, zinc is required to confer biological activity to thymulin (ZnFTS), a biochemically defined thymic hormone with a modulating action on cell-mediated immunity . The zinc-unbound form (FTS) is inactive and it can be unmasked by in vitro zinc addition to the plasma samples revealing the total amount of circulating thymulin (active + inactive) . Marginal zinc deficiencies may prevent peripheral biological activation of active thymulin . Total zinc-saturable thymulin fractions in CF are similar to those observed in normal subjects, whereas the active quota is strongly reduced associated with concomitant high plasma levels of inactive thymulin compared to the values of healthy children (P < 0.01) . A strict correlation exists between zinc and thymic hormone-saturable fraction (r = 0.87, P < 0.01) in CF . These findings suggest that the defect is not due to a thymic failure but to a reduced peripheral saturation of thymulin by zinc ions . This defect might depend on augmented plasma concentration of alpha 2-macroglobulin, which has a higher binding affinity for zinc than thymulin . T cell subsets are normal in CF . Reduced NK cell number and activity are present . Also, plasma IL-2 levels are reduced . The existence of positive correlations between zinc and IL-2 (r = 0.79, P < 0.01) and between zinc or active thymulin and NK activity (r = 0.70, P < 0.01 and r = 0.88, P < 0.01, respectively) suggest a close link among zinc failure, impaired IL-2 activity, low thymulin level, and reduced NK activity in CF patients with both normal and growth retardation . Although the role of NK cells is unknown in CF, a zinc supplementation, in order to induce a complete saturation of thymulin molecules, to correct some cellular immune defects and to improve the growth, may be suggested. Mol Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 16(5), 931 - 41 Membrane topology and site-specific mutagenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa porin OprD; Huang H et al.; Pseudomonas aeruginosa OprD is a 420-amino-acid protein that facilitates the uptake of basic amino acids, imipenem and gluconate across the outer membrane . OprD was the first specific porin that could be aligned with members of the non-specific porin super-family . Utilizing multiple alignments in conjugation with structure predictions and amphipathicity calculations, an OprD-topology model was proposed . Sixteen beta-strands were predicted, connected by short loops at the periplasmic side . The eight external loops were of variable length but tended to be much longer than the periplasmic ones . Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based site-specific mutagenesis was performed to delete separately short stretches (4-8 amino acid residues) from each of the predicted external loops . The mutants with deletions in the predicted external loops L1, L2, L5, L6, L7 and L8 were tolerated in both Escherichia coli and P . aeruginosa . The expressed mutant proteins maintained substantial resistance to trypsin treatment in the context of isolated outer membranes . Proteins with deletions in loops L1, L5, L6, L7 and L8 reconstituted similar imipenem supersusceptibility in a P . aeruginosa OprD:: omega background . The L2-deletion mutant only partially reconstituted super-susceptibility, suggesting that loop L2 is involved in imipenem binding . These data were generally consistent with the topology model. Mol Microbiol, 1995 Jun, 16(5), 1001 - 9 Importance of lipooligosaccharide structure in determining gonococcal resistance to hydrophobic antimicrobial agents resulting from the mtr efflux system; Lucas CE et al.; Levels of gonococcal resistance to antimicrobial hydrophobic agents (HAs) are controlled by the mtr (multiple transferrable resistance) system, composed of the mtrRCDE genes . The mtrR gene encodes a transcriptional repressor that appears to regulate expression of the upstream and divergent mtrCDE operon . The mtrCDE genes encode membrane proteins analogous to the MexABOprK proteins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that mediate export of structurally diverse antimicrobial agents . In this study we found that a single base pair deletion in a 13 bp inverted repeat sequence within the mtrR promoter resulted in increased resistance of gonococci to both crystal violet (CV) and erythromycin (ERY) as well as to the more lipophilic non-ionic detergent Triton X-100 (TX-100) . However, this cross-resistance was contingent on the production of a full-length lipooligosaccharide (LOS) by the recipient strain used in transformation experiments . Introduction of this mutation (mtrR-171) into three chemically distinct deep-rough LOS mutants by transformation resulted in a fourfold increase in resistance to TX-100 compared with a 160-fold increase in an isogenic strain producing a full-length LOS . However, both wild-type and deep-rough LOS strains exhibited an eightfold increase in resistance to CV and ERY as a result of the mtrR-171 mutation . This suggests that gonococci have different LOS structural requirements for mtr-mediated resistance to HAs that differ in their lipophilic properties . Evidence is presented that gonococci exclude HAs by an energy-dependent efflux process mediated by the mtr system. FEBS Lett, 1995 May 29, 365(2-3), 152 - 4 Nucleotide sequence encoding the di-haem cytochrome c551 peroxidase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Ridout CJ et al.; The nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding cytochrome c551 peroxidase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa is reported . The translated amino acid sequence differs from the sequence reported earlier by peptide mapping most significantly by the presence of a section containing an additional 20 residues . A number of minor differences are also evident . The new sequence translates to a protein containing 346 amino acids, the first 23 being typical of a hydrophobic leader peptide with a characteristic protease cleavage site. Gene, 1995 May 26, 158(1), 15 - 22 An improved system for gene replacement and xylE fusion analysis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Schweizer HP et al.; A novel pUC19-based gene replacement vector has been developed . This vector incorporates (i) the counterselectable sacB marker, (ii) a lacZ alpha allele for blue-white screening, (iii) an oriT for conjugation-mediated plasmid transfer and (iv) unique cloning sites for SmaI and the rare-cutting meganuclease I-SceI . These rare restriction sites are also present on the helper plasmid pUC19Sce . The replacement vector is engineered to contain few restriction sites to gain greater access to restriction sites within cloned DNA fragments, thus facilitating their genetic manipulation . The usefulness of the system was demonstrated by chromosomal integration of a newly constructed xylE::GmR fusion cassette into the glpD gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Gene, 1995 May 26, 158(1), 143 - 4 Nucleotide sequence of a small plasmid isolated from Acetobacter pasteurianus; Fomenkov A et al.; A 1440-bp plasmid named pAP12875 was isolated from Acetobacter pasteurianus and its nucleotide sequence determined . An open reading frame was found capable of coding for a protein that has similarity with the replication protein of pVT736-1 from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and the 32-kDa protein of phage Pf3 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Gene, 1995 May 26, 158(1), 55 - 60 Pseudomonas aeruginosa outer membrane protein OprF as an expression vector for foreign epitopes: the effects of positioning and length on the antigenicity of the epitope; Wong RS et al.; OprF, the major outer membrane (OM) protein of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, has been proposed to be comprised of a series of beta-strands separated by periplasmic or surface-exposed loop regions . In this study, a simple malarial epitope was used to demonstrate that OprF can be used as an expression vector to present foreign peptide sequences, namely, the 4-amino-acid (aa) repeating epitope (Asn-Ala-Asn-Pro = NANP) of the circumsporozoite protein of the human malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum . Eight permissive sites, that allowed the expression and surface exposure of the malarial epitope, were identified throughout OprF . Using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) specific for the malarial epitope, we investigated the effects of positioning and length of the epitope on its antigenicity in the OprF expression vector system . It was demonstrated that the malarial epitope inserted at aa26 was significantly more reactive with the epitope-specific mAb (i.e., more antigenic) when assayed in the context of whole cells whereas those at aa213 and aa290 were more antigenic when assayed in the OM . The malarial epitope inserted at aa188 and aa196 was moderately antigenic, while this epitope inserted at aa215 and aa310 showed low antigenicity with the same mAb in both whole cell and OM assays . For two insertion sites, aa26 and aa213, we demonstrated that the insertion of multiple copies of the epitope enhanced reactivity with the malarial epitope-specific mAb . These data are discussed with respect to the local OprF sequences into which the epitope was inserted. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1995 May 16, 210(2), 356 - 62 Expression of genes associated with antibiotic extrusion in Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Morshed SR et al.; We cloned the gene(s) associated with multiantibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a mutant with elevated drug extrusion . The strain harboring cloned gene accumulated less amount of ofloxacin than the strain without the clone . By using Southern and northern blot analyses, we investigated whether multiantibiotic resistance is caused by gene amplification or overexpression . We found that all our multiantibiotic resistance is caused by gene amplification or overexpression . We found that all our multiantibiotic resistant mutants isolated earlier overexpressed mRNA homologous to the cloned gene(s) . Overexpression of the 41 KDa and 110 KDa inner and the 50 KDa outer membrane proteins were detected . Other multiantibiotic resistant mutants including the nalB mutant overexpressed the mRNA and the membrane proteins, but the nfxB and nfxC mutants did little . We concluded that low antibiotic accumulation in the multiantibiotic resistant mutants is attributable to overexpression of the antibiotic extrusion machinery. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1995 May 11, 1244(1), 185 - 90 B/PI-derived synthetic peptides: synergistic effects in tethered bactericidal and endotoxin neutralizing peptides; Gray BH et al.; Human neutrophil bactericidal protein (B/PI) is known for its ability to kill bacteria and to neutralize the action of endotoxin . Short linear peptides derived from residues 80-109 have been synthesized and their bactericidal and endotoxin neutralizing activities have been assayed . A series of 'walk-through' decapeptides, overlapping 3 to 4 residues, indicates that endotoxin neutralizing and partial bactericidal activities can be localized within the N- and C-terminal portions, respectively, of the 80-109 sequence . Bactericidal activity toward Pseudomonas aeruginosa was localized in central peptides of the walk-through series and greatest in peptide 90-99 . By using longer peptides, residues 86-104 and 82-108, both bactericidal and endotoxin neutralizing activities are significantly enhanced . Bactericidal activity of peptide 82-108 is now only 6-fold less than that of parent B/PI and 9-fold more potent than peptide 86-104 . The 82-108 peptide was 7-fold more active at endotoxin neutralization than 86-104 but showed less enhanced activity, being approx . 470-times less active than B/PI . Cyclized 82-108 peptide retained bactericidal activity but did not improve in capacity to neutralize endotoxin. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1995 May 10, 1229(3), 393 - 7 The Na(+)-translocating ATPase of Acetobacterium woodii is a F1F0-type enzyme as deduced from the primary structure of its beta, gamma and epsilon subunits; Forster A et al.; A 4.5 kbp EcoRI fragment hybridizing to a fragment of uncD (coding for subunit beta of F1F0-ATPases) was cloned from chromosomal DNA of Acetobacterium woodii . The nucleotide sequence was determined and revealed five open reading frames (ORF), four of which were identified to code for subunits of the Na(+)-ATPase . The deduced amino acid sequences of these ORF's are homologous to subunit alpha (partial coding sequence, C-terminal end), gamma, beta and epsilon of F1F0-ATPases from various organisms; furthermore, the organization of the genes in the order uncA (alpha), uncG (gamma), uncD (beta), uncC (epsilon) is identical to the structure of unc operon as present in most bacteria . Downstream of uncC is an ORF whose deduced amino acid sequence has 53% sequence homology to AlgD from Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The structure and organization of the unc genes are the final proof that the Na(+)-ATPase from A . woodii is a member of the family of F1F0-ATPases. Dtsch Med Wochenschr, 1995 May 5, 120(18), 646 - 8 {Chronic granulomatosis: a rare differential diagnosis in liver granulomas in adulthood}; Glaser J et al.; A now 43-year-old man was known since childhood to have mesenteric and subcutaneous lymphadenopathy . Histological examination of liver biopsies and excision of some lymph nodes when an adult showed epithelioid granulomas, in places with Langhans giant cells . Diagnostic splenectomy revealed no pathological findings . His present admission to hospital was for an infection with high fever . On auscultation moist rales were audible over the apex of the left lung . The chest radiography showed pneumonic infiltration . Blood culture grew Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Ultrasound demonstrated hypoechogenic homogeneous and smoothly circumscribed round foci in the liver hilus and around the coeliac trunk . The upper lobe pneumonia healed under antibiotic treatment . As chronic granulomatosis was suspected, the nitroblue tetrazolium and superoxide production tests were performed . They demonstrated that the capacity of the granulocytes to form oxygen radicals was markedly diminished . Chronic granulomatosis is an inherited disorder of granulocyte function linked to the X-chromosome . It must be included in the differential diagnosis of any unclear granulomatous disease even in adults. Ear Nose Throat J, 1995 May, 74(5), 360 - 3 The management of sinusitis in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); Tami TA; As the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has extended its influence across the United States, otolaryngologists have been increasingly called upon to manage its various head and neck manifestations . Sinusitis is a very prevalent, yet difficult, management problem in this patient population . The pathophysiology of sinusitis in this setting relates to altered helper T-lymphocyte function, an abnormal inflammatory response as well as increased IgE-mediated inflammation . Chronic HIV-related sinusitis is often due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, or anaerobic bacteria, and empiric antibiotic therapy must include these potential pathogens . Early cultures can facilitate organism-specific antibiotic therapy . Aggressive treatment with decongestants, topical nasal steroids, mucoevacuants and occasionally antihistamines should be included at maximal tolerated doses . When medical therapy fails, surgical drainage can be a safe and effective management option . Appropriately directed medical, and occasionally surgical, therapy can lead to a dramatic clinical response and provide an improved quality of life in this patient population. Microbiology, 1995 May, 141 ( Pt 5), 1247 - 54 pilO, a gene required for glycosylation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 1244 pilin; Castric P; Nucleotide sequencing of a region downstream from the Pseudomonas aeruginosa 1244 pilin structural gene, pilA, revealed an ORF potentially able to code for a protein of M(r) 50,862 . This ORF, called pilO, was flanked by a tRNAthr gene, which was followed by a transcriptional termination sequence . The tRNAthr gene and the termination sequence were nearly identical to sequences found immediately adjacent to the pilA gene of several P . aeruginosa strains . A 2200 base mRNA strand, which contained both the pilO and pilA transcripts, was produced from this region, while a 650 base transcript containing only pilA was present in a 100-fold excess over the longer transcript . Hyperexpression of the pilA gene in a PilO- strain resulted in normal pilus-specific phage sensitivity and twitching motility . The pilin produced by this strain had a lower apparent M(r) and a more neutral pl compared to that produced by a strain containing a functional pilO gene . This pilin failed to react with a sugar-specific reagent which recognized pilin produced by the strain containing a functional pilO gene. J Bacteriol, 1995 May, 177(10), 2744 - 50 Cloning and characterization of pvdS, a gene required for pyoverdine synthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: PvdS is probably an alternative sigma factor; Cunliffe HE et al.; Cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa secrete a fluorescent yellow-green siderophore, pyoverdine, when grown under iron-deficient conditions . We describe here the cloning and characterization of a gene, pvdS, which is required for this process . The pvdS gene is required for expression from promoters of at least two pyoverdine synthesis genes and can cause expression from these promoters in Escherichia coli, where they are otherwise inactive . Sequencing of pvdS revealed that it is a member of a subfamily of RNA polymerase sigma factors which direct the synthesis of extracellular products by bacteria . The pvdS gene is expressed only in iron-starved bacteria, and in E . coli cells at least, expression is regulated by the Fur repressor protein . We propose that in iron-rich cells of P . aeruginosa, Fur binds to the pvdS promoter and prevents expression of the gene; under conditions of iron starvation, repression is relieved and PvdS is made, reprogramming the cells for pyoverdine synthesis. Chest, 1995 May, 107(5), 1317 - 22 The pulmonary nodule after lung transplantation . Cause and outcome; End A et al.; In the immunocompromised patient, the pulmonary nodule remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge . We studied the incidence, cause, diagnosis, and therapy of pulmonary nodules after lung transplantation (LTx) . Eight out of 64 patients (12.5%) developed pulmonary nodules after a median follow-up of 5.8 months (range, 1 to 10 months) . The median age was 30.5 years (range, 21 to 62 years) . Solitary pulmonary nodules (n = 2) disappeared spontaneously within 3 weeks and were suspected to be of infectious origin . The cause of multiple nodules (n = 6) was posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD {n = 3}), aspergillosis (n = 2), and abscesses caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus (n = 1) . After an initial chest radiograph, CT with fine-needle biopsy was the most valuable diagnostic tool . In six patients, nodules resolved within 10 weeks (median, 8 weeks) . Two patients, however, died of sepsis (P aeruginosa and S aureus and Aspergillus, respectively) . The differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules after LTx primarily comprises PTLD and infection (bacterial or fungal) . To improve the outcome, early, aggressive treatment is mandatory; therefore, serial CT scans are strongly recommended to be part of the diagnostic armamentarium in LTx recipients. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol, 1995 May, 12(5), 513 - 9 Lymphocyte accumulation during Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced pneumonia in rodents does not require CD11a and intercellular adhesion molecule-1; Wiebke JL et al.; During Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced pneumonia in rodents, the acute infiltrate of neutrophils is followed by accumulation of lymphocytes in the perivascular connective tissue . The roles of the adhesion molecules CD11a/CD18 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in this accumulation of lymphocytes were investigated . The numbers of lymphocytes in P . aeruginosa-induced pneumonia were compared in animals treated with blocking antibodies to either CD11a, ICAM-1, IgG, or no antibody . In other experiments, the lymphocyte accumulation during P . aeruginosa-induced pneumonia in ICAM-1 mutant mice was compared with that in wild-type mice . In rats, both a murine anti-rat CD11a antibody and nonspecific murine IgG partially inhibited the lymphocyte accumulation by 30 to 40% compared with animals that received no antibodies . In mice, blocking antibodies to either CD11a or ICAM-1 did not decrease the lymphocyte accumulation compared with mice given IgG or no antibody . Further, there was no attenuation of the lymphocyte accumulation induced by P . aeruginosa in the ICAM-1 mutant mice compared with wild-type mice, either in the total number of lymphocytes or the number of CD4+, CD8+, or B cells . We conclude that neither CD11a/CD18 nor ICAM-1 are required for lymphocyte accumulation during P . aeruginosa-induced pneumonia in rodents . The partial inhibition of the lymphocyte accumulation in both the anti-CD11a- and IgG-treated rats may be due to nonspecific effects of foreign proteins on cellular functions. J Bacteriol, 1995 May, 177(9), 2469 - 74 Regulation of nucleoside diphosphate kinase and secretable virulence factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: roles of algR2 and algH; Schlictman D et al.; Alginate is an important virulence factor for Pseudomonas aeruginosa during infection of the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients . The genes encoding enzymes for alginate production by P . aeruginosa are normally silent . They are activated in response to several environmental conditions, including high osmolarity, exposure to ethanol, or long-term growth under conditions of nutrient deprivation . Several genes which participate in the activation of alginate gene promoters have been identified; among these is the algR2 (algQ) gene . AlgR2 is an 18-kDa protein which has been shown to regulate the critical algD gene encoding GDP-mannose dehydrogenase as well as to regulate the levels of a tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme, i.e., succinyl coenzyme A synthetase, and nucleoside diphosphate kinase (Ndk), an enzyme involved in nucleoside triphosphate synthesis . Succinyl coenzyme A synthetase and Ndk form a complex in P . aeruginosa . While algR2 is required for alginate synthesis at 37 degrees C, an algR2 insertion mutant was still able to make alginate slowly at 37 or at 30 degrees C . We used this observation to identify and clone a gene, termed algH . A strain with mutations in both algR2 and algH is unable to produce alginate at either 37 or 30 degrees C, and it is fully defective in Ndk production. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 1995 May, 36(6), 1107 - 14 Aged mice fail to upregulate ICAM-1 after Pseudomonas aeruginosa corneal infection; Hobden JA et al.; PURPOSE . In young Swiss (HSD:ICR) outbred mice, corneal clarity is restored after Pseudomonas aeruginosa ocular infection, whereas disease in aged outbred mice progresses to corneal perforation . This study was conducted to elucidate further the mechanism responsible for this age-related disparity in disease response . METHODS . Corneas of young (6 to 8 weeks of age) and aged (1.5 to 2 years) female mice were scarified and inoculated with 1.0 x 10(8) colony-forming units of P . aeruginosa ATCC 19660 . Eyes were scored for corneal pathology (0 to +4) at 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours after infection . At each time point, six mice were killed from each age group, and both eyes were enucleated . Eyes (three infected, three uninfected) were embedded in OCT compound, frozen in liquid nitrogen, sectioned on a cryostat, and stained for ICAM-1 and LFA-1 immunoreactivity . The remaining six eyes (three infected, three uninfected) were embedded in eponaraldite resin, thick sectioned, and stained for light microscopic histopathologic examination . RESULTS . Immunostaining of slight to moderate intensity for ICAM-1 was seen on conjunctival fibroblasts, stromal keratocytes, corneal epithelium, and endothelium and conjunctival blood vessel endothelium of uninfected contralateral eyes in both age groups . In response to P . aeruginosa infection, only young animals were capable of upregulating ICAM-1 (as evidenced by an increase in the intensity of immunostaining) on these cells when compared to aged mice . Conversely, the intensity of immunostaining for LFA-1, a ligand for ICAM-1 on infiltrating leukocytes, was similar despite animal age . On gross observation, corneal pathology was more severe in young mice 24 to 96 hours after infection . Histopathologically, in contrast to young mice, eyes of aged animals 24 to 48 hours after infection had significantly fewer inflammatory cells, such as polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), infiltrating the corneal stroma and adhering to the endothelium near wound sites . CONCLUSION . These data suggest that the disparate response to ocular P . aeruginosa infection in young versus aged mice is due, at least in part, to the inability of aged animals to upregulate ICAM-1 above constitutively expressed levels . Consequently, the migration of inflammatory cells (PMNs) into infected corneas of aged mice is delayed, perhaps facilitating bacterial growth and contributing to a poor prognosis. Infect Immun, 1995 May, 63(5), 1855 - 62 Protection of immunocompromised mice against lethal infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa by active or passive immunization with recombinant P . aeruginosa outer membrane protein F and outer membrane protein I fusion proteins; von Specht BU et al.; Recombinant outer membrane proteins (Oprs) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were expressed in Escherichia coli as glutathione S-transferase (GST)-linked fusion proteins . GST-linked Oprs F and I (GST-OprF190-350 {GST linked to OprF spanning amino acids 190 to 350} and GST-OprI21-83, respectively) and recombinant hybrid Oprs (GST-OprF190-342-OprI21-83 and GST-OprI21-83-OprF190-350) were isolated and tested for their efficacy as vaccines in immunodeficient mice . GST-OprF-OprI protected the mice against a 975-fold 50% lethal dose of P . aeruginosa . Expression of GST-unfused OprF-OprI failed in E . coli, although this hybrid protein has been expressed without a fusion part in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and used for immunizing rabbits . The immune rabbit sera protected severe combined deficient (SCID) mice against a 1,000-fold 50% lethal dose of P . aeruginosa . Evidence is provided to show that the most C-terminal part of OprF (i.e., amino acids 332 to 350) carries an important protective epitope . Opr-based hybrid proteins may have implications for a clinical vaccine against P . aeruginosa. Infect Immun, 1995 May, 63(5), 1718 - 24 Endobronchial inflammation following Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in resistant and susceptible strains of mice; Morissette C et al.; The early endobronchial inflammation induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection varies in resistant and susceptible strains of mice . Mice of the DBA/2 strain are severely afflicted by the infection, with a high bacterial burden accumulating rapidly following inoculation and a high mortality rate occurring . Mice of the BALB/c strain are resistant to infection and clear the bacteria within 3 to 7 days . Infection of (BALB/c x DBA/2)F1 hybrid mice showed that the resistance to lung P . aeruginosa infection is inherited as a dominant trait . Mice of the A/J and C57BL/6 strains were found to have an intermediate phenotype to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection when compared with BALB/c and DBA/2 strains . The decrease in the bacterial load seen early after infection coincided with a steady and strong recruitment of inflammatory cells to the bronchoalveolar spaces of mice of the resistant BALB/c strain . On the other hand, the recruitment of inflammatory cells to the lungs of mice of the susceptible DBA/2 strain was deficient, resulting in the failure to control bacterial multiplication . Chemotactic factors, proinflammatory cytokines, and the number and function of recruited inflammatory cells may play major roles in the determination of the genetic resistance to lung infection with P . aeruginosa in a normal immunocompetent host. Drug Saf, 1995 May, 12(5), 305 - 13 Adverse effects of monobactams and carbapenems; Alvan G et al.; Monobactams and carbapenems are 2 classes of beta-lactam antibiotics that were introduced in the 1980s . This review considers the monobactam aztreonam and the carbapenems imipenem and meropenem . Imipenem is administered together with cilastatin, which inhibits the enzymatic breakdown of imipenem in the kidney . The antibacterial activities of these drugs are quite different from older beta-lactams . Aztreonam is directed towards aerobic Gram-negative bacteria, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while imipenem and meropenem are active against both aerobic and anaerobic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria . Thus, these drugs should be reserved for patients who have a special need for them . They are also structurally different from older beta-lactams and possess different adverse drug reaction profiles . It was initially suggested that aztreonam would be less immunogenic than previous beta-lactams because reactive breakdown products acting as haptens are less likely to be formed . Clinical reports now support this assumption, and, in particular, cross hypersensitivity between aztreonam and other beta-lactams seems to be rare which makes the drug a useful therapeutic alternative . However, hypersensitivity to aztreonam does occur . The predominant concern in terms of adverse reactions to imipenem/cilastatin is the increased tendency to cause seizures compared with other beta-lactams . The risk of producing a seizure is highly associated with inadequate dose adjustment in relation to kidney function . If appropriate care is taken, seizures occur in less than 1% of patients treated . However, it is possible that concomitant administration of other drugs with neurotoxic profiles (e.g . theophylline and cyclosporin) given in overdose, may increase the risk of seizures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Am J Vet Res, 1995 May, 56(5), 613 - 8 Pharmacokinetics, nephrotoxicosis, and in vitro antibacterial activity associated with single versus multiple (three times) daily gentamicin treatments in horses; Godber LM et al.; Once-daily administration of aminoglycosides may be a safe and effective therapeutic regimen, on the basis of the microbiologic and pharmacokinetic characteristics of these antibiotics . This study was designed to determine serum and tissue concentrations following i.v . administration of gentamicin, at dosages of 6.6 mg/kg of body weight, every 24 hours, and 2.2 mg/kg, every 8 hours, for 10 days in adult horses . Nephrotoxicosis from these dosage regimens also was compared, and microbiologic effects, including postantibiotic effects, were determined with various concentrations of gentamicin against an equine clinical isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Treatment at the 6.6-mg/kg dosage resulted in maximal serum concentrations (77.93 +/- 19.90 micrograms/ml, mean +/- SEM) and area under the concentration-vs-time curves (83.79 +/- 14.97 micrograms.h/ml) that were significantly (P < 0.05) greater than those following treatment at the 2.2-mg/kg dosage (5.05 +/- 0.50 micrograms/ml and 6.03 +/- 0.66 micrograms.h/ml, respectively) . Nephrotoxicosis was not induced with either dosage regimen, and postantibiotic effects were prolonged with a higher gentamicin concentration . This study provided evidence to support the use of once-daily gentamicin treatment in adult horses. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1995 May-Jun, (3), 89 - 92 {The safety, reactogenicity and antigenic activity of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa anatoxin studied in volunteers}; Mikhailova NA et al.; The safety, reactogenicity and immunogenic activity of P . aeruginosa toxoid were studied in 46 volunteer donors . Systemic reactions to the injection of the preparation were absent in all vaccinees, in 2 subjects (4.3%) insignificant reactions at the site of injection in the form of hyperemia, sized 13-14 mm and disappearing within 48 hours, were registered . The preparation was found stimulate humoral immunity, which was manifested by an increase in the number of B-rosette-forming lymphocytes and the level of antitoxic IgG in the blood of the vaccinees . Besides, immune sera obtained from the blood of the volunteers were found to possess protective properties. APMIS, 1995 May, 103(5), 367 - 74 Experimental chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection in rats . Non-specific stimulation with LPS reduces lethality as efficiently as specific immunization; Lange KH et al.; In a rat model of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection mimicking cystic fibrosis, we investigated the possibility of preventing chronic lung inflammation or decreasing the progression of the infection . We compared the lethality, pathology, bacterial clearance, and immunogenicity after stimulation of the non-specific defence mechanisms by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or P . aeruginosa sonicate, or the acquired specific immune response by vaccination with the same bacterial antigens . One day prior to challenge with P . aeruginosa embedded in alginate beads, rats were stimulated with either E . coli LPS or P . aeruginosa sonicate . Four and two weeks prior to challenge other rats were vaccinated with either E . coli LPS or P . aeruginosa sonicate . Controls did not receive any stimulation or vaccination . The lethality after challenge was lower in rats stimulated with E . coli LPS (p = 0.02) or vaccinated with P . aeruginosa sonicate (p = 0.03) as compared to controls . The histopathology of the surviving rats showed an acute inflammation dominated by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), but the offending bacteria were not completely eliminated in any group . The increased survival was probably due to earlier recruitment of PMNs most likely mediated by either cytokines and other chemotactic factors (stimulated group) or the immune response in concert with the complement cascade (vaccinated group) . The results of the present and previous vaccination studies show that it is possible to improve survival but not to prevent the chronic P . aeruginosa lung infection and inflammation caused by alginate-embedded bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1995 May, 61(5), 2020 - 2 Emergence of nylon oligomer degradation enzymes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO through experimental evolution; Prijambada ID et al.; Through selective cultivation with 6-aminohexanoate linear dimer, a by-product of nylon-6 manufacture, as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO, which initially has no enzyme activity to degrade this xenobiotic compound, was successfully expanded in its metabolic ability . Two new enzyme activities, 6-aminohexanoate cyclic dimer hydrolase and 6-aminohexanoate dimer hydrolase, were detected in the adapted strains. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1995 May, 61(5), 1739 - 44 Construction and use of a nontoxigenic strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the production of recombinant exotoxin A; Wozniak DJ et al.; To express recombinant forms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A in high yield, we have developed a nontoxigenic strain of P . aeruginosa derived from the hypertoxigenic strain PA103 . The nontoxigenic strain, designated PA103A, was produced by the excision marker rescue technique to replace the toxA structural gene in PA103 with an insertionally inactivated toxA gene . The PA103A strain (ToxA-) was used subsequently as the host strain for the expression and production of several recombinant versions of exotoxin A, and the results were compared with exotoxin A production in other P . aeruginosa and Escherichia coli strains . Use of the PA103A strain transformed with the high-copy-number pRO1614 plasmid bearing various toxA alleles resulted in final purification yields of exotoxin A averaging 23 mg/liter of culture . By comparison, exotoxin A production in other expression systems and host strains yields approximately 1/4 to 1/10 as much toxin. Minerva Pediatr, 1995 May, 47(5), 175 - 85 {Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization in Turin CF center . Microbiological and therapeutic observations}; Castello M et al.; We reviewed 4,277 sputum cultures performed in our FC patients during antipseudomonas courses of antibiotic therapy . The median age of colonization is 8.6 years, and the chronically infected subjects are 33.65% of all our patients . The most efficient antibiotics were imipenem, aztreonam, ceftazidime and amikacin . Ceftazidime gave the best results in terms of antibiotic resistance. Pediatr Infect Dis J, 1995 May, 14(5), 367 - 71 Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in very low birth weight infants: a case-control study; Leigh L et al.; The perinatal histories and hospital courses of all neonates born at Grady Memorial Hospital who developed Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis or meningitis in the 5-year period 1989-1993 were reviewed . In addition a case-control study was performed to evaluate selected risk factors for this infection . Twenty-one patients had one or more blood cultures positive for P . aeruginosa . An additional patient had P . aeruginosa meningitis without bacteremia . All infections occurred after 5 days of age . The overall incidence of P . aeruginosa infection was 0.7/1000 live births . All cases occurred in infants < 1500 g at birth, for a birth weight-specific rate of 19.5/1000 livebirths in this weight class . Clinical manifestations of disease did not distinguish P . aeruginosa from other causes of fulminant neonatal sepsis . Fifty percent of cases died . Mortality was inversely related to postnatal age at diagnosis . The 22 cases were compared with 44 controls matched for birth weight, gestational age, sex, duration of hospital stay and admission date . Cases were more likely than controls to have a history of feeding intolerance, interrupted enteral intake and prolonged parenteral hyperalimentation . Case infants received intravenous antibiotics for a significantly longer period of time than did controls . There was an association between P . aeruginosa sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis (36% cases vs . 7% of controls had prior or concurrent necrotizing enterocolitis, P < 0.01) . In summary P . aeruginosa sepsis is primarily a late onset nosocomial infection in very low birth weight infants . The case fatality rate of 50% in this series emphasizes its continued importance. ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec, 1995 May-Jun, 57(3), 148 - 52 Are ABH antigenic determinants on human outer ear canal epithelium responsible for Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections? Steuer MK, Hofstadter F, Probster L, Beuth J, Strutz J. The outer ear canal expression of ABH human blood group antigens has been analyzed with a standardized routine histological procedure by monoclonal antibodies in the case of blood groups A and B, and a corresponding lectin in the case of blood group 0, respectively . In all 20 cases the blood groups were histochemically confirmed . Furthermore, Pseudomonas aeruginosa-specific inhibition experiments were performed with different sugar solutions as well as A-like substance incubating outer ear canal tissue sections with P . aeruginosa strain (No . 60) presenting lectin specificity for N-acetyl-galactosamine (GalNAc) . P . aeruginosa lectins with GalNAc specificity apparently adhere to GalNAc as terminal blood group A determinant and indicate that patients presenting with blood group A may have a genetic predisposition to this form of otitis externa. Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 1995 May, 69(5), 553 - 67 {Study on the pathogenetic role of alginate produced by mucoid Pseudomonas aerugiosa in diffuse panbronchiolitis}; Ohtami H; It has scarcely been known that the pathogenetic role of mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa being colonised on the airway surface in diffuse panbronchiolotis DPB . The role of alginate, a main component of mucoid substance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was demonstrated in reference to DPB . 1 . Clinical Observation Serum titer of anti-alginate antibody IgG in the group of Pseudomonas-positive DPB was higher than that of the groups of Pseudomonas-negative DPB (p < 0.01) and healthy volunteers (p < 0.01) . The concentration of immune complex in Pseudomonas-positive DPB group at serum level was also higher than that of the above two groups (p < 0.01), and it was well correlated between activity in the patient's symptom and the patient's prognosis . 2 . Experimental Observation In the immunised mice made by free alginate injections, a lymphocyte infiltration around small vessels and small airways in lung was characteristically found at the early stage after the inhalation with mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa PT1252 . It disappeared 14-15 days after the inhalation . By repeating the inhalation for 6 days, such a lymphocyte infiltration had been persisted and lymphocyte granulomatous change was formed around small airways . The transformation and narrowing of the small airway occurred by lymphocyte granulomatous change . At the same time, some degree of neutrophil infiltration into the airway was also observed . These findings were closely similar to that of human diffuse panbronchiolitis . 3 . Conclusive Words From the above, the pathogenetic role of alginate in mucoid Psuedomonas aerginosa colonised on airway surface in DPB patient will be explained as follows . Local immunoreaction of antigen and antibody through alginate evolved lymphocyte infiltration around small airway area . A persistent localization of antigen (alginate) makes such an immunoreaction repeat . Consequently, lymphocyte-granulomatous change is formed around the small airway . On the other hand, a state of excess antigen introduced by long term colonization of mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa forms an immune complex in the host side . Neutrophil combined with the immune complex deposited on the airway surface may act in a destructive manner for the lung tissue of DPB patient. Thorax, 1995 May, 50(5), 548 - 50 Recovery of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in respiratory specimens from HIV positive patients being evaluated for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia; Doyle RL et al.; BACKGROUND--Despite the immune suppression, frequent hospital admissions, and many intercurrent illnesses associated with HIV infection, Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been cited relatively infrequently as a respiratory pathogen in HIV positive patients . METHODS--The microbiological isolates, medical records, radiographic reports, and laboratory data from 224 patients undergoing sputum induction and/or bronchoalveolar lavage for evaluation of respiratory symptoms suspicious for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) from 1989 to 1992 were reviewed retrospectively . RESULTS--An increasing number of respiratory isolates with Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found over this time period . Eighteen of the 224 patients were identified in whom P aeruginosa was recovered on at least one occasion . These patients were more likely to have a history of smoking and prior PCP than those in whom Pseudomonas was not recovered . Mean CD4 counts were also significantly lower in these patients . CONCLUSIONS--Pseudomonas aeruginosa may be recovered from a substantial number of respiratory isolates from HIV positive patients suspected of having PCP . The prevalence of this phenomenon may be increasing. Mol Microbiol, 1995 May, 16(3), 565 - 74 Molecular cloning and characterization of the rfc gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (serotype O5); de Kievit TR et al.; Previous work from our laboratory has shown that cosmid clone pFV100, containing a 26 kb insert, is able to restore O-antigen synthesis in serotype O5 rough mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Mobilization of pFV100 into two P . aeruginosa semi-rough (SR) mutants, AK14O1 and rd7513, resulted in O-antigen expression, indicating that pFV100 may contain an O-polymerase (rfc) gene . pFV.TK6, a subclone of pFV100 that contains a 5.6 kb chromosomal insert, was able to complement O-antigen expression in these SR mutants . Mutagenesis of pFV.TK6 using Tn1000 exposed a 1.5 kb region that was essential for complementing O-antigen expression in AK14O1 . A 2.0 kb XhoI-HindIII fragment, containing this region, was cloned into vector pUCP26 and the resulting plasmid called pFV.TK8 . In Southern analysis of the 20 P . aeruginosa serotypes using a probe generated from the 1.5 kb XhoI fragment of pFV.TK8, the rfc probe hybridized to a common fragment of the cross-reactive O2-O5-O16-O18-O20 serogroup, suggesting that these serotypes may share a common O-polymerase gene . In functional studies of the rfc gene, the PAO1 (serotype O5) chromosomal rfc was mutated using a gene-replacement strategy . These knockout mutants expressed the SR lipopolysaccharide (LPS) phenotype, which indicated that they were no longer producing a functional O-polymerase enzyme . Nucleotide sequence analysis of the insert DNA of pFV.TK8 revealed one open reading frame (ORF), designated ORF48.9, which could code for a 48.9 kDa protein . In comparisons of the P . aeruginosa rfc nucleotide and amino acid sequences with DNA and protein databases, no significant homology was found . However, the deduced structure of the P . aeruginosa Rfc protein indicated that it is very hydrophobic and contains 11 putative membrane-spanning domains . Therefore, the predicted structure is similar to that of other reported Rfc proteins . Furthermore, comparison of the amino acid composition and codon usage of the P . aeruginosa Rfc with other Rfc proteins revealed significant similarity between them. Mol Microbiol, 1995 May, 16(3), 497 - 508 Characterization of a five-gene cluster required for the biogenesis of type 4 fimbriae in Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Martin PR et al.; The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces type 4 fimbriae which promote adhesion to epithelial cells and are associated with a form of surface translocation called twitching motility . Transposon mutagenesis was used to identify loci required for fimbrial assembly or function by screening for mutants that lack the spreading colony morphology characteristic of twitching motility . Six mutants were isolated that contain transposon insertions upstream of the previously characterized gene pilQ . This region contains four genes: pilM-P, which encode proteins with predicted sizes of 37.9, 22.2, 22.8 and 19.0 kDa, respectively . pilM-P appear to form an operon and to be expressed from a promoter in the intergenic region between pilM and the divergently transcribed upstream gene ponA . PilM-P were found to be required for fimbrial biogenesis by complementation studies using twitching motility and sensitivity to fimbrial-specific phage as indicators of the presence of functional fimbriae . This was confirmed by electron microscopy . PilO and PilP did not have homologues in the sequence databases, but the predicted PilN amino acid sequence displayed similarity to XpsL from Xanthamonas campestris, a protein required for protein secretion . PilP contained a hydrophobic leader sequence characteristic of lipoproteins, while PilN and PilO have long internal hydrophobic domains which may serve to localize them to the cytoplasmic membrane . PilM has shared sequence motifs with the cell division protein FtsA from Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli, as well as the rod-shape-determining protein MreB from E . coli . These motifs are also conserved in eukaryotic actin, in which they are involved in forming an ATPase domain . Deletion mutants of pilM and pilQ displayed a dominant negative phenotype when transformed into wild-type cells, suggesting that these genes encode proteins involved in multimeric structures. Mol Microbiol, 1995 May, 16(3), 485 - 96 Identification of a gene, pilV, required for type 4 fimbrial biogenesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, whose product possesses a pre-pilin-like leader sequence; Alm RA et al.; Type 4 fimbriae are important colonization factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other pathogens that mediate attachment to epithelial cells of the host . They are also responsible for a form of translocation termed 'twitching motility' and are implicated in the susceptibility to fimbrial-specific bacteriophage . Analysis of a transposon mutant which lacks functional fimbriae has identified a new gene which is required for fimbrial biogenesis . This gene, termed pilV, is located on chromosomal SpeI fragment E, 2 kb downstream of the previously characterized pilSR genes involved in transcriptional activation of the fimbrial subunit gene . The pilV gene encodes a 20 kDa membrane-located protein with considerable amino-terminal homology to the type 4 consensus pre-pilin leader sequence, suggesting that it is processed by a leader peptidase . Site-directed mutagenesis has shown that PilV requires such cleavage to be functional . PilV also exhibits close similarity to a group of proteins involved in extracellular protein secretion from a number of Gram-negative bacteria, suggesting that the biogenesis of type 4 fimbriae may have a similar basis. Infect Immun, 1995 May, 63(5), 1800 - 5 Pseudomonas aeruginosa exoenzyme S induces proliferation of human T lymphocytes; Mody CH et al.; Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacterium that is responsible for devastating acute and chronic infections, which include bronchiectasis in cystic fibrosis, nosocomial pneumonia, and infection of burn wounds . Previous studies have demonstrated that these patients have impaired host responses, including cell-mediated immune responses, which are important in anti-Pseudomonas host defense . The P . aeruginosa exoproduct, exoenzyme S, has a number of characteristics which suggest that it might be important in cell-mediated immunity . To determine whether exoenzyme S activates lymphocytes to proliferate, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from normal volunteers were stimulated with purified exoenzyme S, and the lymphocyte response was assessed by measuring {3H}thymidine uptake and by counting the number of cells after various times in culture . Ninety-five percent of healthy adult donors had a lymphocyte response to exoenzyme S . The optimal lymphocyte response occurred on day 7, with 4 x 10(5) PBMC per microtiter well when cells were stimulated with 10 micrograms exoenzyme S per ml . {3H}thymidine uptake correlated with an increase in the number of mononuclear cells, indicating that proliferation occurred . In unseparated PBMC, T cells, and to a lesser extent B cells, proliferated . Purified T cells proliferated, while purified B cells proliferated only after the addition of irradiated T cells . Thus, T lymphocytes are necessary and sufficient for the proliferative response to exoenzyme S . We speculate that exoenzyme S from P . aeruginosa is important in T-lymphocyte-mediated host defense to P . aeruginosa . In strategies to enhance impaired cell-mediated immunity, exoenzyme S should be considered as a potential stimulant. Infect Immun, 1995 May, 63(5), 1674 - 80 Identification of rfbA, involved in B-band lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype O5; Dasgupta T et al.; Previous work from this laboratory has shown that a 26-kb insert in cosmid clone pFV100, isolated from a Pseudomonas aeruginosa gene library, contained genes that could restore serotype-specific B-band lipopolysaccharide (LPS) expression in rough mutant ge6 . In this study, subclones from pFV100 were made to identify genes responsible for B-band LPS synthesis . Transformation of Escherichia coli HB101 with cosmid clone pFV100 resulted in expression of P . aeruginosa serotype O5 B-band LPS, indicating the presence of an rfb cluster in pFV100 . Expression of P . aeruginosa LPS could not be achieved in E . coli HB101 transformed with any of the subclones . Complementation studies of well-characterized rough mutants of P . aeruginosa PAO1 deficient in B-band LPS biosynthesis were performed with the various subclones . Subclone pFV110, containing a 1.4-kb XbaI-HindIII insert, restored B-band LPS biosynthesis in mutant AK44 (A+B-; complete core) . Probing chromosomal DNA from the 20 International Antigenic Typing Scheme serotypes with the 1.4-kb insert from pFV110 in Southern hybridizations revealed a positive reaction to restriction fragments in serotypes O2, O5, O16, O20, and O18 . LPS of serotypes O2, O5, O16, and O20 were shown earlier to have a similar backbone structure in their O antigen . The insert in pFV110 was sequenced, and the deduced amino acid sequence was compared with sequences of protein databases . No significant homology could be detected with any sequences in the database . Open reading frame analysis identified one region, ORF303, which could encode a 33-kDa protein . Using E . coli maxicells for protein expression, orf303 mediated the expression of a unique polypeptide with an apparent molecular mass of 32.5 kDa . The deficiency in the synthesis of B-band LPS biosynthesis in mutant AK44 is apparently complemented by the 33-kDa protein encoded by orf303 . We have designated this ORF rfbA . This investigation is the first report on cloning and sequencing of an rfb gene involved specifically in O-antigen biosynthesis in P . aeruginosa PAO1. Tohoku J Exp Med, 1995 May, 176(1), 25 - 33 Daily single-dose regimen and alternate-two-week triple-dose/day regimen of oral ofloxacin for the prophylaxis and control of exacerbations of chronic respiratory tract infections; Watanabe A et al.; Two different oral ofloxacin regimens, a daily single-dose regimen with 200 mg (Regimen I) and an every-two-week multidose regimen with 3 x 200 mg/day (Regimen II) was compared as to the efficacy in controlling repeated acute exacerbations of chronic respiratory tract infections . Fifty-eight patients consisting of 19 patients each of bronchiectasis and pulmonary emphysema, 10 patients of chronic bronchitis, 5 patients of old pulmonary tuberculosis, 4 patients of diffuse panbronchiolitis and 1 patient of multiple pulmonary bullae were evaluated: 32 patients in Regimen I and 26 patients in Regimen II . The corrected mean incidence of exacerbations per case decreased from pre-study 2.47 to intra-study 0.59 in Regimen I, and from pre-study 2.66 to intra-study 0.95 in Regimen II, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05, respectively) . Only one of 12 persistent isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa acquired a certain degree of resistance to ofloxacin . Adverse reactions were found in six of 66 patients . We conclude that long-term administration of an new-quinolone, especially a daily single-dose regimen with ofloxacin, is useful to control acute exacerbations of chronic respiratory tract infections. Biochemistry, 1995 Apr 18, 34(15), 5066 - 74 Escherichia coli UMP-kinase, a member of the aspartokinase family, is a hexamer regulated by guanine nucleotides and UTP; Serina L et al.; The pyrH gene, encoding UMP-kinase from Escherichia coli, was cloned using as a genetic probe the property of the carAB operon to be controlled for its expression by the concentration of cytoplasmic UTP . The open reading frame of the pyrH gene of 723 bp was found to be identical to that of the smbA gene {Yamanaka, K., et al . (1992) J . Bacteriol . 174, 7517-7526}, previously described as being involved in chromosome partitioning in E . coli . The bacterial UMP-kinase did not display significant sequence similarity to known nucleoside monophosphate kinases . On the contrary, it exhibited similarity with three families of enzymes including aspartokinases, glutamate kinases, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa carbamate kinase . UMP-kinase overproduced in E . coli was purified to homogeneity and analyzed for its structural and catalytic properties . The protein consists of six identical subunits, each of 240 amino acid residues (the N-terminal methionine residue is missing in the expressed protein) . Upon excitation at 295 nm, the bacterial enzyme exhibits a fluorescence emission spectrum with maximum at 332 nm which indicates that the single tryptophan residue of the protein (Trp119) is located in a hydrophobic environment . Like other enzymes involved in the de novo synthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides, UMP-kinase of E . coli is subject to regulation by nucleotides: GTP is an allosteric activator, whereas UTP serves as an allosteric inhibitor . UTP and UDP, but none of the other nucleotides tested such as GTP, ATP, and UMP, enhanced the fluorescence of the protein . The sigmoidal shape of the dose-response curve indicated cooperativity in binding of UTP and UDP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Eur J Biochem, 1995 Apr 15, 229(2), 385 - 94 Purification and characterization of the arylsulfatase synthesized by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO during growth in sulfate-free medium and cloning of the arylsulfatase gene (atsA); Beil S et al.; An arylsulfatase (EC 3.1.6.1) was extracted from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and purified 2700-fold to homogeneity . Synthesis of this enzyme was repressed when sulfate, cysteine or thiocyanate was supplied as the sole sulfur source for growth, but derepressed with all other sulfur sources tested . The apparent molecular mass was determined by SDS/PAGE to be 57 kDa, and the enzyme was presumed to be a monomer after gel filtration chromatography . The arylsulfatase showed maximal activity at 57 degrees C and pH 8.9, and a Km of 105 microM for 4-nitrocatecholsulfate . Despite previous reports that both inducible and derepressible forms of arylsulfatase exist in P . aeruginosa, we found only one enzyme under a variety of growth conditions: a sulfate-repressed enzyme with a native isoelectric point of 4.76 . The gene encoding this enzyme (atsA) was isolated by complementation of a Tn5-751 mutant of P . aeruginosa PAO1 . Sequencing revealed a 1602-bp reading frame encoding a 534-amino-acid protein with sequence similarity to known bacterial and eukaryotic arylsulfatases (30-40% and 25-30% identity, respectively), but lacking the signal peptide which is present in all known sequences . The lack of this signal peptide suggests that the P . aeruginosa arylsulfatase is neither periplasmic nor membrane-associated, unlike other known arylsulfatases . The atsA gene was located at 15-17' on the P . aeruginosa genome by Southern hybridization . Only a single copy was observed under moderate stringency conditions. Gene, 1995 Apr 14, 156(1), 63 - 7 Genetic linkage in Pseudomonas aeruginosa of algT and nadB: mutation in nadB does not affect NAD biosynthesis or alginate production; DeVries CA et al.; The 68-min region of the chromosome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) contains the gene algT, encoding a putative alternate sigma factor similar to sigma E in Escherichia coli, that is required for the expression of several genes in the alginate biosynthetic regulon . Sequences immediately upstream from algT were found to contain a divergently expressed open reading frame encoding a 60-kDa protein with 64 and 36% identity to the nadB gene products of E . coli and Bacillus subtilis, respectively . The nadB gene encodes L-aspartate oxidase and has been shown in several bacteria to be essential for de novo nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (NAD) biosynthesis . Pa nadB complemented the growth requirement for nicotinic acid in a nadB mutant strain of E . coli, suggesting that this gene encodes a functional homologue of L-aspartate oxidase . A nadB::Tn501 mutant was constructed by gene replacement in the alginate-producing strain, Pa FRD . This NadB- mutant still produced alginate and appeared normal with respect to the regulation of alginate synthesis . Interestingly, the NadB- mutant did not have an auxotrophic phenotype for nicotinic acid, indicating that this nadB was not essential for NAD biosynthesis in Pa . These results suggest the possibility that Pa has an alternate mechanism for de novo NAD biosynthesis. J Biol Chem, 1995 Apr 14, 270(15), 8920 - 7 Molecular characterization of pyocin S3, a novel S-type pyocin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Duport C et al.; The genetic determinant for the soluble pyocin S3 was isolated from a genomic library constructed in the plasmid pGV1122, of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain P12 isolated from a cystic fibrosis patient . The nucleotide sequence of a 3270-base pair DNA fragment was determined, and the two structural genes, pyoS3A and pyoS3I, and the 3'- and 5'-flanking regions were localized . Transcription (Northern blot) analysis showed that the two genes were co-transcribed . The genes pyoS3A and pyoS3I code for polypeptides of 767 and 154 amino acids, respectively, with calculated molecular weights of 81,385 and 17,047 . Pyocin S3 was produced in Escherichia coli from a plasmid and purified as a complex of two components (S3A and S3I) corresponding to the pyoS3A and pyoS3I gene products, respectively . The S3A component, like pyocin S3, had a killing effect involving DNase activity and was inhibited by the S3I protein . Comparisons of the predicted amino acid sequence of the two components of pyocin S3 to those of pyocins S1, S2, and AP41 indicate that pyocin S3 is a new type of S-type pyocin. Cas Lek Cesk, 1995 Apr 5, 134(7), 212 - 3 {Detection of the G551D mutation in a patient with nasal polyps}; Kuchynkova Z et al.; Atypical forms of cystic fibrosis can be manifested by a mild affection of the airways in adult age . They are the phenotypic manifestation of less frequent mutations for CF . The authors present the case-history of a man who developed the first symptoms of respiratory disease at the age of 16 years . He had relapsing nasal polyps, sinusitis, bronchial asthma, intolerance of acetylsalicylic acid . Bacteriological examination revealed repeatedly Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the respiratory mucosal membranes . The levels of the chloride ion in sweat were normal, genetic examination revealed a mutation of the gene for cystic fibrosis, G 551 D. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1995 Apr 4, 1261(2), 279 - 84 The structural genes for nitric oxide reductase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Arai H et al.; The genes for nitric oxide reductase (norCB) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa were identified and sequenced . They are located about 2 kb upstream of nirS, the structural gene for nitrite reductase . norC and norB encode cytochrome c (16 kDa) and cytochrome b (52 kDa) subunits of the enzyme, respectively . norCB is immediately followed by an open reading frame encoding a protein of 612 residues. J Immunol, 1995 Apr 1, 154(7), 3420 - 8 Nonopsonic phagocytosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa requires facilitated transport of D-glucose by macrophages; Barghouthi S et al.; Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the predominant respiratory tract pathogen in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), and its resistance to phagocytosis may contribute to its virulence . P . aeruginosa ingestion by macrophages occurs only in the presence of D-glucose or D-mannose, sugars present in low concentrations in the endobronchial space . Here we show that only isolates of P . aeruginosa and not other bacterial species were ingested by murine macrophages in a glucose-dependent manner . Glucose transport inhibitors blocked both {3H}-2-deoxy-glucose (2dG) uptake and phagocytosis of P . aeruginosa . P . aeruginosa pretreated with 2dG or 5-thio-D-glucose (5TG) was efficiently ingested . Macrophages pretreated with 2dG or 5TG were able to bind but unable to ingest P . aeruginosa in the presence of glucose; however, they efficiently ingested zymosan or IgG-coated sheep erythrocytes . Macrophages produced lactate only from glucose or mannose . The facilitative glucose transporter GLUT1 mRNA transcript was detected by PCR in preparations from purified macrophages . The nucleotide sequence of the PCR product was identical to that published for murine GLUT1 . GLUT1 protein was detected with anti-GLUT1-peptide polyclonal Abs . We conclude that glucose exerts its effect on the macrophage, not on the bacterium, in the glucose-dependent nonopsonic phagocytosis of P . aeruginosa and that glucose transport via GLUT1 by the macrophages is required to trigger ingestion . The unique glucose dependency for phagocytosis of P . aeruginosa by macrophages may contribute to the pathogenicity of this bacterial species in CF patients. J Cell Physiol, 1995 Apr, 163(1), 1 - 8 Impaired alveolar macrophage function in smoke inhalation injury; Herlihy JP et al.; The high incidence of both bacterial pneumonia and the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) associated with smoke inhalation injury (SII) may result, at least in part, from smoke-induced injury to the alveolar macrophage (AM) . Specifically, we hypothesized that AM antimicrobial function, ability to phagocytose apoptotic PMNs, and capacity to prevent apoptosis in PMNs are impaired by smoke . To test these hypotheses, AMs were harvested by bronchoalveolar lavage from sheep before and after the animal was exposed to cotton smoke . The two populations of AMs were incubated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PSA) in vitro . Normal AMs (NAMs) phagocytosed a mean of 99 +/- 11% of the PSA placed in their wells, whereas smoke-exposed AMs (SAMs) ingested only 60 +/- 8% . NAMs killed 80 +/- 8% of PSA ingested, whereas SAMs killed only 56 +/- 16% (P < 0.05) . When sheep PMNs, allowed to undergo apoptosis, were incubated with the two AM populations, 66 +/- 3% of the NAMs and 40 +/- 6% of the SAMs demonstrated phagocytosis of these apoptotic PMNs (P < 0.05) . Fresh sheep PMNs were incubated in unconditioned media, NAM and SAM-conditioned media, and followed over 48 hr for the development of apoptosis and maintenance of viability . The NAM-conditioned media markedly prevented apoptosis and augmented PMN survival relative to the unconditioned and SAM-conditioned media (P < 0.05) . The poor antimicrobial function known to be characteristic of apoptotic PMNs, together with the directly impaired antimicrobial function of AMs, may contribute to the infectious complications of SII . If the PMNs recruited to the lung in SII are not properly supported by the AMs following smoke injury, large numbers may undergo apoptosis . If not properly disposed of by these SAMs, the apoptotic PMNs could eventually lyse, releasing tissue toxins, resulting in escalation of lung injury and leading to ARDS. Radiology, 1995 Apr, 195(1), 247 - 52 Ventilator-associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia: radiographic findings; Winer-Muram HT et al.; PURPOSE: To characterize the radiographic features of ventilator-associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia (PAP) . MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 56 patients (40 men and 16 women), PAP was documented with fiberoptic bronchoscopy . All patients underwent mechanical ventilation for at least 48 hours before diagnosis . The findings on chest radiographs were recorded . In eight patients in whom computed tomography (CT) was performed, results were compared with radiographic findings . RESULTS: Twenty-six patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) had diffuse bilateral confluent opacities; 30 patients without ARDS had multifocal opacities . In 13 patients, cavities were detected at chest radiography, CT, or both . Seven of 29 patients with pleural abnormalities had empyema . CT provided important additional information (presence of cavities or effusions) in four cases . CONCLUSION: Findings on chest radiographs are nonspecific for PAP . The frequencies of cavities and empyema are surprisingly low, perhaps owing to prompt diagnosis and therapy. Infect Immun, 1995 Apr, 63(4), 1541 - 51 Characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced MDCK cell injury: glycosylation-defective host cells are resistant to bacterial killing; Apodaca G et al.; As a model for bacterium-induced epithelial cell injury, we have studied the interaction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells grown on filters . Following an initial period of bacterial adhesion, foci of injured host cells, which consisted of a central region of cell debris, surrounded by cells that were permeable and apparently necrotic, were formed . Host cell death was quantified by measuring the increased permeability of the monolayer to the macromolecular tracer {14C}inulin . Using this MDCK model system, we have identified bacterial and host cell factors necessary for the host cell damage . The ability of P . aeruginosa to cause MDCK cell damage was independent of elastase or exotoxin A production . In contrast, bacteria with a mutation in the regulatory locus exsA (which are deficient in exoenzyme S production) neither bound to nor caused host cell injury . MDCK cells with defects in cell surface glycosylation were resistant to cell injury, indicating that bacteria may require host cell glycolipids and/or glycoproteins as points of adhesion to cause subsequent host cell injury.