Staphylococcus aureus

J Biol Chem, 1991 Sep 15, 266(26), 17195 - 200
Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin . Dual mechanism of binding to target cells; Hildebrand A et al.; Staphylococcal alpha-toxin was radiolabeled to high specific radioactivity (1,500-3,000 Ci/mmol) under retention of its hemolytic activity . Binding studies with susceptible rabbit erythrocytes and highly resistant human erythrocytes revealed that binding of alpha-toxin to target cells can occur via two different mechanisms . Binding of alpha-toxin to rabbit erythrocytes initially involves specific binding sites and occurs at low concentrations, with half-maximal binding at 1-2 nM . In contrast, toxin binding to human erythrocytes is absorptive and nonspecific, in this case, significant binding as well as hemolysis occur only at alpha-toxin concentrations exceeding 1 microM . Autoradiographic analyses of membrane-associated alpha-toxin from either cell species proved that hemolysis was inevitably associated with the formation of toxin hexamers . Our data indicate that the high susceptibility of certain target cells toward alpha-toxin is caused by the presence of specific binding sites . However, membrane damage of both susceptible and nonsusceptible target cells occurs via a common mechanism involving toxin oligomerization and pore formation.

Anal Chem, 1991 Sep 15, 63(18), 1978 - 83
Optimization of the fragmentation in a frit-fast atom bombardment ion source for the sequencing of peptides at the picomole level; Kassel DB et al.; Peptides derived from enzymatic digestions (cathepsin D and trypsin) were characterized and amino acid sequences determined by using their LC/MS spectra . A Frit-FAB interface that produces extensive peptide fragmentation and permits amino acid sequencing at the low picomole level is described for a model antigen, Staphylococcus aureus nuclease (Nase), and an enzyme of unknown structure, yeast aminopeptidase B . The amino acid sequences of peptides derived from digestion of Nase with cathepsin D (a relatively nonspecific endoprotease) were readily deduced and have provided insights into the nature of antigen processing . Frit-FAB LC/MS spectra of the Nase peptides contained a sufficient number of fragment ions to conclusively identify peptides with a mass below 2000 Da . Capillary LC/MS provided a means for the separation and identification of these enzymatically derived peptides in a fraction of the time that would have been required by gas-phase Edman sequence analysis . The optimized Frit-FAB experiment was consequently evaluated for the partial characterization of aminopeptidase B recently purified to homogeneity from Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Sequence-specific ions observed in the Frit-FAB mass spectra of these tryptic peptides were identical with those commonly observed in high-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectra and included side-chain fragment ions that differentiated leucine from isoleucine . These fragment ions were used to deduce entire amino acid sequences for several of the tryptic peptides.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1991 Sep 15, 67(1), 11 - 5
Identification of an insertion sequence, IS1081, in Mycobacterium bovis; Collins DM et al.; An insertion sequence, IS1081, in the genome of Mycobacterium bovis has been identified and sequenced . It is 1324 bp long with 15 bp inverted repeat ends and contains a large ORF . There are six copies of IS1081 in the genome of M . bovis and the element is also present in Mycobacterium tuberculosis . IS1081 is not closely related to other DNA elements described in actinomycetes but its putative transposase bears some resemblance to that of IS256 from Staphylococcus aureus . IS1081 may be useful for genetic manipulations and for developing a diagnostic test for bovine tuberculosis based on the polymerase chain reaction.

Vet Surg, 1991 Sep-Oct, 20(5), 306 - 10
Effects of chlorhexidine gluconate and chlorous acid-chlorine dioxide on equine fibroblasts and Staphylococcus aureus; Redding WR et al.; Equine fibroblasts and Staphylococcus aureus were exposed for 30 minutes to six dilutions of chlorhexidine gluconate, a chlorous acid-chlorine dioxide irrigation solution, a chlorous acid-chlorine dioxide disinfectant, and phosphate buffered saline controls . Cell viability was determined by trypsinizing the cells, staining them with trypan blue, and counting cells that did not take the stain . All fibroblasts were killed when exposed to 1.0% and 0.5% chlorhexidine . The survival rate of fibroblasts increased linearly with decreasing concentrations of chlorhexidine gluconate, with a peak survival of 50% at 0.005% chlorhexidine . The chlorous acid-chlorine dioxide irrigation solution was the least toxic to fibroblasts, with survival rates equivalent to those of controls . The chlorous acid-chlorine dioxide disinfectant was 100% cytotoxic even when diluted 1:1 with phosphate buffered saline . S . aureus growth was inhibited by 1.0% and 0.5% chlorhexidine gluconate; concentrations of 0.05%, 0.01%, and 0.005% did not differ from sterile water controls . The chlorous acid-chlorine dioxide irrigation solution did not inhibit growth of S . aureus in brain-heart infusion broth . The chlorous acid-chlorine dioxide disinfectant inhibited growth of S . aureus.

Rev Infect Dis, 1991 Sep-Oct, 13(5), 893 - 5
Detection of the source of recurrent Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia by ultrafast computerized tomography; McKinsey DS et al.; A patient with spina bifida secondary to an Arnold-Chiari deformity experienced seven episodes of sustained bacteremia due to Staphylococcus aureus over 2 years . Despite an extensive diagnostic evaluation the source of the recurrent bacteremia remained obscure . The patient's mother eventually recalled that a procedure for replacement of a ventriculoatrial shunt performed 16 years earlier had been complicated by retention of a shunt fragment in the bloodstream . Standard radiographic techniques failed to identify an intravascular foreign body; however, ultrafast computerized tomography of the heart demonstrated a density in the right atrium . Atriotomy was performed and a plastic catheter fragment was excised . Bacteremia has not recurred during a follow-up period of 24 months . Patients with recurrent unexplained bacteremia should be evaluated carefully for the presence of occult intravascular catheter fragments that may be retained after surgical procedures or intravascular instrumentation . Ultrafast computed tomographic scanning of the heart is a useful technique for detecting intracardiac catheter fragments.

J Reprod Immunol, 1991 Sep, 20(3), 267 - 76
Detection of IL-6 in human milk and its involvement in IgA production; Saito S et al.; A large amount of interleukin-6 (IL-6) was found to be contained in human whey . The concentration of IL-6 in colostrum was significantly higher than that in serum or in milk taken 1 month after parturition . Colostrum contained many more mononuclear cells than late milk . In terms of the proportion of monocytes, T cells and B cells, however, there is no difference between colostrum and late milk . There is a significantly positive correlation between the concentration of IL-6 and the number of mononuclear cells in milk . This demonstrates that IL-6 in whey is derived in part from mononuclear cells . Stimulation of human milk mononuclear cells by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I in the presence of anti-IL-6 antibody markedly decreased the production of IgA . This suggests that IL-6 contained in milk is closely associated with the local production of IgA in the breast.

Nippon Kyobu Geka Gakkai Zasshi, 1991 Sep, 39(9), 1803 - 8
{A case report of early prosthetic valve endocarditis due to methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection--an experience of intraatrial implantation of mitral prosthesis with a Gore-Tex flange}; Murayama H et al.; A 60-year-old female with mitral stenosis developed prosthetic valve endocarditis due to methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus septicemia 3 weeks after mitral valve replacement . In vitro test disclosed susceptibility to minocycline and clindamycin . Despite large amount of intravenous administration, progressive heart failure due to massive perivalvular leakage occurred as a consequence of persisting infection . An emergent operation revealed valve detachment of the posterior portion resulting from ring abscess formation . A mitral prosthesis with a Gore-Tex flange was implanted partially in the left atrium just above the mitral ring and sutured to the atrial wall . Postoperative relapse was not detected even after discontinuing antibiotics . Prosthetic valve endocarditis due to methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus is highly resistant to antibiotic therapy and likely to develop valve ring abscess . Prompt surgical treatment is mandatory in this situation.

J Appl Bacteriol, 1991 Sep, 71(3), 270 - 6
A nitrate reductase-based colorimetric assay for the study of bacterial adherence; Shoeb HA et al.; Washed intact cells of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, grown under partial anaerobic conditions in nitrate media, reduced nitrate quantitatively when formate was used as a reducing substrate . Nitrate reductase was applied as an index for bacterial adherence to different target surfaces including uroepithelial cells, HeLa cells and fibrin clots . Nitrate reduction by adhered as well as control cells was determined by quantitative diazotization reaction for nitrite . Variations in the conditions which affect adherence gave rise to corresponding variations in the nitrate reduction index from which bacterial adherence can be conveniently determined under these conditions . This method is simple, reproducible and easy to perform in a short time.

J Appl Bacteriol, 1991 Sep, 71(3), 239 - 43
Effect of some antibiotics and biocides on plasmid transfer in Staphylococcus aureus; al-Masaudi SB et al.; The effects of some antibiotics and biocides on the conjugative transfer of the Staphylococcus aureus gentamicin resistance plasmid pWG613 were investigated . Gentamicin and vancomycin were found to stimulate plasmid transfer frequency by 10- to 20-fold whereas methicillin and three inhibitors of protein synthesis each reduced it by various degrees . Most significantly, mupirocin inhibited plasmid transfer frequency by more than 1000-fold . All the biocides tested (cationic agents, sodium dodecyl sulphate and an organomercurial) reduced plasmid transfer.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Sep, 35(9), 1928 - 30
Lack of homology of enterococci which have high-level resistance to trimethoprim with the dfrA gene of Staphylococcus aureus; Frosolono M et al.; Multiresistant enterococci were tested for susceptibility to trimethoprim (TMP) . Although most enterococci are inhibited by less than or equal to 1.0 microgram/ml, the MICs for 7 of 29 selected multiresistant isolates were greater than or equal to 8 micrograms/ml, including for two beta-lactamase positive (Bla+) strains, for which the MICs of TMP were greater than 1,000 micrograms/ml, and for another Bla+ strain, for which the MIC was 128 micrograms/ml . None of five isolates tested transferred TMP resistance and none of the resistant isolates hybridized to the dfrA gene of Staphylococcus aureus . Whether TMP resistance in enterococci is due to a mutation(s) or to acquisition of a new gene is not known . Acquisition of resistance to TMP is another example of the multiple antimicrobial resistance typically displayed by enterococci.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Sep, 35(9), 1911 - 3
Emergence of quinolone resistance among clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Ontario, Canada; Harnett N et al.; One hundred two isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) randomly selected from across the Canadian province of Ontario were tested for their susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and nalidixic acid by the agar dilution method . Forty-nine percent (50 of 102) had high levels of resistance to these quinolone compounds . For the 50 resistant isolates, ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin had high MICs for 90% of isolates (MIC90s) of 128 micrograms/ml and greater than 128 microgram/ml, respectively; for these isolates, the nalidixic acid MIC90 was greater than 640 micrograms/ml . The majority (98%) of the 50 isolates were also resistant to tobramycin (MIC90, greater than 128 micrograms/ml), while 42% of the isolates were resistant to gentamicin (MIC90, 64 micrograms/ml) . Quinolone-resistant MRSA isolates were susceptible to bacteriophages from several groups, indicating independent selection of resistant strains . These results suggest that a reappraisal of the use of fluoroquinolones against MRSA in Canada is necessary.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Sep, 35(9), 1824 - 8
Bactericidal effects of antibiotics on slowly growing and nongrowing bacteria; Eng RH et al.; Antimicrobial agents are most often tested against bacteria in the log phase of multiplication to produce the maximum bactericidal effect . In an infection, bacteria may multiply less optimally . We examined the effects of several classes of antimicrobial agents to determine their actions on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria during nongrowing and slowly growing phases . Only ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin exhibited bactericidal activity against nongrowing gram-negative bacteria, and no antibiotics were bactericidal (3-order-of-magnitude killing) against Staphylococcus aureus . For the very slowly growing gram-negative bacteria studied, gentamicin (an aminoglycoside), imipenem (a carbapenem), meropenem (a carbapenem), ciprofloxacin (a fluoroquinolone), and ofloxacin (a fluoroquinolone) exhibited up to 5.7 orders of magnitude more killing than piperacillin or cefotaxime . This is in contrast to optimally growing bacteria, in which a wide variety of antibiotic classes produced 99.9% killing . For the gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria we examined, antibiotic killing was greatly dependent on the growth rate . The clinical implications of slow killing by chemotherapeutic agents for established bacterial infections and infections involving foreign bodies are unknown.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Sep, 35(9), 1799 - 803
In vitro studies of water activity and bacterial growth inhibition of sucrose-polyethylene glycol 400-hydrogen peroxide and xylose-polyethylene glycol 400-hydrogen peroxide pastes used to treat infected wounds; Ambrose U et al.; Water activity and bacterial growth inhibition have been studied in formulations comprising either sucrose or xylose along with polyethylene glycol 400 and hydrogen peroxide . The pastes are chemically stable for 6 months if stored at 2 to 8 degrees C and have been shown to lower water activity to levels below those essential for bacterial growth and to be bactericidal even when diluted up to 50% with serum . Of the organisms tested, Staphylococcus aureus proved the least susceptible to the bactericidal effects of these pastes, and candida and gram-negative organisms proved the most susceptible . Pastes without hydrogen peroxide were less rapidly bactericidal than pastes with hydrogen peroxide, while polyethylene glycol 400 itself was found to have considerable antimicrobial activity . It is suggested that sucrose paste may be of benefit as a treatment for infected and malodorous wounds.

Vet Immunol Immunopathol, 1991 Sep, 29(3-4), 329 - 38
Activation of bovine neutrophils by recombinant bovine tumor necrosis factor-alpha; Chiang YW et al.; The in vitro effect of bovine recombinant tumor necrosis factor-alpha (rbTNF-alpha) on bovine neutrophil function and the possibility that rbTNF-alpha and recombinant bovine interferon-gamma (rbIFN-gamma) act synergistically were investigated . Treatment of neutrophils with rbTNF-alpha (0.05 micrograms/ml; approximately 50 U/ml) at 37 degrees C for 2.5 h resulted in enhancement of antibody independent neutrophil-mediated cytotoxicity (AINC) and inhibition of random migration and chemotaxis . The same treatment resulted in a slight decrease in iodination and cytochrome C reduction, but did not affect Staphylococcus aureus ingestion, or antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity . Kinetic and inhibitor studies indicated that the action of rbTNF-alpha was rapid and was independent of protein and RNA synthesis by neutrophils . Evaluation of the synergistic activities of rbTNF-alpha and rbIFN-gamma indicated that treatment of neutrophils with these two cytokines simultaneously resulted in additive enhancement of AINC and inhibition of random migration and chemotaxis . There was no additive effect of the two cytokines on inhibition of iodination or cytochrome C reduction.

Orthopedics, 1991 Sep, 14(9), 981 - 4
Septic bursitis: experience in a community practice; Pien FD et al.; We reviewed 47 episodes of septic bursitis occurring in a private community medical practice . Most patients were male (85%), and roughly half (49%) the cases were related to recreational or occupational trauma . About 72% of cases were located in the olecranon bursa, while the remaining cases were prepatellar . Prepatellar bursitis patients were more likely to be hospitalized . Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 70% of bursal fluid aspirations; other etiologic organisms included gram negative bacteria and Mycobacterium marinum . The majority of patients were able to be treated as outpatients with oral antibiotics . All patients were eventually cured without serious complications.

Kyobu Geka, 1991 Sep, 44(10), 851 - 5
{A case report of total removal of infected pacemaker with cardiopulmonary bypass}; Toda S et al.; A successful removal of infected pacemaker with septicemia, pre-DIC state, and pneumonia is reported . A 44-year-old man received transvenous permanent pacemaker implantation through right subclavian region at 42 years of age . Two years and 3 months after implantation an abscess formed around the generator . Since incision and drainage were not effective, the generator was removed after 2 months (another pacemaker was reimplanted at the opposite side), and the initial pacing lead was cut after 3 months of initiation of the infection . But wound healing was not obtained and high fever-up occurred . Arterial blood culture showed septicemia caused by Staphylococcus aureus . He also suffered pre-DIC state and pneumonia . The end of the cut lead had fallen into the right ventricle . After general condition was recovered, the residual lead and the reimplanted pacemaker system were extirpated under cardiopulmonary bypass . And at the same time a new pacemaker system was implanted again . He was in good postoperative course, and he is up and well 8 months after operation.

J Clin Pathol, 1991 Sep, 44(9), 772 - 4
Problems of thermonuclease detection for identifying Staphylococcus aureus in blood culture broths; Megson GM et al.; The detection of thermonuclease by the Oxford strain and eight clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus in a variety of bacteriological broths with and without added blood was examined using a toluidine blue-DNA-agar plate method . In Isosensitest, brain-heart infusion, tryptic soy, nutrient and gas-liquid chromatography broths (all of which do not contain liquoid) thermonuclease detection was uncomplicated . In Bactec broths (containing liquoid) detectable thermonuclease activity was greatly reduced in the absence of blood . The addition of 10% blood to the Bactec broths restored the activity . Liquoid was shown to be responsible for the inhibition of thermonuclease activity, and its effect could be neutralised by the addition of blood, albumin, or haemoglobin . In specimens containing no blood, or insufficient blood to neutralise the liquoid in culture broths, more has to be added to prevent false negative reporting of S aureus . This can be done after growth at the time of thermonuclease testing . Clinical consequences of delayed identification of S aureus in routine blood cultures may be serious . The application of the thermonuclease test to blood culture broths is both fast and specific.

FASEB J, 1991 Sep, 5(12), 2706 - 12
Staphylococcal enterotoxin microbial superantigens; Johnson HM et al.; Staphylococcal enterotoxins are a family of structurally related proteins that are produced by Staphylococcus aureus . In addition to their role in the pathogenicity of food poisoning, these microbial superantigens have profound effects on the immune system, which makes them useful tools for understanding its mechanism of action . These molecules (24-30 kDa) are highly hydrophilic and exhibit low alpha helix and high beta pleated sheet content, suggesting a flexible, accessible structure . Staphylococcal enterotoxins are among the most potent activators of T lymphocytes known . The receptors for staphylococcal enterotoxins on antigen-presenting cells are major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules . Further, the alpha-helical regions of the class II molecule are essential for function and appear to interact directly with the NH2-terminal region of staphylococcal enterotoxins such as SEA . Recent studies have shown that a complex of staphylococcal enterotoxin and MHC class II molecules is required for binding to the V beta region of the T cell antigen receptor . Staphylococcal enterotoxin mitogenic activity is dependent on induction of interleukin 2, which may be intimately involved in the mechanism of toxicity . The mouse minor lymphocyte stimulating (M1s) "endogenous" self-superantigen has been shown to be a retroviral gene product, so this too is apparently a microbial superantigen . An understanding of the mechanisms of action of these microbial superantigens has implications for normal and pathological immune functions.

Pediatr Nephrol, 1991 Sep, 5(5), 597 - 602
Increased monocyte-dependent suppression of polyclonal activation of B lymphocytes from cystinotic children; Pintos-Morell G et al.; In infantile cystinosis the amino acid cystine preferentially accumulates in phagocytic cells, polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) and monocytes, rather than in lymphocytes . We previously described functional abnormalities in the oxidative metabolism and locomotion of cystinotic PMN and monocytes . The present study shows an abnormal lymphocyte polyclonal activation as evidenced by a decreased immunoglobulin (Ig) production and generation of Ig-containing cells (ICC) in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from cystinotic children upon stimulation with pokeweed mitogen and Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I . However, monocyte depletion from cystinotic PBMC fully reconstituted Ig production and ICC generation, indicating: (1) the presence of an increased monocyte-dependent suppression on lymphocyte polyclonal activation, and (2) that the intrinsic ability of cystinotic lymphocytes to respond to polyclonal stimulation was preserved . The increased cystinotic monocyte-dependent suppressive effect was not mediated by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) since its production by cystinotic PBMC upon polyclonal activation was not different from that of controls . In addition, the sensitivity of cystinotic lymphocytes to the immunosuppressive effect of varying concentrations of exogenous PGE2 was similar to that of controls . Finally, indomethacin and 2-mercaptoethanol, two agents able to scavenge hydroxyl (.OH) radicals, restored Ig production by cystinotic PBMC, suggesting a role for reactive oxygen species in the increased cystinotic monocyte-dependent suppression.

Eur J Immunol, 1991 Sep, 21(9), 2269 - 72
Differential migration of T and B cells during an acute inflammatory response; Meeusen E et al.; Inflammation in the liver and mammary glands of sheep caused by challenge infection with Taenia hydatigena or infusion of killed Staphylococcus aureus, respectively were characterized by the recruitment of both T and B cells . The patterns of migration of these two major lymphocyte subpopulations were distinctly different . While T cells seemed to migrate out of existing, flat endothelium-lined blood vessels resulting in a diffuse distribution at the sites of inflammation, B cells were characteristically present as clusters of tightly packed cells at restricted sites in the inflamed tissue . Within these B cell clusters distinct capillary vessels lined with plumb endothelial cells were always present suggesting that they were the sites of intense migration of B cells originating from the draining lymph nodes . These results indicate differential regulation of adhesion molecules on B and T cells and/or their ligands on endothelium during acute inflammatory reactions.

J Gen Virol, 1991 Sep, 72 ( Pt 9), 2239 - 42
Outer capsid protein heterogeneity of rice dwarf phytoreovirus; Suzuki N et al.; The 46K outer capsid protein encoded by RNA segment S8 and the 42K polypeptide, previously thought to be the segment S9-encoded structural protein, were isolated from a rice dwarf phytoreovirus purified preparation, and then analysed by peptide mapping and electroblot-ELISA . Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease peptide mapping patterns of the 42K and 46K proteins were similar . Two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), obtained after immunization with virus particles dissociated by 0.1% SDS, were each specific for both the 42K and 46K proteins . Furthermore, the MAbs bound common peptide fragments which were generated by digestion of the 42K and 46K proteins with V8 protease or proteinase K . These results strongly suggest that the 42K protein is not a gene product of S9 but a product overlapping with the 46K outer capsid protein . Whether the two proteins are functionally distinct remains to be determined.

Clin Exp Immunol, 1991 Sep, 85(3), 386 - 91
Impaired tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production and abnormal B cell response to TNF-alpha in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); Mitamura K et al.; We examined the TNF-alpha activity in culture supernatants of monocytes isolated from the peripheral blood of patients with SLE and of normal individuals . The monocytes from patients with SLE stimulated with silica particles, lipopolysaccharide or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan 1 secreted significantly lower amounts of TNF-alpha than did normal monocytes . A decreased TNF mRNA expression was observed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated by mitogens from patients with SLE . Furthermore, we examined the effect of recombinant TNF-alpha (rTNF-alpha) on the B cell function in SLE patients . rTNF-alpha inhibited the spontaneous B cell proliferation of SLE, but tended to enhance the normal B cell proliferation . Spontaneous IgM production from SLE B cells was inhibited by rTNF-alpha, but that from normal B cells was not . Spontaneous IgG production was unaffected by rTNF-alpha . Also, rTNF-alpha did not affect the viability of B cells . These findings suggest that an impaired TNF-alpha production and an abnormal B cell response to TNF-alpha play a role in the immunological dysfunction in patients with SLE.

J Bone Joint Surg Am, 1991 Sep, 73(8), 1200 - 7
The importance of positive bacterial cultures of specimens obtained during clean orthopaedic operations; Dietz FR et al.; Microbiological cultures of specimens of tissue and of fluids from the wound in forty patients who had had consecutive clean, elective orthopaedic operations (excluding total joint replacements) and had not received antibiotics preoperatively were analyzed . Of the forty patients, twenty-three (58 per cent) had a positive culture on at least one of the media that were used and seventeen (43 per cent) had negative cultures . Of the forty specimens that were obtained from swabbing of the wound, eight (20 per cent) were positive on culture, compared with twenty (50 per cent) that were obtained from biopsy of tissue . Of these twenty-eight positive cultures, thirteen (46 per cent) were on routine blood-agar plates and fifteen (54 per cent), in broth only . Of the thirty-three bacterial organisms that were identified in the twenty-eight positive cultures of the wound, nineteen (58 per cent) were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus; eight (24 per cent), Propionibacterium acnes; two (6 per cent), Peptostreptococcus; and four (12 per cent), miscellaneous organisms . In all of the positive cultures on the blood-agar plates, except in those showing Propionibacterium acnes, there were five colonies or fewer . One patient had a clinical infection with Staphylococcus aureus that developed later, but the initial cultures of the wound had been positive for Staphylococcus epidermidis only . None of the bacteria that grew on culture were Staphylococcus aureus or the less common pathogenic gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas, or Klebsiella.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Am J Kidney Dis, 1991 Sep, 18(3), 344 - 8
Risk factors for tunnel infections in continuous peritoneal dialysis; Holley JL et al.; Little data are available about risk factors for peritoneal catheter subcutaneous tunnel infection . Therefore, we analyzed tunnel infections occurring in our program over a 10.5-year period . One hundred twenty-nine tunnel infections occurred in 92 of 411 patients (22%) on peritoneal dialysis for a mean of 19 +/- 19 months . Tunnel infection rate was 0.19 per year . By 1 year, 15% of patients had a tunnel infection, and by 2 years, 23% . Tunnel infection rates decreased with increasing time on peritoneal dialysis: 2.4 per year for patients on peritoneal dialysis less than 1 year, 0.8 per year for patients on dialysis 1 to 2 years, and 0.4 per year for patients on dialysis greater than 2 years (all different at P less than 0.01) . Organisms were cultured in 109 tunnel infections: gram-positive cocci in 77 episodes (71%) {Staphylococcus aureus 57, 52%}, and gram-negative bacilli in 24 episodes (22%) . Tunnel infection rates were higher in diabetics than in nondiabetics (0.27 per year v 0.16 per year, respectively; P less than 0.001 by life-table analysis of time to first infection) and also higher in women than in men (0.23 per year v 0.17 per year, P less than 0.001) . Tunnel infection rates were 0.35 per year for diabetic women, 0.20 per year for diabetic men, 0.18 per year for nondiabetic women, and 0.15 per year for nondiabetic men (groups different, P less than 0.001) . Race and age were similar in patients with and without tunnel infections . Catheter loss was 80% when tunnel infection was associated with peritonitis and 40% when tunnel infection alone was present (P less than 0.001) . We conclude that the risk of tunnel infection is highest early in the course of peritoneal dialysis and that diabetic women, for unclear reasons, are at the highest risk.

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 1991 Sep, 102(3), 413 - 7
Diagnosis and management of purulent pericarditis . Experience with pericardiectomy; Majid AA et al.; Twelve cases of purulent pericarditis seen over 6 years are described . Staphylococcus aureus was the most common causative organism (six patients), and a respiratory infection was the most common preceding illness . The chest radiograph and echocardiogram were useful pointers to the diagnosis, but the electrocardiogram was not reliable . Antibiotics, surgical drainage, and pericardiectomy were used in all 12 cases . There was one death (8.3%), which occurred in a patient who was seen late . A review of the literature dealing with the diagnosis and management of this condition is presented . The importance of early diagnosis before a significant degree of cardiac tamponade occurs is noted . Although there is general agreement that surgical drainage is mandatory, the approach, methods of drainage, and extent of pericardial resection have been the subject of some discussion, and at least seven techniques are available . We conclude that pericardiectomy has a definite place in the management of purulent pericarditis.

J Nucl Med, 1991 Sep, 32(9), 1791 - 3
Gallium-SPECT in the detection of prosthetic valve endocarditis and aortic ring abscess; O'Brien K et al.; A 52-yr-old man who had a bioprosthetic aortic valve developed Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia . Despite antibiotic therapy he had persistent pyrexia and developed new conduction system disturbances . Echocardiography did not demonstrate vegetations on the valve or an abscess, but gallium scintigraphy using SPECT clearly identified a focus of intense activity in the region of the aortic valve . The presence of valvular vegetations and a septal abscess was confirmed at autopsy . Gallium scintigraphy, using SPECT, provided a useful noninvasive method for the demonstration of endocarditis and the associated valve ring abscess.

Blood, 1991 Sep 1, 78(5), 1338 - 46
An inherited defect of neutrophil motility and microfilamentous cytoskeleton associated with abnormalities in 47-Kd and 89-Kd proteins; Coates TD et al.; A 2-month-old male Tongan infant presented with fever, severe skin and mucosal infections, hepatosplenomegaly, thrombocytopenia, and normal neutrophil counts . While polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) morphology was normal, several neutrophil motile functions were found to be altered in the patient . Furthermore, two siblings had died in infancy with a similar clinical picture, raising the possibility of an inherited neutrophil defect . Random migration and chemotaxis, assessed by the under agarose method, were profoundly impaired . Actin polymerization, as measured by flow cytometry of N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)phallacidin (NBD-phallacidin)-stained PMNs, showed lower basal F-actin and a 1.75-fold increase in response to 10(-7) mol/L formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) compared with a 4.51-fold increase in control . Microscopic examination of NBD-phallacidin-stained PMN spread on glass showed decreased area of spreading and F-actin-rich filamentous projections distinct from control . The early phase of FMLP-induced right angle light scattering was absent, similar to the effect caused by cytochalasin-B (CB), an inhibitor of actin polymerization . Accordingly, FMLP induced secretion of elastase without the addition of CB . Staphylococcus aureus killing was 50% of control whereas superoxide production response to FMLP and surface expression of CD11b were greater than twice normal . Partial defects in actin polymerization and scatter were seen in the parents and release of elastase, in the absence of CB, was also increased in both parents . Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis of whole cell proteins from the patient showed a marked decrease in an 89-Kd protein (8% of control) and a marked increase in a 47-Kd protein (4.2-fold) . Both mother and father had decreased 89-Kd (77% and 42% of control) and increased 47-Kd proteins (2- and 3.4-fold), although neither had recurrent infections or chemotactic defects . These studies describe a new inherited actin dysfunction syndrome associated with severe propensity to fungal infection and draw attention to the proteins of apparent molecular weights of 89 Kd and 47 Kd, which may be of great importance in the regulation of actin polymerization in human PMNs.

J Exp Med, 1991 Sep 1, 174(3), 673 - 81
Evidence that natural murine soluble interleukin 4 receptors may act as transport proteins; Fernandez-Botran R et al.; The present studies were undertaken to determine whether the interleukin 4 binding proteins (IL-4BPs) previously identified in the biological fluids of mice are soluble forms of IL-4Rs . We also studied the binding properties of IL-4BPs in order to gain insight into their physiological role in vivo . Affinity-purified IL-4BPs and recombinant soluble IL-4Rs generated similar one-dimensional (Cleveland) peptide maps after digestion with either Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease or trypsin, indicating structural similarities . Furthermore, a rat mAb directed against the murine IL-4Rs immunoprecipitated the IL-4BPs and completely inhibited binding of 125I-IL-4 to a purified preparation of IL-4BPs . Taken together these data indicate that the IL-4BPs are soluble IL-4Rs . At 4 degrees C the IL-4BPs competitively inhibited the binding of IL-4 to membrane IL-4Rs but their ability to prevent binding of IL-4 to cells at 37 degrees C, at the same concentrations, was significantly reduced . Kinetic binding studies of soluble IL-4BPs vs . membrane IL-4Rs disclosed important differences in their rates of dissociation from IL-4 . Whereas dissociation at 4 degrees C was slow for both, dissociation of IL-4 from IL-BPs at 37 degrees C was considerably faster (t 1/2 of 2 min) than dissociation of IL-4 from membrane IL-4Rs (t 1/2 of approximately 69 min) . Temperature-dependent changes in dissociation kinetics were reversible, and could not be accounted for by either inactivation of the IL-4BPs at 37 degrees C or receptor internalization . Additional experiments also demonstrated that when IL-4BPs bind to IL-4 at 37 degrees C, the IL-4/IL-4BPs complex can rapidly dissociate, allowing IL-4 to bind to membrane IL-4Rs . In addition, binding of IL-4 by the IL-4BPs protects IL-4 from proteolytic degradation . Taken together, these results suggest that the IL-4BPs are naturally occurring forms of soluble IL-4Rs and that some of their properties (fast dissociation kinetics and protection of IL-4 from proteolysis) are consistent with a potential role as carrier proteins for IL-4 in the circulation.

Cancer Res, 1991 Sep 1, 51(17), 4624 - 30
Tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol increase the phosphorylation of protein kinase C in cells; Molina CA et al.; Phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC) may be an important mode of regulation of this enzyme that plays a key role in mouse skin tumor promotion and in mammalian cell signal transduction . To investigate this possibility, PKC was specifically immunoprecipitated from Abelson murine leukemia virus-transformed normal rat kidney cells that had been metabolically labeled with {32P}orthophosphoric acid . The Mr 80,000 phosphoprotein that was specifically immunoprecipitated from Abelson murine leukemia virus-transformed normal rat kidney cells was found to be identical with purified rat brain PKC that had undergone cell-free autophosphorylation . This is based on comparisons of peptides generated by partial proteolysis with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease by one-dimensional polyacrylamide-sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis and of tryptic peptides by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography . These data are consistent with phosphorylation of PKC in cells having occurred via autophosphorylation . The autophosphorylation of PKC was stimulated by treatment of C3H 10T1/2 cells with the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate or sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol . Exposure of cells to 100 nM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate for 15 min increased the phosphorylation of PKC by 5-fold in the particulate fraction, while treatment with 100 microM dioctanoylglycerol enhanced phosphorylation of PKC only by 2-fold . Phosphorylation of PKC in response to activation may have significance for altering the sensitivity of PKC to proteolytic down-regulation and/or to subsequent activation.

Spec Care Dentist, 1991 Sep-Oct, 11(5), 197 - 9
MRSA: an important consideration for geriatric dentistry practitioners; Staat RH et al.; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can cause life-threatening disease in older populations . MRSA is readily spread by patient to patient or by health care workers to patient contact . Implications for dental practitioners include the fact that they may be passive vectors for the disease and that dental treatment of patients with active MRSA infections must follow effective infection control practices.

Ann Vasc Surg, 1991 Sep, 5(5), 408 - 12
Prevention of vascular graft infection by rifampin bonding to a gelatin-sealed Dacron graft; Goeau-Brissonniere O et al.; This study examines the efficacy of rifampin bonding to a gelatin-sealed knitted Dacron graft to prevent perioperative bacteremic vascular graft infection . Antibiotic bonding was obtained by soaking grafts for 15 minutes in a 1 mg/ml saline solution of rifampin at 37 degrees C . Nineteen dogs had thoracoabdominal aortic bypass: seven (group I) received a rifampin treated graft; six (group II) received an untreated gelatin-coated graft; and six (group III) received an uncoated Dacron graft . Two days later bacteremic challenge was produced by rapid intravenous injection of 5 x 10(5) colony forming units of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Grafts were harvested five days after this challenge and cut into 10 fragments, each submitted to bacterial counts . Results were expressed as CFU/cm2 of graft material . In group I, no graft was infected, whereas all grafts in groups II and III were infected (p less than 0.05) . Median bacterial counts from the infected fragments (median +/- SD) were similar in groups II (2.5 x 10(5) CFU/cm2) and III (4 x 10(4) CFU/cm2) . Blood cultures at time of sacrifice were negative in all dogs in group I and positive in five of six dogs in groups II and III . Cultures of liver, spleen, kidney, and lung specimens were always negative in group I and positive in 22 of 24 specimens in group II and 23 of 24 specimens in group III . Soaking a gelatin-sealed Dacron graft in rifampin solution evidently prevents early bacteremic graft infection and secondary foci of infection in this model.

Clin Ther, 1991 Sep-Oct, 13(5), 637 - 50
Treatment of pneumonia: new strategies for changing pathogens; Ashby BL; Changes in the etiologic agents that cause pneumonia pose new challenges for empiric antimicrobial therapy . Ofloxacin is a new oral quinolone antibiotic with good to excellent activity against many of the usual and atypical pulmonary pathogens . Clinical trials have demonstrated high clinical and microbiological cure rates with ofloxacin and comparable efficacy to standard antibiotics used to treat pneumonia . Compared with ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin provides greater bioavailability, extended inhibitory concentrations in the blood, similar activity against gram-negative pathogens, better activity against gram-positive bacteria, in vitro activity against atypical pathogens, renal elimination, and a lower potential for interactions with theophylline and caffeine . These advantages suggest that ofloxacin should be the first-choice quinolone when Staphylococcus aureus is suspected, when higher and prolonged serum and tissue concentrations are needed, and when the patient is also receiving theophylline . In addition, the substitution of a potent oral antibiotic such as ofloxacin for intravenous agents may enable some hospital patients to continue their therapy as outpatients, thus reducing health-care costs.

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis, 1991 Sep-Oct, 14(5), 451 - 5
Correlative interpretation of staphylococcal resistance to penicillinase-resistant penicillins by ceftizoxime disk susceptibility test using Showa disks; Yamane N et al.; The Showa disk susceptibility test (Showa Yakuhin Kako Company, Japan) was evaluated to discriminate between the strains of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to penicillinase-resistant penicillins (PRPs) and those susceptible . When we tested 129 PRP-resistant and 112 susceptible strains, many PRP-resistant strains were interpreted to be false susceptible to methicillin and oxacillin, especially when incubated at 37 degrees C . Growth at 30 degrees C and when NaCl was added to the medium improved the test reliability for detection of PRP resistance . Ceftizoxime disk (30 micrograms) susceptibility test results highly correlated with reference PRP resistance when incubated at 35 degrees C . All the PRP-resistant strains produced no zone of inhibition, whereas all of the PRP-susceptible strains were categorized as susceptible to ceftizoxime (greater than or equal to 22 mm, less than or equal to 3.13 micrograms/ml), for example, 100% correlation . It was concluded that the Showa ceftizoxime disk, in replacement of PRPs, will provide a reliable, alternative method to predict PRP resistance in S . aureus pending reevaluation of the Show PRP disk tests.

Mikrobiol Zh, 1991 Sep-Oct, 53(5), 37 - 40
{The effect of the antibiotic AL-87 on the amino acid yield from Staphylococcus aureus 209P cells}; Snirnov VV et al.; Antibiotic AL-87 has been studied for its effect on the composition of intracellular free amino acids and of amino acids in culture fluid of Staphylococcus aureus 209 P . It is established that the content of amino acids in the culture fluid of S . aureus 209 P is doubled due to antibiotics, while the content of intracellular free amino acids considerably decreases . Spectrum of free amino acids of S . aureus 209 P is presented by 17 basic amino acids . When there is a sub-bacteriostatic concentration of the antibiotic in the medium all free amino acids tend to leave the cells, the content of aspartic acid, serine, threonine and leucine in the medium being increased . Data obtained when studying the effect of antibiotic AL-87 on the composition of free amino acids of Staphylococcus agree well with the previously obtained results from the study of the fatty acid composition of cells . In the light of these data it may be supposed that an increase of the membrane permeability and as a result of it an outlet of amino acids into the medium is one of constituents of the mechanism of antibiotic AL-87 action on Staphylococcus cells.

J Med Assoc Thai, 1991 Sep, 74(9), 377 - 80
Determination of teichoic acid antibody for the diagnosis of pediatric staphylococcal infections; Thisyakorn U et al.; Determination of teichoic acid antibodies by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was done in 39 patients with Staphylococcus aureus infections and 151 patients who did not have a history of serious staphylococcal infections . The latter who were treated for other diseases served as controls . Various levels of teichoic acid antibodies below 1:3,200 were detected in controls while significantly higher levels were seen in patients with Staphylococcus aureus infections.

Zhonghua Min Guo Xiao Er Ke Yi Xue Hui Za Zhi, 1991 Sep-Oct, 32(5), 325 - 9
{Non-surgical treatment of spinal epidural abscesses: report of one case}; Lin CC et al.; Spinal epidural abscesses (SEA) are uncommon in children . This paper reported a two-year-old boy who was noted to have neck stiffness, with local tenderness posteriorly . Bacterial meningitis was suspected initially in terms of the finding of the cerebral spinal fluid; antibiotics were prescribed . Three days later another spinal tap was performed because of persistent high fever and irritability . A pus-like material drained out as the needle punctured into the spinal region . A magnetic resonance image (MRI) scan of the spine revealed a SEA, with extensive involvement from the second cervical spine to the lumbosacral spine region . Culture of the pus, as well as the blood and CSF, were positive for Staphylococcus aureus . Because of extensive involvement of the spinal epidural space, the patient was again given antibiotics: Prostaphllin and Amikin intravenously for six weeks instead of laminectomy . Then the oral antibiotic (Keflex) was given to the patient for another three months after the boy was discharged from the hospital . A review of the literature shows the incidence of SEA to be increasing and the bacterial spectra to be broadening because of increasing use of immunosuppressing drugs or antibiotics, and the increase in numbers of immunecompromised patient . The clinical symptoms and signs of the SEA were non-specific, but SEA can be early diagnosed by computurized tomography (CT) scan or MRI scan with caution . The literature suggests that, if the patient's condition fits the criteria for non-surgical treatment, antibiotic therapy is the first choice for preventing the complication of spinal deformity, especially in children.

Zhonghua Min Guo Xiao Er Ke Yi Xue Hui Za Zhi, 1991 Sep-Oct, 32(5), 297 - 302
{Comparison of rapid latex and conventional methods for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus}; Chen CH et al.; Rapid latex agglutination assay, staphaurex (Wellcome Diagnostics) was compared with the tube coagulase, thermo-stable nuclease, deoxyribonuclease and mannitol fermentation test for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus . A total of 277 clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, 201 Staphylococcus epidermidis, and 25 Staphylococcus saprophyticus were tested . The results showed that sensitivities were: staphaurex, 99.6%; rabbit plasma, 99.6%; human plasma, 99.2%; thermostable nuclease, 100%; deoxyribonuclease, 100%; mannitol fermentation, 98.9%; as for specificities results showed: staphaurex, 96.6%; rabbit plasma 100%; human plasma, 100%; thermo-stable nuclease, 98.7%; deoxyribonuclease 95.7%; mannitol fermentation, 91.1%; respectively . In our study, staphaurex is recommended because it is simple to operate, save in time and economic in cost.

Nippon Saikingaku Zasshi, 1991 Sep, 46(5), 855 - 60
{Cross reactive antigens of Acholeplasma laidlawii and L-form of Staphylococcus aureus}; Kawashima T et al.; We demonstrated that the membrane of Acholeplasma laidlawii PG8 and L-form of Staphylococcus aureus, both of which induce cellular immunity in BALB/c mice, were antigenically related each other . Foodpad responses of the mice immunized with a mixture of either antigen and Freund's complete adjuvant showed clearly a cross reaction when challenged with the other antigen . Cross responses to incorporate 3H-thymidine to the spleen lymphocytes of the mice immunized with either antigen occurred in the presence of the other antigen . Furthermore, the purified T cells, but not B cells, of the spleen were activated in the presence of antigen-presenting cells . These antigens existing in the membrane fractions of both microorganisms were purified by Razin's method . Finally, these membrane components of A . laidlawii and L-form of S . aureus were subjected to gel electrophoresis and transferring to nitrocellulose membrane and used to stimulate the spleen lymphocytes of the mice immunized with A . laidlawii or of non-immunized mice . The fractions representing molecular weights of approximately 45 kD, 25 kD, and 13 kD of both microorganisms consistently stimulated the lymphocytes of the immunized mice but not those of non-immunized mice.

Nippon Saikingaku Zasshi, 1991 Sep, 46(5), 839 - 45
{Antibacterial and bactericidal activities of tea extracts and catechins against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus}; Toda M et al.; We examined tea extract, (-) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) and theaflavin digallate (TF3) for their antibacterial and bactericidal activities against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and food poisoning strains of S . aureus . Twenty percent tea extract (50 microliters), EGCg (63 micrograms) and TF3 (125 micrograms) added to one ml of culture medium each inhibited the growth of all strains of MRSA and food poisoning S . aureus tested . Tea extract showed also a bactericidal activity against MRSA even at the same concentration of as in ordinarily brewed tea . EGCg at a concentration of 250 micrograms/ml showed a bactericidal activity against MRSA but not against food poisoning S . aureus, but at 500 micrograms/ml reduced markedly the viable number within 48h . These results suggest that tea and catechin can be used as prophylactic agents against MRSA infection.

Immunopharmacology, 1991 Sep-Oct, 22(2), 107 - 13
Human mononuclear cell chemiluminescence and interleukin-1 release induced by Staphylococcus aureus protein A; Olsen UB; Staphylococcus aureus protein A (SpA) is shown to induce a temporary chemiluminescence (CL)-response of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells . Maximal activity of SpA is observed at 3 micrograms/ml and EC50 is about 1 microgram/ml . The CL response depends on extracellular calcium, and moreover is inhibited by pretreating cells with rabbit-anti-human IgG's . From glass-adhered monocytes, SpA alone (3 micrograms/ml) did not consistently affect the generation of immunoreactive interleukin-1 (IL-1) . However, SpA and endotoxin (1 micrograms/ml) showed a marked synergistic effect on IL-1 release . The results suggest that SpA interacts with membrane-bound Ig molecules endowed with receptor functions . The CL response may be envisaged as a result of early transmembrane signalling events presumably taking place in monocytes . Apparently, hereby, the cells become primed for endotoxin-triggered IL-1 release.

Rev Infect Dis, 1991 Sep-Oct, 13 Suppl 10, S869 - 73
Antibiotic prophylaxis in clean surgery: peripheral vascular surgery, noncardiovascular thoracic surgery, herniorrhaphy, and mastectomy; Hopkins CC; Studies published in the English-language literature on the use of prophylactic systemic antibiotics in vascular surgery, noncardiovascular thoracic surgery, mastectomy, and herniorrhaphy were reviewed . The effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis in preventing deep and superficial wound infections in peripheral vascular surgery appears to be well documented, especially if prophylaxis is directed against Staphylococcus aureus . In clean thoracic surgery the evidence is equivocal, and no studies have sufficient statistical power to eliminate the possibility even of a 50% reduction in incidence . In herniorrhaphy and mastectomy some evidence from a much more powerful study suggests that antibiotic prophylaxis may result in a decrease of up to 50% in wound infections, but whether these data can be generalized uncritically to all clean wounds is still a matter of debate . Accordingly, only guarded recommendations can be made regarding the use of prophylactic antibiotics in procedures associated with a very low risk of serious infection.

Rev Infect Dis, 1991 Sep-Oct, 13 Suppl 10, S847 - 57
Antibiotic prophylaxis in trauma: penetrating abdominal injuries and open fractures; Dellinger EP; Infection is an important cause of late morbidity and mortality following traumatic injury . As part of a coordinated treatment effort for the injured patient, preventive antibiotic use can reduce subsequent infectious complications . Available evidence supports the use of antibiotic(s) with activity against both aerobic and anaerobic enteric pathogens for patients with penetrating abdominal injuries and bowel penetration . Patients with open fractures benefit from the use of an antibiotic with activity against Staphylococcus aureus . Data on the ideal dose and duration of antibiotic administration in these situations are incomplete . It is likely that the best results will be obtained with early parenteral administration of large doses of the chosen antibiotic continuing for less than or equal to 24 hours . For injuries other than penetrating abdominal wounds and open fractures, definitive information is not available.

Vet Pathol, 1991 Sep, 28(5), 419 - 27
Heterophil function in healthy chickens and in chickens with experimentally induced staphylococcal tenosynovitis; Andreasen CB et al.; Heterophil function was evaluated in 16 healthy chickens and in 46 chickens with experimentally induced staphylococcal tenosynovitis . In paired blood samples, heterophils from chickens with tenosynovitis had a significant increase in adherence, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and bacterial killing of Staphylococcus aureus compared to heterophils from healthy chickens . The percent adherence of heterophils to nylon fiber columns increased significantly from a 78.4% mean +/- 6.6% standard deviation to 87.6% +/- 3.2% after induction of staphylococcal tenosynovitis . Heterophil movement following in vitro exposure to saline or endotoxin was increased in chickens with tenosynovitis; 3 +/- 1 heterophils/0.25 mm2 to 10 +/- 6 heterophils/0.25 mm2 and 136 +/- 29 heterophils/0.25 mm2 to 340 +/- 74 heterophils/0.25 mm2, respectively . Endotoxin-activated serum was chemoattractive for heterophils from all chickens . Flow cytometry was used to define the heterophil population on light scatter histograms, evaluate individual cell phagocytosis of latex beads, and quantitate the number of beads phagocytosed per heterophil . When incubated with increased numbers of beads, only heterophils from chickens with tenosynovitis phagocytosed higher numbers of beads . At heterophil to bead ratios of 1:10, the percentage of heterophils that phagocytosed beads increased from baseline values of 37.8% +/- 9.0% to post-infection values of 67.3% +/- 7.5% . Using 1:20 heterophil to bead ratios, heterophil phagocytosis increased from 38.7% +/- 9.9% to post-infection values of 79.8% +/- 7.3% . Heterophils from all chickens were able to phagocytose and kill log phase staphylococcal bacteria . After phagocytosis, the heterophils from chickens with staphylococcal tenosynovitis rapidly decreased the number of viable bacterial colony forming-units per milliliter by approximately one log.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Conn Med, 1991 Sep, 55(9), 507 - 10
The emergence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in extended care facilities in northern Connecticut between 1986 and 1990; Rank EL; Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is recognized as a pathogen of significant morbidity in hospital facilities . The microorganism can also be recovered from clinical specimens taken from patients who are residents of extended care facilities (ECFs) . This report is a five-year retrospective review of the emergence and spread of MRSA isolates within ECFs located in north central Connecticut and their susceptibility profile over that time span.

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 1991 Sep, 22(2), 151 - 60
Bacteriological nasal flora in newborns indicating health and/or development of infection; Cvetnic V et al.; During delivery, a fetus otherwise sterile during the intrauterine life, comes in contact with bacterial flora of the mother's birth canal, and then also with the ward personnel's skin and respiratory system flora . Due to the absence of competitive bacteriological flora, the nasal cavity is gradually colonized by microorganisms, especially those with a capacity of adhesion to epithelial cells of respiratory nasal mucosa . Bacteriological flora of the newborn's nasal flora was observed on days 1 and 3 postpartum, in an attempt to determine whether a finding of pathogenic bacterial flora in newborn's nasal mucosa indicates a localized infection only or points to the possible development of generalized infection . Bacteriological nasal flora was monitored in infants born by spontaneous delivery and in those born by cesarean section . In mothers of infants born by spontaneous delivery, bacteriological flora from the cervix uteri was investigated . Results of the study performed by usual methods revealed Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus to prevail in the pathogenic flora . Gram-negative microorganisms were found to be good indicators of local infection of newborn's nasal mucosa, regardless of the absence of clinical symptoms.

Vet Immunol Immunopathol, 1991 Sep, 29(3-4), 239 - 50
Differential enhancement and distribution of antigen-specific cells in various lymph nodes in response to locally inoculated bacterial antigens; Dobrzanski MJ et al.; The proliferation responses of antigen-specific lymphocytes from various anatomical sites were studied in dairy goats locally immunized with heat-killed Staphylococcus aureus (HKS) . Animals were inoculated three times subcutaneously in the right udder with HKS at 1 month intervals . One week following the last inoculation, prescapular, mesenteric and ipsilateral (draining) and contralateral (non-draining) suprammammary lymph nodes were collected and the cells assayed in 3- and 6-day cultures to determine the immune proliferative responses of antigen-specific lymphocytes to HKS and the polyclonal T cell mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) . The cells from draining and non-draining supramammary lymph nodes responded to HKS in 3-day cultures . Peripheral lymph nodes, such as the prescapular, showed similar responses . In contrast, mesenteric lymph nodes responded optimally in 6-day cultures, notably to lower concentrations of the antigen . Cells from all lymph nodes tested showed increased responses to PHA in immunized animals, although non-draining lymph nodes demonstrated a greater response to the T cell mitogen than those of draining lymph nodes . These results suggest that unilateral introduction of Staphylococcus cell antigens to the supramammary region can induce an anamnestic response in ipsilateral as well as contralateral supramammary lymph nodes and other distant peripheral lymphoid organs . Furthermore, these data indicate that cells from intestinal lymph nodes respond differently from those of peripheral lymph nodes, suggesting the presence of a unique gastrointestinal lymphoid cell circulation in goats . Concomitant peripheral responses may be attributed to memory cell migration or to antigen leakage and relocation to distant sites from the inoculated region . Analysis with PHA suggests a difference in general responsiveness and perhaps, immunocompetence, by lymphocyte populations in various lymphoid tissues of immunized animals.

Scand J Immunol, 1991 Sep, 34(3), 273 - 83
The role of CD45RA on human B-cell function: anti-CD45RA antibody (anti-2H4) inhibits the activation of resting B cells and antibody production of activated B cells independently in humans; Morikawa K et al.; Anti-CD45RA antibody defined by anti-2H4 monoclonal antibody has been reported to split CD4+T cells into two distinct subpopulations . CD45RA antigen is present on the surface of virtually more than 95% B lymphocytes in the purified tonsillar B-cell preparations . We examined the role of CD45RA antigen on human B-cell function using this antibody . The addition to anti-2H4 to tonsillar B cells inhibited the proliferative response induced by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I(SAC) in a dose-dependent manner . Kinetic analysis indicated that anti-2H4 exerted its inhibitory effect when added within the first 24 h of culture initiation during a 72-h culture period . Anti-2H4 inhibited the transferrin receptor expression without interfering with the expression of the IL-2 receptor on SAC-stimulated B cells in a short-term culture . Anti-2H4 blocked the progress of SAC-stimulated B cells from the G1 to S phase of the cell cycle . These events suggested that anti-CD45RA MoAb inhibited the proliferative response by directly acting on B cells in the G1 phase . In addition, anti-CD45RA antibody also had a suppressive effect on early phase of B-cell differentiation . This effect appeared to be independent of its suppressive effect on proliferation, because anti-CD45RA did not inhibit the proliferative response of preactivated B cells with lymphokines . These studies suggested that the restricted epitope recognized by anti-2H4 antibody may be directly involved in regulatory function on B cells.

J Hosp Infect, 1991 Sep, 19(1), 5 - 16
A maternity hospital outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Moore EP et al.; A maternity hospital outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with a strain other than EMRSA-1 is described . In contrast to previously documented outbreaks, which have usually centered on special care baby units, this outbreak mainly involved the routine ante-natal and postnatal wards . Thirty-seven mothers, 18 babies and nine staff were affected over a 6-week period . The high turnover of very mobile maternity patients and the open-plan design of the hospital influenced the course of the outbreak and adversely affected implementation of infection control measures . Significant environmental contamination and a very high rate of maternal perineal MRSA colonization were notable epidemiological features.

J Hosp Infect, 1991 Sep, 19(1), 41 - 8
Inter-strain comparison by pyrolysis mass spectrometry in the investigation of Staphylococcus aureus nosocomial infection; Gould FK et al.; Pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PyMS) was used to examine isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from an outbreak of wound infections on a cardiothoracic surgical unit, some of which were thought to have been related to a point-source in the operating theatre . The PyMS results were compared with the results of phage typing . Both methods suggested that a single strain of S . aureus, of phage pattern 29/52/52A/79/80/81, was responsible for some of the wound infections, but PyMS also identified two patients with phage non-typable isolates . Phage typing indicated four staff members as possible carriers of the epidemic strain, but PyMS indicated only two . Epidemiological enquiry confirmed that one of the two members of staff identified by both methods was likely to have been the source of the theatre-based infection . PyMS is a rapid and relatively inexpensive technique for the investigation of nosocomial S . aureus infection and was more discriminatory than phage typing in this instance.

J Hosp Infect, 1991 Sep, 19(1), 17 - 24
Carriage and community treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: what happens to colonized patients after discharge?
Hicks NR, Moore EP, Williams EW.
During a maternity hospital outbreak of colonization/infection due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), mothers and babies from 35 families were known to have been discharged colonized with MRSA . Thirty-two of these families were followed up by screening in the community . After 4 weeks, carriage was still detectable in 22 families . The ten families in which carriage was no longer detectable had MRSA isolated at discharge from enrichment culture only . All of the 11 families who had MRSA isolated on direct culture at discharge continued to carry MRSA . Mothers and babies from the 22 families still carrying MRSA at 4 weeks were offered topical treatment . Carriage persisted in ten of these families despite treatment . The most common site of persistent carriage was the perineum in mothers and the throat in infants.

J Hosp Infect, 1991 Sep, 19 Suppl B, 41 - 6
The use of nasal mupirocin ointment to prevent Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemias in haemodialysis patients: an analysis of cost-effectiveness; Boelaert JR et al.; Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus is a risk factor for the development of infections caused by S . aureus in haemodialysis patients . This study compared the incidence of bacteraemia caused by S . aureus during 6 months of use of nasal 2% calcium mupirocin ('Nasal Bactroban') 3-times a week for nasal carriers with the incidence observed previously in the same dialysis unit without the use of mupirocin . Nasal mupirocin led to the total eradication of nasal carriage of S . aureus, a 4.26-fold reduction in the incidence of S . aureus bacteraemia, and a substantial cost saving . After a cumulative experience of nasal mupirocin in haemodialysis patients of more than 43 patient-years, the development of mupirocin resistance was not observed.

J Hosp Infect, 1991 Sep, 19 Suppl B, 19 - 25
The antimicrobial activity of mupirocin--an update on resistance; Slocombe B et al.; Mupirocin (pseudomonic acid A) has a novel chemical structure that is unrelated to any other known class of antibiotic, and possesses a unique mode of action . As a consequence, mupirocin lacks cross-resistance with other antibacterial agents and exhibits activity against strains of bacteria that are multiresistant . The selection in vitro of resistant variants of Staphylococcus aureus is slow, which is reflected in the low incidence of mupirocin resistance encountered in clinical practice . Pulse field gel electrophoresis studies on S . aureus highly resistant to mupirocin, have confirmed the presence of a large plasmid in the majority, but not all, of the isolates . Restriction endonuclease digests of the large plasmid DNA, and DNA hybridization studies with a non-radiolabelled probe constructed from total plasmid DNA, have shown that there were marked differences in plasmid types between isolates from different locations, but general similarities between plasmid types isolated from the same location.

Microb Pathog, 1991 Sep, 11(3), 211 - 20
A periodate-sensitive anti-phagocytic surface structure, induced by growth in milk whey, on Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine mastitis; Hallen Sandgren C et al.; The phagocytic and chemiluminescent activity of purified bovine neutrophils in response to two Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from mastitic bovine milk and grown in milk whey was studied . The activity was significantly reduced compared with the response elicited by the same strains grown in tryptic soy broth (TSB) . A mild periodate treatment of the milk whey-grown strains resulted in a significant increase of both chemiluminescence and phagocytosis, whereas trypsin, subtilisin or papain treatment had no effect . The decreased binding of complement factor C3 to milk-whey-grown bacteria was restored to the level of TSB-grown homologous organisms by periodate treatment . Moreover, this treatment, but not treatment with trypsin, increased the surface hydrophobicity of milk-whey-grown bacteria . The chemiluminescent activity was as high towards heat-killed as towards live bacteria . Also, incubation of heat-killed TSB-grown bacteria in milk whey did not alter the chemiluminescent response, indicating that the reduced neutrophil activity towards milk-whey-grown bacteria was not due to binding of milk components to the microorganisms . These results strongly suggest that bovine mastitis S . aureus strains grown in milk whey produce an anti-phagocytic surface structure . This structure is heat- and protease-resistant and renders the bacterial surface hydrophilic . The anti-phagocytic material is altered or, more likely, released from the bacterial surface on periodate treatment and is probably of carbohydrate nature.

Microbiologia, 1991 Sep, 7(2), 113 - 9
Inhibition of the degranulation and myeloperoxidase activity of human polymorphonuclear neutrophils by Brucella melitensis; Orduna A et al.; The degranulation and myeloperoxidase-H2O2-halide activities of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes from healthy donors were tested after co-incubation with either Brucella melitensis 16M, Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus aureus in presence of lipopolysaccharide, protein fraction, native hapten and soluble fractions released at 65 degrees C from smooth strain of Brucella melitensis 16M . The degranulation and myeloperoxidase activities of polymorphonuclear leukocytes were significantly higher when co-incubated with Staphylococcus aureus than with Brucella melitensis . The presence of lipopolysaccharide, protein fraction, and native hapten did not cause significant modification of either degranulation or myeloperoxidase activities of polymorphonuclear leukocytes against Staphylococcus aureus . Soluble fraction released at 65 degrees C produced a significant reduction in the myeloperoxidase activity but did not alter the degranulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes triggered by Staphylococcus aureus.

J Bacteriol, 1991 Sep, 173(18), 5854 - 60
A novel locus conferring fluoroquinolone resistance in Staphylococcus aureus; Trucksis M et al.; Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin are potent antimicrobial agents that antagonize the A subunit of DNA gyrase . We selected and mapped a novel fluoroquinolone resistance gene on the Staphylococcus aureus chromosome . Resistant mutants were selected with ciprofloxacin or ofloxacin and were uniformly localized to the A fragment of chromosomal DNA digested with SmaI and arrayed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis . Several mutants (cfxB, ofxC) were genetically mapped between the thr and trp loci in the A fragment . A majority of A fragment fluoroquinolone resistance mutations were associated with reduced susceptibility to novobiocin, an antagonist of the B subunit of DNA gyrase . Two genes previously associated with fluoroquinolone resistance, the gyrA gene of DNA gyrase and the norA gene (associated with decreased drug accumulation), were localized to the G and D fragments, respectively . Thus, the fluoroquinolone resistance mutations in the A fragment are distinct from previously identified fluoroquinolone resistance mutations in gyrA and norA . Whether mutations in the A fragment after a second topoisomerase or another gene controlling supercoiling or affect drug permeation is unknown.

J Immunol, 1991 Aug 15, 147(4), 1299 - 306
Biosynthesis and partial amino acid sequence of the human NDA4 antigen . An activation antigen common to B and T cell lineages; Harris PE et al.; NDA4, a cell surface protein of molecular mass 46 kDa common to activated peripheral blood B and T cells, plays a unique role in the control of B and T cell maturation . NDA4 inhibits B and T cell activation, as mitogen-stimulated B and T cell blastogenic responses are decreased in the presence of mAb NDA4, the antibody recognizing NDA4 . After mitogen-activation, however, the regulatory function of NDA4 changes . Addition of mAb NDA4 to cultures of Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain A-activated B cells or alloreactive T cell clones stimulates their proliferation . NDA4 epitopes are conserved across primate species lines and are present on transformed cells of neuroectodermal origin . NDA4 is synthesized as a molecular mass 50 kDa precursor and is processed to a mature 46 kDa form within 30 min . The NDA4 Ag also exists as soluble forms of 40 and 42 kDa . The membrane and soluble forms of NDA4 have been purified to homogeneity and sequenced by N-terminal Edman degradation.

J Biol Chem, 1991 Aug 15, 266(23), 14903 - 11
The primary structure of coagulation factor IX/factor X-binding protein isolated from the venom of Trimeresurus flavoviridis . Homology with asialoglycoprotein receptors, proteoglycan core protein, tetranectin, and lymphocyte Fc epsilon receptor for immunoglobulin E; Atoda H et al.; An anticoagulant protein, factor IX/factor X-binding protein (IX/X-bp), isolated from the venom of Trimeresurus flavoviridis, binds with factor IX and factor X in the presence of Ca2+ with a 1 to 1 stoichiometry (Atoda, H., and Morita, T . (1989) J . Biochem . (Tokyo) 106, 808-813) . Analysis of S-pyridylethylated IX/X-bp by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a 16.0-kDa band (designated the A chain) and a 15.5-kDa band (designated the B chain) . These two chains were separated by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, and their complete amino acid sequences were determined by sequencing of the peptides obtained after digestion with lysyl endopeptidase, chymotrypsin, and V8 protease from Staphylococcus aureus and after chemical cleavage with cyanogen bromide . The A chain had an amino-terminal sequence of Asp-Cys-Leu-Ser-Gly- and consisted of 129 residues with Mr 14,830 . The B chain has an amino-terminal sequence of Asp-Cys-Pro-Ser-Asp- and consists of 123 residues of Mr 14,440 . There was 47% identity between the A and the B chain . The sequence of IX/X-bp showed 25-37% identity with that of the C-type carbohydrate recognition domain-like structure of acorn barnacle lectin, human and rat asialoglycoprotein receptors, the human lymphocyte Fc epsilon receptor for immunoglobulin E, proteoglycan core protein, pancreatic stone protein, and tetranectin . The sequences of the first 18 amino acid residues of both the A and B chains were also, to a certain extent, homologous to the partial amino acid sequence of the b subunit of factor XIII, a member of the beta 2-glycoprotein I-like family . In this region, some similarity with the amino-terminal amino acid sequence of botrocetin was also observed.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1991 Aug 15, 66(3), 271 - 7
A recombinant Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin (STa) fusion protein eliciting anti-STa neutralizing antibodies; Lowenadler B et al.; A recombinant fusion protein consisting of native Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin (STa) and a dimer of a synthetic IgG-binding fragment (ZZ), derived from Staphylococcus aureus protein A was produced in E . coli . The fusion protein (ZZSTa) was secreted in large quantities into the growth medium and recovered by affinity chromatography on IgG-Sepharose . Rabbits immunized with the fusion protein responded by producing high serum levels of anti-STa antibodies that also effectively neutralized STa toxicity in infant mice . The fusion peptide ZZSTa had a substantially decreased toxicity as compared with native STa . A polymeric form of ZZSTa separated by size fractionation was about 100 times less toxic than the monomeric fusion protein, yet both forms had the same capacity to induce neutralizing antibodies . This suggests that modified non-toxic forms of ZZSTa with retained immunogenicity may be produced and tested for their usefulness as functional components in a vaccine against diarrhoea caused by enterotoxigenic E . coli.

Biochemistry, 1991 Aug 13, 30(32), 8067 - 74
The isolated C-terminal (F2) fragment of the Escherichia coli tryptophan synthase beta 2-subunit folds into a stable, organized nonnative conformation; Chaffotte A et al.; Proteolysis of the beta 2-subunit of Escherichia coli tryptophan synthase by the endoproteinase Glu C from Staphylococcus aureus V8 yields a peptide, F2, corresponding to the C-terminal 101 residues of the beta-chain . The conformation and stability of isolated F2 in phosphate buffer at pH 7.8 (where native beta 2 is stable) have been investigated . Circular dichroism spectra in the far-UV showed the presence of large amounts of secondary structure (19% alpha-helices, 34% extended beta-structures) . Circular dichroism spectra in the near-UV and sedimentation velocity studies indicated an open globular structure with the aromatic side chains in a symmetric (or disordered) environment . NMR spectra and rates of amide proton exchange showed that F2 fluctuates rapidly between several conformations . The thermal denaturation of F2 observed by the loss of far-UV circular dichroism with increasing temperature appeared noncooperative, and indicates a high thermal stability (Tm = 70 degrees C) . Differential scanning microcalorimetry confirmed the absence of cooperativity and indicated a very low value for the calorimetric enthalpy of denaturation (delta H = 17 kJ/mol) . All these properties were compatible with a molten globule . However, the low sedimentation coefficient of F2 suggested a very hydrated and/or expanded structure, and the secondary structure content of isolated F2 (see above) differed widely from that reported in the literature for F2 within the context of native beta 2 (49% alpha-helices and 13% extended beta-structures) . Thus, neither the secondary nor the tertiary structure of isolated F2 resembled those of native F2 . In this respect, isolated F2 is not a "molten globule".(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

J Dairy Sci, 1991 Aug, 74(8), 2448 - 58
Effects of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administration to periparturient cows on neutrophils and bacterial shedding; Kehrli ME Jr et al.; Administration of recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor to periparturient dairy cows was evaluated as a method to prevent periparturient immunosuppression . Eleven of 21 cows were experimentally infected with Staphylococcus aureus in one mammary quarter prior to the study . Cows were randomly assigned to four groups in a 2 x 2 factorial design to evaluate the effects of placebo or recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor administration on chronic, subclinically infected and uninfected cows during the periparturient period . Blood neutrophils were isolated and evaluated for phagocytic activities 5 wk before expected parturition through 7 wk postpartum . Administration of recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor (5 micrograms/kg body weight or placebo subcutaneously beginning 14 d prepartum through 10 d post-partum) resulted in a prepartum and postpartum leukocytosis of 35,600/microliters and 53,500/microliters, respectively . This was attributed to a mature neutrophilia of 24,010/microliters during prepartum and 38,080/microliters during postpartum treatment periods (pretreatment baseline = 2330/microliters) . Mononuclear cell counts averaged 7610/microliters during prepartum and 9830/microliters during postpartum treatment periods (baseline = 3450/microliters) . Neutrophil random and directed migration were reduced during recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor treatment compared with placebo or baseline levels . Ingestion of bacteria and cytotoxicity by neutrophils was increased during recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor therapy compared with placebo or baseline levels . Shedding of S . aureus in lacteal secretions was unaffected by recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor treatment . In summary, administration of recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor increased the number and functional activity of neutrophils and prevented some aspects of periparturient immunosuppression in dairy cows.

J Biol Chem, 1991 Aug 5, 266(22), 14413 - 7
In vivo effect of asparagine in the hydrophobic region of the signal sequence; Goldstein J et al.; On the basis of the biophysical studies on the synthetic mutant (Ile-8----Asn) OmpA signal peptide in the preceding paper (Hoyt, D . C., and Gierasch, L.M . (1991) J . Biol . Chem . 266, 14406-14412), the in vivo effects of the same mutation were examined by fusing the mutant OmpA signal sequence to Staphylococcus aureus nuclease or TEM beta-lactamase . The mutation in which the isoleucine residue at position 8 of the OmpA signal sequence of Escherichia coli was replaced with a neutral polar residue, asparagine, resulted in a defective signal peptide . The mutant signal sequence was unable to be processed, and the precursor molecule accumulated in the cytoplasmic as well as in the membrane fractions, indicating that the Ile-8----Asn OmpA signal sequence is not competent for translocating nuclease A or beta-lactamase across the membrane . This result is consistent with the in vitro studies on the Ile-8----Asn OmpA signal peptide, which indicated that the mutant signal peptide was unable to penetrate into the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer . Other asparagine or glutamine substitution mutations in the hydrophobic region of the OmpA signal sequence were also examined . Interestingly, the OmpA signal sequence with either Ile-8----Gln, Val-10----Asn, or Leu-12----Asn mutation was completely defective as the Ile-8----Asn OmpA signal sequence, while the Ile-6----Asn and Ala-9----Asn OmpA nucleases were able to be processed to secrete nuclease, although the processing occurred at a much slower rate than the wild-type OmpA nuclease . These results indicate that the defects depend on the position of the lesion in the hydrophobic core of the OmpA signal sequence.

J Gen Microbiol, 1991 Aug, 137 ( Pt 8), 1999 - 2005
The distribution of homologues of the Escherichia coli KefC K(+)-efflux system in other bacterial species; Douglas RM et al.; Using a variety of techniques the distribution of the glutathione-regulated KefC K(+)-transport system among bacterial species was investigated . The presence of similar systems in a number of Gram-negative bacteria was demonstrated . In contrast, the system appeared to be absent from most Gram-positive bacteria tested with the exception of Staphylococcus aureus . Using the cloned Escherichia coli kefC gene as a probe for Southern hybridization it was shown that only limited DNA sequence homology exists with other bacteria, even when closely related members of the enteric group were examined.

Can J Microbiol, 1991 Aug, 37(8), 624 - 31
Deletion mutant analysis of the Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258 mercury-resistance determinant; Babich K et al.; Deletion mutant analysis of the mercury-resistant determinant (mer operon) from the Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258 was used to verify the location of the merA and merB genes and to show the existence of mercuric ion transport gene(s) . ORF5 was confirmed to be a transport gene and has an amino acid product sequence homologous to the merT gene products from several gram-negative bacteria and a Bacillus species . Deletion analysis established that inactivation of merA on a broad-spectrum mer resistance determinant resulted in a mercury-hypersensitive phenotype . Gene dosage had no apparent effect on the level of resistance conferred by the intact mer operon or on the expression of an inducible phenotype, except that when the intact pI258 mer operon was on a high copy number plasmid, uninduced cells possessed a volatilization rate that was at most only 3.5-fold less than that observed for induced cells . There was no need for mercury ion transport proteins for full resistance when the mer operon was expressed in a high copy number plasmid.

Zentralbl Veterinarmed B, 1991 Aug, 38(6), 401 - 10
Induction of anti-phagocytic surface properties of Staphylococcus aureus from bovine mastitis by growth in milk whey; Mamo W et al.; The respiratory burst activity of bovine polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells in response to milk whey- and TSB-grown S . aureus strains isolated from bovine mastitis was studied in whole blood chemiluminescence (CL) and in a CL system with purified bovine neutrophils . In both cases milk whey-grown S . aureus strains elicited significantly less CL than homologous strains grown in TSB . Ingestion of milk whey-grown S . aureus strains by bovine neutrophils was also considerably lower than that of the corresponding homologous organisms grown in TSB . Binding of complement factor C3 to serum-opsonized milk whey-grown S . aureus strains was lower compared with TSB-grown homologous organisms . Moreover, 5 of 6 S . aureus strains grown in milk whey were significantly more resistant to in vivo clearance from the peritoneal cavity of mice compared with homologous bacteria grown in TSB . S . aureus strains grown in TSB exhibited hydrophobic surface properties, whereas homologous strains grown in milk whey were hydrophilic.

Nippon Geka Gakkai Zasshi, 1991 Aug, 92(8), 1031 - 4
{Pectoralis major muscle flaps for closure of the infected median sternotomy wound}; Sasaguri S et al.; A case of post-sternotomy mediastinitis due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus after aortocoronary bypass procedure was treated with debridement, open clean packing, and delayed wound closure by the technique of pectoral muscle flap mobilization . The cosmetic and functional results were excellent . This technique seems to be a very effective method of treatment for the serious complication of deep sternal infection with mediastinitis after cardiac operation.

Childs Nerv Syst, 1991 Aug, 7(4), 211 - 4
Distribution of bacteria in the operating room environment and its relation to ventricular shunt infections: a prospective study; Duhaime AC et al.; In order to study the distribution of bacteria in the operating room environment, cultures were obtained during 111 unselected shunt operations throughout a 10-month period . After routine skin preparation, bacteria were collected by placing Millipore filters on the patient's prepped skin underneath the drapes, on top of the drapes in the operative field, and/or on the sterile instrument table, and left in place for the duration of the case . In 48 patients, full-thickness skin biopsies taken at the initial incision were cultured in lieu of skin surface cultures . Perioperative cerebrospinal fluid cultures and subsequent shunt infections were monitored . Of the 288 environmental (skin and surfaces) cultures, 24 were positive (20 coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and 4 Staphylococcus aureus) . Positive cultures were found in 15 of 111 drape cultures (13.5%), 7 of 77 instrument table cultures (9.1%), and 2 of 97 skin cultures (2.1%) . Positive environmental cultures were not correlated with the surgeon, length of case, time of day, or type of shunt operation, but were more likely to occur in a room other than the designated neurosurgical operating room . There was a correlation between the occurrence of positive environmental cultures and positive cerebrospinal fluid cultures, although the organisms were not always the same . Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was the most common organism isolated from all sites . We conclude that bacteria most often associated with shunt infections are airborne in the operating room, rather than originating from the patient's skin, and are distributed in the highest concentration near the surgical team.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

FEMS Microbiol Immunol, 1991 Aug, 3(4), 193 - 9
Conjugation of capsular polysaccharide to alpha-haemolysin from Staphylococcus aureus as a glycoprotein antigen; Reynaud-Rondier L et al.; The capsular polysaccharides of two pathogenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus 8914 and 31 were isolated and purified . These polysaccharides were conjugated to alpha-haemolysin prepared from the same strains . Amongst the various coupling procedures which were tested the best results were obtained with sodium cyanoborohydride and glutaraldehyde . The conjugates were purified and their immunologic properties were tested . They gave a positive response against antisera from whole bacterial cells.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Aug, 35(8), 1612 - 5
Eradication of colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by using oral minocycline-rifampin and topical mupirocin; Darouiche R et al.; In an attempt to control the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) within a spinal cord injury unit, we investigated the mode of transmission and implemented a multidisciplinary approach for control that consisted of grouping of patients into cohorts, contact isolation, and antibiotics . Surveillance cultures of patients and nose and hand cultures of medical personnel were performed . Of 11 colonized patients, 6 had MRSA isolates that shared a similar plasmid profile and antibiogram, raising the possibility of interpatient spread of the organism . Medical personnel had no evident role in transmitting MRSA . All patients' pretherapy MRSA isolates were susceptible to minocycline and, except for one, to rifampin . Time-kill studies showed an indifferent interaction of these two antibiotics . Ten colonized patients received a 2-week oral course of 100 mg of minocycline twice daily and 600 mg of rifampin once daily, while the 11th patient was treated for only 1 week . Patients with colonization of the nares also had twice daily nasal application of 2% mupirocin for 5 days . Colonization with MRSA cleared in 10 of 11 patients (91%) and 20 of 21 sites (95%) . When the individual circumstances of a medical facility justify eradication of MRSA colonization, a multidisciplinary approach that includes antibiotic therapy with oral minocycline and rifampin, along with topical mupirocin for those with nasal carriage, may be successful.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Aug, 35(8), 1547 - 50
Development of resistance to fleroxacin during therapy of experimental methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis; Kaatz GW et al.; The efficacy of fleroxacin was compared with that of vancomycin by using the rabbit model of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis . Animals received intravenous therapy with fleroxacin, 30 mg/kg every 8 h, or vancomycin, 17.5 mg/kg every 6 h, for 4 days . Both antimicrobial agents effectively cleared bacteremia and significantly reduced bacterial counts in vegetations and tissues compared with those in untreated controls . However, resistance to fleroxacin at 5- and 10-fold the MIC arose in the test strain of S . aureus in 73 and 27%, respectively, of animals that received the drug . Resistant isolates were found mainly in vegetations and were composed of up to 7% of the residual population recovered from that site . We conclude that fleroxacin is as effective as vancomycin in this model of a serious systemic S . aureus infection, but resistance to the drug may develop during therapy . If similar results are found with other strains of S . aureus during therapy with this or other fluoroquinolones, such data, when they are combined with the high incidence of fluoroquinolone resistance among S . aureus isolates being reported from selected institutions, would support the contention that these drugs should not be used as first-line therapeutic agents for S . aureus infections.

Jpn J Antibiot, 1991 Aug, 44(8), 854 - 9
{A therapy for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in obstetrics and gynecology}; Chimura T; Although it has been reported that the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections is extremely low in the obstetrics/gynecology setting, we recently had 5 patients with MRSA infections in the obstetrics/gynecology departments of 4 clinics in Yamagata Prefecture from September 1990 to February 1991 . 1) Classified by disease, 4 of the patients had intrauterine infections (3 puerperal intrauterine infections and 1 intrauterine infection) and 1 had a postoperative wound infection . 2) Classified by treatment after the MRSA isolates had been determined, 2 of the patients were given imipenem/cilastatin alone (which turned out to be effective), 2 were given concomitant IPM/CS + quinolone agents (ofloxacin, tosufloxacin; effective) and 1 was given minocycline and OFLX . The principal lessons we learned from these cases are that attention should be paid to the occurrence of MRSA infection even in the obstetrics/gynecology field and that the method of selecting and administering antibiotics to prevent and treat such infections should be reconsidered.

J Am Acad Dermatol, 1991 Aug, 25(2 Pt 1), 257 - 61
The antiinflammatory effects of ketoconazole . A comparative study with hydrocortisone acetate in a model using living and killed Staphylococcus aureus on the skin of guinea-pigs; Van Cutsem J et al.; Several reports have demonstrated the efficacy of topical ketoconazole in dermatologic conditions that are not exclusively related to fungi . Some basic pharmacologic studies have indicated effects of ketoconazole on cholesterol production in keratinocytes, on the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme, and on the metabolism of all-trans-retinoic acid in the skin . These observations have led to the hypothesis that topically applied ketoconazole may possess antiinflammatory properties . This hypothesis was tested in an animal model in which living and killed Staphylococcus aureus applied to the backs of guinea pigs resulted in inflammation with erythema and hyperkeratosis . Ketoconazole 0.5% or 2% was applied topically once daily in an ointment base, either as monotherapy or in combination with hydrocortisone acetate 1% . In addition, untreated, excipient-treated, and hydrocortisone acetate-treated animals were included in the study design . All groups consisted of 10 animals that were observed and scored daily up to 3 days after the experimental therapy was stopped . In the animal model involving killed bacteria (i.e., no infection), topical ketoconazole had antiinflammatory activity comparable to that of hydrocortisone acetate . The activity of ketoconazole on the skin of animals infected with living bacteria (i.e., active bacterial infection) was superior to that of steroid therapy, which suggests some antibacterial effect of topically applied ketoconazole . The combination therapy was highly active under both conditions . These results suggest that, apart from the known antimycotic effects of ketoconazole, this molecule might also have effects against gram-positive bacteria at the high concentrations obtained after local application.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

J Antibiot (Tokyo), 1991 Aug, 44(8), 844 - 53
Antibacterial activity of 5-acylaminothiazole derivatives, synthetic drugs related to beta-lactam antibiotics; Pirotte B et al.; Newly synthesized 5-acylaminothiazolium salts and one 5-acylaminothiazolidine, considering their chemical structure and reactivity, have been proposed as potential inhibitors of bacterial serine DD-peptidases . A moderate antibiotic activity with (5-phenylacetylamino-3-thiazolio)acetate and (5-phenylacetylaminothiazolidin-3-yl)acetic acid was observed on Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 . The methyl- and tert-butyl esters of the thiazolium salt have shown lower MIC values . Moreover, when introduced into an exponential growth phase culture of S . aureus, the three active thiazolium salts induced a partial lysis indicating an impairing of the bacterial cell wall biosynthesis . The observed time-dependent binding of the best compound to the PBPs of S . aureus was too slow and occurred at too high concentrations to account for its MIC value . Consequently, the antibiotic activity of the thiazolium salts on the S . aureus cells seems not to be satisfactorily explained by a penicillin-like interaction with the PBPs.

Genitourin Med, 1991 Aug, 67(4), 331 - 4
Antibody in sera of patients infected with Trichomonas vaginalis is to trichomonad proteinases; Alderete JF et al.; BACKGROUND--A recent report demonstrated the immunogenic character of the cysteine proteinases of Trichomonas vaginalis . It was of interest, therefore, to examine for the presence of serum anti-proteinase antibody among patients with trichomoniasis . METHODS--An immunoprecipitation assay was used involving protein A-bearing Staphylococcus aureus first coated with the IgG fraction of goat anti-human Ig and then mixed with individual sera of patients to bind human antibody . These antibody-coated bacteria were then added to detergent extracts of T vaginalis . Bound immune complexes on S aureus were washed and solubilised for electrophoretic analysis on acrylamide copolymerised with gelatin for detection of proteinase activity . RESULTS--Sera from patients (50/50), but none from sera of normal, uninfected women, possessed IgG to numerous trichomonad cysteine proteinases . The presence of this serum anti-proteinase antibody disappeared after drug treatment and cure of patients of the T vaginalis infection . CONCLUSIONS--The commonality of the anti-proteinase antibody in the sera of patients with trichomoniasis provided evidence for the expression of the same repertoire of parasite proteinases during infection . These observations have important implications for the in vivo relevance of the proteinases and indicate that strategies to use a specific serum antibody response for diagnosis of this infection may be possible.

Int Immunol, 1991 Aug, 3(8), 819 - 26
Clonal analysis of differential lymphokine production in peptide and superantigen induced T cell anergy; O'Hehir RE et al.; A failure of T lymphocytes to produce interleukin 2 (IL-2) on restimulation may, in part, account for the specific unresponsiveness that accompanies incomplete activation . The evidence to support this has been derived predominantly from the investigation of the molecular basis of anergy in murine type 1 T cells . In this study, the effects of different tolerogenic signals delivered by specific peptide or Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin on the ability of antigen-specific human T cells to produce lymphokines, both in the induction phase and in established antigen-specific non-responsiveness, have been examined . Although T cell proliferation was decreased by supraoptimal concentrations of specific peptide in the presence or absence of antigen presenting cells, IL-2, IL-4, and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) synthesis were comparable to that of activated T cells . The different tolerogenic signals, all capable of inhibiting phase of unresponsiveness . Restimulation of anergic T cells with an antigenic challenge failed to induce lymphokine production, with the exception of allergen-reactive T cells that secreted IFN-gamma . This latter observation is relevant to the desensitization of specific responsiveness in allergic disease.

Surgery, 1991 Aug, 110(2), 277 - 83; discussion 283-4
Oral-TPN-induced bacterial translocation and impaired immune defenses are reversed by refeeding; Mainous M et al.; Although certain defined diets have been shown to promote bacterial translocation (BT), the ability to reverse diet-induced BT has not previously been investigated . Furthermore, little is known about the effects of defined diets on host immune defenses . To address these questions, we measured BT and immune reactivity in rats fed a normal diet or enteral elemental (ORAL-TPN) diet . After 7 days on the elemental or normal diet, the rats were killed, and BT and mitogen responsiveness to concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin were measured . In separate experiments, the effects of these diets on in vivo host defenses was measured with a Staphylococcus aureus abscess model . Additional experiments were performed to determine the time required to reverse ORAL-TPN-induced BT and impairment of host immune defenses by reinstituting normal feedings . Administration of the ORAL-TPN diet for 7 days was associated with BT to the mesenteric lymph node complex of all animals, decreased blastogenic response of blood and splenic lymphocytes to mitogens, and decreased ability to control an in vivo infectious challenge with S . aureus . Each of the derangements was reversed by the reinstitution of normal feedings . In summary, the enteral administration of an elemental diet for 7 days is associated with disruption of the gut microflora, BT, and the development of an immunocompromised state, all of which can be reversed by refeeding the animals a normal diet.

J Clin Pathol, 1991 Aug, 44(8), 681 - 4
Nasal, axillary, and perineal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among women: identification of strains producing epidermolytic toxin; Dancer SJ et al.; Following two outbreaks of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in a maternity unit, 500 pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic were screened for carriage of epidermolytic toxin producing Staphylococcus aureus . Nasal, axillary, and perineal swabs were collected from women whose gestational ages ranged from 12-40 weeks . Isolates of S aureus were purified, phage typed, and tested for methicillin sensitivity and production of epidermolytic toxin . The results showed that 164 (33%) women carried S aureus; of these, 100 (61%) were from the nose and three (2%) from axillae, but 41 (25%) strains were isolated from the perineum alone . Screening for nasal carriage alone will therefore miss 25% of carriers . More than one strain of S aureus was identified in seven of 20 women with multiple site carriage . Three (2%) methicillin resistant strains were isolated during the survey, and five (3%) isolates produced epidermolytic toxin . Phage typing identified 63 (34%) strains as non-typable, but 50% of isolates typed either groups I, II or III, and a further 10% represented varying combinations of these and other phage groups . These results provide baseline information on S aureus in the community, and identification of methicillin resistant and toxin producing strains shows a reservoir of outbreak potential which could become relevant on hospital admission of such a carrier.

Acta Orthop Scand, 1991 Aug, 62(4), 315 - 8
Synovectomy for septic arthritis . Early versus late synovectomy studied in the rabbit knee; Riegels-Nielsen P et al.; Thirty rabbits with established unilateral septic arthritis of the knee after inoculation with Staphylococcus aureus received cloxacillin 50 mg/kg x 2 i.m . and probenecid 250 mg x 1 p.o . from Day 3 to 21 . In 26 knees, synovectomy was performed 3, 5, and 7 days after the inoculation, and four knees were not operated on . Further, synovectomy was performed in eight noninfected knees . The rabbits were killed 3 or 7 weeks after the operation, and the specimens were examined macroscopically and microscopically . All the cultures taken postoperatively and at killing were negative . Infected knees synovectomized on Day 3 differed, although marginally, 3 weeks postoperatively from the operated on, uninfected group; a minor loss of cartilage cellularity and glycosaminoglycans was observed, but there were no changes indicating arthrosis . At 7 weeks postoperatively, this difference was more pronounced . If synovectomy was performed at a later stage, increased destruction was observed: after 7 days of infection, all the knees presented cloning and vascular crossing of the tidemark, indicating arthrosis, which did not differ from those knees treated with only antibiotics . We conclude that synovectomy performed early in the course of infection may stop the destructive influence of enzymes and of the synovial membrane leading to irreversible changes in the cartilage.

J Med Microbiol, 1991 Aug, 35(2), 80 - 8
Usefulness of three probes in typing isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); Monzon-Moreno C et al.; Fifty-nine epidemiologically unrelated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from different geographical areas and 23 phage-type 77 MRSA isolates from France were investigated . Cellular DNA, digested with restriction endonucleases EcoRI or HindIII, was probed with plasmids carrying the gene encoding 16S rRNA (pBA2), the gene aacA-aphD (pSF815A) and the gene aacA-aphD plus part of IS256 (pIP1307) . When probed with pBA2, most of the unrelated isolates displayed the same hybridisation pattern . A greater diversity in patterns was detected in gentamicin-resistant strains with the two other probes . The most accurate fingerprinting of these isolates was obtained with the probe pIP1307 . Moreover, this probe appeared to be useful for tracing the phage-type 77 epidemic MRSA isolates widespread in French hospitals.

J Med Microbiol, 1991 Aug, 35(2), 72 - 9
Transfer of resistance determinants from a multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolate; Udo EE et al.; The clinical isolate Staphylococcus aureus WBG1024 was resistant to cadmium, benzyl penicillin, kanamycin, neomycin, streptomycin, tetracycline and trimethoprim and harboured a conjugative plasmid pWBG637 (34.5 kb) and non-conjugative plasmids of 23.8, 4.4, 2.8 and 1.9 kb . Transduction and mixed-culture transfer experiments demonstrated that the 4.4-kb plasmid (pWBG632) encoded resistance to tetracycline and the 23.8-kb plasmid (pWBG628) encoded resistance to cadmium, benzyl penicillin, kanamycin, neomycin and streptomycin . The conjugative plasmid pWBG637 was able to mobilise a further 4.4-kb plasmid (pWBG633) encoding streptomycin resistance and recombined with the multiresistance plasmid pWBG628 to produce transconjugantes of various resistance phenotypes.

J Bone Joint Surg Am, 1991 Aug, 73(7), 1044 - 8
Prophylaxis against infection . Single-dose cefonicid compared with multiple-dose cefamandole; Garcia S et al.; A total of 1489 patients were included in a prospective, randomized study that compared the efficacy of a single dose of cefonicid in 474 patients (Group I) with that of three doses of cefamandole in 510 patients (Group II) and five doses of cefamandole in 505 patients (Group III), for prophylaxis against infection after an operation on bone . The operations involved the insertion of a Moore prosthesis, an Ender and Kuntscher nail, a bone-plate, or another device for internal fixation . Patients who had an open fracture or a total joint replacement were not included in the study . The three groups were similar with regard to mean age, sex ratio, duration of preoperative hospitalization, underlying risk factors, and type of operation . The rates of wound infection were not significantly different in the three groups (p = 0.8) or when the rates were stratified according to the type of operation (p greater than 0.3) . Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative bacilli were the most common infecting microorganisms . The rate of mortality related to infection was similar in all three groups (p = 0.2) . No adverse side-effects of drugs were encountered . A single preoperative dose of cefonicid, three doses of cefamandole, and five doses of cefamandole were equally effective prophylaxis against infection of the wound in these patients.

Am J Med, 1991 Aug, 91(2), 129 - 36
Pyomyositis in patients with the human immunodeficiency virus: an unusual form of disseminated bacterial infection; Widrow CA et al.; PURPOSE AND PATIENTS: Pyomyositis, a common disease in the tropics, is rare in the continental United States, with approximately 83 cases described in the literature in the past two decades . The occurrence of pyomyositis complicating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has been reported in 10 patients since 1986 . We report six cases of this entity in patients with advanced HIV disease seen in our institution over a 20-month period . A common denominator in all of our patients was muscle injury, induced by either exercise or trauma . Unlike most previous reports of HIV-associated pyomyositis, the clinical picture in our cases was complicated by the development of abscesses in multiple muscle groups, requiring prolonged antimicrobial therapy and repeated drainage procedures for successful management . Interestingly, one patient developed concomitant rhabdomyolysis--an otherwise rare event in classical pyomyositis . Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant infecting organism in this as well as all other series . Of note, we also observed and report the first case, to our knowledge, of gram-negative pyomyositis in an HIV-infected individual . The pathogenic implications of this catalase-producing gram-negative isolate are discussed in the context of neutrophil abnormalities in HIV disease . CONCLUSION: Like tropical pyomyositis, its HIV-associated counterpart appears to be multifactorial in origin . Its recent recognition suggests that, in addition to underlying abnormalities of host defense, factors relating to the prolonged survival of patients with late-stage disease, including myopathy, might play an important contributory role.

Am J Kidney Dis, 1991 Aug, 18(2), 225 - 31
Randomized controlled trial of prophylactic rifampin for peritoneal dialysis-related infections; Zimmerman SW et al.; Staphylococcal infections are a major cause of catheter infections and peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients . Since catheter-related infections are associated with nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in this population, we studied the effect of intermittent rifampin, an antibiotic known to decrease S aureus nasal carriage, on catheter-related infections and peritonitis . We randomly assigned 64 patients to receive either rifampin 300 mg twice daily for 5 days every 3 months or no treatment . The rifampin-treated patients had a significant delay in time to first catheter-related infection (P less than 0.015) and significantly fewer catheter-related infections overall (P less than 0.001) . The catheter-related infection rate in rifampin-treated patients was .26 per patient-year versus .93 per patient-year in untreated patients . Multivariate analysis defined baseline colonization of nares or catheter exit-site and prior renal transplant as risk factors for catheter-related infections . There was no significant difference in peritonitis rates between groups, although the trend was for a delayed time to first episodes and fewer episodes in rifampin-treated patients . Adverse effects necessitated withdrawal of rifampin in four patients . We conclude that intermittent rifampin administration is effective in decreasing catheter-related infections in a peritoneal dialysis population.

Chest, 1991 Aug, 100(2), 439 - 44
Incidence, etiology, and outcome of nosocomial pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients; Rello J et al.; This study assessed the incidence, etiology, and consequences of ventilator-associated pneumonia in 1,000 consecutive patients admitted in a medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) . A total of 264 patients were submitted to mechanical ventilation (MV) for more than 48 hours . Fifty-eight (21.9 percent) patients developed a bacterial pneumonia after a mean of 7.9 days (range, 2 to 40 days) of MV . In addition, they were ten superinfections in nine patients, raising the mean incidence to 25.7 percent . Five patients developed secondary bacteremia, and another five had septic shock . Identification of the causative agent of pneumonia was possible in 47 episodes by means of highly specific techniques (telescoping plugged catheter, blood cultures, and/or necropsy) . Thirteen (27.6 percent) of these cases were polymicrobial . The predominant pathogens isolated in the first episode of pneumonia were Gram-negative bacilli (62.6 percent), but a high incidence of Staphylococcus aureus infection (23.2 percent) was detected . Gram-negative bacilli represented 66.6 percent of the total organisms isolated in superinfections . The mortality rate in the pneumonia group was 42 percent; this percentage is similar to mortality rate among MV patients without pneumonia (37 percent) . We conclude that nosocomial pneumonia is a frequent complication of MV in the medical-surgical ICU . Ventilator-associated pneumonia does not appear to increase fatality in critically ill patients with a high mortality rate (38 percent); however, it significantly prolongs the length of stay in the ICU for survivors.

J Bacteriol, 1991 Aug, 173(16), 5234 - 8
Transcriptional analysis of the Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pI258 mercury resistance determinant; Skinner JS et al.; Northern blot DNA-RNA hybridization analysis of Staphylococcus aureus cells bearing pI258 showed that upon induction the amount of mer operon transcript present increased 49-fold over that observed in uninduced cells . Maximum induction occurred after 45 min in the presence of 5 microM HgCl2 . Two transcripts, 5.0 and 5.8 kb long, were observed . Both transcripts encoded merR through merB (inclusive) . Primer extension analysis determined that the 5' end of at least one transcript (and presumably of both) started at a T or G, 7 or 8 nucleotides downstream from the putative -10 site.

Infect Immun, 1991 Aug, 59(8), 2673 - 6
Effect of a factor released by K562 malignant cells in culture on human neutrophil bactericidal activity; Amar M et al.; We have previously demonstrated that k562 malignant cells in culture contain and release a low-molecular-mass (8-kDa) factor that inhibits adherence-related functions of neutrophils but does not alter fMet-Leu-Phe- or phorbol ester-induced oxidative burst (M . Amar, N . Amit, T . Pham Huu, S . Chollet-Martin, M.T . Labro, M.A . Gougerot-Pocidalo, and J . Hakim, J . Immunol . 144:4749-4756, 1990) . In this study, we investigated the effects of this factor, referred to as inhibitory factor 1 (IF1), on the bactericidal activity of human polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) on Staphylococcus aureus opsonized in various ways . S . aureus was used either nonopsonized or opsonized with heat-inactivated serum or normal serum containing complement factors . The bactericidal activity of PMNs preincubated with IF1-treated or control medium was examined by counting the surviving bacteria . The ability of IF1-treated PMNs to kill bacteria was diminished when they were opsonized with normal serum . When S . aureus was not opsonized or was opsonized with heat-inactivated serum, the bactericidal activity of IF1-treated PMNs was similar to that of controls . Likewise, the phagocytosis of IF1-treated PMNs was diminished when S . aureus was opsonized with normal serum but was not altered when S . aureus was not opsonized or was opsonized with heat-inactivated serum . These results suggest that the decrease in killing might be due to defective ingestion . The chemiluminescence response of IF1-treated PMNs was inhibited when S . aureus was not opsonized or was opsonized with normal serum . No effect on chemiluminescence was observed when S . aureus was opsonized with heat-inactivated serum . These results suggest that IF1 interferes not only with S . aureus stimulation of PMNs via complement receptors but also with oxygen-dependent bactericidal activity.

Infect Immun, 1991 Aug, 59(8), 2615 - 23
Experimental Staphylococcus aureus arthritis in mice; Bremell T et al.; Staphylococcus aureus arthritis is usually caused by bacteremia and is highly destructive . Controlled studies on septic arthritis in humans are difficult to perform, because the time of onset of the infection is unknown . Animal models of bacterial arthritis make it possible to control important variables in experimental studies . We present a mouse model of S . aureus arthritis in which the intravenous administration of 10(7) cells of S . aureus LS-1 induced arthritis or osteitis or both within 3 weeks in 80 to 90% of the mice . Signs of arthritis emerged within the first few days after the injection . An interesting finding was that the S . aureus strain used in this study binds bone sialoprotein, a glycoprotein known to be specifically localized to bone tissue . This new model of S . aureus arthritis enables the study of the kinetics of joint destruction and the host-bacterium relationship as well as therapeutical approaches to septic arthritis and osteomyelitis.

J Vet Med Sci, 1991 Aug, 53(4), 601 - 6
Characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from lesions of horses; Shimizu A et al.; Seventy-six Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from various lesions of horses were characterized . All of the 76 strains were identified as biotypes B (38.2%) and C (61.8%) . Of 55 strains tested, 42 (76.4%) were differentiated into 7 coagulase types . Coagulase types V and VII were predominant in the metritis strains . Coagulase type II was found most frequently in the strains from phlegmon, dermatitis, sinusitis, empyema sinus, and nasal catarrh . Forty-two (55.3%) of the 76 strains were differentiated into 24 phage patterns . Twenty (58.8%) of 34 typable strains from metritis were lysed by the human group I phage 52, and group II phages 3A, 3C, 55 and 71 . Forty-five (59.2%) of the 76 strains were resistant to 1 or more of 6 antibiotics . Strains resistant to penicillin G, irrespective of source, were most frequent (95.6%) . Forty (93.0%) of 43 strains resistant to penicillin G alone or in combination with other antibiotics produced beta-lactamase . Only 8 (10.5%) of the 76 strains produced enterotoxins A (n = 2), B (n = 1) or C (n = 5), and they all were isolated from metritis . Only 1 strain isolated from phlegmon and 2 from metritis produced exfoliative toxin (ET) and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), respectively . The latter 2 strains also produced enterotoxin C . The results of the present study showed the first evidence of the presence of both ET- and TSST-1-producing S . aureus isolated from horses.

Zhonghua Wai Ke Za Zhi, 1991 Aug, 29(8), 484 - 6, 524-5
{Wound infection after spinal surgery: analysis of 15 cases}; Li YZ; Fifteen of 714 patients undergoing spine surgery had postoperative wound infection, with an overall infection rate of 2.1% . There was infection rate of 0.4% in spine surgery without metal instrumentation and 2.9% in spine fusion with metal internal instrumentation . Coagulase positive staphylococcus aureus was the commonest pathogen . Factors related to infection were discussed and preventive measures were suggested . Irrigation-suction technique without removal of metal instruments and bone grafts was recommended for the treatment of postoperative infection . A high pseudarthrosis rate was found in the infected patients after spine fusion with metal instrumentation.

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi, 1991 Aug, 16(8), 481 - 2, 512
{Isolation and identification of antibiotic constituents of propolis from Henan}; Qiao Z et al.; Sinapic acid, isoferulic acid, caffeic acid and chrysin were isolated from the alcoholic extraction of propolis and identified by spectrometric methods . The first three compounds were shown with inhibitive effect of against Staphylococcus aureus, while chrysin was ineffective.

Mol Cell Probes, 1991 Aug, 5(4), 281 - 4
Specific detection of the toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 gene using the polymerase chain reaction; Jaulhac B et al.; A rapid and specific assay for toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 gene (tst gene) detection in Staphylococcus aureus was developed using the polymerase chain reaction . A two-primer set and an oligonucleotide detection probe were synthesized . After 40 cycles of amplification, detection of a 160-bp amplified DNA fragment was carried out by agarose gel electrophoresis and Southern blot hybridization . This assay was sensitive since it was able to detect 1-10 bacteria . It was also specific since no amplification was documented with DNAs from enterotoxigenic S . aureus or Gram-negative bacteria devoid of the tst gene.

Immunol Invest, 1991 Aug-Oct, 20(5-6), 499 - 506
The effect of anti-tuftsin antibody on the phagocytosis of bacteria by human neutrophils; Naim JO et al.; Tuftsin (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg) is a naturally occurring tetrapeptide which stimulates most known functions of the polymorphonuclear and mononuclear phagocytic cell lines . Although tuftsin is a well characterized bioactive peptide, the exact physiological role tuftsin plays remains unclear . Specific mouse anti-tuftsin antiserum generated in our laboratory, is now available for phagocytosis inhibition studies . Monolayers of human neutrophils were prepared on glass coverslips from a few drops of finger prick blood obtained from a single healthy donor . The monolayers were treated with and without mouse anti-tuftsin antiserum at dilutions of 1:1000 or 1:2000 . Exogenous tuftsin (1 microgram/ml) was also added with and without antibody . Treated and untreated neutrophils were subsequently incubated with unopsonized Staphylococcus aureus . The proportion of cells accomplishing phagocytosis (phagocytic index) and the number of bacteria engulfed per cell (avidity index) were recorded . The results showed that exogenous tuftsin increased phagocytosis while the addition of mouse anti-tuftsin antiserum at a 1:1000 dilution inhibited phagocytosis both with and without exogenous tuftsin . This effect was diminished by the antiserum at the 1:2000 dilution . This study reaffirms that tuftsin plays an important physiological role in phagocytosis.

Immunol Invest, 1991 Aug-Oct, 20(5-6), 487 - 98
Size, CD4 and CD8 marker profiles and functions of lymphocyte subpopulations in mucosal-associated lymph nodes; Dobrzanski MJ et al.; We analyzed phenotypic and functional characteristics of T cell populations in mucosal-associated supramammary and mesenteric lymph nodes in goats . Here we demonstrate, by flow cytometry, quantitative differences in CD4 and CD8 T cell subsets among large and small mucosal-associated lymphocyte populations and their differential regulatory activities on resident lymph node B cells stimulated with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I or pokeweed mitogen . The CD4/CD8 T cell ratio was lower in mesenteric lymph nodes (1.46) when compared to that of supramammary lymph nodes (2.18) . Analysis of large and small lymphocyte subpopulations from lymph nodes showed nearly 62% of the lymphocytes from mesenteric lymph nodes being of large cell phenotype with CD4/CD8 ratios of 1.34 . In contrast, large cell subpopulations in supramammary lymph nodes showed a significantly lower number (50%) with a higher CD4/CD8 ratio of 2.05 . Functionally, mesenteric lymph node T cells, isolated by nylon wool, showed heightened suppressive activity in mitogen-driven B cell proliferation responses, whereas T cells from supramammary lymph nodes were stimulatory . These findings clearly demonstrate distinctive functional properties between resident T cell populations of supramammary and mesenteric lymph nodes, suggesting that different proportions of T cell subsets in these nodes are activated and thus regulate regional immune responses via different pathways.

Mycopathologia, 1991 Aug, 115(2), 83 - 8
Comparison between antifungal and antibacterial activities of several strains of Epicoccum purpurascens from the Mediterranean area; Mallea M et al.; The antimicrobial activities of seven Epicoccum purpurascens strains isolated either from evergreen oak leaves (Quercus ilex) collected over a period of one year, or from the atmosphere were compared in vitro . Two strains sporulated and conspicuously inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Trichophyton mentagrophytes . Thin-layer chromatographic studies showed the existence of some compounds, such as flavipin, which were common to all the strains . Epicorazine B was present in the extracts of only the two most active strains.

Br J Haematol, 1991 Aug, 78(4), 474 - 9
B cells expressing CD5 antigen are markedly increased in peripheral blood and spleen lymphocytes from patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura; Mizutani H et al.; By two-colour flow cytometric analysis, we examined the proportion of B lymphocytes bearing CD5 cell surface antigen (CD 5+ B cells), which are capable of producing autoantibodies, both in peripheral blood and spleen from patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) . The percentage of CD5+ B cells in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) was significantly increased (P less than 0.005) in patients with ITP (3.7 +/- 2.2%, n = 30) as compared with normal controls (1.7 +/- 0.7%, n = 28) . However, there was no correlation between the percentages of circulating CD5+ B cells and platelet counts . The percentage of splenic CD5+ B cells in ITP patients was much more increased (9.0 +/- 4.5%, n = 9), P less than 0.005) compared with that of other disorders (3.2 +/- 0.5%, n = 5) . Furthermore, isolated splenic CD5+ B cells from two out of five ITP patients produced high levels of IgM-type, platelet-bindable antibodies (PBIgM) after stimulation with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC), while CD5- B cells isolated from the same spleen or splenic CD5+ B cells from other non-autoimmune disorders failed to produce significant amount of PBIgM . In three ITP patients, no increase in PBIgM was detected despite SAC stimulation . The increased proportion of CD5+ B cells in peripheral blood and spleen, and their ability to produce anti-platelet antibodies indicate that they are directly involved in the autoimmune pathogenesis in ITP.

J Hosp Infect, 1991 Aug, 18(4), 279 - 92
Surveillance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in England and Wales, 1986-1990; Mackintosh CA et al.; The incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in England and Wales was monitored by a weekly reporting scheme from early 1986 to March 1990 . Potential coverage was approximately two-thirds of hospital beds . Reporting centres fell from a peak of 210 in 1986 to a low of 101 centres early in 1989 with later recovery . There were 2367 positive reports in 1986, 2174 in 1987, 1700 in 1988, 1701 in 1989 and 632 in the first quarter of 1990 . Colonizations outnumbered infections by 2:1 . There were marked regional differences: North-East Thames was dominant in 1986 and 1987, and then declined; South-East Thames showed a dramatic increase in 1988 which continued . Other regions showed less significant changes but there were continuing problems in the South-Western Region and in the West Midlands . Some of these changes were related to the decline of EMRSA-1, possibly due to the introduction of effective control measures, and to the emergence of EMRSA-3 in South-East Thames and its spread to Wessex.

Eur J Surg, 1991 Aug, 157(8), 443 - 8
Preceding trauma lessens the degree of respiratory dysfunction in septicaemic pigs; Walther S et al.; Ten anaesthetised and mechanically ventilated pigs were subjected to musculoskeletal trauma two hours before induction of septicaemia with live Staphylococcus aureus, 10(11) colony forming units (trauma/sepsis group) . The effects on haemodynamic and pulmonary function were compared over a period of 44 hours with those on 11 pigs that were identically treated except that they were not subjected to the trauma (sepsis alone group) . The induction of sepsis produced similar transient pulmonary hypertension in both groups (mean (SD) in the trauma/sepsis group 48 (5) mmHg compared with 51 (6) mmHg in the sepsis group) . In the trauma/sepsis group the decline in lung/thorax compliance was significantly less pronounced at 8 and 20 hours; the arterial oxygen tension was significantly better maintained at 32 and 44 hours; and the haemodynamics were better preserved, with significantly lower mean pulmonary arterial pressures at 20 and 44 hours than in the sepsis group . In conclusion, musculoskeletal trauma preceding septicaemia significantly lessened the degree of ensuing pulmonary dysfunction . This effect could be the results of reduced autoinjury by immunocompetent cells responding subnormally, but these mechanisms require further study.

Surgery, 1991 Aug, 110(2), 213 - 9; discussion 219-20
A CD18 monoclonal antibody increases the incidence and severity of subcutaneous abscess formation after high-dose Staphylococcus aureus injection in rabbits; Sharar SR et al.; Monoclonal antibody (MAb) 60.3 blocks CD18-dependent polymorphonuclear neutrophil adherence to endothelium and has been shown to be of benefit in preventing tissue injury in a variety of inflammatory conditions . However, concern exists that interference with normal polymorphonuclear neutrophil host-defense functions may increase susceptibility to bacterial infection . We compared the development of subcutaneous Staphylococcus aureus abscesses in rabbits pretreated with MAb 60.3 to those pretreated with saline placebo . Bacterial inoculation with 10(6) or 10(7) colony-forming units (CFU) did not result in abscess formation in either control or antibody-treated groups . However, inoculation with 10(8) CFU resulted in more frequent and larger abscesses in antibody-treated rabbits than in controls . Abscess incidence was similar for inoculation with 10(9) CFU, although antibody-treated rabbits developed larger abscesses than did controls . The difference in abscess development is due to delayed leukocyte migration into inoculated tissue . The results of these experiments suggest that subjects treated with MAb 60.3 and exposed to massive S . aureus inocula may be at serious risk of infection . However, despite inhibited leukocyte adhesion, inocula of up to 10(7) CFU were well tolerated in this model . Whether these findings are clinically important remains to be determined, although exposure to bacterial concentrations of 10(8) CFU or greater occurs only rarely in clinical practice.

Mol Microbiol, 1991 Aug, 5(8), 2039 - 46
Evolved neomycin phosphotransferase from an isolate of Klebsiella pneumoniae; Lee KY et al.; A new aminoglycoside resistance gene (aphA1-IAB) confers high-level resistance to neomycin . The sequence of aphA1-IAB is closely related to aphA1 found in the transposons Tn4352, Tn903 and Tn602 . For example, aphA1-IAB differs from aphA1-903 at five nucleotides that result in four amino acid replacements . The enzyme encoded by aphA1-IAB has a significantly higher turnover number with neomycin, kanamycin and G418 as substrates than does the aphA1-903 enzyme . A parsimonious phylogenetic tree suggests that aphA1-IAB evolved from an ancestral form that is closely related or identical to the aphA1 found in Tn903 . The excess of replacement substitutions over silent substitutions in aphA1-IAB, as well as its convergence toward aphA3 from Staphylococcus aureus, is indicative of selective evolution . Our hypothesis to explain these results is that aphA1-IAB evolved under the selective pressure of neomycin use in relatively recent times.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Aug, 35(8), 1661 - 5
Physical mapping of the mec region of an American methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain; Dubin DT et al.; We mapped part of the mec region of a locally prevalent strain of Staphylococcus aureus . The mec region was found to harbor an insert of the transposon Tn554, which encodes spectinomycin and macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance, and a 4.6-kb segment of DNA that contains the kanamycin resistance gene aadD . This 4.6-kb segment appears to be an integrated form of a previously described plasmid, pUB110, and is flanked by copies of the insertion sequence IS257 . The integration event may be an example of processes that have led to accretion of resistance determinants in the mec region of S . aureus.

J Nutr, 1991 Aug, 121(8), 1262 - 9
Effect of dietary (n-3) and (n-6) fatty acids on in vivo pulmonary bacterial clearance by neonatal rabbits; D'Ambola JB et al.; Intrapulmonary bacterial clearance, lung inflammatory cell recruitment and macrophage superoxide generating capacity were studied in newborn rabbits nursed by their mother and given a supplement of either high {5 g/(kg.d)} or low {0.22 g/(kg.d)} doses of fish oil, safflower oil or saline for 7 d after birth . The high dose fish and safflower oil regimens diminished lung clearance of inspired Staphylococcus aureus by approximately 50% compared with the saline controls, but they did not alter lung neutrophil recruitment or alveolar macrophage bacterial phagocytosis . Only high dose fish oil decreased macrophage superoxide anion generation (by 30%) . With high dose fish or safflower oil supplementation, the fatty acid content of lung parenchyma, bronchoalveolar lavage effluent and alveolar macrophages increased significantly . Low dose supplementation did not have this effect . We conclude that pharmacologic dietary (n-6) and (n-3) fatty acid supplementation impairs the ability of the neonatal rabbit lung to kill intrapulmonary S . aureus . It has been proposed that human infant formula be supplemented with fatty acids either to alleviate dietary deficiencies or to treat pulmonary inflammatory disorders . Based on our findings, the effects of such supplementation should be monitored relative to the possible heightened risk of bacterial infection.

Am Rev Respir Dis, 1991 Aug, 144(2), 278 - 83
Human alveolar macrophage antibacterial activity in the alcoholic lung; Wallaert B et al.; Alcoholic individuals are predisposed to respiratory infections . However, mechanisms of perturbations leading to increased susceptibility to lung infections of individuals with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALC) are not fully understood . We studied the antibacterial activity and oxidant generation (before and after stimulation by phorbol myristate acetate or opsonized zymosan) of alveolar macrophages from 16 patients with ALC . Our results were compared with those obtained from 12 healthy control subjects, from 8 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), and from 8 alcoholic individuals without cirrhosis . All were nonsmokers, had normal chest X-rays, and did not present evidence of lung infection 3 months before . The total number of cells recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage did not significantly differ between control subjects and patients . The cellular viability of alveolar macrophages (trypan blue exclusion) was greater than 90% in all cases . The antibacterial activity of alveolar macrophages versus Staphylococcus aureus was severely impaired in ALC (-21 +/- 8.2%) whereas it was normal in PBC (52 +/- 4.2%), in alcoholic subjects (44.6 +/- 5.4%), and in control subjects (60 +/- 5.5%) . The same pattern of results was observed versus Escherichia coli (-47.7 +/- 10,28 +/- 8,28 +/- 12, and 29 +/- 8.5%, respectively) . Previous incubation of normal alveolar macrophages with serum or BAL fluid from ALC patients or with normal serum or normal BAL fluid did not result in a significant decrease in antibacterial activity of normal alveolar macrophages . To distinguish ingested bacteria from adherent extracellular bacteria, cells that had been incubated with bacteria for 90 min were then incubated with lysostaphin (1 microgram/ml).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Am Rev Respir Dis, 1991 Aug, 144(2), 254 - 62
The function of lung and blood neutrophils in patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome . Implications for the pathogenesis of lung infections; Martin TR et al.; Pulmonary infections are a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but the reason is uncertain . Because neutrophils are important for lung defense and are found in increased numbers in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with ARDS, we compared the functional activities of neutrophils obtained from lavage fluid and pulmonary artery blood of 28 patients shortly after the onset of ARDS . The lavage fluids contained 81.3 +/- 9.9% neutrophils, of which more than 95% were viable by vital dye exclusion, and the total protein concentrations were increased (98.8 +/- 98.5 mg/dl) . The production of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide by the neutrophils in lavage fluid was significantly impaired compared with simultaneously tested pulmonary artery and normal neutrophils, and the microbicidal activity of the lavage neutrophils for Staphylococcus aureus was significantly impaired . The migration of alveolar neutrophils in response to a variety of stimuli was markedly reduced as compared with both pulmonary artery and normal neutrophils . The alterations in superoxide anion production and chemotaxis could be reproduced by exposure of normal neutrophils to oxidants (glucose:glucose oxidase), but not to other mediators that have been found in ARDS lavage fluids . Although the pulmonary artery neutrophils from the same patients had impaired production of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide, their microbicidal activity and chemotactic responses were normal . These findings indicate that the function of alveolar neutrophils is impaired in the lungs of patients with ARDS . This could contribute to the high incidence of pulmonary infections in these patients.

J Virol, 1991 Aug, 65(8), 4424 - 31
Absence of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides from glycoprotein D of herpes simplex virus type 1 results in a structurally altered but biologically active protein; Sodora DL et al.; Glycoprotein D (gD) of herpes simplex virus contains three utilized sites (Asn-X-Ser/Thr) for addition of asparagine-linked carbohydrates (N-CHO) . Previously, we used oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis to alter serine or threonine residues to alanine at each N-CHO addition site . Studies with monoclonal antibodies showed that a mutant protein lacking all three sites (now designated AAA) was structurally altered because of the amino acid change at residue 96 as well as the absence of the N-CHO . In this study, we constructed additional single mutations at site 1 (residues 94 and 96) and found that in most cases, the amino acid change itself adversely affected the conformation of gD . However, changing asparagine 94 to glutamine (Q) at site 1 had the least effect on gD . We constructed a second triple mutant, QAA, which lacked all three N-CHO signals . The antigenic conformation of QAA was similar to that of gD produced in the presence of tunicamycin (TM-gD) . However, binding of MAbs to the AAA protein or to single mutants altered at site 1 was reduced compared with TM-gD . Wild-type gD and QAA proteins were equally susceptible to digestion by trypsin or Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease . In contrast, the AAA protein was more sensitive to trypsin but less sensitive to V8, again suggesting conformational alterations of the AAA protein . Despite what appeared to be large changes in structure, each mutant complemented the infectivity of a virus lacking gD (F-gD beta) . We conclude that the N-CHO and amino acids at N-CHO site 1 play an important role in forming and/or maintaining gD structure, but none of the N-CHO are required for gD to function in the complementation assay.

Biochemistry, 1991 Jul 30, 30(30), 7477 - 83
Initiation of chondroitin sulfate biosynthesis: a kinetic analysis of UDP-D-xylose: core protein beta-D-xylosyltransferase; Kearns AE et al.; The nature of the primary signals important for the addition of xylose to serines on the core protein of the cartilage chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan has been investigated . The importance of consensus sequence elements (Acidic-Acidic-Xxx-Ser-Gly-Xxx-Gly) in the natural acceptor was shown by the significant decrease in acceptor capability of peptide fragments derived by digestion of deglycosylated core protein with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, which cleaves within the consensus sequence, compared to the similar reactivity of trypsin-derived peptide fragments, in which consensus sequences remain intact . A comparison of the acceptor efficiencies (Vmax/Km) of synthetic peptides containing the proposed xylosylation consensus sequence and the natural acceptor (deglycosylated core protein) was then made by use of the in vitro xylosyltransferase assay . The two types of substrates were found to have nearly equivalent acceptor efficiencies and to be competitive inhibitors of each other's acceptor capability, with Km = Kiapparent . These results suggest that the artificial peptides containing the consensus sequence are analogues of individual substitution sites on the core protein and allowed the kinetic mechanism of the xylosyltransferase reaction to be investigated, with one of the artificial peptides as a model substrate . The most probable kinetic mechanism for the xylosyltransferase reaction was found to be an ordered single displacement with UDP-xylose as the leading substrate and the xylosylated peptide as the first product released . This represents the first reported formal kinetic mechanism for this glycosyltransferase and the only one reported for a nucleotide sugar:protein transferase.

J Biol Chem, 1991 Jul 25, 266(21), 14072 - 81
Structural analysis of rod GTP-binding protein, Gt . Limited proteolytic digestion pattern of Gt with four proteases defines monoclonal antibody epitope; Mazzoni MR et al.; The epitope of monoclonal antibody (mAb 4A), which recognizes the alpha subunit of the rod G protein, Gt, has been suggested to be both at the carboxyl terminus (Deretic, D., and Hamm, H.E . (1987) J . Biol . Chem . 262, 10839-10847) and the amino terminus (Navon, S.E., and Fung, B.K.-K . (1988) J . Biol . Chem . 263, 489-496) of the molecule . To characterize further the mAb 4A binding site on alpha t and to resolve the discrepancy between these results limited proteolytic digestion of Gt or alpha t using four proteases with different substrate specificities has been performed . Endoproteinase Arg-C, which cleaves the peptide bond at the carboxylic side of arginine residues, cleaved the majority of alpha t into two fragments of 34 and 5 kDa . The alpha t 34-kDa fragment in the holoprotein, but not alpha t-guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate), was converted further to a 23-kDa fragment . A small fraction of alpha t-GDP was cleaved into 23- and 15-kDa fragments . Endoproteinase Lys-C, which selectively cleaves at lysine residues, progressively removed 17 and then 8 residues from the amino terminus, forming 38- and 36-kDa fragments . Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease is known to remove 21 amino acid residues from the amino-terminal region of alpha t, with the formation of a 38-kDa fragment . L-1-Tosylamido-2-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone-treated trypsin cleaved alpha t progressively into fragments of known amino acid sequences (38, then 32 and 5, then 21 and 12 kDa) and a transient 34 kDa fragment . The binding of mAb 4A to proteolytic fragments was analyzed by Western blot and immunoprecipitation . The major fragments recognized by mAb 4A on Western blots were the 34- and 23-kDa fragments obtained by endoproteinase Arg-C and tryptic digestion . Under conditions that allowed sequencing of the 15- and 5-kDa fragments neither the 34- nor the 23-kDa fragments could be sequenced by Edman degradation, indicating that they contained a blocked amino terminus . The smallest fragment that retained mAb 4A binding was the 23-kDa fragment containing Met1 to Arg204 . Thus the main portion of the mAb 4A antigenic site was located within this fragment, indicating that the carboxyl-terminal residues from Lys205 to Phe350 were not required for recognition by the antibody . Additionally, the antibody did not bind the 38- and 36-kDa or other fragments containing the carboxyl terminus, showing that the amino-terminal residues from Met1 to Lys17 were essential for antibody binding to alpha t.

Biochemistry, 1991 Jul 16, 30(28), 6987 - 97
Mapping of the acetylcholine binding site of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor: {3H}nicotine as an agonist photoaffinity label; Middleton RE et al.; The agonist {3H}nicotine was used as a photoaffinity label for the acetylcholine binding sites on the Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) . {3H}nicotine binds at equilibrium with Keq = 0.6 microM to the agonist binding sites . Irradiation with 254-nm light of AChR-rich membranes equilibrated with {3H}nicotine resulted in covalent incorporation into the alpha- and gamma-subunits, which was inhibited by agonists and competitive antagonists but not by noncompetitive antagonists . Inhibition of labeling by d-tubocurarine demonstrated that the alpha-subunit was labeled via both agonist sites but the gamma-subunit was labeled only via the site that binds d-tubocurarine with high affinity . Within the alpha-subunit, 93% of the labeling was contained within a 20-kDa Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteolytic fragment beginning at Ser-173 . Sequence analysis of this peptide indicated that approximately 80% of the incorporation was into Tyr-198, approximately 13% was into Cys-192, and approximately 7% was into Tyr-190 . Chymotryptic digestion of the alpha-subunit confirmed that Tyr-198 was the principal amino acid labeled by {3H}nicotine . This confirmation required a novel radio-sequencing strategy employing omicron-phthalaldehyde, since the efficiency of photolabeling was low (approximately 1.0%) and the labeled chymotryptic peptide was not isolated in sufficient quantity to be identified by mass . {3H}Nicotine, which is the first photoaffinity agonist used, labels primarily Tyr-198 in contrast to competitive antagonist affinity labels, which label primarily Tyr-190 and Cys-192/Cys-193.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1991 Jul 15, 88(14), 6068 - 71
Crosslinking of hemin to a specific site on the 90-kDa ferritin repressor protein; Lin JJ et al.; Incubation of a 90-kDa ferritin repressor protein (FRP) with small amounts of radiolabeled hemin resulted in the formation of a strong interaction between the two that was stable to SDS/PAGE . (We refer to this interaction as a "crosslink," without intending to imply knowledge as to its chemical nature.) Of seven other proteins tested individually, only apohemopexin and bovine serum albumin showed similar crosslinking ability, albeit to a much lower extent . {14C}Hemin specifically crosslinked to FRP in the presence of a 50-fold excess of total wheat germ proteins . Inclusion of catalase did not prevent the reaction of hemin with FRP, suggesting that H2O2 is not involved . The subsequent addition of a stoichiometric amount of apohemopexin did not reverse the reaction . Exhaustive digestion of the complex with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease produced a major labeled peptide of 17 kDa . These results show the existence of a highly specific, uniquely reactive hemin binding site on FRP.

Biochem J, 1991 Jul 15, 277 ( Pt 2), 513 - 20
Human and sheep growth-plate cartilage type X collagen synthesis and the influence of tissue storage; Gibson GJ et al.; Direct comparison of type X collagen synthesized by human, sheep and chick growth-plate cartilage has shown that the human type X collagen is similar to the chick in both its molecular mass, containing component alpha-chains of 59 kDa with helical regions of 45 kDa, and apparent absence of disulphide-stabilized aggregates, whereas the sheep type X collagen has slightly larger alpha-chains (63 kDa) accounted for by a longer helical region (49 kDa) that contains cystine residues essential for the formation of the high-molecular-mass aggregates found with this species . Type X collagen from all three species showed heterogeneity in primary collagen structure as revealed by Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase-generated peptide maps . Collagen synthesis by growth-plate cartilage in culture, particularly synthesis of type IX and X collagen, was shown to be very sensitive to prior storage and suggests caution in the interpretation of changes detected when examining collagen synthesis by growth plates in culture.

J Immunol, 1991 Jul 15, 147(2), 432 - 8
T helper cell-dependent, microbial superantigen-induced murine B cell activation: polyclonal and antigen-specific antibody responses; Tumang JR et al.; Microbial superantigens (SA), bound to human B cell surface MHC class II molecules, have been shown to promote direct, "cognate" interaction with SA-reactive autologous Th cells, resulting in polyclonal Ig production . To investigate the potential for microbial SA to support Th cell-dependent, Ag-specific antibody responses, we have extended our studies to the murine system . BALB/c Th cell lines (TCL), specific for either the Mycoplasma arthritis-derived SA or the Staphylococcus aureus-derived toxic shock syndrome toxin-1) were generated . These TCL cells are SA-specific, functionally noncross-reactive, and utilize distinct TCR V beta gene families . Coculture of SA-reactive TCL cells and syngeneic B cells bearing the relevant SA results in B cell proliferation and polyclonal IgM and IgG production . In contrast, Ag-specific (SRBC-specific) antibody-forming cells are only generated in cultures that also contain SRBC . Thus, microbial SA-mediated Th-B cell interactions induce both polyclonal B cell activation and provide selective help for the proliferation and/or differentiation of B cells that have encountered specific Ag . In additional studies, we determined that the in vivo administration of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 to young, athymic (nude) BALB/c mice results in SA binding to splenic B cells, rendering these B cells effective stimulators of and targets for SA-reactive helper TCL cells . Taken together, these results demonstrate that microbial SA mediate productive Th-B cell interactions analogous to those that occur during allospecific Th-B cell interactions in vitro and GVHD in vivo . These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that microbial SA represent environmental factors that may trigger autoimmune disease in the genetically susceptible host.

J Biol Chem, 1991 Jul 15, 266(20), 12840 - 3
Five type I modules of fibronectin form a functional unit that binds to fibroblasts and Staphylococcus aureus; Sottile J et al.; Fibronectin is a cell-adhesive protein comprised of three types of repeating homologous sequences, I, II, and III (Petersen, T.E., Thogersen, H.C., Skorstengaard, K., Vibe-Pedersen, K., Sahl, P., Sottrup-Jensen, L., and Magnusson, S . (1983) Proc . Natl . Acad . Sci . U.S.A . 80, 137-141) . The amino-terminal portion of fibronectin is comprised of five type I modules and mediates assembly of dimeric soluble fibronectin into insoluble fibrils by cultured fibroblasts, binding and cross-linking of fibronectin to Staphylococcus aureus, and binding and cross-linking of fibronectin to fibrin . It is not known whether these binding activities require individual type I modules, several modules, or all five modules . To answer this question, we generated recombinant truncated fibronectin molecules with deletions of or mutations in the amino-terminal type I modules . Binding to cellular fibronectin assembly sites and S . aureus required all five type I modules . In contrast, proteins with deletions of type I modules interacted well with fibrin.

Blood, 1991 Jul 15, 78(2), 445 - 50
Expression of the HOX-2.3 homeobox gene in human lymphocytes and lymphoid tissues; Deguchi Y et al.; Homeobox proteins are sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins initially implicated in the control of gene expression in developing tissues; however, there is increasing evidence that these proteins are important in gene regulation in adult tissues . A cDNA for the homeobox gene HOX-2.3 was isolated from an adult human B-lymphocyte cDNA library . Northern blot analysis showed expression of a 1.1 and a 1.6 kb messenger RNA (mRNA) in a human B-cell line . RNase protection assays demonstrated variable expression in both human B- and T-cell lines . Virally transformed and nontransformed lymphocyte cell lines expressed HOX-2.3 transcripts . Essentially no transcripts were found in unactivated normal B and T lymphocytes; however, B-cell activation with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or T-cell activation with phytohemagglutinin and PMA were accompanied by a rapid induction of HOX-2.3 expression even in the presence of the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide . In situ hybridization was performed to examine HOX-2.3 expression in lymphoid tissues . HOX-2.3 mRNA was detected in the thymic cortex from an 8-year-old child, in the germinal centers in adult tonsil, and in a limited number of hematopoietic cells from the bone marrow . These findings suggest the involvement of HOX-2.3 in regulating gene transcription not only in developing tissues but in hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues as well.

Gene, 1991 Jul 15, 103(1), 101 - 5
Construction of single-copy integration vectors for Staphylococcus aureus; Lee CY et al.; Single-copy integration vectors suitable for cloning in Staphylococcus aureus have been constructed . Their construction was based on the site-specific recombination system of staphylococcal phage, L54a . The vectors are capable of autonomous replication in Escherichia coli, but they are not endowed with a replication function in S . aureus . As a consequence, establishment of these vectors in S . aureus can only be achieved by the integration system of the phage . Once integrated into the chromosome, the vectors, or their derivatives, were stably inherited even without selective pressure . Because such a vector exists in an integrated form in S . aureus, the gene dosage of the DNA cloned in the vector matches that of the chromosome.

J Bacteriol, 1991 Jul, 173(14), 4333 - 40
Distribution of capsular materials on the cell wall surface of strain Smith diffuse of Staphylococcus aureus; Arizono T et al.; The fine structure of the capsule of Staphylococcus aureus Smith diffuse was examined by the technique of freeze-substitution and immunoelectron microscopy . The cell surface was covered with a thick layer consisting of fine fibrous structures which were absent from an unencapsulated strain, Smith compact . Anti-teichoic acid antibody did not react with this surface layer but reacted with the surface of strain Smith compact . Anti-capsular antibody, made from the serum of a rabbit immunized with strain Smith diffuse and specific absorption with unencapsulated strain Wood 46, reacted with the fibrous layer of the Smith diffuse strain . Since the anti-teichoic acid antibody did not react with the encapsulated strain Smith diffuse, the capsular layer acts as a barrier to penetration of the anti-teichoic acid antibody through the capsular layer . A portion of a few cell surfaces of the encapsulated strain remained accessible to the anti-teichoic acid antibody . The capsular layer in this portion of the cell surface was thin, and this surface seemed to be a new cell wall surface created by the cell separation.

Laryngoscope, 1991 Jul, 101(7 Pt 1), 733 - 7
Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in patients with rhinosinusitis; Gittelman PD et al.; Toxic shock syndrome has been associated with rhinologic surgery and medical devices, and it has been linked to a circulating exotoxin of a toxogenic strain of Staphylococcus aureus . One hundred forty patients with rhinosinusitis were studied . Nasal cultures were obtained . The microbiological characteristics are described . The carrier rate for Staphylococcus aureus was 35% . Thirty percent of patients selected for surgery were Staphylococcus aureus carriers . Toxin-capable isolates were identified in 40% of those tested . Users of cocaine, topical decongestants, and steroid sprays had a statistically higher rate of Staphylococcus aureus carriage compared to nonusers . It is hoped that by identifying the population at risk and defining the factors associated with the development of toxic shock syndrome, a cogent policy of prevention can be established.

J Infect Dis, 1991 Jul, 164(1), 101 - 7
Disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with Staphylococcus aureus septicemia is mediated by peptidoglycan-induced platelet aggregation; Kessler CM et al.; Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) may complicate severe septicemia caused by Staphylococcus aureus . S . aureus can induce spontaneous platelet aggregation in vitro, the rapidity and degree of which correlates with the severity of DIC in patients with sepsis . Purified peptidoglycan from DIC isolates aggregated human platelets in the presence of staphylococcal protein A with significantly shorter aggregation times than did peptidoglycan from non-DIC isolates . Purified teichoic acid from DIC and non-DIC isolates failed to aggregate platelets in vitro, or in vivo in guinea pigs but inhibited the peptidoglycan-induced aggregation in a dose-response manner . These studies suggest that peptidoglycan may mediate S . aureus-induced spontaneous platelet aggregation in vitro and DIC in vivo . The variability among strains of S . aureus to induce DIC and platelet aggregation may depend on the unique composition of their peptidoglycan and perhaps also the extent of exposure or availability of cell wall teichoic acid.

Vojnosanit Pregl, 1991 Jul-Aug, 48(4), 301 - 4
{Typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with a specific type of resistance}; Jovanovic D et al.; Methycillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the important causative agent of intrahospital infections (IHI) which could have epidemic character . Typization of strains is necessary for control of these infections . Fifty eight strains of MRSA with specific resistance to antibacterial agents have been isolated from patients at different clinics of our hospital . The determination of resistotype, biotype and plasmid profiles of these and control strains of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) was aimed at confirmation whether identical strains were in questions . Biotypization showed no difference between the studied and control strains while determination of the plasmid profile proved the presence of an epidemic strain which caused infection in several clinics of our hospital.

Kosm Biol Aviakosm Med, 1991 Jul-Aug, 25(4), 13 - 5
{The effect of singly-administered super-erythematous doses of UV-radiation on the general body resistance of hairless mice}; Lobacheva GV et al.; Male and female nude mice of the HRS strain were exposed to single UV-B-irradiation with biologically effective doses of 1.0 and 1.4 kJ/m2 at an intensity of 0.11 and 0.59 W/m2 . The general resistance of animals was measured in terms of skin automicroflora and resistance to Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin injected intraperitoneally at LD50 . The amount of microorganisms of the back and tail skin (shielded during exposure) did not differ from the control level 1 hour or 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after irradiation . One day after exposure to UV-irradiation at a dose of 1.4 kJ/m2, toxin resistance declined . The lethality rate of mice was 33.6% and 17.9% at an intensity of UV-irradiation equal to 0.59 W/m2 and 0.11 W/m2, respectively . No effect was observed 3 days after UV-irradiation at a dose of 1.0 kJ/m2 . It is concluded that single UV-irradiation with 7 MEDs can decrease body resistance, the decrease enhancing with intensity increase.

J Gen Microbiol, 1991 Jul, 137 ( Pt 7), 1661 - 6
Cross-linking and O-acetylation of peptidoglycan in Staphylococcus aureus (strains H and MR-1) grown in the presence of sub-growth-inhibitory concentrations of beta-lactam antibiotics; Snowden MA et al.; Staphylococcus aureus H was grown for 4 generation times with various sub-growth-inhibitory concentrations of beta-lactam antibiotics specific for particular penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) - PBP2, clavulanic acid; PBP3, methicillin; PBP4, cefoxitin - and also with the non-specific benzylpenicillin . Isolated cell walls were digested with Chalaropsis muramidase and the resulting peptidoglycan fragments were fractionated by HPLC into disaccharide-peptide monomers and cross-linked dimers, trimers, tetramers and greater oligomers . The pattern of relative fragment concentrations with increasing amounts of drug was roughly the same regardless of the antibiotic used, monomers and dimers increasing while trimers and tetramers changed little and oligomers decreased rapidly . The patterns resembled closely those predicted by the 'random addition' model for multiple cross-link formation and not at all those predicted by the 'monomer addition' model . The O-acetylation of the peptidoglycan remained essentially unaffected under all these conditions . S . aureus MR-1, a constitutive producer of PBP2', gave similar results when treated with methicillin.

DICP, 1991 Jul-Aug, 25(7-8), 713 - 5
Vancomycin protein binding in patients with infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus; Albrecht LM et al.; The protein binding of vancomycin has been reported to range from less than 10 percent to 82 percent . We examined the binding of vancomycin in 34 patients (14 intravenous drug abusers, 10 burn patients, and 10 control patients) with Staphylococcus aureus infections . Blood samples were collected serially over an 8- or 12-hour dosing interval following a one-hour infusion . In vitro studies were also performed using albumin solutions of varying concentrations . Binding characteristics were determined through ultrafiltration with vancomycin concentrations analyzed for fluorescence polarization immunoassay . The unbound fraction of vancomycin ranged from 0.41 to 0.77 with a mean of 0.54 +/- 0.08 . Unbound fractions was significantly correlated with serum albumin concentration (r = -0.344, p less than 0.046) and renal clearance (r = 0.394, p less than 0.021) but not with total body clearance or volume of distribution . In vitro data also showed an association between albumin concentration and unbound fraction (r = -0.94, p less than 0.017) . Although vancomycin protein binding changes with serum albumin, this finding may have limited clinical significance.

Jpn J Med, 1991 Jul-Aug, 30(4), 338 - 42
Selective IgG2,4 subclass and IgE deficiencies in an adult patient with recurrent pneumonia; Ninomiya H et al.; A 28-year-old woman with recurrent pneumonia was found to have selective IgG2, 4 subclass and IgE deficiencies . She had a history of repeated episodes of otitis media and sinusitis in childhood . Her total immunoglobulin level was slightly below the normal range, and selective deficiencies of IgG2, 4 and IgE were found . Although lymphocyte responses to several mitogens were within the normal ranges, peripheral blood mononuclear cells produced only IgM when stimulated by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan 1 and interleukin-2 . Gene deletion of the IgG2, 4 subclass was not found, but polymorphism of the IgG gene was detected by DNA analysis of the patient's lymphocytes.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Jul, 35(7), 1495 - 7
Failure of routine susceptibility tests to detect imipenem resistance among strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Boyce JM et al.; We tested 75 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains for susceptibility to imipenem by using disk diffusion tests and broth microdilution tests with standard and heavy inocula . Population analysis was performed on isolates that appeared to be susceptible by these methods . All of the strains contained subpopulations of cells that are phenotypically resistant to imipenem.

Rev Infect Dis, 1991 Jul-Aug, 13 Suppl 9, S737 - 42
Aspiration pneumonia; Finegold SM; The primary problems that predispose to aspiration pneumonia include a reduced level of consciousness, dysphagia, periodontal disease, and mechanical interference that is related to the insertion of various tubes into the respiratory or gastrointestinal tracts . The bacterial flora involved include the indigenous oral flora (among which anaerobes predominate) and, in the hospital or a similar setting, nosocomially acquired pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and various aerobic and facultative gram-negative bacilli that may colonize patients . Specific etiologic diagnosis is difficult . The most useful materials for reliable anaerobic and aerobic culture are pleural fluid, transtracheal aspirates, and secretions obtained with a protected bronchial brush and during bronchoalveolar lavage . Special care must be taken to avoid normal and colonizing flora and to keep anaerobes viable . Aside from the drainage of empyemas, the primary therapy for aspiration pneumonia involves antimicrobial agents . A number of options are available; the most appropriate mode of therapy depends on the nature of the infecting flora and the severity of the illness.

Rev Infect Dis, 1991 Jul-Aug, 13(4), 620 - 3
Septic endarteritis of the femoral artery following angioplasty; Frazee BW et al.; A case of septic endarteritis that occurred in the femoral artery following percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is reported, and nine previously reported cases of this complication are reviewed . In each case Staphylococcus aureus was identified as the pathogen . For all cases in which a complete clinical description was available, endarteritis occurred following repeated PTCA or repuncture PTCA (i.e., a second catheterization at the original site of insertion for diagnostic purposes) . The characteristic manifestations of endarteritis in this setting included bacteremia (all 10 cases), the formation of a pseudoaneurysm (six), distal emboli (five), and regional septic arthritis or osteomyelitis (five of six cases that included the information needed to determine the presence of these conditions) . In each case, treatment included 4-6 weeks of iv antibiotics and surgery, most frequently resection of the pseudoaneurysm and vascular bypass . We recommend surveillance for the signs of endarteritis, especially after repeated catheterization, and use of the contralateral site when repeated catheterization is indicated . When the ipsilateral site is used, the administration of prophylactic antibiotics should be considered.

Kidney Int, 1991 Jul, 40(1), 96 - 106
Inhibition of immunoglobulin production by parathyroid hormone . Implications in chronic renal failure; Gaciong Z et al.; Available data indicate that B cell proliferation is inhibited in chronic renal failure and this is due to excess blood levels of PTH . This defect may also affect immunoglobulin production . We examined production of IgG, IgM and IgA by B cells stimulated with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC) or with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) after eight days of culture and evaluated the effect of PTH on this process in 34 hemodialysis patients and 44 normal subjects . IgG, IgM and IgA production by B cells from patients was lower (P less than 0.01) than by B cells from normal subjects . Both 1-34 and 1-84 PTH inhibited (P less than 0.01) immunoglobulin production by B cells from normal subjects and dialysis patients . However, this inhibitory effect was evident in dialysis patients only with the higher dose of PTH . The inhibition of immunoglobulin production by PTH occurred only when the hormone was added at the initiation of the B cell culture . Inactivation of PTH abolished its inhibitory effect on immunoglobulin production . Agents that stimulate cAMP production (forskolin, cholera toxin) and the cAMP analogue, 8-bromoadenosine 3',5' cyclic monophosphate inhibited immunoglobulin production by B cells from both normal and dialysis patients, and the degree of inhibition was not different between the two groups . The calcium inophore A23187 also inhibited IgG, IgA and IgM production by B cells from normal subjects and dialysis patients; there was no significant difference in the degree of inhibition between the two groups . The resting levels of cytosolic calcium in B cells of dialysis patients was significantly (P less than 0.01) higher than that of B cells from normal subjects . The data show that: (1) immunoglobulin production is impaired in dialysis patients; (2) B cells of dialysis patients have elevated resting levels of cytosolic calcium; (3) PTH inhibits IgG, IgA and IgM production and this effect is at least partly mediated by PTH-induced cAMP production and alterations in cytosolic calcium into B cells; (4) this inhibitory effect is mediated by events that affect initial stages of B cell proliferation and maturation; (5) the requirement for high dose of PTH for its inhibitory effect on B cells from dialysis patients is probably due to desensitization and/or down-regulation of PTH receptors on B cells . The results are consistent with the proposition that impaired immunoglobulin production by B cells from dialysis patients is at least partly due to the state of secondary hyperparathyroidism in these patients.

J Natl Med Assoc, 1991 Jul, 83(7), 593 - 9
The relationship of immunity and nutrition to the acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Jayne MB et al.; Selected nutritional and immunological indices of 118 patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were reviewed retrospectively . Those patients with nosocomial infections had significantly (P less than .05) lower levels of serum albumin, total protein, absolute lymphocyte, and percentage of lymphocytes (on differential) than all others (ie, community-acquired infections and colonizations and nosocomial colonizations) . Therefore, these parameters might be important indicators of subsequent MRSA infestation in certain patient populations.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 1991 Jul, 12(7), 416 - 21
Serial survey of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among residents in a nursing home; Hsu CC; OBJECTIVE: To study the natural course of nasal colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among residents in a nursing home . DESIGN: A cohort study with eight surveys of nasal cultures over 15 months . SETTING: A community nursing home in Chicago, Illinois . PARTICIPANTS: Between 117 and 129 residents of the nursing home in each survey . RESULTS: MRSA carriers were present throughout the study period . On the average, 24.4% (range: 17.1% to 34.2%) of the residents carried S aureus, and 35.3% (range: 20% to 62.5%) of the isolates were methicillin resistant at each survey . The carrier state was persistent or transient and was affected little by a roommate's carrier status . Approximately 70% to 80% of residents who were bedridden or who had decubitus ulcers or foreign bodies carried MRSA at least once during the study period . Residents' prior hospitalization was not associated with MRSA carriage . CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that MRSA was perpetuated in the nursing home by persistently or intermittently colonizing debilitated residents who required more intensive nursing care and that the prior hospitalization of the residents was not an important cause of its perpetuation.

J Assoc Off Anal Chem, 1991 Jul-Aug, 74(4), 706 - 10
Symposium on microbiology update: old friends and new enemies . Staphylococcus aureus; Bergdoll MS; The analytical methods for the detection of the staphylococcal enterotoxins can be divided into 2 categories: (1) methods for detection of enterotoxin-producing staphylococcal strains; (2) methods for detection of enterotoxin in foods . Gel diffusion methods (Ouchterlony, microslide), in which the enterotoxin produced by any given strain is compared to one of the identified enterotoxins, are used most frequently for strain testing . The sensitivity of these methods is from 0.1 to 0.5 micrograms enterotoxin/mL, which is normally adequate to determine the enterotoxigenicity of strains . The methods for the detection of enterotoxin in foods need to be much more sensitive to detect less than 1 ng of enterotoxin/g of food that may be present . The radioimmunoassay (RIA), the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the reversed passive latex agglutination (RPLA) method have the necessary sensitivity to detect 1 ng/g of enterotoxin in foods without the use of complicated extraction-concentration procedures . Kits based on the ELISA and RPLA methods are now available commercially for the detection of enterotoxins in foods . Tests have shown that the ELISA methods are somewhat more sensitive than the RPLA method.

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1991 Jul, 10(7), 564 - 7
Latex agglutination for rapid identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus recovered from selective media; Wanger AR et al.; The accuracy of combining latex agglutination with selective media for the identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was determined . Test strains were identified by latex agglutination on blood agar, the heat-stable thermonuclease test and broth microdilution MICs of oxacillin and included 97 MRSA, 56 methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, 52 methicillin resistant, and 49 methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus species . Isolates were grown on trypticase-soy agar with 5% sheep red blood cells (TSAB), Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA), mannitol-salt agar (MSA), and four media designed for the selective growth of MRSA:TSAB with clindamycin and gentamicin, MHA with oxacillin, MSA with oxacillin, and lipovitellin-salt-mannitol agar (LVSM) with 1 microgram oxacillin disks applied . The mean sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value for the combination of latex agglutination with selective media for the identification of MRSA was 96%, 99% and 98% respectively.

Int Immunol, 1991 Jul, 3(7), 647 - 55
Characterization of the enhancer region for germline transcription of the gamma 3 constant region gene of human immunoglobulin; Kuze K et al.; A constant region gene (C) of the immunoglobulin heavy chain can be transcribed as germline transcripts from a promoter located upstream of a switch region . We have studied the structure and function of the human C gamma 3 promoter region . When the human IgM-producing cell line SSK41 is stimulated with interleukin 4 (IL-4) in the presence of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I, expression of germline C gamma 3 transcripts was specifically augmented within 4 h . Upstream DNA fragments flanking the I gamma 3 exon were fused with a reporter gene and tested for IL-4-induced promoter/enhancer activity by transfection of SSK41 cells . The DNA fragment between 450 and 250 bp upstream of the transcription initiation site of the C gamma 3 gene was shown to be required for transcriptional up-regulation by PMA and IL-4 . The upstream 514 bp fragment of the I gamma 3 flanking region was shown to contain an enhancer activity in response to PMA and IL-4.

J Am Soc Echocardiogr, 1991 Jul-Aug, 4(4), 397 - 400
Spontaneous drainage of paravalvular abscess diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography; Giannoccaro P et al.; Paravalvular abscesses, which occur in up to 30% of cases of native valve endocarditis, are being detected with increasing frequency with the use of transesophageal echocardiography . Abscesses of the mitral aortic intervalvular fibrosa have been described but only in association with native or prosthetic aortic valve endocarditis . We describe a patient with native mitral valve endocarditis complicated by an abscess in the fibrosa . A 51-year-old diabetic man presented with Staphylococcus aureus mitral valve endocarditis . A transesophageal echocardiographic study done 8 days after admission revealed two large masses at the base of the anterior mitral leaflet with extension into the fibrosa consistent with a paravalvular abscess that was not detected by precordial echocardiography . A repeat transesophageal echocardiographic study done 20 days after admission showed spontaneous drainage of the abscess and a subsequent fistula between the left atrium and left ventricle . This case highlights the important role that transesophageal echocardiography has in suspected and known cases of endocarditis . Its major advantage of delineating posterior cardiac structures allowed accurate diagnosis and serial evaluation of this previously unreported complication of endocarditis.

JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, 1991 Jul-Aug, 15(4), 433 - 6
Survival in septic guinea pigs is influenced by vitamin E, but not by vitamin C in enteral diets; Peck MD et al.; Oxygen-free radicals are produced during sepsis, and may contribute to cell injury and dysfunction . We studied the effect of different levels of vitamins E and C in the diet fed enterally to septic guinea pigs . Sixty-four female guinea pigs were provided with gastrostomies and allowed to recover . Intraperitoneal osmotic pumps were then implanted that provided effusion of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus for the next 7 days . Three days after pump implantations, the animals were started on one of nine diets . The diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous, and differed only in the amounts of vitamins E and C . Three levels of each vitamin were used, based on the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) . The feedings were continued for 2 weeks, during which time mortality was observed . The amount of vitamin C had no effect on outcome, with mortality rates of 68% (15/22) in the 1 x RDA group, 73% (16/22) in the 5 x RDA group, and 65% (13/20) in the 25 x RDA group . However, vitamin E altered outcome significantly, with mortality rates of 86% (18/21) in the 1 x RDA group, 45% (10/22) in the 3 x RDA group, and 76% (16/21) in the 9 x RDA group . Mortality in the 3 x RDA group was significantly lower than that in the 1 x RDA group and in the 9 x RDA group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Res Vet Sci, 1991 Jul, 51(1), 100 - 6
Effects of the adjuvant DEAE-dextran and Staphylococcus aureus on the lymph pathways and filtering capacity of popliteal lymph nodes in sheep; Spalding HJ et al.; The effects of subcutaneous injections of the adjuvant DEAE-dextran and, or killed Staphylococcus aureus on the structure of the lymph pathways of popliteal lymph nodes in sheep were examined using light and electron microscopy and Microfil casts . Dextran with or without killed S aureus caused significant changes in the lymph pathways both within the node and outside it . However, killed S aureus alone did not . The changes included anastomoses among afferent lymph vessels and between afferent and efferent lymph vessels; proliferation of vessels around the node; joining of parts of the capsule and trabeculae to adjacent parenchyma with loss of parts of the subcapsular and trabecular sinuses; enlargement of medullary sinuses; and reduction of the number of reticular processes in sinuses throughout the node . These changes were accompanied by a reduced ability of the node to filter chicken red blood cells labelled with chromium-51 which were injected into an afferent lymph vessel.

J Cataract Refract Surg, 1991 Jul, 17(4), 503 - 5
Mycotic infection of the capsular bag in postoperative endophthalmitis; Cusumano A et al.; A case of mycotic infection after uncomplicated extracapsular cataract extraction with implantation of a posterior chamber modified C-loop intraocular lens (IOL) is reported . Severe postoperative intraocular inflammation, diagnosed by aqueous cultures as secondary to Staphylococcus aureus endophthalmitis, did not respond to antibiotic therapy . Despite IOL and capsular bag removal and further antibiotic treatment, the inflammation persisted and phthisis followed . Retrospective electron microscopic examination of the explanted material demonstrated the presence of abundant fungal elements in the capsular bag and spores on the IOL surface . Vitreous taps performed at the time of explantation were negative for bacteria and fungi, confirming the localized nature of the mycotic infection . To our knowledge this report represents the first observation of a mycotic infection confined to the capsular bag after cataract surgery with implantation of a posterior chamber IOL.

J Pediatr Surg, 1991 Jul, 26(7), 853 - 5
Ontogeny of fetal sheep polymorphonuclear leukocyte phagocytosis; Jennings RW et al.; Premature infants and neonates are vulnerable to bacterial sepsis . This susceptibility may be due to the relative immaturity of their immune systems . To determine if neonates and, in particular, premature infants have decreased polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) phagocytosis, we tested PMN phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus as a function of gestational age in the fetal lamb model . Because phagocytosis is made more efficient by the presence of opsonins in plasma, fetal and postnatal PMN phagocytosis were also measured after exposure to fetal and adult plasma . PMNs were isolated from fetal lambs at 104, 114, 124, and 141 days' gestation (term gestation for the fetal lamb is 145 days), as well as from 10-day-old neonatal sheep and adult sheep . Labeled S aureus were opsonized by incubation in either fetal or adult plasma, or left unopsonized for baseline values . Phagocytosis was measured as a percent of adult PMN phagocytosis after adult plasma opsonization . It was found that fetal PMN function is limited by two factors during the early third trimester: a primary defect in the ability of the PMN to phagocytose S aureus despite adequate opsonization, and the diminished ability of autologous fetal plasma to opsonize bacteria . The defect in PMN phagocytosis disappears late in the third trimester, but the inability of the fetal plasma to opsonize effectively continues until after birth.

CLAO J, 1991 Jul, 17(3), 173 - 6
Corneal ulcers associated with contact lenses including experience with disposable lenses; Cohen EJ et al.; We conducted a retrospective study of corneal ulcers that had been managed on the Cornea Service at Wills Eye Hospital in 1988 and 1989 . Forty-four percent (51 of 116) of the ulcers were associated with contact lens use . Pseudomonas was the most often isolated organism (25 of 116, 22%) and was most frequently associated with cosmetic soft contact lenses (16 of 25, 64%) . Ulcers associated with disposable contact lenses (five cases) were similar to those associated with conventional extended wear myopic lenses (15 cases) . Pseudomonas was the predominant organism with both disposable (four of five, 80%) and conventional extended wear lenses (nine of 15, 60%) . Staphylococcus aureus (19 cases) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (19 cases) were the next most frequently isolated organisms and usually occurred in ulcers not associated with contact lenses (29 of 38, 76%) . Ulcers were treated 3.3 times more often in people using extended wear than in those using daily wear myopic lenses . Disposable contact lenses have not eliminated the problem of corneal ulcers associated with extended wear contact lenses.

Can J Vet Res, 1991 Jul, 55(3), 220 - 3
The effect of lipopolysaccharide on bovine mammary macrophage function; Politis I et al.; The effect of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules by bovine mammary macrophages was examined . The ability of LPS-treated mammary macrophages to support antigen-specific T-cell proliferation, as a measure of their antigen presentation ability, was also evaluated . For this purpose, control and LPS-treated macrophages were pulsed with heat-killed Staphylococcus aureus and then cultured with S . aureus-sensitized T-cells . Our data show that LPS had no significant effect on the expression of MHC class II molecules on the surface of mammary macrophages . Furthermore, LPS-induced macrophages were no more active in supporting T-cell proliferation on a per cell basis than unstimulated macrophages . The lack of macrophage response to LPS with respect to expression of MHC class II molecules and the antigen presentation ability is another example of the hyporesponsive nature of macrophages isolated from the bovine mammary gland.

Anal Biochem, 1991 Jul, 196(1), 39 - 45
Transpeptidation during the analytical proteolysis of proteins; Canova-Davis E et al.; Since peptide mapping with proteolytic enzymes such as trypsin and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease is a powerful tool for the characterization of proteins, investigators should be cognizant of possible artifacts due to the technique itself . This article describes the identification of minor peaks found in the maps of recombinant human relaxin and insulin-like growth factor I as transpeptidation products . Both proteins have some homology to insulin with relaxin being composed of two chains designated A and B, while insulin-like growth factor I is composed of a single polypeptide chain . Digestion of relaxin with trypsin at pH 7.2 yields two peptides, T2,3(A10-18) and T7(B10-13), linked together by a disulfide bond . An unexpected component at a 10% level was identified to be the T2-T7 peptide pair where T3(ArgA18) has formed a peptide bond with the amino-terminal LeuB10 of the T7 peptide . It was also observed that the digestion of insulin-like growth factor I with V8 protease normally yields two peptides V4(13-20) and V9(59-70) linked by a disulfide bridge . A minor peak at a 1 to 2% level was identified to be a single polypeptide resulting from the formation of a peptide bond between the amino-terminal Met59 of V9 and the carboxyl-terminal Asp20 of V4, with the disulfide bond intact . These transpeptidation products were isolated by reversed-phase HPLC and identified using amino-terminal sequence and mass spectrometric analyses.

Am J Hosp Pharm, 1991 Jul, 48(7), 1496 - 9
Effect of blood and serum on in vitro antibacterial activity of nitrofurazone; Coffey RP et al.; The effect of various volumes of blood and serum on the in vitro antibacterial activity of 0.2% nitrofurazone soluble dressing (NSD) was studied . The antibacterial activity of NSD was tested with an agar well diffusion technique . Zones of inhibition against susceptible strains of Escherichia coli and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus were measured with a micrometer . Bacterial concentrations of 10(5) and 10(8) colony-forming units per milliliter were tested to evaluate a possible effect of inoculum size . Wells contained full-strength (undiluted) NSD or 75%, 50%, or 25% NSD dilutions (w/w) in blood, serum, or 0.9% sodium chloride injection . The mean decrease in inhibition zone size produced by blood and serum was only 7.2% . The diminution of activity, albeit small, was statistically significant . The zones produced were still much larger than those associated with clinical cure . Therefore, the impact of blood and serum on nitrofurazone's in vitro antibacterial activity can best be described as a slight reduction in rather than an elimination of effectiveness . This small reduction in activity is unlikely to be clinically important in patients with burns or other surface wounds that contain blood or serum . An effect of inoculum size was demonstrated for both organisms . Blood and serum produced a small but significant reduction in NSD's antibacterial activity in vitro . Controlled clinical studies are needed to ascertain the clinical importance of these findings.

Mol Biochem Parasitol, 1991 Jul, 47(1), 11 - 7
Chemical modification of fructose bisphosphate aldolase from Trypanosoma brucei compared to aldolase from rabbit muscle and Staphylococcus aureus; Callens M et al.; Chemical modifications of Class I aldolases from Trypanosoma brucei, rabbit muscle and Staphylococcus aureus with carboxypeptidase A, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and cysteine-specific reagents revealed the following differences between the three homologous enzymes . Aldolase from S . aureus was not affected by any of these reagents . Carboxypeptidase-A treatment of rabbit-muscle and T . brucei aldolase inhibited the activity of both enzymes towards fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (Fru(1,6)P2), while the activity towards fructose-1-phosphate (Fru-1-P) was affected only in the case of the trypanosomal enzyme . Moreover carboxypeptidase-A treatment reduced the turnover numbers of these two aldolases for both Fru(1,6)P2 and Fru-1-P to a similar level . Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, in the absence of dihydroxyacetone phosphate, also inactivated aldolases from rabbit muscle and T . brucei with second order rate constants of 1054 and 254 min-1 M-1, respectively . Using 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) with rabbit-muscle aldolase, a total of 4 thiol groups could be titrated per subunit, resulting in a total inactivation . The presence of substrate completely protected the enzyme from inactivation . Methyl methanethiosulfonate also reacted with four cysteine residues, but this led to very little inactivation . This indicates that the inactivation by modification with DTNB is due to conformational changes in the enzyme . In T . brucei aldolase only one thiol group could be titrated with methyl methanesulfonate and there was no loss of activity . With 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) five cysteines were titrated with an immediate and complete loss of activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mol Biochem Parasitol, 1991 Jul, 47(1), 1 - 9
Kinetic properties of fructose bisphosphate aldolase from Trypanosoma brucei compared to aldolase from rabbit muscle and Staphylococcus aureus; Callens M et al.; The kinetic properties of aldolase from Trypanosoma brucei were studied in comparison with aldolase from rabbit muscle and Staphylococcus aureus . The 3 enzymes displayed a similar broad pH optimum for the cleavage of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (Fru(1,6)P2) and a similar narrow pH optimum for the cleavage of fructose 1-phosphate (Fru-1-P) . However, small alterations in the maximal cleavage rate at more extreme pH values yielded disparities between the pH curves . The reaction catalyzed by the aldolases from T . brucei and S . aureus proceeded via an ordered sequence, as described for the rabbit-muscle enzyme . We determined for the 3 enzymes the kinetic parameters for both the cleavage and the formation of Fru(1,6)P2 and for the cleavage of Fru-1-P . The trypanosomal enzyme differed in its higher ratio of the maximal rate of Fru(1,6)P2-cleavage vs . the maximal rate of Fru(1,6)P2-formation, its higher affinity towards dihydroxyacetone phosphate, and its higher turnover number for the cleavage of Fru-1-P . At ionic strengths above 0.1 M the kinetic parameters of the trypanosomal enzyme followed the limited form of the Debye-Huckel equation . At ionic strengths below 0.1 M the enzyme revealed a characteristic deviation: the apparent Km for Fru(1,6)P2 increased with decreasing salt concentration . The trypanosomal aldolase was competitively inhibited by adenine nucleotides and phosphates . This inhibition occurred in the same concentration range as observed for the rabbit-muscle enzyme, while the bacterial enzyme was less affected.

Antibiot Khimioter, 1991 Jul, 36(7), 45 - 8
{The role of antibiotics in the prevention of cross infections in newborn infants and mothers during the puerperium}; Kornachev AS; Epidemiological efficiency of antibiotic prophylaxis of hospital infections (HIs) in maternity homes was analyzed by the materials on the clinical observation of 43995 newborns and their mothers within a period of 1986 to 1989 as well as by the data on the bacteriological examination of 6616 smears from the mucosa of the nose, pharynx, rectum and umbilical wounds of 1890 newborns carried out within the same period . It was shown that the prophylactic use of the antibiotics in the maternity homes led to changes in the microflora colonizing the newborns . The more massive was the use of the antibiotics in the departments of newborns and the postnatal departments, the more intensive was replacement of gram-positive microflora in the newborns by gram-negative organisms among which Klebsiella strains with high antibiotic resistance predominated . This involved an increase in the incidence of pneumonia and sepsis in the newborns and a higher death rate among the newborns due to HIs . In parallel there was observed an increase in the incidence of metro-endometritis in the puerperae++ and a simultaneous decrease in the number of the cases with lactational mastitis as a result of lower numbers of Staphylococcus aureus cultures isolated from various loci of the newborns . It was concluded that antibiotics were not the drugs to be used as prophylactic agents in control of HIs in maternity homes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Indian J Pathol Microbiol, 1991 Jul, 34(3), 176 - 80
Antiribitol-teichoic acid antibody (ARTA) in diagnosis of deep seated Staphylococcus aureus infections; Ayyagari A et al.; Antiribitol-teichoic acid antibody (ARTA) was detected in sera of 30 out of 50 patients (60%) with various acute deep seated Staphylococcus aureus infections and 5 out of 10 chronic osteomyelitis cases, whereas none of the sera from 50 patients with superficial Staphylococcus aureus infections as well from 50 patients without Staphylococcus aureus infections showed antibody response (p less than 0.01) . This test is a definite advantage in diagnosis of deep seated staphylococcal infections like endocarditis, lung disease, meningitis and specially in osteomyelitis cases where organisms cannot be isolated and therefore helps in predicting the need for long term antimicrobial therapy.

Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet, 1991 Jul-Sep, 16(3), 223 - 9
Comparative bioavailability and in-vitro antimicrobial activity of two different brands of rifampicin; Garg SK et al.; A comparative bioavailability study was undertaken between a new formulation of rifampicin 'Famcin' and a standard formulation of rifampicin 'R-cin' in eight healthy male volunteers at two dose levels: 300 mg and 450 mg given orally under both single dose and steady state conditions . Plasma rifampicin was assayed spectrophotometrically . The study documented comparable rate and extent of bioavailability . (Cmax, Tmax and AUC0-infinity) and elimination half-lives (t1/2) of the two brands of rifampicin when compared at similar dose levels . The study establishes the bioequivalence of Famcin to that of the standard brand R-cin . Further, a comparative in vitro microbiological sensitivity of the two brands of rifampicin was undertaken against several strains of two test micro-organism viz . Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis . For both the micro-organisms the minimal inhibitory concentration of Famcin was lower than that of R-cin, suggesting a somewhat greater potency of Famcin in suppressing the growth of test micro-organisms.

Indian Pediatr, 1991 Jul, 28(7), 725 - 9
Drug resistance pattern of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Pal N et al.; A total of 404 methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from pus, CSF, blood and sputum of various hospitalized cases were analyzed . The resistance pattern of these strains were gentamicin (51.8%), erythromycin (80.1%) and co-trimoxazole (89.6%) . All these strains were sensitive to vancomycin . The isolation rate was maximum from various surgical specialties (General surgery-28.5%; Neurosurgery-16.3% and Cardio-thoracic unit-10.5%) followed by Children Ward, Premature Nursery and Gynecology Ward, respectively . Use of cloxacillin needs to be restricted since vancomycin, the drug of choice is not available in our country.

Vet Med (Praha), 1991 Jul, 36(7), 393 - 9
{New findings on the biotyping of Staphylococcus aureus isolated during milk processing}; Ruzickova V; A detailed analysis of biotypes of Staphylococcus aureus, as related to their origin and enterotoxigenicity, was performed, using 432 strains isolated from bulk milk, milking machines, quarter milk samples collected from mastitic cows, and cowherds and milkers . All strains coagulated rabbit blood plasma and produced thermonuclease (Tab . I) . Human strains differed from bovine ones mostly in the production of alpha-haemolysin (94%) and fibrinolysin (66%) . Biotypes C1 (35%) and C2 (38%) dominated clearly among the strains isolated from quarter milk samples . The findings of 13% of biotype A and 8% of biotype D suggest that other sources of udder infections than mastitic cows were involved . Almost 19% of human strains and two strains isolated from quarter milk samples were identified as the recently defined type G . The production of enterotoxins (Tab . III) of was associated mostly with strains of human origin (69%) and with biotypes G (35%) and A (31%) . Three enterotoxigenic strains belonged to the biotype B and one strain was not classifiable.

Patol Fiziol Eksp Ter, 1991 Jul-Aug, (4), 48 - 50
{The mechanisms of disordered oxidative metabolism at different stages of acute experimental inflammation of the salivary glands}; Rozenblats AV et al.; Acute purulent sialadenitis was modelled in experiments on rabbits by injecting Staphylococcus aureus . Follow-up of the development of inflammation showed an intimate relation between changes of the level of gland oxygenation and the values characterizing tissue respiration, carbohydrate metabolism, and lipid peroxidation.

Patol Fiziol Eksp Ter, 1991 Jul-Aug, (4), 18 - 20
{Therapy in the cardiodepressive action of bacterial and toxic shock using the regulatory opioid peptide dalargin in rats}; Pashutin SB; The author studied the effect of Dalargin, a synthetic analogue of endogenous ligands of leu-enkephalin opiate receptors, on the functional condition of a perfused isolated heart of male Wistar rats with acute staphylococcal intoxication induced by alpha-toxin and a live Staphylococcus aureus culture . All the studied indices of heart activity were reduced in the rats of the control group and subsequent perfusion of the heart in a working regime (with a functioning left ventricle) did not remove the cardiodepressive effect of the intoxication . In animals given Dalargin inhibition of functional activity in the same periods did not occur . Besides preventing disorders of cardiac activity . Dalargin caused a marked cardiotropic effect in the system in vitro when it was added to the perfusate in the isolated heart of rats with an already developed toxic or bacterial shock--restoration of myocardial functional values was encountered.

Indian J Exp Biol, 1991 Jul, 29(7), 628 - 30
Action of sorbic acid on Staphylococcus metabolism: a microcalorimetric investigation; Sayeed SA et al.; Effect of sorbic acid, an antimicrobial food preservative, on the cellular metabolism of Staphylococcus aureus was observed microcalorimetrically . The highly reproducible and characteristic thermograms of the microorganism were affected significantly by the preservative in a concentration dependent manner . Both the peak heat and total heat dissipation profiles were affected by 50% at the maximum permitted concentration (0.2%) for use in foods.

Zhonghua Min Guo Xiao Er Ke Yi Xue Hui Za Zhi, 1991 Jul-Aug, 32(4), 214 - 8
{Staphylococcal colonization rate on neonatal nares and umbilical cord in a newborn nursery}; Chou MY et al.; Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis were the most important gram positive pathogens found in a five-year study (1985-1989) of nosocomial infection in this hospital . They caused 56.2% of all nosocomial infections in this newborn nursery, particularly skin infections . To determine the reasons, and to decrease effectively the neonatal staphylococcal colonization rate, three different disinfection methods were selected for management of neonatal umbilical cords . A total of 1578 swabs from neonatal nares and umbilical cords were collected . During the first period no disinfectant was applied to the cord after bathing the baby . Beta-iodine in alcohol and bacitracin ointment were used for the second and the third periods, respectively . The result showed a significant difference (P less than 0.05) in staphylococcal colonization rate on neonatal umbilical cord using different disinfectants even after the first day . The same result for neonatal nares was also found, after infants had been in the nursery for two days . During the third period, no case of skin infection was found . Most Staphylococcus aureus isolated were resistant to ampicillin, erythromycin, tetracycline and penicillin . The percentage of this antibiogram found in neonatal nares and umbilical cords was 44% and 56% respectively . Besides nosocomial infection control and surveillance of medical personnel, environment, materials, instruments and isolation techniques, it is really necessary to choose an effective disinfectant (bacitracin ointment is recommended) to reduce the staphylococcal colonization in newborn nurseries.

Biochem Int, 1991 Jul, 24(5), 899 - 906
A simple method for determination of intramolecular amino acid sequence of unpurified protein . Application to human serum protein adsorbed by silica particles; Nishino H; Silica particles adsorbed several kinds of human serum proteins, especially 23 kDa molecular weight protein . After SDS-PAGE of adsorbed serum proteins, gel pieces containing 23 kDa protein was cut out and set in slot of stacking gel in second SDS-PAGE following overlay of Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease . After electrophoresis, gel was subjected to electroblotting onto polyvinylidene difluoride membrane . Both bands of dye-stained 23 kDa and the peptide were cut out from membrane and analyzed for amino acid sequence . Obtained sequences agreed well with amino terminal and intramolecular sequences of human HDL-apolipoprotein, A-I.

J Immunol, 1991 Jul 1, 147(1), 155 - 61
CD4+ Leu-8+ T cell supernatant activity that inhibits Ig production; Kanof ME et al.; The subpopulation of CD4+ T cells that expresses the Leu-8 peripheral lymph node homing receptor suppresses PWM-stimulated Ig synthesis . To determine the mechanism of this suppression, the immunoregulatory activity of culture supernatants obtained from peripheral blood CD4+ Leu-8+ T cells cultured with anti-CD3 mAb and PMA (Leu-8+ supernatant) was determined . Leu-8+ supernatant suppressed PWM-stimulated Ig synthesis in cultures containing non-T cells and CD4+ Leu-8- T cells . In contrast, the supernatant from CD4+ Leu-8- T cells did not suppress Ig synthesis . The inhibitory activity of CD4+ Leu-8+ T cell supernatants could not be accounted for by a deficiency or excess of IL-2, IL-4, IFN-gamma, IL-6, or PGE2 . In studies examining the effect of CD4+ Leu-8+ supernatant on T cells, the supernatant did not alter either mitogen-induced proliferation or the helper function of CD4+ Leu-8- T cells . In studies examining the effect of CD4+ Leu-8+ supernatant on B cells, the supernatant inhibited Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I strain-induced B cell Ig secretion but not B cell proliferation . The suppressor activity of Leu-8+ supernatant was eliminated by protease treatment and was eluted by HPLC in two main peaks, with molecular sizes of 44 and 12 kDa . In summary, these studies indicate that supernatants from activated CD4+ Leu-8+ T cells directly suppress B cell Ig production.

J Biolumin Chemilumin, 1991 Jul-Sep, 6(3), 193 - 201
Kinetics of bactericidal activity of antibiotics measured by luciferin-luciferase assay; de Rautlin de la Roy Y et al.; ATP production, measured by the luciferin-luciferase assay, is an indicator of bacterial metabolic activity . This enzymatic assay yields rapid results (less than 5 minutes), permitting multiple measurements and establishment of ATP growth curves in order to study the kinetics of antibiotics in bacterial populations . The measurement of free or extracellular ATP, total ATP (extra and intracellular) and the ratio of free to total ATP are additional means of studying the bacteriostatic or bactericidal activity of antibiotics . An increase in free ATP is an indicator of extracellular movement due to alteration of the cell wall . The ratio free ATP/total ATP x 100 greater than or equal to 50%, indicates bacteriallysis . These assays were used to study the effects of 14 antibiotics on two reference strains of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus 25923.

Plasmid, 1991 Jul, 26(1), 20 - 9
Mutational analysis of att554, the target of the site-specific transposon Tn554; Murphy E et al.; Tn554 is a high-frequency, site-specific transposable element of Staphylococcus aureus which has integrative properties resembling those of temperate bacteriophages . Tn554 inserts at a unique chromosomal location, designated att554 . att554 contains a core hexanucleotide sequence, 5'-GATGTA-3' (nucleotides numbered -3 to +3) . Most of the time (greater than 99%) insertion occurs immediately 3' to this sequence; the resulting orientation of Tn554 to att554 is designated as the (+) orientation . Infrequent insertions immediately 5' to the core sequence result in the opposite, or (-) orientation . Mutational analysis of a cloned att554 site indicates that deletions extending from the left and ending at -15 or from the right ending between +8 and +12 reduced attachment site efficiency . Plasmids with deletions extending closer to the insertion site, although still retaining the core sequence from -3 to +3, were totally inactive . Tn554 insertions into partially active att554 sites retained normal site- and orientation-specificity with respect to att554, but they frequently contained abnormal sequences at the junction of att554 and the 3' end of Tn554 . These data indicate that att554 contains a short nucleotide sequence essential for transposition and flanking sequences that greatly increase the frequency of recombination.

Biokhimiia, 1991 Jul, 56(7), 1259 - 63
{Iron-sulfur centers in the Staphylococcus aureus respiratory chain}; Solozhenkin IP et al.; Using low temperature EPR spectroscopy, signals of iron-sulfur centers with g-factors of 2.02 and 1.94 were detected in the respiratory chain of St . aureus membranes . According to their relaxation parameters and redox properties, these iron-sulfur centers are similar to iron-sulfur centers S-1 and S-3 corresponding to succinate dehydrogenases of mitochondria and bacterial membranes.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Jul, 35(7), 1489 - 91
Inhibition by quinolones of DNA gyrase from Staphylococcus aureus; Tanaka M et al.; In order to clarify the mechanism of action of quinolones against Staphylococcus aureus, the subunit A and B proteins of DNA gyrase were separately purified from a crude extract of S . aureus FDA 209-P . The reconstituted enzyme exhibited ATP-dependent DNA supercoiling activity . The inhibitory effects of quinolones on the supercoiling activity of the purified enzyme were measured by the quantitative electrophoresis method (17), using plasmid DNA, pBR322 or pUB110, as substrates and expressed as the 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) . The IC50s of ofloxacin, DR-3355 (l-ofloxacin), ciprofloxacin, tosufloxacin, sparfloxacin, and DS-4524, a new quinolone derivative, for pBR322 were 63.0, 37.8, 30.5, 46.0, 28.5, and 3.2 micrograms/ml, respectively . These values were closely correlated with antibacterial activity (MIC), with correlation coefficients of 0.953 for pBR322 and 0.938 for pUB110 . These results indicate that, in S . aureus, as in gram-negative bacteria, DNA gyrase is likely to be a major target enzyme of quinolones.

Clin Exp Immunol, 1991 Jul, 85(1), 151 - 6
Human recombinant erythropoietin directly stimulates B cell immunoglobulin production and proliferation in serum-free medium; Kimata H et al.; The effect of human recombinant erythropoietin (Epo) on B cell responses was studied in a serum-free medium . Epo enhanced IgM production and thymidine uptake by a human IgM-producing lymphoblastoid cell line, CBL . This effect was specific to Epo since enhancement was blocked by anti-Epo antibody but not by control antibody . Among the various cytokines, interleukin-4 (IL-4) enhanced IgM production and thymidine uptake while IL-6 enhanced IgM production without affecting thymidine uptake . In contrast, other cytokines including IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-5, interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), or granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were without effect . However, the enhancing effect of Epo is different from that of IL-4 or IL-6, since Epo effect was not blocked by anti-IL-4 antibody or anti-IL-6 antibody . Moreover, specific binding of Epo was detected on CBL cells . Epo also enhanced immunoglobulin (IgG, IgM and IgA) production and thymidine uptake by purified tonsil small resting B cells stimulated by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I (SAC) or by large activated B cells . In contrast, Epo had no effect on unstimulated small resting B cells . These results indicate that Epo could directly stimulate activated and differentiated B cells and could enhance B cell immunoglobulin production and proliferation.

J Virol, 1991 Jul, 65(7), 3559 - 65
Inhibition of Epstein-Barr virus infection in vitro and in vivo by soluble CR2 (CD21) containing two short consensus repeats; Moore MD et al.; The extracellular domain of CR2, the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)/C3d receptor of B lymphocytes, contains 15 or 16 tandemly arranged short consensus repeat elements (SCR) . Recombinant CR2 proteins containing SCR 1 and 2 fused to Staphylococcus aureus protein A (PA-CR2) and to murine complement factor H SCR 20 (CR2FH) were expressed in Escherichia coli and in insect cells, respectively . These recombinant CR2 molecules retained functional activity as indicated by their ability to bind to C3dg in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and to inhibit EBV gp350/220 binding to B cells . PA-CR2 and CR2FH were as efficient in blocking EBV gp350/220 binding as the full-length CR2 extracellular domain, indicating that the first two SCR of CR2 contain the majority of the ligand binding activity of the receptor . PA-CR2 and CR2FH inhibited EBV-induced B-cell proliferation in vitro and blocked the development of EBV-induced lymphoproliferative disease in severe combined immunodeficient mice reconstituted with human lymphocytes . These studies indicate that soluble forms of truncated CR2 proteins may have potential therapeutic value in the treatment of EBV-induced lymphoproliferative disorders in humans that involve viral replication.

Biochim Biophys Acta, 1991 Jun 24, 1078(2), 208 - 18
1H-NMR studies of bovine platelet factor 4: histidine assignments and interactions with heparin; Talpas CJ et al.; 1H-NMR spectroscopy has been used to assign and to characterize the two histidine C2H resonances of the heparin binding protein, bovine platelet factor 4 . One histidine has a pKa value of 6.51 at 27 degrees C; the second histidine exhibits 2 pKa values of 5.52 and 5.66 at 27 degrees C . The two histidine resonances have been assigned by an analysis of their deuterium exchange kinetics . Both resonances are solvent accessible with half-times of exchange at pH 8.8 of 3.3 and 4.0 days . These two resonances have been assigned by digesting partially deuterated protein with Staphylococcus aureus V-8 proteinase, separating and purifying the resulting peptides, and determining their relative and residual hydrogen content by NMR . The results indicate that His-38 has the lower pKa value and the slower deuterium exchange rate, whereas His-50 has the higher pKa value and the faster deuterium exchange rate at pH 8.8 . The 1H-NMR resonance of His-38 of bovine platelet factor 4 is preferentially perturbed by the introduction of heparin . This observation and the presence of His-38 within the belt of positively charged residues around the platelet factor 4 tetramer supports the model of the platelet factor 4-heparin complex in which the polysaccharide crosses over each of the 2 alpha-helices of the 2 dimers at right angles.

J Immunol Methods, 1991 Jun 24, 140(1), 79 - 84
Increased sensitivity of an enzyme-amplified colorimetric immunoassay for protein A-bearing Staphylococcus aureus in foods; Brooks JL et al.; A modification to the enzyme amplification system described by Self (1984), has been developed in which the addition of semicarbazide hydrochloride increased the sensitivity of detection of protein A-bearing Staphylococcus aureus in foods from 4-6 X 10(3) to 20 colony forming units (c.f.u.) g-1 or ml-1 . This may be due to the removal of acetaldehyde produced as a by-product of the amplification cycle thereby permitting further cycling to proceed.

Ugeskr Laeger, 1991 Jun 24, 153(26), 1871 - 3
{Assessment of microbial growth in central venous catheters . Consequences of laboratory findings}; Jensen KT; The tips of 92 central venous catheters (CVK) cultured according to a method for semiquantitative assessment of microbial growth revealed positive findings (greater than or equal to 15 bacterial colonies) in 44 (48%) and in 22 cases monocultures were found . Blood culture was performed in 20 cases and, in eight cases, catheter-related bacteriaemia was found, six of these being caused by Staphylococcus aureus . Contact with the clinical department resultated in commencement or alteration of antibiotic therapy which was relevant to the results of culture was only administered in 10 out of 44 cases . This is perhaps connected with the fact that removal of the catheter is adequate treatment in the majority of cases . The relatively great laboratory work be compared with the modest therapeutic benefits . Culture from CVK should not be undertaken routinely but may be recommended on more limited indications: suspected septicaemia originating in the catheter and/or signs of local infection . Blood culture from a peripheral vein should always be performed simultaneously.

Biochemistry, 1991 Jun 18, 30(24), 5907 - 12
Characterization of two forms of poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase in guinea pig liver; Maruta H et al.; A poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase from guinea pig liver cytoplasm has been purified approximately 45,000-fold to apparent homogeneity . The cytoplasmic poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase designated form II differed in several respects from the nuclear poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase I (Mr = 75,500) previously purified from the same tissue (Tanuma et al., 1986a) . The purified glycohydrolase II consists of a single polypeptide with Mr of 59,500 estimated by a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel . A native Mr of 57,000 was determined by gel permeation . Peptide analysis of partial proteolytic degradation of glycohydrolases II and I with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease revealed that the two enzymes were structurally different . Amino acid analysis showed that glycohydrolase II had a relatively low proportion of basic amino acid residues as compared with glycohydrolase I . Glycohydrolase II and I were acidic proteins with isoelectric points of 6.2 and 6.6, respectively . The optimum pH for glycohydrolases II and I were around 7.4 and 7.0, respectively . The Km value for (ADP-ribose)n (average chain length n = 15) and the Vmax for glycohydrolase II were 4.8 microM and 18 mumol of ADP-ribose released from (ADP-ribose)n.min-1.(mg of protein)-1, respectively . The Km was about 2.5 times higher, and Vmax 2 times lower, than those observed with glycohydrolase I . Unlike glycohydrolase I, glycohydrolase II was inhibited by monovalent salts . ADP-ribose and cAMP inhibited glycohydrolase II more strongly than glycohydrolase I . These results suggest that eukaryotic cells contain two distinct forms of poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase exhibiting differences in properties and subcellular localization.

Biochim Biophys Acta, 1991 Jun 17, 1058(2), 171 - 7
Identification of the site of interaction between cytochrome c3 and ferredoxin using peptide mapping of the cross-linked complex; Dolla A et al.; Structural studies carried out on a cross-linked complex between cytochrome c3 and ferredoxin I, both isolated from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans Norway, allowed the identification of the site of interaction between the two redox proteins . Staphylococcus aureus proteinase and chymotrypsin digestions led to characterization of peptides containing both cytochrome c3 and ferredoxin sequences . The cytochrome c3 sequences involved in the three isolated cross-linked peptides contained several lysine residues localized around the heme 4 crevice . This analysis stressed the peculiar role of lysines 100, 101, 103, 104 and 113, which could be considered as major cross-link sites, as opposed to the lysines 75, 79 and 82, which could be considered as minor cross-link sites . One cross-linked peptide, containing two ferredoxin sequences joined to one cytochrome c3 sequence, had been isolated, suggesting the possibility of more than one cross-link per covalent complex . All these results led to the identification of heme 4 of cytochrome c3 as the site of interaction for the ferredoxin I . This study confirms the proposal that could be deduced from the hypothetical structure of the complex built by computer graphics modelling (Cambillau, C., Frey, M., Mosse, J., Guerlesquin, F . and Bruschi, M . (1988) Proteins: struct., funct . genet . 4, 63-70).

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1991 Jun 15, 65(2), 185 - 92
Cefotaxime-hydrolysing activity of the beta-lactamase of Klebsiella oxytoca D488 could be related to a threonine residue at position 140; Reynaud A et al.; The chromosomally encoded beta-lactamase of Klebsiella oxytoca D483 strain, active against all third-generation cephalosporins but ceftazidime, was purified to homogeneity . The pure protein was digested by trypsin, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease or proteinase Asp-N . Amino acid sequences of the HPLC-separated proteolytic peptides were determined by manual Edman degradation . Overlapping fragments gave the alignment of the 263 residues of the beta-lactamase which presented 90% homology with the beta-lactamase of the K . oxytoca E23004 strain and about 40% homology with the other enzymes of the structural class A . The cefotaximase activity might result from interaction of a threonine residue at position 140 (position 165 in the numbering of Ambler) with the oxyimino group of the antibiotic.

Blood, 1991 Jun 15, 77(12), 2707 - 15
Cytokine influence on killing of fresh chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells by human leukocytes; Cemerlic D et al.; The feasibility of combining the Lym-1 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was evaluated . We used an in vitro tumor lysis model that incorporated fresh CLL cells from 21 different patients as targets for two distinct normal human leukocyte effector subsets, neutrophils, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) . Lym-1 antigen (Lym-1-Ag) expression varied greatly and did not correlate with the expression of other CLL-associated antigens such as CD5, CD19, or HLA-DR . CLL cells were not lysed by neutrophils alone or with IFN-gamma in the absence of Lym-1 . Neutrophil Lym-1-dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC) in the absence of IFN-gamma was weak and inconsistent . IFN-gamma exposure induced MoAb-dependent lysis of 80% of 21 CLL targets and resulted in an eightfold augmentation of neutrophil ADCC against the remainder . Cytotoxicity correlated directly and positively with Lym-1-Ag expression . Confirmation of the need for interaction between neutrophil IgG Fc receptors (Fc gamma Rs) and the Fc portion of the Lym-1 MoAb was obtained by demonstrating that purified Staphylococcus aureus Protein A (SpA) inhibited ADCC . IFN-gamma exposure caused no consistent alternations in Lym-1-Ag expression on CLL cells so that target antigen upregulation was unlikely to account for augmentation of neutrophil ADCC . PBMCs alone, exposed to interkeukin-2 (IL-2) or IFN-gamma, or with Lym-1 in the presence or absence of IL-2 or IFN-gamma were unable to lyse CLL targets . PBMCs were able to kill Raji Burkitt lymphoma cells in conjunction with Lym-1, so their ability to interact with Lym-1-coated targets and their lytic functions appeared intact . These results emphasize the importance of examining fresh tumor cells with different leukocyte effector subsets before designing a clinical trial that combines a therapeutic MoAb with a cytokine.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1991 Jun 15, 65(2), 151 - 5
The role of the serine protease active site in the mode of action of epidermolytic toxin of Staphylococcus aureus; Redpath MB et al.; The sequences of the epidermolytic toxins and V8 serine proteinase share about 25% identity, including the catalytic triad at the proteinase active centre . Here we have altered the putative ETA active-site serine-195 to glycine by site-directed mutagenesis . No epidermolytic activity was detected when up to 100-fold greater amounts of the homogeneous mutant ETA were injected subcutaneously into neonatal mice showing that serine-195 is required for toxicogenesis.

Eur J Biochem, 1991 Jun 15, 198(3), 659 - 66
Structural and functional analyses of glycosylation on the distinct molecules of human GM-CSF receptors; Shibuya K et al.; We have previously demonstrated that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) receptors are composed of at least two molecules of 80 and 135 kDa, which were denoted alpha- and beta-chains, respectively {Chiba, S., Shibuya, K., Piao, Y.-F., Tojo, A., Sasaki, N., Matsuki, S., Miyagawa, K., Miyazono, K . & Takaku, F . (1990) Cell Regul . 1, 327-335} . In this paper, we describe an investigation of the biochemical disparity noted between the alpha- and beta-chains of GM-CSF receptors using proteolytic and deglycosidic enzymes, and further demonstrate the potential importance of carbohydrate structures of the GM-CSF receptors using different lectins and glycoprotein synthesis inhibitors . Cross-linked alpha- and beta-chains with 125I-GM-CSF were digested by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease and gave a different pattern . Furthermore, the size of the alpha-chain was reduced by 25 kDa by the removal of the N-linked oligosaccharides with peptidase: N-glycosidase F treatment, whereas that of the beta-chain remained unmodified by the enzyme . These results suggest that the alpha-chain of GM-CSF receptors agrees with the recently cloned low-affinity GM-CSF receptor {Gearing, D.P., King, J.A., Gough, N . M . & Nicola, N.A . (1989) EMBO J . 8, 3667-3676} having approximately 30% N-linked oligosaccharides and is biochemically different from the alpha beta-chain . By analyses using lectins, some of the oligosaccharides in the alpha-chain seem to be the complex-type and/or hybrid-type, because wheat germ agglutinin and leukoagglutinating phytohemagglutinin inhibited both GM-CSF-induced proliferation and GM-CSF binding to its receptors . Further analyses using glycoprotein synthesis inhibitors showed that N-linked processing of the alpha-chain, especially glucose removal by glucosidase I and II (whose activities are inhibited by deoxynojirimycin), appeared to be required for the expression onto the cell surface although the beta-chain expression was little affected by their inhibitors . Thus the beta-chain, probably located near the alpha-chain on the cell surface, was associated with a high-affinity class of GM-CSF receptors.

J Biol Chem, 1991 Jun 15, 266(17), 11252 - 61
Limited proteolysis of the alpha-macroglobulin rat alpha 1-inhibitor-3 . Implications for a domain structure; Rubenstein DS et al.; Rat alpha 1-inhibitor-3 is a 180-kDa monomeric proteinase inhibitor found in high concentration in rat plasma . By several criteria it has been shown to be a member of the family of alpha-macroglobulin proteinase inhibitors often exemplified by the tetrameric human alpha 2-macroglobulin . We have used limited proteolysis of rat alpha 1-inhibitor-3 to probe the domain structure of this family of proteins . Proteinases of different specificities, including trypsin, chymotrypsin, thermolysin, and Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase, were employed and a common fragmentation pattern was observed when the reaction products were examined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . These fragments were electrotransferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes and subjected to NH2-terminal amino acid sequence analysis in order to position them within the context of the primary structure . The fragmentation pattern may define the domain structure of alpha 1-inhibitor-3 and serve as a model for the domain organization of the family of alpha-macroglobulin proteinase inhibitors.

Gene, 1991 Jun 15, 102(1), 105 - 9
Sequence analysis of a Staphylococcus aureus gene encoding a peptidoglycan hydrolase activity; Wang X et al.; The nucleotide (nt) sequence of a 2.0-kb NheI-XbaI DNA fragment containing a peptidoglycan hydrolase-encoding gene, lytA, tentatively identified as encoding an N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase, from Staphylococcus aureus, was determined . The nt sequencing revealed an open reading frame (ORF) of 1443 bp with a consensus ribosome-binding site located 7 nt upstream from the ATG start codon . The primary amino acid (aa) sequence deduced from the nt sequence revealed a putative protein of 481 aa residues with an Mr of 53815 . Comparison of the aa sequence of the ORF with aa sequences in the GenBank data base (version 63, March 1990) revealed that the C-terminal sequence showed significant homology to the C-terminal sequence of lysostaphin from Staphylococcus simulans biovar staphylolyticus.

Poult Sci, 1991 Jun, 70(6), 1357 - 61
Differential resistance to Staphylococcus aureus challenge in two related lines of chickens; Cotter PF et al.; Trials were conducted to determine whether differential resistance to challenge with Staphylococcus aureus was characteristic of two related lines of New Hampshire chickens differing genetically in size of the bursa of Fabricius . Neonatal small bursa line (SBL) chicks were superior to the unselected Lester J . Dreesen (LJD) line in five of six trials employing intracardiac challenge (chi 2 = 6.3, .05 greater than P greater than .01) . Older (7 to 12 wk) SBL chicks, challenged intravenously, had superior resistance than Line LJD chicks in three of four trials where a direct comparison was possible . The mortality rate in Line SBL was 34% in all trials compared with a 54% mortality rate (chi 2 = 11.7, P less than .001) in Line LJD . Moreover, the development of morbidity was more rapid in Line LJD . It is suggested that these lines can be of use in investigations of the nature of resistance to staphylococcal disease.

J Allergy Clin Immunol, 1991 Jun, 87(6), 1138 - 49
Abnormal response to a human B cell growth factor in patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVI); Ambrus JL Jr et al.; Patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVI) generally fail to produce antigen-specific IgG . We have identified a lymphokine called high molecular weight B cell growth factor (HMW BCGF) that expands an IgG-producing subpopulation of B cells . The B cells from 15 of 16 patients with CVI evaluated in this study failed to proliferate to HMW BCGF, although they proliferated normally to another BCGF, low molecular weight BCGF (LMW BCGF) . Nevertheless, 11 patients had more than normal numbers of B cells expressing HMW BCGF receptors . The HMW BCGF receptors on the B cells of three patients with CVI studied were the same molecular weight as the normal HMW BCGF receptor . Examination of B cells from four patients with CVI for intracellular signals produced in normal B cells after stimulation with HMW BCGF revealed that B cells from patients with CVI failed to developed significant increases in cyclic adenosine monophosphate or phosphoinositides after HMW BCGF stimulation . However, cytoplasmic phosphoinositides in the B cells from all four patients with CVI were already increased above what is observed in normal B cells before stimulation with HMW BCGF (either freshly isolated or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I-activated B cell) . Thus, the failure of B cells from patients with CVI to respond to HMW BCGF may be related to their abnormal activation in vivo . Since HMW BCGF expands a subpopulation of memory B cells, the inability of CVI B cells to respond to HMW BCGF may contribute to their abnormal secondary responses to antigens.

Aust N Z J Surg, 1991 Jun, 61(6), 432 - 5
Infection of vascular prostheses; Fletcher JP et al.; Graft infection occurred in 11 of 322 patients (3.4%) who had insertion of a vascular prosthesis for peripheral vascular disease during a 4-year period . The groin was the most common site of infection and multiple resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was the most common organism responsible . Six of 7 MRSA infections occurred following a procedure involving a previously placed graft and/or a groin incision . Prophylactic antibiotics effective against MRSA are recommended for patients having a revisional procedure, especially involving the groin.

Fam Pract Res J, 1991 Jun, 11(2), 209 - 15
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteriuria in nursing home-residents; Coll PP et al.; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become increasingly common in nursing homes in the United States . It can cause serious infections and is difficult to eradicate once it becomes established in an institution . We report three representative cases of MRSA bacteriuria occurring in residents of a skilled nursing facility that experienced an outbreak of MRSA beginning in 1988 . The clinical options available in such cases are described, and the research methods that should be used to answer important clinical questions arising from the presence of MRSA bacteriuria in long-term care settings are outlined.

APMIS, 1991 Jun, 99(6), 537 - 40
Mechanism of aminoglycoside resistance in Danish Staphylococcus aureus strains during the years 1979-1987; Madsen OR et al.; A total of 49 gentamicin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from blood (n = 26) or from other sites (n = 23) during the years 1979 to 1987 were evaluated for the presence of aminoglycoside-inactivating enzymes on the basis of minimum inhibitory concentrations measured by agar dilution as well as inhibition zone diameters determined by disc diffusion . Enzymatic activity was caused by AAC (6')III/APH (2") in 45 strains, and by AAC (6')III/APH (2") + APH (3') in four strains . No changes in the distribution of enzymatic activity were observed during the eight years.

J Bacteriol, 1991 Jun, 173(11), 3507 - 13
femA, which encodes a factor essential for expression of methicillin resistance, affects glycine content of peptidoglycan in methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus strains; Maidhof H et al.; femA is a chromosomally encoded factor, occurring naturally in Staphylococcus aureus, which is essential for the expression of high-level methicillin resistance in this organism . The production of a low-affinity penicillin-binding protein, PBP2a or PBP2', which is intimately involved with methicillin resistance in S . aureus, is not influenced by femA . To elucidate a possible physiological function of the 48-kDa protein encoded by femA, several related methicillin-resistant, methicillin-susceptible, and Tn551 insertionally inactivated femA mutants were analyzed for possible changes in cell wall structure and metabolism . Independent of the presence of mec, the methicillin resistance determinant, all femA mutants had a reduced peptidoglycan (PG) glycine content (up to 60% in the molar ratio of glycine/glutamic acid) compared to that of related femA+ parent strains . Additional effects of femA inactivation and the subsequent decrease in PG-associated glycine were (i) reduced digestion of PG by recombinant lysostaphin, (ii) unaltered digestion of PG by Chalaropsis B-muramidase, (iii) reduced cell wall turnover, (iv) reduced whole-cell autolysis, and (v) increased sensitivity towards beta-lactam antibiotics . Also, the PG-associated glycine content of a femA::Tn551 methicillin-susceptible strain was restored concomitantly with the methicillin resistance to a level almost equal to that of its femA+ methicillin-resistant parent strain by introduction of plasmid pBBB31, encoding femA.

Clin Orthop, 1991 Jun, (267), 237 - 44
Evaluation of biodegradable ampicillin anhydrate microcapsules for local treatment of experimental staphylococcal osteomyelitis; Jacob E et al.; Successful treatment of chronic osteomyelitis requires sustained high concentrations of antibiotics locally within the infected bone . The efficacy of biodegradable (poly-DL-lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres containing 30.7% ampicillin anhydrate for the local treatment of experimental staphylococcal osteomyelitis was evaluated in rabbits . In the initial experiment, antibiotic therapy was initiated immediately following injection of Staphylococcus aureus into the proximal tibial metaphysis . A single intramedullary injection of microencapsulated ampicillin (100 mg) prevented osteomyelitis in all seven animals tested and was as effective as a two-week course of parenteral ampicillin administration . When antibiotic therapy was delayed for seven days, osteomyelitis developed in four of eight animals treated locally with microencapsulated ampicillin and in six of eight animals that received parenteral ampicillin therapy . When antibiotic therapy was delayed for seven days and was preceded by debridement, all ten animals treated locally with microencapsulated ampicillin had sterile bone cultures . In contrast, seven of ten animals treated locally with unencapsulated ampicillin powder developed osteomyelitis . Biodegradable antibiotic-loaded microspheres may be of clinical benefit for the local treatment of chronic osteomyelitis.

Eur J Biochem, 1991 Jun 1, 198(2), 505 - 12
Characterization and primary structure of a second thioredoxin from the green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii; Decottignies P et al.; A second thioredoxin, Ch1, distinct from the one recently reported {Decottignies, P., Schmitter, J.M., Jacquot, J . P., Dutka, S., Picaud, A . & Gadal, P . (1990) Arch, Biochem . Biophys . 280, 112-121} has been purified from the green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and its functional and structural properties investigated . Its activity in various enzymatic assays has been compared with the activities of different plant thioredoxins (Ch2 from C . reinhardtii and spinach m and f) . Ch1 cannot serve as a substrate for Escherichia coli thioredoxin reductase, but can be reduced by spinach ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase . It is less efficient than its spinach counterpart in the activation of corn leaf NADP-dependent malate dehydrogenase by light or dithiothreitol, and it only activates spinach fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase at very high concentrations . The complete primary structure of C . reinhardtii thioredoxin Ch1 was determined by automated Edman degradation of the intact protein and of peptides derived from trypsin, chymotrypsin and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestions . When needed, peptide masses were verified by plasma desorption mass spectrometry . Ch1 consists of a polypeptide of 111 amino acids (11634 Da) and contains the well-conserved active site sequence Trp-Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys . Compared to thioredoxins from other sources, the algal thioredoxin Ch1 displays few sequence similarities with all the thioredoxins sequenced so far . Preliminary evidence indicates that Ch1 may be an h-type thioredoxin.

J Infect Dis, 1991 Jun, 163(6), 1279 - 85
Rapid development of ciprofloxacin resistance in methicillin-susceptible and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Blumberg HM et al.; The fluoroquinolones, particularly ciprofloxacin, have been suggested to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and colonization and methicillin-susceptible S . aureus (MSSA) infections . The development of ciprofloxacin resistance in MRSA and MSSA was prospectively evaluated . After 3 months of ciprofloxacin use, high-level resistance (MIC90, 64 micrograms/ml) developed in MRSA and increased at an alarming rate, from none to 79% over a 1-year period . High-level ciprofloxacin resistance also developed in MSSA, increasing to 13.6% over the same period . Antibiograms, phage typing, and plasmid profile analysis suggest that more than one clone of MRSA developed resistance and that ciprofloxacin resistance is not associated with the acquisition of a new plasmid . Most patients had nosocomial acquisition and about one-half had a history of previous ciprofloxacin use . Ciprofloxacin resistance can develop rapidly in S . aureus; thus, ciprofloxacin appears to have limited usefulness in treating staphylococcal infections and colonization, especially those due to MRSA.

Infect Immun, 1991 Jun, 59(6), 2222 - 3
A 220-kilodalton glycoprotein in yeast extract inhibits Staphylococcus aureus adherence to human endothelial cells; Elliott DA et al.; A 220-kDa glycoprotein from yeast extract causes a twofold decrease in S . aureus adherence to human endothelial cells in vitro . Medium constituents can have a significant effect on bacterial adherence interactions.

Clin Immunol Immunopathol, 1991 Jun, 59(3), 417 - 25
The effects of retinoic acid on immunoglobulin synthesis by human cord blood mononuclear cells; Israel H et al.; Derivatives of vitamin A have attracted considerable attention as agents which have immune potentiating properties and possibly tumor-suppressive effects . Recent investigations have shown that retinoic acid (RA) can augment immunoglobulin production of B-cell hybridomas from patients with immune deficiency . In this study we examined the ability of RA to modify the mitogen-induced polyclonal immunoglobulin synthesis of cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) . RA in concentrations ranging from 10(-5) to 10(-7) M augmented IgM synthesis of CBMC in response to formalinized Cowans I strain Staphylococcus aureus (SAC) up to 45.6-fold which was greater at suboptimal responses to SAC . There were no changes in IgG or IgA synthesis and minimal effects on SAC-induced proliferative responses . RA did not produce similar changes in IgM synthesis of SAC-stimulated adult peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and RA had no effect on the immunoglobulin synthesis of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-stimulated CBMC or adult PBMC . Time course studies showed that peak enhancement occurred when RA was added between 4 and 24 hr after culture initiation and required prior activation by SAC for augmentation of IgM synthesis . Cell separation experiments showed that prior incubation (18 hr) of an enriched T-cell fraction with RA enhanced the IgM synthesis of a T-cell-depleted B-cell fraction . These experiments and the findings that RA-induced augmentation of IgM production in response to SAC, but not to EBV suggest that the immunoregulatory effects of RA may be mediated by either T cells or T-cell products . Further studies will be necessary to understand the mechanism by which RA augments IgM synthesis of CBMC.

Exp Cell Res, 1991 Jun, 194(2), 284 - 8
Differential expression of Raf-1 protooncogene in resting and activated human leukocyte populations; Colotta F et al.; In this study we examined by Northern blot analysis the expression of Raf-1 protooncogene in normal human peripheral blood leukocytes . Unlike thymocytes, circulating lymphocytes did not express appreciable levels of Raf-1 mRNA . In contrast, polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) had high levels of Raf-1 transcripts . Also density gradient separated monocytes showed Raf-1 mRNA but at lower levels compared to PMN . Expression of Raf-1 was constitutive inasmuch as it was not induced by the purification procedure . The half-life of Raf-1 mRNA in PMN was greater than 4 h . Functional activation of PMN and monocytes with various stimuli (phorbol esters, tumor necrosis factor, colony stimulating factors, LPS) did not affect Raf-1 expression . By contrast, density gradient purified monocytes allowed to adhere to plastic for 1 h expressed augmented levels of Raf-1 . Monocytes cultivated in suspension or allowed to adhere to plastic showed an half-life of Raf-1 transcripts of, respectively, more than 4 h and less than 30 min . Circulating lymphocytes stimulated with mitogens (PHA, conA, anti-CD3 antibodies, and Staphylococcus aureus) also expressed high levels of transcripts of this protooncogene . PHA-induced transcripts in lymphocytes had an half-life greater than 4 h . The pattern of expression of Raf-1 in resting and activated leukocytes suggests that this protooncogene may play a role in expression of differentiated functions and activation of these cells.

EMBO J, 1991 Jun, 10(6), 1511 - 22
Multiple Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase genes in a unicellular eukaryote; Pausch MH et al.; We purified a Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase) from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae with properties similar to mammalian type II CaM kinases . Degenerate oligonucleotides designed on the basis of the amino acid sequence of tryptic peptides from the 55 kd subunit of the yeast CaM kinase were used to isolate its gene from a set of lambda gt11-yeast genomic DNA phage clones initially selected by the ability to bind 125I-labelled yeast CaM . The cloned gene (CMK1) encodes an open reading frame that is homologous to the sequences of vertebrate type II CaM kinases . Several criteria demonstrated that the CMK1 gene product is the 55 kd polypeptide . Neither over-production (11-fold) nor complete elimination of the CMK1 gene product had any detectably deleterious effect on yeast cell growth . Extracts from cmk1 delta cells, which lacked detectable p55 using an antiserum raised against a Staphylococcus aureus protein A-CMK1 fusion protein, possessed significant residual Ca2+/CAM-dependent protein kinase activity . Using the CMK1 gene as a probe at low stringency, a second gene (CMK2) encoding another CaM-dependent protein kinase with striking sequence similarity to CMK1 was cloned . Deletion of CMK2, or both CMK1 and CMK2, was not lethal, although loss of CMK2 caused a slow rate of spore germination.

Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health, 1991 Jun, 22(2), 249 - 53
Protein A-antibody mediated hemagglutination assay for serodiagnosis of amebic liver abscess; Parija SC et al.; A successful modification of the indirect hemagglutination test to demonstrate antibodies for serodiagnosis of amebic liver abscess has been described in the present study . In the modified test, the protein A-IMA, Staphylococcus aureus (Cowan's strain I) bearing protein A (SAPA) cells were used to enhance hemagglutination of sensitized red cells . Use of SAPA cells markedly enhanced sensitivity of the test and greatly increased the titers obtained with most of the sera . At a diagnostic antibody titer of 1:128 and above, the protein A-IHA could detect 72 (100%) of amebic liver abscess (ALA) cases . Amongst the controls, no false positive reaction was observed in non-amebic liver disease controls . However 1(2%) of sera demonstrated false positive reactions from healthy controls . The protein A-IHA was highly sensitive when compared with that of the indirect hemagglutination (IHA) for serodiagnosis of amebic liver abscess . The novel immunoassay is simple, inexpensive and requires little technical skill . It has the potential for wide application in serodiagnosis of amebic liver abscess.

J Antimicrob Chemother, 1991 Jun, 27(6), 809 - 15
In-vitro activity of imipenem combined with beta-lactam antibiotics for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Matsuda K et al.; The in-vitro activity of imipenem combined with beta-lactam antibiotics was studied for 25 strains of methicillin and imipenem-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in comparison with that of fosfomycin combined with cefmetazole . Using the chequerboard agar dilution method, strong synergy was seen for all strains for imipenem with cefoperazone, cefotiam, cefpiramide or piperacillin . All fractional inhibitory concentration indices (FIC indices) of these combinations were less than or equal to 0.12 . For the combination of imipenem with cefotiam the synergy was found to be bactericidal, but was not affected by the temperature of incubation, the concentration of sodium chloride in the medium or beta-lactamase production . However, for the combination of fosfomycin with cefmetazole only 44% of the strains with a mean FIC index of 0.55, showed synergy . The remaining 56% of strains showed either partial synergy (44%) or additive activity (12%) . The combinations of imipenem with the beta-lactam antibiotics were more effective than that of fosfomycin with cefmetazole.

Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin, 1991 Jun-Jul, 9(6), 351 - 3
{Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among personnel working in a teaching hospital}; Tejero A et al.; We have studied prospectively the nasal carriage status of Staphylococcus aureus among all health-care workers in the Valdivia Hospital Base . A total of 522 nasal samples were evaluated . Nasal carriage rate was 34.9% for all personnel . Higher rates were seen in Pediatric wards and Central Kitchen Service . Isolated strains were resistant to penicillin (98.3%) . However, sensitivity to other antimicrobial agents was high . According to the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, we identified 12 different groups of strains or antibiotypes . Three of the multiple resistant antibiotypes (resistant to 4 or 5 antimicrobial agents) were isolated from pediatric wards.

Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1991 Jun, 35(6), 1181 - 5
In vitro susceptibilities of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Mycoplasma hominis, and Ureaplasma urealyticum to sparfloxacin and PD 127391; Waites KB et al.; The in vitro activities of two investigational quinolones, sparfloxacin (previously designated AT 4140) and PD 127391, were determined for 30 strains each of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Mycoplasma hominis, and Ureaplasma urealyticum and compared with those of ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, clindamycin, and erythromycin . Erythromycin was the most active compound against M . pneumoniae (maximum MIC, less than 0.008 microgram/ml) . PD 127391 (MICs, less than 0.008 to 0.031 microgram/ml), sparfloxacin (MICs, less than 0.008 to 0.25 microgram/ml), clindamycin (MICs, less than 0.008 to 0.5 microgram/ml), and tetracycline (MICs, 0.063 to 0.25 microgram/ml) were superior to ciprofloxacin (MICs, 0.5 to 2 microgram/ml) . Sparfloxacin and PD 127391 were active against M . hominis (MICs, less than 0.008 to 0.031 microgram/ml for each) at concentrations comparable to those of clindamycin (MICs, less than 0.008 to 0.063 microgram/ml) and at concentrations lower than those of ciprofloxacin (MICs, 0.125 to 0.5 microgram/ml) . As expected, M . hominis was resistant to erythromycin (MICs, 32 to greater than or equal to 256 micrograms/ml) . For U . urealyticum, PD 127391 (MICs, 0.031 to 0.5 microgram/ml) and sparfloxacin (MICs, 0.063 to 1 microgram/ml) were superior to erythromycin (MICs, 0.25 to 4 micrograms/ml), ciprofloxacin (MICs, 0.5 to 8 micrograms/ml), and clindamycin (MICs, 0.25 to 64 micrograms/ml . Both new quinolones were equally active against tetracycline-susceptible as well as resistant strains of M . hominis and U . urealyticum . The possible influence of medium components and/or pH on MICs was evaluated by testing a Staphylococcus aureus reference strain with each antibiotic in SP-4 broth and 10-B broth and comparing the results with published MICs for this strain . MICs determined in 10-B broth for erythromycin were affected most . This study shows that the activities of sparfloxacin and PD 127391 are similar to one another and comparable or superior to those of other drugs used to treat mycoplasmal infections . The MICs of both new quinolones were consistently 2 to several dilutions lower than those of ciprofloxacin for each species.

Antibiot Khimioter, 1991 Jun, 36(6), 28 - 31
{The structure and antimicrobial activity of the partial degradation products of the antibiotic eremomycin}; Berdnikova TF et al.; Antimicrobial activity of partial degradation products of eremomycin, a new glycopeptide antibiotic, was studied . The products formed by eremomycin deglycosylation (deseremosaminyl eremomycin, eremosaminyl aglycone and aglycone) and elimination of the chlorine atom from the molecule aglycone moiety (dechloroeremomycin) . The spectral data in favour of the compounds structure are presented . It was found that partial degradation led to a decrease in the antimicrobial activity of the antibiotic . Dechloreremomycin had the highest activity among the products . Its MIC for the methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus was only twice as low as that of the initial antibiotic.

Afr J Med Med Sci, 1991 Jun, 20(2), 89 - 95
Influence of mucin on serum and connective tissue protein binding to Staphylococcus aureus isolated from nasal carriage and clinical sources; Olusanya O et al.; A total of 89 Staphylococcus aureus strains were tested for {125I}-labelled fibronectin (Fn), type I (Cn-I), type II (Cn-II), type IV (Cn-IV) collagens and laminin (Lm) binding, and nasal carriage isolates (54 strains) demonstrated higher degree of interaction than clinical isolates (35 strains) . Strains belonging to nasal carriage group, after preincubation with mucin demonstrated a significant decline in binding to Fn (39.4%), Cn-I (44.7%), Cn-IV (42.0%) and Lm (43.5%) compared with inhibition of binding of clinical isolates to Fn (13.3%), Cn-I (8.0%), Cn-IV (9.8%) and Lm (11.2%) . S . aureus strain Nig-6 demonstrated a mucin concentration (in the range 0.01 to 100 mg/ml) dependent decrease of {125I}-labelled serum and connective tissue protein binding . Mucin concentrations of 100, 150, 175 and 250 micrograms/ml when incubated with 10(9) cells, caused 50% displacement of {125I}-labelled Lm, Cn-I, Cn-IV and Fn uptake respectively . Mucin interaction with bacterial cells seems probably important in the pathomechanism of staphylococcal adhesion and colonization.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 1991 Jun, 57(6), 1683 - 8
Inhibition of food-borne bacterial pathogens by bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria isolated from meat; Lewus CB et al.; Ten strains of bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria were isolated from retail cuts of meat . These 10 strains along with 11 other bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria were tested for inhibitory activity against psychotrophic pathogens, including four strains of Listeria monocytogenes, two strains of Aeromonas hydrophila, and two strains of Staphylococcus aureus . Inhibition due to acid, hydrogen peroxide, and lytic bacteriophage were excluded . The proteinaceous nature of the inhibitory substance was confirmed by demonstration of its sensitivity to proteolytic enzymes . Eight of the meat isolates had inhibitory activity against all four L . monocytogenes strains . Bacteriocin activity against L . monocytogenes was found in all of the strains obtained from other sources . Activity against A . hydrophila and S . aureus was also common.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 1991 Jun, 57(6), 1669 - 74
Factors influencing inclusion body formation in the production of a fused protein in Escherichia coli; Strandberg L et al.; Different parameters that influenced the formation of inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli during production of a fused protein consisting of protein A from Staphylococcus aureus and beta-galactosidase from E . coli were examined . The intracellular expression of the fused protein was controlled by the pR promoter and its temperature-sensitive repressor . The induction temperature, the pH of the cultivation medium, and changes in the amino acid sequence in the linker region between protein A and beta-galactosidase had a profound effect on the formation of inclusion bodies . At 42 degrees C, inclusion bodies were formed only during the first hours after induction, and thereafter all the recombinant protein that was further produced appeared in a soluble and active state . Production at 39 and 44 degrees C resulted in inclusion body formation throughout the production period with 15 to 20% of the produced recombinant protein appearing as inclusion bodies . Cultivating cells without control of pH caused inclusion body formation throughout the induction period, and inclusion body formation increased with decreasing pH, and at least part of the insoluble protein was formed from the pool of soluble fusion protein within the cell . Changes in the amino acid sequence in the linker region between the two parts of the fusion protein abolished inclusion body formation.

Infect Immun, 1991 Jun, 59(6), 2126 - 34
The carboxyl-terminal region of staphylococcal enterotoxin type A is required for a fully active molecule; Hufnagle WO et al.; Staphylococcal enterotoxin type A (SEA) gene (sea+) mutations were constructed by exonuclease III digestion or cassette mutagenesis . Five different sea mutations that had 1, 3, 7, 39, and 65 codons deleted from the 3' end of sea+ were identified and confirmed by restriction enzyme and nucleotide sequence analyses . Each of these sea mutations was constructed in Escherichia coli and transferred to Staphylococcus aureus by using the plasmid vector pC194 . Culture supernatants from the parent S . aureus strain that lacked an enterotoxin gene (negative controls) and from derivatives that contained either sea+ (positive control) or a sea mutation were examined for in vitro sensitivity to degradation by monkey stomach lavage fluid, the ability to cause emesis when administered by an intragastric route to rhesus monkeys, and the ability to induce T-cell proliferation and by Western immunoblot analysis and a gel double-diffusion assay with polyclonal antibodies prepared against SEA . Altered SEAs corresponding to the predicted sizes were visualized by Western blot analysis of culture supernatants for each of the staphylococcal derivatives that contained a sea mutation . The altered SEA that lacked the C-terminal amino acid residue behaved like SEA in all of the assays performed . The altered SEA that lacked the three C-terminal residues of SEA caused T-cell proliferation but was not emetic; this altered SEA was degraded in vitro by monkey stomach lavage fluid and did not reach in the gel double diffusion assay . Altered SEAs that lacked 7, 39, or 65 carboxyl-terminal residues were degraded by stomach lavage fluid in vitro, did not produce an emetic response, and did not induce T-cell proliferation or form a visible reaction in the gel double-diffusion assay.

J Immunol, 1991 Jun 1, 146(11), 4016 - 23
Transforming growth factor-beta suppresses human B lymphocyte Ig production by inhibiting synthesis and the switch from the membrane form to the secreted form of Ig mRNA; Kehrl JH et al.; Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) inhibits B cell Ig secretion and reduces B cell membrane Ig expression . The addition of TGF-beta to human B lymphocyte cultures stimulated with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I and IL-2 completely inhibited B cell Ig secretion (greater than 90%) and decreased B cell surface IgM, IgD, kappa L chain, and lambda L chain expression . In contrast, TGF-beta had only minimal effects on two other B cell membrane proteins, HLA-DR and CD20 . Internal labeling with {35S}methionine and immunoprecipitation with anti-IgM, anti-kappa, and anti-lambda antibodies revealed a striking reduction in kappa L chain in the presence of TGF-beta . A less pronounced reduction in lambda L chain and microH chain was also noted . Northern blot analysis of RNA purified from B cells treated with TGF-beta for varying time intervals revealed a significant decrease in steady state kappa and lambda L chain mRNA levels . Furthermore, a significant decrease in the switch from the membrane forms of mu and gamma to their respective secreted forms was noted in the presence of TGF-beta . Nuclear run-on experiments demonstrated decreased transcription of kappa L chain . The effects of TGF-beta on two transcriptional regulatory factors, Oct-2 and nuclear factor (NF) kappa B, known to be important in Ig gene transcription were examined . Oct-2 mRNA levels and both Oct-2 and NF-kappa B proteins in nuclear extracts were not altered by treatment with TGF-beta . In contrast, levels of the transcriptional factor AP-1, which is not known to be important in B cell Ig production, were reduced by TGF-beta . These findings demonstrate that TGF-beta decreases B lymphocyte Ig secretion by inhibiting the synthesis of Ig mRNA and inhibiting the switch from the membrane form to the secreted forms of mu and gamma mRNA . The mechanism by which TGF-beta inhibits Ig chain synthesis is unclear although it does not involve inhibition of the binding of NF-kappa B or Oct-2 to their respective target sequences.

Jpn J Antibiot, 1991 Jun, 44(6), 674 - 82
{Studies on flomoxef in the perinatal period}; Cho N et al.; Pharmacokinetic, bacteriological and clinical studies on flomoxef (FMOX) in the perinatal period were carried out with the following summary of the results . Antibacterial effects of FMOX on the growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, MIC 400 micrograms/ml), methicillin-sensitive S . aureus (MSSA, MIC 0.78 microgram/ml), Escherichia coli (MIC 3.13 micrograms/ml and MIC 0.20 microgram/ml) in amniotic fluid were determined and it was found that the activity of FMOX was enhanced in the amniotic fluid . FMOX rapidly penetrated into tissues and sera of pregnant women upon intravenous injection and its maternal serum concentrations reached their peak levels shortly after administration . Placental penetration of FMOX to the fetus was good and, after single intravenous injection of 1 g, the concentrations of FMOX in the umbilical cord serum and amniotic fluid exceeded MICs against major causative organisms of perinatal infections . These results indicate that single intravenous injection of FMOX 1 g twice a day is effective for the treatment and prophylaxis of perinatal infections . Injection of FMOX for the treatment of 14 cases of puerperal infections showed excellent clinical effectiveness with 100% clinical effect and 81.8% bacteriological response . No side-effect was observed in any case . All of these results suggested clinical usefulness of FMOX in the perinatal period.

J Physiol, 1991 Jun, 437, 543 - 61
GTP and noradrenaline-induced force in isolated toxin-permeabilized rat anococcygeus and guinea-pig portal vein; Crichton CA et al.; 1 . Strips of smooth muscle from rat anococcygeus and guinea-pig portal vein were treated with solutions containing crude alpha-toxin from the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus . This rendered the surface membrane permeable to small molecular weight substances, but left functional sarcolemmal adrenoceptors . Tension measurements from these preparations were used to investigate the effects of guanosine-5'-triphosphate (GTP) on the noradrenaline-induced Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of the smooth muscle of rat anococcygeus and guinea-pig portal vein . 2 . Under conditions of low Ca2+ buffering (0.2 mM-EGTA), applying a maximal dose of noradrenaline (30 microM) to a toxin-permeabilized strip of anococcygeus muscle and longitudinal muscle of guinea-pig portal vein caused a transient contracture . Subsequent exposures to noradrenaline resulted in progressively smaller contractures . However, the rate of decline in the size of the noradrenaline-induced contracture was greater in rat anococcygeus muscle than in guinea-pig portal vein preparations . The decline in the size of the contracture in toxin-permeabilized anococcygeus muscle was not due to a fall in the Ca2+ content of the SR or a reduced Ca2+ release from the SR in response to myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) . 3 . The tension transients due to noradrenaline were enhanced and maintained in the presence of 100 microM-GTP in toxin-permeabilized guinea-pig portal vein . Addition of 100 microM-GTP caused a transient contracture in permeabilized rat anococcygeus muscle and only promoted the next noradrenaline response, thereafter the amplitude of the contractures decayed to zero . 4 . Addition of guanosine-5'-O-(2 thiodiphosphate) (GDP-beta-S, 100 microM) would be expected to cause a reversible reduction of the noradrenaline response by binding to the intermediary G-protein . This was observed in toxin-permeabilized portal vein, but in rat anococcygeus muscle, GDP-beta-S caused slowing of the response to noradrenaline, thereafter the response to noradrenaline was absent . The noradrenaline response did not recover when GDP-beta-S was removed . 5 . The non-metabolizable form of GTP, guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP-gamma-S, 100 microM), caused a transient contracture in both toxin-permeabilized rat anococcygeus muscle and guinea-pig portal vein . In both these tissues, the addition of GTP-gamma-S resulted in the irreversible inhibition of the response to noradrenaline . 6 . In the presence of a high concentration (10 mM) of the Ca2+ buffer EGTA, GTP (100 microM) and noradrenaline (30 microM) increased Ca(2+)-activated force in both tissues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Am J Vet Res, 1991 Jun, 52(6), 799 - 802
Effects of postmilking teat treatment on the colonization of Staphylococcus aureus on chapped teat skin; Fox LK et al.; Sixteen Holstein cows were used to test the effect of postmilking teat treatment on colonization and intramammary infection by Staphylococcus aureus on chapped teats . Treatments were (1) chapping the teat and using 1% I2/10% glycerin postdip solution, (2) 1% I2/10% glycerin postdip solution on nonchapped teats, (3) chapping the teat and using 10% glycerin postdip solution, (4) chapping the teat and not using a postdip solution . All mammary glands were free of S aureus teat skin colonization and intramammary infection at the start of the study . Teats selected for chapping were dipped in 1N NaOH prior to 3 applications of S aureus broth culture; cultures were applied at 12-hour intervals on all teats . Treatments were applied after each milking for 30 days and were initiated after the second broth dip . Teat skin swab specimens and milk samples were collected before treatment application . Teat skin condition was scored daily . Nonchapped teats (treatment 2) did not support skin or orifice colonization by S aureus . Treatment-1 teats healed most rapidly and supported less colonization in skin and orifice than did treatment-3 and -4 teats . Teat skin scores and skin colonization were lower for treatment-3 than treatment-4 teats . A correlation between teat skin colonization and teat skin conditions was found . Two intramammary infections were found in treatment-4 quarters and 1 in a treatment-3 quarter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

DICP, 1991 Jun, 25(6), 602 - 3
Chemical peritonitis associated with intraperitoneal vancomycin; Smith TA 2nd et al.; A case of chemical peritonitis associated with intraperitoneal vancomycin is reported . A 23-year-old woman presented with signs and symptoms consistent with a chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis catheter exit-site infection . Intraperitoneal vancomycin (Vancoled) 1 g was given, followed by 25 mg/L into each subsequent exchange . On day 4 the patient developed abdominal pain and cloudy dialysis effluent . The vancomycin was discontinued, and the dialysate cleared by day 8 . Fluid cultures were negative, and Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from the exit site . Subsequent intravenous vancomycin, and smaller intraperitoneal doses, failed to repeat the event . Fluid and serum white blood cell count, serum immunoglobulins and complement, culture results, and the temporal relationship are strongly suggestive of a vancomycin-induced chemical peritonitis.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 1991 Jun, 57(6), 1793 - 8
Detection of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in dried skimmed milk: use of the polymerase chain reaction for amplification and detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin genes entB and entC1 and the thermonuclease gene nuc; Wilson IG et al.; The polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify the staphylococcal enterotoxin B and C genes (entB and entC1) and the staphylococcal nuclease gene (nuc) . Two sets of primers ("nested primers") were found to be necessary for the detection of low copy numbers of purified DNA in diluent . These allowed detection of ca . 1 fg of purified target DNA, while 100 pg was required before detection of entB, entC1, and nuc with single primer pairs was possible . With nested primers, enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus cells could be detected in artificially contaminated dried skimmed milk samples at levels of ca . 10(5) CFU ml-1 within 8 h . No cross-reaction was observed between the highly homologous entB and entC1 genes . The method showed total specificity for entC1 when tested against a wide variety of other bacteria.

Vet Rec, 1991 Jun 1, 128(22), 513 - 5
Identification of subclinical mastitis with a hand-held electrical conductivity meter; Hillerton JE et al.; A hand-held, commercially available instrument for measuring the electrical conductivity of milk (the Milk Checker) has been examined for its usefulness and accuracy in detecting subclinical and clinical mastitis . Foremilk from uninfected quarters had an electrical conductivity of 5.4 to 5.6 millisiemens (mS)/cm . Milk from cows with subclinical Staphylococcus aureus infections had a higher milk conductivity (7.1 to 7.5 mS/cm) but milk from cows with subclinical S uberis infections showed no increase in conductivity (5.3 to 5.6 mS/cm) . However, experimental S uberis infections could be detected by a 50 per cent increase in the electrical conductivity of foremilk two milkings before visible signs of mastitis were apparent . The equipment could be a useful advisory/veterinary tool but is unlikely to be used routinely in the milking parlour.

J Clin Microbiol, 1991 Jun, 29(6), 1100 - 5
DNA fingerprinting of isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from newborns and their contacts; Tveten Y et al.; During a study on the epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus colonization in newborns, mothers, and hospital staff, S . aureus was isolated from 536 of 1,945 specimens . Ninety-three isolates of S . aureus from the three groups of individuals were included in a study to evaluate the potential of DNA fingerprinting for strain differentiation . The 93 isolates were also phage typed and their plasmid profiles were analyzed . Cleavage of DNA with BamHI resulted in 13 different DNA restriction endonuclease band patterns (DNA REBPs), one of which consisted of eight isolates whose DNA was not cleaved with BamHI . The DNAs from these eight isolates were easily cleaved with HindIII . The different DNA REBPs were stable both during in vitro and in vivo growth and allowed strain differentiation within phage groups or types . We could not show any strong association between DNA REBP classes, phage types or groups, and plasmid profiles . Of the 93 isolates, 27 (29.0%) could not be phage typed and 12 (12.9%) lacked plasmids . We therefore conclude that DNA fingerprinting is a powerful tool, in addition to phage typing and plasmid profile analysis, for strain differentiation of S . aureus.

Growth Regul, 1991 Jun, 1(2), 56 - 61
Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) from cow colostrum: purification and characterization; Marcotty C et al.; Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) has been purified from defatted cow colostrum . The purification procedure involved cation exchange chromatography on CM Affigel blue, acid gel-filtration and two HPLCs . This purification process constitutes a significant improvement, in terms of yield and rapidity, over the previously reported procedures . Purified IGF-I was found to be 95% pure by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis . After isolation of peptides from a digest of IGF-I obtained using staphylococcus aureus protease, the complete sequence was established and found to be identical to that of bovine or human plasma IGF-I.

Immunology, 1991 Jun, 73(2), 197 - 204
Staphylococcus aureus modifies the cytokine-induced immunoglobulin synthesis and CD23 expression in patients with atopic dermatitis; Neuber K et al.; The influence of Staphylococcus aureus on peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) was analysed . The parameters studied were spontaneous and interleukin-inducible immunoglobulin (IgA, IgE, IgG) synthesis, as well as CD23 expression . Various heat-killed, clinical isolates of S . aureus were analysed . PBL from non-atopic donors served as controls . The time-course of co-cultured PBL with S . aureus showed a dose-dependent increase in immunoglobulin (Ig) synthesis from PBL of normal donors, whereas the Ig synthesis of atopic cells was significantly depressed . Additional stimulation with interleukin-4 (IL-4) also led to a pronounced suppression of the IgE and IgA synthesis in normal donor cells, while the effect of S . aureus on PBL of atopic donors was not markedly affected by IL-4 . Transwell cultures of bacteria separated from PBL by a semi-permeable membrane induced stimulation of IgA and IgE synthesis in patients with AD . The Ig synthesis in the control group was not altered . Co-stimulation of S . aureus and IL-4 in this system led to a suppression of IgA with cells of both atopic and normal donors . IgE synthesis from atopic PBL was significantly stimulated . The CD23 expression of atopic PBL was increased by S . aureus and IL-4 . Our data indicate that S . aureus may modulate the cytokine-dependent humoral immunity in patients with AD and that chronic colonization of the skin may be responsible for allergic skin reactions in AD.

Aust N Z J Surg, 1991 Jun, 61(6), 436 - 40
Rifampicin impregnation of a protein-sealed Dacron graft: an infection-resistant prosthetic vascular graft; Avramovic JR et al.; A gelatin-sealed knitted Dacron vascular graft was prepared by passive impregnation with rifampicin and implanted in the common carotid artery of 10 merino sheep . Another 10 merino sheep had an untreated graft inserted . The graft was topically inoculated with 1 mL of 10(8) colony forming units per mL of Staphylococcus aureus before wound closure . The grafts were harvested at 3 weeks and cultured . All untreated grafts and surrounding tissues became infected . One of the 10 grafts treated with rifampicin became infected (P = 0.0002) and 4 sheep with rifampicin-treated grafts had surrounding tissue infection . No bacteria cultured from the rifampicin-treated sheep developed resistance to rifampicin.

J Vasc Surg, 1991 Jun, 13(6), 897 - 901
Efficacy and duration of antistaphylococcal activity comparing three antibiotics bonded to Dacron vascular grafts with a collagen release system; Chervu A et al.; Type 1 collagen, minimally cross-linked, was used to bind one of three antibiotics (amikacin, chloramphenicol, or rifampin) to double-velour Dacron grafts to develop a prosthesis resistant to infection . Six millimeter disks of graft were placed in separate flasks (specific for each antibiotic) containing albumin in saline and continuously agitated . At daily intervals the solution was changed, and paired graft samples were removed and placed on a blood agar plate confluently streaked with bacteria . The initial zone of inhibition (centimeters squared), the time to 50% reduction of initial inhibition zone, and the overall duration of antibacterial activity were recorded on an exponential model . Grafts bonded with amikacin and chloramphenicol had an overall duration of activity of only 2 and 1 day, respectively, against Staphylococcus aureus . The collagen bonded rifampin grafts had an initial zone of 14.76 cm,2 took 3.92 days to reach 50% of initial inhibition, and had an overall duration of activity of 22.4 days . This was significantly better than grafts preclotted with 1.0 ml of rifampin (60 mg/ml) and 9 ml of blood (10.92 cm,2 1.06 days, and 5.6 days) . When tested against a slime-producing Staphylococcus epidermidis (American Type Culture Collection No . 35983), the graft bonded with rifampin had inhibitory activity of up to 27.77 days with a 50% of activity eluted at 4.78 days, significantly better than the preclotted rifampin graft without collagen bonding . These data suggest that rifampin bonded by collagen can protect a vascular graft against infection from S . aureus and S . epidermidis for up to 3 weeks after implantation.

J Struct Biol, 1991 Jun, 106(3), 199 - 204
The structure of Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin: effects of trypsin treatment; Olofsson A et al.; Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin was treated with trypsin, which inactivates the toxin . Two-dimensional crystals of the modified protein were produced on preformed lipid layers . The projection structure obtained by electron crystallographic analysis of a large number of crystals showed tetragonal p4 symmetry and a resolution of approximately 12 A . The fragments of the toxin, 17 and 18 kDa large, were arranged in a way resembling those observed earlier for the native protein (Olofsson et al., J . Mol . Biol . 214, 299-306, 1990) . However, after trypsin treatment the stain-deficient region corresponding to one alpha-toxin monomer shows two separated subdomains of similar size . This separation is probably related to the inability of the modified toxin to undergo the conformational change thought to be essential for the membrane-damaging effect.

Semin Respir Infect, 1991 Jun, 6(2), 94 - 102
Antibiotic therapy of pleural empyema; Hughes CE et al.; Most empyemas occur as a complication of pneumonia or lung abscess, but 15% to 30% occur after thoracic surgery and 10% occur in association with an intraabdominal infection . The bacteriology of empyemas that occur in association with lung infections is often polymicrobial and mixed, containing multiple species of both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, the latter found in up to 75% of cases . In contrast, empyema following thoracic surgery is more likely to be monomicrobial and caused by common nosocomial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and aerobic gram-negative bacilli . Diffusion of antibiotics into both infected and uninfected pleural fluid is good, but certain agents (aminoglycosides and some beta-lactams) may be inactivated in the presence of pus, low pH, and beta-lactamase enzymes . Single antibiotic agents that are likely to be active against the wide spectrum of potential pathogens include imipenem-cilastatin and ticarcillin-clavulanic acid . Combinations of antibiotics should include an effective agent against anaerobic bacteria (clindamycin, metronidazole) coupled with an agent active against aerobic gram-positive cocci and gram-negative bacilli.

Anal Biochem, 1991 Jun, 195(2), 364 - 8
A two-cycle immunoprecipitation procedure for reducing nonspecific protein contamination; Doolittle MH et al.; A two-cycle immunoprecipitation procedure is described that markedly reduces nonspecific protein contamination occurring during the precipitation of hepatic lipase from rat H4 hepatoma cells . In this method, the precipitation of immune complexes during both cycles is achieved by utilizing a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-washed preparation of lyophilized Staphylococcus aureus cells (Staph A); this washed preparation effectively removes Staph A contaminants without compromising the ability to bind immune complexes . Following initial immunoprecipitation of the antigen, the Staph A/IgG/antigen complex containing coprecipitated nonspecific proteins was dissociated with SDS . Triton X-100 was added to the dissociated immunoprecipitate at a concentration (by weight) of at least 5 parts Triton X-100 to 1 part SDS . A second cycle of immunoprecipitation was then initiated by addition of fresh antibody, followed by Staph A precipitation of immune complexes and analysis by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . The two-cycle procedure is shown to be reproducible and suitable for the quantitative determination of relative amounts of hepatic lipase . The procedure described here is generally applicable to the immunoprecipitation of other antigens.

Indian Pediatr, 1991 Jun, 28(6), 647 - 52
Lung puncture aspiration in the diagnosis of acute pneumonias; Tewari AD et al.; The present study was carried out in 100 children of acute pneumonia to establish the diagnosis of etiologic agents . Clinico-radiological assessment and routine investigations including sputum, throat swab and blood culture did not help in identifying the offending micro-organisms . The bacteriological examination of lung puncture aspirate was the most satisfactory tool for the etiological diagnosis . Direct smear examination/culture were positive in 50% aspirates . On cytology, definite epithelioid granulomas indicated tuberculous infection . However, in direct smear/culture negative patients, predominant mononuclear cell infiltration in the aspirated material may indicate non-pyogenic infection . Staphylococcus aureus (22%) was the commonest organism causing pneumonia in the present study.

J Antimicrob Chemother, 1991 Jun, 27(6), 713 - 20
Transposition of genes encoding kanamycin, neomycin and streptomycin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus; Udo EE et al.; The determinants encoding resistance to kanamycin, neomycin and streptomycin on plasmid pWBG628 have been shown to undergo recombination independent transposition to the chromosome of Staphylococcus aureus . Transposition of the determinants to a target plasmid corresponded to transfer of a 4.5 kb element which has been designated Tn3854.

J Hosp Infect, 1991 Jun, 18 Suppl A, 197 - 201
Epidemic potential and pathogenicity in outbreaks of infection with EMRSA and EMREC; Phillips I; Multiply antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli have both caused outbreaks in London in recent years, and for this reason have been referred to as E(epidemic)MRSA and EMREC respectively . In each case it has been questioned whether either organism has properties other than antibiotic resistance that distinguish them from other strains . Evidence is adduced to suggest that EMRSA has properties that enable it to spread particularly well, and that EMREC is particularly virulent . Both were introduced into our environment by chance, and were helped by their antibiotic resistance to become involved in a train of events--different in each case--that culminated in severe infection in a small number of patients, and thus to further investigation . The organisms involved in such outbreaks are worthy of investigation and control, if only because of the difficulty of treating clinical infections when they develop.

J Gen Microbiol, 1991 Jun, 137 ( Pt 6), 1303 - 11
Tn554 inserts in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Australia and England: comparison with an American methicillin-resistant group; Chikramane SG et al.; We have compared methicillin-resistant (Mcr) Staphylococcus aureus isolates from Australia, the UK and the USA with regard to chromosomal inserts of the macrolides-lincosamides-streptogramin B (MLS)-resistance transposon Tn554 . The American isolates were known to have a distinctive Tn554 insert, designated insert 6, which was closely associated epidemiologically with the methicillin-resistance phenotype . Southern blots of DNA from Australian and London, UK Mcr isolates were hybridized with a range of probes related to Tn554 . The isolates had similar or identical Tn554 inserts, and we consider them to be a single group, designated 'Australondon' . Australondon isolates were compared in detail with a deletion mutant, ANS62, that had lost the methicillin-resistance determinant mec, plus other resistance determinants resident in the mec region of the chromosome, and with an American Mcr isolate containing Tn554 insert 6 . The Australondon isolates had three Tn554 inserts . Sequence analysis with the polymerase chain reaction showed that all of these inserts differed from classical Tn554 in that the 3'-terminal residues of the transposons were reverse complements of the usual GATGTA . One of the Australondon inserts, designated 6B, closely resembled Tn554 insert 6 in the sequence of its left flanking chromosomal DNA . This insert was found to abut the deletion from the mec region which results in strain ANS62 . We infer that Tn554 insert 6B is part of the mec region of the chromosome in Australondon isolates, supporting the idea that insert 6 of the American isolates is also part of this chromosomal region.

J Immunol, 1991 May 15, 146(10), 3356 - 64
Complement subcomponent C1q stimulates Ig production by human B lymphocytes; Young KR Jr et al.; The regulation of Ig production by human B lymphocytes is a complex process involving interactions among B cells, APC, T lymphocytes and soluble factors including activation, growth, and differentiation factors . Components of the complement system, including C3a, C3b, C3d, and C5a, have been shown to influence various stages in this process . In this study, we demonstrate that the C1q subcomponent of complement binds to both small resting and large activated B cells and stimulates immunoglobulin production by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan-activated tonsillar B lymphocytes . This effect is present whether C1q is added to the B cells either at the beginning or near the end of a 7-day culture period and is not associated with enhancement of proliferation . The C1q stimulation of Ig production is, however, associated with increased steady state levels of mRNA for the mu Ig H chain . Furthermore, C1q stimulated IgM production by the human B cell line SKW 6.4, which is capable of secreting IgM in response to B cell differentiation factors (BCDF) . SLE is a disorder frequently associated with polyclonal activation of B lymphocytes . We studied the effect of C1q on B cells from two patients with this disorder and one with an SLE-like illness, all selected for the predominance of either IgM or IgG in serum . Spontaneous or BCDF-stimulated Ig secretion was of the isotype predominant in vivo, whereas C1q selectively stimulated B cells to produce the other isotype (IgG vs IgM) . Thus, C1q interacts with B lymphocytes in a manner distinct from that of BCDF found in mixed lymphocyte supernatants . C1q may be an important factor influencing the production of Ig by B lymphocytes in normal individuals and in patients with abnormalities of B cell activity.

JAMA, 1991 May 22-29, 265(20), 2704 - 10
Oropharyngeal decontamination decreases incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia . A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial; Pugin J et al.; Secondary pneumonia in patients requiring mechanical ventilation has a high morbidity and mortality . Diagnosis is difficult and treatment failure common; therefore, preventive measures are important . In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we evaluated selective decontamination of the oropharynx with polymyxin B sulfate, neomycin sulfate, and vancomycin hydrochloride (PNV) in 52 patients requiring mechanical ventilation during a 3- to 34-day period (mean, 10 days) . Either PNV or placebo was administered six times daily in the oropharynx . During the first 12 days of intubation, tracheobronchial colonization by gram-negative bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as pneumonia, occurred less frequently in the PNV than in the placebo group (16% vs 78%; P less than .0001) . Hospital mortality was not different, but systemic antibiotics were prescribed less often in the PNV group and no resistant microorganism emerged . In these critically ill patients, topical oropharyngeal antibiotic application lowered the rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia by a factor of 5, probably by interrupting the stomach-to-trachea route of infection, and decreased the requirement for intravenous antibiotics.

Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1991 May 15, 176(3), 1319 - 25
Southern hybridization analysis of the mecA deletion from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Wada A et al.; Genomic organization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains and their methicillin-susceptible subclones were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern hybridization with DNA fragments of methicillin-resistance gene mecA and an insertion element IS431 as probes . The entire mecA gene was deleted in all the seven methicillin-susceptible subclones studied, and the size of the deletion varied from 20 to 100 kilobases depending on each subclone . In six of the seven subclones, however, the downstream deletion end points were confined within a 2.0 kilobase HindIII-HindIII fragment containing a part of IS431 which was located 2.6 kilobase downstream of mecA gene . The results indicated that the intramolecular transposition of IS431 is responsible for the mecA deletion in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

J Immunol, 1991 May 15, 146(10), 3462 - 8
IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha . Autocrine and paracrine cytokines involved in B cell function; Rieckmann P et al.; IL-6 and TNF-alpha are synthesized and secreted by normal tonsillar B cells after stimulation with the polyclonal B cell activator Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain 1 (SAC) and IL-2 as well as spontaneously by in vivo activated B cells from patients with hypergammaglobulinemia . Using specific neutralizing antibodies, both factors were shown to be involved in autocrine and/or paracrine regulation of B cell differentiation . IgG induced by SAC/IL-2 stimulation was reduced 73% with an anti-IL-6 antibody and 40% with an anti-TNF-alpha antibody . Similar effects of these antibodies were observed on the spontaneous in vitro IgG production by lymphoblastic B cells from six patients with hypergammaglobulinemia . Kinetic studies with SAC/IL-2-activated B cells revealed that the anti-TNF-alpha antibody must be present at the beginning of the culture to exert an effect on Ig production, whereas the anti-IL-6 antibody reduced Ig production even if added as late as day 3 . This sequential action of TNF-alpha and IL-6 on B cell differentiation was reflected by different kinetics of release of these two cytokines into the supernatant of SAC/IL-2 activated B cells; TNF-alpha peaked at 24 h and IL-6 at 96 h after stimulation . In addition, it was shown that IL-6 production by in vitro-activated B cells was partially blocked by an anti-TNF-alpha antibody suggesting that TNF-alpha regulates IL-6 production in normal B cells via an autocrine pathway . We also investigated the effects of TGF-beta on TNF-alpha and IL-6 production by normal B cells . Although TGF-beta inhibited Ig production by in vitro-activated and in vivo-activated B cells, it did not inhibit the release of these cytokines from normal B cells . Furthermore, TGF-beta did not inhibit the induction of nuclear factor-IL-6 nor the expression of IL-6R on activated B cells . Thus, although the biologic effects of anti-IL-6 and TGF-beta on B cell Ig production are similar, their mechanisms of actions appear to be distinct.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1991 May 15, 64(2-3), 299 - 304
Expression of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin type D in Escherichia coli X1776; Brown RC et al.; The Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin type D was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli X1776 either as mature toxin or as a fusion with E . coli beta-galactosidase . Regulated expression was obtained and levels of toxin produced were in the order of 10(-3)-fold higher than in S . aureus.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1991 May 15, 64(2-3), 277 - 81
Cloning and expression of various staphylococcal genes encoding urease in Staphylococcus carnosus; Jose J et al.; The urease genes from Staphylococcus xylosus C2a, Staphylococcus aureus U500, and S . aureus Newman were cloned in Staphylococcus carnosus using the plasmid vectors pCA43 and pCA44 . The resulting respective recombinant plasmids pUra 402, pUraUH66, and pUra17 contained chromosomal DNA fragments with sizes of 5.6, 5.8, and 6.8 kb, respectively . Investigations on urease expression of the donor and recombinant strains in media with various nitrogen sources revealed that S . xylosus C2a produced urease constitutively at the highest specific activity . All of the recombinant strains had significantly lower urease activities than their DNA-donor strains . The nickel-dependence of urease was demonstrated in S . aureus U500 by a plate diffusion assay.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1991 May 15, 64(2-3), 151 - 4
Suppression of penicillin-induced lysis of Staphylococcus aureus by cibacron blue 3G-A; Sugai M et al.; The effect of cibacron blue 3G-A (CB) on bacteriolysis induced by penicillin G was investigated using Staphylococcus aureus FDA 209P . Penicillin-induced lysis was completely inhibited by 30 microM CB . However, the bactericidal effect of penicillin G was not influenced by CB . These results indicate that a bacteriolytic process is not essential for penicillin to kill S . aureus.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1991 May 15, 64(2-3), 147 - 50
A staphylococcal plasmid that replicates and expresses ampicillin, gentamicin and amikacin resistance in Escherichia coli; Gadaleta P et al.; Plasmid pPG1 from Staphylococcus aureus coding for ampicillin (Apr), gentamicin (Gmr) and amikacin (Akr) resistance was transformed into Escherichia coli . Transformation efficiency was about 2 x 10(3) transformants/micrograms of plasmid DNA . The plasmids present in the E . coli transformants were identical to pPG1 according to their restriction patterns . The copy number of pPG1 was estimated to be at least 20-times less in E . coli than in S . aureus . The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for Ap and Gm were lower in E . coli than in S . aureus . However, the MIC for Ak was higher in E . coli transformants than in S . aureus . pPG1 was maintained in the E . coli transformants for at least 80 generations at 37 degrees C without antibiotic selection pressure.

J Biol Chem, 1991 May 15, 266(14), 9100 - 7
The structures of ubiquitin conjugates of yeast Iso-2-cytochrome c; Sokolik CW et al.; Ubiquitin (Ub) conjugates to Saccharomyces cerevisiae iso-2-cytochrome c were formed in vitro in a rabbit reticulocyte extract (Fraction II) . In the presence of ubiquitin-aldehyde, used to inhibit ubiquitin-protein isopeptidases in Fraction II, mono-, di-, and triubiquitinated cytochrome c conjugates accumulated in a 1.2:1.0:0.2 molar ratio . CNBr digestions showed that, in all three conjugates, Ub attachment was within the first 73 amino acids of the cytochrome c . For the two most abundant conjugates, this region was further narrowed to the first 30 residues by peptide mapping with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease . N-terminal protein sequencing identified Lys-13 as the major ubiquitination site in each conjugate . For di- and triubiquitinated iso-2-cytochrome c, this suggested that Ub2 and Ub3 multiubiquitin chains extend from Lys-13 . This conclusion was supported by a variation of protein sequencing in which polypeptides recovered after Edman degradation were analyzed to determine at which cycle(s) radiolabeled Ub or Ubn was cleaved from the conjugate . Because of the sensitivity afforded by the use of 125I-Ub in this "stutter-step" sequencing method, minor ubiquitination at Lys-8 also was detected . Thus, Ub2-iso-2-cytochrome c conjugates contain mostly Ub2 at Lys-13 with a small fraction of conjugates having single Ubs on 2 residues, Lys-8 and Lys-13 . Similarly, Ub3-iso-2-cytochrome c predominantly has a Ub3 chain on Lys-13, although minor species with combinations of Ub1 and Ub2 distributed on Lys-8 and Lys-13 also may be present . This specificity is discussed in the context of iso-2-cytochrome c structure.

Gene, 1991 May 15, 101(1), 59 - 66
Structure and evolution of a family of genes encoding antiseptic and disinfectant resistance in Staphylococcus aureus; Littlejohn TG et al.; Resistance to antiseptics and disinfectants in Staphylococcus aureus, encoded by the qacC/qacD gene family, is associated with genetically dissimilar small, nontransmissible (pSK89) and large conjugative (pSK41) plasmids . The qacC and qacD genes were analysed in detail through deletion mapping and nucleotide sequence analysis, and shown to encode the same polypeptide, predicted to be 107 aa in size . Direct repeat elements flank the qacD gene, elements which also flank the qacC gene in truncated forms . These elements contain palA sequences, regions of DNA required for replication of some plasmids in S . aureus . The qacC gene is predicted to have evolved from the qacD gene, and in the process to have become reliant on new promoter sequences for its expression . The entire sequence of the 2.4-kb plasmid pSK89 (which contains qacC) was determined, and is compared with other plasmids from Gram + bacteria.

FEMS Microbiol Lett, 1991 May 15, 64(2-3), 239 - 42
Non-specific immunoprecipitation of rotavirus Vp6 protein with Staphylococcus aureus; Cornaglia EM et al.; The specificity of Staphylococcus aureus and protein A-Sepharose (PA-S) were compared in the radioimmunoprecipitation assay for the characterization of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against rotavirus proteins . Five mAbs directed against bovine rotavirus Q17 proteins Vp6 and Vp7 and one mAb directed against human rotavirus protein Vp4 were used in this study . mAbs directed against other viruses, NS-1 culture supernatant and ascitic fluid, were used as control reagents . A non-specific immunoprecipitation of the viral protein Vp6 was always found with S . aureus, but not with PA-S . mAb 74 reacted with rotavirus antigens in ELISA and in indirect immunofluorescence assay but did not immunoprecipitate a viral protein with PA-S . This mAb immunoprecipitated the viral protein Vp6 when S . aureus reagent was used . This false positive reaction was always present and could lead to confusing results in the analysis and characterization of mAbs against rotavirus.

J Am Acad Dermatol, 1991 May, 24(5 Pt 1), 756 - 9
Percutaneous injury during dermatologic surgery; Kaspar TA et al.; An anonymous survey was conducted among 100 randomly selected fellows of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery . Forty-one respondents provided information about their experience with percutaneous injury . Causes of injury during 6278 invasive procedures performed during a 1-month period included suture needlesticks (two injuries), injection needlestick (one), needle recapping (one), scalpel blade (one), skin hook (one), and an injury during the transport of an instrument (one) . Dermatologic surgeons were more likely to injure their dominant fingers . Attitudes of dermatologic surgeons were surveyed regarding operating on patients while the physician or assistant was actively infected with human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, herpetic whitlow, or paronychia caused by Staphylococcus aureus . Dermatologic surgeons believed that they should be allowed to operate while infected with human immunodeficiency virus (41.5%), hepatitis B virus (40%), herpetic whitlow (25%), and paronychia caused by S . aureus (20%) . Few dermatologic surgeons would disclose preoperatively to patients infections present in themselves or in operating team members that were due to human immunodeficiency virus (29.4%), hepatitis B virus (27.8%), herpetic whitlow (28.6%), or paronychia caused by S . aureus (33.3%).

J Biol Chem, 1991 May 5, 266(13), 8343 - 7
Fibronectin binding determinants of the Staphylococcus aureus fibronectin receptor; McGavin MJ et al.; Synthetic peptide analogs mimicking a repeated motif within the Staphylococcus aureus fibronectin receptor inhibit binding of the bacteria to fibronectin (Signas, C., Raucci, G., Jonsson, K., Lindgren, P . E., Anantharamaiah, G . M., Hook, M., and Lindberg, M . (1989) Proc . Natl . Acad . Sci . U.S.A . 86, 699-703) . In this study, we have further localized the fibronectin-binding determinant within the 37 amino acid D3 peptide . Chemical modification of the carboxyl side chains of the glutamic and aspartic residues in D3 abolished fibronectin-binding activity, whereas modifications of lysine or tyrosine residues had little effect . An active peptide encompassing residues 15-36 was isolated from a trypsin digest of D3, and a synthetic peptide S16-36 had activity comparable with that of intact D3 . Scrambling the amino acid sequence of S16-36 or replacing the aspartic and glutamic residues with asparagine and glutamine resulted in loss of activity . Therefore, one or more of the acidic residues are essential for activity . However, additional sequence is required . Reduction in the size of S16-36 from either the N- or C-terminal end resulted in peptides with greatly diminished activity . These data suggest that the amino acids essential for binding fibronectin are contained within residues 21-33 of the D3 peptide and that the flanking N- and C-terminal amino acids are necessary for the peptide to acquire a conformation that is favorable for fibronectin binding.

J Biol Chem, 1991 May 5, 266(13), 8102 - 7
Amino acid sequence and post-translational modification of stem cell factor isolated from buffalo rat liver cell-conditioned medium; Lu HS et al.; Stem cell factor (SCF) isolated from culture medium conditioned by Buffalo rat liver cells was subjected to detailed structural analysis . Attempts at direct N-terminal sequencing of the factor indicated that its N terminus is blocked as pyroglutamic acid (Zsebo, K . M., Wypych, J., McNiece, I . K., Lu, H . S., Smith, K . A., Karkare, S . B., Sachdev, R . K., Yuschenkoff, V . N., Birkett, N . C., Williams, L . R., Satyagal, V . N., Bosselman, R . A., Mendiaz, E . A., and Langley, K . E . (1990) Cell 63, 195-201) . The removal of the blocking pyroglutamate by pyroglutamate aminopeptidase allowed sequencing of the polypeptide chain to position 47 . Stem cell factor was also digested with CNBr, trypsin, Staphylococcus aureus protease (strain V8), and AspN peptidase to generate different sets of peptides that were then separated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and sequenced . Sequence of an internal peptide fragment obtained by cleavage of stem cell factor at a single tryptophanyl peptide bond was also obtained . From these analyses, the complete amino acid sequence could be constructed . The factor as isolated is a single polypeptide of 164 or 165 amino acids . The sequence is confirmatory to a sequence deduced from a cDNA sequence and provides important evidence for C-terminal processing of the polypeptide encoded by cDNA . There are four potential N-linked glycosylation sites . Asn65, Asn72, Asn109, and Asn120 . Sequence determination of isolated peptides suggested that Asn120 is glycosylated, Asn65 and Asn109 glycosylated in some molecules but not in others, and Asn72 not glycosylated . Amino acids at three positions, i.e . 142, 143, and 155, could not be detected during sequence analysis . Since the gene sequence codes for Ser, Thr, and Thr at these positions (Martin, F . H., Suggs, S . V., Langley, K . E., Lu, H . S., Ting, J., Okino, K . H., Morris, C . F., McNiece, I . K., Jacobsen, F . W., Mendiaz, E . A., Birkett, N . C., Smith, K . C., Johnson, M . J., Parker, V . P., Flores, J . C., Patel, A . C., Fisher, E . F., Erjavec, H . O., Herrera, C . J., Wypych, J., Sachdev, R . K., Pope, J . A., Leslie, I., Wen, D., Lin, C . W., Cupples, R . L., and Zsebo, K . M . (1990) Cell 63, 203-211), they could be sites of O-linked carbohydrate attachment . The four cysteines form two intramolecular disulfide bonds, Cys4-Cys89 and Cys43-Cys138.

Biochim Biophys Acta, 1991 May 2, 1089(1), 103 - 12
Expression in Escherichia coli of the genes coding for reaction center subunits from Rhodobacter sphaeroides: wild-type proteins and fusion proteins containing one or four truncated domains from Staphylococcus aureus protein A at the carboxy-terminus; Sohlemann P et al.; Gene cassettes were constructed containing Rhodobacter sphaeroides puhA, pufM and pufL sequences with synthetic 5' ends for production in Escherichia coli of the H, M and L subunits of the photosynthetic reaction center . In addition, gene cassettes coding for fusion proteins with proteinase recognition site(s) between the amino-terminal part of H, M or L subunits, and the carboxy-terminal part consisting of one (B') or four (D'ABC') domains of Staphylococcus aureus protein A were constructed . A modified expression vector pDS12/RBSII containing the T5 promoter PN25, the lac operator, and a newly inserted E . coli lipoprotein ribosome-binding site was used . Inducible synthesis of plasmid-encoded polypeptides was accompanied by reduced growth . The products comigrated with R . sphaeroides reaction center subunits H, M and L . They were identified by Western blot experiments using antibodies raised against reaction center proteins . The hybrid protein containing the reaction center H subunit fused to the single domain B' was not detected by nonspecific antisera . In contrast, the three fusion proteins containing domains D'ABC' were identified using nonspecific antisera . This indicated that domains D'ABC' were sufficient to bind to the Fc part of IgG molecules, whereas domain B' was not sufficient . This property was used to purify all three fusion proteins with domains D'ABC' by affinity chromatography from the membrane fraction of E . coli cells.

Rinsho Byori, 1991 May, 39(5), 548 - 56
{Detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by the Showa disk}; Tosaka M et al.; The Showa disk susceptibility test using two penicillinase-resistant penicillins (PRPs: methicillin and oxacillin) and four cephalosporins (cefazolin, cefmetazole, ceftizoxime, and latamoxef) was evaluated to discriminate between the strains of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to methicillin (MRSA) and those susceptible (MSSA) . Among 129 MRSA and 112 MSSA strains, significant numbers of MRSA found to be false-susceptible to PRPs, especially when incubated at 37 degrees C . Using agar plates supplemented with 5% NaCl, oxacillin disk correctly categorized all the MRSA and MSSA strains, but two MSSA strains were mischaracterized with methicillin disk . All the MSSA strains found to be susceptible against cephalosporins tested, but significant numbers of MRSA were also interpreted to be susceptible . Only the result of ceftizoxime disk susceptibility test highly correlated with methicillin resistance, when incubated at 35 degrees C . All the MRSA did not produce any significant bacterial growth inhibitory zone around the disk, whereas all the MSSA found to be susceptible (19 mm or more), e.g., 100% correlation . With these data, we recommend that ceftizoxime disk susceptibility test, incubated at 35 degrees C, provides a more reliable method to characterize the strains of MRSA and MSSA . The interpretive breakpoint would be used as; less than or equal to 16 mm (greater than or equal to 25 micrograms/ml) for MRSA.

Cutis, 1991 May, 47(5), 317 - 8
Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in a woman with chronic renal failure exposed to human immunodeficiency virus; Donohue D et al.; A twenty-eight-year-old woman seropositive for the human immunodeficiency virus and undergoing hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease sustained an infection of her arteriovenous graft . Multiple erythematous erosions appeared and a diagnosis of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome was made when a frozen section of a fresh skin peel revealed an intraepidermal split through the granular layer and Staphylococcus aureus group II, phage type 71 was cultured from the wound and blood . Twenty-six cases of adult patients with staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome have been reported . Although this includes one patient with AIDS-related complex, this is the first case of an adult with staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome who showed seropositive results of testing for human immunodeficiency virus.

J Antibiot (Tokyo), 1991 May, 44(5), 507 - 16
Studies on beta-lactam antibiotics . XIX . Structure-activity relationships of cephalosporins having a thiadiazolylthiomethyl group at the C-3 side chain; Inamoto Y et al.; The synthesis and antibacterial activity of 7 beta-{(Z)-2-(2-amino-4-thiazolyl)-2-(hydroxy or alkoxy)iminoacetamido}cephalosporins with various thiadiazolylthiomethyl moieties at the 3-position are discussed . Of the compounds (1a-1e, 7a-7d), 7 beta-{(Z)-2-(2-amino-4-thiazolyl)-2-hydroxyiminoacetamido}-3-{(1,2 ,4- thiadiazol-5-yl)thiomethyl}cephalosporin (1d: FK312) exhibited the highest activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, especially, against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Furthermore, the pharmacokinetic profiles of the compound 1d showed longer serum levels than that of ceftriaxone in rats.

Rev Rhum Mal Osteoartic, 1991 May, 58(5), 361 - 4
{Osteoarticular complications after hepatic transplantation}; Taillandier J et al.; Between January and December 1989, among 396 patients receiving liver transplantation, 27 have developed 33 post-transplantation osteoarticular complications (27 non septic and 6 septic episodes) . After liver transplantation, non septic complications are distinct from the pattern observed after kidney transplantation with a lower prevalence of avascular bone necrosis (n = 4) but a higher prevalence of new vertebral fractures (n = 18) and presence of stress fracture (n = 3) . This difference is probably caused by the lower steroids dosage in liver transplantation and by the preexisting bone status which is different in kidney and liver graft recipients . These complications are essentially observed in cirrhosis (n = 12) and primary biliary cirrhosis (n = 10) . Staphylococcus aureus is found in 5/6 osteoarticular infections whereas extra-osteoarticular (essentially intra-abdominal) infections are mainly due to Gram negative bacteria and candidiasis . Finally, 2 patients presented hypertrophic osteoarthropathy associated with chronic graft rejection, reversible after liver retransplantation.

Nippon Sanka Fujinka Gakkai Zasshi, 1991 May, 43(5), 516 - 22
{A study of underlying immunoglobulin production by neonates}; Kato Y et al.; During the prenatal period the ability of the fetus mononuclear cells (MNC) to produce antibodies is impaired . 1 . In term infants, IgG production with only Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I strain (SAC) stimulation was significantly decreased (p less than 0.00005) as compared with adults . However, when adult MNC supernatant stimulated with Pokeweed mitogen (PWM-sup) was given to full term infants, antibody production significantly increased . 2 . The activity inducing antibody production in the full term infant MNC is present primarily in the adult T cell culture supernatant . 3 . B cell differentiation factor gamma (BCDF gamma) and BCDF mu, which induce IgG and IgM production, respectively, were significantly reduced in premature and full term infants (p less than 0.00005) as compared with adult . 4 . By giving adult PWM-sup to the under 33-week-old infants MNC with SAC stimulation, the induction of both IgG and IgM was reduced, and IgG production was especially inadequate . From the above, it is thought that in full term infants, the production of BCDF gamma and BCDF mu which are produced by T cells is reduced compared to that of adults, and that this is mainly responsible for the reduced antibody production . In addition, in the under 33-week-old infants, the immaturity of B cells and inadequate BCDF production induce underlying poor or inadequate immunoglobulin production.

J Clin Microbiol, 1991 May, 29(5), 1083 - 6
Kingella kingae intervertebral disk infection; Amir J et al.; Disk inflammation in children is believed to result from infection, and Staphylococcus aureus is reported to be the organism most commonly isolated from cases of intervertebral disk infection . A case of disk inflammation caused by the unusual pathogen Kingella kingae is described . The antibiotic susceptibility of other K . kingae isolates and the clinical features of 11 other previously reported cases of disk infection caused by this microorganism are reviewed.

J Intern Med, 1991 May, 229(5), 467 - 9
Osteomyelitis of the wrist in a patient with Hodgkin's disease; Hayes TG et al.; Osteomyelitis of the carpal bones is extremely uncommon . We here report a case of Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis involving the wrist in a patient with Hodgkin's disease, and review the existing literature on this subject . The case illustrates the importance of considering pertinent clinical evidence in a patient with disseminated malignancy.

Head Neck, 1991 May-Jun, 13(3), 247 - 8
Toxic shock syndrome following functional endonasal sinus surgery: a case report; Younis RT et al.; Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a serious multisystem disease that was first described in 1978 by Todd . It occurs most often in menstruating women using superabsorbent tampons . The exact pathogenesis is not well understood, but it is felt to be due to the effects of an enterotoxin produced by certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus . The reported incidence of TSS following nasal surgery is 16/100,000 . We report a case of TSS following endonasal sinus surgery in which minimal packing was used . The nasal surgeon should be aware of this rare and possibly fatal entity, as TSS may occur following any nasal/sinus surgery, even where packing is minimal and of short duration and when the patient is receiving antibiotic therapy.

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 1991 May, 32(6), 1854 - 63
Antibody studies in a rabbit model of corneal phlyctenulosis and catarrhal infiltrates related to Staphylococcus aureus; Mondino BJ et al.; Hypersensitivity to ribitol teichoic acid (RTA), the major antigenic determinant of Staphylococcus aureus, may be important in a rabbit model of corneal phlyctenules and catarrhal infiltrates . Over a 5-month period, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgA antibody levels to RTA in sera, tears, and corneas from rabbits immunized using the following routes: Group 1, intradermal injections of S . aureus cell wall (CW) mixed with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA); Group 2, subconjunctival injections of CW-CFA; Group 3, prolonged topical application of viable S . aureus to the eye; Group 4, intradermal injections of CW-CFA plus prolonged topical application of viable S . aureus; and Group 5, subconjunctival injections of CW-CFA plus prolonged topical application of viable S . aureus . Over the 5-month period, the IgG and IgA antibody levels were correlated to RTA with the development of corneal phlyctenules and catarrhal infiltrates . The IgG titers to RTA were higher than IgA titers in serum, tears, and cornea . The highest antibody titers were IgG titers in cornea . Only rabbits immunized by intradermal or subconjunctival injections of CW-CFA followed by prolonged topical application of viable S . aureus (Groups 4 and 5) developed moderate to severe conjunctival hyperemia and edema with corneal phlyctenules and catarrhal infiltrates . When corneal lesions developed between 2-3 months, both groups had the highest corneal IgG and IgA antibody titers to RTA with IgG titers being more than 60 times higher than IgA titers . In the remaining 2 months of the study, the conjunctival response in both groups decreased from moderate-to-severe to mild, and no new corneal lesions developed, despite continued topical application of viable S . aureus and elevated antibody titers in cornea, serum, and tears . In this study, IgG and IgA antibody levels to RTA were measured in serum, tears, and cornea in a rabbit model of corneal phlyctenules and catarrhal infiltrates, and the antibody response was correlated with the development of these hypersensitivity lesions.

J Trauma, 1991 May, 31(5), 629 - 36; discussion 636-8
Gut bacterial translocation via the portal vein: a clinical perspective with major torso trauma; Moore FA et al.; Animal studies implicate gut bacterial translocation via the portal vein as a major factor in the pathogenesis of postinjury multiple organ failure (MOF) . We therefore inserted portal vein catheters for sequential blood sampling in the operating room, at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours, and 5 days postoperatively in 20 injured patients (13 blunt, seven penetrating; mean age, 34 years) requiring emergent laparotomy and who were at known risk for MOF . The mean Revised Trauma Score was 6.4 +/- 0.4, and the Injury Severity Score, 29.3 +/- 2.3 . Twelve (60%) patients arrived in shock (SBP less than 90 torr) . Eight (2%) of 212 portal blood cultures were positive; seven were presumed contaminants . The only positive systemic culture (total, 212) was a Staphylococcus aureus on day 5 in a patient with a concurrent staphyloccal pneumonia . In the first 48 hours, we could not detect endotoxin in portal or systemic blood . Additionally, simultaneous portal and systemic blood levels of complement fragment C3a, tumor necrosis factor, and interleukin-6 were nearly identical and, specifically, were not different in those patients who developed MOF . In summary, this prospective clinical study has not confirmed portal or systemic bacteremia within the first 5 days postinjury, despite an eventual 30% incidence of MOF.

J Med Microbiol, 1991 May, 34(5), 249 - 52
Pathogenicity of Propionibacterium acnes in mixed infections with facultative bacteria; Brook I; Single and mixed infections with 11 clinical isolates of Propionibacterium acnes and three facultative bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae) were studied in a subcutaneous abscess model in mice . Abscesses were induced by pure cultures of six of 11 strains of P . acnes and by the three facultative bacteria . The abscesses produced by each of the six "virulent" P . acnes isolates mixed with S . aureus, E . coli or K . pneumoniae were larger than those induced by the single organisms in 16 of the 18 combinations . There was a significant increase in the numbers of the six P . acnes strains in 13 of the 18 bacterial mixtures and in the numbers of the facultative bacteria in 17 of the 18 combinations . These data illustrate the potential virulence of some P . acnes strains and their synergic capacity with facultative bacteria.

Arch Intern Med, 1991 May, 151(5), 995 - 6
Vancomycin-induced thrombocytopenia; Zenon GJ et al.; Vancomycin-induced thrombocytopenia has only been reported once previously in the medical literature . We describe a patient in whom sudden severe reversible thrombocytopenia developed on two separate occasions after exposure to vancomycin hydrochloride . A 54-year-old man was admitted to the hospital for bilateral swelling and erythema of his extremities . At the time of admission he received 2 days of vancomycin therapy without incident . On day 14 he was reexposed to vancomycin and thrombocytopenia developed, with a nadir value of 17 x 10(9)/L . On day 30, a single dose of vancomycin was administered, and thrombocytopenia once again developed, with a nadir value of 11 x 10(9)/L . Hematologic cytopenias are infrequent adverse effects of vancomycin therapy . It is postulated that these effects may be due to an immunologically mediated mechanism . With the increasing use of vancomycin due to the emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, this case should alert clinicians to this rare but potentially lethal manifestation of vancomycin.

Cell Immunol, 1991 May, 134(2), 314 - 24
Induction of proliferation by high molecular weight B cell growth factor or low molecular weight B cell growth factor is associated with increases in intracellular calcium in different subpopulations of human B lymphocytes; Ambrus JL Jr et al.; The activation of resting B cells with anti-surface Ig is associated with transient increases in intracellular calcium . In the present study, we demonstrate that stimulation of B cells which have already been activated by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (Sac), with high molecular weight B cell growth factor (HMW-BCGF) or low molecular weight B cell growth factor (LMW-BCGF), but not IL-2, IL-4, or interferon-gamma, is associated with an increase in intracellular calcium, which is modest compared to that seen with anti-Ig (approximately 100 nM vs approximately 400 nM) . The increases in intracellular calcium induced by HMW-BCGF or LMW-BCGF occur in distinct but overlapping subpopulations of B cells . Thus, increases in intracellular calcium in human B cells occur not only upon activation but also upon the induction of proliferation by certain (but not all) B cell growth factors . Presumably, the effect of increasing intracellular calcium during the induction of proliferation is to modify a different group of intracellular molecules than those induced during activation.

Immunopharmacology, 1991 May-Jun, 21(3), 171 - 81
Effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on humoral immunity: II . B cell activation; Morris DL et al.; Previous reports have indicated similarities in the actions of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and the polyclonal B cell activator Staphylococcus aureus Cowan Strain I (SAC) on the in vitro T-dependent antibody response to SRBC . This finding has suggested that B cell activation is likely to be an important component in the direct effects of TCDD on lymphocyte function . In the current investigation, various techniques were employed to determine whether TCDD could cause the activation of splenic-derived dense resting B cells in the absence of antigen and to determine if the modulatory effect of serum-derived growth factors is the result of a direct action on the B lymphocyte . TCDD (30 and 60 nM) caused an increase in proliferation of dense resting B cells at both 72 and 96 h following addition . This action of TCDD was demonstrated to possess a serum dependency that was based on the lot of serum in which the cells were cultured . Under similar conditions, TCDD (30 nM) stimulated an increase in total IgM secretion as measured on day 7 of culture . A similar profile of activity was observed in vivo, where splenic-derived dense resting B cells from animals treated with 1 microgram/kg TCDD for 5 days, but unsensitized to SRBC, demonstrated a 10-fold increase in proliferation on day 3 of culture which likewise occurred in a serum dependent manner . In addition, we observed that mice treated with 1 microgram/kg TCDD for 5 days and sensitized with SRBCs, sustained a complete loss in their splenic-derived dense B cell populations (day 4 after sensitization) . The loss of this B cell population is indicative of a movement of these cells into a blastogenic state of activation and is not observed in matched corn oil-treated controls . These findings support our previous observations and give evidence that TCDD is capable of causing the direct activation of resting B cells . This activation is dependent on the type of serum present during in vitro culture and appears to be intensified in the presence of antigen in vivo.

Immunopharmacology, 1991 May-Jun, 21(3), 159 - 69
Effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on humoral immunity: I . Similarities to Staphylococcus aureus Cowan Strain I (SAC) in the in vitro T-dependent antibody response; Morris DL et al.; We have determined that suppression of the in vitro T-dependent humoral immune response by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is dependent on the type and concentration of serum used in the culture media . Only five out of 23 commercial lots of serum (screened at both 5 and 10%) could support a suppression in the presence of 30 nM TCDD, with the remaining lots demonstrating an apparent 'protective-like' effect against the TCDD exposure . When log dose response curves were established with TCDD (0.3, 3.0, and 30 nM) in media containing each of the serum lots supporting a suppression (at both 5 and 10%), we determined that only three lots could support a full dose-responsive suppression . Subsequently, in a comparison study between the effects of TCDD and the polyclonal B-cell activator Staphylococcus aureus Cowan Strain I (SAC) on the in vitro T-dependent humoral immune response, we have found that SAC suppresses the antibody response to SRBC and demonstrates the same serum dependency for this effect as was previously noted for TCDD . Under serum-free culturing conditions, TCDD (30 nM) caused a 15-fold increase in the AFC response to SRBCs over controls, suggesting that direct addition of TCDD to whole splenocyte cultures in the absence of serum-derived growth factors results in an increase in B-cell activation . Likewise, under serum-free conditions, SAC dose-dependently increased the AFC response over media controls, and at doses which achieved the same degree of suppression of the humoral response aa TCDD . Taken together, these studies suggest that TCDD has actions that are similar to a T cell independent polyclonal B cell activator such as SAC, and selectively acts on the B cell to suppress the T-dependent humoral immune response by a mechanism which is unique to this series of compounds . This effect however, is only detectable under appropriate serum-supported (or serum-deficient) culture conditions as described.

Immunology, 1991 May, 73(1), 31 - 5
Disodium cromoglycate enhances ongoing immunoglobulin production in vitro in human B cells; Kimata H et al.; The effect of disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) upon human immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes and IgG subclasses production by purified B cells was studied . DSCG enhanced IgM, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4 and IgA production in a dose-dependent fashion, while DSCG failed to induce IgE production at any concentrations tested by purified B cells . When B cells were separated into small resting and large activated B cells, DSCG failed to induce Ig production from small resting B cells in the presence or absence of Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I (SAC) . In contrast, in large activated B cells DSCG significantly enhanced all types of Ig production (two-to threefold), especially IgG4 production (seven-to 11-fold), except IgE, which large B cells did not produce . The enhancement of IgG subclass production was not subclass switching, since DSCG failed to enhance IgG1 production in B cells depleted of surface IgG1+ cells (sIgG1+ cells) . Similarly, DSCG did not enhance IgG2, IgG3 or IgG4 production from sIgG2-, sIgG3- or sIgG4- B cells, respectively, Interleukin-4 (IL-4) or interleukin-6 (IL-6) also enhanced Ig production except IgG4 from large activated B cells . The enhancing effect of DSCG was not mediated by IL-4 or IL-6 since anti-IL-4 or anti-IL-6 antibody failed to block the DSCG-induced enhancement . DSCG also enhanced IgG2 and IgM production from human B-cell lines GM-1500 and CBL, respectively . These results suggest that DSCG directly and preferentially stimulates activated B cells which are producing Ig and, in addition, enhances their Ig production.

APMIS, 1991 May, 99(5), 475 - 81
ELISA for detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae antigens using monoclonal antibodies; Hirschberg L et al.; Seven monoclonal antibodies directed against major antigens of Mycoplasma pneumoniae were selected for the development of an antigen detection assay . Three of these were directed to the 170,000-dalton adhesin of M . pneumoniae . The test was an antigen-capture enzyme immunoassay using the different monoclonal antibodies for capture of antigen and a polyclonal rabbit antiserum as detection reagent . With three of the monoclonal antibodies a detection limit of approximately 2 ng M . pneumoniae protein was obtained, as determined by titration of M . pneumoniae organisms in buffer . The detection limit of the assays was only slightly less when the other four monoclonal antibodies were used . In artificially infected nasopharyngeal aspirates the detection limit was approximately 10 times lower . The fact that no significant differences in the detection limit of the assays were recorded using monoclonal antibodies directed against different antigens indicates that these antigens were available for reaction with antibodies irrespective of their location in intact M . pneumoniae cells . In the assay there were no significant cross-reactions with a number of bacterial species potentially colonizing the respiratory tract, except for a protein A-positive strain of Staphylococcus aureus . Our test is equally sensitive to another recently described ELISA using polyclonal antibodies . In comparison with other recommended methods such as immunoblot and culture-amplified antigen detection assays, the ELISA is more rapid and less laborious.

J Neurochem, 1991 May, 56(5), 1493 - 8
Synapsins contain O-linked N-acetylglucosamine; Luthi T et al.; The neuron-specific synaptic vesicle-associated phosphoproteins synapsin I and synapsin II were shown to contain terminal N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) residues as determined by specific labeling with bovine galactosyltransferase and UDP-{3H}galactose . The beta-elimination of galactosyltransferase radiolabeled synapsin I and subsequent analysis of released saccharide on high-voltage paper electrophoresis confirmed the presence of monosaccharidic GlcNAc moieties in O-linkage to the protein . Partial cleavage of synapsin I by collagenase, 2-nitro-5-thiocyanobenzoic acid, and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease suggests that at least three glycosylation sites exist along the molecule . Taken together these data present the first evidence that a neuron-specific protein contains O-glycosidically bound GlcNAc.

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis, 1991 May-Jun, 14(3), 209 - 17
The clinical microbiology laboratory as an aid in infection control . The application of molecular techniques in epidemiologic studies of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Pfaller MA et al.; A microbiologic surveillance study was performed in order to estimate the point prevalence, source, and nosocomial acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) within the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center (IC VAMC) . Immediately following the microbiologic surveillance study, a cluster of nosocomial MRSA infections was detected by routine infection control surveillance . An epidemiologic investigation was conducted and all isolates of MRSA detected during the microbiologic surveillance study and the subsequent cluster of nosocomial infections were characterized by restriction endonuclease analysis of plasmid DNA (REAP) . REAP subtyping defined a total of ten distinct subtypes from 24 patients infected or colonized with MRSA . The documentation of a single subtype of MRSA (subtype A2) in nine patients from the surgical service, eight of which were hospitalized in the surgical intensive care unit, provided convincing evidence of a breakdown of infection control practices in that unit . REAP subtyping was a highly discriminating means of identifying different subtypes among the various isolates of MRSA and was useful in directing infection control efforts to specific problem areas within the hospital . Molecular typing methods, such as REAP, when used appropriately in conjunction with careful epidemiologic investigation provide an effective approach to the investigation and control of the spread of MRSA within the hospital.

Vet Microbiol, 1991 May, 27(3-4), 371 - 84
Enhanced virulence of Staphylococcus aureus from bovine mastitis induced by growth in milk whey; Mamo W et al.; The virulence towards mice of Staphylococcus aureus strains from bovine mastitis was enhanced upon growth in milk whey compared to homologous organisms grown in tryptic soy broth (TSB) . In the mouse mastitis model, S . aureus grown in milk whey caused more severe lesions than homologous strains grown in TSB . Staphylococcus aureus strain F1440 grown in milk whey induced 75% mortality and local necrotic reaction in subcutaneously inoculated mice, whereas the homologous strain grown in TSB caused only 5% mortality and slight skin reaction . Extracellular capsule on milk whey-grown, S . aureus could not be demonstrated . However, diffuse type colony morphology could be correlated with an increased virulence of S . aureus towards mice.

Pathol Biol (Paris), 1991 May, 39(5), 507 - 10
{Pharmacokinetics and tissue penetration of single-dose netilmicin used for antibiotic prophylaxis during colo-rectal surgery}; Martin C et al.; Pharmacokinetics and tissue penetration of netilmicin were studied after the use of a single dose (6 mg/kg) given for antibioprophylaxis in colo-rectal surgery . Thirteen patients, scheduled for elective surgery, were given 6 mg/kg IV netilmicin over 30 min, together with 1000 mg IV ornidazole . Netilmicin peak serum concentration (10 min after end of infusion) was 24.4 +/- 3.4 mg/l and trough level (24 h) was 0.9 +/- 0.5 mg/l . Plasma elimination half-life was 409 +/- 70 min, le volume apparent volume of distribution was 38 +/- 101 and total body clearance was 0.07 +/- 0.02 ml/min . Adequate netilmicin levels (5 greater than or equal to CMI 90 of involved pathogens Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus) were obtained in 100 per cent of patients in abdominal wall and epiploid fat, at time of opening, and in colonic wall at time of anastomosis . Adequate levels were obtained at time of closure in abdominal wall and epiploid fat in 92 to 100 per cent of patients . In situation of allergy to beta-lactam antibiotics, the use of netilmicin in combination with ornidazole may be recommended.

Ala Med, 1991 May, 60(11), 9 - 10, 12-6
Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis in community hospitals; Harris LF; We compared 13 cases of Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis from community hospitals to previous series all of which originated from university or tertiary care hospitals . In our experience Staph . aureus was the third leading cause of endocarditis and accounted for 20% of cases . The infection presented as one of three syndromes: native valve endocarditis, prosthetic valve endocarditis and endocarditis in drug addicts . Laboratory data revealed leukocytosis; infiltrates, nodules, congestive heart failure and cardiomegaly were seen on chest x-ray; and echocardiography infrequently detected vegetations . Criteria which favored the diagnosis of endocarditis in staphylococcemic patients were: absence of a primary site of infection, community acquisition of infection, metastatic infectious sequelae and vegetations documented by echocardiography . Treatment requires prolonged intravenous administration of high dose bactericidal antimicrobial agents; commonly nafcillin or oxacillin combined for a variable period with gentamicin . The mortality rate in our series was 23% and complications occurred in 70% of cases.

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1991 May, 10(5), 447 - 9
Lipase versus teichoic acid and alpha-toxin as antigen in an enzyme immunoassay for serological diagnosis of Staphylococcus aureus infections; Tyski S et al.; Titres of IgG antibodies to Staphylococcus aureus lipase were analysed in 448 sera from patients suspected of having Staphylococcus aureus infections and the results compared to those for the routinely used staphylococcal antigens teichoic acid and alpha-toxin . The results indicated that determination of serum antibodies to lipase is a sensitive assay for serological diagnosis of staphylococcal infections and increased sensitivity may be achieved by selection of optimal antigen combinations.

Rev Infect Dis, 1991 May-Jun, 13(3), 347 - 58
Changing pattern of bone and joint infections due to Staphylococcus aureus: study of cases of bacteremia in Denmark, 1959-1988; Espersen F et al.; Of the 15,170 cases of bacteremia due to Staphylococcus aureus that occurred in Denmark between 1959 and 1988, we review 525 cases of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis and 185 cases of septic arthritis that developed subsequent to the bacteremia and 134 cases of contiguous osteomyelitis in which the bacteremia developed secondarily . The pattern of acute infections of bones and joints has changed over the three decades studied . The frequency of secondary bone or joint infections due to S . aureus bacteremia has changed, as have the phage-type pattern and antibiotic resistance of the infective strains . The prevalence of hospital-acquired cases has increased and the age distribution of patients has changed, as is reflected in an increasing number of older patients . The localization of hematogenous osteomyelitis has shifted, and the vertebral column is now the most common site of infection . The rate of chronic cases of osteomyelitis that occur following acute hematogenous osteomyelitis has been reduced from 34% to 6% . The mortality associated with S . aureus bacteremic infections of bones or joints is low compared to that associated with other cases of S . aureus bacteremia.

J Gen Microbiol, 1991 May, 137 ( Pt 5), 1155 - 62
Production of type 5 capsular polysaccharide by Staphylococcus aureus grown in a semi-synthetic medium; Dassy B et al.; The concentration of the type 5 capsular polysaccharide (CP) antigen of Staphylococcus aureus can be measured directly in cultures or cell suspensions by a two-step inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using monoclonal antibodies . CP was synthesized during growth on a variety of carbon substrates and its production was not affected by the nature of the carbon source . High levels of yeast extract inhibited CP formation . CP was synthesized in batch culture at the same rate during exponential growth as in the post-exponential phase . Post-exponential CP production contributed at least half the final amount of CP measured . This phenomenon was observed in different culture media, although the specific yield of polysaccharide varied from one medium to another . Post-exponential CP production was observed in the pH range 6-7, but not at pH 8 . Post-exponential production was strictly dependent on oxygen availability and did not occur under anaerobic conditions.

Arch Pathol Lab Med, 1991 May, 115(5), 511 - 5
Cytomegalovirus endomyocarditis in a transplanted heart . A case report with in situ hybridization; Millett R et al.; A 64-year-old man underwent cardiac transplantation for long-standing severe dilated cardiomyopathy . Postoperative complications included primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection with several episodes of moderate acute rejection and severe pneumonia . Six months after transplantation, an endomyocardial biopsy specimen revealed focal necrotizing myocarditis with intranuclear inclusions consistent with CMV . The patient subsequently developed fulminant pneumonia and died 7 months after transplantation . Postmortem examination revealed that the cause of death was acute necrotizing bronchopneumonia due to Staphylococcus aureus, with underlying CMV pneumonitis . The transplanted heart had left ventricular hypertrophy with multiple organizing myocardial infarcts, moderate coronary atherosclerosis, and organizing thrombi of the left atrium . Characteristic inclusions of CMV were identified, predominantly within endothelial cells, in the left coronary artery, left ventricular endocardium, and myocardium . With in situ hybridization, the presence of CMV was verified in the inclusions, as well as in many fibroblasts without inclusions . In situ hybridization is warranted in myocardial biopsy specimens when suspicious inclusions or infiltrates are present, to confirm CMV infection, so that appropriate therapy can be initiated.

J Infect Dis, 1991 May, 163(5), 1080 - 6
Mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance in Staphylococcus aureus; Kaatz GW et al.; Fluoroquinolone resistance that arose in the test strain during ciprofloxacin therapy of experimental Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis was studied . In two isolates, resistance was due to a decreased sensitivity of the process of DNA synthesis to fluoroquinolones, suggesting the presence of an altered DNA gyrase . Another isolate had an enhanced energy-dependent mechanism, possibly an efflux system, by which cell-associated {3H}norfloxacin was reduced . When a 2.7-kb SphI-KpnI chromosomal fragment from this organism was cloned into pUC19, fluoroquinolone resistance was expressed in an Escherichia coli host, and such organisms acquired an energy-dependent ability to reduce cell-associated {3H}norfloxacin . Lack of homology between this DNA and other cloned gyrA genes indicated that its protein products are distinct from the gyrA protein . S . aureus has the capability of decreasing the quantity of cell-associated fluoroquinolone . An enhancement of this system by an as yet undefined mechanism and an alteration in DNA gyrase are two means by which this organism can develop resistance to fluoroquinolones.

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