J Immunol, 1989 Mar 1, 142(5), 1569 - 75 Immunomodulatory role of IL-4 on the secretion of Ig by human B cells; Splawski JB et al.; The effect of IL-4 on the production of Ig by human B cells was examined . Highly purified B cells were stimulated with Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and IL-4 alone or in combination with various other cytokines and the supernatants assayed for Ig by isotype-specific ELISA . IL-4 (10 to 100 U/ml) did not support Ig secretion by SA-stimulated blood, spleen, or lymph node B cells, whereas IL-2 supported the production of all isotypes including IgE . Moreover, IL-4 suppressed the production of all isotypes of Ig by B cells stimulated with SA and IL-2 including IgG1, IgG2, and IgE . IL-4-mediated suppression was partially reversed by IFN-gamma or -alpha and low m.w . B cell growth factor . TNF-alpha and IL-6 did not reverse the IL-4-induced suppression of Ig production . The inhibitory action of IL-4 on Ig production appeared to depend on the polyclonal activator used to stimulate the B cells . Thus, Ig secretion by B cells activated by LPS and supported by IL-2 was not inhibited by IL-4 . Whereas IL-4 alone supported minimal Ig production by LPS-activated B cells, it augmented production of all Ig isotypes in cultures stimulated with LPS and supported by IL-2 . IFN-gamma further enhanced production of Ig in these cultures . When the effect of IL-4 on the responsiveness of B cells preactivated with SA and IL-2 was examined, it was found not to inhibit but rather to promote Ig production modestly . A direct effect of IL-4 on the terminal differentiation of B cells was demonstrated using B lymphoblastoid cell lines . IL-4 was able to enhance the Ig secreted by an IgA-secreting hybridoma, 219 and by SKW6-CL-4, an IL-6-responsive IgM-secreting EBV transformed B cell line . These results indicate that IL-4 exerts a number of immunoregulatory actions on human B cell differentiation . It interferes with the activation of B cells by SA and IL-2, but promotes the differentiation of preactivated B cells, B cell lines, and B cells activated by LPS without apparent isotype specificity. J Gen Virol, 1989 Mar, 70 ( Pt 3), 647 - 58 Mapping of neutralizing epitopes to fragments of the bovine coronavirus E2 protein by proteolysis of antigen-antibody complexes; Deregt D et al.; Neutralizing antigenic domains on bovine coronavirus gp100/E2 were mapped to fragments of this protein by proteolytic cleavage and fragment analysis . The procedure involved analysis of fragments generated after incubation of E2-monoclonal antibody complexes with various proteases . The smallest antibody-bound fragments obtained were a 50K fragment following Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease and submaxillary protease digestion, and a 37K fragment following trypsin digestion . Trypsin also produced a transient antibody-bound 50K fragment . A 40K fragment which was not bound by antibody was observed following digestions with all three proteases . The 50K fragments generated by V8, submaxillary protease and trypsin comigrated on gels and displayed the same altered mobility under non-reducing conditions, suggesting identity of these fragments and indicating the presence of disulphide linkages in these fragments . The 40K fragments generated by these three enzymes also comigrated and displayed the same altered mobility under non-reducing conditions . The 37K trypsin fragment contained both neutralizing domains, A and B. Laryngorhinootologie, 1989 Mar, 68(3), 169 - 80 {Antigen-specific antibody formation in determining the immune reaction in patients with head and neck cancers}; Wustrow TP; Head and neck cancer patients are considered to be immunodeficient . The immunological reaction, however, has been analysed only in unspecific systems or by cell surface markers . For the determination of the functional immunoreactivity of donors and patients with head and neck cancer the antigen-specific antibody production in vitro has been studied . Mononuclear cells from peripheral blood were stimulated with sheep red blood cells and after 5-7 days the antigen-specific immune response was measured in the presence of complement by red blood cell lysis . For maximal antibody production in vitro, the human lymphocytes were activated by Staphylococcus aureus and Interleukin-1 (IL-1) . The IL-1 concentration was measured by the proliferation of murine (C3H/HeJ) thymocytes . Without IL-1 and macrophages which had been separated by plastic adherence no antigen-specific antibody formation was observed . As the cultures were saturated with IL-1 and as the antigen-specific antibody production reached the same level even in the absence of macrophages, the antibody formation is not influenced by an altered macrophage function . Patients with head and neck cancer showed in vitro a significant reduction of the antigen-specific antibody production to no longer detectable values . In addition age-matched, healthy donors with high alcohol and cigarette abuse had a significant decrease in their antigen-specific antibody production compared to controls without high alcohol and cigarette consumption. J Biol Chem, 1989 Feb 25, 264(6), 3629 - 35 Mechanism of the transition from plant ferritin to phytosiderin; Laulhere JP et al.; Soluble and insoluble forms of ferritins have been purified from dry pea seeds by gel filtration . The insoluble form is called phytosiderin by analogy with animal hemosiderin . Native gel electrophoresis of these two forms have shown that the soluble one (ferritin) is homogenous in size and more compact than the insoluble one (phytosiderin) which is heterogenous in size . However, when iron is removed from these two classes of molecules (apoferritin), they have the same mobility in isopycnic centrifugations . Polyacrylamide-sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis revealed a difference in their subunit composition: ferritin molecules are built up from a 28-kDa subunit and phytosiderin from a 26.5-kDa subunit . Partial proteolysis using a Staphylococcus aureus protease indicates a strong relationship between these two polypeptides . Intermediates between these two forms have also been characterized and are composed of both subunits in various amounts . Ferritin and phytosiderin are both able to incorporate iron in vitro into their mineral core . It is also shown that in vitro iron exchange induces ferritin degradation . This degradation is prevented by inhibitors of the Fenton cycle (iron chelates like o-phenanthroline and desferrioxamine B) and reduced by Tris, a radical scavenger . Under in vitro conditions of controlled radical damage the 28-kDa subunit is converted into the 26.5-kDa subunit . Purification of the 28-kDa subunit has allowed us to determine the NH2-terminal sequence . The NH2 extremity of the 26.5-kDa subunit is heterogenous, but the sequence of its main component is identical to the sequence of the 28-kDa subunit downstream residue Leu-21 . These data indicate that the 26.5-kDa subunit is produced by radical mediated damage leading to a series of cleavages in the NH2 terminal part of the 28-kDa subunit. Biochemistry, 1989 Feb 21, 28(4), 1574 - 81 Kinetics and specificity of reductive acylation of lipoyl domains from 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase multienzyme complexes; Graham LD et al.; Lipoamide and a peptide, Thr-Val-Glu-Gly-Asp-Lys-Ala-Ser-Met-Glu lipoylated on the N6-amino group of the lysine residue, were tested as substrates for reductive acetylation by the pyruvate decarboxylase (E1p) component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Escherichia coli . The peptide has the same amino acid sequence as that surrounding the three lipoyllysine residues in the lipoate acetyltransferase (E2p) component of the native enzyme complex . Lipoamide was shown to be a very poor substrate, with a Km much higher than 4 mM and a value of kcat/Km of 1.5 M-1.s-1 . Under similar conditions, the three E2p lipoyl domains, excised from the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex by treatment with Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase, could be reductively acetylated by E1p much more readily, with a typical Km of approximately 26 microM and a typical kcat of approximately 0.8 s-1 . The value of kcat/Km for the lipoyl domains, approximately 3.0 x 10(4) M-1.s-1, is about 20,000 times higher than that for lipoamide as a substrate . This indicates the great improvement in the effectiveness of lipoic acid as a substrate for E1p that accompanies the attachment of the lipoyl group to a protein domain . The free E2o lipoyl domain was similarly found to be capable of being reductively succinylated by the 2-oxoglutarate decarboxylase (E1o) component of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex of E . coli . The 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes are specific for their particular 2-oxo acid substrates . The specificity of the E1 components was found to extend also to the lipoyl domains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) J Biol Chem, 1989 Feb 15, 264(5), 2560 - 7 The complete amino acid sequence of the low molecular weight cytosolic acid phosphatase; Camici G et al.; This paper presents the complete amino acid sequence of the low molecular weight acid phosphatase from bovine liver . This isoenzyme of the acid phosphatase family is located in the cytosol, is not inhibited by L-(+)-tartrate and fluoride ions, but is inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents . The enzyme consists of 157 amino acid residues, has an acetylated NH2 terminus, and has arginine as the COOH-terminal residue . All 8 half-cystine residues are in the free thiol form . The molecular weight calculated from the sequence is 17,953 . The sequence was determined by characterizing the peptides purified by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography from tryptic, thermolytic, peptic, Staphylococcus aureus protease, and chymotryptic digests of the carboxymethylated protein . No sequence homologies were found with the two known acylphosphatase isoenzymes or the metalloproteins porcine uteroferrin and purple acid phosphatase from bovine spleen (both of which have acid phosphatase activity) . Two half-cystines at or near the active site were identified through the reaction of the enzyme with {14C} iodoacetate in the presence or in the absence of a competitive inhibitor (i.e . inorganic phosphate) . Ac-A E Q V T K S V L F V C L G N I C R S P I A E A V F R K L V T D Q N I S D N W V I D S G A V S D W N V G R S P N P R A V S C L R N H G I N T A H K A R Q V T K E D F V T F D Y I L C M D E S N L R D L N R K S N Q V K N C R A K I E L L G S Y D P Q K Q L I I E D P Y Y G N D A D F E T V Y Q Q C V R C C R A F L E K V R-OH. Biochem J, 1989 Feb 15, 258(1), 205 - 9 Clavulanate inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus beta-lactamase; Rizwi I et al.; The interaction of clavulanic acid with beta-lactamase from Staphylococcus aureus was investigated, particularly with a view to determining whether conformational effects are involved . The inactivation at neutral pH is essentially stoichiometric, leading to an inactive species with an enamine chromophore . Two forms of the enamine were observed, the first-formed having a positive ellipticity with a maximum near 290 nm . This species slowly converted into the stable form of the inactivated enzyme that had a negative ellipticity with a minimum at 275 nm . This change in sign of the ellipticity of the enamine is consistent with the previously proposed cis-trans isomerization of the enamine {Cartwright & Coulson (1979) Nature (London) 278, 360-361) . Both the far-u.v.c.d . and the intrinsic viscosity of the inactivated enzyme indicated that negligible change in conformation of the enzyme accompanied inactivation . The rates of inactivation and enamine formation were compared at low temperatures, where the initial rates were slow enough to be monitored . The rate of loss of 95% of the catalytic activity was almost 100-fold faster than the rate of formation of the first-formed enamine species . The remaining 5% activity was lost with a rate comparable with that for formation of the initial enamine . The simplest explanation of these results is that a relatively stable acyl-enzyme intermediate builds up initially and more slowly partitions between turnover (hydrolysis) and enamine formation . The initially formed enamine is in the cis conformation but slowly isomerizes to the more stable trans form. J Immunol Methods, 1989 Feb 8, 117(1), 53 - 8 Simultaneous measurement by flow cytometry of phagocytosis and hydrogen peroxide production of neutrophils in whole blood; Hasui M et al.; Bacterial ingestion and hydrogen peroxide production by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) were simultaneously measured using flow cytometry and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate and fluorescent Staphylococcus aureus . Only 100 microliters of a whole blood specimen were required for these determinations, and the results were found to be independent of the absolute numbers of PMN, making the purification and adjustment of PMN numbers unnecessary . A positive correlation between phagocytosis and hydrogen peroxide production by individual PMN was demonstrated in healthy adults. Biochemistry, 1989 Feb 7, 28(3), 964 - 8 Structure of polyubiquitinated histone H2A; Nickel BE et al.; We have recently demonstrated that trout liver histones H2A, H2B, and H2A.Z can be polyubiquitinated {Davie, J.R., Delcuve, G.P., Nickel, B.E., Moyer, R., & Bailey, G . (1987) Cancer Res . 47, 5407-5410} . In the present study we determined the arrangement of the ubiquitin molecules in polyubiquitinated histone H2A . Trout liver chromatin fragments . which had histone H1 removed, were digested with Staphylococcus aureus (V8 strain) protease which cleaves specifically on the carboxyl side of glutamic acid residues under the conditions used . The V8 protease readily degraded histone H2A and ubiquitinated (u) H2A at equivalent rates . One site in H2A and uH2A, the peptide bond between Glu 121 and Lys 122, was cleaved, yielding protein species cH2A and cuH2A, respectively . None of the other nucleosomal histones (H2B, H2A.Z, H3, and H4) including uH2B and uH2A.Z were sensitive to digestion . Trout liver histones cleaved with either V8 protease, histone H2A specific protease, or cyanogen bromide were resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and ubiquitinated peptides detected with anti-ubiquitin IgG . The results suggest that the major arrangement of ubiquitin in polyubiquitinated H2A is a chain of ubiquitin molecules joined to each other by isopeptide bonds to a ubiquitin molecule that is attached to the epsilon-amino group of lysine 119 of histone H2A. Acta Orthop Scand, 1989 Feb, 60(1), 113 - 5 Antibiotic treatment insufficient for established septic arthritis . Staphylococcus aureus experiments in rabbits; Riegels-Nielsen P et al.; We treated septic arthritis of the knee in 38 rabbits with cloxacillin i.m . once and twice daily combined with probenecid for 7 or 21 days, respectively, or with only cloxacillin i.m . thrice daily for 7 days . The animals were killed weekly in groups up to 5 weeks after inoculation . Aspirated cultures obtained after 4 days of treatment were always negative . Histologic specimens revealed progressive joint destruction, but at a slower rate after frequent treatment independent of the period . We concluded that antibiotic therapy alone could not prevent destruction of articular cartilage once bacterial arthritis was established. Ther Umsch, 1989 Feb, 46(2), 111 - 7 {Atopic neurodermatitis}; Thurlimann W; Neurodermatitis atopica is a skin disease caused by various different factors and which is characterized by the simultaneous presence of different clinical features . The treatment is directed towards the various aetiopathological factors and oriented on the clinical picture . The main symptom is dry skin, which has to be rehydrated and provided with an artificial film of grease . Dermosteroids are the most efficient antiinflammatory agents, but they can only be used as one of various components of a complete neurodermatitis therapy . New knowledge gained over the past few years has shown the important role of Staphylococcus aureus in this condition, and as a result antibiotic therapy has increased in importance . The use of soap, which was previously not recommended, is now considered to be a useful and beneficial addition to the treatment, thanks to the availability of new alkali-free, disinfectant soaps . In certain cases there is a causal connection with exposure to allergens . Besides treatment of the itching, which is crucial for the patient, stabilization of the psychological factor and, if necessary, changes in the patient's environmental situation are extremely important . Substitution of essential fatty acids and UV therapy are discussed. J Antibiot (Tokyo), 1989 Feb, 42(2), 198 - 205 Fosfonochlorin, a new antibiotic with spheroplast forming activity; Takeuchi M et al.; A new antibiotic, fosfonochlorin, was found in the culture filtrate of four strains of fungi freshly isolated from soil samples . These strains were identified as Fusarium avenaceum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium tricinctum and Talaromyces flavus . Fosfonochlorin was a low molecular weight antibiotic (MW 158), soluble in water and methanol, but insoluble in acetone, ethyl acetate and chloroform . It was named after its possession of phosphorus and chlorine atoms, each one molar in its structure . The structure was determined as chloroacetylphosphonic acid mainly by the 1H NMR and mass spectrometric analyses . It was moderately active against some species of Gram-negative bacteria and its synergistic effect with glucose-6-phosphate was observed on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli . Spheroplast formation of the susceptible organisms with this antibiotic suggested that it might inhibit their cell wall synthesis. APMIS, 1989 Feb, 97(2), 166 - 74 Generation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against Staphylococcus aureus thermonuclease; Brakstad OG et al.; Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against Staphylococcus aureus thermonuclease (TN) were raised by immunizing BALB/c mice with a commercial TN preparation . Six monoclones were generated producing MAbs specific for S . aureus TN as tested in Western blots and ELISA . They all combined with a 17 kD and a 21 kD protein, respectively, both of which showed DNase activity . All MAbs were of IgG1 isotype with kappa light chain . Competition ELISA showed that five of the MAbs recognized a total of three different binding sites of TN, designated I, II and III, respectively . Only the anti-site II MAbs inhibited the DNase activity . A MAb-based sandwich ELISA showed a lower detection limit for TN of approximately 0.5 ng/ml protein . Only S . aureus strains (culture supernatants) showed positive ELISA (31 positive/31 tested), although other tested gram positive cocci produced thermostable nucleases . The MAbs have potentials as reagents for rapid and specific detection of S . aureus. South Med J, 1989 Feb, 82(2), 165 - 8 Evaluation of antibacterial sensitivity testing methods for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a dermatology outpatient population; McBride ME et al.; Over a period of one year, 1986-1987, 116 strains of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from patients attending two outpatient dermatology clinics in Houston, Texas . The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of routine antibiotic sensitivity testing methods for detecting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) . The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was compared with a commercially available screening medium containing 6 micrograms/ml of oxacillin and 4% NaCl . The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of methicillin, oxacillin, and oxacillin with 4% NaCl to S aureus using the agar dilution method was also determined . Approximately 90% of S aureus strains produced beta-lactamase and were resistant to penicillin and ampicillin . By disk diffusion, no strains were resistant to methicillin, though diameters of zones of inhibition were between 10 and 14 mm in seven strains . All strains proved to be sensitive to methicillin by MIC determinations and on the oxacillin-NaCl screening medium . The MIC of methicillin was 2.5 micrograms/ml for the majority of strains of S aureus, between 0.16 and 0.31 microgram/ml for oxacillin, and 0.08 to 0.16 microgram for oxacillin with 4% NaCl . We concluded that the incidence of MRSA in an outpatient dermatology population is low, and a combination of disk diffusion and oxacillin-NaCl screening is adequate for testing sensitivity. Neurology, 1989 Feb, 39(2 Pt 1), 173 - 8 Neurologic complications of endocarditis: a 12-year experience; Salgado AV et al.; We reviewed the neurologic complications in 113 patients with native and 62 patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis . Neurologic complications occurred with the same frequency (35.3% vs 38.7%) and distribution among the two groups . Death occurred in 20.6% of patients with neurologic complications and in 13.6% of patients without neurologic complications (p = 0.23) . Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis correlated statistically with the development of neurologic complications (p less than 0.01) and death (p less than 0.01) . Among 50 patients discharged from the hospital after receiving only medical treatment for native valve endocarditis, and followed for a mean period of 48 months, there was one patient with mitral valve prolapse and stroke . We conclude that (1) neurologic complications occur with the same frequency in native and prosthetic valve endocarditis, (2) S aureus endocarditis increases the risk of neurologic complications and death, (3) mortality is not significantly increased in patients with neurologic complications, and (4) an episode of treated native valve endocarditis does not increase the natural history of stroke in valvular disease. J Med Microbiol, 1989 Feb, 28(2), 129 - 36 Protection of mice by a pseudodiffuse strain of Staphylococcus aureus possessing polyvalent capsular type antigen; Chomarat M et al.; Staphylococcus aureus strain MC31 showed pseudodiffuse growth in serum-soft agar and reacted with immune rabbit sera to strains Smith diffuse (capsular type A), NS58D (type B) and NS41D (type C) but not with strain NS68D (type D) in serum-soft agar . Immunisation of mice with 300 micrograms of cell-surface polysaccharide extracted from strain MC31 protected against lethal infection by strain MC31 and the strains of capsular types A, B and C . Immune rabbit serum prepared against strain MC31 passively protected mice against challenge infection with the homologous strain, but approximately 30 times more anti-MC31 serum was required to protect against infection with the strains of capsular types A, B and C . Absorption of the passive protective activity of immune sera raised against the three capsular type strains required at least 10 times the quantity of MC31 cell-surface polysaccharide than the quantity of cell-surface polysaccharide from the homologous capsular strain . Electronmicrographs of strain MC31 treated with ferritin-labelled antisera to the three capsular strains showed only small amounts of ferritin granules around the cell wall. Surg Gynecol Obstet, 1989 Feb, 168(2), 138 - 42 An experimental study of susceptibility to infection after hemorrhagic shock; Livingston DH et al.; Hemorrhagic shock has been associated with an increased risk of infection after injury . The immediate and long term effects of hemorrhagic shock without tissue injury on the susceptibility of an animal to infection and the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent infection in this setting were examined . Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to hemorrhagic shock (LD15) by bleeding to a mean arterial pressure of 45 millimeters of mercury for 45 minutes and were resuscitated with shed blood and normal saline solution . In one experiment, dorsal wounds were inoculated one hour before or after shock with either 10(6), 10(8) or 10(10) Staphylococcus aureus . In a second experiment, rats were infected at one hour, or one, three or five days after shock with 10(6), 10(7) or 10(8) S . aureus . Equivalent numbers of rats received cefamandole nafate prior to bacterial challenge . Hemorrhagic shock increased the susceptibility to wound infection at all inocula . Infection increased whether rats were wounded before or after shock, and this effect was sustained for up to three days . Antibiotic prophylaxis was of limited value in reducing the incidence of wound infection after shock. J Virol, 1989 Feb, 63(2), 647 - 58 Characterization of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 envelope glycoproteins: dimerization of the glycoprotein precursor during processing; Rey MA et al.; Four glycoproteins with apparent molecular weights of 300,000, 140,000, 125,000, and 36,000 (gp300, gp140, gp125, and gp36) were detectable in human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2)-infected cells . gp125 and gp36 are the external and transmembrane components, respectively, of the envelope glycoproteins of HIV-2 mature virions . gp300 and gp140 are only detectable in virus-infected cells . They have identical isoelectric points, suggesting that gp300 might be a dimeric form of the immature precursor, gp140 . The purified gp300 can be dissociated in a slightly acidic buffer to give rise to monomers of 140,000 molecular weight . Such dissociated monomers and the purified gp140 showed identical patterns of polypeptides after partial proteolysis with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease . Pulse-chase experiments indicated that gp300 is formed after synthesis of gp140 and before the detection of the mature external envelope glycoprotein, gp125 . These results were confirmed by using various inhibitors of glycosylation and inhibitors of trimming enzymes . Dimer formation of the envelope glycoprotein precursor was also observed in cells infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a virus closely related to HIV-2 . On the other hand, the envelope glycoprotein precursor of HIV-1 did not form a dimer during its processing . Therefore, dimer formation seems to be a specific property of HIV-2 and SIV envelope gene expression . Such transient dimerization of the glycoprotein precursor might be required for its efficient transport to the Golgi apparatus and for its processing. Cent Afr J Med, 1989 Feb, 35(2), 327 - 9 Antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from community acquired soft tissue infections in Bulawayo; Oliver MJ et al.; Fifty cases of community acquired strains of Staphylococcus aureus causing superficial abscesses were tested for their sensitivity to commonly used antibiotics . Ninety-two percent of isolates were resistant to benzyl-penicillin and ampicillin . Possible causes for this very high level of resistance and the implications for antibiotic usage are discussed. Eur J Cell Biol, 1989 Feb, 48(1), 19 - 26 A colloidal gold labeling technique for the direct determination of the surface area of eukaryotic cells; Kehle T et al.; We have developed a colloidal gold labeling technique for the direct quantitation of the cell surface area . The method is based on coating the cell surface with {195Au} colloidal gold-protein complexes followed by morphometric determination of the labeling density (gold particles/micron2 cell surface) and radiometric determination of the total number of gold particles bound per cell . The ratio of both values directly gives the cell surface area . The accuracy of the method was shown using Staphylococcus aureus cells as a model system, where the cell surface area determined with our assay (4.0 microns2) corresponded well to the value calculated from the radius of the cells (3.6 microns2) . In a more complex model system J-774 mouse macrophages were labeled with different amounts of {195Au} gold-protein complexes to show that the assay is independent of the degree of saturation of the cell surface binding sites . Both high (135 Au/microns2) and low (65 Au/microns2) labeling densities resulted in a surface area of about 1200 microns2 . The technique finally was applied to L-929 fibroblasts to determine the increase of the cell surface area when the cells change from a spherical to a flat monolayer state . We found that the cell surface area increased 3-fold during the spreading process . The results show that the colloidal gold labeling technique allows the direct determination of the surface area of complex eukaryotic cells . The technique is suitable for the quantitation of changes in the surface architecture known to occur in different functional states of eukaryotic cells. Kyobu Geka, 1989 Feb, 42(2), 160 - 3 {A case report of tricuspid valve endocarditis due to Staphylococcus aureus with successful surgical treatment}; Takayama T et al.; A 14-year-old boy had previously received right temporal lobectomy under the diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor . About one month after lobectomy, ventriculo-peritoneum shunt and ventriculo-atrium shunt were placed because hydrocephalus was progressed . The patient subsequently had a high fever probably due to wound infection of the shunt operation . Several blood cultures demonstrated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) . Several sensitive antibiotics were administered for about 30 days, however these drugs were not effective . According to echocardiography, moderate tricuspid regurgitation and a large vegetation at the tricuspid valve were detected and isolated tricuspid valve endocarditis was diagnosed . Surgical intervention was necessary because of recurrent pulmonary emboli . After tricuspid valve replacement with a Bjork-Shiley mechanical valve (31 mm), fever subsided and the patient was discharged on the 38th postoperative day . It is concluded that the surgical indications of the tricuspid valve endocarditis are as follows: 1 . recurrent pulmonary emboli, 2 . refractory right heart failure, 3 . resistance against antibiotics. Electrophoresis, 1989 Feb, 10(2), 152 - 7 Development of a database of amino acid sequences for proteins identified and isolated on two-dimensional polyacrylamide gels; Sweatt JD et al.; As part of our continuing studies into the biochemical basis of long-term changes in neuronal function in Aplysia, we have developed a simple method for obtaining amino acid sequence information from proteins isolated on two-dimensional gels . Proteins isolated on preparative two-dimensional gels are digested in situ with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, and the resulting peptides electrophoresed, transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane, and sequenced in a gas-phase sequencer . The method is simple and should be applicable to a variety of other systems where the development of a two-dimensional gel database is underway. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1989 Feb, (2), 68 - 71 {Features of contamination of the environment by Staphylococcus aureus carriers}; Riabinin NV; The specific features of the spread of S . aureus from carriers indoors were studied . In this study S . aureus cells were most frequently isolated from the floor, less frequently from the walls and furniture and even less frequently from the air . S . aureus were detected on environmental objects as early as 30 minutes after the carrier stayed and breathed in the room . The contamination of environmental objects increased when the carrier spoke loudly and made such respiratory acts as coughing and sneezing . After the carrier left the room the contamination of the environmental objects persisted for at least 14 hours (the term of observation), gradually decreasing . The degree of the contamination of environmental objects was inversely related to the distance of these objects from the carrier . The contamination of the environment was shown to be directly related to the concentration of S . aureus in the nasal cavity of carriers. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1989 Feb, 33(2), 181 - 4 Ciprofloxacin therapy for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections or colonizations; Smith SM et al.; Thirty patients were treated for colonization or for skin and soft tissue infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Three treatment regimens were evaluated, each progressively more aggressive . Our regimen was 750 mg of ciprofloxacin twice daily for 5 days, the second regimen was 750 mg of ciprofloxacin twice daily for 10 to 14 days, and the final regimen was 750 mg of ciprofloxacin twice daily plus 300 mg of rifampin twice daily for 21 days . It appears that ciprofloxacin alone produced an initial eradication rate in at least one site in 50% of the patients, regardless of whether the treatment was for 5 or up to 14 days . All of the patients with eradication became recolonized within 1 week posttherapy . When rifampin was combined with ciprofloxacin, the eradication rate was 100% when the isolates were susceptible to both agents, and these patients remained free of methicillin-resistant S . aureus at 1-week and 1-month follow-ups. Harefuah, 1989 Feb 1, 116(3), 145 - 6 {Nontropical pyomyositis}; Klein L et al.; Pyomyositis of the pectoralis major was diagnosed in a 79-year-old man and Staphylococcus aureus was grown from pus drained from the infected muscle . Bacteremia and overwhelming sepsis accompanied the infection, and the patient died despite early diagnosis, combined chemotherapy and surgical drainage . The incidence of pyomyositis has been increasing lately in temperate climates . To our knowledge, this is the first report of nontropical pyomyositis in Israel. J Appl Bacteriol, 1989 Feb, 66(2), 153 - 9 Differentiation of Staphylococcus aureus from freshly slaughtered poultry and strains 'endemic' to processing plants by biochemical and physiological tests; Mead GC et al.; A comparison was made of 27 'endemic' strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 35 strains from freshly slaughtered birds, isolated at five commercial slaughterhouses processing chickens or turkeys . Of 112 biochemical and physiological tests used, 74 gave results which differed among the strains . Cluster analysis revealed several distinct groupings which were influenced by strain type, processing plant and bird origin; these included a single group at the 72% level of similarity containing most of the 'endemic' strains . In comparison with strains from freshly slaughtered birds, a higher proportion of 'endemic' strains produced fibrinolysin, alpha-glucosidase and urease and were beta-haemolytic on sheep-blood agar . The 'endemic' type also showed a greater tendency to coagulate human but not bovine plasma, and to produce mucoid growth and clumping . The last two properties, relevant to colonization of processing equipment, were less evident in heart infusion broth than in richer media or process water collected during defeathering of the birds. Gen Comp Endocrinol, 1989 Feb, 73(2), 252 - 9 The complete amino acid sequence of growth hormone of an elasmobranch, the blue shark (Prionace glauca); Yamaguchi K et al.; The complete amino acid sequence of growth hormone (GH) from a phylogenetically ancient fish, the blue shark (Prionace glauca), was determined . The shark GH isolated from pituitary glands by U . J . Lewis, R . N . P . Singh, B . K . Seavey, R . Lasker, and G . E . Pickford (1972, Fish . Bull . 70, 933-939) was purified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography . The hormone was reduced, carboxymethylated, and subsequently cleaved in turn with cyanogen bromide and Staphylococcus aureus protease . The intact protein was also cleaved with lysyl endopeptidase and o-iodosobenzoic acid . The resulting peptide fragments were separated by rpHPLC and submitted to sequence analysis by automated and manual Edman methods . The shark GH consists of 183 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 21,081 . Sequence comparisons revealed that the elasmobranch GH is considerably more similar to tetrapod GHs (e.g., 68% identity with sea turtle GH, 63% with chicken GH, and 58% with ovine GH) than teleostean GHs (e.g., 38% identities with salmon GH and 42% with bonito GH) except for eel GH (61% identity), and substantiates the earlier finding derived from the immunochemical and biological studies (Hayashida and Lewis, 1978) that the primitive fish are less diverged from the main line of vertebrate evolution leading to the tetrapod than are the modern bony fish. Gen Comp Endocrinol, 1989 Feb, 73(2), 242 - 51 The complete amino acid sequence of growth hormone from the sea turtle (Chelonia mydas); Yasuda A et al.; The complete amino acid sequence of growth hormone (GH) from a reptilian species (the sea turtle, Chelonia mydas) has been determined for the first time . The hormone was reduced, carboxymethylated, and subsequently cleaved in turn with cyanogen bromide and Staphylococcus aureus protease . The intact protein was also cleaved with lysyl endopeptidase and o-iodosobenzoic acid . The resulting fragments were exclusively separated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and subjected to sequence analysis by automated gas-phase sequencer employing the Edman method . The sea turtle GH consist of 190 amino acid residues with two disulfide linkages formed between residues 52-160 and 180-188, and possesses a microheterogeneity, indicated by the presence or absence of an additional alanine residue at the N-terminus . Sequence identities of sea turtle GH to other species of GH are 89% with chicken GH, 79% with rat GH, 68% with blue shark GH, 58% with eel GH, 59% with human GH, and 40% with a teleostean GH such as chum salmon . On the basis of amino acid sequence comparisons, a molecular phylogenetic tree is proposed. J Dairy Sci, 1989 Feb, 72(2), 540 - 4 Effect of segregation on prevention of intramammary infections by Staphylococcus aureus; Fox LK et al.; Effectiveness of segregating cows with Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infections was studied over 1 yr . Nine herds were split into control (n = 5) or segregated (n = 4) groups . Cows with S . aureus intramammary infections were milked last in segregated herds . Monthly milk samples were collected aseptically for microbiologic analysis . Mean incidences of S . aureus intramammary infections were 3.7 and 4.3 cases/100 cow-mo in segregated and control herds . The mean prevalence of S . aureus intramammary infections decreased in both segregated and control herds during the study . Mean percentages of cows with S . aureus intramammary infections at the beginning and end of the study were 33.7 and 21.5 in segregated herds and 25.3 and 15.0 in control herds . Cows in all herds with S . aureus intramammary infections were preferentially culled . There were no significant differences in incidence and prevalence of S . aureus intramammary infections between groups, suggesting that S . aureus intramammary infections can be controlled without segregation. Diabetes Care, 1989 Feb, 12(2), 153 - 5 Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and inflamed infusion sites with insulin-pump therapy; van Faassen I et al.; The most common complication of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) is inflammation at the infusion site . To determine possible risk factors to these infections, we studied several factors in the management of CSII and compared the pyogenic skin inflammation rate, the carriage rate of Staphylococcus aureus, and the HbA1 level among 50 CSII-treated diabetic patients, 50 diabetic patients on insulin injections, 48 diabetic patients on oral medication, and 40 healthy volunteers . There was no increased carriage rate of S . aureus among CSII-treated patients (42%) as compared with the other groups . An unexpected inverse relationship existed between HbA1 level and carriage rate in the CSII-treated group (HbA1 5-8%, n = 16, 69%; HbA1 8-10% n = 15, 40%; HbA1 greater than 10, n = 19, 21% P = .02) . Pyogenic skin inflammations were reported by 24 (48%) CSII-treated patients, of which 18 had infected infusion sites, 6 (12%) insulin injecting patients, 2 (4%) patients on oral medication, and 3 (8%) healthy volunteers (P less than .01) . The occurrence of inflamed infusion sites was not associated with carriage of S . aureus, the indwelling time of the needle, or the insulin dosage per day . There was an association, however, with the type of insulin preparation classified according to the added preservative: m-cresol-containing insulin (n = 24, 54%); methyl p-hydroxybenzoate-containing insulin (n = 26, 19%, P = .02) . We concluded that the carriage of S . aureus is not increased among diabetic patients on CSII treatment and is not a risk factor in the occurrence of inflammation at the infusion site.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Cutis, 1989 Feb, 43(2), 140 - 2 Botryomycosis caused by Moraxella nonliquefaciens; Feldman SR et al.; Botryomycosis is a bacterial infection characterized by the presence of grains of organisms in the tissue . Although Staphylococcus aureus is the most common causative agent, other bacteria have been reported to cause botryomycosis . Several factors have been hypothesized to be important in the pathogenesis of botryomycosis, including foreign bodies, quantity and virulence of organisms, and host immunity . The resulting infection tends to be resistant to antibiotic therapy . We report a case of botryomycosis of the hand caused by Moraxella nonliquefaciens, an organism of low virulence not previously associated with botryomycosis, and discuss the factors that may have led to this infection . This infection was successfully treated by excision and grafting. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1989 Feb, 55(2), 523 - 5 Cell-free mercury volatilization activity from three marine caulobacter strains; Ji GY et al.; Three mercury-resistant marine Caulobacter strains showed an inducible mercury volatilization activity . Cell-free mercury volatilization (mercuric reductase) from these three marine Caulobacter strains was characterized and compared with enzyme activities determined by plasmids of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus . The temperature sensitivity of the Caulobacter mercuric reductase was greater than that of mercuric reductase from other gram-negative sources . Cell-free enzyme activity required NADH or NADPH, with NADPH functioning much better at lower concentrations than NADH . The Km for the Caulobacter enzyme was 4 microM Hg2+ . Ag+ was a competitive inhibitor of Caulobacter mercuric reductase (Ki = 0.2 microM Ag+), as with previously studied enzymes . Arsenite was a noncompetitive inhibitor of the Caulobacter enzyme with a Ki of 75 microM AsO2-. Transplantation, 1989 Feb, 47(2), 300 - 4 The effect of exogenous lymphokines on immunoglobulin production and lymphocyte proliferation in renal transplant patients; Cardella CJ et al.; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from stable long-term kidney transplant patients were activated in vitro by Staphylococcus Aureus Cowan I (SAC) (a B cell mitogen) . The effect of exogenous interleukin 2 and/or B cell growth factor (BCGF) on these cells was measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation and immunoglobulin production . Both proliferation and Ig production were lower in SAC-activated cells from transplanted patients compared to controls (P less than 0.01) . BCGF significantly enhanced blastogenesis (P less than 0.01) and Ig production (P less than 0.01) in SAC-treated cells from either patients or controls; however, the SAC- and BCGF-treated cells of transplant patients did not reach normal proliferation or immunoglobulin production values (P less than 0.001, P less than 0.01, respectively) . The addition of IL-2 to SAC-activated cells also increased proliferation and Ig production both in controls (P less than 0.05) and patients (P less than 0.005) . However, cells from transplant patients treated with SAC and IL-2 did not reach the normal levels of proliferation or immunoglobulin production (P less than 0.05 for both) . IL-2 did not enhance the increase of immunoglobulin production brought about by BCGF . SAC-activated B cells from transplant patients do not proliferate normally and do not produce normal amounts of Ig . The addition of IL-2 and BCGF results in a partial but subnormal improvement in both proliferation and Ig production . We conclude that the B cell abnormality in transplant patients may be due to lack of T cell lymphokines and an intrinsic B cell defect . These results suggest that the administration of exogenous lymphokines to transplant patients with B cell dysfunction may be clinically useful. J Bacteriol, 1989 Feb, 171(2), 684 - 91 Identification and cloning of the conjugative transfer region of Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pGO1; Thomas WD Jr et al.; The conjugative transfer (tra) genes of a 52-kilobase (kb) staphylococcal plasmid, pGO1, were localized by deletion analysis and transposon insertional inactivation . All transfer-defective (Tra-) deletions and Tn551 or Tn917 transposon insertions occurred within a 14.5-kb BglII fragment . Deletions and insertions outside this fragment all left the plasmid transfer proficient (Tra+) . The tra region was found to be flanked by directly repeated DNA sequences, approximately 900 base pairs in length, at either end . Clones containing the 14.5-kb BglII fragment (pGO200) and subclones from this fragment were constructed in Escherichia coli on shuttle plasmids and introduced into Staphylococcus aureus protoplasts . Protoplasts could not be transformed with pGO200E (pGO200 on the staphylococcal replicon, pE194) or subclones containing DNA at one end of the tra fragment unless pGO1 or specific cloned tra DNA fragments were present in the recipient cell . However, once stabilized by sequences present on a second replicon, each tra fragment could be successfully introduced alone into other plasmid-free S . aureus recipients by conjugative mobilization or transduction . In this manner, two clones containing overlapping fragments comprising the entire 14.5-kb BglII fragment were shown to complement each other . The low-frequency transfer resulted in transconjugants containing one clone intact, deletions of that clone, and recombinants of the two clones . The resulting recombinant plasmid (pGO220), which regenerated the tra region intact on a single replicon, transferred at frequencies comparable to those of pGO1 . Thus, all the genes necessary and sufficient for conjugative transfer of pGO1 are contained within a 14.5-kb region of DNA. J Hosp Infect, 1989 Feb, 13(2), 149 - 59 A method to evaluate the cleaning and disinfectant action of surface disinfectants; Walder M et al.; Surface disinfection tests, used to evaluate new disinfectants, do not take into account the effects of detergents or of the mechanical cleaning process . We describe methods which evaluate both the disinfection and cleaning effect of disinfectants on organic matter . When testing alcohols at high concentrations (greater than or equal to 70%) on blood spots contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus, we found that the organisms were trapped and fixed to the test surface, probably due to denaturation of the blood . This gave a low inactivating factor (IF), as well as a poor subjective cleaning effect (SC) . If serum was used instead of blood, we observed less pronounced trapping, resulting in a high IF although the SC was still poor . When broth was used, both IF and SC were satisfactory . With alcohols at a concentration of 42%, trapping was markedly reduced which improved the SC in blood contamination, with serum or broth contamination trapping did not occur . However, 42% ethanol lost its killing effect (i.e . low IF), whereas 42% isopropanol still demonstrated a high IF. J Hosp Infect, 1989 Feb, 13(2), 133 - 41 Plasmid analysis of 219 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains with uncommon profiles isolated in Lisbon; Cristino JA et al.; During the years 1986 and 1987, 219 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains were isolated in a Lisbon hospital . Antimicrobial susceptibilities and genetic analysis showed that resistance to penicillin, methicillin, erythromycin (inducible phenotype), tetracycline, gentamicin, tobramycin, kanamycin, streptomycin, neomycin and trimethoprim were chromosomally encoded . Plasmid DNA was absent from 38.8% of the isolates . Constitutive erythromycin resistance was coded by three plasmids of c . 2.3 Md, c . 2.0 Md and c . 1.6 Md . Chloramphenicol resistance was mediated by two plasmids of c . 2.9 Md and c . 1.8 Md . Small cryptic plasmids of c . 1.65 Md, c . 1.2 Md and c . 1.0 Md were also detected . The majority of the strains revealed antigen 17, were lysed by phages 75, 89 and/or 85, and were either devoid of plasmid DNA, or possessed a c . 1.6 Md plasmid coding for constitutive erythromycin resistance or a c . 1.0 Md cryptic plasmid . These observations cannot rule out that the MRSA Lisbon isolates are a homogeneous group of strains that might have a common origin, and seem to be different from MRSA recently isolated in other countries. J Hosp Infect, 1989 Feb, 13(2), 117 - 20 Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus treated with topical mupirocin (pseudomonic acid) in a children's hospital; Frank U et al.; 2% mupirocin ointment applied intra-nasally for 5 days was assessed for elimination of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in 31 staff members in a children's hospital . Three volunteers failed to complete the trial because of side effects, i.e . buccal reddening and swelling, and unpleasant taste . During treatment staphylococcal nasal carriage was not found in any case; of the 24 post-treatment nasal swabs taken 4 days after treatment 22 were still negative . Re-colonization with S . aureus of different phage types occurred in the remaining two cases. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 1989 Feb 1, 194(3), 389 - 91 Isolation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from a foal with diarrhea; Holland RE et al.; Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli was isolated from a 3-day-old foal with diarrhea . The isolate was distinguished from nonpathogenic E coli by determining the presence of pili and enterotoxin production . A standard slide agglutination test was performed, using pooled antisera that contained antibodies against K99 and F41 pilus antigens, K87 capsular antigen, and 0101 somatic antigen . Agglutination of the antisera occurred in the presence of the isolate . Piliation was verified by use of negative-contrast electron microscopy . Further, the isolate produced a heat-labile enterotoxin-like antigen that cross-reacted with a reagent containing formalin-treated, heat-killed Staphylococcus aureus (cowan 1 strain) bearing anti-cholera antibodies . On the basis of the aforementioned procedures and the absence of other identifiable enteric pathogens, we believe that E coli was responsible for causing diarrhea in the foal. Anal Biochem, 1989 Feb 1, 176(2), 344 - 9 A new method of plasmid DNA preparation by sucrose-mediated detergent lysis from Escherichia coli (gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive); Saha B et al.; A simple and cheap method of plasmid DNA preparation from both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) organism is presented here . In this method, in place of the high-priced chemicals lysostaphin and lysozyme which are commonly used for removal of cell-wall during plasmid DNA preparation from gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, respectively, only sucrose has been used . Firstly, bacteria is treated with Trizma (pH 8.0) containing 100% sucrose (hypertonic solution) . Due to this osmotic shock, protoplasm covered by the plasma membrane of bacteria possibly shrinks and becomes detached from the cell-wall . Osmotically sensitive cells thus formed, from gram-positive (S . aureus) and gram-negative (E . coli) bacteria, are finally lysed by the lysis mixture, containing brij 58 and sodium deoxycholate . The lysate is centrifuged at 15,000 rpm for 30 min to pellet the cell debris . The supernatant containing plasmid DNA is treated with either polyethylene glycol or isopropanol . The precipitate which contains plasmid DNA is dissolved in a buffer containing Tris, EDTA, NaCl, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (pH 8.0); thus protein is denatured and removed . Finally, RNA is removed by RNase treatment . The average yield of staphylococcal plasmid DNA as well as plasmid pBR322 from E . coli HB101 in 100% sucrose-treated preparations is greater than that of lysostaphin- and lysozyme-treated preparations . This method is applicable for both large-scale and small-scale preparations . The substrate activity for restriction enzyme, cloning, transforming ability, and electron microscopic profile of the plasmid DNA prepared by this method remains unaltered. Anal Biochem, 1989 Feb 1, 176(2), 255 - 60 Strong-cation-exchange sulfoethyl aspartamide chromatography for peptide mapping of Staphylococcus aureus V8 protein digests; Crimmins DL et al.; In two recent reports (D . L . Crimmins, J . Gorka, R . S . Thoma, and B . D . Schwartz (1988) J . Chromatogr . 443, 63-71; A . J . Alpert and P . C . Andrews (1988) J . Chromatogr . 443, 85-96) a sulfoethyl aspartamide column was shown to efficiently analyze peptides less than 25 residues in length which differ in the number of nominal positive charges at pH 3.0 . In particular, the elution order for a series of distinct peptides ranging in nominal charge from +1 to +7 was found to be monotonic in nature indicating that separation was primarily via a cation-exchange mechanism . The present study employs this chromatographic system to isolate and characterize major fragments of proteolytic digests . Six commercially available proteins of known sequence (myoglobin, beta-casein, concanavalin A, carbonic anhydrase, lentil lectin, and enolase) were digested with Staphylococcus aureus V8 to generate peptide fragments . The resulting mixture was chromatographed on a sulfoethyl aspartamide column to isolate major fragments which were then subjected to amino acid analysis and N-terminal sequencing . With complete proteolysis (i.e., peptide fragments terminating in either an aspartic or a glutamic acid) separation of the fragments should result from the sum of histidine, lysine, and arginine residues contained in each fragment . Most of the peptide fragments eluted at the expected time on the sulfoethyl aspartamide column . Those fragments with anomalous behavior resulted from incomplete cleavage or cleavage at nonacidic residues or were greater than 35 residues in length . Each proteolytic digest was also analyzed by standard reverse-phase C4 chromatography to compare the peptide maps for these two distinct chromatographic modes. J Trop Pediatr, 1989 Feb, 35(1), 6 - 9 Phagocyte metabolic functions in iron deficiency anaemia of Indian children; Hasan SM et al.; Nitroblue tetrazolium test (NBT) and bactericidal activity of polymorphonuclear leucocytes was studied in 40 patients with iron deficiency anaemia (aged 0-12 years) . NBT test had a significant correlation with serum iron (P less than 0.001) in all cases of iron deficiency anemia . Haemoglobin levels less than 4 g/dl also correlated significantly with NBT score . Bactericidal activity with opsonin-coated Staphylococcus aureus was considerably decreased in severe anaemia, but no significant correlation was found with serum iron concentration (P less than 0.1) . The phagocytic and bactericidal activity of polymorphonuclear leucocytes is dependent upon serum iron levels and is considerably reduced in iron deficient state in anaemic children. APMIS, 1989 Feb, 97(2), 175 - 80 Hemagglutination by Staphylococcus aureus . Studies on strains isolated from bovine mastitis; Lindahl M et al.; Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from bovine mastitis exhibited hemagglutinating activity when cultivated on nutrient-poor, solid medium . Out of 56 strains, 41 (73%) hemagglutinated . S . aureus agglutinated sheep erythrocytes to a greater extent than it agglutinated either human, bovine or equine erythrocytes . Hemagglutination was more conspicuous with erythrocytes from certain sheep individuals, indicating blood-group specificity . Receptors on sheep erythrocytes were apparently of carbohydrate nature since periodate-treated erythrocytes were not agglutinated . Hemagglutinating properties were associated with the ability to adhere to human buccal cells . Crude staphylococcal extracts were able to partially inhibit bacterial adherence to epithelial cells. J Bacteriol, 1989 Feb, 171(2), 874 - 9 Involvement of multiple genetic determinants in high-level methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus; Murakami K et al.; A methicillin-susceptible, novobiocin-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus (RN2677; methicillin MIC, 0.8 micrograms/ml) was transformed with DNA prepared from highly and homogeneously methicillin-resistant S . aureus strains (methicillin MIC, greater than or equal to 400 micrograms/ml) or from heterogeneous strains in which the majority of cells had a low level of resistance (methicillin MIC, 6.3 micrograms/ml) . All methicillin-resistant transformants showed low and heterogeneous resistance (methicillin MIC, 3.1 micrograms/ml) irrespective of the resistance level of DNA donors . All transformants examined produced normal amounts of the low-affinity penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 2a, and methicillin resistance and the capacity to produce PBP 2a showed the same degree of genetic linkage to the novobiocin resistance marker with both homogeneous and heterogeneous DNA donors . Next, we isolated a methicillin-susceptible mutant from a highly and homogeneously resistant strain which had a Tn551 insertion near or within the PBP 2a gene and thus did not produce PBP 2a . With this mutant used as the recipient, genetic transformation of the methicillin resistance gene was repeated with DNA isolated either from highly and homogeneously resistant strains or from heterogeneous (low-resistance) strains . All transformants obtained expressed high and homogeneous resistance and produced PBP 2a irrespective of the resistance level of the DNA donors . Our findings suggest that (i) the methicillin resistance locus is identical to the structural gene for PBP 2a, (ii) although the ability to produce PBP 2a is essential for resistance, the MICs for the majority of cells are not related to the cellular concentration of PBP 2a, and (iii) high MICs and homogeneous expression of resistance require the products of other distinct genetic elements as well. J Pak Med Assoc, 1989 Feb, 39(2), 35 - 8 The carrier state: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . A hospital study "screening of hospital personnel" for nasal carriage of Staph aureus; Ashiq B; Methicillin resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA) were studied in a 300 bedded Central Government Hospital Rawalpindi, in which 291 staff members were screened by nasal swabbing . Of 125 cases carrying staph aureus 5 (1.78%) were methicillin resistant . They were treated with Bacitracin ointment to be applied to interior nares four times a day for one week . Hexachlorophane baths daily, chlorhexidine shampoo once daily for a week, and were taken off duty from wards for one day. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1989 Feb, 8(2), 153 - 6 Comparative evaluation of a latex test for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus; Stevens M et al.; A rapid latex agglutination test, Staphaurex, was tested for its ability to identify Staphylococcus aureus using 72 reference strains and 785 clinical isolates of the family Micrococcaceae . All reference strains of Staphylococcus aureus were Staphaurex-positive . Non-Staphylococcus aureus reference strains were negative . Using clinical strains, the results of the Staphaurex test were compared with the results of other tests commonly used to identify Staphylococcus aureus . A total of 393 clinical isolates were classified as Staphylococcus aureus . The Staphaurex, slide coagulase, tube coagulase/human plasma and tube coagulase/rabbit plasma tests correctly identified 98%, 93.6%, 93.6% and 97.5% of the Staphylococcus aureus strains, respectively . The performance of the Staphaurex test, in terms of sensitivity and specificity, was significantly better than the slide coagulase test . It was as sensitive and almost as specific as the tube coagulase rabbit test and more sensitive than the tube coagulase human test. J Interferon Res, 1989 Feb, 9(1), 143 - 51 Recombinant bovine interferon-gamma as an immunomodulator in dexamethasone-treated and nontreated cattle; Roth JA et al.; Three dosages (0.1, 0.5, and 2.5 mg/animal, subcutaneously), of recombinant bovine interferon-gamma (rBoIFN-gamma) were evaluated for their in vivo influence on neutrophil function and lymphocyte blastogenesis in cattle . The optimal of the three dosages tested (0.5 mg/animal or 1.1 x 10(6) U/animal) was then evaluated for its influence on neutrophils and lymphocytes in both normal and dexamethasone-treated cattle . One animal, which received 2.5 mg of rBoIFN-gamma, died by 24 h after administration due to acute diffuse interstitial pneumonia with interlobular edema and emphysema . The two highest dosages used caused fever at 24 h and the highest dosage caused a decrease in lymphocyte blastogenesis at 24 h after administration . The influence of rBoIFN-gamma on neutrophil function was dose dependent and depended on the baseline values for neutrophil function . Random migration by neutrophils was consistently inhibited in animals that received 0.5 mg or more of rBoIFN-gamma . Staphylococcus aureus ingestion and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity by neutrophils was enhanced by rBoIFN-gamma treatment in both dexamethasone-treated cattle and in nondexamethasone-treated cattle, which had relatively low values for these parameters before treatment . Iodination by neutrophils was also enhanced by rBoIFN-gamma when either a suboptimal concentration of neutrophil stimulant was used or when the cattle were treated with dexamethasone . In summary, the rBoIFN-gamma had greater immunomodulator activity in immunosuppressed than in normal cattle . The in vivo influence of rBoIFN-gamma therefore depends on the physiologic status of the animal. J Interferon Res, 1989 Feb, 9(1), 115 - 24 Products of stimulated monocytes enhance the activity of interferon-gamma; Gerrard TL et al.; We have investigated the interaction of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) with monocytes or products of stimulated monocytes . We have shown that IFN-gamma does not stimulate IFN-alpha production in monocytes . Staphylococcus aureus (SAC) but not lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced IFN-alpha secretion by monocytes . However, it was observed that supernatants of monocytes stimulated with IFN-gamma in combination with either LPS or SAC had higher levels of antiviral activity than supernatants of monocytes stimulated only with IFN-gamma . Moreover, the degree of enhancement of antiviral activity was dependent on the dose of either LPS or SAC used to stimulate the monocytes . Supernatants of monocytes stimulated with LPS or SAC enhanced the antiviral activity of IFN-gamma but not IFN-alpha . Thus, LPS- or SAC-stimulated monocytes produced a factor(s) that augmented the biological activity of IFN-gamma . To identify the factor within stimulated monocyte supernatants that was responsible for this enhancement, several monokines were added to IFN-gamma . Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) significantly increased the antiviral activity of IFN-gamma, although TNF by itself had no antiviral activity . Interleukin 1 (IL-1) or granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) did not enhance the activity of IFN-gamma . Our data indicate that the interaction between IFN-gamma and monocytes is bidirectional . Not only can IFN-gamma activate monocytes, but products of stimulated monocytes also enhance the biological activities of IFN-gamma. J Leukoc Biol, 1989 Feb, 45(2), 114 - 20 Staphylococcus aureus tetrapeptide with high chemotactic potency and efficacy for human leukocytes; Rot A et al.; A chemotactic tetrapeptide from culture fluids of Staphylococcus aureus was purified to homogeneity by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography . The peptide comprises equimolar methionine, leucine, isoleucine, and phenylalanine . It inhibited binding of fluoresceinated fMet-Leu-Phe-Lys to human monocytes, which showed that it interacted with the formyl-methionyl peptide receptor and suggested that it was a formyl-methionyl peptide . Based on a comparison of dose-response curves for inhibition of fluoresceinated fMet-Leu-Phe-Lys binding, the relative affinity of the peptide for the receptor was comparable to that of fMet-Leu-Phe-Lys . At optimal concentrations, chemotactic efficacy (percentage of monocytes migrating to the attractant) was 53 +/- 4%, in contrast to 36 +/- 3% for the reference attractant fMet-Leu-Phe . Since approximately 60% of human monocytes have formyl-peptide receptors, the bacterial peptide is capable of attracting all receptor-bearing monocytes. J Clin Microbiol, 1989 Feb, 27(2), 335 - 6 Methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to quinolones; Schaefler S; Since January 1988, Staphylococcus aureus strains with a high level of quinolone resistance have been isolated at 17 hospitals and 15 nursing homes in New York City . The majority of these strains were methicillin resistant . The bacteriophage types and susceptibility to other antibiotics were similar to those of quinolone-susceptible strains isolated at the same hospitals. J Virol, 1989 Feb, 63(2), 481 - 92 Transduction of the cellular src gene and 3' adjacent sequences in avian sarcoma virus PR2257; Geryk J et al.; When injected into chickens, a transformation-defective mutant of the Prague C strain of Rous sarcoma virus induced tumors at low incidence and after a long latency . One such tumor released a replication-defective virus designated PR2257 . We molecularly cloned and sequenced the proviral DNA from quail fibroblasts transformed by PR2257 . Comparison of PR2257 sequence with that of Prague C, cellular src, and 3' adjacent cellular DNA showed that the spliced version of the c-src gene and about 950 base pairs (bp) of 3'-flanking cellular DNA were transduced into PR2257 . This transduction eliminated nearly all replicative genes, since the gag gene splice donor site was linked to the splice acceptor site of the src gene and, on the 3' side, recombination occurred in the end of env gene . Insertion of two extra cytosines 23 bp before and 19 bp after the c-src stop codon resulted in an extension of the coding portion up to 587 amino acids, divergence of sequences after Pro-525 and replacement of Tyr-527 by a valine residue . In addition, it appears that the 5' and 3' untranslated regions of PR2257 result from multiple recombinations between exogenous and endogenous virus genomes . Limited digestion of p66src encoded by PR2257 with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease yielded a V2 peptide (C-terminal moiety) with an apparent molecular mass of 31 kilodaltons, consistent with the 5.7-kilodalton increase expected from the DNA sequence . The structure of PR2257 suggests that the first step in the capture of c-src gene by avian lymphomatosis viruses is the trans splicing of the viral leader mRNA to exon 1 of c-src. Cell Immunol, 1989 Feb, 118(2), 368 - 81 Regulatory role of CD19 molecules in B-cell activation and differentiation; de Rie MA et al.; Cluster of differentiation ({CD}) 19 antigens are B-cell-specific molecules expressed on virtually all human cells of the B-lymphocyte lineage except plasma cells . We produced a new anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody (McAb), CLB-CD19, that was used to study the role of CD19 molecules in B-cell activation . Anti-CD19 McAb induced mobilization of free intracellular calcium ({Ca2+}i) in Daudi cells, but not in normal spleen or tonsillar B cells, for which crosslinking with a second anti-mouse Ig antibody was not required . Anti-CD19 McAb inhibited B-cell proliferation induced by anti-IgM coupled to Sepharose beads . This inhibitory effect was overcome by the addition of nonmitogenic concentrations of phorbol myristate acetate . Anti-CD19 McAb did not interfere with Staphylococcus aureus- or B-cell growth factor-induced B-cell proliferation . Anti-CD19 McAb inhibited T-cell-dependent polyclonal B-cell differentiation in pokeweed mitogen-, interleukin 2-, or anti-CD3-driven culture systems . Delayed addition studies showed that once differentiation of B cells was induced, CD19 molecules lost their regulating function . Taken together, our results indicate that CD19 molecules play a regulatory role in B-cell proliferation and differentiation. FEBS Lett, 1989 Jan 30, 243(2), 209 - 12 Complete amino acid sequence of the sarcoplasmic calcium-binding protein (SCP-I) from crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus); Jauregui-Adell J et al.; The complete amino acid sequence of the alpha chain of the dimeric sarcoplasmic Ca2+-binding protein (SCP-I = alpha 2) from crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus) has been determined by partial automatic sequencing of the peptides derived from tryptic digests of the protein after citraconylation or treatment with 1,2-cyclohexanedione . Overlapping peptides were obtained by cleavage with o-iodosobenzoic acid, or digestion with Staphylococcus aureus protease, thermolysin and pepsin . The acetylated N-terminus was identified by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry . The monomeric protein contains 192 amino acids and has an Mr of 21,643 . The sequence shows the presence of three calcium-binding sites and perhaps of two others that may be degenerated. Med Clin (Barc), 1989 Jan 21, 92(2), 47 - 51 {Prospective study of 75 episodes of sepsis in hemodialysed patients}; Martinez JA et al.; During a 38-month period the bacteremias developing in patients on hemodialysis from three centers of the Barcelona area were evaluated to assess their incidence, characteristics, and response to therapy . In the overall 13376 months of hemodialysis of the study, 75 episodes of bacteremia were detected in 64 patients; this amounts to an incidence of 5.6 episodes per 1000 hemodialysis months . The most common sources of becteremia were intravenous catheters (44%), which were mainly used as temporary vascular access, followed by the definitive vascular access (26%), the genitourinary system (10%), and the lung (6%) . Twenty-seven episodes of bacteremia developed in 24 patients in whom dialysis had been started in the two previous months (11% of the overall number of new patients), and, in them, 77% originated in an intravenous catheter, while this was the origin of bacteremia in only 23% of the remaining patients . 72% of bacteremias were caused by gram positive organisms, particularly Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis (60%), followed, in frequency order, by aerobic gram negative bacilli (25%), particularly Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas . Stpahylococci were significantly associated with the vascular access, either if this was a catheter or not (81% of instances), while gram negative bacilli were associated with sources different from the vascular access (48% of instances) . Severe complications included 2 cases of aortic valve endocarditis, one hemorrhagic shock caused by rupture of an infected vascular access, and one suppurative phlebitis associated with a hemodialysis catheter . Staphylococcal sepsis was randomly treated with vancomycin or vancomycin plus gentamicin, without differences in the results.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1989 Jan 16, 158(1), 319 - 25 alpha B subunit of lens-specific protein alpha-crystallin is present in other ocular and non-ocular tissues; Bhat SP et al.; alpha-Crystallin, a tissue specific structural protein of the ocular lens, is known to be composed of two subunits, alpha A and alpha B . By using a specific antibody in an immunoblotting procedure we have found that one of the subunits, alpha B is present in a number of non-lenticular tissues including the retina, heart, skeletal muscle, skin, brain, spinal cord and lungs . Interestingly, in the rat, this protein is present in significantly higher concentrations in adult than in fetal tissues and, with the exception of the lens, fetal and adult heart has the highest concentration among the tissues examined . That the protein in question is, in fact, alpha B, was confirmed a) by the remarkable similarity of Staphylococcus aureus protease peptide maps of the protein in the heart and purified alpha-crystallin and b) by the sequence analysis of a rat heart cDNA clone identified by the alpha B antibody . Based on these observations we conclude that while alpha A has a tissue-specific role, alpha B is a polypeptide of independent function not restricted to the ocular lens. Med J Aust, 1989 Jan 16, 150(2), 65, 69 - 72 A national survey of antimicrobial resistance in Staphylococcus aureus in Australian teaching hospitals; Turnidge J et al.; An extensive survey of the in-vitro susceptibility of clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus to 18 antimicrobial agents was conducted over three separate periods during 1986-1987 in 14 teaching hospitals in major Australian cities . The survey aimed to document the prevalence of resistance to a wide variety of drugs that are important as antistaphylococcal agents or as epidemiological markers . More than 7500 isolates were examined . Nationally, the prevalence of resistance was 85.3% to penicillin G, 14.4% to methicillin, 14.0% to amoxycillin/clavulanate, 9% to cephalothin, 5.4% to cephamandole, 9.9% to cefotaxime, 25.0% to erythromycin, 11.2% to clindamycin, 21.7% to tetracycline, 13.0% to gentamicin, 1.9% to amikacin, 5.8% to chloramphenicol, 18.3% to trimethoprim, 0.6% to rifampicin, 3.0% to fusidic acid and 1.2% to novobiocin . For none of the strains was resistance to vancomycin confirmed by minimal-inhibitory-concentration determination . A high proportion of the resistances was harboured in methicillin-resistant Staph . aureus, except for resistance to penicillin G, erythromycin and tetracycline . The prevalence of methicillin resistance varied widely among the states: 25.2% in Queensland, 23.5% in Victoria, 12.6% in New South Wales/the Australian Capital Territory, 11.3% in South Australia and 0.4% in Western Australia . Isolates from blood cultures were slightly-more susceptible to antimicrobial agents than were isolates from other body sites . Six common profiles of resistance to penicillin G, methicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin and tetracycline accounted for more than 95% of the isolates that were tested against all five agents . Vancomycin remains the most important antistaphylococcal drug in areas where resistance to methicillin is common. J Biol Chem, 1989 Jan 15, 264(2), 804 - 9 High level expression in Escherichia coli of the DNA-binding domain of the glucocorticoid receptor in a functional form utilizing domain-specific cleavage of a fusion protein; Dahlman K et al.; A fragment comprising the DNA-binding domain of the human glucocorticoid receptor has been expressed in a functional form in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with protein A from Staphylococcus aureus . The DNA-binding domain was purified to apparent homogeneity by affinity chromatography on IgG-Sepharose and DNA-cellulose, a purification scheme which does not involve denaturation of the protein at any step . The DNA-binding domain was separated from the protein A part of the fusion protein by domain-specific enzymatic cleavage with chymotrypsin while immobilized on IgG-Sepharose . The recombinant protein has been characterized by amino acid analysis, NH2- and COOH-terminal sequence analysis, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and reactivity to iodoacetate and was found to correspond to the primary structure derived from the cDNA sequence . DNase I footprinting showed that the purified recombinant protein bound to the same DNA sequences on the mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat as glucocorticoid receptor purified from rat liver does . About 10 times more recombinant protein, on a molar basis, was needed to obtain the same level of protection . However, the protection of the three different footprints (1.3, 1.4, and 1.5') by the recombinant protein differed greatly from that of the natural receptor, with virtually no protection of footprint 1.4 . This indicates cooperative binding of the natural receptor to adjacent footprints, dependent on other regions of the receptor than the DNA-binding domain. J Biol Chem, 1989 Jan 5, 264(1), 40 - 4 Selective binding of L-thyroxine by myosin light chain kinase; Hagiwara M et al.; L-Thyroxine selectively inhibited Ca2+-calmodulin-activated myosin light chain kinases (MLC kinase) purified from rabbit skeletal muscle, chicken gizzard smooth muscle, bovine thyroid gland, and human platelet with similar Ki values (Ki = 2.5 microM) . A detailed analysis of L-thyroxine inhibition of smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase activation was undertaken in order to determine the effect of L-thyroxine on the stoichiometries of Ca2+, calmodulin, and the enzyme in the activation process . The kinetic data indicated that L-thyroxine does not interact with calmodulin but, instead, through direct association with the enzyme, inhibits the binding of the Ca2+-calmodulin complex to MLC kinase . L-{125I}Thyroxine gel overlay revealed that the 95-kDa fragment of chicken gizzard MLC kinase digested by chymotrypsin and all the fragments of 110, 94, 70, and 43 kDa produced by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestion which contain the calmodulin binding domain retain L-{125I}thyroxine binding activity, whereas smaller peptides were not radioactive . Since MLC kinase is phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (2 mol of phosphate/mol of MLC kinase), the effect of L-thyroxine on the phosphorylation of MLC kinase also was examined . L-Thyroxine binding did not inhibit the phosphorylation of MLC kinase and, moreover, reversed the inhibition of phosphorylation obtained with the calmodulin-enzyme complex . These observations support the suggestion that L-thyroxine binds at or near the calmodulin-binding site of MLC kinase . L-Thyroxine may serve as a different type of pharmacological tool for elucidating the biological significance of MLC kinase-mediated reactions. J Biol Chem, 1989 Jan 5, 264(1), 54 - 60 Enzymatic methylation of L-isoaspartyl residues derived from aspartyl residues in affinity-purified calmodulin . The role of conformational flexibility in spontaneous isoaspartyl formation; Ota IM et al.; We have investigated the formation of D-aspartyl and L-isoaspartyl (beta-aspartyl) residues and their subsequent methylation in bovine brain calmodulin by the type II protein carboxyl methyltransferase . Based on the results of studies with unstructured peptides and denatured proteins, it has been proposed that the major sites of carboxyl methylation in calmodulin are at L-isoaspartyl residues that originate from two Asn-Gly sequences . To test this hypothesis, we directly identified the sites of methylation in affinity-purified preparations of calmodulin by peptide mapping using the proteases trypsin, endoproteinase Lys-C, clostripain, chymotrypsin, and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease . We found, however, that the major high-affinity sites of methylation originate from aspartyl residues at position 2 and at positions 78 and/or 80 . The methylatable residue in the first case was shown to be L-isoaspartate by comparison of the properties of a synthetic peptide corresponding to the N-terminal 13 residues substituted with an L-iso-Asp residue at position 2 . The second methylatable residue, probably derived from Asp78, also appears to be an L-isoaspartyl residue . These sites appear to be readily accessible to the methyltransferase and are present in relatively flexible regions of calmodulin that may allow the spontaneous degradation reactions to occur that generate L-isoaspartyl residues via succinimide intermediates . Interestingly, the four calcium binding regions, each containing 3-4 aspartyl and asparaginyl residues (including the two Asn-Gly sequences), do not appear to contribute to the high-affinity methyl acceptor sites, even when calcium is removed prior to the methylation reaction . We propose that methylatable residues do not form at these sites because of the inflexibility of these regions when calcium is bound. Med J Aust, 1989 Jan 2, 150(1), 25 - 8 Bacterial infections among patients with diabetes in Papua New Guinea; Patel MS; This study reports the morbidity that resulted from bacterial infections in Melanesian patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes who attended the Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua New Guinea, between January 1, 1982 and June 30, 1984 . Fifty-three of 160 patients with diabetes experienced 66 episodes of infection, 48 of which required inpatient hospital treatment . The average length of stay in hospital was 37.6 days per episode of infection . Of 88 patients who were newly-diagnosed as diabetic during this period, 30 patients initially had presented with a bacterial infection . The lower limb was the site that was infected most frequently, and Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the usual causative organisms . Eleven patients had bacterial gangrene of the foot; two of these patients were less than 23 years of age, and five patients were not known to have had diabetes previously . Five patients were suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis; the annual incidence of tuberculosis in this study group (12.5 cases/1000 patients) was about 11-times higher than that which has been reported for the general population . Thirteen patients with diabetes died in hospital during the study period . Infection was the cause of death in nine patients and three of these patients were less than 25 years of age . The morbidity of infection can be controlled if diabetes is sought more frequently in patients with infections, and if glycaemia can be controlled . This will have to be achieved through existing primary health-care structures, as resources for diabetes-specific preventive programmes in developing countries will be limited. Rev Infect Dis, 1989 Jan-Feb, 11 Suppl 1, S90 - 5 Distribution and expression of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 gene among Staphylococcus aureus isolates of toxic shock syndrome and non-toxic shock syndrome origin; Bonventre PF et al.; Toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1), plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of TSS . TSST-1 production is subject to physiologic and environmental constraints . Thus, DNA probes that detect the chromosomal gene encoding the toxin are of value diagnostically, epidemiologically, and for studies of gene expression . Several synthetic oligonucleotide probes complementary to two regions of the TSST-1 gene were used to ascertain the presence of this gene in the chromosomal DNA of 261 strains of S . aureus from various TSS-related and non-TSS-related sources . Isolates were from clinically confirmed menstrual and nonmenstrual cases of TSS and from healthy vaginal carriers of S . aureus . Other strains tested included clinical non-TSS isolates and food poisoning-associated staphylococcal isolates . Detection of the TSST-1 gene by the labeled gene probes correlated in all but two cases with production of TSST-1 . Ten Centers for Disease Control (CDC) strains that were isolated from TSS patients and did not produce TSST-1 were also examined, as were several strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis isolated from patients with suspected TSS . Neither group of strains possessed the TSST-1 gene . Finally, a 7-kilobase DNA restriction fragment of S . aureus containing the entire TSST-1 gene was transformed into Escherichia coli strains HB101 and DH5 alpha via a plasmid vector. Rev Infect Dis, 1989 Jan-Feb, 11 Suppl 1, S313 - 5 Direct effects of purified staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 on myocardial function of isolated rabbit atria; Olson RD et al.; Toxic shock syndrome is associated with reversible cardiomyopathy . The cardiac dysfunction may be mediated by toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1), an exotoxin generated by Staphylococcus aureus . However, the effects of purified TSST-1 on cardiac function are unknown . In a study of the toxin's effect on myocardial function, TSST-1 (200 ng/mL) was added to muscle baths containing isolated rabbit atria . TSST-1 caused time-dependent inhibition of developed force (systolic function) but did not alter resting force (an index of muscle stiffness or cardiac compliance) . These data show that TSST-1 can directly inhibit myocardial function, but the significance of this effect in patients with toxic shock syndrome remains to be determined. Rev Infect Dis, 1989 Jan-Feb, 11 Suppl 1, S231 - 6; discussion S236-7 Response of various animal species to experimental infection with different strains of Staphylococcus aureus; Kohrman KA et al.; An experimental infection program was conducted in rabbits, pigs, and baboons with toxic shock syndrome (TSS)-associated and non-TSS-associated strains of Staphylococcus aureus to produce an animal model for TSS . TSS-associated strains of S . aureus--whether positive or negative for TSS toxin 1 (TSST-1)--could not be distinguished from non-TSS-associated strains of S . aureus by means of the rabbit whiffle-ball infection model; therefore, limited pilot infection studies were conducted in pigs and baboons . Experimental conditions were optimized in both the pig and the baboon studies to maximize the chance of producing TSS . Pigs infected with TSS-associated S . aureus strain CDC-11 developed some of the clinical signs observed in TSS (fever, hypotension, diarrhea, and vomiting) . However, no changes were detected in clinical chemistry or hematology . Baboons infected with S . aureus strain CDC-11 showed only minimal signs of illness, i.e., lethargy, decreased food intake, and loose stools . TSS was not produced in pigs or baboons, even under optimal exposure conditions. Rev Infect Dis, 1989 Jan-Feb, 11 Suppl 1, S214 - 7; discussion S217-8 Passive protection of rabbits infected with toxic shock syndrome-associated strains of Staphylococcus aureus by monoclonal antibody to toxic shock syndrome toxin 1; Scott DF et al.; The effectiveness of passive immunization was assessed in an infection model of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) in which monoclonal antibody to TSS toxin 1 (TSST-1) was administered intravenously to rabbits . Previously implanted infection chambers were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus strains RN4710 and D4508 . The former strain carries the TSST-1 gene on plasmid pRN6201; the latter is a TSST-1-negative clinical isolate obtained from a patient with nonmenstrual TSS . Purified monoclonal antibody, MAb 8-5-7 (IgG), was administered in two doses of approximately 1.25 mg each 24 hours before and 24 hours after infection . MAb 8-5-7 provided complete protection against both the TSS-like syndrome and the mortality that occurred in unprotected rabbits infected with strain RN4710 but did not provide complete protection in rabbits infected with strain D4508; three of the five rabbits either displayed signs of illness or died despite treatment . Western-blot analyses of the extracellular proteins produced by strains RN4710 and D4508 that used MAb 8-5-7 as a probe revealed that only TSST-1 produced by RN4710 reacted with the antibody . Thus, if MAb 8-5-7 partially protected animals against infections with strain D4508, the protection appears to have been nonspecific. Rev Infect Dis, 1989 Jan-Feb, 11 Suppl 1, S197 - 202 Effect of tampon wraps on production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1; Robbins RN et al.; The influence of tampon wraps on the production and distribution of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) was investigated with use of a disk-membrane-agar method . Filter membranes (45 micron) overlaying agar medium in 50-mm petri dishes were spread-inoculated with a TSST-1-producing strain of Staphylococcus aureus and covered with 0.5 mL of whole citrated rabbit blood . Disks of tampon core materials with and without wraps were placed on the inoculated membranes and incubated at 37 degrees C in 5% CO2 in air . Eight wraps with each of 14 tampon core materials were tested to determine the amount of toxin in the agar layer, a quantity considered an indicator of the relative amounts of toxin available for absorption in vivo . The average level of toxin in the agar layer with any particular wrap compared with that in the agar layer with no wrap was higher with five wraps, lower with two wraps, and essentially the same with one wrap . The lower levels of toxin were obtained with one wrap that had a starch binder and with one that contained the surfactant Standamul 1414-E . Standamul 1414-E has been reported to be an inhibitor of growth of and production of TSST-1 by S . aureus. Rev Infect Dis, 1989 Jan-Feb, 11 Suppl 1, S188 - 95; discussion S195-6 Growth of Staphylococcus aureus and synthesis of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 in different in vitro systems; Kirkland JJ et al.; Various complex and synthetic bacterial growth media have been used to study the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and the production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) under certain in vitro culture conditions . Because of the biochemical and nutritional differences between these media and human menses, a program was designed to determine the growth and metabolism of S . aureus under conditions that more closely approximate in vivo conditions . Human menses, an artificial menses developed to match human menses, whole human blood, and complex bacterial culture media (with and without added whole human blood) were tested for the ability to support the growth of S . aureus and the production of TSST-1 in vitro . In addition, the impact of other organisms, commonly isolated from the human vagina, on the growth of S . aureus and the production of TSST-1 was evaluated . Results show that the environmental conditions provided by human menses are more closely approximated by the artificial menses and that neither commercial bacterial growth media alone nor complex media plus 25% or 50% human blood provide a menses-like environment for the growth of S . aureus and the production of TSST-1 . Furthermore, the addition of a second organism to the S . aureus culture resulted in significant suppression of TSST-1 production, even when in vitro conditions were optimized for the production of TSST-1. Rev Infect Dis, 1989 Jan-Feb, 11 Suppl 1, S182 - 6; discussion S186-7 Ecology of toxic shock syndrome: amplification of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 by materials of medical interest; Tierno PM Jr et al.; Historically, the literature suggests that staphylococcal exoproteins, including enterotoxins, are stimulated by various physicochemical ecologic factors, many of which have been shown to stimulate production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) . The propensity of different fibers and other substances to amplify TSST-1 production in toxic shock syndrome-associated strains of Staphylococcus aureus, as well as a comparative analysis of the underlying mechanisms of TSST-1 production, are reported . Two hundred twenty intravaginal devices or other products and materials and 60 experimental controls were examined for their propensity to induce TSST-1 production . Certain materials are superior to unaltered cotton in providing a more absorbent fiber--nutrients are efficiently drawn in, concentrating protein between fibers, and thereby creating an ideal physicochemical environment for the amplification of TSST-1 and other toxins . The greatest stimulation of TSST-1 was observed with (in decreasing order): polyester and carboxymethyl cellulose, polyacrylates, viscose rayon, gelatin foam, polyurethane, and cotton . No toxin was found with nasal tampons (polymer of polyvinyl acetal) or with vaginal cups (an elastomeric polymer) . Results are discussed in terms of specific ecologic parameters from historical as well as recent perspectives. Rev Infect Dis, 1989 Jan-Feb, 11 Suppl 1, S157 - 66 Effect of magnesium on in vitro production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1; James JF et al.; Batch and chemostat culture of Staphylococcus aureus strain S411 was conducted in an investigation of the role of Mg++ in the control of production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) . Under both growth conditions, Mg++ influenced bacterial growth, and TSST-1 production was correlated with bacterial growth . The specific activity of TSST-1 (ng/mg yield, ng/mg total protein) increased with increasing concentrations of Mg++ and was maximal at physiologic levels of Mg++ . No production of TSST-1 was observed under anaerobic conditions . In chemostat cultures in which valine nutrient limitation was used with various levels of tryptophan in the chemically defined medium, tryptophan concentration controlled the production of TSST-1 by strain S411, regardless of the concentration of Mg++. Rev Infect Dis, 1989 Jan-Feb, 11 Suppl 1, S151 - 6 Production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 by Staphylococcus aureus under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and the effect of magnesium ion limitation; Taylor D et al.; A toxic shock syndrome isolate of Staphylococcus aureus was grown in a chemostat in a defined synthetic medium of six amino acids, glucose, two vitamins, and salts . Steady states were achieved under limiting and replete magnesium ion conditions as well as with and without oxygen . The biomass and the amounts of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1, acid phosphatase, proteinase, hyaluronate lyase, and total exoprotein were estimated at each condition . Under magnesium limitation all variables, measured as specific production rates, were reduced--apart from proteinase--compared with the magnesium-replete condition . A similar pattern of results occurred with comparison of anaerobically and aerobically grown cells. Rev Infect Dis, 1989 Jan-Feb, 11 Suppl 1, S145 - 49; discussion S149-50 Effect of trace metals on the synthesis of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1; Reeves MW; The effect of 10 trace metals on the production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) was studied in a metal-deficient chemically defined medium (CDM) with toxic shock syndrome (TSS) and non-TSS strains of Staphylococcus aureus . When individual metals were tested, only Mg++ stimulated cell growth and TSST-1 production . TSST-1 yield was responsive to the concentration of Mg++ in the medium, with a maximal yield occurring at 0.1 mM . When other metals were studied in the presence of Mg++ with and without 1 mM ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, it was found that Ca++, Co++, Cu++, Fe++, Mn++, molybdate-, Ni++, vanadate-, and Zn++ produced some stimulation of either cell growth or TSST-1 synthesis or both . The stimulating effect of Mg++ on TSST-1 synthesis was significantly enhanced by adding 0.3 mM Zn++ and 0.003 mM Fe++ . TSST-1 production by 11 strains of S . aureus in CDM with optimal concentrations of trace metals was two to seven times greater than that produced in brain-heart infusion broth. Rev Infect Dis, 1989 Jan-Feb, 11 Suppl 1, S130 - 5; discussion S135-6 Identification of a new toxin from a strain of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a patient with nonmenstrual toxic shock syndrome; Hall WW et al.; The extracellular products of a toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1)-negative isolate of Staphylococcus aureus (strain D4508) from a patient with nonmenstrual toxic shock syndrome were shown to possess toxic activity capable of producing shock and death when injected into rabbits . Fractionation of the extracellular products and the production of polyclonal antibodies to individual polypeptides identified the toxin as a single polypeptide of molecular weight 26,000 . Immunoblot analyses showed the toxin to be antigenically related yet distinct from enterotoxins A, B, C, D, and E and unrelated to TSST-1. Eksp Onkol, 1989, 11(1), 73 - 4, 79 {Effect of staphylococcal enterotoxin A on the development of Lewis lung carcinoma in mice}; Shcheglovitova ON et al.; The effect of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin A (SEA) was studied for its effect on the development of the Lewis carcinoma in mice . It was shown that administration of SEA immediately after the appearance of the primary node in mice after transplantation of tumour cells led to insignificant inhibition of the node growth and a slight decrease of tumour metastasizing into the lungs . Inoculation of mice after the appearance of the primary node with 1/microgram of SEA 5 times a week significantly increased their survival rate . The lack of the marked effect of SEA appears to be associated with the disturbance of the immune interferon system functioning in tumour-bearing mice, since the production of serum interferon induced by SEA in mice with tumours was considerably lower than in the intact ones. Res Vet Sci, 1989 Jan, 46(1), 1 - 4 Prevalence of staphylococcal species in four dairy herds; Watts JL et al.; The prevalence of staphylococcal species isolated from bovine mammary glands was determined in four dairy herds . Staphylococcus aureus and S hyicus were the predominant organisms isolated from cows in a herd with a bulk milk somatic cell count (SCC) greater than 900 X 10(3) . One herd with a bulk milk SCC of 565 X 10(3) had a high incidence of S aureus while the predominant coagulase-negative species were S epidermidis and S hyicus . S hyicus predominated in two herds with bulk milk SCC less than 200 X 10(3); prevalence of S aureus was low . The impact of herd management practices such as post-milking teat antisepsis on distribution of staphylococcal species is discussed. Hautarzt, 1989 Jan, 40(1), 19 - 22 {Specific IgE to Staphylococcus aureus in patients with atopic dermatitis}; Kapp A et al.; It is a well-known feature of atopic dermatitis (AD) that the patient's skin is heavily colonized by Staphylococcus aureus . S . aureus-derived antigens may be important triggers of the immune response and may significantly contribute to the genesis of the cutaneous pathology of AD . Therefore, serum samples of 52 patients with AD, all of whom had signs of moderate to severe disease activity, were tested for antistaphylococcal IgE antibodies with RAST discs coupled to antigens derived from Wood 46 strain . Total IgE concentrations and specific IgE to nine different common allergens were also determined . Only 2 patients showed significant levels of specific IgE antibodies to S . aureus (RAST class greater than or equal to 2) . Both these patients were found to have high total IgE and significant levels of specific IgE to all nine common allergens tested . One of the patients had marked eosinophilia . We conclude that the presence of specific IgE to S . aureus is not correlated with the disease activity in AD . Specific antistaphylococcal IgE does not represent an important diagnostic feature in AD, but may be of importance for the detection of subgroups within patients affected by AD. Acta Paediatr Scand, 1989 Jan, 78(1), 56 - 61 Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in children below the age of one year . A review of 407 cases; Espersen F et al.; The bacteriology, epidemiology, infection types and mortality were reviewed in 407 cases of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in the period 1967-1984 in children less than one year old . The number of bacteraemia cases in this age group increased in the seventies, but only 4% of the bacteraemias seemed to be due to epidemic spreading . Neonates might be at higher risk for S . aureus bacteraemia than older children less than one year old, and nearly all infections in the neonatal period were hospital-acquired . The mortality was 24%, and did not correlate with type of infection, but in neonates it correlated with low birthweight. Lab Anim Sci, 1989 Jan, 39(1), 51 - 5 Chlorine dioxide sterilization of implanted right atrial catheters in rabbits; Dennis MB Jr et al.; The disinfection of right atrial catheters in situ using chlorine dioxide was investigated . Catheters were implanted into rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculi) and colonized by inoculation of Staphylococcus aureus, Sa-80, into the lumen . All of the catheters were colonized and the difference in numbers of bacteria recovered from animals destined for the control and disinfection groups was not significant . Animals were assigned randomly to the control or disinfection group . Treatment consisted of filling the catheter lumen of the disinfection group with chlorine dioxide and of the control group with sterile physiological saline daily for 15 minutes . In addition, both groups received systemic antimicrobial therapy . Cultures of blood withdrawn from the catheters and by venipuncture were negative for five of the nine control group animals after treatment for 5 days . Four control group catheters failed, after from 3 to 21 treatments, without ever achieving negative cultures . All nine animals in the disinfection group had negative cultures after treatment for 5 days . Subsequently, one animal from each group reverted to positive cultures . All nine control group catheters failed during the study, compared to only three disinfection group catheters (p less than 0.01) . At necropsy, culture of cardiac blood, thrombi and catheter tubing sections demonstrated colonization of six in the control group and only one in the disinfection group (p less than 0.05) . Rabbits tolerated the chlorine dioxide disinfection well and no adverse signs were noted. Indian J Med Res, 1989 Jan, 89, 40 - 2 Phagocytic function of monocytes in murine model of Echinococcus granulosus of human origin; Wangoo A et al.; Phagocytic function of monocytes was studied in E . granulosus infected Swiss albino mice, with haemolysin coated sheep erythrocytes, Staphylococcus aureus, latex particles and- Echinococcus antigen coated latex particles . No significant difference in percentage phagocytic activity was observed in mice in the early stages of infection when compared to non-infected controls (P greater than 0.05) . However, in the later stages of infection, increase in the phagocytic activity was noticed . The activity was more prominent against latex particles coated with Echinococcus antigen (P less than 0.001) . Although the significance of these responses is not clear, this study showed an intact inflammatory response with certain degree of specificity. J Med Microbiol, 1989 Jan, 28(1), 25 - 32 Characterisation of methicillin-resistant isolates of Staphylococcus aureus by analysis of whole-cell and exported proteins; Thomson-Carter FM et al.; Thirty-four isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from patients in Glasgow Royal Infirmary were studied . Whole-cell protein profiles obtained by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) were compared with banding patterns produced by immunoblots of exported proteins . Human plasma was used as a source of staphylococcal antibodies for the immunoblots . SDS-PAGE of whole-cell extracts did not usefully distinguish different isolates of MRSA . Reproducible banding patterns were obtained by immunoblots of exported proteins . Analyses of immunoblots by use of the Dice coefficient demonstrated that isolates of MRSA could be divided into two main groups . Immunoblots of exported proteins provided a rapid, reproducible and sensitive method for characterisation of MRSA. J Med Microbiol, 1989 Jan, 28(1), 15 - 23 A new methicillin- and gentamicin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Dublin: molecular genetic analysis; Carroll JD et al.; In June 1985 two new strains of methicillin- and gentamicin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MGRSA) were isolated in a Dublin hospital . Of these, one strain spread rapidly, affecting a total of 65 patients during the following 18 months, and subsequently spread to a second Dublin hospital . Detailed laboratory studies, including plasmid screening, plasmid restriction enzyme digest pattern analysis, hybridisation analysis, location of resistance determinants, and bacteriophage typing with a set of experimental S . aureus typing phages, demonstrated that the "new" MGRSA organisms, termed Phenotype III Dublin isolates, were completely distinct from, and unrelated to, the MGRSA strains responsible for serious nosocomial infections in Dublin hospitals during the decade before June 1985 . These Phenotype III isolates were very similar to MGRSA organisms isolated in a Baghdad hospital during 1984 . Data from plasmid curing, plasmid transfer and hybridisation experiments indicated that 20% of the Phenotype-III isolates expressed chromosomally encoded, high level resistance to ethidium bromide (MIC 120 micrograms/ml), and that this was possibly due to chromosomal integration of a penicillinase-like plasmid. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med, 1989 Jan, 190(1), 79 - 86 Evaluation of an anti-inflammatory factor derived from hyperimmunized cows; Owens WE et al.; An anti-inflammatory factor isolated from milk of hyperimmunized cows was analyzed in vitro and in vivo . Macrophages collected from lacteal secretions of a unimmunized nonlactating cow showed increased ability to kill phagocytosed Staphylococcus aureus when incubated with the anti-inflammatory factor . Mice injected intraperitoneally with 10 mg/kg of anti-inflammatory factor demonstrated an increased LD50 to S . aureus when challenged intraperitoneally . Injected mice also demonstrated significantly (P less than 0.05) less mammary inflammation and involution and increased clearance of S . aureus when challenged intramammarily . Quantitative histologic analysis of mammary tissues from mice injected with anti-inflammatory factor demonstrated significantly (P less than 0.05) more lumen, less interalveolar connective tissue, and less leukocytic infiltration compared with control mice . Mammary glands of mice injected with anti-inflammatory factor and challenged with S . aureus also contained fewer colony-forming units than control mice . The product appeared to exert its effect on the nonspecific defense system via modulation of leukocyte function. Clin Immunol Immunopathol, 1989 Jan, 50(1 Pt 1), 100 - 8 Effects of retinoids on human thymus-dependent and thymus-independent mitogenesis; Dillehay DL et al.; The effects of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA), 13-cis-retinoic acid, and N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide on the mitogenic responses of various populations of human lymphocytes have been evaluated . Superoptimal concentrations of mitogens allowed the greatest RA-induced potentiation of lymphocyte proliferation . All three retinoids at concentrations as low as 5 x 10(-14)M significantly potentiated the proliferation of adenoidal and tonsillar lymphocytes stimulated by pokeweed mitogen (PWM) . However, the responses of adenoidal and tonsillar lymphocytes to Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain A were not potentiated by retinoids . Retinoids also caused significant potentiation of proliferation of PWM-stimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) . However, endpoint concentrations of retinoids required to significantly potentiate PBL proliferative responses to PWM were much higher than required for potentiation of adenoidal or tonsillar lymphocytes . PBL responses to concanavalin A (Con A) were significantly potentiated by retinoid concentrations as low as 10(-8) to 10(-10) M . Retinoid-potentiated responses were also observed wi Con A-stimulated thymocytes, but the endpoint concentrations required for significant potentiation were 10-fold higher than required to potentiate PBL responses to Con A . These data indicate that the sensitivity of lymphocytes to the retinoid-mediated potentiation of mitogenesis depends on the lymphoid compartment from which the cells are obtained . Tonsillar and adenoidal lymphocytes were the most responsive of the lymphocytes tested to the retinoid-induced potentiation of PWM responses . In addition, retinoids appear to selectively potentiate T cell-dependent proliferative activity. Am J Dis Child, 1989 Jan, 143(1), 34 - 9 Epidemic methicillin-gentamicin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a neonatal intensive care unit; Reboli AC et al.; Between October 1985 and August 1986, 49 isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were obtained from 26 neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Medical University Hospital, Charleston, SC . Sites of MRSA isolation were the respiratory tract (33%); nasopharynx (12%); gastrointestinal tract (12%); eye (8%); blood (6%); and catheter tips, wounds, or umbilicus (29%) . Very low birth weight was a significant risk factor for MRSA acquisition . All isolates had the same phage type (47/54/75/83A), antibiogram, and whole-cell protein profile . Agarose gel electrophoresis of all 49 isolates disclosed a plasmid level of approximately 45 X 106 daltons (45 megadaltons) in ten different isolates and no plasmid DNA in 39 isolates . Cultures of NICU personnel failed to disclose MRSA carriers and environmental cultures for MRSA were negative . Ten selected isolates showed lower minimal bactericidal concentrations for hexachlorophene than for chlorhexidine . Standard infection-control measures such as contact isolation, hand washing with chlorhexidine, and cohorting (when possible) failed to contain the epidemic . Ultimately, eradication of MRSA from the NICU was associated with the institution of hexachlorophene hand washing. Infect Immun, 1989 Jan, 57(1), 231 - 4 Determination by western blot (immunoblot) of seroconversions to toxic shock syndrome (TSS) toxin 1 and enterotoxin A, B, or C during infection with TSS- and non-TSS-associated Staphylococcus aureus; Whiting JL et al.; Serum antibody responses to toxic shock syndrome (TSS) toxin 1 (TSST-1) and staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B, and C were determined by western blot (immunoblot) analysis of acute- and convalescent-phase paired sera from 18 TSS- and 31 non-TSS-associated Staphylococcus aureus infections . Compared with non-TSS cases, seroconversion to TSST-1 was significantly more frequent among both menstrual (5 of 8 versus 1 of 31; P less than 0.001) and nonmenstrual (3 of 10; P less than 0.05) patients . Seroconversion to staphylococcal enterotoxin A was also more frequent among both menstrual (2 of 8 versus 0 of 31; P less than 0.05) and nonmenstrual (2 of 9; P less than 0.05) TSS patients . In general, patients with TSS associated with TSST-1-positive S . aureus were more likely to seroconvert exclusively to TSST-1 (4 of 12 versus 0 of 6; P = 0.16), whereas those associated with TSST-1-negative S . aureus were more likely to seroconvert exclusively to enterotoxins (3 of 6 versus 0 of 11; P less than 0.05) . Concurrent seroconversions to multiple exoproteins were more frequent among both menstrual (3 of 8; P less than 0.05) and nonmenstrual (2 of 9; P less than 0.05) TSS patients compared with persons without TSS (0 of 31) . These data suggest but do not prove that enterotoxins (especially staphylococcal enterotoxin A) in addition to TSST-1 may be involved in both menstrual and nonmenstrual TSS . Furthermore, since exposure to multiple exoproteins is more likely to occur during TSS-associated than non-TSS-associated S . aureus infections, the possibility of additive or synergistic effects of these putative toxins in the pathogenesis of TSS should be further explored. J Hyg Epidemiol Microbiol Immunol, 1989, 33(3), 277 - 82 Incidence of enterotoxin producing Staphylococcus aureus among pyogenic skin infections; Naidu S et al.; Out of the total 68 S . aureus strains isolated and studied from pyoderma patients, 33 (48.5%) strains produced enterotoxin . Isolates from IED, impetigo and folliculitis exhibited high degree of enterotoxigenicity . SE-C and its combinations with other enterotoxins was common . 60.6% of the SE producers were found phage nontypable . Typable enterotoxigenic strains were associated with III, IV and mixed phage groups . S . aureus var . hominis and S . aureus var . bovis are the prevalent subspecies types and potent SE producers among pyogenic skin infections. Acta Derm Venereol Suppl (Stockh), 1989, 144, 83 - 7 IgE antibody to sweat in atopic dermatitis; Adachi K et al.; Of 45 patients with atopic dermatitis skin-tested with their own sweat, 43 showed positive immediate-type skin reactions to titres between 1 and 256 . Of 22 non-atopic patients 18 showed negative rea