Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology

A porcine genomic library was screened for clones containing the promoter of the major acute-phase protein in pigs, inter-alpha-trypsin heavy chain 4 (ITIH4). Following isolation of the promoter, a functional analysis was performed with Hep3B cells. The promoter was induced by interleukin-6 (IL-6) but not by IL-1beta. However, IL-1beta was shown to inhibit the IL-6-induced activation of the porcine ITIH4 promoter.

PANBIO Brucella immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were assessed against Brucella standard agglutination tube and Coombs tests. The sensitivities of ELISA IgG and IgM were 91% and 100%, respectively, while the specificity was 100% for both. These ELISAs are simple, rapid, and reliable for the diagnosis of human brucellosis.

We report an 8-year-old boy with AIDS, extremely elevated serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration and IgG kappa [IgG(kappa)] and IgG lambda [IgG(lambda)] paraproteinemia. This paraproteinemia partially responded to highly active antiretroviral therapy. This case emphasizes the importance of controlling B-cell activation.

We have evaluated the utility of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan antibodies for distinguishing Crohn's disease from ulcerative colitis and other diarrheal illnesses by evaluating sera from 396 patients. Sensitivity, specificity, and phenotypic correlations were investigated. The implications of our findings for implementing these tests in routine clinical testing are discussed.

The performance of different in vitro diagnostic tests for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) was investigated in a transiently neutropenic rat model. Rats were immunosuppressed with cyclophosphamide and then inoculated intravenously with 1.5 x 10(4) CFU Aspergillus fumigatus spores. Animals were then either treated with caspofungin acetate, 1 mg/kg/day for 7 days, or not treated. PCR-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), real-time PCR, and galactomannan (GM) detection were performed on postmortem blood samples, along with culture of liver, lung, and kidney homogenate...

The serological response profile of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV) infection was defined by neutralization tests and subclass-specific immunofluorescent (IF) tests using serial sera from 20 patients. SARS CoV total immunoglobulin (Ig) (IgG, IgA, and IgM [IgGAM]) was the first antibody to be detectable. There was no difference in time to seroconversion between the patients who survived (n = 14) and those who died (n = 6). Although SARS CoV IgM was still detectable by IF tests with 8 of 11 patients at 7 months postinfection, the geometric mean titers dropped from 282 at 1 month postinfection to 19 at 7 months (P = 0...

We recently set up a gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT), using selected early secreted antigenic target 6 (ESAT-6) peptides, that appears specific for active tuberculosis (A-TB). However, ELISPOT is difficult to automate. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine if the same selected peptides may be used in a technique more suitable for routine work in clinical laboratories, such as whole-blood enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (WBE). For this purpose, 27 patients with A-TB and 41 control patients were enrolled...

This study focuses on immunological markers of R4, an important Streptococcus group B (GBS) protein. The results obtained by using rabbit antisera and purified proteins for antigens in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based experiments provided evidence that R4 possesses two antigenic determinants. One of the determinants is shared with the alpha-like protein 3 (Alp3) of GBS, was named R4/Alp3 common, and was expressed by GBS, which possessed the Alp3-encoding gene alp3 or the R4-encoding gene rib. The other antigenic determinant was detected only in rib-positive GBS organisms and was named R4 specific...

Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common life-threatening infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons and frequently occurs before the onset of severe immunodeficiency. Development of TB is associated with increased HIV type 1 (HIV-1) viral load, a fall in CD4 lymphocyte counts, and increased mortality. The aim of this study was to examine how treatment of pulmonary TB affected HIV-1 activity in HIV-1/TB-coinfected subjects with CD4 cell counts of >100 cells/mul. HIV-1/TB-coinfected subjects were recruited in Kampala, Uganda, and were monitored over time...

Prior to being recognized by the cell surface Toll-like receptor 4/MD-2 complex, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the bacterial outer membrane has to be processed by LPS-binding protein and CD14. CD14 forms a complex with monomeric LPS extracted by LPS-binding protein and transfers LPS to the cell surface signaling complex. In a previous study, we prepared a functional recombinant MD-2 using a bacterial expression system. We expressed the recombinant protein in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with thioredoxin and demonstrated specific binding to LPS...

Porphyromonas gingivalis is one of the suspected periodontopathic bacteria. The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of P. gingivalis is a key factor in the development of periodontitis. Inflammatory cytokines play important roles in the gingival tissue destruction that is a characteristic of periodontitis. Macrophages are prominent at chronic inflammatory sites and are considered to contribute to the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Xylitol stands out and is widely believed to possess anticaries properties. However, to date, little is known about the effect of xylitol on periodontitis...

An enzyme immuno assay (EIA) test based on Japanese strain-derived high-molecular-weight cell-associated proteins (JHM-CAP) was evaluated by comparing with a previously developed EIA test based on a U.S. strain-derived high-molecular-weight cell-associated proteins (HM-CAP). Serum samples of 131 Japanese asymptomatic children (mean age, 5.5 years; range, 0 to 21 years) were tested that include 43 positive and 88 negative children as judged by Helicobacter pylori stool antigen test (HpSA test). Both tests showed comparable and reliable specificities, but the sensitivity of JHM-CAP EIA, at 93...

Natural killer (NK) cells, natural killer T (NKT) cells, and T lymphocytes were analyzed by using a flow cytometer in 225 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals infected through the past sale of blood and plasma without receiving antiretroviral therapy in the People's Republic of China. According to CD4 T-cell counts these HIV-infected adults were stratified into three groups: long-term slow progressors, HIV-infected subjects, and AIDS patients. NK cell counts in long-term slow progressors were higher compared to HIV infection and AIDS patients (P < 0...

Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis have been identified as causative organisms of reactive arthritis in humans. We evaluated a Western blot assay which uses Yersinia outer membrane proteins as antigens for the detection of Yersinia antibodies as a replacement for the complement fixation (CF) assay. Clinical agreement, sensitivity, and specificity were determined by testing 19 positive and 21 negative serum samples by the CF assay, Western blot assay, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)...

A monoclonal antibody (MAb)-based antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was compared with the routine culture methodology for the detection of Campylobacter fetus subspecies from bovine and ovine field samples inoculated into Clark's transport enrichment medium (TEM). The work was a collaboration between two different diagnostic laboratories, one in Canada and the other in England. In both labs, TEM samples were incubated for 4 days at 35 degrees C and then tested by culture and ELISA. The ELISA consisted of initial screening with MAb M1825 against C...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Blood of volunteers, genotyped for the CD14 C(-159)-->T polymorphism, showed no difference in cytokine release when stimulated with nine CD14-dependent immune stimuli. An analysis of the published data on the proposed association of CD14 genotype with membrane CD14 density revealed no significant correlation, questioning a functional impact of the CD14 polymorphism.

Meningococcal tetravalent polysaccharide vaccines were observed to be immunogenic in Saudi children 5 to 9 years of age, with >90% having serum bactericidal antibody titers of > or = 8 for serogroups A, Y, and W135; for serogroup C, 77% were putatively protected after vaccination.

To determine whether children have persistent abnormalities in cellular and humoral immunity development after acute Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, serum immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, IgM, and IgE levels and lymphocyte phenotypes were determined. There were no changes in the levels of IgG, IgM, IgA, or CD4+ or CD19+ lymphocytes that were measured in M. pneumoniae-positive patients after 3 months or after 12 months, but there were increases in these in M. pneumoniae-negative patients. Serum IgE increased in M...