Prevalence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Svalbard and East Greenland.

Serum samples from 419 polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Svalbard and the Barents Sea (collected 1990-2000) and 108 polar bears from East Greenland (collected 1999-2004) were assayed for antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii using the modified agglutination test. Antibody prevalences were 3.6% among cubs dependent on their mothers and 21.4% among subadults and adults. Among subadults and adults there was an interaction between population and sex, with similar prevalences among females (Svalbard = 19.5%, Greenland = 18.0%), but a high frequency among Svalbard males (28.7%) as compared to Greenland males (5.8%). The pattern was also significant after correcting for differences in age distribution. The sex-population interaction term is believed to be connected to area- and sex-specific feeding ecology. The prevalences of antibodies against T. gondii in Svalbard and Greenland were high compared to previously reported findings in polar bears from Russian and Alaskan areas.

Acute toxoplasmosis in three wild arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) from Svalbard; one with co-infections of Salmonella Enteritidis PT1 and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis serotype 2b.

Acute disseminated toxoplasmosis was diagnosed in three wild arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) that were found dead in the same locality on Svalbard (Norway). The animals included one adult female and two 4-months-old pups. The adult fox was severely jaundiced. Necropsy revealed multifocal, acute, necrotizing hepatitis, acute interstitial pneumonia, and scattered foci of brain gliosis, often associated with Toxoplasma tachyzoites. One pup also had Toxoplasma-associated meningitis. In addition, the latter animal was infected with Yersinia pseudotuberculosis serotype 2b and Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 1 (PT1), which may have contributed to the severity of the Toxoplasma infection in this animal. The diagnosis of toxoplasmosis was confirmed by positive immunohistochemistry and detection of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in serum of all foxes. The animals were negative for Neospora caninum, canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus, and rabies virus on immunolabelling of tissue sections and smears.

Experimental trichinellosis in reindeer.

Six female reindeer calves were inoculated intraruminally with various doses of Trichinella muscle larvae. Four calves were inoculated with T. nativa, receiving 15,000 (n = 1), 5,000 (1), and 2,500 (2) larvae each. Two calves were inoculated with 5,000 T. spiralis larvae each. Blood samples were collected twice per week for total white blood cell (WBC) and differential counts and for serology using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on T. spiralis excretory-secretory antigen. On day 56, the calves were slaughtered and muscle samples were examined according to the standard digestion method for Trichinella larvae. Blood samples were also collected twice a week from 4 uninoculated, but otherwise similar, reindeer calves corralled separately. Both the total WBC and eosinophil counts of the inoculated animals were, on average, higher during the experimental period. All the inoculated calves seroconverted, showing an increase in the optical density (OD) in the ELISA starting between day 23 and day 27 postinoculation. Very few muscle larvae (<0.08 larvae/g [lpg]) were to be found from the animals inoculated with T. nativa, but about 4 and 6 lpg were recovered from the masseter muscles of those inoculated with T. spiralis.

Ivermectin in reindeer feces: determination by HPLC.

An assay method for the determination of ivermectin in reindeer feces was developed. Ivermectin was quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection after extraction (acetone, isooctane), cleanup (C-18 solid-phase extraction column), and derivatization to a fluorescent derivative using N-methylimidazole and trifluoroacetic anhydride. Concentration calculations were based on calibration lines found from analyses of standards prepared in feces. Abamectin was used as internal standard. Ivermectin was determined over a wide concentration range in a single sample preparation and HPLC run for each sample. The recovery from fortified samples was greater than 95% over the concentration range 5-2000 ng/g wet weight feces.

A screening ELISA for brucellosis in reindeer.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the screening of brucellosis in reindeer was developed. The assay, which utilizes s-LPS from Brucella abortus as antigen and biotin-labelled rabbit antibody to reindeer immunoglobulin as detecting antibody, has a high specificity and sensitivity, as indicated in a validation with sera from reindeer cultured positive for Brucella suis biovar 4 and sera from reindeer free of brucellosis.

An antigenic determinant is shared by psoriasis-associated p27 antigen and the Fc part of human IgG.

Rabbit antisera against the major internal protein, p27, of retrovirus-like particles from psoriatic urine, and against the serologically cross-reacting antigen, pso p27, from psoriatic scale, reacted with the Fc part of human IgG. Evidence indicating that the p27 antigen and the pso p27 antigen are identical has been presented in previous reports. A commercial antiserum against human IgG recognized a component in the pso p27-containing solution used as the source of antigen for immunization of the rabbits. By means of monoclonal antibodies against the pso p27 antigen, it was demonstrated that the Fc-reacting antibodies, and the antiserum against human IgG, recognized an epitope on the pso p27 antigen. The data indicated that an antigenic determinant is shared by the p27 antigen(s) and human IgG, suggesting that p27 antigen(s) may act as antigen(s) eliciting the production of antibodies with rheumatoid factor activity in psoriatic patients.

The psoriasis-associated antigen, pso p27, participates in the formation of complement activating immune-complexes in psoriatic scale.

The psoriasis-associated antigen, pso p27, and antibodies recognizing this antigen were demonstrated in extracts from psoriatic scales. It was demonstrated that the antigen was present in complexes containing IgG as well as complement factor C1q. The complexes were studied with respect to complement-activating potential. This was measured as the ability of the complexes to induce the generation of the complement factor C5a using rabbit serum as the source of complement. The data obtained showed that the pso p27-containing complexes were able to activate the complement system, indicating that the pso p27 antigen may contribute to the inflammatory process in psoriasis.

Participation of antigens related to the psoriasis associated antigen, pso p27, in immune complex formation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Analysis of five serum samples and three synovial fluids from patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and five serum samples from healthy blood donors for the presence of antibodies cross reacting with the Fc part of rabbit IgG (rheumatoid factors (RFs] using an isotype specific, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed only insignificant amounts of free RFs, while IgG RFs were observed in alkaline dissociated circulating immune complexes (CICs). Only insignificant amounts of free antibodies reacting with the psoriasis associated antigen pso p27 could be detected in the samples, while extensive amounts of IgG antibodies and moderate amounts of IgM antibodies reacting with pso p27 were detected in alkaline dissociated CICs from the patients. Pso p27 has been reported to share a common determinant with the Fc part of human IgG. Removal of the RF activity from the CICs of patients with AS by absorption with IgG resulted in a decrease of the anti-pso p27 activity. Monoclonal anti-pso p27 antibodies in a sandwich ELISA were used to detect antigens cross reacting with pso p27. A positive reaction was observed in all serum CICs and in one of the synovial fluid CICs. The data indicate that antigens related to pso p27 participate in CIC formation in AS and may also be responsible for the elicitation of rheumatoid factors in patients with AS.

Monoclonal antibodies against the major internal protein, p27, of a psoriasis-associated retrovirus-like particle.

Four murine monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) were raised against p27 isolated from psoriatic scale. The MoAb recognized the antigen on a subfraction (0.1-1%) of psoriatic lymphocytes as well as in skin biopsies from psoriatic patients. In contrast, the antigen could not be detected on lymphocytes or in skin biopsies from healthy controls. A sandwich ELISA assay using the MoAb for detection of p27 is described. This method, together with a competition antibody-binding assay for distinction of epitopes, demonstrates that the MoAb recognize four different antigenic determinants on p27.

Monoclonal antibodies evoked by the free oligopeptide (Gly)5 reacting specifically with peptidoglycan from staphylococci.

Murine monoclonal antibodies reactive with the Staphylococcus aureus peptidoglycan (PG) epitope (Gly)5 were obtained using the synthetic oligopeptide (Gly)5 in its free form as immunogen. The selected monoclonal antibodies were of the IgM kappa isotype and reacted specifically with PG from S. aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, but gave no reaction with PG from Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus lysodeikticus. Affinity chromatography showed that the antibodies were reactive with the N-terminus of the (Gly)5 peptide. These monoclonal antibodies can be used for the detection of staphylococcal PG in solution.

Rheumatoid factors in psoriatic scale, serum and circulating immune complexes detected by an isotype-specific ELISA.

An isotype-specific ELISA for detection of rheumatoid factors (RFs) is described. The assay utilizes rabbit anti-albumin IgG bound to albumin as solid phase reactant (test wells). RF-activity was expressed as the difference in reaction between test wells and wells containing F(ab')2-fragments of the rabbit IgG bound to albumin. The activity correlated well with the conventional Waaler agglutination test on sera that showed a positive Waaler titre, but several sera that were negative by the Waaler test were positive for RF of IgG isotype by the ELISA-test. The method was applied on specimens from psoriatic patients, and RFs of IgG- and IgA isotype were demonstrated in serum immune complexes from all the psoriatic patients examined. IgG- and IgA-RF was also demonstrated in extracts from psoriatic scale, and RFs in scale were demonstrated independently of free rheumatoid factor activity in serum.