Standardized nomenclature for inbred strains of mice: sixth listing.

Rules for designating inbred strains of mice are presented, along with a list of strains with their origins and characteristics, a table of biochemical polymorphisms, and standard subline designations.

Standardized nomenclature for inbred strains of mice: seventh listing for the International Committee on Standardized Genetic Nomenclature for Mice.

This paper presents a list of inbred strains of mice with their origins and characteristics, a table of the strain distribution of alleles at polymorphic loci, and a list of standard subline designations.

Standardized Nomenclature for Inbred Strains of Mice: eighth listing.

This paper presents a list of inbred strains of mice with their origins and characteristics, and a list of standard subline designations.

Hypnotizability in patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

Hypnotizability was assessed with the use of three standardized hypnosis scales in 86 patients with eating disorders. All diagnoses were made according to DSM-III criteria. Sixty-five patients had anorexia nervosa and 21 had bulimia. The anorectic patients were divided into subgroups of 19 abstainers and 46 vomiters and purgers. Bulimic patients were highly hypnotizable, significantly more so than the patients with anorexia nervosa and age-matched populations. There was also a trend for the purging subgroup of anorectics to have higher hypnotic capacity than abstaining anorectics.

Hypnotizability of psychiatric inpatients according to two different scales.

Data on the hypnotizability of 113 psychiatric inpatients and 58 normal control subjects were compared. The patients' mean score on the Hypnotic Induction Profile was significantly lower than that of the control subjects, but on the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C, these patients and control subjects did not differ significantly. On both scales rank-ordered scores of different diagnostic groups of the patients supported the theory that hypnotizability varies according to type of psychopathology. Some results, such as the hypnotizability of the schizophrenic patients, depended on which scale was used. This finding may explain the conflicting literature on the hypnotic potential of schizophrenic patients.

Presence of the Streptococcus suis suilysin gene and expression of MRP and EF correlates with high virulence in Streptococcus suis type 2 isolates.

Nineteen Streptococccus suis type 2 isolates that had been analyzed previously for hemolysin production, ribotype, and virulence in pigs were examined for presence of the gene coding for suilysin by PCR amplification, and southern blot and hybridization techniques. Based on southern blot and hybridization analysis, all isolates tested contained at least a portion of the suilysin gene. PCR amplification of the entire gene resulted in gene fragments from five of the seven highly virulent isolates and none of the moderately virulent or avirulent isolates. Additional PCR analysis showed that mutation or deletions at the 5' end of the suilysin gene in the less virulent isolates prevented amplification of the sly gene fragment from those isolates. The MRP+ (muramidase-released protein) EF+ (extracellular protein) phenotype was also expressed by the same five highly virulent/sly+ isolates.

Purification and quantification of Fusobacterium necrophorum leukotoxin by using monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) were produced to the leukotoxin of Fusobacterium necrophorum. Two mAbs (F7B10 and E12E9) partially neutralized leukotoxin activity, as determined by a tetrazolium (MTT)-dye reduction assay with bovine polymorphonuclear neutrophils as target cells. Immunoblot analysis showed that both clones reacted with antigens of 110 and 131 kilodaltons. Epitope analysis showed that the two mAbs recognized the same epitope. An affinity column containing immobilized mAb F7B10 was used to purify leukotoxin from crude toxin. Affinity chromatography of 1 ml of culture supernatant resulted in 0.67 microgram or 1350 units of leukotoxin. Leukotoxin was quantitated by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using mAb F7B10 as the capture antibody and as the biotinylated indicator. The minimal detectable level was approximately 1 ng, corresponding to 2 leukotoxin units in the sample.

Partial characterization of the leukotoxin of Pasteurella haemolytica-like bacteria isolated from swine enteritis.

Pasteurella haemolytica-like (PHL) strains isolated from diarrheic pigs are known to produce a leukotoxin that is lethal to ruminant leukocytes. In the present study, 12 PHL strains were screened for leukotoxin production using a tetrazolium dye-reduction assay. Sterile culture supernatant from strain 6213A, the maximum leukotoxin producer, was used as the crude leukotoxin for characterization studies. The leukotoxin was inactivated by heat at 60 degrees C and by trypsin, protease, and amylase. Toxicity was retained over a pH range of 3.0-11.0. The leukotoxin was lethal to polymorphoneutrophils (PMNs) of cattle, sheep, goat, and swine. Chromosomal DNA of all 12 PHL strains hybridized with a 3.9 kb Pasteurella haemolytica A1 leukotoxin probe, indicating similarities between the leukotoxin genes of P. haemolytica and PHL strains.

Biochemical and biological characterizations and ribotyping of Actinomyces pyogenes and Actinomyces pyogenes-like organisms from liver abscesses in cattle.

Actinomyces pyogenes is the second most frequently encountered pathogen, next only to Fusobacterium necrophorum, in liver abscesses of feedlot cattle. Ninety-one isolates, presumptively identified as A. pyogenes, isolated from liver abscesses of cattle were studied. Biochemical characteristics determined by the API 20 Strep kit were similar to those reported previously for A. pyogenes isolated from other infections, except that 18% of isolates hydrolyzed esculin. Nine isolates that resembled A. pyogenes in morphology and in certain biochemical characteristics, but fermented mannitol and/or raffinose, were called A. pyogenes-like (APL) organisms. The five antimicrobial agents, bacitracin, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, tylosin, and virginiamycin were inhibitory to all strains of A. pyogenes and APLs. Generally, APL organisms had higher mean hemolytic and leukotoxic activities than A. pyogenes. All isolates of A. pyogenes and APLs produced proteases and neuraminidases. Ribotyping with endonucleases, including BstEII, ClaI, EcoRI, EcoRV, HaeIII, MboI, PvuII, SalI, and SmaI alone or in combinations, showed considerable genetic heterogeneity in both A. pyogenes and APLs. No specific ribopattern characteristic of each group was observed with any of the endonuclease used. The origin of A. pyogenes and APLs and the relative importance of APLs in causing liver abscesses in feedlot cattle are not known.

Identification and partial characterization of an Actinomyces pyogenes hemolysin.

Twenty-two Actinomyces pyogenes isolates were recovered from hepatic abscesses in cattle and evaluated for hemolysin production. Hemolysin was collected from supernatant of cultures grown in 6% CO2 in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth. The effect of oxidizing and reducing agents, enzymes, temperatures and pH on hemolytic activity were studied using sheep erythrocytes as the target cells. Our study showed that A. pyogenes hemolysin is oxygen stable; sensitive to treatment by protease, trypsin, and amylase; and destroyed by treatment at extreme temperatures (56 and 100 degrees C) and pH (pH 3 and 11). Production of hemolysin was studied in BHI, RPMI-1640, and a defined serum-free A. pyogenes medium under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Maximum hemolysin was produced in BHI incubated aerobically in 6% CO2 and to a lesser degree anaerobically in RPMI-1640. No hemolysin was produced in the defined A. pyogenes medium. Differential filtration, isoelectric focusing and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis identified two hemolysin proteins with pI values of 3.40 and 9.45 and estimated molecular masses of 62 and 58 kDa, respectively. Cell-free supernatant samples positive for hemolysin activity also were screened for leukotoxin activity. Significant levels of leukotoxin were detected in all samples screened.

Further characterization of Pasteurella haemolytica-like bacteria isolated from swine enteritis.

DNA-DNA hybridization studies were conducted on six Pasteurella haemolytica-like (PHL) organisms recovered from cases of swine enteritis. Chromosomal-enriched fractions of PHL organisms served as the source of DNA for Southern blots or as whole-chromosomal DNA probes. Under stringent hybridization conditions, chromosomal DNA probes of a prototype PHL (strain 6213A) organism distinguished other PHL organisms from Pasteurella haemolytica types A1 and T3, Pasteurella multiocida types A:1 and A:3, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae type 1, and Salmonella cholerasuis. The guanine-cytosine content of the DNA of three PHL strains was 41.2 to 42.8 mol % as calculated from the thermal denaturation midpoint temperatures. The PHL strains are Gram-negative, nonmotile, beta-hemolytic, pleomorphic, oxidase-positive, urease- and indole-negative, fermentative rods with the key characteristics of the species Pasteurella haemolytica. None of the PHL strains reacted with the type-specific antisera of P. haemolytica types 1 through 12 as tested by an agglutination procedure. These swine strains differed in their biochemical differentiation from P. haemolytica types A1 and T3 in that all produced acid from M-inositol and failed to grow on MacConkey agar. Acid production from trehalose and L-arabinose was variable with PHL strains. Leukotoxicity of PHL strains was evaluated by a colorimetric micro-titration assay. Sterile culture supernatants of three of five PHL strains were toxic to bovine neutrophils. Results of these studies suggest that the PHL organisms may belong to a new group of organisms under the genus Pasteurella.

Prevalence of Salmonella in raw meat used in diets of racing greyhounds.

One hundred twelve samples of commercial raw meat used in greyhound diets were collected and cultured for Salmonella using standard procedures. Fifty (44.64%) of these samples were positive for Salmonella. Salmonella typhimurium was the most frequently isolated serovar (48%), followed by S. newport (12.76%), S. agona (8.51%), and S. muenster (6.38%). The remaining 10 serovars recovered in this study represented 27.59% of the total Salmonella isolates. In addition, the meat samples were screened for Salmonella using a commercial DNA probe. Of the 106 samples tested, 70 (66.03%) were positive for Salmonella, which indicated that the DNA probe assay was more sensitive than the culture method for screening of Salmonella in raw meat. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that most of the Salmonella isolates were sensitive to a variety of antimicrobials, particularly amikacin and apramycin, and resistant to some others, such as clindamycin, erythromycin, penicillin, and sulfadimethoxine. The cumulative percentages of susceptibility (MIC50 and MIC90) of the Salmonella isolates were also determined. Most isolates were susceptible (MIC90) to low concentrations of gentamicin (2.0 micrograms/ml), imipenem (< or = 0.25 microgram/ml), and ciprofloxacin (< or = 0.5 microgram/ml). Marked resistance was found with the other antimicrobial agents. However, the high MIC values found for these isolates would not be achievable in vivo with the normal recommended doses of antimicrobial agents, so their use would not be beneficial. Numerous plasmid patterns were found in 17 randomly selected Salmonella isolates. Eight of the 17 isolates had 2-7 plasmids ranging from 2.4 to 15 kilobases in size. Eight isolates also exhibited large plasmids in the range of 50-60 and 95-105 kilobases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Application of polymerase chain reaction for the correlation of Salmonella serovars recovered from greyhound feces with their diet.

The polymerase chain reaction was employed to correlate Salmonella serovars isolated from fecal material of greyhounds suffering from gastroenteritis with those isolated from the diet fed to the greyhounds prior to onset of diarrhea. Kennels around the Abilene, Kansas, area were contacted and supplied with materials needed to collect a portion of the diet each day. With the onset of diarrhea, the kennels were instructed to ship the fecal material and diet from the previous 10 days to the laboratory for testing. Forty-one fecal samples and corresponding diets were screened for Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter jejuni, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus intermedius, and pathogenic (piliated) Escherichia coli by direct culture using standard procedures. The fecal material was also screened for coronavirus and parvovirus using electron microscopy. Thirty-five "normal" fecal samples were screened for all of the above mentioned microorganisms as a control. In addition, the fecal material was screened for E. coli verotoxins I and II and clostridial enterotoxins. A total of 61 Salmonella isolates were recovered from the 41 samples of feces and diet submitted for testing; 31 were recovered from the feces and 30 from the diet. Four Salmonella isolates were recovered from the normal fecal samples. Results obtained by PCR, plasmid profiles, antigenic analysis, and antibiogram profiles indicated that 16 of the 31 isolates recovered from the fecal material were the same strain as that recovered from the diet.

Development and preliminary assessment of a polyclonal antibody-based enzyme immunoassay for the detection of Tritrichomonas foetus antigen in breeding cattle.

More sensitive tests are required for the diagnosis of Tritrichomonas foetus infection in cattle and an antigen-detecting enzyme immunoassay (EIA) has been applied to this purpose. An affinity purified immunoglobulin fraction obtained from rabbits immunised with cultured T. foetus served as both capture antibody and as biotinylated indicator antibody. While highly sensitive in the detection of antigen derived from cultured organisms, the assay showed poor sensitivity in the detection of antigen in the cervico-vaginal mucus of artificially infected heifers, with only 75% of culture-positive samples being considered positive for antigen. In a direct comparison, 23/122 samples from a naturally infected dairy herd gave positive cultures, while only 10/122 samples were considered antigen positive by EIA.

Wasting and malnutrition in patients with HIV/AIDS.

It is important for healthcare professionals caring for HIV-infected individuals to understand the relationship among nutrition, HIV infection, and the immune system. Progressive weight loss is a major component of the clinical syndrome in persons with HIV infection and AIDS. Weight loss occurs for a variety of reasons, which, when recognized, may be preventable or treatable. Malnutrition occurring with weight loss may adversely affect the function of the immune system and further impair the infected individual's ability to avoid or recover from infection. Nursing interventions in nutritional care, outlined in this article, can help these clients improve both the quantity and quality of their lives.

The effect of chemical dependency on pain perception in persons with AIDS.

A sample of persons with AIDS (N = 71) was drawn from two tertiary care centers and one group residence. Chemical dependence was measured by the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and the Drug and Alcohol Screening Test (DAST), and the perception of pain was then measured with the Wisconsin Brief Pain Inventory. The hypothesis that the groups would demonstrate a significantly different perception of pain was not supported. Self-report of drug and alcohol use did not correlate well with scores on the MAST and DAST, indicating that these instruments may not measure chemical dependence in persons with AIDS. On scales of zero to 10, mean scores reflecting pain intensity averaged 5.1 and scores reflecting pain's interference with seven aspects of daily life averaged 5.98.

Immunocytochemical labeling of Anaplasma marginale Theiler in Dermacentor andersoni Stiles with peroxidase- antiperoxidase technique.

Colonies of Anaplasma marginale in midgut epithelial cells of adult ticks that had been infected as nymphs were specifically labeled, using the unlabeled antibody peroxidase-antiperoxidase method of immunocytochemistry. Visual comparison of infected and control tissue sections with the electron microscope demonstrated deposition of ring-like peroxidase-antiperoxidase complexes over organisms within the colonies. The intensity of labeling differed among organisms within a single colony, possibly as a result of varying antigenicity. The labeling observed on organisms in the colonies was similar to that seen on anaplasmal initial bodies in inclusions of infected bovine erythrocytes examined concurrently.

Biochemical and ribotypic comparison of Actinomyces pyogenes and A pyogenes-like organisms from liver abscesses, ruminal wall, and ruminal contents of cattle.

OBJECTIVE: To isolate Actinomyces pyogenes and A pyogenes-like (APL) organisms from the ruminal wall and ruminal contents of cattle and compare them with isolates from liver abscesses from the same animals, using ribosomal DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis or ribotyping. PROCEDURE: Specimens of liver abscesses, ruminal walls, and ruminal contents were collected from 59 cattle at slaughter. All beta-hemolytic, pinpoint colonies that were gram positive, pleomorphic rod-shaped, and catalase negative, and that hydrolyzed casein and gelatin were presumptively identified as A pyogenes and were characterized biochemically, using an identification kit. The isolates that resembled A pyogenes but fermented mannitol or raffinose, or both, were called APL organisms. Isolates from the ruminal wall and ruminal contents were compared with liver abscess isolates from the same animal by use of ribotyping. RESULTS: Actinomyces pyogenes and APL organisms were isolated more frequently from the ruminal wall than from ruminal contents. Ruminal isolates of A pyogenes and APL had biochemical characteristics similar to those of the isolates from liver abscesses. Among 6 sets of isolates (4 A pyogenes and 2 APL), 2 isolates from liver abscesses had ribopatterns identical to the corresponding ruminal wall isolates. Also, the APL organisms isolated from the ruminal content matched with the corresponding liver abscess isolates for both sets of specimens tested. CONCLUSIONS: The ruminal wall may be the niche for A pyogenes and APL organisms in the rumen. The genetic similarity, on the basis of ribotyping among isolates from liver abscesses, the ruminal wall, and ruminal contents of the same animal suggests that A pyogenes and APL organisms that cause liver abscesses originate from the rumen.

Serologic survey for selected microbial pathogens in bison from Kansas.

A serologic survey was conducted on an American bison (Bison bison) herd in Kansas for antibodies against Brucella spp., Leptospira interrogans serovar canicola, pomona, grippotyphosa, icterohaemorrhagiae, and hardjo, Anaplasma spp., bluetongue virus, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus and bovine viral diarrhea virus. There was an increase in prevalence of bluetongue antibodies from 38% in 1987 to 100% in 1989 in animals greater than or equal to 24-mo-old. Prevalences of antibodies against the other livestock pathogens were either negative or at levels associated with previous vaccination.

Hematological and blood chemistry profiles of American bison grazing on Konza Prairie of Kansas.

Normal hematological and blood chemistry parameters were measured in 45 American bison (Bison bison) that were divided into three age groups for comparison. There was a statistically significant (P less than 0.05) increase with advancing age in mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, absolute neutrophil and eosinophil counts, total protein, globulin, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen. There was a statistically significant (P less than 0.05) decrease with advancing age in levels of sorbital dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, glucose, sodium, calcium and phosphorus.