Beneficial effect of intravenous lidocaine in cutaneous chronic graft-versus-host disease secondary to donor lymphocyte infusion.

We report two cases of refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease after donor lymphocyte infusions in which the skin lesions improved dramatically with the use of intravenous pulses of lidocaine. This form of therapy has been used successfully for the cutaneous involvement of scleroderma and may have vasodilator and anti-inflammatory effects.

A common high molecular weight antigen of Babesia bovis isolates from Mexico.

Cattle from an area of Mexico endemic with Babesia bovis infections have a dominant antibody response to a 152kDa antigen of the Tamaulipas strain of B. bovis. A mAb termed PB/5, showing a specific reactivity to this 152kDa antigen in Western blots, was identified. The mAb which reacted with the blunt end of B. bovis in an indirect fluorescent antibody test also reacted to a 152kDa antigen in two other isolates (Nuevo Leon and Yucatan), and a 175kDa antigen in the Huasteca B. bovis isolate from Mexico. Polyclonal monospecific sera from a calf inoculated with mAb-affinity purified 152kDa antigen (Tamaulipas strain) identified B. bovis by the indirect fluorescent antibody test and two antigens of B. bovis (65kDa and 152kDa) in Western blot. Since the epitope reacting to the mAb PB/5 is conserved, this antigen provides a basis for developing a diagnostic test or an immunogen.

Babesia equi field isolates cultured from horse blood using a microcentrifuge method.

Babesia equi, a causative agent of equine piroplasmosis, was isolated from horses in the Chaco Province of Argentina, a known piroplasmosis endemic region. Fifteen B. equi field isolates were acquired by culture from 23 actively working horses from 2 ranches. The horses appeared healthy with no clinical signs or histories indicative of equine piroplasmosis. All 23 horses had B. equi-specific antibody activity by the indirect fluorescent antibody test and 18 were also complement fixation test positive for B. equi. Equine erythrocytes were prepared for parasite culture using a microcentrifuge tube method. This method greatly reduces the time involved in cell handling and parasite exposure to ambient conditions. By this method, B. equi cultures can be initiated from very small quantities of blood.

Non-immunologic methods of diagnosis of babesiosis.

The diagnosis of tick-borne diseases such as babesiosis still depends on observing the parasite in the infected erythrocyte. Microscopic observation is tedious and often problematic in both early and carrier infections. Better diagnostic methods are needed to prevent clinical disease, especially when susceptible cattle are being moved into disease enzootic areas. This study evaluates two techniques for early diagnosis of Babesia bovis infections in cattle, DNA probes specific for the organism and fluorescent probes specific for nucleic acid. The radioisotopically labeled DNA probes are used in slot blot hybridizations with lysed blood samples, not purified DNA. Thusfar, the probe is specific for B. bovis and can detect as few as 1000 B. bovis parasites in 10 microliters of blood. The specificity of the fluorescent probe depends on the characteristic morphology of the babesia in whole blood samples, as determined microscopically. The fluorescent probe detects as few as 10,000 B. bovis parasites in 10 microliters os blood. The application of each method for laboratory and field use is discussed.

Non-immunologic methods of diagnosis of babesiosis

The diagnosis of tick-borne diseases such as babesiosis still depends on observing the parasite in the infected erythrocyte. Microscopic observation is tedious and often problematic in both early and carrier infections. Better diagnostic methods are needed to prevent clinical disease, especially when susceptible cattle are being moved into disease enzootic areas. This study evaluates two techniques for early diagnosis of Babesia bovis infections in cattle, DNA probes specific for the organism and fluorescent probes specific nucleic acid. The radioisotopically labeled DNA probes are used in slot blot hybridizations whith lysed blood samples, not purified DNA. Thusfar, the probe is specific for B. bovis and can detect as few as 1000 B. bovis parasites in 10*l of blood. The specificity of the fluorescent probe depends on the characteristic morphology of the babesia in whole blood samples, as determined microscopically. The fluorescent probe detects as afew as 10,000 B. bovis parasites in 10*l as blood. The application of each method for alboratory and field use is discussed