Intestinal mast cells and eosinophils in relation to Strongyloides ratti adult expulsion from the small and large intestines of rats.

Mucosal mast cells (MMC) play a crucial role in the expulsion of Strongyloides ratti adults from the small intestine of mice. We reported the large intestinal parasitism of S. ratti in rats, and there has been no report on MMC in the large intestine of the natural host. We studied kinetics of MMC, together with eosinophils, in the upper and lower small intestines, caecum and colon of infected rats. Two distinct phases of mastocytosis were revealed: one in the upper small intestine triggered by stimulation of 'ordinary' adults, and the other in the colon stimulated by 'immune-resistant' adults that started parasitizing the colon around 19 days post-infection. In all 4 intestinal sites, the MMC peaks were observed 5-7 days after the number of adult worms became the maximum and the height of MMC peaks appeared to be dependent on the number of parasitic adults, suggesting an important role played by worms themselves in the MMC buildup.

Strongyloides ratti: transplantation of adults recovered from the small intestine at different days after infection into the colon of naive and infection-primed Wistar rats, and the effect of antioxidant treatment on large intestinal parasitism.

Strongyloides ratti (Nagoya strain) is unique in that a portion of adults parasitizing the small intestine withstands 'worm expulsion', which starts at around day 8 post-infection (p.i.) by host immunity, and establishes in the large intestine after day 19 p.i. To investigate the mechanism, adults obtained from the small intestine at day 7 or 19 p.i. were transplanted into the colon of infection-primed immune rats. Adults obtained at day 7 p.i. were rejected quickly, whereas those obtained at day 19 p.i. could establish infection. Moreover, the body length and the number of intrauterine eggs increased in the large intestine. In a separate experiment, large intestinal parasitism was abolished by the treatment of host rats with an anti-oxidant, butylated hydroxyanisole. These results indicate that small intestinal adults between days 7 and 19 p.i. acquired the ability to parasitize the large intestine of immune rats, and that free radicals produced by the host may have played a significant role in the process.

Seroepidemiology of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in wild mice captured in northern Turkey.

An expedition across the Asian part of the Black Sea coast and national parks of Northern Turkey was organized in the summer of 2001 to investigate the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), Lyme borreliosis agent, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, agent, in wild mice. A total of 65 Apodemus flavicollis, Apodemus sylvaticus, Microtus epiroticus, Crocidura suaveolens and Mus macedonicus, were captured. Two out of 22 Apodemus sylvaticus specimens were seropositive for B. afzelii by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as confirmed by Western blotting, however cultures of skin and bladder samples from all small mammals in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly's medium-II remained negative for B. burgdorferi s.l. All sera tested were negative for Anaplasma phagocytophilum by indirect immunofluorescent assay. The prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. and Anaplasma phagocytophilum is low in wild mice of the Asian part of Northern Turkey.

Effects of Brugia pahangi infection on the cardiovascular system of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

To determine if filarial infection causes any effect on the cardiovascular system of the host animal, stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats were infected with Brugia pahangi under the assumption that these rats would reveal pathological changes more clearly and in a shorter period than would ordinary rats. The infection resulted in loss of body weight, increase in heart weight, enlargement of left ventricle, and higher mortality rate.

Negative incidence of Lyme disease-related Borrelia spp. in Alishan, Taiwan.

To investigate the prevalence of Lyme disease-related Borrelia species, wild rodents were captured around Yushan National Park and Alishan Forest Recreation Area Park in Taiwan 2,000 to 3,000 meters above sea level. Borrelia was not isolated from 67 small mammals of 7 species. Sera from rodents showed no positive reactivity against whole cell antigens of B. garinii, B. afzelii or B. valaisiana by ELISA. These results suggested that Lyme disease is not endemic to the Alishan area.

Tick bite by Haemaphysalis megaspinosa - first case.

We describe the first case of tick bite by Haemaphysalis megaspinosa. The tick was found on the skin at the right occipital area in a 5-year-old girl, who had gone on a picnic twice to a mountain 1 and 5 days before she noticed the tick. The tick was surgically removed. The tick was identified as an adult female of Haemaphysalis megaspinosa from its morphological characteristics. This is the first report of tick bite by Haemaphysalis megaspinosa.

Isolation of Orientia tsutsugamushi from Leptotrombidium fuji and its characterization.

In our attempts to isolate Orientia tsutsugamushi from trombiculid mites, a strain was successfully isolated from Leptotrombidium fuji collected in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. This is the first case of isolation of O. tsutsugamushi from L. fuji. A phylogenetic analysis based on the base-sequence homology of the 56-kDa type-specific antigen-gene indicated that the strain is a new type which is not closely related to any strains analyzed previously. Three strains isolated from Leptotrombidium pallidum harvested at the same area were identified as being closely related to the JP-2 type (subtype-2 of Karp type in Japan) by phylogenetic analysis.

Characterization and identification of Borrelia isolates as Borrelia valaisiana in Taiwan and Kinmen Islands.

Eleven pure cultures of Borrelia from 3 species of wild rodents (Apodemus agrarius, Mus formosanus, Rattus losea) captured in Taichung, located in the center of Taiwan island, and on Kinmen Island were characterized. Five isolates showed restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of 5S-23S rRNA gene intergenic spacer sequences identical to those of strains 5MT and 10MT, identified as Borrelia valaisiana, which were isolated in the southern tip of South Korea. Although the remaining six isolates showed novel RFLP patterns, these isolates showed more similarity to members of B. valaisiana from Korea, Japan and Europe based on 16S rRNA gene and flagellin gene sequences. This led us to speculate that transmission and proliferation of this type of borrelia occurred between Taiwan and the southern part of South Korea.

Decreased prevalence of Orientia tsutsugamushi in trombiculid mites and wild rodents in the Primorye region, Far East Russia.

The isolation of Orientia tsutsugamushi was attempted from 249 rodents and approximately 14,000 trombiculid mites captured in the Primorye region, Far East Russia in 1993 and 1994, where high infection rates were recorded in both rodents and mites in the 1960s. However, no rickettsia was isolated from the samples. Low antibody titers against O. tsutsugamushi were detected in 7.1% of the rodents. These results indicate that the prevalence of O. tsutsugamushi in the Primorye region has decreased considerably in the past 30 years.

A second peak of egg excretion in Strongyloides ratti-infected rats: its origin and biological meaning.

In Strongyloides ratti-infected rats, 2 peaks of egg excretion were observed; a large one with maximum egg production on days 7-8 of infection and a small more inconspicuous one around day 25. The second peak, which had been ignored in most studies, was produced by adults in the caecum and the colon. The adults were larger in length and had more embryonated eggs in the uterus compared with adults in the small intestine at day 25 post-infection. It is suggested that parasitic adults once expelled from the small intestine resettle and recover in the large intestine. Filter paper faecal culture carried out for 9 days at different days post-infection revealed that the total number of infective larvae that developed during the second peak was twice the number that developed during the first peak, despite the fact that total egg output during the second peak was less than one twentieth of the first peak. The results suggest that the small second peak was as important as the first one in the transmission of S. ratti.

[Analysis of prevalent Orientia tsutsugamushi in Aichi Prefecture].

Orientia tsutsugamushi was isolated from one of 8 patients' sera in Aichi Prefecture, and was identified to have the same antigenicity with the KN-2 strain (KN-2 like) based on the reactivity with 13 types of strain-specific or cross-reactive monoclonal antibodies to Karp, Gilliam, and Kato strains. Four isolates from 4 unfed larvae and adult of Leptotrombidium pallidum were also classified as the KN-3 like strains. Using indirect immunofluorescence, sera from 20 patients with tsutsugamushi disease were tested for reactivity with KN-1, KN-2, KN-3, and GJ-1 strains, isolated from patients in Gifu Prefecture. Fifteen sera showed the highest titer against KN-2 strain in Immunogloburin M (IgM). Of the other 5, three were higher for KN-3 strain in IgM, and two were KN-1 or GJ-1, respectively. These results suggested that KN-2 like strains were prevalent in the region where the number of patients has been ranked the highest in Aichi Prefecture. KN-1, KN-3, and GJ-1 like strains were also existed in this area. KN-3 like strain was likely to be distributed in another area. Aichi Prefecture.

New species of Neotrombicula (Acari: Trombiculidae) from the southern Primorye territory, Russian Far East.

Neotrombicula kanekoi n. sp. is described from Apodemus agrarius and Crocidura lasiura collected in the Primorye Territory, Russian Far East. This species is close to N. subsignata but differs in having eight setae in the first posthumeral row, whereas N. subsignata has six. The new species is the sixth known member of the bisignata group in the Far East.

Chondroma of the diaphragm--report of a case.

A rare case of chondroma of the diaphragm is reported. The patient was a 23-year-old female who had had recurrent upper abdominal pain for 4 years. Her symptoms and physical findings on admission suggested an intra-abdominal tumor. Roentgenological study disclosed a mass with a thick calcified wall in the upper abdomen. Laparoscopy revealed a multinodular white mass protruding from the left hemidiaphragm. The mass was surgically enucleated from the diaphragm. The resected tumor had a thick, calcified wall and a narrow lumen containing colorless fluid. Microscopic examination disclosed a hyaline chondroid matrix with mature chondrocytes, as well as extensive ossification. Primary tumor of the diaphragm is an uncommon disease. Only one case of chondroma of the diaphragm has been reported in the literature. Laparoscopy was useful in confirming the tumor's location and in speculating on its nature.

Factors influencing development of free-living generations of Strongyloides stercoralis.

The effects of duration of infection and of temperature and nourishment in cultures on development of free-living generations of Strongyloides stercoralis were studied quantitatively. Rhabditiform larvae, 228-353 microns long, were collected from infected dogs with or without prednisolone treatment using the Baermann apparatus. Cultures were carried out by the filter paper test-tube method under the following condition: incubation temperature 15-40 degrees C and faecal dilution 1:0-1:16. Rhabditiform larvae developed predominantly to free-living females at incubation temperatures of 15-30 degrees C and low faecal dilutions, but filariform larvae appeared mainly under extreme conditions such as high temperature. Recovery rates of filariform larvae were inversely related to those of females. It was remarkable that high temperature, but not low faecal dilution, affected development of filariform larvae. Although the appearance of free-living males was constant in various environmental conditions, the present study indicated an increase in free-living males with the duration of infection. Thus, it seems that free-living males are already fixed as male in the egg stage, and potential female rhabditiform larvae differentiate into free-living females or filariform larvae depending on environmental factors. There is no marked difference in the development of rhabditiform larvae into filariform larvae in either the immunosuppressed dog or the intact dog.

Effect of ethanol on sialidase activity of peripheral lymphocytes.

Sialidase activity of peripheral mononuclear cells, which are mostly lymphocytes, was found to be increased by lectin stimulations in in vitro experiments, but this induction was suppressed in the presence of 50 mM ethanol. This increasing change and its suppressive effect by lectins and ethanol were parallel to blastogenic change of the cells determined by 3H-thymidine uptake. In in vivo, sialidase activity of peripheral MNC prepared from patients with alcoholic liver disease was found to be decreased or not increased in 50% of the cases, in contrast to the marked increase of the activity in non-alcoholic liver diseases observed in our previous study.

Surface glycopeptide change triggered by contact between normal cells from rat liver and their simian virus 40-transformed cells from the same virus.

Surface glycopeptide changes triggered by mixed culture of normal cells from rat liver cell line WIRL-3 and simian virus 40-transformed cells from the same line were studied. In addition, biologic responses of the normal cells and the transformed cells to three kinds of surface glycopeptides derived from the normal cells, the transformed cells, and these cells in mixed culture were investigated. Surface glycopeptide derived from the mixed culture showed a quantitative increase and a qualitative change in the glycopeptide structure, not detected in the surface glycopeptide of normal cells and transformed cells cultured separately. The surface glycopeptide changes observed in the mixed culture were mainly ascribable to normal cells responding to transformed cells, and a surface glycopeptide change in normal cells induced a qualitative surface glycopeptide change in transformed cells. Differences in biologic response of normal cells and transformed cells to the above three surface glycopeptides were investigated with the use of inhibition of [3H]thymidine uptake of the cells by the three different surface glycopeptide preparations. The inhibition rates of uptake in normal cells were 30% by all three surface glycopeptides (200 microgram/ml culture medium); inhibition rates in transformed cells were 65% by mixed-culture surface glycopeptide, 50% by normal cell-surface glycopeptide, and 35% by transformed cell-surface glycopeptide.