Study on the transfusion representation by nurses and midwives at the university hospital of Brest.

INTRODUCTION: Every day, large numbers of patients benefit from effective transfusion substitution therapy, through transfusion procedures that are generally safe and reliable. This care practice is complex, due to its history through the ages, ethical aspects linked to the donation of blood from one human to another, and the procedures and protocols linked to it. Nurses are a key link in the transfusion chain and are directly affected by the procedures implemented to limit transfusion risks. In this research study, we studied the nurses' and midwives' representations of transfusion, to evaluate their possible effects on transfusion practices. METHODOLOGY: With the aid of the various actors involved in transfusion, we developed and tested a questionnaire, which was then sent to 690 professionals in 69 care units. RESULTS: In total, 491 questionnaires were analyzed, corresponding to a response rate of 71%. The data collected revealed a strong feeling of responsibility among the healthcare staff questioned, with great attention paid to transfusion safety. The risk to the patient is very much taken into account by these professionals, who consider transfusion to be a healthcare practice unlike any other, generating a certain stress that affected all those questioned, regardless of the number of years they had been in practice, but was tempered by knowledge. CONCLUSION: This survey shows that nurses and midwives are very aware of the risks of transfusion to the patient, and that they take these risks into account with the same diligence throughout their careers. It would be useful to carry out semi-directed interviews to refine some of these results further.

A blocking ELISA using a monoclonal antibody for the serological detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae.

A blocking ELISA was developed by using a monoclonal antibody (4082-05-344-18) which specifically detected an epitope on the Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae 40 kDa membrane protein without cross-reacting with M flocculare or M hyorhinis. The results obtained with sera from specific pathogen-free pigs inoculated with M flocculare or M hyorhinis confirmed the specificity of the assay. An immunoblotting procedure was used to characterise the antibody response of pigs experimentally infected with M hyopneumoniae. Antibodies to the 40 kDa antigen were detected two weeks after infection and remained as major markers for at least 20 weeks. Cross-reacting antibodies to this antigen were not detected in convalescent sera from piglets infected with M flocculare or M hyorhinis. Sera from experimentally infected pigs were compared by means of the blocking ELISA and an indirect ELISA. The kinetics of ELISA antibodies after experimental inoculation were also studied. The detection of antibody was rather more stable for a longer time with the blocking ELISA than with the indirect ELISA. In an evaluation of more than 1000 sera from the field there was excellent agreement between the two methods.

[Tracheobronchial lavage technique using the transnasal route for the detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in living non-anesthetized swine]. / Technique de lavage trachéobronchique par voie transnasale pour la détection de Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae chez le porc vivant non anesthésié.

Tracheobronchial lavage has proven useful to research. The technique has been performed in anaesthetized swine using a catheter introduced by oral or intratracheal routes. The risk of mortality during anaesthesia is not negligible. In our trial, tracheobronchial lavages were realized after introducing a catheter into the lung via the nasal route. The analysis of the tracheobronchial fluid samples using a nonradioactive DNA-specific probe showed the presence of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, one of the major contaminants of swine lungs. This technique does not cause any traumatism to the animal and should be an interesting method for the study of some contaminants of the lower respiratory tract.

A specific DNA probe for detecting Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in experimentally infected piglets.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is the primary agent of swine enzootic pneumonia. Because of fastidious growth requirements and its serological cross-reactions with other porcine mycoplasmas, we developed a specific DNA probe for its detection. A partial genomic library of M. hyopneumoniae was constructed in plasmid pBR 322 using Hind III chromosomal fragments. The recombinant plasmids were screened by differential hybridization with M. flocculare and M. hyorhinis genomic DNA probes. One non-hybridizing recombinant plasmid was selected and its 1.65 kbp insert (designated I141) tested for specificity against genomic DNA from numerous mycoplasmas, other bacteria species and DNA from lung tissue of specific pathogen free (SPF) piglets. The 32P labelled I141 could detect specifically down to 400 pg of M. hyopneumoniae genomic DNA. To test the suitability of the I141 probe for the laboratory diagnosis of M. hyopneumoniae infections, we used clinical tracheobronchial specimens from piglets which were experimentally infected with M. hyopneumoniae. The results with hybridization on each specimen were compared to findings with an immunofluorescence test. Of the clinical specimen tested, there was agreement in the two tests of 63%.

Immunological and pathological reactions in piglets experimentally infected with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and/or Mycoplasma flocculare.

The aim of this work was to examine in vivo whether infection with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyop) and/or Mycoplasma flocculare (M. floc) would interact and influence the severity of enzootic pneumonia in piglets. Specific pathogen-free, hysterectomy-derived piglets were allocated to six groups and experimentally inoculated with M. hyop. and/or M. floc at the age of 2 or 8 weeks. Clinical symptoms, frequency of coughing and temperature measurement were noted daily. Lung lesions were recorded by post-mortem examination and histological observations. The cross-inoculation with both mycoplasmas did not influence the clinical or the pathological picture of the disease. Evolution of specific and crossreacting antibodies was analyzed by ELISA and immunoblotting. Animals inoculated with M. floc did not develop any lesions but showed a weak antibody response 6-8 weeks post-infection (p.i.). No cross-reacting antibodies against M. hyop proteins were detected. In animals inoculated with M. hyop, the first antibody response was detectable 4-5 weeks p.i. and was stronger in piglets infected at the age of 2 weeks than at the age of 8 weeks. Three cross-reacting antibodies against M. floc proteins with molecular weights of 110, 47 and 33 kDa were detected by antibodies to M. hyop. Experimental infections with both mycoplasmas did not show differences in the pattern of species-specific proteins.