Bovine immunoglobulin concentrate-clostridium difficile retains C difficile toxin neutralising activity after passage through the human stomach and small intestine.

BACKGROUND: Bovine immunoglobulin concentrate (BIC)-Clostridium difficile is prepared from the colostrum of cows immunised against C difficile toxins and contains high concentrations of neutralising IgG antitoxin. AIMS: To determine the proportion of BIC-C difficile which survives passage through the human stomach and small intestine. METHODS: Six volunteers with an end ileostomy took 5 g of BIC-C difficile containing 2.1 g of bovine IgG on four occasions: alone, with an antacid, during treatment with omeprazole, and within enteric coated capsules. RESULTS: When BIC-C difficile was taken alone, a mean (SEM) of 1033 (232) mg of bovine IgG was recovered in the ileal fluid representing 49% of the total ingested dose. Bovine IgG recovery was not significantly increased by antacid (636 (129) mg) or omeprazole (1052 (268) mg). The enteric capsules frequently remained intact or only partially opened in the ileal effluent and free bovine IgG levels were low in this treatment group (89 (101) mg). Bovine IgG recovery was higher in volunteers with shorter (less than two hours) mouth to ileum transit times (68% versus 36%, p<0. 05). Specific bovine IgG against C difficile toxin A was detected in ileal fluid following oral BIC. Toxin neutralising activity was also present and correlated closely with bovine IgG levels (r=0.95, p<0. 001). CONCLUSION: BIC-C difficile resists digestion in the human upper gastrointestinal tract and specific anti-C difficile toxin A binding and neutralising activity was retained. Passive oral immunotherapy with anti-C difficile BIC may be a useful non-antibiotic approach to the prevention and treatment of C difficile antibiotic associated diarrhoea and colitis.

HIV infection among women undergoing abortion in Montreal.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the seroprevalence and correlates of HIV infection in a subpopulation of women of childbearing age in Montreal. DESIGN: Anonymous unlinked seroprevalence study. SETTING: Pregnancy termination unit in a teaching hospital in Montreal. PARTICIPANTS: Women presenting for abortion from July 1989 to June 1993 who resided in Quebec and were not known to have HIV infection; 12,017 (99.6%) of 12,068 eligible women were included in the study. INTERVENTION: HIV antibody testing of serum left over from samples obtained for routine Rh typing; the same algorithm as for serodiagnostic testing, namely enzyme immunoassay (EIA) followed by confirmatory testing of repeatedly EIA-reactive samples, was used. OUTCOME MEASURES: HIV serostatus by age, marital status, region of residence (metropolitan Montreal versus other), country of birth and number of living children. RESULTS: Most (84.7%) of the subjects resided in metropolitan Montreal. The median age was 27.0 (range 13 to 50) years. The serum samples of 22 women were confirmed to be HIV positive, for an overall seroprevalence rate of 1.8 per 1000 (95% confidence interval 1.1 to 2.8). The seroprevalence rate did not vary significantly by age, marital status, region of residence or study year. However, it was strongly correlated with country of birth: Canada 0.16, Haiti 23.5, HIV-endemic countries other than Haiti 5.3 and non-HIV-endemic countries other than Canada 0.0 per 1000. The seroprevalence rate among women born in Haiti was 147 times higher than that among women born in Canada (p < 0.0001). Of the women born in Haiti the rate was 3.0 times greater among those who immigrated to Canada in 1985 or later than among those who immigrated earlier (p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that the HIV seroprevalence rate among women in Montreal is strongly associated with country of birth, women born in HIV-endemic countries, especially Haiti, having the highest rate. These results will help in the development of policies regarding HIV antibody testing and prevention of HIV transmission in Quebec.

Human herpesvirus 6 and chronic fatigue syndrome.

The cause of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is still enigmatic. Using indirect immunofluorescence testing for measuring antibody against human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), this study investigated the association of CFS with infection by HHV-6. Seventeen patients (group A) fulfilling the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) definition for CFS were compared with eight patients (group B) with chronic fatigue but not meeting the CDC criteria. No significant difference was found between the two groups for 30 parameters including sex, age, exposure to children and serology for Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, and toxoplasma. Univariate analysis showed that patients in group A complained more frequently of a sore throat, headache and of recurrent type of fatigue. These three parameters are discriminant in identifying patients who will meet the CDC case definition of CFS. The titre of antibody against HHV-6 in group A (1:99) was significantly higher than in group B (1:15) (P=0.007). Elevated HHV-6 titres suggests that this virus could be a cofactor in the pathogenesis of CFS.

Cryptococcal cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection treated with fluconazole.

A 37-year-old woman with a cadaveric renal allotransplantation required intra-cranial shunting devices after a presumptive episode of tuberculous meningitis. Six months later, she developed a culture-proven cryptococcal meningitis. Without having her ventriculo-auricular shunt removed, she was successfully treated with a short course of amphotericin B (335 mg) and flucytosine (nine days) followed by prolonged therapy with oral fluconazole (400 mg daily for 72 days). Three years post treatment she had no evidence of relapse, and normal renal graft function.

Double-lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis. The Cystic Fibrosis Transplant Study Group.

One hundred twenty cystic fibrosis patients were accepted for transplantation. Twenty-five patients underwent double-lung transplantation. Twenty-five patients died awaiting transplantation (20.6%). There were 13 female and 12 male patients. Their mean age was 28 years (range, 7 to 34 years), and mean percentage ideal body weight was 76% (range, 58.5% to 91.9%). Most patients were hypoxic and hypercarbic. Two patients underwent tracheal anastomosis, 15 had en bloc bronchial anastomoses, and 8 had sequential single-lung transplants. Operative mortality was 16%; all deaths were related to bleeding from extensive adhesions. Actuarial survival at 1 year was 64%. Rejection and infection were frequent during the first month and decreased thereafter. Airway complications occurred in 5 patients but were amenable to laser therapy and stenting. We conclude that double-lung transplantation is an acceptable modality for the treatment of cystic fibrosis patients with end-stage lung disease. It may be a better alternative to heart-lung transplantation considering the paucity of thoracic organ donors.

Successful treatment of steroid-resistant double-lung allograft rejection with Orthoclone OKT3.

An 18-yr-old woman with cystic fibrosis who received a double-lung transplant developed a severe episode of acute lung rejection. Bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial biopsy were used to establish the diagnosis. The rejection was refractory to administration of high-dose pulse steroids. OKT3 therapy was successfully used to reverse this episode. This is the first case report of a steroid-resistant double-lung allograft rejection successfully treated with OKT3.

Three-dimensional computer-aided analysis of the intraganglionic topography of primary muscle afferent neurons in the rat.

A microcomputer system was used to reconstruct, in the L5 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of the rat, the three-dimensional arrangement of primary neurons which had been labelled by application of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and fluoro-gold (FG) to various muscle nerves of the leg. Analysis of the data and animation of the reconstructed images with commercially available software were instrumental in identifying the preferential intraganglionic locations of the neurons innervating muscles such as the soleus (SOL), the gastrocnemius lateralis (GL), and medialis (GM), or parts of the GM. These locations appeared to be somewhat related to the position of the muscles in the posterior compartment of the leg. Additionally, the study provided quantitative estimates of muscle afferent neuronal populations, allowed a comparison of the labelling performances of HRP and FG, and finally indicated that few DRG neurons project to two different muscles.

Two cases of Mycobacterium haemophilum infection in Canada.

In 1987, Mycobacterium haemophilum was isolated from cutaneous lesions, a lymph node, and the right eye of a male patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and also from a cervical lymph node in a 3-year-old girl. These two cases are the first M. haemophilum infections to be reported in Canada.

Ghost mycobacteria on Gram stain.

The Gram stain is a key tool in diagnostic microbiology. Its usefulness with respect to mycobacteria is undefined. The neutrality of mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis on Gram staining of various clinical specimens is described.

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate antagonism of prostaglandin induced vasospasm.

Prostaglandin F2alpha was applied topically to the transclivally exposed basilar artery of the cat. The resultant vasoconstriction and its reversal by dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate was recorded photographically and measured, and the results analyzed statistically. Arterial BP, pCO2' pO2 and pH were determined to insure that the vascular responses were not due to any general physiological disturbance. The results indicated that Prostaglandin F2alpha is a powerful vasoconstrictive substance and that its effects are readily reversible by dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate.