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A POMALES-LEBRON

Publications and source records attributed to A POMALES-LEBRON.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1961

Rapid presumptive identification of entero-pathogenic Escherichia coli in faecal smears by means of fluorescent antibody. 1. Preparation and testing of reagents.

In outbreaks of infantile diarrhoea caused by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, rapid detection of the etiological agent is essential for specific and adequate therapy. Fluorescent antibody techniques have proved advantageous for rapid identification of many microorganisms. The development of fluorescein-labelled antibodies specific for nine serogroups of E. coli and the testing of these reagents for specificity are described in this paper. Results of testing pure cultures of various Enterobacteriaceae as well as faecal specimens from cases of diarrhoea are reported. These data show excellent correlation between the fluorescent antibody technique and conventional serological methods for identifying enteropathogenic types of E. coli. The immunofluorescent technique is more rapid than the usual bacteriological and serological methods in that smears from faecal specimens can be stained directly with the labelled antibodies. Details of the procedures for carrying out the technique are given in annexes.

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PubMed1961

Rapid presumptive identification of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in faecal smears by means of fluorescent antibody. 2. Use of various types of swabs for collection and preservation of faecal specimens.

Faecal specimens that cannot be cultured immediately for enteric pathogens are usually collected in buffered glycerol-saline solution for preservation and transport to the laboratory. Specimens collected in this way are not suitable for fluorescent antibody studies since the glycerol prevents fixation of faecal smears. Transport of specimens frozen with solid carbon dioxide is a satisfactory but expensive method of preservation. The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to explore the possibility of using various types of swabs for preserving and transporting faecal specimens to be examined for enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. Both cotton and Dacron fibres were used and freezing and desiccation were investigated as methods of preservation. The results showed that freezing of faecal swabs was contra-indicated, whereas drying at room temperature enhanced the recovery of enteropathogenic E. coli. Cotton and Dacron swabs gave equivalent results regardless of whether the organisms were detected by culture or by immunofluorescence.

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