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B Weiser

Publications and source records attributed to B Weiser.

41 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Closed circular viral DNA and asymmetrical heterogeneous forms in livers from animals infected with ground squirrel hepatitis virus.

To identify possible intermediates in the replication of ground squirrel hepatitis virus, we characterized the major forms of intracellular virus-specific DNA in the livers of infected ground squirrels. A variety of DNA species were found: covalently closed circular molecules, relaxed circular molecules, and a heterogeneous collection of molecules that migrated ahead of closed circular DNA during agarose gel electrophoresis. The heterogeneous DNA was at least partly single stranded, consisted of minus strands in a greater than eight-fold mass excess of plus strands, and was tightly associated with protein.

Animals↗

Biological characterization of acute infection with ground squirrel hepatitis virus.

Ground squirrel hepatitis virus (GSHV) is a small DNA virus, structurally and antigenically related to the human hepatitis B virus, which occurs naturally among certain wild populations of ground squirrels (P. L. Marion et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77:2941-2945, 1980). Serum from naturally infected animals was used to transmit GSHV in the laboratory by parenteral inoculation of susceptible squirrels. Sixty percent of recipient animals developed viral surface antigenemia after a latent period of 2 to 3 months; three of these animals have remained viremic for over 9 months. Like hepatitis B virus, GSHV demonstrates marked hepatotropism, with viral DNA detected in significant quantities only in the liver, where an average of 6 X 10(2) to 6 X 10(3) viral DNA molecules per cell were found by molecular hybridization. However, histological signs of liver injury after acute infection are minimal. In contrast to infection of its natural host, parenteral administration of GSHV to rats, mice, guinea pigs, and hamsters did not result in demonstrable antigenemia, suggesting that the host range of GSHV, like that of hepatitis B virus, is narrow.

Animals↗

Prophylactic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole during consolidation chemotherapy for acute leukemia: a controlled trial.

We conducted a prospective, controlled, randomized trial of oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole treatment in patients with acute leukemia receiving consolidation chemotherapy. We followed 14 treatment patients during 33 episodes and 15 control patients during 34 episodes of granulocytopenia (less than 1000 granulocytes/mm3). We found no significant difference in the incidence of febrile episodes (13 in treatment group versus 14 in control group), hospitalizations to treat fever or infection (10 versus 12), number of documented infections (eight versus 10), number of septicemias (one versus two), or mean duration of hospital stay to treat fever or infection (8.9 versus 9.2 days) in the two groups. There was little colonization with organisms resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, including Candida, in either group. Prophylactic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole did not significantly reduce the incidence of fever, hospitalization, or infection in granulocytopenic patients during consolidation chemotherapy.

Acute Disease↗