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D J Brenner

Publications and source records attributed to D J Brenner.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Classification of citrobacteria by DNA hybridization: designation of Citrobacter farmeri sp. nov., Citrobacter youngae sp. nov., Citrobacter braakii sp. nov., Citrobacter werkmanii sp. nov., Citrobacter sedlakii sp. nov., and three unnamed Citrobacter genomospecies.

DNA relatedness studies (hydroxyapatite method) were done on 112 strains of citrobacteria. By using the recommended definition of a genomospecies 11 genomospecies were identified in the genus Citrobacter. These genomospecies were separable by their biochemical profiles. Citrobacter koseri (Citrobacter diversus) and Citrobacter amalonaticus proved to be homogeneous species, as previously described. C. amalonaticus biogroup 1, as described by Farmer et al. (J. Clin. Microbiol. 21:46-76, 1985), was shown to be a separate homogeneous species, which was named Citrobacter farmeri sp. nov. The Citrobacter freundii complex was quite heterogeneous. C. freundii sensu stricto, as represented by the type strain, contained only 9 of 66 strains in this complex. The remaining 57 strains were members of seven genomospecies. Genomospecies 5, containing 21 strains, was named Citrobacter youngae sp. nov. Genomospecies 6, containing 15 strains, was named Citrobacter braakii sp. nov. Genomospecies 7 and 8, each containing six strains, were named Citrobacter werkmanii sp. nov. and Citrobacter sedlakii sp. nov., respectively. Genomospecies 9, 10, and 11, each containing three strains, were not named.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Proposals to unify the genera Bartonella and Rochalimaea, with descriptions of Bartonella quintana comb. nov., Bartonella vinsonii comb. nov., Bartonella henselae comb. nov., and Bartonella elizabethae comb. nov., and to remove the family Bartonellaceae from the order Rickettsiales.

DNA hybridization data (hydroxyapatite method, 50 to 70 degrees C) indicate that Rickettsia prowazekii, the type species of the type genus of the family Rickettsiaceae, is substantially less closely related to Rochalimaea species than was previously thought. The levels of relatedness of Rickettsia prowazekii to Rochalimaea species and to Bartonella bacilliformis under optimal conditions for DNA reassociation were 0 to 14%, with 25.5% or greater divergence in related sequences. When stringent reassociation criteria were used, the levels of relatedness were 0 to 2%. The genera Bartonella and Rochalimaea are currently classified in different families (the Bartonellaceae and the Rickettsiaceae) in the order Rickettsiales. On the basis of DNA relatedness data, previous 16S rRNA sequence data, guanine-plus-cytosine contents, and phenotypic characteristics, neither Bartonella bacilliformis nor Rochalimaea species are closely related to other organisms currently classified in the order Rickettsiales. In fact, the closest relative of these organisms is Brucella abortus. It is therefore proposed that the family Bartonellaceae should be removed from the order Rickettsiales. Previous 16S rRNA sequence data and DNA hybridization data revealed high levels of relatedness between Bartonella bacilliformis and the four Rochalimaea species, indicating that these species are members of a single genus. It is proposed that the genus Rochalimaea should be united with the genus Bartonella in the family Bartonellaceae. The name Bartonella is retained as the genus name since it has nomenclatural priority over the name Rochalimaea. This means that new combinations for the Rochalimaea species must be created. Proposals are therefore made for the creation of Bartonella quintana comb. nov., Bartonella vinsonii comb. nov., Bartonella henselae comb. nov., and Bartonella elizabethae comb. nov.

Alphaproteobacteria↗
PubMed1993

Roseomonas, a new genus associated with bacteremia and other human infections.

In the 1980s, a pink bacterium different from species of the genus Methylobacterium was implicated in human infection. Using biochemical tests and DNA hybridization, we examined 42 strains of pink-pigmented, gram-negative bacteria that were not members of the genus Methylobacterium. The isolates included 6 strains each of CDC "pink coccoid" groups I, II, III, and IV; 10 isolates from Gilardi's "unnamed taxon"; and 8 blood isolates from ill, debilitated, or immunosuppressed patients. The DNA hybridization studies supported the creation of six genomospecies encompassing the 42 strains. Reactions for esculin hydrolysis, glycerol oxidation, and D-mannose oxidation enabled separation of genomospecies 1 through 4. These tests, as well as motility, nitrate reduction, citrate utilization, and oxidation of L-arabinose, D-galactose, and D-xylose, differentiated genomospecies 5 and 6 from each other and from genomospecies 1 through 4. These organisms were susceptible in vitro to the aminoglycosides, tetracycline, and imipenem and generally susceptible to the quinolones. We propose the new genus, Roseomonas, for these bacteria to include three named species, Roseomonas gilardii sp. nov., Roseomonas cervicalis sp. nov., and Roseomonas fauriae sp. nov., and three unnamed genomospecies.

Bacteremia↗
PubMed1993

Endocarditis caused by Rochalimaea quintana in a patient infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Rochalimaea quintana and Rochalimaea henselae are closely related, fastidious, gram-negative rickettsiae. Thus far, the spectrum of human Rochalimaea sp. infections has not included endocarditis. We describe a 50-year-old human immunodeficiency virus-positive man who developed endocarditis caused by R. quintana. DNA relatedness studies, which compared our patient's blood culture isolate with known Rochalimaea species, identified the organism as R. quintana. Our report expands the spectrum of Rochalimaea sp. infections and identifies a new infectious cause of endocarditis.

DNA, Bacterial↗
PubMed1993

Rochalimaea elizabethae sp. nov. isolated from a patient with endocarditis.

A Rochalimaea-like organism (strain F9251) was isolated from a patient with endocarditis after blood drawn for culture before antimicrobial therapy was subcultured onto blood and chocolate agars and incubated for 2 weeks in 5% CO2. The strain was phenotypically similar to known Rochalimaea species. The cellular fatty acid composition of strain F9251 was close to but distinct from those of the three known Rochalimaea species and was most similar to that of R. vinsonii. Labeled DNA from strain F9251 was 59 to 67% related to DNAs from type strains of the three described Rochalimaea species, and its 16S rRNA gene sequence was 98.9% or more homologous to their 16S rRNA gene sequences. These findings support classification of F9251 as a new Rochalimaea species, for which the name Rochalimaea elizabethae sp. nov. is proposed. The patient infected with the organism had large bacterial vegetations on his aortic valve and was cured with antibiotics and valve-replacement surgery. Recognition of the procedures required to identify this and other Rochalimaea species suggests that clinical laboratories should prolong the incubation times of cultures of blood and tissue from patients with suspected endocarditis, patients with fever of unknown origin, and immunocompromised patients with fever so that the full spectrum of disease caused by these organisms can be recognized.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Neisseria weaveri sp. nov., formerly CDC group M-5, a gram-negative bacterium associated with dog bite wounds.

CDC group M-5 is a rod-shaped, gram-negative, nonmotile bacterium associated with dog bite wounds. DNA-DNA relatedness and biochemical and growth characteristics were studied for 54 strains from the collection at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One typical M-5 strain, 8142, was further studied by 16S rRNA sequencing. DNA from 40 of 53 strains showed 82 to 100% relatedness (hydroxyapatite method) to labeled DNA from strain 8142. The guanine-plus-cytosine (G + C) content in 8 of the 41 highly related M-5 strains was 50.5 to 52 mol%. These 41 strains were oxidase and catalase positive, nonfermentative, nitrite positive, nitrate negative, weakly phenylalanine deaminase positive, aerobic, and alpha-hemolytic (sheep blood). DNA from the 13 remaining strains showed only 7 to 46% DNA relatedness to strain 8142. These 13 non-M-5 strains differed from the M-5 strains in G + C content, growth characteristics, and biochemical profiles. DNA from M-5 strain 8142 was most closely related to DNA from groups EF-4b (47%) and EF-4a (45%). 16S rRNA sequence analysis placed M-5 strain 8142 in the Neisseriaceae cluster of the beta-3 subgroup of the class Proteobacteria. It was most homologous (98.4 to 98.8%) to Neisseria animalis, Neisseria flavescens, Neisseria canis, and Neisseria elongata. All data are consistent with M-5 being a new species of Neisseria, for which we propose the name Neisseria weaveri.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Accelerated heavy particles and the lens. VII: The cataractogenic potential of 450 MeV/amu iron ions.

PURPOSE: To determine the cataractogenic potential dose of high velocity iron ions as a fixation of dose administered singly or fractionated. The dose is critical to risk assessment and to theories of radiation action and cataractogenesis. METHODS: Twenty-eight-day-old rats were examined by slit-lamp biomicroscopy on a weekly-bi-weekly basis for more than 2 yr after radiation exposure. For the acute exposure study doses of 1, 2, 5, 25, and 50 cGy were evaluated. The fractionated regimens involved total doses of 2, 25, and 50 cGy. The reference radiation consisted of 50, 100, 200, or 700 cGy of 250 kilovolt (peak) x-rays. RESULTS: In accordance with previous findings in the rat using 570 MeV/amu 40Ar ions, the relative biologic effectiveness increased rapidly with decreasing dose, reaching values as high as 100. Unlike 40Ar ions, fractionation of the 56Fe doses did not produce a consistent enhancement at any of the doses examined. CONCLUSIONS: The data support the previous findings of a high cataractogenic potential for high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. The effectiveness for the production of cataracts increases with decreasing dose relative to x-rays and is independent of dose protraction. Although the present study did not reveal a consistent enhancement of effect when the ions were applied in fractions, the results are consistent with at least one theory of the inverse dose-rate effect observed for high-LET radiation.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Accelerated heavy particles and the lens. VIII. Comparisons between the effects of acute low doses of iron ions (190 keV/microns) and argon ions (88 keV/microns).

The nature of the RBE-LET relationship for radiation-induced effects in vivo is not well known in the high-LET range above about 100 keV/microns. Here, we compare the cataractogenic effects of acute doses of 190 keV/microns iron ions on the eyes of rats with those of 88 keV/microns argon ions. The RBEs of the two radiations cannot be distinguished statistically, both being between 50 and 200 at our lowest dose of 0.01 Gy and decreasing to between 2 and 14 at our highest dose of 0.5 Gy; these values are consistent with results obtained in vivo, both for cataractogenesis and for oncogenesis. For this end point, therefore, the RBE-LET relationship probably varies very slowly between 88 and 190 keV/microns. On the basis of these studies with acute doses of 88 and 190 keV/microns particles, the detailed distribution in LET of the very high-LET galactic cosmic-ray dose to which astronauts in deep space are exposed may not be critical for the prediction of biological hazard. Such a conclusion might simplify the task of high-LET radiation risk estimation in space.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Mechanistic considerations on the dose-rate/LET dependence of oncogenic transformation by ionizing radiations.

When exposure to densely ionizing radiation is protracted, the resulting biological effect is sometimes, but not always, enhanced for transformational end points, relative to acute exposure. A pattern has emerged as to the dependence of this effect on dose, dose rate, and radiation quality. Previous calculations indicated that the dose and dose-rate trends can be predicted by a model in which there is a period within the cell cycle of very high sensitivity to oncogenesis. Recent experiments indicate that the inverse dose-rate effect is significant over a very limited range of LETs--from about 30 to 130 keV/microns. We discuss such LET effects in the context of cell cycle-dependent models, and suggest that the effects are understandable on the basis of such models. In essence, the inverse dose-rate effect disappears at high LET because of a reduction in the number of cells being hit, and disappears at LETs below about 30 keV/microns because most of the dose is deposited at low specific energies, insufficient to produce the saturation effect which is central to the phenomenon. At even lower LETs, damage repair yields the familiar sparing associated with protraction of X- or gamma-ray doses.

Cell Survival↗
PubMed1992

Commentary 2 to Cox and Little: radiation-induced oncogenic transformation: the interplay between dose, dose protraction, and radiation quality.

There is now a substantial body of evidence for end points such as oncogenic transformation in vitro, and carcinogenesis and life shortening in vivo, suggesting that dose protraction leads to an increase in effectiveness relative to a single, acute exposure--at least for radiations of medium linear energy transfer (LET) such as neutrons. Table I contains a summary of the pertinent data from studies in which the effect is seen. [table: see text] This phenomenon has come to be known as the "inverse dose rate effect," because it is in marked contrast to the situation at low LET, where protraction in delivery of a dose of radiation, either by fractionation or low dose rate, results in a decreased biological effect; additionally, at medium and high LET, for radiobiological end points such as clonogenic survival, the biological effectiveness is independent of protraction. The quantity and quality of the published reports on the "inverse dose rate effect" leaves little doubt that the effect is real, but the available evidence indicates that the magnitude of the effect is due to a complex interplay between dose, dose rate, and radiation quality. Here, we first summarize the available data on the inverse dose rate effect and suggest that it follows a consistent pattern in regard to dose, dose rate, and radiation quality; second, we describe a model that predicts these features; and, finally, we describe the significance of the effect for radiation protection.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

The 1991 George Edelstyn Memorial Lecture: needles, wires and chips--advances in brachytherapy.

The majority of quantitative data on the effects of dose-rate come from experiments with cultured cells in vitro. These data are reviewed, and it is concluded that results obtained from the in vitro experience may be carried over, in a quantitative manner, to guide clinical radiotherapeutic design. As an example, there are contradictory guidelines suggested to compensate for changes in dose-rate in interstitial wire-implant brachytherapy. The Paris group has suggested no dose correction is required for implant times from 3 to 8 days, while the Paterson/Ellis school suggests a significant correction. It is shown that, based on known radiobiological principles, this controversy can be resolved. These same radiobiological notions, as well as advances in computer technology, have led to the technique of pulsed brachytherapy, which allows the average dose-rate to be maintained at a constant rate, even when the wire activities have decayed.

Brachytherapy↗
PubMed1992

Radon: current challenges in cellular radiobiology.

Radon is by far the most important contributor to the collective dose equivalent. Most of what is known about the hazards of radon daughters comes from epidemiological studies of miners. There are a few well defined areas in which in vitro research can complement such studies: First, more data on the relative effects of differing energy (LET) alpha-particles would help: (1) understand the significance of the depth of sensitive cells in the bronchial epithelium--which varies between individuals, as well as between smokers and non-smokers, and between miners and non-miners; (2) understand the relative hazards of radon and thoron daughters. Second, reliable methods for predicting high LET responses from low LET response, would enable Japanese A-bomb survivor data to be applied with confidence. Third, understanding the effects of single-particle traversals of cells relative to multiple traversals could allow reliable extrapolation of epidemiological miner data to low exposures. Fourth, a better understanding of the nature of the interaction between tobacco and radiation damage would help predict the effect of radon on non-smokers.

Alpha Particles↗
PubMed1992

Constraints on energy deposition and target size of multiply damaged sites associated with DNA double-strand breaks.

We suggest that the observed experimental data on relative double-strand break (dsb) yield as a function of radiation quality can act as valuable constraints in defining the type of energy deposition which causes this basic lesion in radiation biology. Both heavy-ion and alpha-particle data show sufficient trends for quantitative comparisons with calculation to be made. We use the technique of track-structure simulation and search for energy-deposition clusters (containing at least a given number of ionizations in a given diameter) whose relative frequencies (compared to sparsely ionizing radiation) correlate with the relative biological effects (RBEs) for dsb induction. We conclude that locally multiply damaged sites (LMDS) which cause dsb are probably energy depositions of at least two to five ionizations localized, respectively, in sites of diameters of 1-4 nm. Although our derived cluster sizes should be viewed in light of the quality of the experimental data and uncertainties in the computer simulations at the nanometre level, it is unlikely that these estimates of cluster sizes would change greatly.

Alpha Particles↗