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F Meisel-Mikolajczyk

Publications and source records attributed to F Meisel-Mikolajczyk.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Bacteriological studies of blood, tissue fluid, lymph and lymph nodes in patients with acute dermatolymphangioadenitis (DLA) in course of 'filarial' lymphedema.

Filarial lymphedema is complicated by frequent episodes of dermatolymphangioadenitis (DLA). Severe systemic symptoms during attacks of DLA resemble those of septicemia. The question we asked was whether bacterial isolates can be found in the peripheral blood of patients during the episodes of DLA. Out of 100 patients referred to us with 'filarial' lymphedema 14 displayed acute and five subacute symptoms of DLA. All were on admission blood microfilariae negative but had a positive test in the past. Blood bacterial isolates were found in nine cases, four acute (21%) and five subacute (26%). In 10 acute cases blood cultures were found negative. Six blood isolates belonged to Bacilli, four to Cocci and one was Sarcina. To identify the sites of origin of bacterial dissemination, swabs taken from the calf skin biopsy wounds and tissue fluid, lymph and lymph node specimens were cultured. Swabs from the calf skin biopsy wound contained isolates in nine (47%) cases. They were Bacilli in nine, Cocci in three, Acinetobacter and Erwinia in two cases. Tissue fluid was collected from 10 patients and contained Bacilli in four (40%) and Staphylococci in three (30%). Lymph was drained in four patients and contained isolates in all samples (100%). They were Staphylococcus epidermis, xylosus and aureus, Acinetobacter, Bacillus subtilis and Sarcina. Three lymph nodes were biopsied and contained Staphylococcus chromogenes, xylosus, Enterococcus and Bacillus cereus. In six cases the same phenotypically defined species of bacteria were found in blood and limb tissues or fluids. In the 'control' group of patients with lymphedema without acute or subacute changes all blood cultures were negative. Interestingly, swabs from biopsy wound of these patients contained isolates in 80%, tissue fluid in 68%, lymph in 70% and lymph nodes in 58% of cases. In healthy controls, tissue fluid did not contain bacteria, and lymph isolates were found only in 12% of cases. This study demonstrates that patients with acute episodes of DLA reveal bacteremia in a high percentage of cases. Diversity of blood and tissue bacterial isolates in these patients points to a breakdown of the skin immune barrier in lymphedema and subsequently indiscriminate bacterial colonization of deep tissues and spread to an blood circulation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Vaginal carriage of enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis in pregnant women.

Bacteroides fragilis is an anaerobic bacterial species that is involved in gynecological infections and pathology. The incidence of vaginal carriage is largely unknown, and in order to study this, 120 pregnant women attending a general hospital for delivery were examined. Cultures were positive for eight of these women (6.6%). Interestingly, potential clonal relatedness could be demonstrated among several of the nonenterotoxigenic B. fragilis strains. Among the strains, only one produced metalloprotease enterotoxin. The presence of the gene for the metalloprotease, giving rise to the pathogenic effect on cultured eukaryotic HT29/C1 cells, was confirmed by a newly designed specific PCR assay. The enterotoxigenic B. fragilis (ETBF) strain was analyzed with the help of arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR) and PCR-mediated ribotyping. The ETBF strain was shown to be genetically different compared to several other strains obtained from diverse sources. Our data indicate a relatively high vaginal B. fragilis carriage rate among pregnant women in Warsaw, Poland. Although neither ETBF nor B. fragilis colonization presented a clinical problem, the possible genetic relatedness among the colonizing B. fragilis strains indicates the need for additional research in the field of ETBF transmission and molecular epidemiology.

Bacteroides Infections↗
PubMed1997

Bacteriologic studies of skin, tissue fluid, lymph, and lymph nodes in patients with filarial lymphedema.

Filarial lymphedema is complicated by frequent episodes of dermatolymphangioadenitis (DLA). It is not certain whether DLA is of filarial or bacterial etiology. The frequency of episodic DLA does not depend on the presence or absence of microfilariae. Antibiotic therapy is effective in prevention and treatment of DLA. These observations point to the bacterial rather than filarial etiology of DLA. Skin and lymph node biopsies, tissue fluid, lymph, and blood from patients with chronic filarial lymphedema, and during acute episodes of DLA, were cultured for detection of bacteria. A high prevalence of bacterial isolates from the tissue fluid (64%), lymph (75%), and inguinal lymph nodes (66%) of limbs with filarial lymphedema was found. Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. hominis, S. capitis, S. xylosus, and Micrococcus spp. were the most common isolates. Bacteria were also isolated from the blood of patients with recent episodes of DLA, with strains of the same phenotype and antibiotic sensitivity in all specimens from patients with DLA. Bacterial strains of the same phenotype and antibiotic sensitivity were documented on the toe web surface and in tissue fluid (25%), lymph (26%), or lymph nodes (41%). Increasing prevalence of bacterial isolates in tissue fluid, lymph, and lymph nodes was observed in advanced stages of lymphedema. Bacilli and cocci were sensitive to gentamicin, tetracyline, rifampicin, vancomycin, kanamycin and cotrimoxazole, and least sensitive to penicillin. Blood cultures of patients in the periods between DLA attacks were negative. In healthy controls without edema and episodes of DLA, tissue fluid did not contain bacteria. In lymph, only single colonies of Micrococcus and Acinetobacter were cultured in 12% of the cases. Impaired lymph drainage and lack of elimination of penetrating bacteria may be responsible for progression of lymphedema and recurrent attacks of DLA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

PCR ribotyping and arbitrarily primed PCR for typing strains of Clostridium difficile from a Polish maternity hospital.

Detection of the source of Clostridium difficile strains is of importance for the control of the nosocomial spread of this microorganism. For this purpose, vaginal and rectal swabs from 183 mothers, duplicate fecal samples (taken on days 1 and 4 after birth) from 183 neonates, and 94 environmental samples were cultured for C. difficile. The microorganism was never detected in the meconium obtained on day 1 after birth. On the other hand, an incidence of 17% C. difficile positivity was noted in the fecal samples obtained on day 4 after birth. Forty-two percent of the 31 colonized neonates had been delivered with complications. The bacteria were never encountered in the rectal swabs of the mothers, and C. difficile was identified in only one vaginal swab. In contrast, 13% of the environmental samples were positive for C. difficile. No major difference was encountered between patient and environmental isolates with respect to toxigenicity (58 to 65% toxigenic isolates). All strains were subsequently typed by PCR amplification of the 16S-23S ribosomal intergenic spacer regions and by arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR) with different primers and combinations thereof. All environmental isolates and 11 of 31 neonatal strains were of a single type. The vaginal strain was unique, and among the maternity ward- and neonate-related isolates, only two additional AP-PCR types were identified. When a collection of C. difficile strains from patients hospitalized in other institutions and suffering from antibiotic-associated diarrhea or pseudomembranous colitis was analyzed in a similar manner, it appeared that the strain from the maternity ward was unique. The other strain commonly encountered among the neonates was also identified frequently among the isolates from patients with antibiotic-associated diarrhea or pseudomembranous colitis, indicating its general occurrence. On the basis of both epidemiological studies and PCR-mediated genotyping, it was shown that the environment and not the birth canal is the major source of C. difficile acquisition by neonates in this maternity hospital setting. Furthermore, AP-PCR appears to be a fast and useful method for epidemiologically relevant typing of C. difficile isolates.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗
PubMed1991

New Clostridium difficile serotypes in Poland.

Polish isolates of Clostridium difficile strains of different origin were studied. All strains were serotyped according to the Delmee scheme. Twenty-one strains remained untypeable. By typing them with antisera against 5 Polish strains we observed 5 new serotypes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

The cell-surface antigens of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.

Three strains of B. thetaiotaomicron of different origin were investigated. Lipopolysaccharides were extracted from the studied strains using a phenol-water method. The best purification of LPS was achieved by digestion with nuclease and subsequent ultracentrifugation. Capsular material (CPS) was obtained from the most heavily encapsulated strain. The preparation were analyzed chemically, and their serological activity was determined. All antigens were active with homologous antibacterial sera in immunodiffusion, crossed immunoelectrophoresis, and passive hemagglutination tests. In the CPS equal amounts of saccharides and proteins were detected. All antigens were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with SDS. Capsular antigen slowly migrated in the gel in the form of a single band. Migration pattern of lipopolysaccharides of the studied B. thetaiotaomicron strain was characteristic for S-type LPS.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1980

Cytopathogenic effect caused by Bacteroides fragilis endotoxin.

The influence of Bacteroides fragilis ssp. fragilis NCTC 9343 and 62/73 endotoxins and Escherichia coli O26:B6 lipopolysaccharide on human embryo fibroblast cultures was examined. Different endotoxin dilutions were added to the suspension of fibroblasts in culture medium containing 2--3 x 10(5) cells 1 ml. Results were recorded at 24-th intervals for 96 h. The viability of the cells and morphological and cytological changes were determined. The both tested endotoxins from strains of Bacteroides fragilis produced in cultures of human embryo fibroblasts morphological and cytological changes, analogous to those observed under the action of Escherichia coli O26:B6 endotoxin. The intensity of the changes depended on the concentration and time of action of the endotoxin. The examined endotoxins added to the tissue cultures inhibited cells growth. Cell polymorphism, formation of syncytia, the appearance of intracytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions, cytoplasm vacuolisation and reduction of the number of nucleoli were observed.

Bacterial Toxins↗
PubMed1976

Stimulation of blastic transformation of rabbit lymphocytes by means of endotoxins of Bacteroides fragilis.

Blastic transformation of lymphocytes from peripheral blood of rabbits immunized with formolized suspensions of Bacteroides fragilis was obtained. Stimulation was accomplished by means of endotoxins extracted from the strain with which the animals were immunized, and from a related serotype. Blastic transformation was obtained 21 days after the start of immunization of the animals, and maximum response after 4-5 weeks. Humoral response, checked by the passive hemagglutination test, preceded cellular response by 14 days.

Animals↗