PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

K A Bettelheim

Publications and source records attributed to K A Bettelheim.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Toxigenic Escherichia coli associated with sudden infant death syndrome.

The role of Escherichia coli as a cause of sudden infant death syndrome was investigated prospectively. Strains of E. coli producing the heat labile enterotoxin (LT) or the Vero-cell cytotoxin (VT) were isolated from the intestinal contents of 21/46 infants who died from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). None were found in the contemporaneously sampled faeces of 24 normal live infants in the same area. Live infants were used as controls in the absence of dead infants who had not died of SIDS. This high incidence of toxigenic E. coli among the SIDS infants versus the low incidence in controls, together with the general rarity of finding such toxigenic E. coli in the community of a temperate developed country, made us conclude that there may be a causal relationship between toxigenic E. coli and SIDS. The O and H serotypes of the toxigenic E. coli associated with SIDS infants tended not to be those normally considered to be toxigenic. The toxigenicity appeared to be relatively labile. It is suggested that SIDS may be associated with the infant either acquiring these unusual types of E. coli or more likely that its normal resident E. coli acquire the plasmids to produce these toxins.

Australia↗
PubMed1989

Evaluation of the Phadebact ETEC-LT test for the heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli.

The Phadebact ETEC-LT is a rapid method of identifying enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), producing the heat-labile enterotoxin (LT). It uses staphylococcal coagglutination as a means of identifying the LT released from ETEC. In this investigation both known strains of ETEC from a variety of sources as well as strains from patients were tested. Good agreement was found between the Phadebact ETEC-LT test and established tests for LT. The test was found easy to use in the clinical laboratory environment, and revealed that LT producing ETEC may be more common causes of diarrhoea in Australia than had been anticipated.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1989

Applications of a new method for devising bacteriological serotyping schemes.

Greatly simplified serotyping schemes were devised for two organisms, Escherichia coli and Campylobacter jejuni. The mathematical approach developed to improve the E. coli serotyping routine at the National Health Institute in New Zealand was used on three previously published data sets. It had been considered possible that the mathematical method used in the first study was specific to that data set and therefore not applicable elsewhere. This paper verifies that the mathematical method works on two other E. coli collections and on another bacterium, C. jejuni, and therefore greatly strengthens the assertion made in the earlier paper (C.J. Thompson, J. Clin. Microbiol. 25:774-780, 1987) that this mathematical approach has general applications and can be used to produce efficient and effective serotyping schemes in any laboratory choosing to apply the method to its set of sera.

Campylobacter fetus↗
PubMed1988

The 1985 national immunisation survey: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough)

In April 1985 a national immunisation survey was conducted in which sera were collected from almost 3000 randomly selected children throughout New Zealand. The sera collected were from about 1000 new school entrants (mean age 5 years), 1000 standard 3 students (mean age 10 years), and 1000 form 4 students (mean age 15 years). The sera were tested for diphtheria and tetanus immunity and antibody to pertussis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. The percentage of those immune to diphtheria decreased with age from 73.1% in the 5 year olds to 53.7% in the 15 year olds. The percentage of those immune to tetanus decreased with age from 66.9% in the 5 year olds to 54.6% in the 10 year olds but then increased to 64.0% in the 15 year olds. While more than 71.0% of the 10 and 15 year olds had measurable antibody to pertussis, only a low 54.4% of the 5 year olds did. The proportion immune to diphtheria and tetanus in both Maoris and Europeans was approximately similar in all three age groups. More Maoris (78.9%) than Europeans (66.1%) had antibody to pertussis. When the data had been standardised for age and ethnic group the percentage with antibody to pertussis and immunity to diphtheria was highest in the southern region, while for tetanus immunity the percentage immune was highest in the northern and southern regions. We conclude that a sizeable pool of new school entrants (mean age 5 years) without antibody to pertussis is accumulating at a time when pertussis still persists.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

New method of serotyping Escherichia coli: implementation and verification.

This paper describes the implementation and verification of a new method of serotyping Escherichia coli based on a mathematical analysis of the results of agglutination reactions between standard O antigens of E. coli and rabbit antisera raised against them. Details of the new method, which uses on average one-fifth of the serum used for the old method and is now in routine use in New Zealand, are given.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1987

HeLa cell-adherent enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in children under 1 year of age in Thailand.

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) was isolated from 11% of 148 Hmong children under 1 year old with diarrhea at a refugee camp in northern Thailand. Of 16 children with EPEC-associated diarrhea, 11 were infected with EPEC that adhered to HeLa cells in a diffuse pattern, 3 were infected with EPEC that adhered to HeLa cells in a localized adherence (LA) pattern, and 2 were infected with EPEC that were nonadherent. In Bangkok, EPEC was isolated from 6% of 64 children under 1 year old with diarrhea and 7% of 56 children of the same age without diarrhea. Of four children with diarrhea, two were infected with EPEC with an LA pattern, and two were infected with nonadherent EPEC. Of four children without diarrhea, one was infected with EPEC with an LA pattern, one was infected with EPEC that adhered in a diffuse pattern, and two were infected with nonadherent EPEC. The 21 EPEC isolates with an LA pattern hybridized with the EPEC adherence factor DNA probe. EPEC was the only enteric pathogen identified in 16 (80%) of 20 children with EPEC-associated diarrhea. EPEC was as frequently isolated from children under 1 year old as were other bacterial enteric pathogens. The problem of identifying EPEC with pools of polyvalent antisera are described, and the need to identify additional enteropathogenic determinants of EPEC is discussed.

Bacterial Adhesion↗
PubMed1986

Serological studies on leptospiral antibodies in dairy milkers in three regions of the South Island of New Zealand.

The antibody levels of leptospiral antigens among dairy herds were determined and correlated with those of the milkers in three areas of the South Island of New Zealand. The milkers filled out an extensive questionnaire giving age and sex of the milker, as well as details of the herd milked and his/her association with it. The serological results are compared with these data and the value of such seroepidemiological studies examined from the point of view of the advantages of vaccinating cattle to protecting the milker from leptospirosis. Antibodies to L. interrogans serovar hardjo were the ones most frequently encountered among the milkers; however, antibodies to other serovars were also noted. Some animals in most herds had antibodies to serovar hardjo. These studies suggest that vaccinating cattle with serovar hardjo would not necessarily reduce the human incidence of leptospirosis in this population.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Commemoration of the publication 100 years ago of the papers by Dr. Th. Escherich in which are described for the first time the organisms that bear his name.

The centenary of the publication by Dr. Th. Escherich of his papers on the colonization of the intestines of neonates by bacteria is commemorated. His papers are reviewed and discussed from the point of view of current knowledge. The organisms described by him as Bacterium coli commune and now known as Escherichia coli are particularly discussed and their role as enteropathogens assessed. Current work on these organisms is contrasted with studies on them over the last 100 years.

Austria↗
PubMed1986

A comparison of serotyping, BRENDA-typing and incompatibility grouping, and toxin testing of haemolytic Escherichia coli isolated from piglets before and after weaning.

Before weaning, some young pigs in a research piggery excreted in their faeces a weakly haemolytic non-enterotoxigenic serotype of Escherichia Coli. After weaning, all of the pigs excreted strongly haemolytic Escherichia coli of known enteropathogenic serotypes (0-138 and 0-139). The 0-138 serotype produced vero cell toxin, whilst the 0-139 serotype elaborated heat labile enterotoxin. Haemolytic enterotoxigenic E. Coli were also recovered from three-week-old unweaned piglets with so-called ;milk scours; and from pigs with post-weaning diarrhoea on two local commercial piggeries. Selected haemolytic isolates were compared using serotyping, bacterial restriction endonuclease DNA analysis (BRENDA) and incompatibility grouping. The three typing methods divided most of the isolates into the same groupings; the exceptions were two isolates with the same BRENDA pattern and incompatibility group, but with different H-serotypes, and eleven isolates with the same serotype and BRENDA pattern but which showed differences in colony compatibility such that they were divided into five subgroups of a single incompatibility type.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1986

Serological studies of legionellosis in New Zealand.

The service performed by the Legionella Reference Laboratory in New Zealand over the last 4 years is described. During this period the number of antigens used in the indirect fluorescent antibody test increased from 4 to 19. The percentage of patients diagnosed has risen concomitantly. Species or serogroups found particularly frequently included L. pneumophila serogroup (SG) 6, L. micdadei, L. jordanis and L. longbeachae SG 1. Cultural studies and direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) studies were also performed. In addition to other species or serogroups, L. dumoffii was isolated from a patient and L. oakridgensis was observed by DFA in a postmortem specimen.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1985

The use of the coagglutination test to determine whether Australian and New Zealand isolates of Escherichia coli produce the heat-labile enterotoxin.

A rapid method for identifying strains of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) which produce the heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) was evaluated. It was shown generally to be more sensitive in identifying LT producing ETEC than the traditional methods. It is considered particularly useful for the small laboratory, because no complex equipment is required.

Agglutination Tests↗