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K R Mittal

Publications and source records attributed to K R Mittal.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Effect of heat treatment on the surface antigens of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae.

Coagglutination and ring precipitation tests were used to study the effect of heat on the surface antigens of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae strains employing the reference strains belonging to serotypes 1 to 7 and field isolates belonging to serotypes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7. By immunising rabbits with formalin-fixed whole-cell suspension, antibodies were obtained which sensitised Cowan I Staphylococcus aureus to coagglutinate antigen preparations which had not been heated, or heated at 56 degrees C, or boiled or autoclaved. Similar positive reactions were obtained with the ring precipitation test. Heating the cultures at 56 degrees C for one hour was best for exposing the most potent serotype-specific antigens in all the strains studied. All the reference strains and most of the field isolates possessed the thermostable type specific antigens which could withstand autoclaving for one hour. However, many field isolates belonging to serotype 1 did not possess this antigen. The apparent antigenic heterogeneity of serotype 1 strains based on the presence or absence of these thermostable antigens could be valuable in epidemiological investigations. It was shown that most potent serotype-specific antigens are present as freely diffusible material on the surface layer of the bacterial cells, which could easily be removed by washing in saline solution. Well washed bacterial cells devoid of surface materials are poor antigens. It is recommended that test strains should not be heated above 56 degrees C for serotyping because higher temperatures are liable to destroy the capsular antigen of some strains and render the culture untypeable.

Agglutination Tests↗

Koilocytosis preceding squamous cell carcinoma in situ of uterine cervix.

Association of koilocytic changes with cervical squamous cell carcinoma is well documented. The studies of such concurrent association may miss those cases of papillomavirus infection where cytomorphologic expression of virus has disappeared by the time carcinoma appears. The authors studied cytologic material before the diagnosis was made of cervical squamous cell carcinoma in situ in 25 patients. Twenty-two (88%) of the 25 patients showed koilocytosis compared with only 6 out of 57 (10.5%) in the control group. The findings of this study support a possible predisposing role of papillomavirus in squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.

Antigens, Viral↗

An evaluation of agglutination and coagglutination techniques for serotyping of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae isolates.

A comparative evaluation of rapid slide agglutination, tube agglutination, 2-mercaptoethanol tube agglutination, and coagglutination tests was made for serotyping isolates of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae. The results indicated that a majority of the isolates could be serotyped by any of these tests. But, it was not uncommon to find isolates which were inagglutinable or poorly agglutinable in homologous sera. Heat treatment of whole-cell suspensions of such isolates was essential to unmask the serotype-specific antigenic determinants; however, in the process of heat treatment, cross-reactive common antigens of minor nature were also exposed. The antibodies involved in such cross-reactions were mainly of immunoglobulin M type, because the cross-reactivities were completely abolished in coagglutination and 2-mercaptoethanol agglutination tests. Thus, both these tests were satisfactory for serotyping inagglutinable mucoid strains. For serotyping strains which were either polyagglutinating or autoagglutinating, agglutination tests could not be used, but the coagglutination test proved to be satisfactory. The coagglutination test was serotype-specific, sensitive, simple, rapid, reproducible, and easier to read and interpret than rapid slide or tube agglutination tests. This test could be used to serotype mucoid, smooth, or rough isolates.

Agglutination Tests↗

Widening of inter-Purkinje cell distances in association with corpora amylacea.

Inter-Purkinje cell distances were determined in random routine cerebellums obtained at autopsies of adults over the age of 50. There was a significant increase in the inter-Purkinje cell distances proportionate to the increase in adjacent corpora amylacea. The possibility of replacement of Purkinje cells by corpora amylacea is discussed.

Aged↗

Serological cross-reactions between Brucella abortus and Yersinia enterocolitica 0:9.

Yersinia enterocolitica (Ye) 0:9 is an organism of great significance in veterinary medicine largely as a result of its cross-reaction with Brucella abortus (Ba). Boty Ye 0:9 and Ba possess somatic antigens in common; as a result of which animals exposed to Ye 0:9 have an immune response which is distinguishable only with difficulty from that induced by Ba. Cattle were exposed to Ye 0:9 by the oral or intramammary routes. Oral exposure failed to generate significant serologic response. In contrast, intramammary inoculation produced a marked response. Serum antibodies provoked in this manner reacted strongly with Ba. The anti-Brucella response provoked by inoculation of Yersinia was sufficient to render milk and serum Brucella-seropositive as measured by the standard milk ring and serum agglutination tests. While both Ba and Ye 0:9 have 9 antigens in common, they differ significantly with respect to motility. Thus Ba is always non motile while Ye is motile when grown at room temperature. The presence of Yersinia H agglutinins in serum were shown to be evidence of previous exposure to Ye. The H agglutinins were not generated by Brucella infection. A rapid H agglutination test was shown to provide this differentiation without interference from cross-reacting O antigens. Results of Ba O and Ye O and OH antigens used in the agglutination test were found useful to differentiate antibodies against Ba from those induced by Ye 0:9 in cattle sera. The existence of enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) in Ye and its absence in Ba were utilized in an attempt to provide a method to distinguish Brucella infections from those with cross-reacting Yersinia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Serological cross-reactivity between a porcine Actinobacillus strain and Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae.

During serological screening of a closed SPF-herd free of pleuropneumonia, more than half of the pigs were positive for complement-fixing antibodies to Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae. Actinobacillus bacteria closely related to A. suis were isolated from tonsillar tissue of 14 out of 20 slaughtered pigs submitted for pathological and bacteriological evaluation. None of the pigs had evidence of respiratory disease. Two pigs inoculated endobronchially with a selected Actinobacillus strain developed mild focal pneumonia and complement-fixing antibodies cross-reacting with H. pleuropneumoniae. Five pigs exposed and vaccinated with the Actinobacillus strain and five pigs spontaneously infected with the strain also developed complement-fixing antibodies against H. pleuropneumoniae and appeared to be less susceptible to experimental Haemophilus pleuropneumonia than pigs not exposed to the Actinobacillus infection. The agglutination test applied on serum treated with 2-mercaptoethanol detected antibodies against H. pleuropneumoniae serotype 5 but not against serotype 1 in pigs exposed to the Actinobacillus strain. Antibodies reactive with the Actinobacillus strain were also found in pigs hyperimmunized against H. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1-5 in 2-mercaptoethanol tube agglutination test and rabbits hyperimmunized against serotypes 1,2 and 7, and strain 73567 in the immunodiffusion test. Conversely rabbits immunized against the Actinobacillus strain had antibodies against H. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. It is concluded that pigs infected with Actinobacillus organisms may become false positive reactors against H. pleuropneumoniae.

Actinobacillus↗

A 2-mercaptoethanol tube agglutination test for diagnosis of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae infection in pigs.

A 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) tube agglutination (TA) test has been developed as an alternative to the complement fixation (CF) test for the detection of antibodies to Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae, a causative agent of pleuropneumonia in pigs. Using sera from experimentally infected pigs, herds with confirmed H pleuropneumoniae infection, and from disease-free pigs, the specificity and the sensitivity of the 2-ME-TA test were investigated and results were compared with those obtained using the CF test. The TA test without 2-ME gave 100% nonspecific reaction. The 2-ME-TA test was highly specific and more sensitive than was the CF test. Seemingly, the 2-ME-TA test can be used to monitor herds for H pleuropneumoniae antibodies instead of the CF test because it was easier to perform. Test procedures for a presumptive herd diagnosis of H pleuropneumoniae have been proposed.

Agglutination Tests↗

Agglutination tests and their modifications in the diagnosis of bovine brucellosis.

This article reviews the effects of using Yersinia enterocolitica serotype: 09 somatic antigen in diagnostic tests for brucellosis. The tests employed include the standard tube agglutination test, the microplate agglutination test, the quantitative plate agglutination test, the growth agglutination test and the indirect hemagglutination technique. Only the growth agglutination technique demonstrated an increased sensitivity over the STAT. Neither the microplate agglutination test nor quantitative plate tests offered any significant advantages over the STAT. The QPAT using Brucella O antigen was clearly subject to false negative results. The indirect hemagglutination technique showed extreme variation in results, the significance of which (if any) was unclear.

Agglutination Tests↗

Determination of antigenic specificity and relationship among Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae serotypes by an indirect hemagglutination test.

Serological properties of antigens extracted from strains of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae belonging to seven different serotypes were investigated. Antisera were prepared in rabbits against Formalin-treated whole cell suspensions as well as autoclaved cell suspensions. Saline and heat extracts and their alcohol precipitate antigens of H. pleuropneumoniae were used in the indirect hemagglutination test. All the antigens used were easily adsorbed directly onto sheep erythrocytes. Saline extract antigen showed maximum type specificity. Heating of the whole cell suspension revealed the cross-reactive minor antigenic determinants. Thus, the heat extract preparations had both type-specific and species-specific antigens. It is suggested that the indirect hemagglutination test may be useful for both serotyping and serodiagnosis of H. pleuropneumoniae infections in pigs.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

Identification and serotyping of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae by coagglutination test.

A coagglutination test for the identification and serotyping of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae is described. A total of 360 H. pleuropneumoniae strains were isolated from pulmonary tissues of feeder pigs which died of acute pleuropneumonia. All of the isolates were serotyped by coagglutination, and the results were confirmed by the ring precipitation test. The most common serotype isolated in Quebec was serotype 1, followed by serotypes 5, 2, and 7. None of the isolates belonged to serotypes 3, 4, or 6. Mixed infections due to H. pleuropneumoniae of more than one serotype in the same animal were encountered. Serotype 1 was the only common isolate among the mixed-serotype infections. The coagglutination test was more sensitive than was the ring precipitation test. Serotyping by the coagglutination test is inexpensive, rapid, reliable, and easy to perform.

Agglutination Tests↗

Detection of type-specific antigens in the lungs of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae-infected pigs by coagglutination test.

Specific diagnosis of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae infection by the conventional culture and identification method usually requires 3 to 4 days. Since H. pleuropneumoniae may be disseminated from infected individuals during this period, this amount of time required for diagnosis may be too slow to aid in epidemic control. To obtain an earlier diagnosis, a coagglutination test was successfully used to detect serotype-specific antigens in lung extracts of infected pigs. A total of 19 lung tissues from experimentally infected pigs, 240 lung tissues from naturally infected pigs that died of pleuropneumonia, and 571 lung specimens from an apparently healthy pig population were examined for culture isolation as well as for antigen detection. The results showed that detection of antigens in lung tissues by the coagglutination test is an extremely rapid, simple, quite specific, and highly sensitive procedure for the diagnosis of H. pleuropneumoniae infection. Further, detection of antigens in lung tissues was found to be a much simpler and much more rapid method than culture isolation. The coagglutination test seems to be especially useful for detecting H. pleuropneumoniae in pigs exposed to chronic infection as well as those in which multiple serotypes are involved.

Agglutination Tests↗

Haemophilus somnus: a comparison among three serological tests and a serological survey in beef and dairy cattle.

Serological tests for the detection of antibodies against Haemophilus somnus were carried out in herds of beef and dairy cattle using three different techniques: agglutination, complement fixation and counterimmunoelectrophoresis. The agglutination test appeared to detect more seroreactors than the complement fixation and counterimmunoelectrophoresis tests. Results of the three tests indicated that there were more positive reactors in beef cattle and dairy cattle from infected herds than in dairy cattle from clinically normal herds.

Agglutination Tests↗

Evaluation of slide agglutination and ring precipitation tests for capsular serotyping of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae.

Rapid slide agglutination (RSA), quantitative plate agglutination, slow tube agglutination (STA), and ring precipitation (RP) tests were performed on 200 isolates of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae by using the type sera produced in rabbits against five known serotype strains and one strain 202. RSA and RP tests both yielded the same results as those by STA. None of the agglutination procedures could be used for serotyping isolates that autoagglutinated in saline. The RP test was successfully used for serotyping such strains. The specificity of the RSA and RP tests was confirmed by cross-absorption studies. All of the isolates except two had strong serotype-specific activities. The most common serotype isolated in Quebec was serotype 1, followed by serotypes 5 and 2. None of the isolates belonged to serotypes 3 and 4. Only two isolates were found to be untypable; they could possibly belong to serotype(s) not yet defined. The RSA and RP tests may be at least as reliable as the STA test, but easier to perform, less expensive, and much more rapid than any of the other methods reported. Of all the procedures studied by us, the RP test proved to be the method of choice for serotyping H. pleuropneumoniae; hence, it should replace the STA test for serotyping H. pleuropneumoniae.

Agglutination Tests↗

Conglutinin, immunoconglutinins and heterophile antibodies in the sera of apparently healthy moose (Alces alces) and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in Quebec.

Serum samples from apparently healthy wild populations of moose and caribou in the province of Quebec, Canada were screened for the presence of conglutinin (K), immunoconglutinins (IKS) and heterophile antibodies. The conglutinating factor in moose and caribou sera was characterized utilizing the necessity of calcium ions for its reaction with sensitized sheep erythrocytes which had been alexinated with horse complement. The conglutinating substance in these animals did not require calcium ions for its activity. The conglutinating activity in both moose and caribou sera was characterized due to IKS as those present in sheep, dog and rabbit sera. Both moose and caribou had non-agglutinating type of heterophile antibodies. Their titres varied from 0 to 80. None of the animals tested had K in their blood. The titre of IKS varied from 0 to 640 with a mean value of 41 in moose, whereas it varied from 0 to 80 with a mean value of 18 in caribou. About 75% of all the animals in both the groups were positive for IKS. The specificity of IKS was demonstrated by the total removal of its activity on absorption with alexinated cells. Presence of IKS in these animals is suggestive of latent infection(s) possibly of bacterial, viral or parasitic origin.

Animal Population Groups↗