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Biomedical subjects

M Lundholm

Publications and source records attributed to M Lundholm.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Diagnosis of pulmonary infections in immunocompromised patients by fiber-optic bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and serology.

Fiber-optic bronchoscopy (FOB) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were performed on 67 occasions in 57 immunocompromised patients with symptoms consistent with pulmonary infection. Diagnosis was achieved more often in renal transplant patients than in patients with hematological malignancies (85% versus 28%). Culture (bacteria, virus, fungi), staining and microscopy (bacteria, fungi, Pneumocystis carinii (PC)) and antigen detection by indirect immunofluorescence (cytomegalovirus (CMV), respiratory viruses, PC, Legionella) were used for diagnosis. On 20 occasions transbronchial biopsies with histopathologic examination were performed. In addition, serology comprising the herpes group (HHV-6) and respiratory viruses was done. A microbial diagnosis was obtained on 45% of occasions. The most common pathogens found were CMV (31%) and PC (25%). On 22 (33%) occasions a rapid diagnosis of 1 or more microbial agents was obtained within 24 h by conventional staining or indirect immunofluorescence. The clinical relevance of findings of CMV, HHV-6, and Epstein-Barr virus in BAL by polymerase chain detection on 18, 6 and 3 occasions is discussed. On 4 occasions pathogenic bacteria were found. It was not possible to relate findings of coagulase-negative staphylococci, alpha-streptococci and Candida albicans to the pulmonary infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Microbiological treatment of recirculating wastewater from cleaning rolls in a rolling mill.

In industry, the use of biological methods for cleaning wastewater is increasing. The number of airborne Gram-negative bacteria was high in relation to the use of high pressure water in a rolling mill using recirculated water for cleaning rolls. Analyzing the total amount and species of microorganisms indicates whether they are emitted from a polluted source or consist of the normal airborne flora.

Endotoxins↗
PubMed1994

Animal models.

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Animals↗
PubMed1994

Novel automated microbial screening of platelet concentrates.

The recovery of bacteria and the speed of detection of microbial growth in platelet concentrates (PC) were studied, comparing a novel automated blood culture system (BacT/Alert) with two traditional methods. Full-scale experiments were performed with a total of 33 units of PC (average content 320 x 10(9) platelets per unit) obtained from pooled buffy coats. Six strains known as possible PC contaminants were tested: S. epidermidis, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, B. cereus, E. aerogenes, and S. sanguis. Using an inoculum of 50-98 bacteria/ml, bacterial contamination was detected in all of 11 PCs on 132 sampling occasions. With a small inoculum (0.3-9 bacteria/ml), the bacterial contamination was detected in all PCs in which abundant growth appeared, but failed to be detected in some instances where the bacterial content was very small. All of 11 uninoculated PC controls were negative. With the automated method the time for detection of a culture-positive PC was 6-16 h, clearly shorter than with the two manual-visual systems. The new system provides a rapid, reliable, and labour-saving method for screening of bacterial contamination in PCs. This would increase safety particularly if the present 5-day shelf life were extended.

Bacillus cereus↗
PubMed1989

Endotoxin levels in farming: absence of symptoms despite high exposure levels.

The endotoxin concentration in air was measured in farms where 11 farmers had experienced febrile reactions or allergic alveolitis and in a random sample of farms with 17 symptomless farmers. Samples were obtained during normal dairy farming in eight reference farms (background samples) and in all farms during the handling of material which had probably caused symptoms or disease or, in reference farms, maximal spore exposure (worst case samples). In addition, parallel samplers were used in reference farms, one with a cyclone (5 microns cutoff) and one without, to measure the dust and endotoxin concentrations in the respirable fraction and total dust. The endotoxin worst case values varied from less than 0.01 to greater than 50 micrograms/m3 in symptom farms (median 6.4 micrograms/m3, geometric mean 2.2 micrograms/m3) and from less than 0.01 to greater than 50 micrograms/m3 in reference farms (median 42 micrograms/m3, geometric mean 29 micrograms/m3). This difference was not statistically significant. The background values in reference farms were 1.3 (median) and 0.4 (geometric mean) micrograms/m3. The differences between samples with and without cyclone and between background and worst case samples were statistically significant (p less than 0.02). About 75% of the activity was found in the non-respirable fraction. No correlation was found between exposure to endotoxin and symptoms in farmers. There were weak, but statistically significant, correlations between endotoxin concentrations and total spore count or dust concentrations. The surprisingly high endotoxin values in the respirable fraction of air from environments which apparently did not cause symptoms raises the concern that the Limulus amebocyte assay might be sensitive to other components in the dust rather than endotoxin.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1988

Heat treatment to increase phage typability of Staphylococcus aureus.

Heat treatment was used to reduce the number of Staphylococcus aureus strains that were not typable with the basic set of phages. All strains were phage typed according to the standard method after growth in broth at 37 degrees C or 48 degrees C. Forty-eight of 72 nontypable strains could be phage typed after heat treatment of the bacterial cultures. The page lysability increased with the higher incubation temperature of the broth, but the mean variability in the phage pattern of a strain was not significantly affected. The phage typing results of strains sampled over a period of several months were in accordance with the epidemiology, suggesting that phage typing after incubation at 48 degrees C is a stable and useful epidemiological tool.

Bacteriophage Typing↗
PubMed1986

A carrier method for the assessment of the effectiveness of disinfectants against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

A method for testing the effect of disinfectants against Mycobacterium tuberculosis was developed using glass slide carriers contaminated with Myco. tuberculosis from spleens of guinea-pigs. The method was found to be useful although a greater number of colony forming units, permitting calculation of a reduction factor in the range of 10(5), is desirable. In tests with various disinfectants, alcohols were the most effective agents against Myco. tuberculosis.

1-Propanol↗
PubMed1986

Evaluation of an Antimicrobial Removal Device (ARD) for detection of septicemia.

An Antimicrobial Removal Device (ARD) shown to inactivate 13 commonly used antimicrobial agents was used for processing blood samples before culture and compared with a conventional biphasic blood culture medium. 448 blood samples were processed using the ARD bottle with 472 parallel conventional cultures. The rates of clinically significant positive blood cultures were 6.9% and 8.9% respectively (not statistically significant). This study does not show any increased detection rate in ARD-processed cultures compared with conventional cultures in patients receiving antimicrobial agents.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1985

Endotoxin in cotton dust and respiratory function decrement among cotton workers in an experimental cardroom.

To study the various reactions of gram-negative bacteria and their endotoxins observed in workers exposed to cotton dust, experiments were undertaken where cotton mill workers carded cottons from different geographic locations, each containing different amounts of bacterial endotoxins. Exposure was determined as the vertical elutriator dust and endotoxin levels. Measurements were made of the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and the number of blood neutrophils before and after work, and the prevalence of symptoms of byssinosis was recorded. There was a significant correlation between the vertical elutriator endotoxin levels and the group mean changes in FEV1 (p less than 0.01) but no correlation between vertical elutriator dust levels and changes in FEV1. There was also a dose-response relationship between the endotoxin levels and the presence of symptoms of byssinosis in the exposed workers as well as between endotoxin levels and an increase in blood neutrophils. This observation supports findings from several previous studies and suggests that endotoxin triggers the mechanisms responsible for the decrease in respiratory function in the byssinosis syndrome. Other constituents of cotton dust could also be of importance for this reaction.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Work related symptoms among sewage workers.

Employees at six sewage treatment plants and three drinking water plants were interviewed for the presence of specific medical symptoms. Serum immunoglobulin concentrations, white blood cell counts and fibrinogen degradation product concentrations (FDP) in urine were determined as were the number and species of airborne Gram negative rods in order to characterise exposure to aerosols of sewage water. The highest number of bacteria was found in areas where the sewage water was agitated. A significantly higher proportion of employees at sewage treatment plants reported skin disorders, diarrhoea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms than the control group. No significant differences were found between the groups for white blood cell count or serum immunoglobulin concentrations, except that IgM concentrations were slightly higher in the sewage workers. Some workers had serum transaminase concentrations in excess of normal; some of these returned to normal after the summer holiday. Among non-smokers a higher proportion of sewage treatment workers had increased amounts of FDP in urine. It is conceivable that the symptoms observed were caused by toxins from Gram negative bacteria.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMed1981

Prevalence of byssinosis in Swedish cotton mills.

The prevalence of byssinosis and of chronic bronchitis was studied in a questionnaire investigation among workers in bale opening areas, carding rooms, and spinning rooms in five Swedish cotton mills. Airborne dust and Gram-negative bacteria was measured. Nineteen per cent of the interviewed workers reported symptoms of light byssinosis (grade 1/2). The prevalence of symptoms was not related to the duration of employment, and cases of byssinosis were found among people who had worked in cotton mills for only a few years. A significantly higher proportion of male than female workers reported symptoms. No difference in the extent of byssinosis was found between smokers and non-smokers, but the prevalence was significantly higher among those workers who had ceased smoking. The prevalence of byssinosis was related to the number of airborne viable Gram-negative bacteria as well as to the dust level in the different mills.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMed1980

Occupational symptoms among compost workers.

Exposure to gram-negative bacteria and the presence of subjective symptoms among workers were investigated at an experimental compost plant. Four of the 11 workers reported nausea, headache, and diarrhea, an incidence greater than that reported by workers in a drinking water plant. The number of airborne gram-negative bacteria was high where household garbage was agitated by the technical equipment. The findings are similar to those in studies on workers in sewage treatment plants.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMed1978

Humidifier fever and endotoxin exposure.

Three cases of humidifier fever were detected in an office environment. Flavobacteria were found in the contaminated water in a humidifier. After an experimental exposure, the three persons with previous symptoms suffered from fever and slight respiratory symptoms. A leucocytosis and an increase in the number of segmented white blood cells were found the day following the exposure. General immunoglobulins as well as antibodies to Flavobacterium and endotoxin were slightly elevated in the exposed group. The possibility that endotoxins may be the causative agent by means of an indirect complement activation is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Bacterial contamination of cotton and cotton dust and effects on the lung.

Bacterial contamination of various parts of the cotton plant and of cotton from different mills was investigated. The predominant bacterial species were Gram-negative rods mainly of the Enterobacter genus. When guinea pigs inhaled strains of these bacteria cultivated from cotton, a strong leucocyte mobilising capacity was found for Pseudomonas and Enterobacter but not for Agrobacterium or Bacillus species. The aetiology of the development of pulmonary symptoms after inhalation of bacteria-containing dusts and subsequent production of endotoxins is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Studies on humans exposed to airborne sewage sludge.

A clinical investigation was made among workers in a sewage treatment plant and age matched controls not exposed to sewage. Acute incidences of fever and eye symptoms were found in about 50% of the exposed population. Serum immunoglobulins, white blood cells and thrombocytes were elevated in the exposed group. A higher percentage of increased levels of C-reactive protein and fibrinogen degradation products was found in the exposed group. Although no definite cause-effect relationship can be established the responsible agent in the environment could well be endotoxins.

Air Pollution↗