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M Sojka

Publications and source records attributed to M Sojka.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Identification and characterization of enterococci from bryndza cheese.

AIMS: To identify enterococci isolated from sheep milk cheese--bryndza, and to compare differences in the composition of enterococcal microflora affected by the season, and to evaluate the potential presence of vancomycin resistance and virulence determinants. METHODS AND RESULTS: Bacterial strains were isolated during analysis of bryndza cheese and identified on the genus and species level by phenotypic methods and with commercial biochemical sets. The identification of the species, Enterococcus faecium, Ent. durans and Ent. faecalis, was confirmed by PCR using species-specific primers for ddl genes. PCR was also used for assessment of presence of vanA and vanB genes and virulence determinants gelE, agg and cytolysin genes namely: cylL(L), cylL(S), cylM, cylB and cylA. Among 308 Enterococcus sp. strains, 177 isolates were proved to be Ent. faecium, 59 to be Ent. durans and 41 to be Ent. faecalis. Vancomycin resistance genes vanA and vanB were not detected. Agar plate testing confirmed their absence. Gene gelE, however, was found in 20 Ent. faecalis isolates, but only 13 of them showed gelatinase-positive phenotype. Seven isolates had five cytolysin genes, but none of the isolates exhibited a positive haemolytic phenotype. Four isolates possessed the agg gene. The prevalence of Ent. faecium species was highest in samples from the winter season harvest. CONCLUSIONS: Ent. faecium is the dominant enterococcal species in bryndza cheese and the most prevalent in the winter season product. None of the Enterococcus sp. strains was proved to have vanA or vanB genes and the vancomycin resistance. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: To our knowledge, this is the first report of enterococcal microflora in bryndza cheese and its evaluation for the presence of vanA and vanB genes as well as virulence determinants.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Analysis of expression of flagella by Salmonella enterica serotype typhimurium by monoclonal antibodies recognising both phase specific and common epitopes.

Monoclonal antibodies specific for phase 1 ("i" antigen), phase 2 ("1,2" antigen) and common epitopes of the flagellins of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium were raised. Having confirmed their specificity, the monoclonal antibodies were used to develop semi-quantitative ELISAs in order to assess the relative expression of the two phases by strains of Typhimurium. The majority of Typhimurium strains representative of a wide cross-section of definitive types from animal and environmental sources preferentially expressed phase 1 antigen in vitro. DT40 strains were unique in expressing phase 2 preferentially. The ratio of phase 1 to phase 2 expressed by strains tended to be constant for any one strain when strains were grown on a number of conventional laboratory media. However, the ratio of phases was shown to be modulated by incubation at 42 degrees C and buffering media at pH values, notably 4.5, other than neutral. Selenite broth and Rambach media repressed flagellation.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1997

Salmonella enterica var Typhimurium and Salmonella enterica var Enteritidis express type 1 fimbriae in the rat in vivo.

In a series of experiments rats were dosed with purified type 1 fimbriae from Salmonella enterica var Enteritidis or with fimbriated cultures of either S. enterica var Typhimurium or S. enterica var Enteritidis. Paraffin-wax embedded histological sections of jejunal and ileal tissue were taken and stained by the streptavidin biotin complex (sABC) staining technique for the detection of salmonella and type 1 fimbriae. On oral infection with Enteritidis and Typhimurium both bacteria were shown to be closely associated with the rat ileal epithelium and expressed type 1 fimbriae, thus clearly demonstrating that type 1 fimbriae are expressed by salmonellae in vivo. Moreover, association with the ileum was also shown to occur when purified type 1 fimbriae were orally administered to rats. Our results suggest that type 1 fimbriae alone or in combination with other fimbriae may play an important role in the early stages of infection with these pathogenic bacteria.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Dendritic spines form 'collars' in hippocampal granule cells.

A quantitative study of the distribution of dendritic spines was carried out in three orders of dendritic branches of granule cells from the dentate gyrus of the rat hippocampus. Golgi-stained preparations (7-19 neurones in each of seven rats) were analysed using computerized microscopy. Identification of spines and quantification of stem-spine geometry was performed using a segmentation algorithm and a line skeleton transformation of dendritic images. Analysis of data using the statistics of point processes revealed that, in all three branch orders, the distribution of visible spines along dendrites was not evenly random, but included dense clusters of spines surrounding the dendritic stem (spine 'collars'). Three-dimensional reconstructions from serial ultrathin sections have confirmed the presence of such spine groups. We speculate the spine collars represent a functional element in which associative synaptic plasticity is fostered by the proximity of individual synapses.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Long-term increases in synaptic density in chick CNS after passive avoidance training are blocked by an inhibitor of protein synthesis.

Long-term increases in synaptic density (first recorded 24 h after training of chicks on a one-trial passive avoidance task, and still present 48 h post training), are found bilaterally in a part of the striatum, the lobus parolfactorius (LPO) [23,36], and are believed to reflect a trace of long-term memory formation. Such increases in synaptic density are most likely to occur by either de novo synthesis of new synaptic material, or via post-translational modification of pre-existing components. Several previous studies have shown that inhibitors of protein synthesis such as anisomycin injected just before, or after training, can prevent long-term memory formation in the chick. The present study therefore examined whether the long-term increases in synaptic density in the LPO that occur after passive avoidance training can be blocked by anisomycin. Our data show clearly that chicks injected with anisomycin 30 min pre-training were amnesic on testing 24 h later, and the bilateral increases in synaptic density (of spine and shaft synapses) seen in saline injected trained controls, were significantly reduced, demonstrating that protein synthesis de novo is involved in the post-training increase in synaptic density in the LPO.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

3-dimensional morphometry of intact dendritic spines observed in thick sections using an electron microscope.

An experimental technique is described which allows observation of fixed neuronal dendrites at magnifications from 10-12 K. The method uses 4-7-microns-thick sections of Epon-embedded tissue with nerve cells that are first impregnated by the rapid Golgi technique and then stained with gold particles/aggregates using a modified gold-toning procedure. A relatively high acceleration voltage (200 kV) is employed to observe in fine detail the dendritic fragments of interest at different angular positions in space, by using a eucentric goniometer stage with a tilt angle of +/- 45 degrees. Image analysis methodology is proposed which permits estimation of 3-dimensional (3D) lengths and of the volume of observed intact dendritic spines. The advantages of the technique with respect to 3D reconstruction methodology are discussed.

Animals↗