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Biomedical subjects

R Eglin

Publications and source records attributed to R Eglin.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Automated screening of blood donations for hepatitis C virus RNA using the Qiagen BioRobot 9604 and the Roche COBAS HCV Amplicor assay.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In order to reduce the potential for transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) from an RNA-positive, anti-HCV-negative blood donation, the National Blood Service (NBS) introduced nucleic acid amplification technology (NAT) testing for HCV in England and Wales. The objective of this study was to develop an automated assay using commercial components for the detection of HCV RNA in blood donations for transfusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Qiagen QIAamp 96 'Viral RNA' and 'Virus' BioRobot kits for HCV RNA extraction, and the Roche COBAS HCV Amplicor v2.0 and AmpliScreen v2.0 assays for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and detection, were investigated. RESULTS: QIAamp technology and the BioRobot 9604 allow automation of the viral RNA extraction process. By combining the automated silica-membrane based QIAamp 96 Virus extraction and automated reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) set-up with COBAS HCV AmpliScreen v2.0 amplification and detection it is possible to achieve a 95% detection level for HCV of 12.8 IU/ml. Cross-contamination studies have shown that use of the BioRobot 9604 does not pose a detectable contamination risk. Between 1999 and 2001, approximately 6.8 x 106 donations were tested in England and Wales, of which only four were found to contain RNA without anti-HCV. CONCLUSIONS: This combination of methods results in an assay with a high sample throughput, little 'hands-on' time and fast turnaround time that is also sufficiently sensitive to allow testing of pools of up to 96 samples at a time. These methods have been successfully introduced into routine use within the NBS for release of blood components with a shelf-life of longer than 24 h.

Blood Donors↗
PubMed2000

Distinct epidemiological patterns of Norwalk-like virus infection.

Norwalk-like viruses (NLV) are important economically as a cause of both sporadic gastroenteritis in the community and large outbreaks in hospitals and other institutional settings. Despite the description of several antigenic types relatively little is known about the epidemiology of these individual types. NLVs were detected by electron microscopy in faecal specimens from 706 outbreaks of gastroenteritis that represented 68% of all outbreaks of non-bacterial gastroenteritis. These outbreaks took place in the counties of West and North Yorkshire and Humberside during six winter seasons between July 1992 and June 1998. NLV strains from 671 outbreaks were typed by antigen capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) based on antisera made to recombinant virus-like particles of three antigenically distinct NLVs; Norwalk (NV), Mexico (MXV) and Grimsby (GRV) viruses. GRV was the predominant strain for five of the six winter seasons and overall was associated with 61% of NLV outbreaks. MXV was responsible for a single epidemic peak in the winter of 1993/94 but was also observed at other times throughout the study period. NV was only associated with two outbreaks in 1994 that were epidemiologically linked. Strains from the remaining 32% of outbreaks were non-reactive in all three ELISA. Thus, a single NLV antigenic type seems to have predominated during the period 1992 to 1998 in the UK.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Randomised placebo controlled trial of nebulised corticosteroids in acute respiratory syncytial viral bronchiolitis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate short and long term effects of giving nebulised budesonide early in respiratory syncytial viral (RSV) bronchiolitis. DESIGN: A multicentre randomised double blind placebo controlled trial. SUBJECTS: Infants admitted to hospital with their first episode of RSV positive bronchiolitis. INTERVENTION: Randomisation to receive either 1 mg of nebulised budesonide (Bud) or placebo (Pla) twice daily from admission until 2 weeks after discharge. Follow up was for 12 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Duration of hospital admission, time taken to become symptom free, re-admission rates, general practitioner consultation rates, and use of anti-wheeze medication during follow up. RESULTS: 161 infants were studied. Both arms were similar with respect to initial clinical severity, age, sex, socioeconomic class, and tobacco exposure. Median time from first nebulisation to discharge: Bud and Pla, 2 days. Median number of days for 50% of infants to be symptom free for 48 hours: Bud, 10 days; Pla, 12 days. Respiratory re-admission rates in the 12 month follow up: Bud, 16%; Pla, 18%; median difference (95% confidence interval (CI)), -2 (-14 to 10). Median respiratory related general practitioner attendances: Bud, 4.0; Pla, 4.5; median difference (95% CI), -1 (-2 to 0). Percentage of infants receiving at least one prescription for anti-wheeze medication during follow up, corticosteroids: Bud, 50%; Pla, 60%; difference (95% CI), -10 (-26 to 6); bronchodilators: Bud, 60%; Pla, 67%; difference (95% CI), -7 (-22 to 8). CONCLUSIONS: There are no short or long term clinical benefits from the administration of nebulised corticosteroids in the acute phase of RSV bronchiolitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1997

Epidemiology of Mexico virus, a small round-structured virus in Yorkshire, United Kingdom, between January 1992 and March 1995.

The epidemiology of the small round-structured virus, Mexico virus (MxV), was investigated in North and West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, between January 1992 and March 1995 using a type-specific antigen ELISA. The results indicate that an epidemic of MxV occurred during the winter of 1993-1994, when this strain was associated with 45 of 99 outbreaks and sporadic childhood cases of gastroenteritis. Only 4 MxV-like isolates were found during the 1992-1993 winter season and none in the 1994-1995 season. This descriptive epidemiologic study suggests that MxV has an epidemic pattern of infection.

Caliciviridae↗
PubMed1995

Evaluation of a combined HIV-1/2 and HTLV-I/II assay for screening blood donors.

A combined immunoassay for the simultaneous detection of antibodies to HIV-1/2 and HTLV-I/II (Bioelisa, Launch Diagnostics) has been evaluated to determine its suitability for routine use in blood screening. 84,222 donations were tested from 76,452 donors. One HIV- and 1 HTLV-1-positive donor were identified. The specificity was 99.7%, and the sensitivity for anti-HIV-1, anti-HIV-2, and anti-HTLV-1 on 173 positive sera was 100%; 2 of 25 anti-HTLV-II-positive sera were non-reactive. Although the specificity of the assay is not as high as that of HIV-1/2 kits currently in UK transfusion use, the information gained about donor HTLV antibody status makes the test an attractive alternative to them.

Blood Donors↗
PubMed1995

Neutrophil enzymes in urine for the detection of urethral infection in men.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if assaying the neutrophil enzymes, neutrophil elastase (NE) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the urine of men attending a genitourinary medicine clinic could identify those with Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Chlamydia trachomatis infections, and those with urethritis (with or without an identified infection with either organism), and to compare the new assays with the performance of the leucocyte esterase test (LET). METHOD: 100 men had urethral specimens taken for Gram-stained urethral smear, culture for N gonorrhoeae, and for C trachomatis testing by enzyme immunoassay. First-voided urines were tested for leucocyte esterase by commercial dipstick (positives were defined as greater than "trace") and then frozen at -20 degrees C prior to being assayed for NE and MPO. RESULTS: Five patients had gonorrhoea, six had chlamydia and none had both. Evidence of urethritis (> 5 polymorphonuclear leucocytes in four x 1000 fields) was found in 29 men. The results of the urine assays showed MPO levels to be non-discriminatory; however NE levels were significantly elevated in patients with proven infection or urethritis or both. Using NE values from men with no infection or urethritis an upper limit for normal was defined. Utilising this, the sensitivity of the elastase assay was calculated and found to be superior to the sensitivity of LET for detecting proven infection (64% vs 36%) and urethritis (52% vs 31%). CONCLUSIONS: Further studies of neutrophil elastase in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of urethritis are indicated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

A search for candidate viruses in type 1 diabetic pancreas using the polymerase chain reaction.

In order to investigate a possible viral aetiology for Type 1 diabetes the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was used. Pancreatic tissue from Type 1 diabetic subjects was examined for the presence of a panel of common viruses. Primers specific for mumps, measles, cytomegalovirus, and Epstein Barr virus, as well as primers located in a highly conserved region of the enterovirus genome which are capable of detecting all of the following family members: Coxsackie B, echovirus, polio, mengovirus, and encephalomyocarditis virus were used to screen 18 Type 1 diabetic subjects of whom 3 had proven insulitis, 12 Type 2 diabetic subjects and 18 non-diabetic controls. Epstein Barr virus was detected in two Type 1 (13%), two Type 2 (22%), and three of the normal nondiabetic pancreases (20%), and the DNA sequences confirmed by direct sequencing. Cytomegalovirus was detected in one of the normal pancreases only and no evidence of any of the other viruses was found. It is concluded that the Type 1 diabetic pancreatic samples studied did not show persistence of infection with any of the above viruses. Non-persistent acute infection of the pancreas by the above viruses cannot be excluded in the aetiology of Type 1 diabetes from this study.

Accidents↗
PubMed1990

Performance characteristics of a novel immunoassay based on hybrid Ty virus-like particles (Ty-VLPs): rapid differentiation between HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection.

Recombinant antigens containing all or parts of the HIV-1 proteins p24, Nef and gp41 and HIV-2 gp36 have been purified and used to develop a rapid immunoassay to detect and differentiate between HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies in a single test. The antigens were produced as particulate fusion proteins by exploiting the ability of a protein encoded by the yeast retrotransposon Ty to assemble into virus-like particles (Ty-VLPs). Hybrid HIV: Ty-VLPs carrying each of the antigens were applied to nitrocellulose strips at specified locations in a slot-blot format and then used to detect antibodies present in human serum and plasma samples of diverse geographical origin. Previously confirmed HIV-1- and HIV-2-positive samples were readily and reliably identified. The assay was used to identify a case of HIV-2 infection in an African woman who had been resident in the Oxford region for the last 3 years and to analyse the prevalence of anti-HIV antibodies in a longitudinal study of seroconverting patients. We also demonstrate that the assay works efficiently with whole blood.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Conservative management of an echovirus 11 outbreak in a neonatal unit.

Two babies in a neonatal unit presented on the same day with meningitis due to echovirus 11, which was thought to have been introduced by staff. At this time echovirus 11 was also isolated from the stools of eight other babies; five of them did not have signs of infection. No intervention was made except to emphasise the importance of handwashing. There was evidence of secondary spread to two babies who were both clinically well. The attack rate was twelve (29%) of forty-one babies exposed. Seven of the twelve infected babies were born before 30 weeks' gestation and would have had little or no maternal antibody, yet only two of the seven babies had signs of infection. Despite lack of special measures, all babies recovered. Most cases of horizontally acquired neonatal echovirus infection are mild: extreme measures in the management of outbreaks are unnecessary.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗