PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Tsubaki

Publications and source records attributed to S Tsubaki.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Virulence-associated plasmids in Rhodococcus equi.

Twenty-three strains of Rhodococcus equi from independent clinical cases were analyzed for the presence of virulence plasmid DNA. Of the clinical isolates, 19 contained an 85-kb plasmid and the remaining 4 contained a 90-kb plasmid. All of the isolates expressed 15- to 17-kDa antigens and were virulent in mice. Restriction enzyme and Southern blot analyses showed large regions of DNA homology between the 85- and 90-kb virulence plasmids. It was concluded tentatively that there are at least two virulence plasmids in R. equi and that they have a common origin.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1992

Influence of inoculation route on virulence of Rhodococcus equi in mice.

Virulence of R. equi ATCC 33701 was compared by the intraperitoneal (i.p.) and intravenous (i.v.) routes in mice. Strain ATCC 33701 was more virulent by the i.v. than the i.p. route. The LD50 of strain ATCC 33701 by either route correlated with the initial number of bacteria in the liver and spleen at day 0.

Actinomycetales Infections↗
PubMed1992

Virulence-associated 15- to 17-kilodalton antigens in Rhodococcus equi: temperature-dependent expression and location of the antigens.

Virulent Rhodococcus equi showing 15- to 17-kDa antigens, which is virulent in mice, was found to harbor an 85-kbp plasmid, and the 15- to 17-kDa antigens were found to be associated with possession of the 85-kbp plasmid of R. equi (S. Takai, T. Sekizaki, T. Ozawa, T. Sugawara, Y. Watanabe, and S. Tsubaki, Infect. Immun. 59:4056-4060, 1991). The expression of these antigens was temperature regulated: when cells were grown at a low temperature (25 to 32 degrees C), they did not express them, whereas they expressed them in large amounts when the cells were grown at a higher temperature (34 to 41 degrees C). The antigens were expressed on the cell surface, as evidenced by their susceptibility to proteolysis by a trypsin and by the biotin-avidin protein-blotting technique.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1991

Association between a large plasmid and 15- to 17-kilodalton antigens in virulent Rhodococcus equi.

Rhodococcus equi strains showing 15- to 17-kDa antigens in immunoblots were found to be virulent in mice. To study the genes specific to these antigens in virulent R. equi, we compared plasmid profiles, immunoblot profiles, and murine pathogenicity profiles of 10 strains of R. equi. All the strains showing 15- to 17-kDa antigens contained a large plasmid of approximately 85 kbp and were virulent in mice; however, the remaining strains lacked both the antigens and the large plasmid and were avirulent in mice. Mutants of virulent strains ATCC 33701 and L1, which were cured of the large plasmid by repeated passage at 38 degrees C, lacked the 15- to 17-kDa antigens and showed a dramatic decrease in lethality in mice. These results suggested that the presence of an 85-kbp plasmid may be essential for virulence and expression of 15- to 17-kDa antigens of R. equi and offered support for earlier observations that freshly isolated strains of R. equi killed mice, whereas laboratory-adapted strains did not.

Actinomycetales Infections↗
PubMed1991

Prevalence of virulent Rhodococcus equi in isolates from soil and feces of horses from horse-breeding farms with and without endemic infections.

The prevalence of virulent Rhodococcus equi in isolates from soil and feces of foals on a farm with endemic R. equi infections was significantly higher than that of a farm with no history of the disease. Foals bred on a farm with the endemic disease might be constantly exposed to virulent R. equi in their environment.

Actinomycetales Infections↗
PubMed1991

Identification of 15- to 17-kilodalton antigens associated with virulent Rhodococcus equi.

Antigens of Rhodococcus equi were analyzed by immunoblotting with naturally infected foal sera. Immunoblots of whole-cell antigen preparations of clinical isolates of R. equi revealed that major protein bands with molecular masses of 15 to 17 kDa were present in all clinical isolates tested and all isolates virulent for mice. In contrast, the 15- to 17-kDa antigens were not identified by immunoblotting in ATCC 6939, a type strain of R. equi that was avirulent for mice. Whole-cell antigens of 102 environmental isolates were investigated by immunoblotting and the mouse pathogenicity test. Twenty-five of these isolates were demonstrated to contain the 15- to 17-kDa antigens by immunoblotting and were virulent for mice. The remaining 77 environmental isolates lacked the 15- to 17-kDa antigens and were avirulent for mice. These data suggest that the diffuse 15- to 17-kDa proteins are virulence-associated antigens with immunogenicity in foals and that they may be useful in marking virulent R. equi contamination in the environment of a horse-breeding farm.

Actinomycetales Infections↗
PubMed1991

Effect of high-dose methylprednisolone on vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage.

The effects of high-dose methylprednisolone (MP) on vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) were investigated. In a double hemorrhage canine model, administration of high-dose MP (10 mg/kg, every 12 hours) reduced angiographic narrowing of the basilar artery and prevented morphological changes in the arterial wall. In addition, increased platelet aggregation observed from days 4 to 7 in untreated SAH dogs was inhibited by the MP treatment. An in vitro experiment showed that MP inhibited platelet aggregation dose-dependently. High-dose MP had a nonspecific vasodilatory effect on the smooth muscle of the basilar artery. In another SAH model with dysautoregulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF), intravenous MP administration markedly attenuated the decrease in both blood pressure and CBF caused by exsanguination. These results indicate that MP has beneficial effects in normalizing CBF dysautoregulation following SAH. High-dose MP has several advantages for preventing and improving the multiple pathological status in cerebral vasospasm following SAH.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Isolation of Listeria monocytogenes from raw milk and its environment at dairy farms in Japan.

The incidence of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in raw milk from farm bulk tanks and silage was investigated monthly at 20 dairy farms in Aomori prefecture, Japan, from January to July in 1989. Listeria sp. was isolated from one sample (5%) of raw milk collected in May, but L. monocytogenes was not isolated from raw milk. L. monocytogenes was isolated from two samples of silage (10%) collected in June. Silage, cow feces, sawdust bedding, dust and soil in these farms were tested for listerias, and we confirmed listerias contamination of the environment in the dairy farms.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Parapontine trigeminal cryptic angiomas presenting as trigeminal neuralgia.

Posterior fossa microvascular decompression surgery was attempted in 1257 patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN), of whom seven had a very unusual cryptic angioma. The lesions were not visualized on preoperative enhanced computerized tomography scans, and serial angiography demonstrated a small vascular stain in only one case. The character of the facial pain was indistinguishable from TN caused by vascular compression and there was no other specific symptomatology. The patients' age and sex distributions were also compatible with classical TN. Cryptic angiomas presenting as typical TN without other symptoms have not been reported before, but they should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis and surgical management of TN.

Cerebral Angiography↗
PubMed1987

Local blood flow and vascular permeability of autonomic ganglion-transplants in the brain.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the blood vessels of transplanted neural tissue retain their functional characteristics. Quantitative autoradiography was used to measure local blood flow (F) with iodoantipyrine and the blood-to-tissue transfer constant (K) with alpha-aminoisobutyric acid in superior cervical ganglion (SCG) allografted to the surface of ventricle IV and into the cerebellum of the same rat. The F of the intraparenchymal grafts was slightly lower than that of the intraventricular grafts; F decreased between 1 and 4 weeks in SCG grafts at both sites. The permeability-surface area (PS) product of the microvessels and extraction fraction of AIB were calculated from these results and indicated restricted transvascular passage of the amino acid in both the in situ and grafted SCG. Surface area (S) and average length (L) of the microvessels were determined morphometrically and their permeability (P) was calculated from these data. Although K and PS decreased in the grafts compared to in situ SCG, a comparable decrease in S indicated that P was similar for the microvessels of both in situ and 1-week-old SCG transplants: 3.5-4.3 x 10(-6) cm/s. Between 1 and 4 weeks after transplantation, the P of the microvessels decreased to approximately 1.6-2.3 x 10(-6) cm/s without any change in S. Thus, the blood vessels of SCG grafts within or upon the brain initially retain the functional attributes of in situ SCG microvessels, but the average permeability of the graft microvessels decreases to approximately one half of the initial value by 4 weeks after transplantation.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1987

Ecology of Rhodococcus equi in horses and their environment on horse-breeding farms.

Quantitative culture of R. equi in the feces of dams and foals, in the air of the stalls and in the soil of the paddocks was carried out on three horse-breeding farms during the foaling season. The isolation rates of R. equi from the feces of dams from the 3 farms suddenly increased to approximately 80% at the end of March, when the snow in the paddocks finished melting, and remained at that level during April and May. The mean number of R. equi and the isolation rate of R. equi from the feces of dams on the farms were investigated for 5 weeks before and 5 weeks after delivery. During the 10 weeks, there were no differences in the isolation rate or in the mean number of R. equi from the feces of dams. R. equi was first isolated from the feces of the foals born in February and the middle of March at 3-4 weeks of age, on the other hand, it was first isolated from the feces of foals born in the end of March and April at 1-2 weeks of age. The number of R. equi in the soil collected from the paddocks used by dams during the winter was approximately 10(2)-10(4) g-1 of soil during the experiment. R. equi was isolated from the air in the stalls at the end of March and the number of R. equi in the air increased particularly on dry and windy days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Actinomycetales Infections↗
PubMed1987

Humoral immune response of foals to experimental infection with Rhodococcus equi.

Humoral immune response to Rhodococcus equi in experimentally infected foals was studied with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Class-specific antibodies were measured by ELISA in the sera of foals after intratracheal or oral inoculation with R. equi ATCC 6939 or T 48 and in the lung washings of a foal after intratracheal inoculation or of normal horses. After intratracheal or oral inoculation with R. equi, serum antibodies were first detected in immunoglobulin G (IgG) followed by IgM and IgA classes, but significant levels of IgM and IgA developed only in the foal infected intratracheally with R. equi T 48. Only the foal infected intratracheally with T 48 developed pneumonia. Anti-R. equi IgG and IgA antibodies appeared in lung washings of the intratracheally infected foal. There were differences in the antibody response to R. equi among the intratracheally infected foals, the orally infected foal and the naturally infected foal. These results suggest that the humoral immune response to R. equi may be affected by the type of R. equi strain and the route and extent of R. equi exposure.

Actinomycetales Infections↗