Objective: To determine the diagnostic distribution in a consecutive anti-SSA and/or anti-SSB positive population. Methods: A total of 15 937 serum samples from 10 550 consecutive patients were analysed for antinuclea...
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Objective: To determine the diagnostic distribution in a consecutive anti-SSA and/or anti-SSB positive population. Methods: A total of 15 937 serum samples from 10 550 consecutive patients were analysed for antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) on HEp-2 cells. Serum samples positive for ANAs were analysed by immunodiffusion and line immunoassay with recombinant SSA-Ro52, natural SSA-Ro60, and recombinant SSB. Results: Among ANA positive patients in whom clinical information was available, 181 consecutive patients with anti-SSA and/or anti-SSB antibodies were identified, Disease associations were systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (45.3%), primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) (14.4%), scleroderma (8.8%), RA (7.7%), cutaneous lupus (7.7%), and dermatomyositis (2.2%). The ratio of diagnoses differed according to the anti-SSA/anti-SSB serotype. Scleroderma and dermatomyositis were enriched among mono-Ro52 reactive serum samples (34.2% and 10.5% respectively). Single reactivity towards Ro60 or anti-Ro60 with anti-Ro52 predisposed for SLE (80.0% and 52.2% respectively). Triple reactivity I towards Ro52, Ro60, and SSB was primarily linked with SLE (55.8%) followed by PSS (20.9%). Anti, SSA on immunodiffusion increased the chance for SLE (62.8%), whereas isolated anti-SSB reactivity on immunodiffusion was less indicative for SLE (14.3%) and predisposed more for cutaneous lupus (23.8%) and pSS (33.3%). Conclusion: The diagnostic range associated with anti-SSA or anti-SSB reactivity differs significantly according to the detailed serotype defined by line immunoassay and immunodiffusion.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is an important foodborne pathogen in Taiwan and many other Asian countries. A total of 371 isolates of V. parahaemolyticus collected from patients involved in foodborne illness outbreaks in Ta...
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Vibrio parahaemolyticus is an important foodborne pathogen in Taiwan and many other Asian countries. A total of 371 isolates of V. parahaemolyticus collected from patients involved in foodborne illness outbreaks in Taiwan from 1992 to 1995 were characterized. These isolates had typical biochemical characteristics and only 4% were urease positive. The most frequently isolated serovars were O5:K15 (18.5%), O4:K8 (16.2%), O3:K29 (12.5%), O1:K56 (8.3%), O2:K3 (6.5%), and O4: K12 (6.0%). Most of the isolates were susceptible to nalidixic acid, tetracycline, tobramycin, cephalothin, and gentamicin. About 10% of the isolates were resistant to seven or more antibiotics. Approximately 92.4% of these V. parahaemolyticus showed beta-hemolysis on Wagatsuma blood agar plate and approximately 62.1% of these isolates exhibited detectable amounts of thermostable direct hemolysin. Most of the isolates examined exhibited two copies of tdh genes on the 1.3- and 2.5-kb HindIII-digested chromosome fragments with several variations on other fragments. A pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) subspecies typing scheme was used to analyze these domestic isolates and the O3:K6 strains from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Fifty seven patterns were differentiated with A, B, C, E, and H being the major domestic types (cumulatively 76% of isolates), while O3:K6 strains (PFGE type I), abruptly occurring since 1996, were genetically distant from the major domestic types.
A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was designed to simplify detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and to identify the H serogroup and the type of Shiga toxin produced by this bacterium. Primers for a pl...
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A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was designed to simplify detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and to identify the H serogroup and the type of Shiga toxin produced by this bacterium. Primers for a plasmid-encoded hemolysin gene (hly(933)), and chromosomal flagella (fliC(h7);flagellar structural gene of H7 serogroup), Shiga toxins (stx(1), stx(2)), and attaching and effacing (eaeA) genes were used in a multiplex PCR for coamplification of the corresponding DNA sequences from enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O157:H7. Enrichment cultures of ground beef, blue cheese, mussels, alfalfa sprouts, and bovine feces, artificially inoculated with various levels of E, coli O157:H7 strain 933, were subjected to a simple DNA extraction step prior to the PCR, and the resulting amplification products were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Sensitivity of the assay was less than or equal to 1 CFU/g of food or bovine feces (initial inoculum level), and results could be obtained within 24 h. Similar detection levels were obtained with ground beef samples that underwent enrichment culturing immediately after inoculation and samples that were frozen or refrigerated prior to enrichment. The multiplex PCR facilitates detection of E. coli O157:H7 and can reduce the time required for confirmation of isolates by up to 3 to 4 days.
A total of 18 monoclonal antibodies was raised against whole cells of Actinomyces viscosus and Actinomyces naeslundii. The monoclonal antibodies were used to determine the cross-reacting patterns among 26 strains of t...
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A total of 18 monoclonal antibodies was raised against whole cells of Actinomyces viscosus and Actinomyces naeslundii. The monoclonal antibodies were used to determine the cross-reacting patterns among 26 strains of these species. Eleven different antigenic determinants were found. The specificity profiles of the antibodies indicated that the antigenic determinants of A. viscosus and A. naeslundii were arranged in a complicated mosaic. Extensive cross-reactions occurred between A. viscosus strains and strains of "typical" and "atypical" A. naeslundii. However, cross-reactions were rare between the two groups of A. naeslundii. A. viscosus appears to occupy a "middle position" between the two A. naeslundii groups. In addition to their value in seroclassification, some of the monoclonal antibodies were found to be useful in the identification of these species. One monoclonal antibody appeared to be selective for the "typical" A. naeslundii group. A. viscosus and "atypical" A. naeslundii-specific antibodies were also found, though they did not label every strain in their respective clusters. A. viscosus detection might be improved if mixtures of monoclonal antibodies were used.
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