FEMS immunology and medical microbiology
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FEMS Immunol. Med. Microbiol. · Oct 2003
Pseudomonas aeruginosa-specific IgG1 and IgG2 subclasses in enhancement of pulmonary clearance following passive immunisation in the rat.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen, which causes serious debilitating infections in patients with compromised lung function. The mechanism by which P. aeruginosa is cleared from the lung is not fully defined, although our previous studies have established a role for cellular immunity in protection against P. aeruginosa infections. This study aimed to evaluate the role of P. aeruginosa-specific IgG in protection against P. aeruginosa in a rat model of acute pulmonary infection. ⋯ Enhanced bacterial clearance induced by IgG was determined to be dose-dependent with a 1 mg dose failing to enhance clearance, whereas 5 mg of immune IgG enhanced clearance from the airways and the lung tissue. Measurement of the IgG1, IgG2a and IgG2b isotypes in serum and the lung lavage following transfer of P. aeruginosa-specific IgG found that all three were present. These results demonstrate that anti-P. aeruginosa IgG can enhance bacterial clearance from the airways in an acute infection and identify an important role for IgG in acute respiratory infections caused by P. aeruginosa.
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FEMS Immunol. Med. Microbiol. · Dec 2001
A clinical study on the association of Trichomonas vaginalis and Mycoplasma hominis infections in women attending a sexually transmitted disease (STD) outpatient clinic.
Swabs from the posterior vaginal fornix were obtained from 804 consecutive female patients visiting a large Dutch sexually transmitted diseases (STD) outpatient clinic. A detailed clinical history was obtained and complaints concerning the lower genital tract, such as vaginal discharge or vulval and vaginal irritation, were recorded. Patients were examined and the presence of non-physiological vaginal secretions was established by speculum examination. ⋯ However, if all groups were combined there appears to be a very significant association between the presence of M. hominis and sexual risk behavior (P=0.0004). M. hominis and sexual risk behavior were more closely associated than M. hominis and T. vaginalis. No indications were found for an enhanced pathogenicity by either of the symbionts.
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FEMS Immunol. Med. Microbiol. · Oct 2001
Protection of xenogeneic cells from human complement-mediated lysis by the expression of human DAF, CD59 and MCP.
CD59 and membrane cofactor protein (MCP, CD46) are widely expressed cell surface glycoproteins that protect host cells from the effect of homologous complement attack. cDNAs encoding human CD59 and MCP cloned from Chinese human embryo were separately transfected into NIH/3T3 cells resulting in the expression of human CD59 and MCP protein on the cell surface. The functional properties of expressed proteins were studied. When the transfected cells were exposed to human serum as a source of complement and naturally occurring anti-mouse antibody, they were resistant to human complement-mediated cell killing. ⋯ These results demonstrated that complement inhibitory activity of these proteins is species-selective. The cDNAs of CD59 and MCP were also separately transfected into the endothelial cells (ECs) of the pigs transgenic for the human DAF gene to investigate a putative synergistic action. The ECs expressing both DAF and MCP proteins or both DAF and CD59 proteins exhibited more protection against cytolysis by human serum compared to the cells with only DAF expressed alone.
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FEMS Immunol. Med. Microbiol. · Aug 1999
ReviewInflammatory responses in sudden infant death syndrome -- past and present views.
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is sudden unexpected death in infancy for which there is no explanation based on commonly accepted diagnostic criteria; however, half of the victims have had slight signs of infection prior to death. Such slight infection with fever is an important risk factor in combination with a prone sleeping position, especially in infants between 2 and 4 months of age. ⋯ Such factors are mucosal immune stimulation, cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluid and hypoxanthine levels in vitreous humour. The review aims at explaining why we believe that a slight infection combined with a prone position, a warm environment and a vulnerable age period may trigger a vicious circle leading to death.