In an attempt to reproduce experimentally the fulminant hepatitis of pregnant women infected with hepatitis E virus (HEV), 4 nonpregnant and 6 pregnant rhesus monkeys in the first, second, or third ...trimester of pregnancy were inoculated intravenously with ∼ 105.5 ID50 of HEV. Comparison of biochemical, histopathologic, and serologic profiles in pregnant and nonpregnant monkeys did not reveal an increase in the severity of hepatitis in the pregnant animals. Hematology and serum clinical chemistry values were in the normal range in all animals during the study. No evidence of neonatal infection with HEV was found in offspring. Two rhesus monkeys (1 pregnant, 1 nonpregnant) had naturally occurring anti-HEY antibodies prior to inoculation as detected by a standard ELISA and confirmed by a competition ELISA with hyperimmune chimpanzee serum. These animals demonstrated an anamnestic response when they were challenged with HEV.
Dengue fever is a major public health problem worldwide. Dengue hemorrhagic fever, a much rarer form of the disease, occurs when a person previously infected with dengue is re-infected with a ...different viral serotype. In recent years the infection rates of dengue and both clinical syndromes have increased along the United States-Mexico border. We present the case of a 61-year-old Laotian female who presented with a 1-week history of fever, altered mental status, oral ulceration, and rash. The patient developed diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage and anemia requiring multiple transfusions. She eventually sustained multi-organ system failure and expired. Both the titer data and serologies were consistent with the diagnosis of dengue hemorrhagic fever. We hypothesize that this syndrome was the result of re-infection occurring within the United States. This case is also unusual in that it is the second reported in the literature of pulmonary hemorrhages associated with dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Underwater observatories with real-time data and virtually unlimited power transmission capabilities compared to traditional oceanographic moorings are beginning to provide scientists with continuous ...access to the coastal and open ocean. However, for any coastal observatory to serve as a cost-effective system for the collection of long-term scientific and environmental data, it must have a simple, upgradeable power and telemetry system and an instrument interface that is compatible with existing standards. It must be designed for extended environmental exposure and ease of service to avoid high maintenance costs. Most importantly, the observatory must be accessible to all potential users, including students, scientists, engineers, and policy makers. This strategy was applied to the design of the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory on the south shore of the island of Martha's Vineyard. The new facility, and in particular its system architecture, as developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution with support from the National Science Foundation, are described.
The temperature-dependent rabbit model for chancroid, a sexually transmitted disease caused by the fastidious Gram-negative bacterium Haemophilus ducreyi, was used to investigate the abilities of ...previous infection and immunization with an acellular preparation of H. ducreyi to induce protective immunity. In the first set of experiments, animals were infected intradermally with either the 35000 or Cha-1 strains of H. ducreyi and then rechallenged 30 days later with both the homologous and heterologous strains. In animals infected with the 35000 strain, statistically significant protective immunity occurred only against the homologous strain, whereas protection against both homologous and heterologous challenge was obtained in rabbits previously infected with strain Cha-1. In a separate series of experiments, rabbits were immunized with cell envelopes from either strain 35000 or strain Cha-1 and then challenged with both the homologous and heterologous strains. In rabbits immunized with strain 35000 cell envelopes, significant protective immunity was observed only against challenge with the homologous strain. In animals immunized with strain Cha-1 cell envelopes, protection was obtained against both homologous and heterologous challenge. Histopathologic analysis of sites inoculated with strain 35000 (10(5) CFU) demonstrated that the inflammatory response in control animals was predominantly suppurative (i.e., heterophilic), whereas that of immunized animals was predominantly mononuclear and, at later time points, largely histiocytic. ELISA and Western blot analyses revealed that immunization produced a better humoral immune response than did infection and provided evidence for antigenic cross-reactivity between these two strains. These results provide the experimental basis for continued efforts to identify potential H. ducreyi vaccinogens.
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