Apmis

Bratlid, Dag

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03605.xpmid: 320821

A new procedure for spectrophotometric determination of bacteriolytic activity in biological fluids is described. The method uses Micrococcus lysodeikticus cells as substrate. By inactivation of the sample through pre‐incubation in ice‐water, a large number of samples can be prepared and analysed simultaneously. The necessity of performing the whole analysis in the photometer for one sample at the time is thus eliminated. By measuring the increase in transmission at 570 nm after incubation of the samples at 37 C a relatively long reaction time and wide concentration range is obtained. This makes the results quite precise and reproducible. The method has been used to determine the bacteriolytic activity in serum of healthy adults. Men have significantly higher levels than women.

Aldershvile, Jan; Dietrichson, Odd; Hardt, Finn; Nielsen, Jens O.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03607.xpmid: 320822

The number of circulating T and B lymphocytes was estimated in 25 patients with biopsy‐verified chronic non alcoholic liver disease. Fifteen of these had circulating HBsAg and/or anti‐HBsAg and 10 were without these markers of HB virus infection. In both groups of patients a significant decrease of T cells and a parallel significant increase in null cells was found, but any difference with respect to T and null cells in patients in the two groups was not observed. Liver biopsies from five of the patients with and four without HB8Ag and/or anti‐HBsAg were studied for the presence of immunoglobulin bearing cells. In three out of five liver biopsies from the HBsAg and/or Ab positive patients and in two out of the four liver biopsies from the HBsAg and anti‐HBsAg negative patients, a heavy periportal infiltration with plasma cells was found. However, the number and classes of the immunoglobulin containing cells could not be correlated either to the histological evaluation of the stage of activity of the liver disease or to the markers for HB virus infection. The immunological findings in the two groups of patients with chronic liver disease seem to be of the same nature and are most likely a consequence of the liver disease and not the cause of it.

Hellum, Kjell B.; Solberg, Claus O.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03603.xpmid: 842355

The reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) dye and the phagocytic and bactericidal activities of neutrophil granulocytes from 141 patients with bacterial infections and 141 controls have been examined and related to granulocyte morphology. In 115 patients (82 per cent), the NBT reduction capacity was higher than in any control. Vacuolization of the cytoplasm and/or toxic granulation of the neutrophils were demonstrated more often in patients with high than low NBT reduction capacity. In 49 patients (35 per cent), the bactericidal activity of the neutrophils was lower than in any control. Thirty‐eight patients (78 per cent) with impaired bactericidal activity had 25 per cent or more peripheral juvenile neutrophils as compared with only 12 (13 per cent) out of 92 patients with normal activity. Vacuolization of the cytoplasm and/or toxic granulation of the neutrophils were demonstrated in 28 patients (57 per cent) in whom the granulocyte function was reduced and in 26 patients (28 per cent) in whom function was normal. Within wide limits, the NBT reduction capacity increased with diminishing bactericidal activity of the neutrophils. Eighteen patients died of infection; 12 had reduced bactericidal activity. Defects in neutrophil granulocyte function caused by bacterial infection may contribute to a fatal outcome of the disease.

SØrensen, S. Freiesleben; HØj, Lene

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03609.xpmid: N/A

Lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood were studied by the sheep red blood cell rosette technique for the identification of T‐lymphocytes, and immunofluorescence staining with rabbit anti‐human immunoglobulin sera for the identification of B‐lymphocytes. In Crohn's disease, the total number of lymphocytes was found to be reduced and an almost equal reduction in all the lymphocyte subpopulations studied was found. In ulcerative colitis neither the number of T‐lymphocytes nor of B‐lymphocytes were found to differ significantly from normal values and the same was true of all B‐lymphocyte subpopulations. However, the number of lymphocytes carrying neither surface immunoglobulin nor sheep red blood cell receptors was found to be significantly increased. The results were correlated to clinical data.

Koskimies, Saija

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03608.xpmid: 320823

Mice were injected intraperitoneally with Sepharose 4B beads coupled with hapten NIP, and their anti‐NIP response was studied by counting antibody forming cells and determining serum titers. Mice responded well to doses of 0.7 ml of packed beads but 0.3 and 1.2 doses induced much weaker responses. Anti‐NIP titers in recipients of 0.7 ml of the antigen lasted nearly constant for at least 7 weeks. Both T cell status of the recipient and use of adjuvant had an effect on the response. Antigen without adjuvant induced primarily IgM antibodies in normal mice, but IgM and IgG in nude mice. When Hemophilus pertussis or polyacrylic acid was used as adjuvant both normal and nude mice produced IgM and IgG antibodies, and normal mice produced in addition IgA antibodies.

Johnson, Ulf; Kamme, Carl; Laurell, Anna‐Brita; Nilsson, Nils Ingvar

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03604.xpmid: 14475

Twenty children with acute pneumococcal otitis media were studied. In 6 children the infection ran a normal course and healed after the first episode and in 14 it relapsed. The serum levels of the immunoglobulins IgG, IgA and IgM were normal in all 20 children. Specific antibodies to pneumococcal polysaccharide were found in all cases, with no differences in the titers between the relapsed cases and those that healed. The complement components were quantitated with electroimmuno assay. C1q proved depressed in 60 per cent of the relapsed cases and in 16 per cent of the healed cases. C1r and Gls were disproportionally high compared with the C1q levels. Furthermore, crossed Immunoelectrophoresis revealed abnormal complexes composed of C1r and C1s, and complexes composed of C1r, C1s and CI IA. These complexes were more pronounced in sera from the children with relapsing otitis media.

Bendtzen, K.; Palit, J.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03614.xpmid: 190856

The effects of cyclic 3′, 5′‐AMP (cAMP) and cyclic 3′, 5′‐GMP (cGMP) on the in vitro migration of human peripheral blood leucocytes under agarose and on the activity of leucocyte migration inhibitory factor (LIF) was studied. Leucocyte migration was not influenced by dibutyryl cAMP, while the dibutyryl derivative of cGMP significantly stimulated cell migration (1 times 10‐5M). LIF‐treated leucocytes partially escaped migration inhibition in the presence of dibutyryl cAMP (1 times 10‐6M), while dibutyryl cGMP was inefficient. If the parent compounds cAMP and cGMP were tested, almost similar results would be obtained, although at higher concentrations of the drugs. These results represent initial experiments with a view to investigating the possible rôle of cyclic nucleotides in the expression of LIF activity.

Bratlid, Dag; BÖvre, Kjell

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03606.xpmid: 557278

The bacteriolytic activity of 153 samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with various diseases was measured by determining the ability of the CSF to cause lysis of a suspension of killed cells of Micrococcus lysodeikticus. Normal CSF did not show significant bacteriolytic activity. A high activity was found in patients with bacterial meningitis (mainly meningococcal), only to some extent correlated with the protein and cell content of the CSF. Slight elevation of protein and cell content of CSF in patients with diseases other than bacterial meningitis was not accompanied by significant bacteriolytic activity. The CSF from a patient with lymfosarcoma, with as much as 2300 cells/mm3, thus was negative. Also the CSF from patients with serous (viral) meningitis was usually negative. Measurement of bacteriolytic activity in CSF may be of diagnostic importance in cases presenting slight elevation of cell number and protein. Further studies of the significance of the bacteriolytic response in meningitis caused by different microorganisms are warranted.

Andersen, V.; Hertz, J. B.; SØrensen, S. F.; BÆkgaard, P.; Christensen, P. E.; RamhØj, W.; Hansen, G. A.; Wardlaw, A. C.; Sato, Y.

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03612.xpmid: 190855

Bordetella pertussis (B.p.) induces blast transformation of human lymphocytes; whole killed B.p. are more efficient than extracts obtained by sonication. Similar responses were obtained with each of the four strains used in the Danish pertussis vaccine. B.p. with low amounts of Protective Antigen and Histamine‐Sensitizing Factor also induced lymphocyte transformation, but were less toxic to the lymphocytes at high concentrations. The supernatants of B.p. cultures were purified with respect to Lymphocytosis Promoting Factor; evidence is presented that these purified fractions possess T‐lymphocyte mitogenic activity. Lymphocytes from all normal humans were stimulated by B.p., including cells from cord blood. Cells from child‐bearing women, obtained immediately after delivery, showed a general depression of lymphocyte transformation including the response to B.p. Children with whooping cough had a lower lymphocyte response to B.p. than healthy children. A highly significant correlation was observed between the responses to B.p. and to E. coli in the adults and newborn examined. It is concluded that the major part of the lymphocyte transformation induced by B.p. is non‐specific.

Maller, Rolf; SÖrÉn, Lars

doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1977.tb03610.xpmid: 842356

The inhibiting effect of rubella virus on lymphocyte stimulation in vitro was studied, using purified virus of the attenuated strain RA 27/3. Addition of the virus to human lymphocytes from twenty healthy blood donors before stimulation with leuco‐agglutinin (LA), a component of phytohaemagglutinin, caused a considerable inhibition of the LA response in some experiments, whereas in other experiments the inhibition was slight or non‐existent. If further analysed, the results showed a correlation between the degree of inhibition and the immunity of the lymphocyte donor against rubella, as measured by haemagglutination inhibition (HI). Thus the LA‐response was significantly more depressed in a group of lymphocyte donors with HI‐titres ranging from 20 to 160 than in another group with HI‐titre less than 5. Possible explanations of the virus‐induced inhibition of the LA response and possible connection between this phenomenon and the immune response against rubella are discussed.