Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.1.3.1 (alkaline phosphatase)
 47,916 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A urease-antibody conjugate was used in an enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies in blastomycosis. A Blastomyces dermatitidis immunodiffusion antigen was used as the reference antigen in a solid phase indirect ELISA procedure and the endpoints were determined visually. Urease ELISA results on serum specimens from patients with blastomycosis compared favorably (90%) with results obtained spectrophotometrically by the alkaline phosphatase enzyme system. Specificity was evaluated with assays on sera from patients with histoplasmosis (20% cross reactivity), coccidioidomycosis (0% cross reactivity) and on Histoplasma capsulatum skin-test positive individuals (0% cross reactivity). The ease of performance of the urease ELISA combined with no requirements for specialized spectrophometric equipment are factors that favor the continued development of the test as an alternative serodiagnostic method. The assay may prove to be useful and a valuable adjunct to fungal antibody screening procedures.
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PMID:Use of a urease-antibody conjugate in an enzyme immunoassay for the detection of blastomycosis. 366 59

Comparative studies were performed to assess the stability and lot-to-lot variation of Blastomyces dermatitidis yeast and mycelial phase lysate antigens. Four lots were prepared from each growth phase of B. dermatitidis strain T-58 (canine isolate) during a 14-month period. Serum specimens from dogs with blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, cryptococcosis and aspergillosis were assayed for antibody content using an alkaline phosphatase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The four lots of the yeast phase reagents were similar with respect to sensitivity and specificity, and the absorbance readings were approximately four times greater with sera from dogs with blastomycosis than with histoplasmosis or coccidioidomycosis. Even less cross-reactivity was evidenced when the sera from dogs with cryptococcosis and aspergillosis were assayed. In contrast, the four lots of the mycelial lysate reagents were considerably less reactive and more cross-reactive than the yeast phase antigens and, as above, the four reagents retained their activity after prolonged storage. Therefore the results indicated that the lysate antigens exhibited a great deal of stability and lot-to-lot variations in activity were not observed.
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PMID:Comparative stability, sensitivity and specificity studies with different lots of Blastomyces dermatitidis yeast and mycelial lysate antigens. 789 10

One hundred twelve client-owned dogs with blastomycosis were treated with itraconazole, 5 or 10 mg/kg/d. The first group of 70 dogs treated in 1987 and 1988 received 10 mg/kg/d (group 1), and the second group of 42 dogs treated after October 1988 received 5 mg/kg/d (group 2). Even though the groups were treated at different times, the dogs were similar in age and gender distribution, number of sites involved, and percent and severity of pulmonary involvement. The proportion of dogs cured with a 60-day course of itraconazole was similar for both groups (53.6% versus 54.3%) and for a second historical control group treated with amphotericin B (57%); the recurrence rate was also similar, 20%, 21.4%, and 20%, respectively. Dogs treated with itraconazole had similar mortality rates (25.7% at 5 mg/kg/d; 25% at 10 mg/kg/day) to those treated with amphotericin B (23%). Seventeen of the 23 dogs that died (74%), did so during the first week of treatment; these early deaths were usually attributed to respiratory failure. The only site of infection that was significantly associated with failure (death or recurrence) was the brain. There was a marked difference in survival times between dogs without lung disease or with mild lung disease compared with dogs with moderate or severe lung disease. Serum itraconazole concentrations reached steady state by 14 days of treatment. Dogs receiving 5 mg/kg/d of itraconazole (group 2) had mean serum concentrations of 3.55 +/- 2.81 mg/mL (range, 0.67 to 10.8 micrograms/mL), whereas dogs receiving 10 micrograms/kg/d (group 1) had mean concentrations of 13.46 +/- 8.49 micrograms/mL (range, 1.8 to 28 micrograms/mL) (P < or = .001). There was no association between cure and serum itraconazole concentrations. Dogs in group 1 had significantly more adverse effects than dogs in group 2 (P = .046). Anorexia was the most common adverse effect, occurring in 14.9% of dogs in group 1. Only 8% of dogs in group 2 had adverse effects. Serum concentrations of itraconazole were positively correlated with serum alkaline phosphatase and alanine aminotransferase activities. Our findings indicate that itraconazole administered at a dose of 5 mg/kg/d is the drug of choice for blastomycosis in dogs.
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PMID:Treatment of blastomycosis with itraconazole in 112 dogs. 894 68

Severe pulmonary or disseminated histoplasmosis often necessitates presumptive antifungal treatment while awaiting definitive diagnosis. Histoplasma antigen assays have improved sensitivity but results may lag up to 7 days. In order to increase diagnostic certainty, "soft clues" may be looked for in laboratory and radiologic data, such as elevated alkaline phosphatase or ferritin levels and findings of mediastinal adenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly. To determine if elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio is specific to histoplasmosis or a non-specific marker for disseminated fungal infection or sepsis in general, we retrospectively examined records of all patients diagnosed with an endemic fungal infection (EFI) at Rush University Medical Center from January of 1997 to October of 2012, and a cohort of septic patients with elevated liver enzymes. We identified 90 cases of EFIs during the study period that met all inclusion criteria (Histoplasma 21, Blastomyces 56, Coccidioides 12, Paracoccidioides 1). We also evaluated 10 control patients with bacterial sepsis. The mean ratio of AST to ALT in patients with disseminated histoplasmosis was 2.69 (95% CI:1.22, 4.16) while for other EFIs, the mean ratio ranged from 0.38 to 1.14 with disseminated coccidioidomycosis and blastomycosis respectively (P < 0.0001). The ratio in patients with bacterial sepsis was 0.84. We propose the use of the AST/ALT ratio as a clinical "soft clue" suggestive of disseminated histoplasmosis in the appropriate host, and to possibly distinguish cross reactivity of the Histoplasma antigen assay with other EFIs.
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PMID:AST to ALT Ratio is elevated in disseminated histoplasmosis as compared to localized pulmonary disease and other endemic mycoses. 2774 8