Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:6.2.1.7 (BAL)
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A review is presented of the microbiological data, and the methods for obtaining these data, which are relevant for the diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infection. The necessity for adequate information exchange between the microbiology laboratory and the clinic is stressed. Once the specimen (usually sputum) has reached the laboratory, it is screened macroscopically and microscopically for adequacy, and cultures are set up. Many patients with acute community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) have no sputum, and some produce purulent sputum containing no obvious infecting micro-organisms. Despite modern microbiological techniques, only 110 out of 250 acute CAP patients had positive bacteriological cultures and 41 more yielded only positive serological results, so that an aetiological diagnosis was reached in 60%. Invasive methods of specimen collection (bronchoscopy, BAL, protected brush, etc) have also been studied, together with quantitative bacterial counting, but the results have not yielded so much useful information that these procedures can be unreservedly recommended. Molecular biological methods (DNA probes, PCR, etc) are only now becoming available. The bacteriological findings in patients with acute CAP have been compared with those in acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (CB), and several differences have emerged in the order of frequency of occurence. H. influenzae is in first place with exacerbations of CB, but is second to S. pneumoniae in acute CAP. The latter occupies third position in CB, with Moraxella catarrhalis second. The role of Chlamydia pneumoniae in acute CAP is not yet clear, but the serological results suggest an association in 42 out of 147 patients tested (29%), 15 of whom also had positive bacteriological cultures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Critical review of microbiological data and methods in diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infections. 819 20

Chlamydia pneumoniae is a respiratory pathogen that has been associated with chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma and atherosclerosis. Recent isolation of C. pneumoniae from human carotid and coronary atheromas provides additional support for a role of this organism in atherogenesis. We characterized the coronary strain C. pneumoniae A-03 by sequence analysis of the major outer membrane protein gene (omp1). In addition, the in vitro activities of A-03 and three respiratory strains of C. pneumoniae (BAL-16, TW-183, and T-2634) were examined in infected human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) by analysis of the production of interleukin-8 (IL-8), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), and soluble intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1). Sequence analysis of omp1 of C. pneumoniae A-03, compared to prototype strains TW-183 and AR-39, revealed five nucleotide changes resulting in nonsynonymous codons. Of interest was a nonconservative amino acid substitution (Ser to Pro) in position 61 of variable segment 1. In vitro, the extent of MCP-1, IL-8, and sICAM-1 production was dependent on the C. pneumoniae strain examined at low multiplicities of infection following 24 h of incubation. Strain A-03 displayed the lowest stimulatory activity in infected HUVEC, while T-2634 induced the highest levels of MCP-1, IL-8, and sICAM-1 among all strains examined. Heat-inactivated C. pneumoniae failed to stimulate production of these proteins by all strains tested. In contrast, only partial inhibition was observed by UV-inactivated organisms. Results from this study demonstrate that unlike prototype respiratory strains of C. pneumoniae, the coronary strain A-03 displays divergence in the omp1 gene. In addition, the stimulation of chemokines and adhesion molecules involved in the recruitment of leukocytes to sites of inflammation by C. pneumoniae may be important in the pathogenesis of diseases associated with this organism, including atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Characterization of a strain of Chlamydia pneumoniae isolated from a coronary atheroma by analysis of the omp1 gene and biological activity in human endothelial cells. 952 55

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) induces tryptophan catabolism in HEp-2 cells, possibly via stimulation of host cell indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase activity, in a dose-dependent (12.5-1600 U/mL) fashion after 24 h, resulting in a 99% conversion to its metabolites at 1600 U/mL. Replication of Chlamydia pneumoniae isolates A-03 and BAL-16 was inhibited in HEp-2 cells following treatment with 50 and 100 U/mL IFN-gamma, respectively; however, addition of excess L-tryptophan (200 microg/mL) to monolayers infected with C. pneumoniae resulted in unrestricted growth of both isolates up to 1600 U/mL IFN-gamma. C. pneumoniae could be recovered from IFN-gamma-treated monolayers, indicating the potential for this bacterium to undergo an altered life cycle, in vitro, analogous to that described in detail for Chlamydia trachomatis. The ability of C. pneumoniae to persist in host tissue despite an immunologic response would be an important attribute in order to cause or exacerbate chronic infections.
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PMID:Inhibition of Chlamydia pneumoniae replication in HEp-2 cells by interferon-gamma: role of tryptophan catabolism. 959 20

We have previously shown that different isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae display heterogeneity in the in vitro stimulation of chemokines and adhesion molecules from infected human endothelial cells. In the present study, we examined the ability of different isolates of C. pneumoniae to promote transendothelial migration of neutrophils and monocytes. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were infected with low (<15)-passage C. pneumoniae isolates A-03, PS-32, and BR-393 and high (>40)-passage isolates BAL-16, TW-183, and T-2634, and levels of neutrophil and monocyte transendothelial migration were determined following 24 h of infection. Compared to mock-infected controls, significant increases in neutrophil migration were observed in response to most C. pneumoniae isolates examined (P < 0.001). Levels of monocyte migration were significantly increased in response to TW-183 and T-2634 (P < 0.001). Serial passage (>40 times) of the three low-passage isolates in HEp-2 cell cultures prior to infection of HUVEC generally resulted in the promotion of higher levels of neutrophil and monocyte transendothelial migration. These findings were compatible with differences observed in the extent of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) stimulation between low- and high-passage A-03, PS-32, and BR-393. As opposed to C. pneumoniae, infection with C. trachomatis L2 caused only a slight increase in neutrophil transendothelial migration, which correlated with the lack of measurable IL-8 levels by this species. However, significant levels of monocyte migration were induced in response to C. trachomatis L2 despite a lack of measurable MCP-1 stimulation. C. trachomatis serovars A and E also failed to induce IL-8 and MCP-1 production in HUVEC. Results from this study indicate that the passage history of C. pneumoniae may play a role in the divergence of stimulatory activities observed among isolates in human endothelial cells. In addition, the differences observed between this organism and C. trachomatis suggest that the upregulation of IL-8 and MCP-1 in endothelial cells may be unique to C. pneumoniae.
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PMID:Infection of human endothelial cells with Chlamydia pneumoniae stimulates transendothelial migration of neutrophils and monocytes. 1002 78