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Query: UMLS:C0023241 (Legionella)
 6,990 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A procedure is described for assaying antibodies based on the application of antigen to nitrocellulose as a line with an ink pen point. The method requires no expensive apparatus, is easy to perform, and requires less than 0.25 micrograms of antigen per assay. More than 45 antigens can be assayed simultaneously with a single antibody. Antigens can be applied as purified proteins, extracts, or sodium dodecyl sulfate solubilized extracts. The application of the line blot assay for the detection of monoclonal antibodies which recognize heat-sensitive and insensitive epitopes on the typhus rickettsia surface protein antigen is described. A new serotyping assay for Gram-negative bacteria is also described in which sodium dodecyl sulfate solubilized antigens are applied as lines with and without prior proteinase K digestion. The value of the line blot serotyping assay is demonstrated with Proteus. Rickettsia, Rochalimaea, and Legionella antigens. The line blot immunoassay is a simple, but powerful and flexible, alternative to dot and cross-dot immunoassays.
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PMID:The line blot: an immunoassay for monoclonal and other antibodies. Its application to the serotyping of gram-negative bacteria. 260 66

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major constituent of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria. We used sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of proteinase-K-digested cell lysates to provide preliminary data on the LPS chemotypes for 20 strains of Legionella pneumophila (serogroups 1 to 8). The profiles of all strains except Chicago 2 (serogroup 6) were similar in the number, spacing, and size distribution of the bands visualized on silver-stained gels and were indicative of smooth LPS. However, compared with the bands from Salmonella minnesota smooth LPS, their banding pattern was much tighter, with three to four legionella bands for every salmonella band. The proteinase K digest of Chicago 2 was unique in that only two widely separated silver-stained bands were seen. LPS profiles of 10 serogroup 1 strains were identical, and the profile of Knoxville 1 was not altered by extensive in vitro passage. We used immunoblotting to investigate the serological specificities of the LPSs. When a rabbit antiserum prepared against a serogroup 1 strain was used to probe nitrocellulose sheets that bound LPS from strains belonging to eight different serogroups, it recognized only the LPS from the homologous serogroup. Similar results were observed with serogroup 2, 4, and 6 antisera. Our data indicate that L. pneumophila has a smooth-type LPS with an unusual banding pattern and that it is a serogroup-specific antigen.
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PMID:Electrophoretic and serological characterization of the lipopolysaccharides of Legionella pneumophila. 351 57

Sterile parotid saliva inhibited growth of Legionella pneumophila on solid media, and the salivary component involved in this inhibition has been shown to be amylase. Disk diffusion and well plate assays were used to study possible mechanisms for this effect. The amylolytic activity of saliva copurified with inhibitory activity, and both activities were sensitive to proteinase K digestion and heat treatment. In addition, purified alpha-amylase from several sources (bacteria, fungi, porcine pancreas, and human saliva) exhibited similar activity. Incorporation of charcoal or bovine serum albumin into media blocked inhibition by amylase. Replacement of Bacto-Agar with Noble agar (both from Difco Laboratories) prevented growth inhibition in the absence of starch. However, when corn starch was present with Noble agar, amylase-induced growth inhibition occurred. Purification of starch by washing with methanol eliminated some toxic component. The toxic component from starch could be recovered from the methanol wash and inhibited growth of L. pneumophila in the absence of amylase activity. The results suggest that toxic substances exist in media components which may be unmasked during salivary amylase digestion of starch. This effect may explain, in part, the difficulty in recovery of the organism from clinical specimens containing amylase.
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PMID:Effects of alpha-amylase on in vitro growth of Legionella pneumophila. 619 Jul 56

The proteins associated with the peptidoglycan (PG) of Legionella pneumophila are resistant to proteolysis by trypsin, protease VI and proteinase K. These protease-resistant proteins are associated with the PG noncovalently and covalently. Analysis of cell walls and PG-protein complex by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions revealed one major protein (38.5K) and several minor Coomassie and silver staining components. The 38.5K protein seemed to be a major component which was co-purified with the PG. The cleavage of the PG-protein complex by 1 N NaOH treatment yielded PG free of proteins which was subjected to alkali hydrolysis. This association of PG and protease-resistant covalently-bound proteins may be an important structural and functional determinant of resistance to both environmental conditions and intracellular digestion of L. pneumophila by eukaryotic cells.
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PMID:Partial characterization of peptidoglycan-associated proteins of Legionella pneumophila. 663 Jan 77

Sera from patients suffering from Mediterranean spotted fever (i.e. an infection due to Rickettsia conorii) were studied by immunoblot to investigate cross-reactivity. A prevalence of IgM antibodies to Proteus OX 19, Proteus OX 2, to the Rickettsia typhus group, to Legionella pneumophila serovars 4 and 5, to L. bozemanii Wiga and to L. micdadei Tatlock was found. Western blot confirmed that the antibodies were directed against the lipopolysaccharide as demonstrated by proteinase K digestion of the antigens. Cross-adsorptions showed that there is a common cross-reacting epitope among L. bozemanii Wiga, R. typhi and Proteus OX 19 but cross-reacting antibodies to L. micdadei and OX 2 were distinct and independent. This IgM cross-reaction could lead to a misdiagnosis.
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PMID:Immunoblot cross-reactions among Rickettsia, Proteus spp. and Legionella spp. in patients with Mediterranean spotted fever. 754 Dec 70

A nonradioactive method is described that detects 10 to 100 legionellae in 1 ml of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. DNA is purified by a proteinase K-phenol protocol or with a commercial DNA preparation kit and amplified by PCR with amplimers specific for the 16S rRNA gene of Legionella pneumophila. The upstream primer is 5' biotinylated. The amplification product is immobilized on streptavidin-coated microtiter plates. Because of the high binding capacity, no removal of nonincorporated biotin from the PCR product is required. After alkaline denaturation, the single-stranded PCR product is hybridized with a 5' digoxigenin-labeled probing oligomer. The amplification product is then detected by using peroxidase-labeled anti-digoxigenin antibodies in a luminescence or colorimetric reaction. The assay detects as few as 10 legionellae in 1-ml bronchoalveolar lavage fluid specimens. It is specific for medically relevant Legionella species, including Legionella pneumophila, L. bozemanii, and L. longbeachae. Of over 250 clinical specimens examined, 8 were positive for legionellae by both culture and the PCR assay. Six further specimens were culture negative but PCR positive for legionellae; of these, five specimens were from patients receiving high-dose erythromycin therapy for suspected or previously diagnosed legionella pneumonia. None of the remaining 240 specimens that were culture negative for legionellae yielded a positive PCR test, although a total of over 30 different bacterial species were cultured from these specimens. The PCR assay therefore appears to exhibit high sensitivity and specificity and thus could prove suitable for use in the routine microbiological diagnostic laboratory.
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PMID:Enzyme-linked immunoassay for detection of PCR-amplified DNA of legionellae in bronchoalveolar fluid. 754 66

Immunological cross-reactions among Legionella species were investigated with sonicated, proteinase K-digested cell lysates. The antigens separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were either analyzed for lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) by silver staining or transferred to nitrocellulose membranes for serological characterization with rabbit antibodies directed against Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1 and 5. When antiserum prepared against serogroup 5 was used to probe the LPSs from L. pneumophila serogroups 1 to 14, the antibodies recognized a common epitope harbored by all L. pneumophila serogroups but not by other Legionella species or by the gram-negative bacteria tested as controls. Hence, the serogroup 5 antiserum correctly identified all serogroups of L. pneumophila tested in the LPS immunoblot assay. Moreover, the silver-stained profiles of the isolated LPSs revealed characteristic patterns allowing the identification of the individual serogroups of L. pneumophila.
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PMID:Cross-reacting lipopolysaccharide antigens in Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1 to 14. 776 96

Electrophoretic analysis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) extracts from 430 previously serotyped Legionella isolates and 28 American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) non-Legionella pneumophila Legionella reference strains representing different Legionella species and serogroups has been performed. LPS was prepared from Legionella suspensions by sonication and proteinase K digestion. Following sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, LPS bands were either stained with silver nitrate or transferred onto a nitrocellulose membrane and detected with rabbit antibodies raised against L. pneumophila serogroup 5, which was known to cross-react with L. pneumophila serogroups 1 to 14. Silver staining revealed that each of the 28 ATCC non-L. pneumophila Legionella strains possessed an individual and characteristic LPS banding pattern. The LPS profile was defined by the molecular weight of the visualized bands and/or the individual ladder-like LPS pattern. It was demonstrated by immunoblotting that non-L. pneumophila Legionella strains did not react with the serogroup 5 antiserum, thus allowing for the differentiation between L. pneumophila and non-L. pneumophila species.
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PMID:Identification of Legionella species by lipopolysaccharide antigen pattern. 939 93

A prospective study was conducted on 25 Legionella pneumophila culture-positive and 98 culture-negative bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples to compare two DNA preparation methods: a rapid modified Chelex-based protocol and a proteinase K method. PCR was found to be more sensitive with the Chelex-based method (P = 0.03). N difference was found concerning the inhibition rate.
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PMID:Comparison of sample preparation methods for detection of Legionella pneumophila in culture-positive bronchoalveolar lavage fluids by PCR. 965 Sep 80

The role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in innate immunity to Legionella pneumophila, a gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium, was studied by using bone marrow-derived macrophages and dendritic cells from TLR2-deficient (TLR2(-/-)), TLR4(-/-), and wild-type (WT) littermate (C57BL/6 x 129Sv) mice. Intracellular growth of L. pneumophila was enhanced within TLR2(-/-) macrophages compared to WT and TLR4(-/-) macrophages. There was no difference in the bacterial growth within dendritic cells from WT and TLR-deficient mice. Production of interleukin-12p40 (IL-12p40) and IL-10 after infection with L. pneumophila was attenuated in TLR2(-/-) macrophages compared to WT and TLR4(-/-) macrophages. Induction of IL-12p40, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor alpha secretion from macrophages by the L. pneumophila dotO mutant, which cannot multiply within macrophages, and heat-killed bacteria, was similar to that caused by a viable virulent strain. There was no difference between the WT and its mutants in susceptibility to the cytopathic effect of bacteria. An L. pneumophila sonicated lysate induced IL-12p40 production by macrophages, but that of TLR2(-/-) macrophages was significantly lower than those of WT and TLR4(-/-) macrophages. Treatment of L. pneumophila sonicated lysate with proteinase K and heating did not abolish TLR2-dependent IL-12p40 production. Our results show that TLR2, but not TLR4, is involved in murine innate immunity against L. pneumophila, although other TLRs may also contribute to innate immunity against this organism.
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PMID:Differential roles of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 in in vitro responses of macrophages to Legionella pneumophila. 1561 72


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