Establishing a new human pneumococcal standard reference serum, MPRSS-01.

Measuring the immunogenicity of pneumococcal vaccines involves the use of immunoassays to measure serotype-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels post-vaccination with the current human reference serum standard (007sp) for anti-pneumococcal capsule antibodies. Development of new pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) with additional serotypes not in 007sp (e.g.

Adherence of nontypeable Streptococcus pneumoniae to human conjunctival epithelial cells.

Conjunctivitis outbreaks have occurred in the US in which nontypeable (NT) Streptococcus pneumoniae (Pnc) strains have been identified as the etiologic agent; however, the pathogenesis of Pnc conjunctivitis has not been extensively evaluated. Here we assessed the adhesive and invasive properties of 13 NT US conjunctivitis outbreak strains (cPnc) using an immortalized human conjunctival epithelial cell (HCjE) line expressing high or low levels of mucin as a surrogate for in vivo ocular surface events. Studies reveal differential binding efficiencies (up to 18-fold) among cPnc strains to HCjE cells and reduced or little adherence efficiency to high mucin-expressing (HME-HCjE).

Esophageal candidiasis in non-immune suppressed patients in a semi-urban town, southern India.

Objectives: Prevalence of Esophageal Candidiasis in non-immune compromised patients in a semi-urban town, was investigated. Further, various investigation procedures to detect the candidal pathogen were compared.

Methods: A total of 933 patients with odynophagia and dysphagia were included in this study.