Clinical characteristics and gB genotype of cytomegalovirus infection in Japan.

To investigate the role of cytomegalovirus (CMV) gB genotypes, we examined the relationship between gB genotypes and clinical features in 19 patients with CMV infection. We analyzed 9 immunocompetent patients (1A) and 5 patients (1B) with various basic disorders in the symptomatic group. Five patients were enrolled in the asymptomatic group (2).

Cytomegalovirus DNA among children attending two day-care centers in Tokyo.

Background: In the USA, a high prevalence rate of cytomegalovirus (CMV) excretion among children in day-care centres was reported. However, there is no research about the prevalence rate of CMV among children in day-care centres in Japan.

Methods: The CMV excretion was studied in 54 children's saliva samples, collected from two different day-care centres in Tokyo.

[Increase of circulating CD3+CD4-CD8-CD19+ cells in the latent phase of HIV-1 infection].

Having reported that HIV-1-infected T cell lines are rescued as CD4- from cytolysis by human complement factor B, we now show the presence of an in vivo counterpart of such CD4- T cells by demonstrating the circulating CD3+ CD4- CD8- CD29+ cells in the blood of seropositive subjects (n = 91, classified by the immunologic scale scores 0, 1, 2 and 3). The cell population was found to be significantly increased in the early phase of infection in score 0: 195/mm3 (p < 0.005) and in score 1:376/mm3 (p = 0.

Streptococcal mitogenic exotoxin Z, a novel acidic superantigenic toxin produced by a T1 strain of Streptococcus pyogenes.

Streptococcus pyogenes T1 was previously found to produce an acidic mitogenic exotoxin, designated A beta, antigenically distinct from erythrogenic toxin type A (ETA) of strains T1 and NY5. Following chemical analysis and biological characterization, we have renamed this toxin streptococcal mitogenic exotoxin Z (SMEZ). Physicochemical separation of SMEZ from ETA was successfully performed on a hydrophobic chromatograph.

Establishment of HIV-1-producing cells from peripheral mononuclear cells cultured with normal human serum.

Normal human serum (NHS) contributed to the establishment of cells producing HIV-1 under the conditions of coculture of peripheral mononuclear cells (PMC) from HIV-1 seropositive patients and of PHA-prestimulated or -non-stimulated PMC from seronegative healthy donors. No addition of IL-2 and Polybrene was necessary. Since, in the case 90101, the mitochondrial displacement-loop DNA showed identical sequences in the established cells and the HIV-1 seropositive patient's cells, it can be asserted that the HIV-1-producing cells originated from the patient.