Rapid detection of Pneumocystis carinii using a direct fluorescent monoclonal antibody stain.

A collaborative study was undertaken at two institutions to assess the performance of a direct fluorescent-antibody stain for the detection of Pneumocystis carinii in respiratory specimens from patients with known or suspected human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infections. A total of 163 specimens (125 induced sputa, 37 bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, and 1 tracheal aspirate) from 124 patients were examined by using modified Giemsa (Diff-Quik; Baxter American Scientific Products, Chicago, Ill.) and direct fluorescent-antibody stains.

Evaluation of blood collected on filter paper for detection of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a commercial enzyme immunoassay in detecting antibody to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 using whole-blood specimens collected onto filter paper. Results obtained with specimens collected onto filter paper were comparable with those obtained with the corresponding serum or plasma specimens.

Identification of a species-specific antigen in Legionella pneumophila by a monoclonal antibody.

A species-specific antigen in Legionella pneumophila was identified by a monoclonal antibody in enzyme-linked immunosorbent and immunofluorescence assays of serogroups 1 through 8. The species-specific antigen was heat stable, and the molecular weight of the major band was 29,000 by immunoblot analysis. In direct immunofluorescence assays, the antigen was cryptic or only partly exposed on the surface of the cells but was effectively exposed by treating the cells with detergent and EDTA.

Legionella pneumophila-induced blastogenesis of murine lymphoid cells in vitro.

Legionella pneumophilia antigen preparations, either killed whole cell vaccine, a soluble sonic extract, or a purified large-molecular-weight somatic antigen, stimulated blastogenic responses by splenocytes from both normal and Legionella-sensitized mice. Graded amounts of the bacterial preparations, when added to cultures of normal spleen cells, resulted in increased uptake of thymidine into cellular DNA, indicating that the preparations were mitogenic for normal mouse splenocytes. Spleen cells from mice injected with graded numbers of living bacteria showed blastogenic responsiveness to Legionella preparations generally at a higher level than spleen cells from normal animals.