Identification of Rickettsia prowazekii using the polymerase chain reaction.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify Rickettsia prowazekii, the etiologic agent of epidemic typhus. For the PCR, Thermus thermophilus thermostable DNA polymerase was applied with buffer containing a relatively low Mg2+ concentration (1.5-2 mM with dNTP's at 250 microM each).

Cloning and expression in Escherichia coli of the 37-, 14-, and/or 16-kilodalton antigens genes from Rickettsia prowazekii strain E.

A gene bank of Rickettsia prowazekii strain E constructed in the phage vector lambda EMBL4 was screened for antigen production with anti-R. prowazekii serum. One of the immunoreactive clones, grown at 37 degrees C exhibited the expression of at least two antigens of molecular weight (M(r)) 37 kD and 14 kD.

[Heparin-sepharose affinity chromatography and reduction conditions as a method of a selective process for separate isoforms of apolipoprotein A].

Gel permeation chromatography of VLDL apoproteins on Sepharose CL-6B in denaturing conditions and affinity chromatography on heparin-sepharose 4B in the presence of reducing agent dithiothreitol were used for preparative isolation of apolipoprotein E of high purity from human plasma VLDL. Sequential elution of apolipoprotein E from affinity column using increasing ionic strength solutions (0.4 M NaCl and 1.

Methods for purification of Rickettsia prowazekii separated from the host tissue: a step-by-step comparison.

Two methods for purification of Rickettsia prowazekii strains E, E Vir, and Breinl grown in chick embryo yolk sacs are described. These methods combine either differential centrifugation or sucrose mix, centrifugation through sucrose cushion, 10 mmol/l MgCl2 treatment, filtration through a glass filter AP-20 and 2 cycles of verografin discontinuous density gradient centrifugation. The purification procedure including sucrose mix allowed to recover about 38-42% biologically active rickettsiae, a yield which was by 10% higher than that obtained by the method beginning at differential centrifugation.