Conserved interaction of the papillomavirus E2 transcriptional activator proteins with human and yeast TFIIB proteins.

Papillomavirus early gene expression is regulated by the virus gene-encoded E2 proteins. The best-characterized E2 protein, encoded by bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1), has been shown to interact with basal transcription factor IIB (TFIIB) and the TATA binding protein basal transcription factor (N. M.

Serotype variation in vibrio cholerae el tor diarrhoea in northern Nigeria.

Serotyping of Vibrio cholerae organisms causing epidemics in Zaria and environs since 1975 to 1986 shows that Hikojima serotype was prevalent from 1976-1978, but Ogawa became prevalent from 1984 till 1986. The internal and external pressures responsible for these selections are unclear.

Shigellosis in Zaria, northern Nigeria.

368 strains of Shigella were recovered from stool specimens in the Department of Medical Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, during the period January 1980 to December 1984. S. flexneri was found to be the most common (60%) followed by S.

Tropical pyomyositis: is it an immunodeficiency disease?

Serum immunoglobulin (IgG, IgM, IgA) and complement (C3, C4) levels were measured by radial immunodiffusion technique in a group of 16 Nigerian patients with tropical pyomyositis (TP). Sixteen healthy Nigerians, age- and sex-matched with the patients, were also included in the study as control subjects (CS). A significantly low level of circulating IgM (P less than 0.

RAST-specific IgE in Nigerian asthmatic patients.

This first study of the pattern of allergen-specific IgE in Nigerian asthmatic patients in Zaria shows a significant percentage with specific IgE to Dermatophagoides pteronnyssinus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass). Total serum IgE varied in both urban and rural asthmatics with a pattern of low and high levels in all groups.

Sensitivity pattern and beta-lactamase screening of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains isolated in Zaria, Northern Nigeria.

One hundred and sixty strains of N. gonorrhoeae were studied for their in-vitro sensitivity to six different antimicrobial agents and tested for beta-lactamase production in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. While 82% of strains were sensitive to erythromycin, 70% to tetracycline and 61% to chloramphenicol, only 35%, 33% and 24% were sensitive to ampicillin, penicillin and streptomycin respectively.

Recovery of potential pathogens from feeding bottle contents and teats in Zaria, Nigeria.

Pathogens were recovered from the contents of 41 out of 50 feeding bottles and from 32 teats in a survey in Zaria, Nigeria. 39 bottle contents and 30 teats yielded enteric pathogens. Traditional weaning gruels were more contaminated than were commercial feeds.

Glomerular disease in adults in the Savannah region of Nigeria--clinical and pathological features.

In a consecutive series of 134 adult patients with glomerular disease, 82.7% showed proliferative glomerulonephritis on renal biopsy; 45% of the cases were asymptomatic. Nephrotic syndrome in adults in northern Nigeria should respond to immunosuppressive therapy only rarely.

Airborne fungi during harmattan in Zaria, Nigeria.

Nasal and other respiratory allergies are common in Zaria, Nigeria, during the dusty harmattan period. A survey of airborne fungi was therefore carried out during four months of the harmattan period by the culture plate exposure method. Fungi belonging to 13 genera were recovered during the survey.

A case of blastomycosis from Zaria, Nigeria.

A case of blastomycosis from Zaria, Nigeria is reported. The clinical features were indistinguishable from those of tuberculosis which is very common in this environment. Lack of response to anti-tuberculosis therapy within eight weeks prompted the search for other organisms which resulted in the isolation of Blastomyces dermatitidis.

Listeria monocytogenes in Northern Nigeria.

During a one-year prospective study, the clinical conditions in which Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from nineteen patients (six females, thirteen males) included meningitis, meningoencephalitis, spontaneous peritonitis, septicaemia, arthritis, pelvic infection and urethritis. All isolates were type 4 serotype. Both apparently well persons and patients with already compromised immune systems were observed.

Recovery of soil amoebae from the air during the harmattan in Zaria, Nigeria.

An attempt was made to recover soil amoebae from the air during the harmattan in Zaria, Nigeria. Non-nutrient agar plates seeded with Escherichia coli were used as settle plates and exposed to the air for 30 minutes to four hours, after which they were incubated at 27 degrees C or at 37 degrees C. A total of 38 strains of amoebae were cultured: 21 of the genus Hartmannella, eight Naegleria, four Schizopyrenus, three Didascalus and two Tetramitus.

Chancroid in Nigeria.

The present paper records the incidence of chancroid in northern Nigeria. Out of 776 new patients registered at the Special Treatment Clinic (STC) of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Zaria during February to August 1982, 34 cases (4.38%) were diagnosed as chancroid.

Incidence of free-living amoebae in the nasal passages of local population in Zaria, Nigeria.

Following the observation of cases of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAME) during the dusty harmattan period in Zaria, a survey was carried out in randomly selected local populations of Zaria, to find out the incidence of free-living amoebae in the nasal passages. The times of sampling were spaced so as to cover both the rainy (non-harmattan) abd dry (harmattan) seasons. In all 1250 individuals were sampled, and were grouped in the three age groups of above 18 years, between 4 and 18 years and below 4 years.

Frequency and clinical features of urinary tract infection in paediatric out-patients in Nigeria.

A survey of urinary tract infections (UTI) was conducted in a paediatric out-patient department in Northern Nigeria over six months. The most common presenting complaints of UTI were pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) and mild diarrhoea. The frequency of symptomatic UTI in out-patients was estimated at 0.

The diagnosis of urinary tract infection: comparison of urine culture from suprapubic aspiration and midstream collection in a children's out-patient department in Nigeria.

Suprapubic aspiration (SPA) was compared with midstream urine collection (MSU) in the diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) in a busy paediatric out-patient department in Northern Nigeria, where usually only one specimen can be taken before starting antimicrobial therapy. SPA in 287 children was compared with 175 MSU collections. Urine was obtained at the first attempt in 260 (91%) SPA's which were easy to perform and safe.

Listeriosis in a neonate and the mother.

Listeria meningitis developed in a two-day-old child whose mother harboured Listeria monocytogenes of the same serotype 4 in her vagina. Child and mother were both effectively treated with ampicillin. This is the first report of confirmed neonatal listeriosis from Nigeria.

Endotoxaemia in Vibrio El Tor cholera.

Endotoxaemia and endotoxin-induced changes were sought in Nigerian patients presenting with cholera/diarrhoea. The organism was Vibrio cholerae, bio-type El Tor, serotype Hikojima. The limulus amoebocyte lysate gelation test was used qualitatively by the clot method, whilst a spectrophotometric method was used quantitatively to measure endotoxin levels.