Nasal-associated lymphoid tissue and olfactory epithelium as portals of entry for Burkholderia pseudomallei in murine melioidosis.

Background: Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is generally considered to be acquired via inhalation of dust or water droplets from the environment. In this study, we show that infection of the nasal mucosa is potentially an important portal of entry in melioidosis.

Methods: After intranasal inoculation of mice, infection was monitored by bioluminescence imaging and by immunohistological analysis of coronal sections.

Development of a monoclonal blocking ELISA for the detection of antibody to Mycoplasma bovis in dairy cattle and comparison to detection by PCR.

A monoclonal antibody blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (B-ELISA) was developed to detect antibodies to Mycoplasma bovis in cattle sera. The assay was highly specific and sensitive and there was no cross-reaction detected. This method revealed a high prevalence of antibodies (60%) to M.

Effect of cryopreservation on the immunogenicity of umbilical cord blood cells.

Cryopreservation is the accepted method for long-term storage of cord blood (CB) cells. We evaluated the effects of using different cooling rates (1, 5, 7.5 and 10 degrees C/min) on CB cell allostimulatory and alloproliferative function, antigen expression and clonogenic potential.

Induction of autoimmune valvulitis in Lewis rats following immunization with peptides from the conserved region of group A streptococcal M protein.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is considered to be an autoimmune disorder mediated by group A streptococcal (GAS) M protein-specific T cells and antibodies that cross-react with cardiac antigens and epitopes of the GAS M protein. In this study, Lewis rats were immunized with a pool of overlapping peptides spanning the conserved region of the GAS M protein in Complete Freund's Adjuvant, followed by immunization with Bordetella pertussis. Controls received adjuvants alone.

Demonstration of a cell-mediated immune response in melioidosis.

Melioidosis is a bacterial infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. The aim of this study was to determine whether a cell-mediated adaptive immune response against B. pseudomallei developed in patients who had recovered from melioidosis.

Analogous cytokine responses to Burkholderia pseudomallei strains contrasting in virulence correlate with partial cross-protection in immunized mice.

Cytokine mRNA levels were assessed in Burkholderia pseudomallei-susceptible BALB/c mice and B. pseudomallei-resistant C57BL/6 mice following administration of a sublethal dose of less virulent (LV) B. pseudomallei, a candidate immunogen tested for protection against a highly virulent (HV) challenge.

A comparison of antibiotic susceptibility testing methods for cotrimoxazole with Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Melioidosis is caused by the Gram-negative soil saprophyte, Burkholderia pseudomallei and is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions of southeast Asia and northern Australia. Cotrimoxazole has been traditionally used for the therapy of melioidosis despite results indicating resistance often produced in the disc diffusion test against B. pseudomallei.

Development of a Brucella suis specific hybridisation probe and PCR which distinguishes B. suis from Brucella abortus.

A genomic library was prepared from Brucella suis DNA (MboI digested) and cloned into the BamHI site of pUC18. Colony hybridisation using a probe prepared from purified B. suis DNA labelled with alpha 32P was carried out to identify colonies of interest.