Production of human cloned antibodies specific for hepatitis D virus-encoded small and large protein.

Cloned antibodies to specific epitopes of hepatitis D virus were produced by transformation with Epstein-Barr virus and subsequent cloning of peripheral blood B lymphocytes from a patient with chronic hepatitis D virus infection. Several stable cloned B cell lines, derived from two parent cultures, produced hepatitis D-virus-specific IgG antibodies. Some cloned IgG antibodies detected hepatitis D virus-associated antigen in hepatitis D virus-infected woodchuck liver tissue sections by indirect immunofluorescence staining and some reacted in an inhibition ELISA test detecting hepatitis D virus antibodies; most cloned IgG lines detected hepatitis D antigen both in immunofluorescence tests and in inhibition ELISA.

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infections in dialysis patients and their contacts using a second generation enzymed-linked immunosorbent assay.

The prevalence of antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) was determined in 498 hemodialysis patients from three german dialysis units, 121 staff members and 42 family members using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of the second generation which detects antibodies to a structural (C22) and to non-structural (C33c, C100, 5-1-1) recombinant antigens to HCV. Using the second generation ELISA 115 patients (23.1%) were anti-HCV positive versus 77 (15.

Parvovirus B19 infection in pregnancy.

Parvovirus B19 infection in pregnancy can cause hydrops fetalis resulting in fetal loss. Acute B19 infection was serologically confirmed in 80 pregnant women by ELISA. Of 80 pregnancies, 4 were terminated.

Computer-aided densitometric analysis of protein patterns of Clostridium difficile.

The applicability of whole-cell protein patterns obtained by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis as a typing method for Clostridium difficile was examined using a total of 227 strains isolated from 191 patients and their surroundings. Computer-aided densitometric analysis was used to establish a reliable standardization technique with which a large number of protein patterns could be efficiently classified. The normalized tracks could be electronically superimposed and compared to give reproducible results.

Identification of clinical and environmental isolates of Legionella pneumophila by analysis of outer-membrane proteins, ubiquinones and fatty acids.

47 strains of L. pneumophila, 9 reference strains of eight serogroups, 15 clinical isolates and 23 water-derived strains from different cities were analysed with respect to three chemical constituents of the cell envelope: outer- membrane proteins (OMPs), ubiquinones and fatty acids. The OMPs were obtained by Sarkosyl-extraction of a total membrane preparation and analysed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).