Other Formats:

Order this document

Clin Infect Dis 2003 Mar 1;36(5):673-4; author reply 674
 

Removing hospitalization as a barrier to immunization.

Woods M, Robke JT

Publication Types:
 

• Comment
• Letter

PMID: 12594652, UI: 22482200

Other Formats:

Order this document

Clin Infect Dis 2003 Mar 1;36(5):586-91
 

Chlamydia antibody response in healthy volunteers immunized with nonchlamydial antigens: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Johnsen S, Andersen PL, Stanek G, Christiansen G, Birkelund S, Berthelsen LM, Ostergaard L

Research Unit Q, Department of Infectious Diseases, Skejby Sygehus, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. oes@sks.aaa.dk

Serological analysis is often used for the diagnosis of chlamydial infections. However, an increase in Chlamydia antibodies has been reported in patients with parvovirus and Mycoplasma infections. Whether this antibody response is the result of dual infection or nonchlamydial antigen stimulation is unknown. In a randomized study, 48 healthy volunteers either were immunized against yellow fever, polio, diphtheria, and tetanus (the group receiving intervention with nonchlamydial antigen) or received saline injections (the placebo group). The change in antibody levels was compared between the 2 groups. The Chlamydia recombinant lipopolysaccharide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Medac) showed an increase in the antibody titer in the intervention group, compared with that in the control group (for immunoglobulin M, P=.004; for immunoglobulin A, P=.038; and for immunoglobulin G, P=.056), but no differences between study groups was found when the C. pneumoniae enzyme immunoassay (EIA; ThermoLabsystems), the C. pneumoniae EIA (Medac), and the microimmunofluorescence test (MRL) were used. An increase in antibodies to Chlamydia organisms can be measured after exposure to nonchlamydial antigens, depending on the test used.

Publication Types:
 

• Clinical trial
• Randomized controlled trial

PMID: 12594639, UI: 22482187

Other Formats:
Links:

Order this document

Infect Immun 2003 Feb;71(2):822-9
 

Does host complement kill Borrelia burgdorferi within ticks?

Rathinavelu S, Broadwater A, de Silva AM

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599, USA.

The Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, inhabits the gut lumen of the tick vector. At this location the spirochete is exposed to host blood when a tick feeds. We report here on studies that were done with normal and complement-deficient (C3-knockout) mice to determine if the host complement system killed spirochetes within the vector. We found that spirochete numbers within feeding nymphs were not influenced by complement, most likely because host complement was inactivated within the vector. The Lyme disease outer surface protein A (OspA) vaccine is a transmission-blocking vaccine that targets spirochetes in the vector. In experiments with mice hyperimmunized with OspA, complement was not required to kill spirochetes within nymphs and to block transmission from nymphs to the vaccinated host. However, host complement did enhance the ability of OspA antibody to block larvae from acquiring spirochetes. Thus, the effects of OspA antibody on nymphal transmission and larval acquisition appear to be based on different mechanisms.

PMID: 12540562, UI: 22428717

Other Formats:
Links:

Order this document

Infect Immun 2003 Feb;71(2):641-6
 

Clostridium sordellii phospholipase C: gene cloning and comparison of enzymatic and biological activities with those of Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium bifermentans phospholipase C.

Karasawa T, Wang X, Maegawa T, Michiwa Y, Kita H, Miwa K, Nakamura S

Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Japan. karasawa@med.kanazawa-u.ac.jp

The gene encoding Clostridium sordellii phospholipase C (Csp) was cloned and expressed as a histidine-tagged (His-tag) protein, and the protein was purified to compare its enzymatic and biological activities with those of Clostridium perfringens phospholipase C (Cpa) and Clostridium bifermentans phospholipase C (Cbp). Csp was found to consist of 371 amino acid residues in the mature form and to be more homologous to Cbp than to Cpa. The egg yolk phospholipid hydrolysis activity of the His-tag Csp was about one-third of that of His-tag Cpa, but the hemolytic activity was less than 1% of that of His-tag Cpa. His-tag Csp was nontoxic to mice. Immunization of mice with His-tag Cbp or His-tag Csp did not provide effective protection against the lethal activity of His-tag Cpa. These results indicate that Csp possesses similar molecular properties to Cbp and suggest that comparative analysis of toxic and nontoxic clostridial phospholipases is helpful for characterization of the toxic properties of clostridial phospholipases.

PMID: 12540540, UI: 22428695

Other Formats:

Order this document

J Infect Dis 2003 Feb 15;187(4):675-8
 

Safety and immunogenicity of a recombinant parvovirus B19 vaccine formulated with MF59C.1.

Ballou WR, Reed JL, Noble W, Young NS, Koenig S

Clinical Development, MedImmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, USA. BallouW@MedImmune.com

[Medline record in process]
 

A recombinant human parvovirus B19 vaccine (MEDI-491; MedImmune) composed of the VP1 and VP2 capsid proteins and formulated with MF59C.1 adjuvant was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, phase 1 trial. Parvovirus B19-seronegative adults (n=24) received either 2.5 or 25 microg MEDI-491 at 0, 1, and 6 months. MEDI-491 was safe and immunogenic. All volunteers developed neutralizing antibody titers that peaked after the third immunization and were sustained through study day 364.

PMID: 12599085, UI: 22486836

Other Formats:

Order this document

J Infect Dis 2003 Feb 15;187(4):542-9
 

Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Type 2 Glycoprotein D Subunit Vaccines and Protection against Genital HSV-1 or HSV-2 Disease in Guinea Pigs.

Bourne N, Bravo FJ, Francotte M, Bernstein DI, Myers MG, Slaoui M, Stanberry LR

Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. nibourne@utmb.edu

[Medline record in process]
 

In two recent clinical trials, a vaccine containing herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 glycoprotein D (gD2) and a novel adjuvant AS04 comprising alum (Al) and 3-deactylated monophosphoryl lipid A (3-dMPL) afforded HSV-seronegative women significant protection against HSV-2 genital disease (vaccine efficacy, 73% in study 1 and 74% in study 2) and limited protection against infection (46% in study 1 and 39% in study 2). In the present report, studies in the guinea pig model investigated the protection afforded by gD2/AS04 against HSV-1 and HSV-2 genital herpes and investigated whether immunization could prevent or reduce recurrent disease in guinea pigs that developed mucosal infection. Immunization with gD2/AS04 conveyed nearly complete protection against primary disease with either virus but did not prevent mucosal infection. Guinea pigs immunized with gD2/AS04 were significantly better protected against recurrent disease than were guinea pigs immunized with a gD2/Al vaccine, which suggests that inclusion of 3-dMPL improved protection against latent infection.

PMID: 12599070, UI: 22486821

Other Formats:

Order this document

J Infect Dis 2003 Mar 1;187(5):791-800
 

Horizontal Transmission of Rhesus Monkey Rotavirus-Based Quadrivalent Vaccine during a Phase 3 Clinical Trial in Caracas, Venezuela.

Hoshino Y, Wagner M, Yan XY, Perez-Schael I, Kapikian AZ

Epidemiology Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. thoshino@niaid.nih.gov

[Medline record in process]
 

During a phase 3 clinical trial of rhesus monkey rotavirus-based quadrivalent vaccine in Venezuela, 2207 infants received 3 oral doses of vaccine (4x105 plaque-forming units/dose) or placebo at ages approximately 2, 3, and 4 months; 219 (14%) of 1537 stools obtained during 1550 diarrheal episodes in postvaccination surveillance were rotavirus-positive by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. With the use of various VP7 and VP4 primers for genotyping purposes, 213 of 219 rotavirus-positive stools were analyzed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Twenty-nine (14%) of 213 rotavirus-positive stools contained at least 2 distinct rotavirus strains: a low-titered vaccine strain(s) and a second strain that, when possible, was studied further and found to be a wild-type rotavirus strain. The titer of vaccine viruses in 19 stools that plaqued directly in cell cultures ranged from 10(1) to 10(3) plaque-forming units/0.5 mL of a 10% stool suspension. Reassortants of vaccine virus and wild-type human rotavirus were not detected.

PMID: 12599053, UI: 22486855

Other Formats:

Order this document

J Infect Dis 2003 Mar 1;187(5):758-68
 

Qualitative change in antibody responses of human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccination associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Subramaniam KS, Segal R, Lyles RH, Rodriguez-Barradas MC, Pirofski LA

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA.

[Medline record in process]
 

Variable region gene family 3 (V(H)3) is the predominant immunoglobulin (Ig) gene family used in human antibodies to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide (PPS). This study examined whether highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) restores the ability of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals to generate a V(H)3-positive response to PPS. The IgM, IgG, and V(H)3 (represented by antibodies expressing the determinant recognized by the monoclonal antibody D12) responses to PPS were determined for first-time recipients of a 23-valent PPS vaccine, both receiving and not receiving HAART, and second-time vaccine recipients receiving HAART. The results showed that only the individuals receiving HAART manifested a V(H)3-(D12)-positive response to PPS, despite a similar IgG response in each group. There was also a negative correlation between HIV load and PPS response for the groups receiving HAART. These findings suggest that HAART may influence qualitative aspects of the PPS response by restoring expression of certain V(H)3 genes used in the normal PPS response.

PMID: 12599049, UI: 22486851

Other Formats:
Links:

J Virol 2003 Mar 15;77(6):3418-3429
 

Vaccinia Virus G7L Protein Interacts with the A30L Protein and Is Required for Association of Viral Membranes with Dense Viroplasm To Form Immature Virions.

Szajner P, Jaffe H, Weisberg AS, Moss B

Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Protein/Peptide Sequence Facility, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, and Graduate Program of the Department of Genetics, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052.

[Record supplied by publisher]
 

The vaccinia virus A30L protein is required for the association of electron-dense, granular, proteinaceous material with the concave surfaces of crescent membranes, an early step in viral morphogenesis. For the identification of additional proteins involved in this process, we used an antibody to the A30L protein, or to an epitope appended to its C terminus, to capture complexes from infected cells. A prominent 42-kDa protein was resolved and identified by mass spectrometry as the vaccinia virus G7L protein. This previously uncharacterized protein was expressed late in infection and was associated with immature virions and the cores of mature particles. In order to study the role of the G7L protein, a conditional lethal mutant was made by replacing the G7L gene with an inducible copy. Expression of G7L and formation of infectious virus was dependent on the addition of inducer. Under nonpermissive conditions, morphogenesis was blocked and viral crescent membranes and immature virions containing tubular elements were separated from the electron-dense granular viroplasm, which accumulated in large spherical masses. This phenotype was identical to that previously obtained with an inducible, conditional lethal A30L mutant. Additional in vivo and in vitro experiments provided evidence for the direct interaction of the A30L and G7L proteins and demonstrated that the stability of each one was dependent on its association with the other.

PMID: 12610117

Other Formats:

Order this document

JAMA 2003 Feb 26;289(8):1012-5
 

BCG Vaccination and Risk of Atopy.

Krause TG, Hviid A, Koch A, Friborg J, Hjuler T, Wohlfahrt J, Olsen OR, Kristensen B, Melbye M

Department of Epidemiology Research, Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Statens Serum Institut, Artillerivej 5, DK 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark. tgv@ssi.dk

[Medline record in process]
 

CONTEXT: It has been suggested that BCG vaccination may protect against development of allergic diseases, particularly when given just after birth. BCG vaccination was given routinely to all infants in Greenland until 1990, when it was withdrawn from the vaccination program. Whether this resulted in an increased prevalence of atopy in children born after the stop of BCG vaccination is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether BCG vaccination and age at BCG vaccination are associated with development of atopy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional study among schoolchildren aged 8 to 16 years in 4 towns on the northwest coast of Greenland. Participants had a blood sample drawn and information on BCG vaccination was obtained during 2 periods, November 1998 and November 2001. A total of 1686 children (79% of available children) participated, 1575 of whom had complete information on vaccination status. Atopy was defined as a positive test result in an assay that tests for IgE specific against the most common inhalant allergens in serum. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Odds ratio (OR) of atopy in BCG-vaccinated compared with unvaccinated children and OR according to age at vaccination. RESULTS: The risk of atopy was the same in BCG-vaccinated compared with unvaccinated children after adjustment for confounders (OR, 1.03; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-1.48). The risk of atopy in BCG-vaccinated children was not associated with age at vaccination (P =.17). CONCLUSIONS: BCG vaccination administered to infants is not associated with reduced risk of development of atopy.

PMID: 12597754, UI: 22486950

Other Formats:

Order this document

Lancet 2003 Feb 22;361(9358):699
 

Mercury in infants given vaccines containing thiomersal.

Pichichero ME, Treanor J

601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 672, 14642, Rochester, NY, USA

[Medline record in process]
 

PMID: 12606191, UI: 22495056

Other Formats:

Order this document

Lancet 2003 Feb 22;361(9358):699
 

Mercury in infants given vaccines containing thiomersal.

Westphal G, Hallier E

Georg-August-University Gottingen, Institute of Occupational Health, Waldweg 37, D-37073, Gottingen, Germany

[Medline record in process]
 

PMID: 12606190, UI: 22495055

Other Formats:

Order this document

Lancet 2003 Feb 22;361(9358):698-9
 

Mercury in infants given vaccines containing thiomersal.

Halsey NA, Goldman LR

Institute for Vaccine Safety, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA

[Medline record in process]
 

PMID: 12606189, UI: 22495054

Other Formats:

Order this document

Lancet 2003 Feb 22;361(9358):698
 

Mercury in infants given vaccines containing thiomersal.

Colman E

US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Division of Metabolic and Endocrine Drug Products, 20857, Rockville, MD, USA

[Medline record in process]
 

PMID: 12606188, UI: 22495053

Other Formats:

Order this document

Lancet 2003 Feb 22;361(9358):675-6
 

Effectiveness of meningococcal C conjugate vaccine in teenagers in England.

Bose A, Coen P, Tully J, Viner R, Booy R

Academic Department of Child Health, Royal London Hospital, E1 1BB, London, UK

[Medline record in process]
 

Meningococcal C conjugate vaccine was introduced into clinical practice in the UK before phase 3 trials had been undertaken. We therefore did a case-control study in teenagers to assess vaccine effectiveness. All cases (n=31) enrolled had laboratory confirmed meningococcal C disease. We also enrolled between one and three controls (n=65) per case, matched by age, sex, and general practitioner. Three patients and 23 controls had been vaccinated. The protective effectiveness of the vaccine, estimated by conditional logistic regression, was 93% (95% CI 39-99), which is similar to screening method estimates. The estimated protective effectiveness varied little when potential confounding risk factors were taken into account. Our findings indicate that the vaccine is highly protective against invasive meningococcal C disease.

PMID: 12606181, UI: 22495046

Other Formats:

Order this document

Lancet 2003 Feb 15;361(9357):582
 

Project seeks to "fast track" rotavirus vaccine.

McCarthy M

Publication Types:
 

• News

PMID: 12598149, UI: 22486977

Other Formats:
Links:

Order this document

N Engl J Med 2003 Feb 20;348(8):758-9; author reply 758-9
 

Controlling tuberculosis in India.

Schaller JG, Starke J

Publication Types:
 

• Comment
• Letter

PMID: 12596749, UI: 22483067

Other Formats:
Links:

Order this document

Science 2003 Feb 28;299(5611):1290-1
 

Public health. AIDS vaccine trial produces disappointment and confusion.

Cohen J

[Medline record in process]
 

Publication Types:
 

• News

PMID: 12610260, UI: 22498135

the above reports in Macintosh PC UNIX Text HTML format
documents on this page through Loansome Doc