The viruses of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1), Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2) and Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV) which belong to the alpha herpes subfamily are important human pathogens. When eruptions were not fully developed from these viral infections, clinical diagnosis was not always easy and required virological confirmation test. The above viruses were reactivated in individuals who were compromised in immune competence for one reason or another. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) enables rapid and sensitive detection of HSV and VZV DNAs. Its sensitivity was largely influenced by choice of primers. Authors conducted a study to detect of those three viruses in human specimens including vesicle fluid and joint fluid and serum using PCR methods. Primers used for this study were the general primer pair GPHV-RU which was known to amplify within the genes enjoying the highest degree of homology between UL15 of HSV and UL42 of VZV. PCR with primers hybridized pair GPHV-RU amplifies a 396 bp with HSV-1 and HSV-2 standard stain DNA and 405 bp with VZV standard strain DNA. Restriction enzyme cleavage with HpaII and DdeI were used to detect and distinguish DNAs of HSV-1 and HSV-2 and VZV. The purpose of this study was a rapid and easy detection of VZV and HSV-1 or HSV-2 from various clinical specimens (vesicle fluid, serum and joint fluid) by PCR method. Used methods were: HSV PCR with primer 1, 2 and HpaII RE digestion; VZV nested PCR; HSV PCR with primer A, B and BssHII RE digestion. 1) In 33 cases (33/42, 78.6%) VZV was detected single or mixed infection from 42 clinical specimens which included vesicle fluid (5), serum from respiratory infected children (10), serum from immune suppressed adult cancer patients (7) and joint fluid from arthritis patients (20). 2) In 20 cases (20/42, 42.6%) HSV was detected singly or mixed infection and 19 of the cases were HSV-2 and 1 case was HSV-1. 3) In 19 cases (19/42, 45.2%) VZV was singly detected which included serum from respiratory infected children (6 cases), joint fluid from arthritis patients (9 cases), vesicle fluid (2 cases) and serum form immunosuppressed cancer patients (2 cases). 4) HSV was singly detected in 6 cases (6/42, 14.3%) which included joint fluid from arthritis patients (5 cases) and serum form respiratory infected children (1 cases). 5) 14 cases of VZV and HSV mixed infection (14/42, 33.3%) were detected. They included vesicle fluid (3 cases), serum form immunosuppressed cancer patients (4 cases), serum from respiratory infected children (2 cases) and joint fluid from arthritis patients (5 cases). 6) HSV-1 and HSV-2 detection and typing by HSV PCR with primer A, B and BssHII RE digestion method was more sensitive and the results were easier to detect than on other method.
Adult ; Arthritis ; Child ; Coinfection ; Diagnosis ; Digestion ; DNA ; Herpes Simplex* ; Herpesvirus 1, Human* ; Herpesvirus 2, Human ; Herpesvirus 3, Human* ; Humans ; Joints* ; Mental Competency ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Simplexvirus*

To investigate resistance to lamivudine (3TC), we examined the incidence of M184V in 20 HIV-1 patients treated with 3TC for 13.1 +/- 9 months. Fourteen of 20 patients had been exposed to zidovudine (ZDV) or didanosine (ddl) prior to 3TC therapy. Nested PCR targeting to reverse transcriptase (RT) and direct sequencing were performed for peripheral blood mononuclear cells sampled serially. There were resistance mutations to ZDV in at least 9 patients at baseline, although there was no resistance mutation to 3TC. We could detect M184V in 6 (30%) out of 20 patients. The incidence of M184V increased as the duration of therapy prolongs (13% in samples<12 months; 47% in samples gtoreq 12 months). The frequency of mutation M184V was higher in patients with previous mutation to ZDV than in patients with wild type. Resistance mutation was not detected in 7 patients. This study shows that resistance to 3TC tends to develop rapidly in patients with baseline mutations or two drugs combination therapy than in those treated simultaneously with triple drugs. This report is the first on resistance to 3TC in Korean AIDS patients.
Didanosine ; HIV-1* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lamivudine* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase ; Zidovudine

Ninety two strains of Streptococcus pyogenes were isolated from patients with pharyngitis, scarlet fever, skin infection, and invasive streptococcal infections in Seoul, Korea from January to December, 1998. All isolates were epidemiologically characterized by T protein serotype, and serum opacity factor (OF) detection to phenotypes. To analyze the genetic relationship, fifty two isolates including 32 erythromycin-clindamycin (Em-Cm) resistant strains, 20 antimicrobial susceptible strains were attempted to the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). T protein serotype showed 16 kinds in distribution including T12 and T4. Among the total isolates, 40 strains (43.5%) belonged to the T12 serotype and twenty strains (21.7%) to T4 serotype. On the other hand, when infection aspect of S. pyogenes isolates were analysed by T serotype distribution, T12 type was predominant for pharyngitidis which contributed to 21 strains (53%) and for skin infection isolates which contributed to 11 strains (28%), respectively. In case of T4 type, it was the most predominant pharyngitidis isolates which contributed to 8 strains (40%). In T serotype distribution of Em-Cm resistant strains, 27 strains (84%) of the thirty two showed T12 serotype. In minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of Em-Cm resistance isolates, thirty two isolates showed resistant to erythromycin 27 strains (84%), had high MIC of >128 mug/ml. And also to clindamycin, twenty two strains (69%) had high MIC of >128 mug/ml. When OF detection of Em-Cm resistance of S. pyogenes isolates were analyzed by T serotype distribution, T12 serotype isolates revealed that all of the isolates except one strain were OF negative. In PFGE profile analysis to Em-Cm resistance isolates, of the twenty seven, Em-Cm resistance of T12 serotype isolates, 26 strains showed identical PFGE profile and all of these isolates revealed that OF negative. Eighty four percent of Em-Cm resistance S. pyogenes isolates had identical phenotype and PFGE profile. These results strongly suggested that the Em-Cm resistant S. pyogenes isolates from Seoul area showed close genetic correlation and PFGE could be available tool for molecular epidemiology.
Clindamycin ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field* ; Erythromycin ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea* ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Pharyngitis ; Phenotype ; Scarlet Fever ; Seoul ; Skin ; Streptococcal Infections ; Streptococcus pyogenes* ; Streptococcus*

Scrub typhus is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi characterized by fever, headache, lymphadenopathy and eschar formation. Infiltration of inflammatory cells around blood vessels and within the affected organs is known to be pathologic hallmark of the scrub typhus. Recently, expression of adhesion molecules on vascular endothelial cells was implicated as an important pathogenic mechanism in rickettsial disease. This study was performed to examine the expression of adhesion molecules and to investigate its role in the pathogenesis of O. tsutsugamushi infection. The expression of adhesion molecules on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was measured by flow cytometry and indirect immunofluorescence. Expression of E-selectin, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 was significantly increased 4 hours after the infection and persisted at least for 24 hours. Expression of those molecules was not induced by killed O. tsutsugamushi. Adhesion of polymorphonuclear cells and mononuclear cells to HUVEC was increased after the infection with O. tsutsugamushi. In conclusion, adhesion molecules are expressed on HUVEC during the infection of live O. tsutsugamushi and those molecules can contribute to the infiltration of inflammatory cells during the infection.
Blood Vessels ; E-Selectin ; Endothelial Cells ; Fever ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Headache ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells* ; Humans* ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Orientia tsutsugamushi* ; Scrub Typhus ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is capable of growing and survival within macrophage. The purpose of this study was to identify the genes regulated by infection of mycobacteria in human monocytic THP-1 cells. We used the differential display reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (DD RT-PCR) and nothern blot analysis to confirm the differentially expressed genes from THP-1 cells infected with live Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, heat-kille Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and live Mycobacterium bovis BCG. Among many up or down-regulated clones, 27 clones were sequenced and compared with known genes on GenBank. Thirteen of over-expressed clones from THP-1 cells infected with live Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv were identical to human prothymosin alpha, eight were novel clones and six clones showed homology with Human ferritin H chain, Escherichia coli bgl, Mouse RNA-dependent EIF-2 alpha kinase, E. coli htrL, Hyaluronan receptor and T cell receptor. Our result suggests that Mycobacterium tuberculosis might regulate prothymosin alpha gene transcription in monocytic THP-1 cell.
Animals ; Antigens, CD44 ; Clone Cells ; Databases, Nucleic Acid ; Escherichia coli ; Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2 ; Ferritins ; Humans ; Macrophages ; Mice ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Phosphotransferases ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Up-Regulation*

No Abstract Available.
Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter*

No Abstract Available.
Clone Cells* ; Cloning, Organism* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium*

No Abstract Available.
Astrocytes* ; Humans*

No Abstract Available.
Heparitin Sulfate* ; Orientia tsutsugamushi*

No Abstract Available.
Anti-Infective Agents* ; Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli* ; Quinolones* ; Shiga Toxins*