Antigens, Bacterial ; immunology ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; immunology ; Signal Transduction ; immunology ; Vaccines, Subunit ; immunology

Adult ; Alternaria ; immunology ; Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic ; immunology ; Animals ; Antibodies ; immunology ; Antibodies, Bacterial ; immunology ; Antibodies, Fungal ; immunology ; Antigens ; immunology ; Antigens, Bacterial ; immunology ; Antigens, Fungal ; immunology ; Aspergillus fumigatus ; immunology ; Asymptomatic Diseases ; Candida albicans ; immunology ; Cladosporium ; immunology ; Columbidae ; immunology ; Female ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; immunology ; Male ; Melopsittacus ; immunology ; Middle Aged ; Mucor ; immunology ; Nocardia ; immunology ; Parrots ; immunology ; Penicillium chrysogenum ; immunology ; Stachybotrys ; immunology ; Thermoactinomyces ; immunology

Antigens, Bacterial ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Nasal Mucosa ; immunology ; Staphylococcus ; immunology ; Superantigens ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo assess the sensitivity, specificity, and feasibility of 4 recombinant Treponema pallidum antigen-based rapid tests in the diagnosis of syphilis.

METHODSA total of 970 outpatients were selected from the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Centre of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Venous blood was collected and serum was extracted. T. pallidum antibodies in whole blood, anticoagulant whole blood, and serum were detected using 4 recombinant T. pallidum antigen-based rapid tests. T. pallidum haemagglutination test (TPHA) was considered as the gold standard for the detection of T. pallidum specific antibodies in serum. The sensitivities and specificities of four methods were analyzed.

RESULTSThe sensitivities and specificities of Abbott Determine Syphilis TP test, SD-BIOLINE Syphilis 3.0 test, VISITECT-SYPHILIS test, and Syphicheck-WB test for serum specimens were 100% and 98.9%, 95.7% and 98.0%, 94.6% and 98.2%, 68.1% and 98.9%; for whole blood were 74.1% and 99.5%, 87.9% and 99.4%, 73.2% and 99.7%, 64.7% and 99.7%. The observed sensitivities of the 4 rapid diagnosis tests were not significantly different with TPHA (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe 4 rapid tests show good performance and characteristics in the diagnosis of syphilis. Furthermore, they are more sensitive for serum specimens than whole blood.

Antigens, Bacterial ; immunology ; Humans ; Quality Control ; Recombinant Proteins ; immunology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Syphilis ; diagnosis ; Treponema pallidum ; immunology

Orientia tsutsugamushi, a causative pathogen of Scrub typhus, is a gram-negative intracellular bacterium. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are produced from the membrane of bacteria and play many roles related to the survival of the pathogen. However, there have been no reports confirming whether O. tsutsugamushi indeed produce OMVs. O. tsutsugamushi boryong was cultured in ECV-304 cells for the purification of OMVs. Western blot analysis and immunoenrichment using anti-O. tsutsugamushi monoclonal antibody and electron microscopy were employed for identification and characterization of OMVs. We confirm the presence of OMVs derived from O. tsutsugamushi, and also found that those OMVs contain a major surface antigen of 56-kDa protein and variant immunogenic antigens.
Antibodies, Monoclonal/*immunology ; Antigens, Bacterial/*immunology ; Antigens, Surface/*immunology ; Cell Line ; Cell Membrane/immunology ; Humans ; Microscopy, Electron ; Orientia tsutsugamushi/*immunology/metabolism ; Scrub Typhus/diagnosis/microbiology ; Secretory Vesicles/*immunology

As the dominant antigens, early secreted antigenic target 6 (ESAT6, E6) and culture filtrate protein 10 (CFP10, C10) had once been the focus of tuberculosis (TB) vaccine due to their capability of inducing strong cell immune response in the host. They are also endowed with promising future of prevention against and diagnosis of TB. In this review, we systematically introduce recent research progress of E6 and C10, especially in structure-function, biological characteristics, protein expression and secretion, host immunity and vaccine development, and the prospects of their application are also discussed.
Antigens, Bacterial ; chemistry ; genetics ; immunology ; Bacterial Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunodominant Epitopes ; immunology ; Molecular Biology ; Peptide Fragments ; chemistry ; genetics ; immunology ; Tuberculosis Vaccines ; genetics ; immunology ; Vaccines, DNA ; immunology

To date, efforts to treat autoimmune diseases have primarily focused on the disease symptoms rather than on the cause of the disease. In large part, this is attributed to not knowing the responsible auto-antigens (auto-Ags) for driving the self-reactivity coupled with the poor success of treating autoimmune diseases using oral tolerance methods. Nonetheless, if tolerogenic approaches or methods that stimulate regulatory T (Treg) cells can be devised, these could subdue autoimmune diseases. To forward such efforts, our approach with colonization factor antigen I (CFA/I) fimbriae is to establish bystander immunity to ultimately drive the development of auto-Ag-specific Treg cells. Using an attenuated Salmonella vaccine expressing CFA/I fimbriae, fimbriae-specific Treg cells were induced without compromising the vaccine's capacity to protect against travelers' diarrhea or salmonellosis. By adapting the vaccine's anti-inflammatory properties, it was found that it could also dampen experimental inflammatory diseases resembling multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis. Because of this bystander effect, disease-specific Treg cells are eventually induced to resolve disease. Interestingly, this same vaccine could elicit the required Treg cell subset for each disease. For MS-like disease, conventional CD25+ Treg cells are stimulated, but for arthritis CD39+ Treg cells are induced instead. This review article will examine the potential of treating autoimmune diseases without having previous knowledge of the auto-Ag using an innocuous antigen to stimulate Treg cells via the production of transforming growth factor-beta and interleukin-10.
Animals ; Antigens, Bacterial/*immunology ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/immunology/prevention & control ; Autoantigens/*immunology ; Fimbriae Proteins/*immunology ; Humans ; Multiple Sclerosis/immunology/prevention & control ; Salmonella/*immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/*immunology ; *Vaccination

PURPOSE: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major infectious disease and is responsible for two million deaths annually. For the identification and quantitation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), a causative agent of TB, a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against the MPT64 protein of M. tuberculosis, an antigen marker of the M. tuberculosis complex, was developed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MPT64 protein was expressed, and anti-MPT64 monoclonal antibodies were prepared. A sandwich ELISA was established using recombinant MPT64 protein and anti-MPT64 monoclonal antibodies. The sandwich MPT64 ELISA was evaluated using reference and clinical mycobacterial strains. RESULTS: The sandwich MPT64 ELISA detected MPT64 protein from 2.1 ng/mL to 250 ng/mL (equivalent to 1.7x10(4) CFU/mL and 2.0x10(6) CFU/mL). All 389 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates tested positive in the sandwich MPT64 ELISA (sensitivity, 100%), and the assay showed no cross reactivity to any tested nontuberculous mycobacterial strain (specificity, 100%). CONCLUSION: The sandwich MPT64 ELISA is a highly sensitive and quantitative test for MPT64 protein, which can identify M. tuberculosis.
Antigens, Bacterial/*analysis/immunology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/*methods ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/*immunology

OBJECTIVE7 variable but nonculturable-state strains of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) during the routine bacterial subculture were found in our lab and their morphology and antigen studied. Biological features, antigens and pathogenicity of the revertants were also tested and compared to that of the initial strains in order to detect their variations.

METHODSBiological variations between the variable but nonculturable-state and the revertant of every strain were detected, using the routine gram-staining, reverting the isolates in animal intestinal, reverting their pathogenicity, serological agglutination, biochemical identifications and antibiotic resistance tests.

RESULTSFor the 7 variable but nonculturable-state strains of ETEC,other than the trains that had changed into sphero vegetale cells, there were no other obvious variations found. However, high pathogenicity of these strains still remained.

CONCLUSIONThe presence of variable but nonculturable-state strains suggested that the routine method of bacteria storage should be changed and more attention should be paid to realize the existence of this kind of bacteria during the routine surveillance of the communicable diseases.

Antigens, Bacterial ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli ; drug effects ; immunology ; pathogenicity ; Microbiological Techniques

Twenty-four monoclonal antibodies were produced by immunizing BALB/c mice with Rickettsia tsutsugamushi Boryong strain and used for the analysis of antigenic characteristics of R.tsutsugamushi Boryong strain and antigenic heterogeneity of R.tsutsugamushi by indirect immunofluorescent(IF) test. R. tsutsugamushi Kato, Karp, Gilliam, TA686, TA716, TA763, TC586, TH1817, and Boryong were used for the analysis of antigenic heterogeneity of R.tsutsugamushi. Five monoclonal antibodies were reactive with 27-kDa protein, four monoclonal antibodies were reactive with 47-kDa protein, and eight monoclonal antibodies were reactive with 56-kDa protein of R.tsutsugamushi Boryong strain. The reactive protein of seven monoclonal antibodies could not be identified by immunoblotting method. All monoclonal antibodies to 27-kDa protein and three monoclonal antibodies to 47-kDa protein, and five monoclonal antibodies to 56-kDa protein were reactive with three to eight strains among nine strains of R. tsutsugamushi tested. One monoclonal antibody reactive to 47-kDa protein(KI18) and two monoclonal antibodies reactive to 56-kDa protein(KI36, and KI37) reacted with all the strains of R. tsutsugamushi tested. Strain-specific monoclonal antibody(KI58) could be found among antibodies which were reactive with 56-kDa protein. There was no strain which showed same reactivity pattern to these 24 monoclonal antibodies among nine strains. From this results, it could be concluded that Boryong strain is antigenically different from other strains of R.tsutsugamushi and antigenic heterogeneity of R.tsutsugamushi is due to the antigenic diversity of several proteins of R. tsutsugamushi including 56-kDa protein.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/*immunology ; Antigens, Bacterial/*analysis ; Bacterial Proteins/analysis ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Orientia tsutsugamushi/*immunology ; Species Specificity