No abstract available.
Clinical Laboratory Techniques* ; Tuberculosis*

Using ELlSA, 83 sera from leprosy patients in National Sorokdo Hospital who are clessified bacteriologically positive and 40 sera from patient's children were tested for a.ntibedy to phenolic glycolipid I of M. leprae. The following results were obtained. I. Non. of 40 contact children was pasitive to PGL- I. 2. Patiente with high bacterial indices were more likely to have antibodies to PGL,- 1. Although the antibody level declined, in general, after multi-drug therapy (MDT), t.here were quite a few with high circulating antibodiees to PGL- I even among the patients bacteriologically below 2.
Antibodies ; Child* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Leprosy* ; Mycobacterium leprae* ; Mycobacterium* ; Phenol*

No abstract available.
Antibodies* ; Humans ; Leprosy*

No abstract available.
Antibodies* ; Coxiella burnetii* ; Coxiella* ; Korea* ; Prevalence*

The ability to introduce recombinant DNA molecules back into mycobacteria would greatly increase the potential of molecular genetic approaches for the study of mycobacteria as well as for the use in clinical purposes. We have initiated the construction of vectors that facilitates the introduction of recombinant DNA into mycobacteria. The vector was designed to contain replicons for multiplication in mycobacteria and Escherichia coli, a promoter for gene expression, a drug resistant gene for selecting transformants, and a few restriction enzyme sites for convenient cloning. Constructed Mycobacterium-E. coli shuttle vector named p YMC (hsp60) was shown to transform M. smegmatis at high efficiency and maintain plasmid at stable level. The ability of the vector to express cloned foreign gene was also monitored by measuring the expressed level of luciferase gene which was used as a reporter. High level of luciferase activity in M. smegmatis with pYMC (hsp60:luc) was detected confirming successful construction of Mycobacterium-E. coli shuttle vector.
Clone Cells ; Cloning, Organism ; DNA, Recombinant ; Escherichia coli* ; Escherichia* ; Gene Expression ; Genetic Vectors* ; Luciferases ; Molecular Biology ; Mycobacterium* ; Plasmids ; Replicon

No abstract available.
Antibodies* ; Borrelia burgdorferi* ; Borrelia* ; Immunoblotting* ; Lyme Disease*

Recently, PCR-based typing would be of great value for Epidemiological investigation to identify infectious source of leprosy, understand transmission pattern, and distinguish between relapse & re-infection. Variable TTC DNA repeats in non-coding region and 6bp(GACATC) tandem repeats in rpoT gene revealed PCR products of different size may be useful to investigate the epidemiology of leprosy. Authors have typed clinical isolates of M. leprae in Korea using difference of TTC DNA repeats in non-coding region and 6bp(ACATCG) tandem repeats in rpoT gene. Of the sequence analysis of isolates(M. leprae) of 52 patients(44 Koreans, 8 foreigners; Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippine, Sri Lanka, Thailand) M. leprae with 12 TTC repeats was showed most common(13 cases, 29.5%) in 44 Korean isolates and 42 Koreans(95.5% of Korean isolates) isolates demonstrated four copies of 6bp(ACATCG) tandem repeats in rpoT gene and the isolates with three copies were found in 2 Koreans and 8 foreigners.
Bangladesh ; DNA ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Indonesia ; Korea* ; Leprosy ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Recurrence ; Sequence Analysis ; Sri Lanka ; Tandem Repeat Sequences

No abstract available.
Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus*

Rapid identification of Mycobacterium spp. isolated from patients is important with increased isolation of mycobacteria other than tubercle bacilli (MOTT). DNA-DNA hybridization with streptavidin-peroxidase and tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) color reaction method was recognized as a useful tool for identification of various species of mycobacteria. In this study, optimum condition of the test was determined. The optimal concentrations of tetramethylbenzidine dihydrochloride and hydrogen peroxide for streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase were 0.3-0.6 ug/ ml and 0.16 mM, respectively. The TMB stock solution was stable when prepared in methanol and the dilution of TBM stock solution in 10 mM sodium citrate-10 mM EDTA solution (pH 5.0) gave highest peroxidase-TMB activity. The suitable composition of hybridization solution consisted of 2 x SSC, 10% dextran sulfate, 50 ug/ml salmon DNA, 5 x Denhardt's solution, and 50% formamide. The 5-minute heating at 100C of test DNA prior to photobiotin labeling significantly increased the reaction. In conclusion, DNA-DNA hybridization method with streptavidin-peroxidase and TMB color reaction method may be useful for rapid identification of Mycobacterium spp. isolated from patients.
Dextran Sulfate ; DNA ; Edetic Acid ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Methanol ; Mycobacterium* ; Peroxidase ; Salmon ; Sodium

No abstract available.
Twins, Conjoined*