MBP was isolated and purified from bovin spinal cord as described by Deibler. A sensitive and specific RIA was used for quantitatiag the lavel of MBP in tie CSF samples which was collected from 106, patients with various neurological diseases. In the funetional headache group, the mean level of MBP in CSF was 3.0 ? 2.24ng/ml, so the upper control level of CSF MBP was 7.48 ng/ml (X+2SD). The mean level of MBP in CSF of 33 patients with MS was 21.98?11.82 ng/ml. Thirty-one cases had elevated level of CSF MBP (93.94%). The CSF MBP level of MS patients was significantly higher than the level of patients with sporadic encephalitis, other neurological diseases, and headache (p

Clostridium (C.) difficile is a common cause of nosocomial diarrhea in horses. Vancomycin and metronidazole have been used as standard treatments but are only moderately effective, which highlights the need for a novel alternative therapy. In the current study, we prepared antiserum of equine origin against both C. difficile toxins A and B as well as whole-cell bacteria. The toxin-neutralizing activities of the antibodies were evaluated in vitro and the prophylactic effects of in vivo passive immunotherapy were demonstrated using a conventional mouse model. The data demonstrated that immunized horses generated antibodies against both toxins A and B that possessed toxin-neutralizing activity. Additionally, mice treated with the antiserum lost less weight without any sign of illness and regained weight back to a normal range more rapidly compared to the control group when challenged orally with 10(7) C. difficile spores 1 day after serum injection. These results indicate that intravenous delivery of hyperimmune serum can protect animals from C. difficile challenge in a dose-dependent manner. Hence, immunotherapy may be a promising prophylactic strategy for preventing C. difficile infection in horses.
Animals ; Antibodies, Bacterial/blood/*immunology/therapeutic use ; Bacterial Proteins/immunology/therapeutic use ; Bacterial Toxins/immunology/therapeutic use ; Clostridium Infections/microbiology/prevention & control/*veterinary ; Clostridium difficile/*immunology ; Enterotoxins/immunology/therapeutic use ; Female ; Horse Diseases/microbiology/*prevention & control ; Horses ; Immune Sera/*immunology ; Immunization, Passive/*veterinary ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Spores, Bacterial/immunology