Use of real-time, label-free analysis in revealing low-affinity binding to blood group antigens by Helicobacter pylori

Infectious diseases are often initiated by microbial adherence that is mediated by the binding of attachment molecules, termed adhesins, to cell surface receptors on host cells. We present an experimental system, oblique-incidence reflectivity difference (OI-RD) microscopy, which allows the detection of novel, low-affinity microbial attachment mechanisms that may be essential for infectious processes. OI-RD microscopy was used to analyze direct binding of the oncopathogen, Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) to immobilized glycoconjugates in real time with no need for labeling tags. The results suggest the presence of additional Lewis b blood group antigen (Le(b)) binding adhesins that have not been detected previously. OI-RD microscopy also confirmed the high-affinity binding of H. pylori outer-membrane protein BabA to Le(b). The OI-RD microscopy method is broadly applicable to real-time characterization of intact microbial binding to host receptors and offers new strategies to elucidate the molecular interactions of infectious agents with human host cells.

Screening of hydrophobic DNA adducts in flounder (Platichthys flesus) from the Baltic Sea

Neoplasia and other histopathological lesions in flounder (Platichthys flesus) liver have been investigated in several European sea areas, including the Baltic Sea. Several studies have been able to link neoplasm epizootics in fish with the exposure to genotoxins such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The level of hydrophobic DNA adducts in tissue DNA reflects the exposure of the organism to PAHs. Using hydrophobic DNA adduct levels as biomarkers, possible PAH exposure was assessed in flounder from 10 different sites in the Baltic Sea, collected during the years 1995-1997. The results show that the overall levels of hepatic DNA adducts were low and, in general, the chromatograms appeared clean. The highest levels of DNA adducts were found at two sites in the southern Baltic Sea. There were no statistically significant differences in adduct levels between the sites. Our results indicate that flounder from studied off shore sites of the Baltic Sea had not been exposed to a greater extent to large polycyclic hydrophobic hydrocarbons in their environment.

Comparison of restriction fragment length polymorphisms of ribosomal DNA between Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense and D. latum

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) were compared between Diphyllobothrium latum and D. nihonkaiense using seven kinds of restriction endonucleases. No intra-specific variation in restriction fragment profiles was shown within both species of Diphyllobothrium. Digestion of the genomic DNA with three endonucleases, Smal, Hinfl and Hhal, provided one or two different bands between two species, although the hybridization patterns generated with the others, Hindlll, Xbal, Styl and Haelll, were the same in both. RFLPs in the digested profiles with Smal, Hinfl and Hhal could be used as species-specific markers even if only fragments of strobilae with morphological similarity were available. Other cestodes, Spirometra erinacei and Taenia saginata, used as controls showed quite different restriction fragment patterns with all the enzymes used.

Efficacy of injection vaccines against Flavobacterium psychrophilum in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)

Efficacy of mineral oil-based experimental injection vaccines against Flavobacterium psychrophilum were tested in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), under laboratory and field conditions. The vaccines consisted of formalin- or heat-inactivated whole bacterium cell preparations of two different serotypes (Fd and Th) or a combination of serologically different F. psychrophilum (Fd and/or Th and/or Fp(T);Th). Specific antibody responses against the bacterium in plasma and skin mucus were evaluated post-vaccination with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Efficacy of the vaccinations was determined by challenge trials to F. psychrophilum with the vaccinated rainbow trout. Significantly higher antibody levels in plasma were detected in vaccinated fish compared with mock-vaccinated fish. Injection vaccination did not trigger specific antibody production in the skin mucus. Significantly higher survival of i.p. vaccinated fish compared with non-vaccinated fish was observed during the challenge. The results suggest that mineral oil-based injectable vaccines containing formalin- or heat-inactivated virulent cells of F. psychrophilum effectively triggered specific antibody production and protected the fish against bacterial cold water disease.

Heterogeneity of nodularin bioaccumulation in northern Baltic Sea flounders in 2002

The cyanobacterial hepatotoxin nodularin is abundantly produced by the cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena in the Baltic Sea during July-August. Nodularin is a potent hepatotoxin and a tumour promoter, distributed in various Baltic Sea environmental compartments, especially food webs involving mussels. Flounders receive nodularin through consumption of blue mussels. In this study nodularin concentrations in individual flounders (liver) were examined between July and September 2002 (six sample sets, four to 10 samples/set), providing information about contribution of sampling on estimates of bioaccumulation intensity. Toxin was determined using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Additionally, liver histopathology was examined. Observed toxin concentrations were ND-390 microg kg(-1) dw (LC/MS) and 20-2230 microg kg(-1) dw (ELISA), with maximum concentrations in September (ELISA). The ELISA protocol generally resulted in higher, up to approximately 10-fold, toxin concentrations than LC/MS, with increasing difference toward September. This difference may have originated from different extraction solvents in LC/MS and ELISA, ion suppression in LC/MS, and temporal increase in nodularin metabolites detectable with ELISA. The differences in toxin concentrations between individual liver samples were considerable with relative standard deviation values of 20-154% (LC/MS) and 28-106% (ELISA). Since the precision of the ELISA method employed was <25% and that of LC/MS <10%, it can be concluded that the largest source of error in bioaccumulation estimates may be an inadequate number of samples. Although there were tissue lesions in several liver samples, occurrence of lesions was not related to toxin concentrations.

Induction and localization of hepatic CYP4501A in flounder and rainbow trout exposed to benzo[a]pyrene

The hepatic detoxification system in Baltic flounder and rainbow trout was characterized under experimental conditions. Fish were exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP, 10 and 50mg/kg, ip) or vehicle for 2, 5, and 10 days (in rainbow trout also for 20 days) and then sacrificed. Control fish were sampled at days 0 and 10 (flounder) or day 20 (rainbow trout). The hepatic distribution of CYP1A was analyzed immunohistochemically and microsomal ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity was determined spectrophotometrically. The kinetics of the CYP1A responses (EROD) was similar in both species, while a species-specific difference in the magnitude of the response was observed. CYP1A was demonstrated in the hepatocytes in both fish species 2 days after BaP administration and throughout the experiment. In rainbow trout a CYP1A response in the vascular endothelium of liver parenchyma was detected 2 days postadministration, while the corresponding reaction in flounder was seen 5 days postadministration. Thus, our results confirm previous reports that the CYP1A response is species specific. Furthermore, the induction of hepatic CYP1A in Baltic flounder reflects pathophysiological effects induced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds and, consequently, is a parameter useful when monitoring the anthropogenic effects on the Baltic Sea environment.

Effects of the wood extractive betulinol and 17beta-oestradiol on reproduction in zebrafish, Danio rerio (Hamilton)--complications due to a bacterial infection

Zebrafish were exposed to the wood extractive betulinol (5 microg L(-1)) and to 17beta-oestradiol (E2, 0.27 microg L(-1)) for 8 weeks in an attempt to study the possible endocrine-disrupting activity of betulinol. Females exposed to betulinol showed increased spawning intensity, while males exposed to betulinol and E2 had increased incidences of structural alterations in the testes. However, histological examination of the fish revealed that they were infected by acid-fast bacteria suspected to be Mycobacterium sp. despite a careful examination of their health state prior to the onset of the experiment. Fish exposed to betulinol and E2 showed more serious consequences of the bacterial infection than control fish indicating that the test chemicals had weakened the immune defence of the fish. When the exposure was repeated with healthy fish, an increase in the proportion of spermatogonia was seen in the testes of betulinol-treated males. A similar alteration, although not statistically significant, was also seen in the first experiment. However, no increase in the incidences of structural alterations in the testes was seen in betulinol- and E2-treated fish in the second experiment. Our study indicates that betulinol might have an endocrine-disrupting effect in zebrafish, but the increase in incidences of structural alterations in the testes might have been caused by a synergistic action between the test compounds and the bacterial infection. Our study stresses the importance of carefully checking the health of experimental fish, not only prior to the onset of an experiment but also upon termination of the experiment, in order to avoid misinterpretation of the results.

Characterization of the properties of human- and dairy-derived probiotics for prevention of infectious diseases in fish

The present study aimed to investigate the potential probiotic properties of six lactic acid bacteria (LAB) intended for human use, Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC 53103, Lactobacillus casei Shirota, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, L. rhamnosus LC 705, Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12, and Lactobacillus johnsonii La1, and one for animal use, Enterococcus faecium Tehobak, for use as a fish probiotic. The strains for human use were specifically chosen since they are known to be safe for human use, which is of major importance because the fish are meant for human consumption. The selection was carried out by five different methods: mucosal adhesion, mucosal penetration, inhibition of pathogen growth and adhesion, and resistance to fish bile. The adhesion abilities of the seven LAB and three fish pathogens, Vibrio anguillarum, Aeromonas salmonicida, and Flavobacterium psychrophilum, were determined to mucus from five different sites on the surface or in the gut of rainbow trout. Five of the tested LAB strains showed considerable adhesion to different fish mucus types (14 to 26% of the added bacteria). Despite their adhesive character, the LAB strains were not able to inhibit the mucus binding of A. salmonicida. Coculture experiments showed significant inhibition of growth of A. salmonicida, which was mediated by competition for nutrients rather than secretion of inhibitory substances by the probiotic bacteria as measured in spent culture liquid. All LAB except L. casei Shirota showed tolerance against fish bile. L. rhamnosus ATCC 53103 and L. bulgaricus were found to penetrate fish mucus better than other probiotic bacteria. Based on bile resistance, mucus adhesion, mucus penetration, and suppression of fish pathogen growth, L. rhamnosus ATCC 53103 and L. bulgaricus can be considered for future in vivo challenge studies in fish as a novel and safe treatment in aquaculture.

The influence of in vitro and in vivo exposure to antibiotics on mitogen-induced proliferation of lymphoid cells in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The influence of five different antimicrobial drugs on mitogen-induced lymphoid cell proliferation in vitro and after oral administration of the drugs was studied in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The drugs tested were: oxolinic acid, oxytetracycline, florfenicol and trimethoprim in combination with sulfadiazine in ratio 1:5. In the in vitro tests, trimethoprim:sulfadiazine increased the 3H-thymidine incorporation into the DNA of phytohaemagglutinin and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated lymphoid cells while all the other drugs tested interfered negatively with the incorporation in a dose dependent manner. In the experiment with oral drug administration, the fish were fed 10 days with a therapeutic dose of the drugs. After the drug treatment, lymphoid cells were isolated from the head kidney of the fish and tested for proliferating capacity. All drugs except trimethoprim+sulfadiazine, suppressed the mitogenic response of the head kidney cells. The suppression of the response was more severe in phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated than in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cells indicating that the T-cells were more vulnerable to the toxic effects of the drugs than B-cells.

DNA adducts in liver and leukocytes of flounder (Platichthys flesus) experimentally exposed to benzo

In the present study the levels of hydrophobic DNA adducts detected by 32P-postlabelling were followed in liver and leukocytes of flounder (Platichthys flesus) over 10 days following single i.p. injections of two doses of BaP (10 and 50 mg kg(-1) fish weight, respectively). DNA adducts were detected in both tissues of exposed fish 2 days post injection and continued to rise on day 5 and day 10. In flounder exposed to the lower dose of BaP, the levels of hepatic DNA adducts reached higher values on the fifth day compared with flounder exposed to the higher dose. However, at the end of the experiment, the DNA adduct level was again higher in fish from the high dose group compared with the low dose group. There was no substantial increase of DNA adducts in liver of flounder from the low dose group after day 5, while the adduct levels in flounder liver from the high dose group increased throughout the experiment. Earlier studies detecting DNA adducts in BaP-exposed flatfish with the 32P-postlabelling technique have reported declining adduct levels from about 2 days after the exposure, regardless of exposure route. In contrast, the results from our study did not confirm a rapid increase and successive decline of hydrophobic adducts in liver of BaP-exposed flounder.

Effect of florfenicol on the immune response of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Florfenicol, a drug effective against several bacterial diseases of fish, was tested for possible immunomodulatory effects. The aim of the study was to follow the kinetics of the immune response after vaccination with simultaneous oral antibiotic treatment. The fish were immunised with a commercial oil-based divalent (furunculosis/vibriosis) vaccine and were simultaneously given oral antibiotic treatment. The specific immune response was monitored by analysing the levels of specific antibodies with ELISA. As an indicator of the non-specific immune response the phagocytic activity of circulating leucocytes was measured by a chemiluminescence assay. Total circulating leucocyte counts and differentials were also monitored. The disease resistance was evaluated by challenge tests at the end of the experiment. The results showed that florfenicol did not have any significant effect on antibody production and circulating leucocyte levels but caused a suppression in chemiluminescence response/phagocytic cell 5-6 weeks after vaccination. The survival after challenge was slightly suppressed by the florfenicol treatment. The RPS-value for the vaccinated group was 98% and for the florfenicol-treated group was 88%.

Wood-derived estrogens: studies in vitro with breast cancer cell lines and in vivo in trout

The wood-derived compound, beta-sitosterol (purity > 90%), was shown to be estrogenic in fish. It induced the expression of the vitellogenin gene in the liver of juvenile and methyltestosterone-treated rainbow trout. Structural similarities to beta-sitosterol notwithstanding, cholesterol, citrostadienol, beta-sitostanol, and 5-androstene-3 beta,17 beta-diol, an estrogenic member of the androstenic steroid group, were inactive. An abietic acid mixture (37% abietic acid, 6% dehydroabietic acid, and a remainder of unknown compounds) showed slight hormonal activity in feed, but it was completely inactive when given intraperitoneally in implants. The estrogenic component of the abietic acid preparation was not identified. In addition, to beta-sitosterol and abietic acid, several other wood-derived compounds including betulin, isorhapontigenin, isorhapontin, and pinosylvin were estrogenic in breast cancer cells (MCF-7 or T-47D). However, betulin and pinosylvin, available in sufficient amounts for in vivo testing, did not induce the expression of the vitellogenin gene. Differences in the primary sequences of human and fish estrogen receptors (hormone as well as DNA-binding regions) or uptake and metabolism of the compounds may explain the discrepancy between the two estrogen bioassays. Wood-derived compounds such as beta-sitosterol, present in pulp and paper mill effluents, may account for the weak estrogenicity of debarking effluent seen at the vitellogenin expression bioassay.

Comparative pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of oxolinic acid and oxytetracycline in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

1. The pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of oxolinic acid and oxytetracycline were studied in rainbow trout at a water temperature of 16 degrees C after intravascular (10 and 20 mg/kg, respectively) and oral (75 mg/kg) dosing. 2. The pharmacokinetics were best described by a two-compartment open model giving distribution half-lives of 0.31 h and 1.53 h, and elimination half-lives of 69.7 h and 60.3 h for oxolinic acid and oxytetracycline, respectively. The respective volumes of distribution (Vdarea) were 1.94 l/kg and 1.34 l/kg. 3. The apparent oral bioavailability for oxolinic acid and oxytetracycline was 13.6% and 5.6%. 4. The plasma protein binding was 27% for oxolinic acid and 55% for oxytetracycline. 5. Both drugs were well tolerated, the acute oral toxicities (LD50) exceeding 4000 mg/kg.

Diphyllobothriasis: fish tapeworm disease in the circumpolar north

Although fish tapeworm infections in arctic and subarctic residents are often attributed to the cestode Diphyllobothrium latum, other Diphyllobothrium species are frequently responsible. D. dendriticum, for example, occurs throughout the circumpolar area at high latitudes beyond the range of D. latum. Several additional species are also implicated in human infections in northern communities bordering the Pacific: D. ursi from northern Canada and Alaska, D. dalliae from Alaska and Siberia, and D. klebanovskii from Siberia. Routine diagnosis of diphyllobothriasis by coprology does not allow designation of the Diphyllobothrium species involved as their eggs cannot be differentiated and identification of the proglottids from adult worms requires a taxonomic specialist. On the other hand, relevant information on the Diphyllobothrium species most likely to infect the inhabitants of a particular region can be derived from a knowledge of the fish consumed. Larvae of D. dendriticum occur predominantly in salmonid fishes (e.g. arctic char, salmon, trout, whitefish), and this parasite has never been found in pike and perch, the usual intermediate hosts of D. latum. Conversely, D. latum is rarely found in salmonids. D. ursi and D. klebanovskii predominantly occur in Pacific salmon, and D. dalliae in Alaskan blackfish. Species other than D. latum probably constitute transitory intestinal infections in humans, usually lasting for only a few months. Although many carriers are asymptomatic, overt clinical manifestations of diphyllobothriasis can include diarrhea, epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting. There are no reports of anaemia associated with any of the northern species except D. latum. Effective control for diphyllobothriasis originating from D. latum has been achieved in many areas by a combination of selective drug therapy and improved sewage treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Scanning electron microscopic study of four Diphyllobothrium species

Three-dimensional observation was carried out on plerocercoids and adults of Diphyllobothrium dendriticum, D. ditremum, D. latum, and D. vogeli using scanning electron microscopy. The species-specific differences between plerocercoids were recognized in the shapes of the whole body, scolex, and bothrium and the wrinkle pattern on the body surface. The differences between adult worms were also observed in the shapes of the scolex, neck, and genital papillae around the genital pore and the pattern on the egg surface. The significance of species specificity in the three-dimensional morphology of diphyllobothriid cestodes is briefly discussed.

Early development of four Diphyllobothrium species in the final host

The early development of four Diphyllobothrium species, D. latum, D. dendriticum, D. ditremum, and D. vogeli, are described. D. latum sheds the entire larval body easily and shows a high shedding rate of 82.1% on average. On the other hand, D. dendriticum exhibits a different developmental pattern, with a low shedding rate of 8.7% in the hamster and a high shedding rate of 34.9% in the rat. D. ditremum is difficult to recover from hamsters but shows a high shedding rate of 42.9%. D. vogeli shows a constant recovery rate of 38.3% without shedding. The species specificity of these four diphyllobothriids is discussed briefly in relation to the early developmental pattern and the growth rate.

Absorption, distribution and excretion of the anthelmintic praziquantel (Droncit) in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri R.)

Prazquantel is an anthelmintic active against trematodes and cestodes. The absorption, distribution and excretion of the drug was studied in serum, muscles, liver, bile fluid and kidneys of rainbow trout at two temperatures, 12 degrees C and 18 degrees C, after a single oral dose of 500 mg/kg body wt. A bioassay, using cercaria larvae of the trematode Diplostomum spathaceum as the test organism, was employed to measure the drug levels in tissues of the fish. The cercariae were very sensitive to praziquantel; their mobility was significantly reduced within 20 min in a 0.01 micrograms/ml solution. Praziquantel was readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract of the fish. Absorption was more rapid at 18 degrees C than at 12 degrees C. Only in the liver, however, did the peak values reach significantly higher levels at the higher temperature. The peak values in different tissues (10.2-31.8 micrograms/g) were reached 4-16 h after administration of the drug. The elimination of the drug from the tissues was less dependent on temperature than absorption. By 32 h p.a., 67%-96% of the maximum amounts had been eliminated from the tissues. Praziquantel was excreted partly with bile fluid and partly as water-soluble metabolites through the kidneys.

Studies on Onchocerca tarsicola Bain and Schulz-Key, 1974 in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in northern Finland

A survey revealed that Onchocerca tarsicola Bain & Schulz-Key, 1974 is a widespread parasite among reindeer in northern Finland. Of 407 animals studied from 12 reindeer herds, 124 (30.5%) were infected. There was a marked difference in infection levels between different reindeer herds and the frequency as well as the intensity of infection was highest in old animals whereas the parasites were rare in yearlings.

Tests with a new compound (Praziquantel) against Diphyllobothrium latum

Praziquantel (Droncit) is a new anthelminthic agent with a strikingly wide therapeutic index. The efficiency of the drug against Diphyllobothrium latum was tested in vivo and in vitro. With a drug dose of 50 mg/kg, artificially infected hamsters were completely cured. The threshold value of the active dose was between 2-5 and 10-0 mg/kg. Clinical trials with Praziquantel against human diphyllobothriasis show great promise, all of ten patients treated with 25-0 mg/kg of the drug being cured. Praziquantel had little effect on larval or adult diphyllobothriids in vitro.

Protein profiles as an aid to taxonomy in the genus Diphyllobothrium

Specific and distinct protein profiles were demonstrated by isoelectric focusing performed on soluble whole-body proteins of four Diphyllobothrium species. The protein patterns differed in number, position and relative density of the fractions separated. Altogether 31-36 protein bands per species were separated by isoelectric focusing in thin-layer polyacrylamide gels. The results show that sensitive chemotaxonomic methods can be used to help characterize and delimit species in the troublesome Diphyllobothrium group.