Screening for antibodies against zoonotic agents among employees of the Zoological Garden of Vienna, Schönbrunn, Austria     

Juncker-Voss M  Prosl H  Lussy H  Enzenberg U  Auer H  Lassnig H  Müller M  Nowotny N 《Berliner und Münchener tier?rztliche Wochenschrift》2004,117(9-10):404-409

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of antibodies against zoonotic agents in employees of the zoological garden of Vienna, Sch?nbrunn, Austria. Sixty out of 120 employees participated in the study. In 97% of them antibodies to at least one zoonotic agent were identified. Only two participants were free of antibodies to the zoonotic agents tested. The following seroprevalences (in brackets) were obtained: Viral zoonotic (and potentially zoonotic) agents: Influenzavirus A/H1N1 (58%), Influenzavirus A/H3N2 (85%), Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (13%), Encephalomyocarditis virus (5%), Orthopox- (Cowpox-) virus and Hantavirus type Puumala (3%). Hantavirus type Hantaan and Borna disease virus (all negative). Bacterial zoonotic agents: Bartonella henselae (65 %), Borrelia burgdorferi (10%), Leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni and serovar icterohaemorrhagiae as well as Chlamydophila psittoci (2% each). Brucella spp., Coxiella bumetii, and Francisella tularensis (all negative). Parasitic zoonotic agents: Toxoplasma gondii (53%), Toxocara spp. (21%), Capillaria hepatica (2%), Fasciola hepatica, Schistosoma mansoni, E. multilocularis, and E. granulosus (all negative). The remarkably high seroprevalence to the causative agent of cat scratch disease, Bartonella henselae, is probably due to the private contact of the employees to cats. Regarding viral zoonotic agents it has to be mentioned that Influenzavirus vaccination and/or human-to-human transmission of especially A/H3N2 Influenzaviruses probably attributed significantly to the very high seroprevalence to both Influenzavirus types A/H1N1 and A/H3N2. When investigating parasitic zoonotic agents, high prevalence rates were found against Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp., however, it was not possible to establish a causal link between seropositivity and the professional activity in the zoo. Interestingly, in the case of antibodies to T. gondii, the typical correlation with age was not found in this study, while in the case of the Toxocara spp. positive subjects a correlation was identified with both age and duration of employment in the zoo. Regarding the later two zoonotic parasites, employees of the zoological garden showed significantly higher seroprevalences than the average Austrian population. Antibodies to Capillaria hepatica, a hepatic-parasite in rodents which is diagnosed in humans rarely, were identified in one employee and another one showed a questionable positive result. Further investigations did not exhibit clinical infestations with the parasite in these two individuals so far.  相似文献   

Changes in conformation and subunit assembly of cod myosin at low and high pH and after subsequent refolding     

Kristinsson HG  Hultin HO 《Journal of agricultural and food chemistry》2003,51(24):7187-7196

Conformational and structural changes of cod myosin at pH 2.5 and 11 and after subsequent pH readjustment to pH 7.5 were studied. Results suggest that on acid unfolding, the myosin rod may fully dissociate due to electrostatic repulsion within the coiled coil, while it does not dissociate at alkaline pH. Both pHs led to significant conformational changes in the globular head fraction of the myosin heavy chains, suggesting that it takes on a molten globular configuration. A large part of the myosin light chains are lost on both pH treatments. On pH readjustment to neutrality, the heavy chains take on a structural form similar to the native state with the coiled-coil rod reassociating from acid pH while leaving the globular head less packed, more hydrophobic and structurally less stable. The irreversible change brought about in the globular head region leads to the failure of light chains to reassemble onto it, a drastic loss in ATPase activity, and more exposure of reactive thiol groups. The acid and alkali processes therefore lead to substantial changes in the globular part of the myosin molecule and perhaps more importantly to different molecular changes in myosin, depending on which pH treatment is employed.  相似文献   

Seroepidemiological studies of zoonotic infections in hunters in southeastern Austria--prevalences,risk factors,and preventive methods     

Deutz A  Fuchs K  Schuller W  Nowotny N  Auer H  Aspöck H  Stünzner D  Kerbl U  Klement C  Köfer J 《Berliner und Münchener tier?rztliche Wochenschrift》2003,116(7-8):306-311

The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalences to zoonotic pathogens in hunters, to propose preventive measures and to obtain more information about the occurrence of zoonotic pathogens in local wild animal populations. From 146 male and 3 female hunters originating from the south-eastern Austrian federal states of Styria and Burgenland blood samples were taken and anamnestic data were obtained using a questionnaire. The serological investigations included the following viral, bacterial and parasitic zoonotic agents or zoonoses, respectively (antibody-seroprevalences in brackets): encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV, 15%), Puumala-Hantavirus (10%), Newcastle Disease virus (NDV, 4%), borreliosis (IgG 42%, IgM 7%), brucellosis (1%), chlamydiosis (3%), ehrlichiosis (IgG 15%, IgM 3%), leptospirosis (10%), tularaemia (3%), Q fever (0%), Echinococcus multilocularis/E. granulosus (5%/11%), toxocariasis (17%). Out of a control group of 50 persons (urban population, no hunters) only one person was found to be seropositive for Toxocara canis and NDV and four for EMCV, all other results were negative in the control group. The high seroprevalences especially to Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Ehrlichia spp., Leptospira interrogans, E. granulosus, E. multilocularis, encephalomyocarditis virus and Puumala virus demonstrate that hunters are particularly exposed to zoonotic pathogens. It should also be noted that one hunter was seropositive for Brucella abortus and five exhibited antibodies to Francisella tularensis. In these cases, as well as in the cases of the 15 seropositives for Leptospira interrogans, the suspected source of infection may--besides rodents--also include wild boars and brown hares. The infections with NDV and Chlamydophila psittaci may be traced back to contact with certain species of birds (potential risk: aviaries). For Hantaviruses, rodents are considered to be the main source of human infections.  相似文献   

Q fever     

McQuiston JH  Childs JE  Thompson HA 《Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association》2002,221(6):796-799

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What is your diagnosis?     

Lowseth LA  Herbert RA  Muggenburg BA  Gillett NA  Rebar AH 《Veterinary clinical pathology / American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology》1998,18(4):88-89

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Colocalization of androgen binding protein, oxytocin receptor, caveolin 1 and proliferation marker p21 in benign prostate hyperplasia     

Sendemir E  Herbert Z  Sivukhina E  Zermann DH  Arnold R  Jirikowski GF 《Anatomia, histologia, embryologia》2008,37(5):325-331

Androgen-binding protein (ABP) and oxytocin (OT) are among the factors that control smooth muscle proliferation and tumour growth through oxytocin receptor (OTR). A close functional interaction of OTR and caveolin 1 has been shown to modulate cell growth and proliferation. We investigated samples from 10 patients (mean age 68.3) who underwent transurethral prostate resection because of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) by immunohistochemistry. Post-mortem prostate samples of three young men (age 18, 28, 33) were used as controls. Tissue samples were embedded in epoxy resin and cut into serial 1 microm sections for colocalization of ABP, OTR, proliferation marker p21 and caveolin 1. ABP was found in stroma of the smooth muscle cells in all studied samples. OTR staining occurred in most of these cells in BPH while controls contained only scattered cells positive for OTR. There were no apparent differences in immunostaining for p21 while immunoreactivity for caveolin 1 was observed in most cells in BPH and only in few cells in controls. Caveolin 1 was mostly colocalized with ABP and OTR in BPH samples while controls did only occasionally show this colocalization. Our observations indicate an interaction of ABP and OTR, associated with caveolin 1, which may account in part for known non-genomic actions of gonadal steroids. Androgen dependent prostate growth in BPH may be linked to these mechanisms.  相似文献   

Quantitative Determination of Gluten Protein Types in Wheat Flour by Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography     

Herbert Wieser  Susanne Antes  Werner Seilmeier 《Cereal Chemistry》1998,75(5):644-650

A combined extraction-HPLC procedure was developed on a microscale to determine the amounts of the different gluten protein types (ω5-, ω1,2-, α- and γ-gliadins; high molecular weight [HMW] and low molecular weight [LMW] glutenin subunits) in wheat flour. After preextraction of albumins and globulins from flour (100 mg) with a salt solution (2 × 1.0 mL), extraction of gliadins was achieved with 60% aqueous ethanol (3 × 0.5 mL). Subsequently, the glutenin subunits were extracted under nitrogen and at 60°C with 50% aqueous 1-propanol containing Tris-HCl (0.05 mol/L, pH 7.5), urea (2 mol/L) and dithioerythritol (1%). The separation and quantitative determination of gliadins and glutenin subunits was then performed by reversed-phase HPLC on C₈ silica gel at 50°C using a gradient of increasing acetonitrile concentration in the presence of 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid. The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min, and the detection wavelength was 210 nm. Temperature and flow rate were modified for the quantitation of single underivatized HMW subunits. To determine the absolute amounts of protein types, different protein standards (gliadin, LMW and HMW subunits, bovine serum albumin) with known protein contents were compared to HPLC absorbance areas. The calibration curves were almost identical and linear over a broad range (20–220 μg). This extraction-HPLC procedure allows an accurate, reproducible, sensitive, and relatively fast quantitative determination of all gluten protein types in wheat flour, and can be applied to quality evaluation of cereals as raw materials or in processed products.  相似文献   

调节大豆粒重的生理生态因素     

刘晓冰  金剑  王光华  S J Herbert 《大豆科学》2007,26(4):607-612,617

粒重是大豆重要的产量构成因素,它的形成是细胞分裂以增加细胞数目、细胞延伸膨大以增大体积及光合产物积累、内含物不断充实的过程,其高低由干物质积累速率(ISGR)和干物质积累时期(EFP)的长短决定,也受遗传潜力和环境条件互作的影响.本文从子叶的干物质积累和细胞数与籽粒的大小的关系,光照及其叶片光合影响籽粒形成以及植物激素调控籽粒生长发育综述了三者调节大豆粒重的研究结果,旨在为建立以促进细胞分裂,增加细胞延伸膨大的研究平台,为探讨新型种植方式提高大豆产量及高产大豆育种和种质资源的评价提供理论支撑.  相似文献   

Biochemical Characterization and Quantification of the Storage Protein (Secalin) Types in Rye Flour     

Claudia Gellrich  Peter Schieberle  Herbert Wieser 《Cereal Chemistry》2003,80(1):102-109

Kernels of the rye cultivars Danko and Halo were milled into white flour and compared with flour of the wheat cultivar Rektor. Flour proteins were extracted stepwise with a salt solution (albumins‐globulins), 60% ethanol (prolamins), and 50% 2‐propanol under reducing conditions (glutelins). The quantification by reversed‐phase HPLC indicated that the extractable proteins of both rye flours consisted of ≈26% albumins‐globulins, 65% prolamins, and 9% glutelins. Compared with wheat flour, rye flours comprised significantly higher proportions of nonstorage proteins (albumins‐globulins) and lower proportions of polymerized storage proteins (glutelins). SDS‐PAGE revealed that the prolamin fractions of rye contained all four storage protein types (HMW, γ‐75k, ω, and γ‐40k secalins), whereas the glutelin fractions contained only HMW and γ‐75k secalins. The quantification of secalin types by RP‐HPLC showed a close relationship between the two cultivars.The γ‐75k secalins contributed nearly half (≈46%) of the total storage proteins, followed by γ‐40k secalins (24%) and ω secalins (17%); HMW secalins (≈7%) were minor components, and 6% of eluted proteins were not identified. The amino acid composition of γ‐40k secalins corresponded to those of γ‐gliadins of wheat, whereas γ‐75k secalins were characterized by higher contents of glutamine and proline. Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization and time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS) indicated molecular masses of about 52,000 (γ‐75k) and 32,000 (γ‐40k), respectively. N‐terminal amino acid sequences were homologous with those of wheat γ‐ gliadins except for position 5 (asparagine in γ‐75k and glutamine in γ‐40k secalins) and position 12 (cysteine in γ‐75k secalins). The N‐terminal amino acid sequences of HMW and ω‐secalins were homologous with those of the corresponding protein types of wheat. Gel‐permeation HPLC of prolamin fractions revealed that rye flours contained a significantly higher proportion of ethanol‐soluble oligomeric proteins than wheat flour.  相似文献   

Variations in innate resistance to experimental Toxocara canis infection in two strains of mice     

M N Abo-Shehada  I V Herbert 《Veterinary parasitology》1989,33(3-4):297-307

Strain-, sex- and age-based resistance of mice to Toxocara canis infection was demonstrated. Infection doses of similar numbers resulted in significantly (P less than 0.05) greater worm establishment in CD1 mice than in NIH mice, as well as a greater heterogeneity of responses between individuals. Male mice had significantly (P less than 0.05) fewer larvae in the brain and more larvae in the liver than female mice, when mice of greater than or equal to 3 months old were used. Appreciably more larvae were retained in the liver of male CD1 mice than in NIH mice. Orchidectomized mice had higher levels of brain infestation and a lower larval recovery from the liver compared with intact male mice. Infections in young mice of both strains showed more diversity in establishment and migration pattern between individuals than in older mice. Despite these differences in distribution of larvae and in the numbers recovered from experimental infections, the acute and chronic clinical signs observed in the two strains were very similar.  相似文献