Bacterial endotoxins.

Toll-like receptors (TLR) 2 and 4 on human sperm recognize bacterial endotoxins and mediate apoptosis.

BACKGROUND Bacterial infections of the genital tract are one of the most serious causes of infertility in males. In some human patients with poor semen quality, leukocytospermia has been observed. Because leukocytes express the bacterial-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) responsive Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling cascade and secrete tumor necrosis factor-α, secreted cytokines comprise one, but probab...

Similarity of Host Responses Elicited by Polysaccharides of Animal and Plant Origin and by Bacterial Endotoxins

Ten polysaccharides, isolated from various animal and plant sources, were selected for comparison with 2 bacterial polysaccharides, typical of Gram-negative endotoxins. The tissue sources were: mouse (kidney, liver, lung, stomach, Sarcoma 37, and Carcinoma 241-6); rabbit skin and chick embryo skin; and tangerine and Bryonia root. The bacterial endotoxins were those of S. typhosa and Serr. marce...

Symposium on bacterial endotoxins. II. Possible mechanisms whereby endotoxins evoke increased nonspecific resistance to infection.

Residential fungal contamination and health: microbial cohabitants as covariates.

An association between symptoms and residential mold growth has been consistently observed in several countries, but the contribution of dust mites and bacterial endotoxins to this relation has not been established. To address this issue, we studied a sample of 403 Canadian elementary school children during the winter months. Reported mold growth was compared to respiratory and nonspecific symp...

Biochemical principle of Limulus test for detecting bacterial endotoxins

A hemocyte lysate from horseshoe crab (Limulus) produced a gel, when exposed to Gram-negative bacterial endotoxins, lipopolysaccharides (LPS). This gelation reaction of the lysate, so-called Limulus test, has been widely employed as a simple and very sensitive assay method for endotoxins. Recent biochemical studies on the principle of Limulus test indicate that the hemocytes contain several ser...

MODIFICATION OF HOST RESPONSES TO BACTERIAL ENDOTOXINS* I . SPECIFICITY OF PYROGENIC TOLERANCE AND THE ROLE OF HYPERSENSITIVITY IN PYROGENICITY, LETHALITY, AND SKIN REACTIVITY BY DENNIS W. WATSON,$ ProD., AND YOON

The mechanism of tolerance to the pyrogenic activity of Gram-negative bacterial endotoxins is most often attributed to a non-specific increase in the activity of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) (1). Recently, it was shown that Group A streptococcal exotoxins produced biphasic fever responses in rabbits (2). In contrast to the non-specific tolerance induced by endotoxins, three distinct tox...