BACKGROUND Giardiasis is a common, potentially zoonotic disease, and dogs often harbor and shed cysts without showing clinical signs. Treatment with the probiotic Enterococcus faecium SF68 has been shown to stimulate mucosal and systemic immunity in a variety of animal models and in young dogs, and to reduce giardial cyst and antigen shedding in rodents. HYPOTHESIS Adult dogs with chronic nat...

The aim of this study was to assess the biological characteristics of four new malignant mesothelioma (MM) cell lines. Since simian virus (SV)40 sequences have been recently detected in MM, SV40 large T antigen (Tag) expression was also analysed. MM cell lines were characterized by morphological, ultrastructural and cytogenetic analysis. Expression of Tag and of relevant MM markers was studied ...

The influence of time and temperature on the storage of an alkaline antigen of L. major-like and L.(V.) braziliensis promastigotes added or not of a proteases inhibitor (PMSF) was evaluated by means of an IgG-ELISA. Antibodies in assays using L. major-like antigen stored at -20 degrees C for 6 months had a statistically lower geometric mean titer (GMT) and different 95% confidence interval limi...

Antigen-induced activation of bone marrow-derived (B) lymphocytes involves interactions between specific antigenic determinants and immunoglobulin receptors on the lymphocyte surface (1). Soluble antigens such as serum proteins can trigger B lymphocytes only if thymus-derived (T) cells are provided (2), thus implying a requirement for some element besides a simple antigen-receptor interaction. ...

The association of plasmids with virulence characters and O-antigen expression was studied in two virulent and seven avirulent mutant strains of Shigella dysenteriae type 1. Deletion of a 12-Mda segment from a 140-Mda plasmid in two smooth avirulent mutants made the derivatives avirulent in the Sereny test and non-invasive in HeLa cells. The mutants were unable to bind Congo red, and did not ex...

We evaluated the effect of antigen feeding on the subsequent primary and secondary anti-ovalbumin (OVA) responses of C57BL/6 and NZB mice. When C57BL/6 mice were given a single 20-mg dose of OVA intragastrically, profound tolerance was observed after challenge, 7 d later, with 125 micrograms of OVA in complete adjuvant or after two injections of 5 micrograms of OVA adsorbed to alum given 7 and ...

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori infection has various clinical features. One of the most common presentations of this infection is upper abdominal pain. Complications such as gastritis, gastric ulcer, gastric carcinoma and MALT lymphoma mandate early diagnosis of H.P infection by a low cost and non invasive manner. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic role of H.P stool antige...

Background: Improving vaccine potency in the induction of a strong cell-mediated cytotoxicity can enhance the efficacy of vaccines. Necrotic cells and the supernatant of necrotic tumor cells are attractive adjuvants, on account of their ability to recruit antigen-presenting cells to the site of antigen synthesis as well as its ability to stimulate the maturation of dendritic cells. Objective: T...

A novel immunogenic antigen, the 6-kDa early secretory antigenic target (ESAT-6), from short-term culture filtrates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was purified by hydrophobic interaction chromatography and anion-exchange chromatography by use of fast protein liquid chromatography. The antigen focused at two different pIs of 4.0 and 4.5 during isoelectric focusing, and each of these components se...

Background: Cystic echinococcosis (CE), as a chronic parasitic disease, is a major health problem in many countries. The performance of the currently available serodiagnostic tests for the diagnosis of CE is unsatisfactory. Objective: The current study aimed at sub-cloning a gene, encoding the B8/1 subunit of antigen B (AgB) from Echinococcus granulosus, using gene optimization for the immunodi...