The introduction of bacteria into an animal host initiates a series of events which culminates in either the multiplication or destruction of the microbes. In general, the outcome of infections is influenced by cellular and humoral bactericidal factors as well as by the properties of the bacteria which are related to virulence, i.e., toxins, capsules, etc. The interplay between these factors wh...

Ectopic pregnancy denotes a pregnancy occurring elsewhere than in the cavity of the uterus. This pathology has been recognised for years and it causes numerous maternal deaths during the first trimester of pregnancy. While this condition is well-known in humans, it is rarely diagnosed in animals. However, the causes and mechanisms leading to an ectopic implantation of the ovum are not always cl...

alpha-Galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) has been exploited for the treatment of microbial infections. Although amelioration of infection by alpha-GalCer involves invariant natural killer T (iNKT)-cell activation, it remains to be determined whether macrophages (Mphi) participate in the control of microbial pathogens. In the present study, we examined the participation of Mphi in immune interven...

Trehalose-6,6'-dimycolate (cord factor; CF) injected into the peritoneal cavity of mice induced stimulation of the peritoneal macrophages, evidenced both by increased activity of the lysosomal enzyme, acid phosphatase, and by increased phagocytosis of Listeria monocytogenes. The increase in enzyme activity and phagocytosis was similar to that induced by killed or living BCG. When administered i...

The virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be enhanced by passage in mice or rabbits. Enhanced virulence has some specificity for the host in which the passage is done. Experimental infection in the peritoneal cavity of cannulated rabbits has shown that the injection of iron compounds can lead to a rapid and fatal growth of an otherwise nonlethal dose of bacteria. In vitro the unsaturated iron...

The prognosis of pancreatic cancer with peritoneal dissemination has not improved. The aim of this study was to clarify whether oncolytic reovirus is effective against the peritoneal dissemination of pancreatic cancer in an immunocompetent animal model. The hamster pancreatic cancer cells HaP-T1 were inoculated into the peritoneal cavity of the hamster and reovirus (1x10(8) plaque-forming units...

INTRODUCTION Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) can occur at any site of the body, however diffuse and extensive involvement of the peritoneal cavity occurs rarely. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is one of the dominant histological subtypes in extra nodal lymphoma involving the peritoneal cavity while Burkitt lymphoma is seen less commonly. We report two cases of DLBCL and one case of Burkitt ly...

AIMS Pseudomyxoma peritonei syndrome is a rare disease that originates from an adenomatous lesion of the appendix that, from pressure, perforates to gain access to the free peritoneal cavity. The relative sparing of the small bowel surfaces allows for complete cytoreduction even though many kilograms of mucinous tumour exist at other sites within the abdomen and pelvis. The purpose of this stud...

BACKGROUND Injury to the mesothelial layer of the peritoneal membrane during peritoneal dialysis (PD) is implicated in loss of ultrafiltration capacity, but there are no validated biomarkers for mesothelial cell injury. Microparticles (MPs) are 0.1 to 1.0 µm membrane vesicles shed from the cell surface following injury and are sensitive markers of tissue damage. Formation of MPs in the peritone...

In vivo effects of Yersinia enterocolitica 0:3 lipopolysaccharide (prepared from bacteria grown at 253C and 373C) were investigated after intraperitoneal (i.p.) and intraarticular (i.a.) injection in rats during 30 days of examination. The persistence of endotoxin in the peritoneal and the synovial cavities was demonstrated by the immunofluorescence technique. Peritoneal and synovial exudative ...