Polysaccharide peptide from Coriolus versicolor induces interleukin 6-related extension of endotoxin fever in rats

Purpose: Polysaccharide peptide (PSP) extracted from the Coriolus versicolor mushroom is frequently suggested as an adjunct to the chemo- or radiotherapy in cancer patients. In a previous study we showed that PSP induced a tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-a)-dependent anapyrexia-like response in rats. Thus, PSP appears to be a factor which modifies a number of pathophysiological responses. Because of this, PSP is suggested as a potential adjuvant for cancer therapy during which cancer patients frequently contract microbial infections accompanied by fever. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether or not PSP can modulate the course of the fever in response to an antigen such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Materials and methods: Body temperature (Tb) of male Wistar rats was measured by biotelemetry. PSP was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) at a dose of 100mgkg 1, 2 h before LPS administration (50 mgkg 1, i.p.). The levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and TNF-a in the plasma of rats were estimated 3 h and 14 h post-injection of PSP using a standard sandwich ELISA kit. Results: We report that i.p. pre-injection of PSP 2 h before LPS administration expanded the duration of endotoxin fever in rats. This phenomenon was accompanied by a significant elevation of the blood IL-6 level of rats both 3 h and 14 h post-injection of PSP. Pre-treatment i.p. of the rats with anti-IL-6 antibody (30 mg/rat) prevented the PSP-induced prolongation of endotoxin fever. Conclusions: Based on these data, we conclude that PSP modifies the LPS-induced fever in IL-6-related fashion

Global proteomic pattern of Tropheryma whipplei : a Whipple's disease bacterium

The proteome of Tropheryma whipplei, the intracellular bacterium responsible for Whipple's disease (WD), was analyzed using two complementary approaches: 2-DE coupled with MALDI-TOF and SDS-PAGE with nanoLC-MS/MS. This strategy led to the identification of 206 proteins of 808 predicted ORFs, resolving some questions raised by the genomic sequence of this bacterium. We successfully identified antibiotic targets and proteins with predicted N-terminal signal sequences. Additionally, we identified a family of surface proteins (known as T whipplei surface proteins (WiSPs)), which are encoded by a unique group of species-specific genes and serve as both coding regions and DNA repeats that promote genomic recombination. Comparison of the protein expression profiles of the intracellular facultative host-associated WD bacterium with other host-associated, intracellular obligate, and environmental bacteria revealed that T whipplei shares a proteomic expression profile with other host-associated facultative intracellular bacteria. in summary, this study describes the global protein expression pattern of T whipplei and reveals some specific features of the T whipplei proteome

Isolation of Rickettsia helvetica from ticks in Slovakia

To date, only three rickettsial species have been found in ticks in Slovakia by serological and/or molecular-biological techniques, namely Rickettsia slovaca, Candidatus rickettsia IRS, and Rickettsia raoultii. Recently, we succeeded in isolation of the forth species, Rickettsia helvetica from Ixodes ricinus, the most frequent tick in Slovakia. The isolation, positive for 1096 of tested ticks, was performed on XTC cells by the shell-vial technique, Gimenez staining and light microscopy. The infected cell cultures contained rod-shaped particles morphologically identical to rickettsiae. The isolation was confirmed by direct detection of a fragment of the R. helvetica gene for citrate synthase in the positive ticks by PCR and its subsequent cloning, sequencing and comparison with the database

Isolation of Rickettsia helvetica from ticks in Slovakia

To date, only three rickettsial species have been found in ticks in Slovakia by serological and/or molecular-biological techniques, namely Rickettsia slovaca, Candidatus rickettsia IRS, and Rickettsia raoultii. Recently, we succeeded in isolation of the forth species, Rickettsia helvetica from Ixodes ricinus, the most frequent tick in Slovakia. The isolation, positive for 1096 of tested ticks, was performed on XTC cells by the shell-vial technique, Gimenez staining and light microscopy. The infected cell cultures contained rod-shaped particles morphologically identical to rickettsiae. The isolation was confirmed by direct detection of a fragment of the R. helvetica gene for citrate synthase in the positive ticks by PCR and its subsequent cloning, sequencing and comparison with the database

The hypervirulent Coxiella burnetii Guiana strain compared in silico, in vitro and in vivo to the Nine Mile and the German strain

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