摘要:

SummaryThe period 1973‐76 saw additions to knowledge of Australian arboviruses in several directions. A large epidemic of Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) allowed evaluation of serological diagnostic techniques not available in previous major outbreaks, and also added to knowledge of clinical features and epidemiology. Its wide geographical distribution, with cases recognized for the first time in central Australia, suburhan Adelaide and east central Queensland, possibly associated with what has been described as “the most extraordinary set of weather conditions to affect Australia in this century”, triggered new consideration of epidemic prediction and vector control. The recognition of regular summer‐autumn occurrence of epidemic polyarthritis in southern Australia suggested the possibility of year‐round survival of Ross River virus, and perhaps of other togaviruses, in that area. Further evidence was obtained for previous suggestions that Kunjin virus might cause febrile disease of man. Bovine ephemeral fever was repeatedly epizootic and its epidemiology became a major focus of investigation, with accent on possibilities of control by vaccination. Important progress was made in Japan and then in Australia in linking Akabane virus with a disease of domestic animals.The continuation of field programmes in Queensland and Western Australia, and the commencement of new ones in Northern Territory, the Murray Valley of Victoria and elsewhere, led to the discovery of “new” viruses and extended the known host and geographic range of other viruses, adding complexity to the Australian arbovirus pattern. An ambitious programme of serological surveillance of virus infection in sentinel cattle herds covered a wide area of Australia and New Guinea and produced important results which could well be supplemented in other hosts.Progress in this period does not contradict the previous suggestion that complete elucidation of the epidemiology of arboviruses in Australia is a distant goal within the limits of current techniques, but it does suggest that collaboration between units and between disciplines can provide steady and useful progress.

ISSN:0004-945X    

DOI:10.1038/icb.1977.9

出版商:Nature Publishing Group    

年代:1977

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

SummaryAntibody to flaviviruses Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) and Kunjin and to alphaviruses Ross River and Sindbis were found in many Aboriginal children and adults bled in central Australia in 1974 after several cases of MVE occurred there as part of a widespread epidemic. Antibody was also detected in sera taken in the period 1968 to 1973, but in a much lower proportion, suggesting both that the 1974 epidemic had caused frequent subclinical infection and that infection had occurred in the arid centre of Australia outside years of known togavirus activity. Evidence of frequent togavirus infection was found in sera from various species from monsoonal northern areas of Northern Territory and Western Australia, compatible with previous suggestions that togaviruses are enzootic or frequently epizootic in those areas.

ISSN:0004-945X    

DOI:10.1038/icb.1977.10

出版商:Nature Publishing Group    

年代:1977

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

SummaryA preliminary study of acidic α‐glucosidase in a variety of tissues was carried out in an attempt to develop a test which might be used to detect individuals heterozygous for the genetype associated with generalized glycogenosis in beef Shorthorn cattle. Of the tissues readily available peripheral lymphocytes were chosen as being likely to be the most suitable. It was concluded that, when coupled with genealogical information, assays of α‐glucosidase in extracts of lymphocytes were useful for identifying heterozygous individuals with a reasonably high degree of probability.

ISSN:0004-945X    

DOI:10.1038/icb.1977.11

出版商:Nature Publishing Group    

年代:1977

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

SummaryIn vitroinvestigations were carried out to determine whether lymphocyte‐like (small round) cells of the tunicatePyura stoloniferareact to allogeneic cells and mitogens in a manner comparable to that of vertebrate immunocytes. The lymphocyte‐like cells possessed receptors for concanavalin A, wheat germ agglutinin and soybean lectin as shown by binding of radioiodinated lectins in scintillation counting and autoradiographic assays. This binding did not induce mitogenesis. Mixtures of cells ofP. stoloniferaindividuals taken from the same or distinct localities did not show enhanced DNA synthesis when assayed at time intervals ranging from 3 to 10 days. The small round cells of this and other tunicates are not completely similar to vertebrate lymphocytes in morphology. Our observations support the concept that these cells are not directly homologous to immunologically competent vertebrate lymphocytes, but may serve as haemopoietic stem cells as proposed by others (Endean, 1954; Freeman, 1970).

ISSN:0004-945X    

DOI:10.1038/icb.1977.12

出版商:Nature Publishing Group    

年代:1977

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

SummaryVarious inbred strains of mice vary markedly in their susceptibility to the larvae of the cestode,Taenia taeniaeformis. Males are generally more susceptible than females and the most susceptible common inbred mouse strains are those which are deficient in C5 and/or C4 components of complement. However, nogeneticevidence is yet available to implicate loci controlling complement levels in susceptibility/resistance, and multiple genetic factors appear to be operative. Hypothymic, nu/nu (“nude”) mice of the relatively resistant mouse strain, BALB/c, are highly susceptible in that cystic larvae in the liver develop in large numbers and more rapidly than in intact BALB/c.nu/+ littermates. Cyclophosphamide pretreatment also increases the susceptibility of relatively resistant strains of mice in terms of both the number and size of liver cysts. Hypothymic and intact mice can be protected, absolutely, by an injection of serum from infected intact mice, provided the serum is given to recipient mice close to the time of oral egg administration. The protective activity of immune serum is absorbed totally by staphylococcal protein A‐Sepharose columns and can be abolished by treatment of recipients with cobra venom factor. Cyst fluid from established larvaefacilitatesthe activity of subhaemolytic amounts of guinea pig complement in a standard direct PFC assay. The data suggest that complement‐fixing antibodies are responsible for inhibition of establishing larvae in mice and that one method of protection for established cystic larvae involves the alteration of host complement activity within the cyst.

ISSN:0004-945X    

DOI:10.1038/icb.1977.13

出版商:Nature Publishing Group    

年代:1977

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

SummaryHypothymic BALB/c.nu/nu (“hude”) mice were markedly more susceptible than their intact BALB/c.nu/+ littermates to infection with the murine larval cestode,Mesocestoides corti, and antigens of this parasite induced T cell‐dependent immune responses in intact mice. Defective anti‐dinitrophenol (DNP) antibody responses were induced by DNP‐M. cortilarvae and DNP‐human gamma globulin (HGG) in infected (parasitized) intact mice. However, on transfer to uninfected irradiated recipients, lymphoid cells from infected intact mice responded well to DNP‐M. cortilarvae.By using washed peritoneal larvae fromlong terminfected intact mice to absorb antisera directed against various Ig classes and IgG subclasses, and by analysis of acid eluates of such living larvae, large amounts of IgG1, lower amounts of IgM, trace amounts of IgG2and IgG3and no IgA immunoglobulins were found to be associated with the larvae. In the case of nu/nu derived larvae, IgM immunoglobulins predominated. Chronically infected intact mice contained large amounts of IgG1, immunoglobulins in their serum. The technique of lactoperoxidase‐catalysed radioiodination revealed that very few proteins were available for labelling on peritoneal larvae under conditions used for labelling of lymphoid cell surface molecules. In fact, proteins with Ig chain mobilities accounted for much of the labelled and extracted proteins detected by sodium dodecyl sulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE). Patterns of labelled and extracted proteins from nu/nu derived larvae were even simpler and no clear protein peaks were detected consistently in material from labelled, acid treated, nu/nu derived larvae. Evidence is presented that at least the IgG1molecules associated withM. cortilarvae from long term infected mice include antiparasite antibodies. Immunoglobulins associated withM. cortilarvae in long term infected mice are most unlikely to be useful to the mouse in terms of preventing parasite establishment (in secondary murine hosts) or reducing the proliferative rate of larvae. However, no clear cut evidence is as yet available to answer the question of whether theM. cortiassociated Ig (and, in particular, IgG1which is reported to be relatively inert with respect to direct pathogenic effects) serves the function of masking parasite antigens and protecting the established parasites from more aggressive T cell‐dependent immunological effector mechanisms.

ISSN:0004-945X    

DOI:10.1038/icb.1977.14

出版商:Nature Publishing Group    

年代:1977

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

SummaryThree semi‐automated procedures are described for the estimation of the catecholamine contents of urine, tissue and plasma samples. The three procedures are based on the fIuorometric tri‐hydroxyindole assay which has been modified for automatic analysis. These techniques offer several advantages over currently available assays in that they are more convenient, provide for faster analysis rate and give increased sensitivity. The results of the present studies in which the catecholamine contents of urine, tissue and plasma samples were determined using the semi‐automated assay provided a range of values which was identical to that obtained using other methods.

ISSN:0004-945X    

DOI:10.1038/icb.1977.15

出版商:Nature Publishing Group    

年代:1977

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

SummarySeven healthy female volunteers (aged 50 to 67 years) have been subjected to a thermal stress and their sweat rates evaluated using hygrosensors on five different locations on their body surface. It was found that the sweating rate was highest on the forehead in all but one of the subjects with the chest being the next most prominent site for the response. Five of the subjects were restudied after aspirin pretreatment. In the presence of this drug, resting body temperature was lowered, sweating occurred at a lower oral temperature and the mean sweating rate at a standardized body temperature was significantly higher. These findings are consistent with aspirin's known pharmacological actions, although in this study the increased sweating rates have been demonstrated in afebrile subjects.

ISSN:0004-945X    

DOI:10.1038/icb.1977.16

出版商:Nature Publishing Group    

年代:1977

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

SummaryClarke, Ryan and Czuppon (1975) failed to detect electrophoretic differences between domestic dogs and dingoes at 14 loci. We have found that domestic dogs and dingoes are monomorphic for the same electrophoretic alleles at a further 15 loci, and polymorphic for the same alleles at a 30th locus.

ISSN:0004-945X    

DOI:10.1038/icb.1977.17

出版商:Nature Publishing Group    

年代:1977

数据来源: WILEY