Biological and biochemical studies for characterization of some Egyptian Trichomonas vaginalis isolates

Trichomoniasis has important medical, social and economical implications regarding its serious potentially associated complications, with the possibility of HIV acquisition and transmission. T. vaginalis is a very complex organism. Studying the variation in some biological and biochemical properties of the parasite can be used for characterization of the parasites. For the characterization of T. vaginalis infecting Egyptian female patients, the growth kinetics of 20 isolates, their pathogenicity, metronidazole susceptibility and electrophoretic protein patterns, were correlated with the recorded clinical manifestations associated with these isolates. Positive samples for T. vaginalis were cultured on modified Diamond`s medium. For growth pattern study, trophozoites were counted for each isolate every 24 hours for seven days. The pathogenicity assay was performed using intra-peritoneal inoculation in mice. The isolates susceptibility to different concentrations of metronidazole was recorded by determining the minimal lethal concentration [MLC] and trophozoites viability. The biochemical variability of the studied isolates was performed using 2-dimensional electrophoresis. A broad experimental variability was recorded among the 20 T. vaginalis isolates. There was a clear relationship between 3 isolates obtained from patients with severe vaginitis and the different parameters studied. These isolates had the highest number [20-25 organisms/HPF] in wet mount of vaginal discharge, and the shortest generation time [6:34-7:31 hours]; they were also highly pathogenic to mice. Only one isolate [no. 5] proved to be metronidazole resistant. The use of the first dimensional native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [Native-PAGE] demonstrated the presence of some differences. The isolates were classified into two groups according to their proteins net charge. All samples in each group were considered as one isolate. However, when the 2-dimensional electrophoresis [SDS-PAGE] was applied, five different groups could be identified according to proteins molecular weights. There is a broad experimental variability among the studied Egyptian T. vaginalis isolates regarding growth kinetics, metronidazole drug susceptibility, degree of pathogenicity, as well as the electrophoretic protein patterns

Biological effects in tilapia nilotica fish as indicators of pollution by cadmium and mercury

Fish samples of Tilapia nilotica obtained from Lake Maryout were used to investigate the relationship between heavy metals and biological effects due to the industrial contaminations in the lake. Samples were examined for the activities of acetylcholinesterase, alkaline phosphatase and glutathione S-transferase. Meanwhile, levels of cadmium [Cd] and mercury [Hg] were determined in both fish and water. Results obtained revealed that the activities of all studied enzymes were markedly inhibited. Maryout samples contained higher concentrations of Hg and Cd than Nozha samples. Marked differences in electrophoretic patterns of proteins prepared from Maryout and Nozha fish samples were found. The nutritional quality of Maryout fish proteins was lower than that of Nozha samples. Results obtained from field and laboratory exposures can give useful indication for a proper use of biochemical responses as biomarkers in monitoring heavy metal pollution

simple method for production of specific antibodies to carbaryl

Succinated derivatives of carbaryl were firstly prepared. The succination process was achieved by incubating the carbaryl with succinic anhydride in pyridine at room temperature for 3 days. The carbaryl derivatives were then coupled covalently to bovine serum albumin [BSA] by use of carbodiimide condensation and the reaction was carried out in aqueous pyridine. The protein-carbaryl-derivative binding was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [SDS-PAGE] and UV absorbance. The carbaryl BSA conjugates were injected several times in rabbits and the obtained sera were checked for titer affinity and specificity using immunodiffusion technique. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that this method could be used as a simple and useful way for successful achievement of carbaryl-conjugate antibodies production