Serological, electrophoretic and biological properties of Fasciola hepatica antigens

Fasciola hepatica somatic antigen, its partially purified fractions and excretion-secretion products were investigated as to serological, electrophoretic and biological properties. In a Sephadex G-100 column (SG-100), Fasciola hepatica total antigen (FhTA) gave 5 fractions, and SDS-PAGE analysis showed they were glycoproteins ranging from 14 to 94 kDa molecular weight (MW). When these fractions were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunotransfer blot (EITB) and immunodiffusion in gel (ID) with serum from immunized rats with FhTA, the presence of different antigenic components was revealed. In the SDS-PAGE of excretor-secretor antigen (ESA), it was possible to observe peptides from 12 to 22 kDa, which were also present in FhTA. When the FhTA, its fractions and the ESA were analyzed by EITB with the immune rat serum (IRS), it was observed that only some fractions of the SG-100 shared antigens with the FhTA and ESA. Moreover, DTH and ITH responses were studied in FhTA immunized rats challenged with these different antigen components, revealing that the protein/carbohydrate ratio is important for inducing DTH response. The ESA was the most active component in the DTH and ITH response

Possibility of in-hospital infection by Cryptococcus neoformans in patients with AIDS

The objective of the present work was to carry out a survey of soil samples taken from different areas of a hospital of infectious disease located in the city of Córdoba, where three AIDS patients were hospitalized during different periods in the same ward. The three of them returned with meningeal cryptococcosis between three or five months after having been discharged. Cryptococcus neoformans was isolated in 8/10 samples collected outside the hospital, near the pigeon house. The samples collected from the AIDS patients ward and its surroundings were negative. These findings suggest that the patients may have been infected by the fungus during their first stay in hospital

Isolation of human fungi from soil and identification of two endemic areas of Cryptococcus neoformans and Coccidioides immitis

Se presenta un estudio de endemia de micosis causadas por hongos patogenos primarios en dos zonas de la Provincia de Cordoba, Argentina, donde previamente se diagnostico un caso clinico de criptococosis pulmonar en una de las areas (Alta Gracia) y se encontraron altos indices de infección para C. immitis y C. neoforms en la problación de la segunda zona (Villa Dolores). En ambas regiones se encontraron hongos patogenos en suelos; en Villa Dolores se pudo aislar C. immitis en 2/40 muestras de tierra y en 1/40 muestras de C. neoformans. Mientras que en la Cuidad de Alta Gracia se pudo aislar C. neofrormans en 2/25 muestras de tierra. El indice de infección de la población con coccidioidina, en Villa dolores, fue de 33,8% y con criptococcina de 31.9%. Tambien se determino el indice de infección de la población con criptococcina en alta Gracia, el cual fue del 5.3%