ABSTRACT
Secretory processes and their regulation have been extensively studied in mammalian salivary parotid glands. However, little is known regarding the secretory mechanism in the venom glands of snakes, which invariably produce one of the most complex of all animal secretions. The pharmacologically important and toxic components of the Malayan spitting cobra (Naja naja sputatrix) venom include postsynaptic neurotoxins (NTX), presynaptic neurotoxins (phospholipase A2, PLA2), and cardiotoxins (CTX) which, for convenience, have been collectively referred to as "toxins." We report here for the first time the mechanism of toxin gene expression by studying the accumulated mRNA level and protein synthesis rates for the three toxins over a period of 8 days after stimulation of venom synthesis by manual "milking" of the venom gland. Immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization were used to localize the toxins and their mRNAs in venom gland sections. The rate of protein synthesis, as determined by immunofluorescence and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) techniques, increased in parallel with the increase in the toxin mRNA content in the secretory epithelial cells, suggesting that transcriptional regulation of the toxin genes is involved. (J Histochem Cytochem 47:551-560, 1999)
Subject(s)
Cobra Cardiotoxin Proteins/genetics , Elapid Venoms/genetics , Elapidae/genetics , Neurotoxins/genetics , Phospholipases A/genetics , Animals , Chromatography, Liquid , Cobra Cardiotoxin Proteins/metabolism , Elapid Venoms/metabolism , Elapidae/anatomy & histology , Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect , Gene Expression Regulation , In Situ Hybridization , Mass Spectrometry , Microscopy, Confocal , Neurotoxins/metabolism , Phospholipases A/metabolism , Phospholipases A2 , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Time FactorsABSTRACT
A male patient presented with complaints of fever, cough with expectoration, burning micturition and 5-6 semisolid motions per day for the past 6 days. Skiagram chest (PA view) revealed lung abscess in the left mid zone. There was no improvement, symptomatically and radiologically, after an empirical course of antibiotics (IV ampicillin and gentamycin). Sputum, urine and stool cultures grew salmonella group E organisms sensitive only to cefotaxime. The patient was treated with IV cefotaxime and responded well clinically, radiologically and bacteriologically.
Subject(s)
Lung Abscess/microbiology , Salmonella Infections/diagnosis , Salmonella enteritidis/isolation & purification , Cefotaxime/therapeutic use , Humans , Lung Abscess/diagnosis , Lung Abscess/drug therapy , Male , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Middle Aged , Salmonella Infections/drug therapy , Salmonella enteritidis/drug effectsABSTRACT
Fatal meningitis due to Candida lusitaniae in a 35 year old previously healthy man is described. C. lusitaniae is an opportunistic fungal pathogen reported infrequently in the English literature. This is the third case report of meningitis and the first fatal infection in an adult from Central India due to C. lusitaniae known to the authors.
Subject(s)
Candidiasis/complications , Meningitis, Fungal/etiology , Adult , Candida/isolation & purification , Candidiasis/cerebrospinal fluid , Fatal Outcome , Humans , Male , Meningitis, Fungal/cerebrospinal fluidABSTRACT
Forty adult patients with Salmonella typhi and S. paratyphi infections were studied in a randomly assigned prospective study to receive norfloxacin (12 drug-sensitive and 8 drug-resistant cases) or chloramphenicol (20 cases). No complication occurred in either group and no side effect was noted in the norfloxacin-treated group. The results suggest that a 7 d course of twice daily norfloxacin promises to be an alternative to a 14 d course of chloramphenicol for treating chloramphenicol-sensitive and multidrug-resistant typhoid and paratyphoid fevers.
