Determination of saccharides labelled with a fluorescent reagent, DBD-ProCZ, by liquid chromatography.

Saccharides were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after precolumn tagging with 4-(2-carbazoylpyrrolidin-1-yl)-7-(N,N-dimethylaminosulphonyl )-2,1, 3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-ProCZ). The tagging conditions were optimized with D-glucose. Monosaccharides and oligosaccharides were efficiently labelled under conditions of 65 degrees C for 180 min in water: acetonitrile mixture containing 0.5% trichloroacetic acid (TCA). The resulting derivatives were detected at 540 nm (excitation at 450 nm) after separation by HPLC. The separation of individual saccharides was possible using water: acetonitrile as the mobile phase using a reversed-phase column (Inertsil ODS-80A) and a normal-phase column (TSKgel Amide-80). N-Acetyl-D-glucosamine (GluNAC), N-acetyllactosamine (LacNAC) and tri-N-acetyl-chitotriose (tri-N-AceChito), which are components of glycoconjugates, were completely separated with an isocratic elution using as Inertsil ODS column. The on-column detection limit with the proposed HPLC separation and fluorescence detection at the low pmol level.

[Studies on the nontuberculous lung mycobacteriosis in Japan. (Report of the study in the year 1987 and 1988 of the Mycobacteriosis Research Group of the Japanese National Chest Hospitals)--pulmonary infection caused by Mycobacterium kansasii has begun to appear in all over Japan including north Japan Hokkaido].

UNLABELLED: In this study, the Mycobacteriosis Research Group of the Japanese National Chest Hospitals (MRG) presents the reports of study years 1987 and 1988. As reported previously**, pulmonary infection caused by Mycobacterium kansasii occurred principally in South-West Japan (prefectures South-West of Tokyo) and did not appear in North Japan. However, this disease appeared in 1987 and 1988 in Hokkaido (Sapporo Hospital). Accordingly, we may say the disease occurs all over Japan. This is a noteworthy finding newly recognized in the study years. The prevalence rate of nontuberculous lung mycobacteriosis was determined as 2.92 or 2.78 in 1987 and as 2.02 or 1.91 in 1988 per 100,000 population per year. The estimated rates based on the ratio of nontuberculous lung mycobacteriosis against active lung tuberculosis and based on the ratio of nontuberculous lung mycobacteriosis against culture-positive lung tuberculosis well agreed with each other. COMMENT: In this country, chest physicians customarily report their cases of nontuberculous mycobacteriosis including lung tuberculosis, because the payment of treatment for patients with tuberculosis is free. Because of this custom, tuberculosis statistics surely contain cases of nontuberculous mycobacteriosis. Caution about this has been paid in calculating the prevalence rate. From the study year 1987, the MRG chairman moved from Michio Tsukamura, The National Chubu Hospital, to Nobuhiko Kita, The National Kinki Chuo Hospital.

Pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteriosis showing wandering shadows in chest roentgenograms.

The case of a 68-year-old woman with pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteriosis, whose chest roentgenograms showed unusual wandering shadows on separate occasions, is presented. Acid-fast bacilli were detected in her sputa and by bronchial washing, and were identified as Mycobacterium chelonae, subspecies abscessus. The findings of computed tomography and transbronchial lung biopsy were also unique because of multiple peribronchial inflammations. Chemotherapy with anti-tuberculosis agents and a new quinolone drug was successful in this case.

[Identification of nontuberculous mycobacteria isolated from clinical materials and some comments on it].

Six mycobacterial strains which were isolated and identified with some suspicions in five hospitals in Japan were retested for their biological and biochemical characteristics for correct identification at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Shimane Medical University. One strain originally classified as Group IV Mycobacterium, and two unidentified strains were presently identified as Mycobacterium nonchromogenicum complex. Two strains originally identified as M. xenopi were identified by us as M. szulgai and M. avium complex, respectively. Finally, one strain originally identified as M. phlei was identified by us as M. fortuitum. In these cases, inexactly controlled examinations for growth rate, growth at 45 degrees C, Tween 80 hydrolysis, and pigment production or lack of tests for certain key characters of a given organism seemed to be main causes of initial incorrect identification.

Studies on the epidemiology of nontuberculous mycobacteriosis in Japan.

The epidemiology of mycobacterial disease in Japan changed considerably over the period 1971 to 1984. During this time, the incidence of pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis has steadily declined; disease caused by M. avium complex has remained stable; disease caused by M. kansasii has increased considerably; and, for the first time, substantial numbers of cases caused by M. szulgai, M. fortuitum, M. chelonae, and M. nonchromogenicum have been reported. From 1981 to 1984 the incidence of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterioses (NTM) was estimated at 1.73 +/- 0.25 cases per 100,000 population per year; of these, M. avium complex constituted 1.29 +/- 0.24 and M. kansasii 0.34 +/- 0.11 per 100,000 per year. The prevalence of the NTM was relatively high in southwestern Japan (industrialized, warm climate) and low in northern Japan (rural, cold).

IgG antibody level to mycobacterial glycoprotein in pulmonary tuberculosis by ELISA.

Sera from patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and sera from appropriate control individuals were assayed for IgG, IgA and IgM antibodies against glycoprotein from tubercle bacilli by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mean antibody levels in IgG and IgA were significantly higher in the tuberculosis patients than in the controls. By measuring IgG antibody, this assay may provide a diagnostic tool to distinguish patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis from patients with other pulmonary disease.