ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Although labyrinth fistulae are caused mostly by cholesteatoma, they can occur in long-standing chronic otitis media (COM) without cholesteatoma. We aimed to compare the prevalence of radiologic SCD on computed tomography (CT) between normal ears and contralateral COM ears in patients with unilateral COM and to assess the prevalence of superior canal dehiscence (SCD) according to the age. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with comparison performed at a tertiary care academic referral center. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive temporal bone CT scans of 759 patients with unilateral COM between 2009 and 2011. The mean (± standard deviation) age was 48 years (±14 years). Images were independently evaluated by two otologists, and the bone overlying the superior canal was characterized as normal, suspicious, or definite SCD. RESULTS: The prevalence (3.4%) of definite SCD in COM ears was significantly higher than that (0.3%) in normal ears. The prevalence (6.6%) of suspicious or definite SCD in COM ears was also higher than that (1.2%) in normal ears. There was no correlation between the prevalence of SCD and age in either normal or COM ears. All of the normal ears with suspicious or definite SCD also showed contralateral suspicious or definite SCD (bilateral involvement). CONCLUSIONS: Our present findings suggest that the COM is related to the presence of SCD. The roof of the temporal bone may become thin by the failure of postnatal bone development and susceptible to chronic brain pulsation and pressure exerted by the temporal lobe in COM ears.
Subject(s)
Labyrinth Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Labyrinth Diseases/epidemiology , Otitis Media/diagnostic imaging , Otitis Media/epidemiology , Semicircular Canals/diagnostic imaging , Temporal Bone/diagnostic imaging , Academic Medical Centers , Adult , Age Distribution , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Case-Control Studies , Causality , Chronic Disease , Comorbidity , Female , Humans , Labyrinth Diseases/physiopathology , Linear Models , Male , Middle Aged , Otitis Media/physiopathology , Prevalence , Prognosis , Reference Values , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment , Semicircular Canals/physiopathology , Sex Distribution , Temporal Bone/physiopathology , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methodsABSTRACT
Listeria monocytogenes causes major food-borne outbreaks of disease worldwide. Specific identification of this microorganism is of utmost importance to public health and industry. Listeria species are known to secrete a 60-kDa protein collectively termed p60, which is encoded by the iap (invasion-associated protein) gene and secreted in large quantities into the growth media. p60 is a highly immunogenic murein hydrolase that is essential for cell division. Due to these properties, p60 is an ideal diagnostic target for the development of immunological detection systems for L. monocytogenes. We report here two independent lines of monoclonal antibody (MAb): p6007, which specifically recognizes L. monocytogenes p60, and p6017, which reacts with a wide range of Listeria p60 proteins. By combining these antibodies with a polyclonal antibody, we developed efficient sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) systems which can specifically identify L. monocytogenes or generally detect Listeria species. Since an excess amount of the peptide corresponding to PepA or PepD did not interfere with the ELISA, and direct ELISAs were unable to detect both peptides, we concluded that the epitope presumed to be recognized by p6007 or p6017 could be distinguished from PepA and PepD as described by Bubert et al. (Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60:3120-3127, 1997). To our best knowledge, this is the first example of an immunological identification system that uses p60-recognizing MAbs.
