The dangers of an adventurous partner: Cordylobia anthropophaga infestation in London.

We describe a case of cutaneous myiasis caused by Cordylobia anthropophaga acquired in the UK from contact with another person's clothes. We propose that this diagnosis should be considered in both returning travellers and also their household contacts.

Safety and immunogenicity of hydrogen peroxide-inactivated pertussis toxoid in 18-month-old children.

The immunogenicity and adverse effects of an acellular pertussis vaccine consisting of a purified pertussis toxin inactivated with hydrogen peroxide (PTxd) was evaluated. Children aged 15 to 30 months were injected with 10 (n = 33) or 50 micrograms (n = 34) of PTxd or with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and whole cell pertussis vaccine (DTP) (n = 34). All children had previously received three doses of DTP during infancy. Both dosages of PTxd induced higher IgG antibody (p less than 0.05 for 10 micrograms dose and p less than 0.01 for 50 micrograms dose) and pertussis antitoxin responses (p less than 0.01 for 50 micrograms dose) than DTP. The 50 micrograms dose gave slightly higher (though not significantly) antibody responses than the 10 micrograms dose of PTxd. None of the vaccines induced detectable IgM or IgA antibody responses to pertussis toxin. At 24 h, local reactions occurred in none of the children injected with 10 micrograms PTxd, 12% with 50 micrograms PTxd and 78% with DTP. Fever at 24 h occurred in 13% after 10 micrograms PTxd, in none after 50 micrograms PTxd and in 53% after DTP. Recipients of DTP, but not of PTxd, had significant increases in neutrophils and decreases in lymphocytes and haematocrit at 24 h (all p less than 0.05). None of the groups showed changes in blood glucose at 24 h. PTxd induced pertussis toxin antibody levels similar to those observed in patients convalescing from natural pertussis. This acellular pertussis vaccine deserves further evaluation for safety and immunogenicity in infants and for efficacy in preventing pertussis.

Photoreactivity of bleomycin and its implications.

The bleomycin family of glycopeptide anti-tumour antibiotics has recently been shown to be markedly photosensitive. This photosensitivity has been observed not only for the free antibiotics but also for complexes with metal ions and with DNA. More importantly, the pattern of DNA cleavage by bleomycin, and some of its metal complexes, is significantly changed by irradiation with light in 300-350 nm or UV regions. Bleomycin is a strong, reversible inhibitor of the enzyme, dopamine beta-hydroxylase (EC 1.14.17.1) in the dark. Photoexposure converts this to a strong irreversible inhibition. In this review the above aspects are discussed along with the chemical nature of the origins of the photoreactivity of bleomycin and analogues. The implications of the photoactivity of this useful drug are pointed out.

Differences in the cleavage of DNA by bleomycin under light (300-350 nm) and dark conditions.

Incubation of supercoiled plasmid DNA (both pBR 322 and pPLC-28) with increasing concentrations of bleomycin in the presence and absence of light (300-350 nm) showed extensive conversion of supercoiled to linear DNA which occurred at much lower levels of bleomycin (BLM) in the light than in the dark. Preliminary results indicate that superoxide dismutase (SOD) may offer DNA more protection against bleomycin in the dark than in the light conditions.

Photolability of bleomycin and its complexes.

Bleomycin has been found to be very sensitive to photolysis and on irradiation with the full spectral range of a medium-pressure mercury lamp undergoes a number of photo-induced reactions; there is a process in which the absorbance at 310 nm decreases, and a slower process in which it increases with photolysis time. The faster process can be studied by irradiation at approximately 300-350 nm, is complete in approximately 8 min, obeys first order kinetics, but is itself biphasic. The Fe(II) and Cu(II) complexes of bleomycin are also photolabile, as is the bleomycin-DNA complex.