Substrate utilization by Ehrlichia sennetsu and Ehrlichia risticii separated from host constituents by renografin gradient centrifugation.

The in vitro metabolic activities of two monocytic species of Ehrlichia were investigated. The Miyayama strain of Ehrlichia sennetsu and two strains of Ehrlichia risticii, isolated in Illinois and Maryland, were cultivated in a P388D1 mouse macrophage cell line. The ehrlichia particles from heavily infected cultures were separated from host constituents by a Renografin gradient centrifugation procedure modified from those employed for rickettsiae and chlamydiae. The metabolic activities of the isolated ehrlichiae were measured by their formation of CO2 after incubation for 1 h or longer at 34 degrees C with 14C-labeled substrates. Of the substrates tested, glutamine was utilized most vigorously. The greatest activity was obtained at pH 7.2 to 8.0, while the activity rapidly declined at pH below 7. The most favorable buffer was one that contained 0.05 M potassium phosphate as well as 0.2 M sucrose, thus affording some osmotic protection. Glutamate was utilized to a much lesser extent than glutamine, and glucose was not utilized at all. No consistent differences in metabolic activities among the three strains were observed.

Substrate utilization by Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli.

An attempt was made to elucidate in Campylobacter spp. some of the physiologic characteristics that are reflected in the kinetics of CO2 formation from four 14C-labeled substrates. Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli were grown in a biphasic medium, and highly motile spiral cells were harvested at 12 h. Of the media evaluated for use in the metabolic tests, minimal essential medium without glutamine, diluted with an equal volume of potassium sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.2), provided the greatest stability and least competition with the substrates to be tested. The cells were incubated with 0.02 M glutamate, glutamine, alpha-ketoglutarate, or formate, or with concentrations of these substrates ranging from 0.0032 to 0.125 M. All four substrates were metabolized very rapidly by both species. A feature of many of these reactions, particularly obvious with alpha-ketoglutarate, was an immediate burst of CO2 production followed by CO2 evolution at a more moderate rate. These diphasic kinetics of substrate utilization were not seen in comparable experiments with Escherichia coli grown and tested under identical conditions. With C. jejuni, CO2 production from formate proceeded rapidly for the entire period of incubation. The rate of metabolism of glutamate, glutamine, and alpha-ketoglutarate by both species was greatly enhanced by increased substrate concentration. The approach to the study of the metabolism of campylobacters here described may be useful in detecting subtle changes in the physiology of cells as they are maintained past their logarithmic growth phase.

Prevalence of antibodies to Legionella species in a series of patients in Israel.

A collection of serum specimens from 77 patients at various hospitals or clinics in Israel was used to determine the usefulness of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with a multivalent antigen for the detection of legionella antibodies. Rickettsial infection rather than legionellosis was suspected in most of these patients. The multivalent antigen was derived from Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1-6, L. bozemanii WIGA, and L. micdadei TATLOCK. A preliminary test of the multivalent antigen with specific rabbit antisera had shown that homologous reactions were not appreciably reduced in strength or specificity by the presence of the heterologous antigens. The results with the human sera revealed that 28 patients (36%) had reciprocal dilution titers greater than or equal to 1,280 and 43 (56%) had titers greater than or equal to 320. Tests with univalent antigens identified L. bozemanii as the only or principal antigen reacting with 13 of these sera. In contrast to the sera reacting with other legionella antigens, the great majority (11 of 13) of L. bozemanii-positive sera reacted also with Rickettsia typhi. The data suggest that most, but not all, reactions with L. bozemanii were elicited by a cross-reacting R. typhi antigen. These results were confirmed by cross-absorption tests.

Prevalence of Legionella-specific IgG and IgM antibody in a dental clinic population.

This study was undertaken to determine the frequency of Legionella infection in a dental clinic setting. Serum samples from 270 dental clinic personnel were evaluated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect Legionella-specific IgM and IgG antibodies. The pooled-species whole-cell-antigen preparation used in these assays was derived from six Legionella pneumophila strains and one strain each from Legionella bozemanii and Legionella micdadei. Significant levels of IgG and IgM antibodies were found in 20% and 16%, respectively, of the samples. This compares with 8% and 10%, respectively, for a randomly selected non-clinical group from the region (P less than 0.005). Samples from clinic personnel with significant IgG titers (greater than 1:128) were also evaluated for activity to each of the eight single-species antigens, with the following results: L. pneumophila, 45% (combined six strains); L. micdadei, 37%; and L. bozemanii, 18%. Comparing individuals' "years spent in the clinic environment" with the incidence of significant antibody levels strongly suggests that the risk of Legionella infection increases proportionately with increased clinic exposure time (P less than 0.05). Analysis of these data implies that Legionella may be present in the dental clinic environment, thus creating an increased risk for clinical personnel or patients.

Substrate utilization by Legionella cells after cryopreservation in phosphate buffer.

The objective of this study was to evaluate by relatively simple metabolic tests the usefulness of buffers and energy sources commonly used in Legionella growth media. Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1 to 6, Legionella micdadei, and Legionella bozemanii were grown in an enriched charcoal-yeast extract diphasic medium. The cells were washed thrice, suspended in various buffers (pH 6.9) with 1 or 5 mM MgSO4, and used immediately or after controlled-rate cryopreservation. CO2 produced and C incorporated into the cold trichloracetic acid-insoluble fractions from 14C-labeled substrates were determine. Potassium phosphate buffer (0.02 M) was as satisfactory as organic buffers for glutamate metabolism, but the addition of KCl or NaCl reduced activity. Metabolic activity for glutamate was not lost upon cryopreservation, and cryopreserved cells were used to test the utilization of other single or paired substrates. Rates of activity for serine, glutamate, threonine, and pyruvate, in this descending order, were high, and those for alpha-ketoglutarate, succinate, and gamma-aminobutyrate were low. Although glutamine was not used as rapidly as glutamate, when added to glutamate it was preferentially metabolized, possibly because of more rapid transport. When glutamate and serine were combined, glutamate furnished more C for CO2 and less for incorporation, whereas the reverse was true of serine. In conclusion, glutamate as an energy source may in some cases spare other amino acids for synthesis. alpha-Ketoglutarate, a common constituent of Legionella media, may reduce oxygen toxicity but is probably not a chief energy source.

Analysis of fatty acids of the genus Rochalimaea by electron capture gas chromatography: detection of nonanoic acid.

The fatty acid compositions of Rochalimaea quintana, strains Fuller and Guadalupe, and R. vinsonii, the Canadian vole agent, were determined in an effort to further characterize these bacteria. The cells were saponified with 5% NaOH in 50% methanol and acidified to pH 2. The methanolysates were extracted with chloroform, derivatized with 2,2,2-trichloroethanol, and analyzed using a Hewlett-Packard gas chromatograph equipped with a frequency pulse-modulated electron capture detector and a 3% OV-101 packed-glass column. The fatty acid profiles of the three Rochalimaea strains were similar, with octadecenoic acid (C18:1) the most abundant, followed by octadecanoic (C18:0) and hexadecanoic (C16:0) acids. Moderate to trace amounts of other acids were also present. Unexpectedly, well-defined peaks of nonanoic acid (C9) were found consistently. A portion of this acid, but not all, was extractable with chloroform. Since C9 is not reported as a usual component of bacteria and most analyses do not include a search for this fatty acid, this study was extended to three strains of Legionella and one of Campylobacter. Comparable results were obtained. Since these bacteria were grown in complex media which contain some C9, it is possible that the medium is the source of bacterial C9. Whether this compound can be synthesized by the bacteria remains to be investigated.

Multiple pathways for isoleucine biosynthesis in the spirochete Leptospira.

Spirochetes of the genus Leptospira have previously been shown to use an unusual pathway to synthesize isoleucine. For reasons of convenience, we assume that only one unusual pathway is found in the genus, and we refer to it as the pyruvate pathway. We determined the distribution of this pyruvate pathway in representatives of the seven Leptospira DNA hybridization groups. Our method included labeling the representative strains with radioactive carbon dioxide and other radioactive precursors, fractionating the cells, and determining the specific activities (counts detected per nanomole) of the amino acids found in the protein fractions. On the basis of isoleucine biosynthesis, we found that the genus can be classified as follows: class I primarily, if not exclusively, uses the well-known threonine pathway; class II uses mostly the pyruvate pathway, with a minor amount of isoleucine being synthesized via the threonine pathway; and class III uses the pyruvate pathway exclusively. No relationship appears to exist between the degree of DNA hybridization and the classes of isoleucine biosynthesis. Although the precise intermediates on the pyruvate pathway are unknown, the origin of the carbon skeleton of isoleucine synthesized by this pathway is consistent with a borrowing of the leucine biosynthetic enzymes. However, we found that the pyruvate pathway is not controlled by leucine and that the two isoleucine pathways are independently regulated. Finding major and highly evolved multiple biosynthetic pathways of a specific amino acid within one genus is unique, and, conceivably, represents phylogenetic diversity within Leptospira.

Detection ofLegionella antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using whole cell and carbohydrate antigens.

The systematic study ofLegionella as a human pathogen and a bacterium widely disseminated in the environment requires simplification of present methodology. We describe a highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of serum antibodies that can also be used for the detection of antigen.Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1 and 3 (Philadelphia 2 and Bloomington 2),L. bozemanii (WIGA), andL. micdadei (TATLOCK) were grown in diphasic medium consisting of charcoal yeast extract agar (CYE) overlayed with yeast extract medium (YEM) for the production of whole cell antigen and CYE for the extraction of carbohydrate antigen. The whole cells were inactivated with 0.5% formalin. The carbohydrate was obtained from the supernatant of cells resuspended twice in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The antigen was sterilized and concentrated by filtration and purified by chromatography through a Sepharose 4B column. The highest molecular weight fractions were used for chemical characterization, which confirmed the carbohydrate nature of the antigen, and for micro-ELISA. Titers ranging from 5×10(3) to 3×10(5) (inverse of serum dilutions) were obtained from rabbit sera collected after 1, 2, or 3 injections of whole cells. The titers were somewhat higher and more consistent with the higher of 2 antigen concentrations used (5 or 15µg/ml protein or dry weight), and with the carbohydrate rather than the whole cell antigen. The reactions were serogroup and species specific and only low titers were obtained with some of the heterologous antigens. The sensitivity and specificity of the reactions were not diminished when as many as 4 antigens were mixed in the same well. Thus, the micro-ELISA can be used as a test of highly specific antigens as well as a screening test with mixtures of antigens. A preliminary test withLegionella containing water specimen concentrates and high-titer rabbit sera indicated that the micro-ELISA can also be used for the detection of antigen. This investigation appears to have paved the way for the simplification of the serological methodology for the study ofLegionella.