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3-day-old miniature piglets were stimulated in vivo with Bacillus firmus by the intraperitoneal or intragastric route for 1 d. Cells containing IgA and IgG2 were detected in the ileum in all stimulated but not in control animals. The frequency of blood CD3+ cells increased after intraperitoneal administration of B. firmus, the ratio of polymorphonuclears to lymphocytes increased in all stimulated piglets. B. firmus induced antitumor immunity in rats with transplanted Yoshida sarcoma cells. Granular lymphocytes and dead tumor cells were found in peritoneal exudate of stimulated animals. B. firmus induced IFN-γ synthesis in human blood lymphocytes stimulated in vitro for 1 d. The amount of TNF-α produced by these stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclears (PBMC) was lower than that of PBMC stimulated with some other bacterial immunomodulators. Cells containing TGF-β or IL-8 were not found in human PBMC stimulated with B. firmus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some bacteria possess the ability to convert cholic acid (CA) to pharmacologically important chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) or to its precursor 3α, 7α-dihydroxy-12-oxo-5β-cholan-24-ic acid (12-oxo-CDCA). The ability of several bacterial strains to convert CA to 12-oxo-CDCA was tested in our work. The highest conversion was reached by one strain of Arthrobacter sp. which converted up to 61% CA to 12-oxo-CDCA in a complex medium containing 4% ( W/V) CA under aerobic conditions. 12-Oxo-CDCA was further oxidized to 3,12-dioxo-7ì-hydroxy-5β-cholan-24-ic acid (3,12-dioxo-7-OHCA) that represented up to 10% of total bile acids in the cultivation medium after a 1-d cultivation. The concentration of 12-oxo-CDCA increased rapidly during the first hours of cultivation, maximal yields were achieved between 20 and 24 h of cultivation and they decreased after that due to further bacterial oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus firmus strongly stimulates Ig synthesis in the cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes. As apparent from the character of Ig formation and blastic transformation, the stimulation has features of a polyclonal activation of B lymphocytes without substantial participation of T lymphocytes. B. firmus is a strong B cell polyclonal activator even for human cord blood lymphocytes. The most striking feature is the strong stimulation of IgA synthesis in both adult and cord blod lymphocytes. Several crude fractions were isolated from B. firmus. None of them exhibited any remarkable enhancement of activity but the cytoplasmic fraction P-40 was clearly more potent than the intact bacilli. On the other hand, cell wall peptidoglycan, a well known polyclonal activator of B cells, had a much lower activity than whole bacteria. The effect of B. firmus on the stimulation of Ig formation is thus relatively complex; it is not caused mainly by peptidoglycan but rather by some cytoplasmic constituents of the bacterium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus firmus is a Gram-positive, aerobic, sporulating, nonpathogenic air contaminant which, according to earlier findings, is a strong polyclonal activator of B lymphocytes. The crude lipids of this microbe induced significant resistance of mice against listerial infection. The administration of bacterin, like that of crude lipids obtained by the extraction of cell suspension with chloroform-methanol to rats, strain AVN Wistar, transplanted later with Yoshida sarcoma, significantly prolonged the survival of the animals in comparison with the control group. At the same time the number of granular lymphocytes was increased. The destruction of tumor cells in the peritoneal exudate of immunostimulated rats was also determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B. firmus activates human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro. Bacteria inactivated by heat or by formaldehyde were about equally effective, stimulating the blastic transformation of lymphocytes at doses of 10-200 mg/L and Ig formation in the culture at 10-500 mg/L. The action of formaldehyde treated B. firmus was compared with that of analogously inactivated B. subtilis, B. polymyxa, B. coagulans, B. megaterium, B. pumilus, B. cereus and B. lentus at a concentration of 100 mg/L. All these bacilli midly stimulated blastic transformation and most of them substantially stimulated Ig formation, but B. firmus was the most efficient in stimulating the formation of Ig of all classes, in particular IgM and IgA. Its effect on Ig formation was comparable with that of PWM and was unusually high as compared with that of other bacteria. B. firmus is apparently a strong polyclonal activator of B lymphocytes. Its cells or their components could be potentially used for modulating immune reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crude lipids isolated from Bacillus firmus, but not from other bacilli, were previously found to induce significant resistance against Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice. In this study, formaldehyde-and heat-killed bacterins of eight Bacillus species and some cellular fractions of B. firmus were prepared and tested for further immunomodulatory activities. Crude lipids, their aqueous extract, LTA, Protodyne and Pex-residue preparations exhibited a strong anti-infection activity, whereas Pextract, P40 and all bacterins tested had no effect. Formaldehyde-killed bacterins, live bacteria and the P40 preparation of both B. firmus strains, as well as bacterins of both B. subtilis strains, induced pronounced splenomegaly in mice. Peptidoglycan and Pex-residue induced significant depression of cytochrome P-450 in mouse liver microsomes after application of 0.1 mg per mouse. Optimal conditions for obtaining a bacterial suspension exhibiting these immunomodulatory properties were elaborated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the ELISA method antibodies against the sonicate, teichoic acid (TA) and exoproducts of Staphylococcus aureus were determined in sera and saliva of healthy individuals. Main serum antibodies against all the antigens used were shown to be class IgG antibodies. However, antigens of the sonicate stimulated significantly even the systemic IgA response. In the saliva class IgA antibodies predominated, but IgG antibody levels against TA and exoproducts approached the level of IgA antibodies. Levels of IgM antibodies against all antigens tested were low in both the serum and saliva which corresponds with the anamnestic type of response. On the basis of these results one may assume that not only IgG, but also IgA antibodies are important in the systemic immunity against staphylococcal infection and in the immunity of mucous membranes; besides IgA, even class IgG antibodies play an important role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using phenol-water extraction, a lipopeptidopolysacoharide complex (LPPS) was isolated from Listeria monocytogenes. Some biological and immunological properties of LPPS were compared with lipopolysaccharide isolated by the same procedure from Salmonella typhimurium. LPPS possesses low pyrogenicity, but the immunological activity is comparable with LPS: slightly lower adjuvant and polyolonal stimulating effect, almost equal mitogenic effect on mouse spleen cells and higher mitogenic effect oh human peripheral blood cells, The results are discussed in connection with the chemical structure of both substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spontaneous and chemotactic activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, obtained from the peritoneal cavity, was studied after administration of complete and incomplete Freund's adjuvant to rabbits at intervals of 18 - 26 d after adjuvant injection. Whereas injection of both complete and incomplete adjuvant increased spontaneous migration of rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes, the migration directed by the chemotactic signal, induced in fresh serum by E. coli endotoxin, was decreased. The chemotaxigenic activity of two factors, isolated from cell wals of Listeria monocytogenes was also tested: factor Ei (its most potent component is lipopolysaccharide) and a purified phenol extract of lipopeptidopolysaccharide nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The avirulent strain Listeria monocytogenes (Welshimer) induced upon a single injection 4 weeks prior to challenge with Mycobacterium tuberculosis HR resistance in guinea-pigs, which was manifested by a significant decrease of spleen weight and Feldman's index in immunized animals. The degree of resistance was dependent on the immunizing dose and time of administration. Repeated high doses of Listeria yielded only a low or no effect. Further increase of resistance was obtained using the BCG lipids; however, stimulation of resistance with listeria lipids was not successful and, finally, Freund's incomplete adjuvant was significantly effective in the Feldman index only. The BCG lipids, extracted with ethanol, which contained nitrogen and water-soluble substances, induced a significant resistance against M. tuberculosis infection. The chloroform-methanol BCG lipids were also effective, however, significantly less than the ethanol-extracted material. The listeria factor E itself or together with Freund's incomplete adjuvant possessed only low effectiveness against mycobacterial infection. However, if injected together with ethanol-extracted BCG lipids, it produced a significant degree of resistance which was higher than that induced by lipids only. The degree of resistance was comparable with the effect of living BCG strain which served as a source of isolated lipids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an attempt to assess the taxonomic relationships among human ( Corynebacterium haemolyticum), animal ( Corynebacterium pyogenes bovis) haemolytio corynebacteria, typical corynebacteria ( Corynebacterium diphteriae mitis, C. ovis, C. ulcerans) and group A and G streptococci, a number of biochemical parameters were established: the DNA content of G + C, the presence of the cytochrome system, composition of fatty acids in free lipids and production of carboxylic acids as end products of fermentation. It was found that according to the above criteria, streptococci differed significantly from the corynebacteria studied. In addition, it was possible to differentiate a subgroup of typically aerobic haemolytic corynebacteria (different from both human and animal corynebacteria), possessing a complete cytochrome system, producing propionic acid and having a different composition of fatty acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factor E isolated from Listeria monocytogenes caused in rabbits 1 d after intravenous administration activation of peripheral blood lymphocytes in terms of rRNA biosynthesis. Increase of the number of these active lymphocytes was observed not only in peripheral blood, but also in spleen, lung, kidney and liver. When the number of lymphocytes was related to the amount of the organ tissue cells, the increment appeared significant only in the liver where the number of active lymphocytes exceeded the control value by one order of magnitude. Based upon this observation we concluded that the accumulation of Listeria factor E activated lymphocytes occurred in liver. This characteristic is considered an additional immunomodulative property of Listeria factor E similar to the Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]