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The humoral and cellular immune responses were studied in mice immunized with flagellar fraction (F), F plus Bordetella pertussis as adjuvant (F-Bp), and microsomal (Mc) subcellular fractions from the epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. The immune response was studied before and after the challenge with 50 bloodstream forms of T. cruzi, Tulahuén strain. The immunization with F-Bp, but not with Mc or F and Bp separately, protected mice, in terms of parasitemia and mortality, from the challenge with the parasite. Before the challenge, levels of specific antibodies in mice immunized with F-Bp were higher than in mice immunized with F or Mc. Antibody levels 17 days after the infection were similar in the three groups of mice while nonimmunized mice reached lower levels. Early during the infection nonimmunized infected mice lacked delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses to parasite antigens and to concanavalin A (Con A). Mice immunized with F-Bp, however, presented positive DTH responses to parasite antigens and Con A both, before and after the challenge with T. cruzi. DTH reaction was transferred with spleen cells. Mice immunized with Mc behaved similarly to infected nonimmunized animals in their reactivity to parasite antigens. These results indicated striking differences between protected and nonprotected mice in humoral and cellular immune responses during experimental T. cruzi infection.

Severe femoral neuropathy with a partial sciatic nerve injury is an unusual clinical finding in the absence of penetrating trauma, pelvic fracture, hemorrhage, mass lesion, or peripheral neuropathy. This report documents the occurrence of this condition and discusses its recognition despite lack of detectable radiologic or routine laboratory abnormalities. A careful history and clinical electrodiagnosis are the most important factors in establishing the nature of the mechanism of injury, anatomic location, diagnosis, and prognosis. Review of these factors suggests that the injury is related to nerve stretching or compression with prolonged maintenance of a "hanging leg" position on the affected side.

The sera of three groups (I, II and III) of cattle vaccinated every three months with trivalent hydroxysaponinated commercial vaccine against aphthovirus were studied. The only difference between groups I and II was that the former received a revaccination on day 17 after the initial immunization. Groups I and II included sera from animals three months old born from vaccinated mothers. Group III consisted of the sera of adult animals (the mothers of animals in groups I and II). The animals from the three groups were bled monthly during one year. The studies were performed with pooled sera from each group. The presence of protective and neutralizing antibodies was investigated in the gammaglobulin fractions which were then separated into subclasses, by chromatography on DE-cellulose columns, in order to study their biological activity. The immunization of cattle 3 months old with commercial vaccine against aphthovirus resulted in weak primary humoral response; neutralizing antibodies could not be detected. When the animals were restimulated three weeks after the first immunization, neutralizing antibodies appeared although the response did not persist. Nevertheless, five months after the experiment was started both groups I and II showed neutralizing antibodies. (Fig. 1, 2, 3). Persistent immunity to the three virus subtypes was acquired by animals of groups I and II but not before nine months. The kinetics of protective antibodies was similar to that of neutralizing antibodies, but with higher titers. Some bleedings that did not show neutralizing activity, did show significant protective activity (Figs. 4, 5). The investigation of the neutralizing activity of the gammaglobulin subclasses obtained by chromatography revealed that there was not one single subclass responsible for this activity, but that several subclasses were involved. The gammaglobulin subclasses were analyzed by immunoelectrophoresis; proteins with alpha 2 mobility appeared, coincident with early bleedings of high neutralizing titers, although these proteins did not present neutralizing activity (Tables 1, 2). The protective and neutralizing activity was not correlated with the protein concentration of the fractions so that the increase observed may be due to a qualitative change in the antibodies.

Subcellular fractions of T. cruzi epimastigotes (Epi) were studied for their capability to induce protective or aggressive effects in animals. The flagellar fraction (F) showed the best immunoprotective properties without tissular aggression. Monoclonal antibodies were raised against F. Two of them, FCH-F8-1 and 4, were able to neutralize the infectivity of bloodstream forms, to mediate lysis by complement of cell culture derived[trypomastigotes (Tripo) and to recognize the surface of Tripo and Epi. FCH-F8-1 reacted with a 85 kDa protein from Tripo (assayed by immunoprecipitation) and with peptides of 43 kDa on Epi and Tripo (tested by immunoblotting). FCH-F8-4 recognized several proteins ranging from 50 to 150 kDa on Epi and two molecules of 15 and 48 kDa on Tripo. Mice immunized with antigens purified by affinity chromatography by using FCH-F8-4 were protected against the infection. Several recombinant clones were detected on a cDNA lambda gt11 expression library constructed from T. cruzi Epi (Tulahuén strain): three with FCH-F8-4 and two with FCH-F8-1. One clone recognized by each monoclonal antibody was studied gamma (FCH-F8-1) 1 and gamma (FCH-F8-4) 1. Both inserts were of 150 base pairs each; they detected a 3.5 and 5.0 kilobases Epi mRNA, respectively. Both inserts were sequenced, and the amino acid sequences were inferred. gamma (FCH-F8-4) 1 codified for a 19 aa peptide, PAFLGCSSRFSGSFSGVEP, and gamma (FCH-F8-1) 1 for a 29 aa peptide EFLERGRISCORHSYTSYTSCSDEHNVTPFC. The whole 19 aa peptide was synthesized. This peptide (SP4) inhibited the ELISA reactivity against the parasite of chronically infected and F immunized mouse sera.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A method is described for the selective introduction of heavy atoms into structured membrane proteins by a two step modification. The procedure is applied for the purple membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin. Selective heavy-atom modification of this protein is achieved by placing a mercury reagent of intermediate polarity into phenylthiocarbamoylated bacteriorhodopsin. Incorporation of mercury requires the selective phenylthiocarbamoylation of a lysine residue. Optical investigations including circular dichroism document unchanged chromophore-protein and protein-protein interactions in mercury labeled purple membranes.