Species-specific monoclonal antibodies for rapid identification of Bartonella quintana. (1/132)

Seven species-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to Bartonella quintana were produced and characterized. The MAbs were of the immunoglobulin G class and reacted only with 13 B. quintana strains in indirect microimmunofluorescence and Western immunoblotting assays. They did not react with eight other Bartonella spp., including Bartonella henselae, the most closely related species, and a selected MAb did also not react with nine other strains of gram-negative bacteria. The MAbs reacted mainly with a 34-kDa protein epitope of B. quintana which was shown to be species specific by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Four of five body lice experimentally infected with B. quintana were found to be positive for the organism in microimmunofluorescence assays with one MAb. These MAbs may provide a specific, simple, rapid, and low-cost tool for the identification of B. quintana and the diagnosis of infections due to the microorganism.  (+info)

Infestation status of head louse and treatment with lindane shampoo in children of primary school and kindergarten in Chinju-shi, Kyongsangnam-do, Korea. (2/132)

The infestation status of head louse among children attending primary schools and kindergartens in Chinju-shi, Kyongsangnam-do, Korea, was investigated between June and July 1999. Out of 2,288 children examined, 3.9% of boys (48/1,242) and 23.5% of girls (246/1,046) were infested with nits or adult/nymphs of lice. The effectiveness of lindane shampoo (1% gamma benzene hexachloride solution) was evaluated after one or two time applications to all the children infested. The negative conversion rate of pediculosis was 93.5%. Effective control measures are needed to control and prevent such ectoparasite infestation amongst children.  (+info)

Experimental model of human body louse infection using green fluorescent protein-expressing Bartonella quintana. (3/132)

A laboratory colony of human body lice was experimentally infected by feeding on rabbits made artificially bacteremic with a green fluorescent protein-expressing Bartonella quintana. B. quintana was detected in the gut and feces until death but not in the eggs. The life span of the lice was not modified. The rabbit model should provide valuable clues to the role of lice in the transmission of B. quintana.  (+info)

Detection and culture of Bartonella quintana, Serratia marcescens, and Acinetobacter spp. from decontaminated human body lice. (4/132)

As part of a survey for trench fever among homeless people in Marseilles, France, we attempted isolation of Bartonella quintana from body lice. A decontamination protocol of immersion in 70% ethanol with 0.2% iodine was devised and was tested with a laboratory colony of body lice. Lice which had been experimentally contaminated with either Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, or Acinetobacter spp. were successfully decontaminated, and this process did not prevent the culture of B. quintana from these lice. One hundred sixty-one lice obtained from homeless patients were studied by the protocol. B. quintana was isolated on axenic medium from 15 of 161 body lice and was detected in 41 of 161 lice by PCR. Acinetobacter spp. and Serratia marcescens were also isolated from body lice. The sensitivities of PCR and culture of B. quintana were 98 and 36%, respectively. These procedures may be useful for epidemiologic studies of trench fever and for the recovery of strains for characterization and comparison.  (+info)

Mutualists and parasites: how to paint yourself into a (metabolic) corner. (5/132)

Eukaryotes have developed an elaborate series of interactions with bacteria that enter their bodies and/or cells. Genome evolution of symbiotic and parasitic bacteria multiplying inside eukaryotic cells results in both convergent and divergent changes. The genome sequences of the symbiotic bacteria of aphids, Buchnera aphidicola, and the parasitic bacteria of body louse and humans, Rickettsia prowazekii, provide insights into these processes. Convergent genome characteristics include reduction in genome sizes and lowered G+C content values. Divergent evolution was recorded for amino acid and cell wall biosynthetic genes. The presence of pseudogenes in both genomes provides examples of recent gene inactivation events and offers clues to the process of genome deterioration and host-cell adaptation.  (+info)

The role of community pharmacists in prescribing medication for the treatment of head lice. (6/132)

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to discover whether the use of community pharmacy, rather than general practice, as the first port of call for suspected head lice infestation would represent an acceptable, effective and cost-reducing means of management in the community. METHODS: A before-and-after study was carried out of a new system of care delivery. Between September and November 1997, pharmacists in Nottingham City West recorded details of all patients attending with prescriptions for head lice treatment or those purchasing over-the-counter medication. The new system of care delivery began in January 1998, during which, pharmacists were providing advice and treatment for head lice, in the absence of a referral from general practice. Changes in prescribing behaviour were assessed from Prescribing Analysis and Cost (PACT) data. Acceptability and subjective assessment of the scheme (patients and professionals) was gauged from questionnaires. RESULTS: Referral patterns were altered drastically (away from general practice and towards self-referral) by the project, and the changes were apparent within the first month. This trend continued throughout and beyond the formal evaluation period. Cost analysis suggests that the community pharmacy scheme generates resource savings, largely driven by the lower cost of a pharmacy consultation, as opposed to a GP consultation. Questionnaire evidence suggests that both patients and health care professionals viewed the new arrangement as at least as acceptable as the old. CONCLUSION: With respect to the original objective, the new delivery system appears to provide no evidence of ineffectiveness; evidence of acceptability on the part of the majority of patients and professionals; and evidence of improved cost-effectiveness.  (+info)

Epidemiological aspects of head lice in children attending day care centres, urban and rural schools in Uberlandia, central Brazil. (7/132)

From November 1996 to March 2000, a total of 884 children between 0 and 15 years, from 11 institutions including day care centres, public urban and public rural schools in Uberlandia, State of Minas Gerais, central Brazil, were examined for head louse infestation. Children's sex, race, age and some hairs characteristics were shown to be associated to parasite infestation. A prevalence rate of 35% was found and the highest rates were observed in black, female children, with long, dark, wavy hairs. Hairs density and thickness did not seem to influence significantly the distribution of this pediculosis in Uberlandia's schoolchildren. Differences observed between the prevalence rates of head lice in children from the urban institutions suggest there is a greater epidemiological heterogeneity in this group when compared to the rural schoolchildren.  (+info)

Wet combing for head lice: feasibility in mass screening, treatment preference and outcome. (8/132)

There is no scientific consensus on the best way to control head louse infestation in schoolchildren. A study was conducted to test the feasibility and acceptability of a screening campaign by wet combing and a community approach to head-louse control with home visits, and to explore parents' treatment preferences and treatment outcomes. A non-controlled intervention (advice on treatment options offered to all positive children) was nested within an epidemiological prevalence study. All children in three primary schools in Ghent, Belgium, were invited to take part in screening by wet combing (n=677, 3-11 years). Positive children were offered structural treatment advice, a home visit on day 7, and a check by wet combing on day 14. 83% of the children were screened. The prevalence of active infestation (living moving lice) was 13.0% in school 1 and 19.5% in school 3. In school 2, prevalence of signs of active and past infestation was 40.7%. A home visit was made to 58% of the positive children. 85% of the positive children were screened again on day 14. Wet combing was the most widely used treatment, followed by chemical treatment and a combination of the two. In school 1 and 3 51% were cured, and in school 2 24% became nit-free. A wet combing screening campaign and a community-oriented approach to head-louse control is feasible though resource-intensive. The prevalence of head lice was high and the cure rate was low, with either topical treatments or wet combing.  (+info)