Annales immunologiae Hungaricae最新文献

In Hungary the control of immunobiological preparations has been regulated by legal orders since 1938. In the meantime the pertinent rules have been modifed several times, to keep them abreast with current development. The authority of state control has been vested into the Vaccine Control Department of the National Institute of Public Health (OKI), which in this capacity has maintained an intensive collaboration with the producer of immunobiological preparations, the HUMAN Institute of Serobacteriological Production and Research (HUMAN). As a result, several important vaccine preparations (pox, DPT, DT, tetanus, typhoid and BCG vaccines) employed in compulsory immunization programmes have been improved considerably in respect of safety and efficiency, on the basis of laboratory tests, controlled field trials and epidemiological observations, described in detail in this review.

The elimination of oxytetracyclin on regional administration was studied. The time course of the appearance of the antibiotic in different body fluids determined by a microbological assay method. On the data reported here it is assumed that regional antibiotic treatment can efficiently applied in bacterial cholangitis therapy.

Active protection tests were introduced for the potency testing of the toxoid components of the DTP vaccine. The standardization of these tests is described, with special attention on WHO requirements. A freeze-dried, adsorbed DTP vaccine was prepared for use under tropical or subtropical conditions. The potency testing of the components of this vaccine is presented in this paper.

The authors' own investigations into the spontaneous lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity (SLMC) have been reviewed and discussed in th light of literary data. It is suggested that SLMC is a resultant of complex effects contributed by antibodies present in the human serum and those attached to the surface of lymphocytes as well as by spontaneous (sui generis) functions of effector cells. The lymphocytes eliciting SLMC belong to the "O" subpopulation, bear Fc receptors and are presumably, identical with "K" lymphocytes. In animal experiments, the authors have shown that the SLMC reaction directed againt a virus-induced tumour is under polygenetic control primarily governed by gene(s0 linked to the histocompatibility region. In man, similarly as in the mouse, SLMC was found to be a genetically-controlled lymphocyte function in which gene(s) linked to the HLA-A2 B12 or the HLA-A3 B7 haplotype may play a determining role. The authors' clinical observations indicate that LSMC represents an important part of the defense mechanism against malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Estimation and follow-up of SLMC may be useful in monitoring the clinical course.

In cultures of spleen cells from tetanus toxoid-primed mice a soluble, nonspecific material appeared, which enhanced antibody response in vivo. The active material was purified by gel filtration on Sephadex-G-150 and by affinity chromatography on Con-A lectin. According to the immunological and physiochemical investigation the active material does not contain carbohydrate and its molecular weight is in the 100 000 dalton range.

Extracellular Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus was shown to bind to alkyl agarose adsorbents of different carbon chain length. Octyl-Sepharose CL-4B was chosen to purify the active material, as the strong interaction with this adsorbent allowed the separation of Protein A from the bulk of the contaminants. Protein A retained its ability to bind to IgG in the presence of up to 3.5 M ethylene glycol as demonstrated by hemagglutination. A theory on the possible involvement of hydrophobic interaction in the binding reaction of Protein A to IgG is advanced.

No significant difference was found between the biological activity of PPD-preparations derived from M. tuberculosis and M. bovis, although the latter was more potent. In potency tests performed in guinea-pigs, the use of difference mycobacteria as sensitizing agents had no influence on the result of the assay. We could not demonstrate a significantly greater potency of homologous versus heterologous PPD. Evaluation of the 95 p.c. fiducial limits established in the course of variance analysis suggested a greater reliability of reading at 48 than at 24 hrs after allergen application. It also seems possible that the results of the potency assays of PPDs derived from different mycobacterium strains are greatly influenced by the level of the working dilutions employed.

Assessment of immune reactivity of patients with disorders of immunopathological origin requires a well-equipped clinical laboratory. The complex mechanism of immune reactions cannot be studied by simple techniques, although the most sophisticated methods do not often prove more reliable than simpler ones. While humoral immune reactivity can be measured by determining serum immunoglobulin levels, the assessment of cellular reactivity requires more complex methods; for this purpose lymphocyte marker studies, mitogen induced blast transformation, LIF production, and skin reactivity proved to be the methods of choice.

Throat swabs from 165 iron-masters and 160 control subjects were tested for the presence of group A, C and G haemolytic streptococci and other serological groups. The group-A streptococcus strains were serotyped. The study was extended to the evaluation of the state of health, analysis of the sanitary conditions at the working place as well as the analysis of the social, living and economic conditions. Carriers of group-A haemolytic streptococci were of approximately the same frequency in healthy iron-masters and healthy controls and the proportions of the carriers of streptococci of other serological groups were also comparable. On the other hand, some differences in the proportions of the carriers of groups A, C and G haemolytic streptococci in persons with respiratory tract disorders were found, affected iron-masters comprising twice as many carriers as affected controls. The differences are attributed to the different sanitary-hygienic conditions at the working places.