"Effect of Cortisone and Cyclophosphamide on the Immunological Role of BCG in BALB/C Mice Challenged with Leishmania Donovani" published on Jan 1980 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Congenitally athymic mice were more susceptible to challenge with amastigotes of Leishmania donovani than were their thymus-intact littermates. This increased susceptibility correlated with a lack of Arthus and delayed-type responses when animals were skin tested with leishmanial antigen.

Mechanisms of depression of contact sensitivity responses in C57BL/10 mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi were studied. Cellular involvement during sensitization with oxazolone was investigated in mice acutely infected with T. cruzi. Contact sensitivity was not expressed in mice during the latter stages of the acute infection. Spleen cells from sensitized, infected mice which were unable to respond to oxazolone could confer contact sensitivity upon normal syngenic mice as effectively as spleen cells from uninfected, sensitized donors. The ability of mice infected with T. cruzi to respond to an eliciting dose of oxazolone was significantly improved when macrophages from normal syngenic donors were administered to them at the time of skin test. When either normal or infected mice were used as recipients of lymphocytes from sensitized donors, the normal mice responded significantly better than did infected mice after administration of an eliciting dose of oxazolone. An increase in pyroninophilic cells was observed in draining lymph nodes after application of a sensitizing dose of oxaxolone to the ears of either normal or acutely infected mice. These results indicate that suppression of contact sensitivity during acute T. cruzi infection is directed toward the efferent arm rather than the afferent arm of the response.

Ribosomal subunits from Mycobacterium smegmatis were analyzed by using sedimentation velocity, sedimentation equilibrium, and acrylamide gel electrophoresis experiments. These s 0.w values for the subunits are 48.7 S and 28.1 S . The molecular weight of the 49 S subunit is about 1.65 × 10 6 , and that of the 28 S subunit is 7.8 × 10 5 . Both subunits contain about 37% protein and 63% ribonucleic acid. A protein-deficient particle having an s 0.w value of 15.7 S contains about 11% protein and 89% ribonucleic acid. Skin tests showed all subunits and proteins to be active as agents in provoking delayed hypersensitivity, but the 16 S protein-deficient particle, as well as the proteins derived from it, was more specific than the subunits themselves.

This news article reports that Dr. Freedolph D. Anderson, at the 21st annual clinical meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, presented evidence suggesting vaccination with BCG may be the solution to the dilemma of recurrent herpesvirus genitalis infection. A series of clinical tests with 15 patients (of both sexes) who were subject to recurrent infection was the basis of conclusions. The BCG dosage was .1 ml. Anderson also cited the cases of 3 women on oral contraceptives who failed to develop a positive tuberculin reaction after vaccination with BCG. The relationship existing between cell-mediated immunity and the estrogen found in oral contraceptives is under study by Dr. Anderson and colleagues. Present concern about recurrent infection of this type partly reflects the suspicion that a link may exist between herpesvirus hominus type II and cervical cancer.

Ribosomal fractions obtained from Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) and M. smegmatis (strain butyricum ) were studied to determine their antigenicity, their ability to stimulate the production of soluble mediators of delayed hypersensitivity (in vitro correlates) by sensitized peritoneal exudate cells, and the antigenic relations of ribosomal antigens of BCG to BCG protoplasm and H37Rv culture filtrates. The crude ribosomes and the 50-30S ribosomal subunit pool obtained from each of the organisms induced both delayed and immediate hypersensitivity when injected in incomplete Freund adjuvant into rabbits, and skin reactions could be elicited in sensitized rabbits with those antigens. The crude ribosomes and 50-30S ribosomal subunit pool of M. smegmatis stimulated lymphocytes of guinea pigs sensitized with viable organisms to produce macrophage migration inhibition factor. Comparable ribosomal fractions from BCG bacilli caused lymphocytes of guinea pigs sensitized with viable M. bovis (BCG) to produce skin reactive factor. Immunoelectrophoretic studies showed that H37Rv culture filtrate, protoplasm, crude ribosomes, and 50-30S ribosomal subunits of BCG contain multiple precipitinogens and that many of these were shared between the different antigen systems. Comparative electrophoresis revealed that BCG protoplasm and H37Rv culture filtrate shared a major portion of their components with each other and relatively few with ribosomal systems. The ribosomal systems shared the major portion of their components with each other and relatively few with the other antigen systems.

Swiss mice injected subcutaneously with suspensions of spleen cells or an extract of spleens from mice infected with Friend virus develop resistance to subsequent intravenous inoculation of Friend virus. A single injection of either Friend virus or Friend cells induces resistance. Immunized mice display resistance when challenged 6 months after immunization and survive for at least 20 weeks after infection. Neutralization tests indicate that serum, but not lymphoid cells of resistant animals, can neutralize Friend virus. In vitro neutralization tests indicate that residence of virus within the peritoneal cavity of immune mice for 1 h sharply reduces the infective titer of the virus.

Angora, New Zealand, and Dutch-belted rabbits were tested for their susceptibility to graded doses of Herpesvirus hominis type 2 administered by vaginal instillation, intracorneal injection, and scarification of the cornea. Central nervous system involvement and death occurred after infection by the various routes employed. Prior immunization of Dutch-belted and New Zealand rabbits with viable Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) cells injected intravenously provided protection against subsequent infections with type 2 virus.

Journal Article Effect of Normal Serum and Antithymocyte Serum on Friend Disease in Mice Get access C. L. Larson, C. L. Larson Stella Duncan Memorial Institute, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59801 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar R. N. Ushijima, R. N. Ushijima Stella Duncan Memorial Institute, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59801 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar R. E. Baker, R. E. Baker Stella Duncan Memorial Institute, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59801 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar M. B. Baker, M. B. Baker Stella Duncan Memorial Institute, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59801 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar C. A. Gillespie C. A. Gillespie Stella Duncan Memorial Institute, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59801 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Volume 48, Issue 5, May 1972, Pages 1403–1407, https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/48.5.1403 Published: 01 May 1972 Article history Received: 02 November 1971 Accepted: 19 January 1972 Published: 01 May 1972

Ribosomes and ribosomal subunits of Mycobacterium bovis (strain BCG) and M. smegmatis have been isolated and employed as skin test antigens in guinea pigs sensitized with homologous or heterologous organisms. Ribosomes and ribosomal subunits were found to be potent antigens for skin test purposes, and the 30S subunits were found to be more specific and active than the 50S subunits.

Mice immunized with Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) vaccine (1) develop resistance to infection with Friend's disease virus (FDV). Sjögren and Ankerst (2), and Lemond and Clode (3, 4) immunized mice with BCG during the latent period of adenovirus infection and noted the sparing effect of immunization upon development of tumors. Mathé et al. (5, 6), Amiel (7), and Reif and Kim (8) found that BCG was effective in raising resistance to leukemia L1210 in mice. Schwartz et al. (9) and Zbar et al. (10, 11) studied the relationship of BCG vaccination to the occurrence of sarcomas due to the murine sarcoma virus of Moloney and to tumors in guinea pigs injected with ascites cells obtained from a line of chemically induced tumors. Maté et al. (12, 13) have employed BCG immunotherapy in the treatment of human leukemia and Morton et al. (14, 15) have used this form of therapy to treat malignant melanoma in man. On the basis of the above evidence, immunotherapy was initiated in two groups of mice infected with FDV either 1 or 3 weeks prior to BCG immunization. In the first experiment, 79 mice were injected intravenously (iv) with 0.2 ml of a 10-2.3 dilution of FDV and 79 animals were retained as controls. Three weeks later, 39 of the infected mice and 40 of the normal mice were immunized by iv injection of BCG (4 × 106 vu). At intervals of 3, 4, and 5 weeks after immunization mice from each of the above groups were tested for delayed hypersensitivity by injection of 5.0 μg of PPD into the footpad of the right hind leg. Twenty-four hours later the reactions were recorded, the animals were killed, and the spleen and body weight determined.

Summary Preparations of cell wall and protoplasm were made from young Bordetella pertussis cells and tested for: a) their ability to immunize mice against fatal B. pertussis infection, b) their ability to sensitize mice to histamine, and c) their toxic properties. It was found that the heat labile toxin was mainly present in the protoplasm whereas the protecting antigen and the histamine sensitizing factor were located principally in the cell wall.