OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of cervical antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis in two different populations and to correlate the findings to culture, direct fluorescent antibody test (DFA) and serum antibodies. SETTING Antenatal clinics and clinic for teenage counselling in Gävle. PATIENTS 1078 pregnant women attending for routine follow up in the third trimester of pregnancy and 256 te...

A Legionella-like organism (strain 798-PA-H, ATCC 35999) isolated from a lung aspirate was shown by DNA hybridization to belong to the species Legionella hackeliae. Growth, gas-liquid chromatographic, and physiologic characteristics were consistent with those of the type strain of L. hackeliae, Lansing 2 (ATCC 35250). However, 798-PA-H was minimally reactive with L. hackeliae direct immunofluor...

Canine rabies is endemic and occurs throughout the year in all parts of Nigeria. A descriptive cross sectional study was designed to assess knowledge, attitude and practice of dog owners towards rabies, to check for the presence of rabies antigens in brain tissue of dogs slaughtered for human consumption and to assess rabies vaccination coverage of dogs in Wukari. Structured questionnaires were...

To determine whether all Legionella species show common flagellum antigen properties, we developed a reagent using latex beads sensitized with flagellin-specific immunoglobulins that could be used in a simple and rapid agglutination reaction to identify Legionella colonies. A total of 278 strains (68 Legionella reference strains and 210 patient and environmental isolates) were tested. The resul...

In Grenada, West Indies, rabies is endemic, and is thought to be maintained in a wildlife host, the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) with occasional spillover into other hosts. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to improve understanding of rabies epidemiology in Grenada and to inform rabies control policy. Mongooses were trapped island-wide between April 2011 and March 2...

Culture methods traditionally have been used to isolate and identify bacterial species in clinical specimens. Culture methods are difficult when the specimen is as bacteriologically complex as dental plaque1 and when the organism in question, such as Streptococcus mutans, is present in modest numbers. The fluorescent antibody test (FAT) has been suggested as a potentially simpler method of dete...

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), which causes infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, in cattle destined for market in Southern Province, Zambia. A total of 116 nasal secretion samples were tested using the direct fluorescent antibody test, while blood samples from the same cattle were examined by a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. T...

Rabies is a neglected zoonotic disease with veterinary and public health significance, particularly in Africa and Asia. The current knowledge of the epidemiology of rabies in Mozambique is limited because of inadequate sample submission, constrained diagnostic capabilities and a lack of molecular epidemiological research. We wanted to consider the direct, rapid immunohistochemical test (DRIT) a...