An improved method of using fluorescein-labeled antibody for the detection of polysaccharide, protein, and teichoic acid antigens synthesized by streptococcal colonies on an agar surface is described. The bacteria were grown on the surface of an agar medium contained in the shallow well of an immunodiffusion slide. An agar overlay containing the fluorescein antiserum was dispensed over the colo...

objective(s) rapid tests for detection of streptococcus agalactiae or group b streptococci (gbs) at the onset of labor are needed to permit early intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. this study aimed to evaluate the pcr assays targeting the 16s ribosomal rna gene (16s rdna) for detection of the gbs in comparison with a specific culture method. materials and methods two swabs were used to obtain ...

A hemagglutination method employing tanned human O erythrocytes sensitized with purified Group A streptococcal polysaccharide has been developed to measure A polysaccharide antibody in antistreptococcal rabbit and human sera. The reaction of sensitized RBC with known Group A streptococcal rabbit antisera, inhibition of hemagglutination with A polysaccharide, and abolition of hemagglutination an...

Rabbit antisera against partially purified streptococcal desoxyribonuclease inhibit the action of the enzyme on its substrate. The activity of pancreatic desoxyribonuclease is not affected by these antisera. Similarly antibody against pancreatic nuclease does not inhibit the streptococcal enzyme. Certain patients develop inhibitory antibody to streptococcal desoxyribonuclease following streptoc...

Streptococcus spp are opportunistic pathogens that normally reside in the upper respiratory, intestinal, lower urinary, and genital tracts but can cause localized infection or septicemia in dogs of all ages. A retrospective study of streptococcal infection in 393 dogs was conducted to identify the species of Streptococcus isolated, determine demographics of affected dogs, and characterize the d...

G ROUP A streptococcal infection initiates acute rheumatic fever; rheumatic valvular heart disease is a sequela that develops during or subsequent to the acute rheumatic episode. The mechanism by which the preceding streptococcal infection produces the arthritic and constitutional symptoms and valvular heart disease is unknown. Regardless of the mechanism involved, there is little doubt that pr...

The observation that individuals who acquire rheumatic fever following a streptococcal infection usually respond with higher streptococcal antibody titres than those who have streptococcal infections uncomplicated by rheumatic fever has been reported repeatedly (1-7). There are exceptions, but, if rheumatics are considered as a group, this observation seems to hold true and it has led to an ass...

The development of autoimmunity in certain instances is related to infectious agents. In this report, cytotoxic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that recognize epitopes on both enteroviruses and the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes are described. Murine anti-streptococcal mAbs that were crossreactive with streptococcal M protein, human cardiac myosin, and other alpha-helical coiled-coil molecules w...

Viruses may play an important role in the evolution of human microbial communities. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) provide bacteria and archaea with adaptive immunity to previously encountered viruses. Little is known about CRISPR composition in members of human microbial communities, the relative rate of CRISPR locus change, or how CRISPR loci differ betwee...

Acute pharyngitis/tonsillitis, which is characterized by inflammation of the posterior pharynx and tonsils, is a common disease. Several viruses and bacteria can cause acute pharyngitis; however, Streptococcus pyogenes (also known as Lancefield group A β-hemolytic streptococci) is the only agent that requires an etiologic diagnosis and specific treatment. S. pyogenes is of major clinical import...