Mutants of Rhizobium meliloti have been isolated which are deficient in exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and effective nodulation of alfalfa (J. A. Leigh, E. R. Signer, and G. C. Walker, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:6231-6235, 1985). We isolated approximately 100 analogous EPS-deficient (Exo) mutants of the closely related plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens, including strains whose EPS deficiencies were specifically complemented by each of five cloned R. meliloti exo loci. We also cloned A. tumefaciens genes which complemented EPS defects in three of the R. meliloti Exo mutants. In two of these cases, symbiotic defects were also complemented. All of the A. tumefaciens Exo mutants formed normal crown gall tumors on four different plant hosts, except ExoC mutants, which were nontumorigenic and unable to attach to plant cells in vitro. Like their R. meliloti counterparts, A. tumefaciens Exo mutants were deficient in production of succinoglycan, the major acidic EPS species produced by both genera. A. tumefaciens ExoC mutants also produced extremely low levels of another major EPS, cyclic 1,2-beta-D-glucan. This deficiency has been noted previously in a different set of nontumorigenic, attachment-defective A. tumefaciens mutants.

There is a renewed interest in sexuality in chronic disease states. Whereas there is some literature on male sexuality in Parkinson's disease (PD), no study has been devoted exclusively to women. We compared 27 women who had PD with community controls matched for age and marital status by using the Brief Index of Sexual Functioning in Women. Approximately 50% of both samples were sexually active. The women with PD were more likely to be dissatisfied with the quality of the sexual experiences. There were significant differences in the two groups with respect to anxiety or inhibition, vaginal tightness, and involuntary urination. Preoccupation with health problems interfering with sex and dissatisfaction with body appearance were also more prevalent in parkinsonian women, but not statistically different from controls. The PD patients were less satisfied with their sexual relationships and with their partners, and were more depressed as a group when compared with controls (Beck Depression Inventory of 11.8 vs 6.3). In both groups, age was associated with significant changes in satisfaction and activity. In summary, qualitative differences exist in the sexual experiences of women with PD compared with controls.

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