Serotyping of group A rotaviruses obtained from stools of 158 diarrheic patients in Chiang Mai, Thailand, by ELISA with monoclonal antibodies revealed a yearly change in the prevalence of individual serotypes. Three unusual human rotavirus strains were isolated. Strain Mc35 had subgroup I-serotype 10 antigen and a long RNA electrophoretic type, a property hitherto found only in bovine rotaviruses. RNA-RNA hybridization tests showed that the strain is more closely related genetically to bovine than to human rotaviruses. Strain Mc323, although serologically closely related to serotype 9, had subgroup I specificity and a long RNA electrophoretic type, a characteristic common to nonhuman rotaviruses. Strain Mc345, with an aberrant RNA pattern possibly due to genome rearrangement, had the same antigenic specificity as Mc323. These 2 strains were genetically very closely related to each other and were more related to porcine than to human rotaviruses. These results provide insights into the evolutionary mechanisms of human rotaviruses.
We investigated genetic and serological characteristics of a human rotavirus isolate from Indonesia which had a "super short" RNA electrophoretic pattern (A.
We isolated and characterized the second major allergen (Cry j II) from Japanese cedar pollen. We found that most patients with this pollinosis had IgE antibody to this protein in addition to IgE antibody to Cry j I; however, some sera reacted only with Cry j I or Cry j II. IgE-ELISA inhibition studies revealed that Cry j I and Cry j II had no cross-allergenicity. Cry j II did not react with anti-Cry j I monoclonal antibodies. In SDS-PAGE under a non-reducing condition, Cry j II showed a band at the 37 kDa position, compared with the 45-50 kDa bands of Cry j I. N-terminal amino acid sequence of Cry j II was completely different from that of Cry j I.
Surveillance results from pediatric cases and outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis in Japan are presented. In winter, both small round structured virus (SRSV, or Norwalk-like viruses) and rotavirus were detected from infants with gastroenteritis; however, in recent years, the prevailing time of SRSV infection has preceded that of rotavirus infection. Most nonbacterial gastroenteritis outbreaks were related to SRSV infection, and >60% of the outbreaks were caused by contaminated food. In small-sized outbreaks, raw oysters were the primary source of transmission. In large-sized outbreaks, school lunches and catered meals that were served at schools, banquet halls, and hospitals were most often implicated in the transmission of foodborne gastroenteritis.
In June 1991, a large outbreak of acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis occurred among students and teachers at 10 primary and 4 junior high schools in Katano City, Osaka, Japan. The outbreak affected > 4700 persons, lasted 5 days, and was believed to have been linked to contaminated food from a common supplier. Astrovirus, identified as the etiologic agent, was detected by direct electron microscopy in 10 of 38 fecal samples obtained from patients with diarrhea. Detection was confirmed by solid-phase immune electron microscopy (IEM), EIA, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and virus isolation in CaCo-2 cells. Several patients who had astrovirus in their stool also demonstrated a significant antibody response to a reference strain of astrovirus by IEM and EIA and to their own isolate by IEM. Astrovirus can be an important agent of epidemic acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis in school-aged children and adults in Japan.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.