Harold G. Haines

The Acute Retinal Necrosis Syndrome: Part 2: Histopathology and Etiology

The acute retinal necrosis syndrome is manifested by diffuse uveitis, vitritis, retinal vasculitis, and acute necrotizing retinitis (see Part 1). We studied the histopathology and electron microscopic findings of an eye enucleated from a 67-year-old man with typical acute retinal necrosis. Histology showed profound acute necrosis of the retina, retinal arteritis, and eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions in retinal cells. Electron microscopy demonstrated a herpes group virus in all layers of affected retina. The implications of these findings for antiviral and other treatments are discussed.

Demonstration of Interference between Dengue Virus Types in Cultured Mosquito Cells using Monoclonal Antibody Probes

Cultured Aedes albopictus cells (clone C6/36), persistently infected (PI) with dengue virus type 1 (dengue-1) were found resistant to superinfection with dengue virus type 3 (dengue-3). This was determined by indirect immunofluorescent (IF) staining of cultures using monoclonal antibody against a dengue-3 type-specific antigen. Dengue-1 PI cultures stained with this antibody 3 days after superinfection with dengue-3 virus (m.o.i of 2) had dengue-3 antigen in 0.1 to 1.0% of the cells. Control cultures infected with dengue-3 at the same multiplicity contained dengue-3 antigen in greater than 90% of the cells. The resistance to superinfection was not interferon-mediated, and occurred within 20 h after primary infection. In cultures simultaneously infected with two dengue virus types, one virus type was excluded from replication in most cells. A small population of cells was also found (about 1%) that contained type-specific antigen of both dengue virus types.

Characterization of a reptilian epithelioid skin cell line derived from the green sea turtle,Chelonia mydas

SummaryA continuous line of epithelioid cells was established from explant skin tissues of the green sea turtle,Chelonia mydas. These cells, designated GTS, have been subcultured more than 60 times in commercially available mammalian cell culture medium supplemented with 5% bovine calf serum. Of those temperatures tested, optimal growth was achieved at 30°C although replication occurred between 16 and 37°C. These cells may be held as monolayers at 8°C or stored frozen in growth medium containing 10% dimethylsulfoxide at −70 or −196°C. The modal number of 55 chromosomes per cell is in agreement with the heterogametic female diploid number of this species. The GTS line represents the first established culture of normal epithelioid skin cells to be reported for a poikilothermic species.

Decreased antiviral effect of phosphonoacetic acid on the poikilothermic herpesvirus of channel catfish disease.

Summary Both the laboratory adapted Auburn strain and a recently isolated wild-type strain of channel catfish herpesvirus (CCV) were found to be inhibited by phosphonoacetic acid (PAA) when replicated in catfish cell cultures. The inhibition of virus cytopathic effect by PAA exhibited a direct relationship between the multiplicity of infection and amount of drug required. However, in this poikilothermic system up to 20 times the amount of PAA required for inhibition of homeothermic herpesvirus systems was found necessary to inhibit CCV cytopathology.

Cervical carcinoma antigen: Distribution in neoplastic lesions of the uterine cervix and comparison to other tumor markers

Abstract Four antibodies (anti-CCA, anti-CEA, Ca-1, and anti-EMA) were used to study the distribution of antibody-binding sites in normal endocervical mucosa, metaplastic squamous epithelium, squamous epithelium exhibiting varying grades of intraepithelial neoplasia, and invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Anti-CCA, a novel monoclonal antibody raised against an extract of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, recognizes dysplastic, neoplastic, and metaplastic cervical epithelial cells. While anti-CCA and Ca-1 rarely stained normal glandular epithelium, 31.4 and 45.7% of the samples stained positively for CEA and EMA, respectively. There did not appear to be significant differences between anti-CCA and the other antibodies in the frequency with which neoplastic conditions were stained. Based upon these observations, it appears that none of the antibodies tested can be regarded as a specific tumor marker.

The antigenicity and immunology of human cervical squamous cell carcinoma: A review

Numerous studies have demonstrated an altered antigenicity in the carcinomatous cervix. Whether the neoplasia-associated antigens are of viral origin, are actually normal antigens expressed in elevated levels, or are true tumor-associated antigens has not been precisely determined, since evidence has been presented for all of these possibilities. These antigens associated with cervical squamous cell carcinoma have been demonstrated not only biochemically and by raising antisera to the tumors in animals but also by studies of the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses of cervical cancer patients. Immunodiagnosis of cervical cancer with the use of these antigens has, to date, not been feasible, although several of the assays appear potentially useful.

Replication of dengue virus in cultured mosquito cells at suboptimal temperature.

Abstract Cultured Aedes albopictus mosquito cells were infected at optimal (28°) and suboptimal (20°) temperatures with dengue virus type-3 at multiplicities of infection of 2.0 and 0.01. Extracellular and intracellular virus titers were determined over an interval of 6 weeks by fluorescent focus assay using hyperimmune mouse ascities fluid as a source of antibody. Upon infection at a multiplicity of 2.0, cultures at 28° reached peak virus titers in 3 days, while cultures at 20° required 14 days. At a lower infection multiplicity of 0.01, peak titers were reached in 5 days at 28°, but required 3 weeks at 20°. Viral titers maintained after the peak was reached were the same at both infection multiplicities and temperatures tested. At both 28° and 20° A. albopictus cultures became persistently infected with 20-30% of the cells containing immunofluorescent cell-associated viral antigen. These results indicate that the time required to reach peak infectious virus titers for dengue-3-infected A. albopictus cell cultures is temperature dependent. In contrast, the viral titers maintained after the peak was reached, the release of virus from infected cells, and the establishment of persistent infection were the same at both 28° and 20°.

Biochemical characteristics of rat C-type virus WF-1.

Summary The non-oncogenic rat C-type virus WF-1, isolated from a Wistar-Furth rat embryo cell line, was characterized biochemically. The purified virus has a buoyant density of 1.15 to 1.16 g/cm3 in sucrose, RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase) activity, and RNA with a sedimentation coefficient of 62 to 68 S. The viral RNA is single-stranded, and, upon treatment with heat, yields components with sedimentation coefficients of 36 S, 18 to 20 S, and 4 to 12 S.