William M. O'Leary

Serum Lipids in Infection

Abstract Striking elevations in concentrations of total serum lipids were observed in patients with infection caused by gram-negative bacilli. The elevated levels of total lipid in these patients were due mainly to marked increases in serum concentrations of triglycerides or free fatty acids or both. In contrast, patients with severe infection caused by gram-positive cocci had normal concentrations of total serum lipids. Those with fever but no infection and those with influenza had normal concentrations of total serum lipids and normal levels of the major lipid classes. Patients with infectious or serum hepatitis demonstrated a moderate hyperlipidemia, which resulted from increased concentrations of serum triglycerides and free cholesterol. Lipoprotein electrophoresis demonstrated that the hyperlipidemia in patients with severe infection caused by gram-negative bacilli was related to increased levels of pre-beta-lipoproteins. In patients with hepatitis there were increased levels of pre-beta-lipoproteins...

Ureaplasmas and Human Disease

(1990). Ureaplasmas and Human Disease. Critical Reviews in Microbiology: Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 161-168.

Increased Serum Levels of Squalene in Patients with Acute Influenza

Abstract Nine patients with acute influenza (Hong Kong strain) had increased concentrations in serum of a lipoidal material with physical, Chromatographic and infrared characteristics identical with squalene. Convalescent-phase serum specimens from these nine patients and all specimens from 45 patients with acute febrile illnesses other than influenza showed no elevations of this material.

Production of Octadecenoic Acid in Plasma by Staphylococcus aureus.

Summary Macroscopically visible lipid plaques were produced on the surface of human blood agar plates and on 10% plasma agar plates when they were inoculated centrally with certain strains of coagulase-positive S. aureus or exposed to active sterile agar segments (ASA). Similar lipid plaques covered the surface of liquid media containing plasma when activated sterile agar segments were suspended in the media. Staphylococcus antitoxin prevented the appearance of the lipid plaques. The lipid plaques consist primarily of octadecenoic acid, both free and in triglycerides. Lesser amounts of stearic, palmitic and various shorter chain acids are also present. The most likely explanation for the phenomenon is that a lipase released by certain strains of staphylococci acts upon the lipids in human plasma.

Production of a Toxin Counterpart by Nontoxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae

Summary A nontoxigenic strain of C. diphtheriae, when grown in medium of low iron concentration, produced a nontoxic extracellular protein in amounts similar to the toxin produced by toxigenic β-prophage-infected cells of the same parent strain. Excretion of both the nontoxic protein and toxin was found to be completely suppressed by increasing the environmental iron concentration. A variety of analytical procedures indicated that the nontoxic protein has many chemical and physical similarities to diphtheria toxin, but differs in immunochemical and biological properties. These findings strongly support the concept that diphtheria toxin is a protein component of cytochrome and thus help to provide insight into the probable mechanisms of production and excretion of this bacterial exotoxin.