Biomaterial Database

"Endotoxicity" of the Legionnaires' disease bacterium. 1979

K H Wong, and C W Moss, and D H Hochstein, and R J Arko, and W O Schalla

The Legionnaires' disease (LD) bacterium is a gram-negative organism whose "endotoxicity" appears to differ in several respects from the classic endotoxicity generally associated with gram-negative bacteria. Discrepancies were noted between the high activity of LD bacteria in gelating limulus lysate in vitro and their low pyrogenicity in rabbits. Further in-vivo biologic tests indicated that LD bacteria were relatively weak in "endotoxicity". Analysis of LD bacterial cells and in their cellular fractions by gas-liquid chromatography indicated that LD bacteria did not contain hydroxy fatty acids commonly associated with lipid A of endotoxin. The branched-chain fatty acids that were characteristic of LD bacteria were associated with the cell envelope, and were readily extracted into organic solvents without prior saponification. The presence of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate in LD bacteria and cell extracts was detected by a microassay method but remains to be confirmed with gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The active principle "endotoxicity" in LD bacteria may be a new type of bacterial lipopolysaccharide.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007877	Legionnaires' Disease	An acute, sometimes fatal, pneumonia-like bacterial infection characterized by high fever, malaise, muscle aches, respiratory disorders and headache. It is named for an outbreak at the 1976 Philadelphia convention of the American Legion.	Legionella pneumophila Infections,Infections, Legionella pneumophila,Legionnaire Disease,Pontiac Fever,Disease, Legionnaire,Disease, Legionnaires',Fever, Pontiac,Infection, Legionella pneumophila,Legionella pneumophila Infection,Legionnaire's Disease,Legionnaires Disease
D008033	Limulus Test	Sensitive method for detection of bacterial endotoxins and endotoxin-like substances that depends on the in vitro gelation of Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), prepared from the circulating blood (amebocytes) of the horseshoe crab, by the endotoxin or related compound. Used for detection of endotoxin in body fluids and parenteral pharmaceuticals.	Limulus Tests,Test, Limulus,Tests, Limulus
D008070	Lipopolysaccharides	Lipid-containing polysaccharides which are endotoxins and important group-specific antigens. They are often derived from the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria and induce immunoglobulin secretion. The lipopolysaccharide molecule consists of three parts: LIPID A, core polysaccharide, and O-specific chains (O ANTIGENS). When derived from Escherichia coli, lipopolysaccharides serve as polyclonal B-cell mitogens commonly used in laboratory immunology. (From Dorland, 28th ed)	Lipopolysaccharide,Lipoglycans
D008297	Male		Males
D011112	Polymyxin B	A mixture of polymyxins B1 and B2, obtained from BACILLUS POLYMYXA strains. They are basic polypeptides of about eight amino acids and have cationic detergent action on cell membranes. Polymyxin B is used for treatment of infections with gram-negative bacteria, but may be neurotoxic and nephrotoxic.	Aerosporin,Polymyxin B Sulfate
D011817	Rabbits	A burrowing plant-eating mammal with hind limbs that are longer than its fore limbs. It belongs to the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, and in contrast to hares, possesses 22 instead of 24 pairs of chromosomes.	Belgian Hare,New Zealand Rabbit,New Zealand Rabbits,New Zealand White Rabbit,Rabbit,Rabbit, Domestic,Chinchilla Rabbits,NZW Rabbits,New Zealand White Rabbits,Oryctolagus cuniculus,Chinchilla Rabbit,Domestic Rabbit,Domestic Rabbits,Hare, Belgian,NZW Rabbit,Rabbit, Chinchilla,Rabbit, NZW,Rabbit, New Zealand,Rabbits, Chinchilla,Rabbits, Domestic,Rabbits, NZW,Rabbits, New Zealand,Zealand Rabbit, New,Zealand Rabbits, New,cuniculus, Oryctolagus
D002210	Caprylates	Derivatives of caprylic acid. Included under this heading are a broad variety of acid forms, salts, esters, and amides that contain a carboxy terminated eight carbon aliphatic structure.	Caprylate,Octanoates,Caprylic Acids,Octanoic Acids,Acids, Caprylic,Acids, Octanoic
D004731	Endotoxins	Toxins closely associated with the living cytoplasm or cell wall of certain microorganisms, which do not readily diffuse into the culture medium, but are released upon lysis of the cells.	Endotoxin
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001419	Bacteria	One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive.	Eubacteria