Baseline Widal Agglutination Titre in Apparently Healthy Nepalese Blood Donors

Widal test could be the useful tool for the diagnosis of Typhoid fever, provided the results of Widal test are correctly interpreted. Interpretation of Widal test is based on the baseline titre of healthy population of particular geography. This study was carried out in view to determine Widal baseline titre of healthy blood donors in Nepal from June to December 2009, in Nepal Red Cross Central Blood Transfusion Service and Department of Microbiology of National College. Blood samples were collected from 490 apparently healthy blood donors from 5 different developmental regions. Widal agglutination titre was determined with the use of standard technique as per the manufacture’s instruction. Of the total 490 blood samples, 35.1% (172) samples showed anti O titre ≥ 1:20 against serotype Typhi, similarly 32.9% and 24.1% samples had titre ≥ 1:40 and ≥ 1:80 respectively. About 10.4% population had anti-O titre ≥ 1: 160. Of the total blood samples, 29.4% (143) samples showed anti H titres ≥ 1:20 against serotype Typhi, similarly 26.1% had a titre ≥ 1:40, and 16.3% had a titre ≥ 1:160. Anti-H titres ≥ 1:20 were found in serotype Paratyphi A (6.3%) and Paratyphi B (3.1%). Both ‘O’ and ‘H’ agglutination titre varied according to the geographical location. This study showed high titres >1:160 for serotype Typhi, ‘O’(10%) and ‘H’ (16.3%) of widal agglutinin in apparently healthy individuals. This necessitates larger rise in widal agglutinin titre for a ‘positive’ diagnosis. Widal test had played a major role in the diagnosis of typhoid fever in the past, but its diagnostic significance is less now. Keyword: Widal test, Enteric fever, Nepal

Immunostymulujące działanie propolisu

Research on experimental animals conducted for nearly 30 years clearly prove that the ethanol and water extracts of propolis provided parenterally have an immunostimulatory effect. In addition, it was revealed that in case of experimental animals immunized with specific antigens, the influence of propolis extracts and their components increased the agglutination titre, phagocytosis and antibody production compared to the antigens themselves. Contemporary research on immunostimulatory properties of propolis extracts clearly indicate the activation of macrophages and the increase of antimicroorganisms immunity, as well as stimulation of the antibody production under the influence of ethanol and water extracts from propolis and their components (immunoadjuvants).The most important immunostimulatory components of propolis include caffeic acid, dicaffeoylquinic acids and caffeic phenylethyl ester (CAPE). The research presented in this study creates the possibility of applying propolis extracts and their components in practice for the production of immune serum on an industrial scale.

An epidemiological profile of brucellosis in Tabuk Province, Saudi Arabia

All 137 brucellosis cases occurring in Tabuk Province, Saudi Arabia in 1997 were studied retrospectively. Brucella agglutination titre of > or = 1/80, or rising titre plus history of typical signs and symptoms were considered evidence of infection. The incidence rate was 34/100, 000, mean age 33.8 +/- 13.9 years [range: 3-72 years] and male: female ratio 1.8: 1. There were 63.5% of cases rurally resident, 58.4% kept animals at home or elsewhere, 27.0% worked with animals and/or on farms, and 88.3% reported a history of raw milk ingestion. The most common infecting agents were Brucella melitensis, B. abortus and B. suis. Splenomegaly and hepatomegaly were detected in 25.5% and 22.6% of cases respectively.