Cyclophilin B (CypB) possesses two antigenic epitopes (CypB(84-92) and CypB(91-99) ) recognized by HLA-A24-restricted and tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). To determine the safety of CypB-derived peptides and its ability to generate antitumor immune responses, patients with advanced lung cancer received subcutaneous vaccinations of these peptides or their modified peptides. All 16 patients were vaccinated with CypB(91-99) or its modified peptide, whereas only two patients were vaccinated with the modified CypB(84-92), as immediate-type hypersensitivity to CypB(84-92) or its modified peptide was observed in the remaining patients. No severe adverse events were associated with the vaccination. No significant increase in cellular responses to either peptides or tumor cells was observed in the postvaccination PBMCs by the conventional CTL assays in any patients tested. These results suggest that the vaccination of CypB(91-99) peptide was safe, but failed to induce objective immune responses at this regimen.

Campylobacter jejuni is usually recovered from chickens in commercial broiler farms after 2 to 3 weeks of age. This study was conducted to clarify whether fecal excretion is associated with the age of exposure to this bacterium. Day-of-hatch broiler chickens were separated from a flock in a local commercial farm, kept in isolation rooms, and esophageally inoculated with C. jejuni (5.5 × 10(7) to 5.4 × 10(8) CFU) at 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days of age. The remaining chicks were placed on the farm. Fecal samples obtained from the birds with the experimental infection and those reared on the farm were monitored for C. jejuni. Cecal contents obtained on necropsy were also cultured. In chickens inoculated with C. jejuni at 0 to 14 days of age, fecal excretion of C. jejuni was not observed until 42 days of age, although the organism was recovered from the cecal contents of these birds. When chickens were inoculated at 21 to 35 days of age, C. jejuni was isolated from fecal samples 2 or 3 days after inoculation, and the birds continually shed the organism until they reached 49 days of age, with the maximal numbers of the organism ranging from 1.7 × 10(8) to 1.0 × 10(10) CFU/g. In the commercial broiler farm, C. jejuni was first isolated from fecal samples obtained from two of five chickens at 28 days of age, and the organism was isolated from all five birds tested at 43 days of age. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the fla gene of C. jejuni isolates revealed that birds on the farm were colonized with C. jejuni after placement of the chickens on the farm. These observations indicate that chickens younger than 2 to 3 weeks old may carry C. jejuni in the ceca if they were exposed to this organism. Our results also suggest that fecal excretion of C. jejuni in commercial broiler chickens older than 3 to 4 weeks of age may be mainly caused by exposure of chickens at this age to this organism.

ABSTRACT. We investigated for dynamics of Campylobacter clones on 2 different managerial broiler farms. Campylobacter isolates were differentiated by resistance typing and molecular typing methods. On farm I, the same C. jejuni clones resistant to fluoroquinolone and oxytetracycline were isolated after one and half years again and another susceptible clone was invaded. The susceptible clone was isolated again after half year. Broiler flocks on the farm may be repeatedly infected with a few C. jejuni clones. On farm II, new clones including antimicrobial resistant one, were often invaded. The change of predominant C. jejuni clone in each flock on both the farms was observed, in the absence of antimicrobial selective pressure.

Campylobacter jejuni was monitored in 4 chicken farms during the period 2003 to 2006 to elucidate the mechanisms of transmission. Three farms (1 to 3), located at least 14 km from each other, belonged to an integrated poultry company, which also provided the farms with day-old chicks from several hatcheries as well as chicken feed. Another farm (4), which belonged to a different company, was located 270 m from farm 1. A total of 206 C. jejuni isolates obtained from the 4 farms were classified into 10 flaA-based RFLP types. Identical RFLP types were found in isolates obtained from chickens originating from multiple hatcheries and reared in different chicken houses on individual farms. Flocks were colonized by strains with 1 or 2 RFLP types in each production cycle, sometimes differing between cycles. Identical RFLP types were found in isolates obtained from the environment around the chicken houses. Using multilocus sequence typing, strains with different RFLP types could be distinguished from each other. Identical RFLP and multilocus sequence typing profiles were found in isolates obtained from farms 1 and 4, and from farms 1 and 2. These results suggest that C. jejuni in these farms comes from common sources external to the farms, even if the farms belong to different companies and obtain chicks from different suppliers.

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