A study on the biochemical and ultrastructural effects of isatin on Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes in Meriones unguiculatus is reported. In the metacestode, after an 18 day treatment period, the alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase activities decreased and the acid phosphatase activity increased. Glucose and glycogen stores declined significantly. Examinations of the ultrastructure revealed an increase of lysosomes and phagocytic reactions. The protoscolesces were damaged and an abnormal striated process appeared. The tegumental cytoplasmic syncytium remained unaltered. These observations suggest that isatin derivatives may have a role in the chemotherapy of infections caused by Echinococcus spp.

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Listeria specific antigen 2 (Ag2) was purified to within 97% of homogeneity, with a high yield, using both gel filtration and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Ag2 is a glycoprotein. Its isoelectric point is about 4.2. As determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamid gel electrophoresis, its molecular weight in 16710 +/- 450. Ag2 may aggregate easily since it was previously found in gel filtration in a peak corresponding to a molecular weight of 160000. No enzyme activity has been found in Ag2.

14 enzymatic activities (3 dehydrogenases and 11 hydrolases) were systematically investigated in the extracts of 2 strains of Aspergillus fischeri and 14 strains of A. fumigatus (8 isolated from human or animal lesions named 'pathogenic' strains and 6 strains of saprophytic origin). The enzymic composition of A. fumigatus appeared to be very different from one strain to another but no relationships could be established between enzymic differences and origin of the strains. In addition, the immunoelectrophoretic analysis of these antigenic extracts using rabbits immunsera and sera of patients with pulmonary asperigllosis was performed. The type II chymotrypsic activity, corresponding to C arc, was shown more frequently and gave stronger reaction when antigenic extracts from pathogenic strains were allowed to react with sera of patients. Moreover, when sera of patients revealed a same enzymic activity in a saprophytic strain and a pathogenic strain, the number of precipitin lines was significantly larger with the latter one. Accordingly, antigenic extracts used for precipitin tests had to be preferably prepared from pathogenic strains and tested, for value, against sera of patients with pulmonary aspergillosis.

Trans 2-phenoxy cyclohexanol ethers (IA, IIA, IIIA, IVA, VA, and VIA), the cyclohexanol analog (IB) and one coumarinic compound (IC) were obtained and their activity against Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes was studied and compared with that of trifluoperazine (TFP). All of these compounds are analogous to IA and belong to three classes. Class A comprises trans 2-phenoxycyclohexanol aminoethers whose alkylaminoether group varies; compound VIA bears one more methylene in its aminoether group than does compound IA. Class B consists of one compound exhibiting no phenoxy function. Class C comprises one coumarinic analog. In vitro assays were performed using metacestodes whose protoscoleces were attached to the germinal layer in open and in closed vesicles. Compounds IA and IIA exhibited the highest activity, but it was lower than that displayed by TFP under the same conditions. Compound IA was tested in an in vivo assay in jirds (50 mg/kg/daily beginning at 80 days p.i.); it produced results that were analogous to those obtained using TFP without inducing the neuroleptic effect associated with the latter. After 40-90 days' treatment, the percentage of diminution in the entire parasitic mass in the jirds that survived minimal treatment (71%) was about 41% as compared with that in untreated jirds. Histologic examination of the parasites in treated jirds revealed numerous dead protoscoleces and some parasitic dedifferentiated cells. This parasitic response may indicate that in alveolar echinococcosis, these drugs exhibit only a parasitostatic effect.