Main description:

The United States-Japan Cooperative Medical Science Program was initiated in 1965 by joint agreement between the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Japan. The purpose of the Program was to promote cooperative biomedical research between the two countries, especially on health problems of recognized impor tance in Asia. Cholera was designated as one topic of mutual interest. Panels of scientists from each country were formed, and these met to select priority areas for research. The Cholera Panels initially defined two major goals: 1) improved and simplified therapy for cholera, and 2) better methods for immunization. Progress in the pursuit of these goals led to the recognition that bacteria other than Vibrio cholerae are also important causes of acute dehydrating diarrhea which resembles cholera in its manifestations and patho genesis; most notable among these are enterotoxinogenic strains of Escherichia coli. Accordingly, panel guidelines were expanded to include all diarrheal diseases that involve fluid loss caused by an enterotoxin. More recently, studies have shown that vibrios, including V. cholerae, have a distinct environmental life cycle that is probably an impor tant factor in the epidemiology of vibrio infections. For this reason, the panel guidelines were again expanded to include studies on the environmental ecology of vibrios. A major project of the Joint Cholera Panels has been the organization and spon sorship of an annual conference on cholera and related diarrheal diseases.

Contents:

Immunology and Vaccine Development.- Role of Colonization Factor Antigen in Immunoprotection against Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Diarrhea.- The Ileal Loop Test on Mice which Were Orally Immunized with IF30.- Local IgA Anamnestic Response Following Peroral Immunization with Shigella Flexneri Antigens.- Effects of the Oral Immunization with Live V. cholerae on the Antibody Formation.- Protection of Neonatal Piglets against Colibacillosis by Immunization of Dams with Procholeragenoid.- Efficacious Carriers for Multi-Specific Priming of a Mucosal IgA Response.- Oral Immunization for Cholera: Mucosal Antitoxic Immunity is Important and can Probably be Safely Achieved.- Texas Star-SR: Attenuated Vibrio Cholerae Oral Vaccine Candidate.- Bacteriology and Virulence Factors.- Sugar Composition of Lipopolysaccharides of Family Vibrionaceae-Absence of 2-Keto-3-Deoxyoctonate (KDO) with the Exception of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus 06 and Plesiomonas Shigelloides.- Enteropathogenicity and Some Biological Features of Group F (EF-6) Vibrio Isolates.- In Vitro and In Vivo Biologic Activities of Vibrio Fluvialis and its Toxic Products.- Influence of Salinity, Nutrient Concentration and Temperature on Growth and Survival of Vibrio cholerae in the Aquatic Environment.- Lysogenicity of Vibrio cholera.- Hemagglutinins (Colonization Factors?) Produced by Vibrio cholera.- Experimental Cholera in Germ-Free and Gnotobiotic Piglets.- Isolation of Hybridoma Cell Lines Producing Antibody against Cholera Enterotoxin.- Clinical Studies.- Efficacy of Bicozamycin in Treatment of Acute Diarrhea Caused by Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.- Endoscopy of the Small. Intestine in ETEC and NAG Vibrio Diarrhea.- Histologic and Bacteriologic Findings in Infants with Enteropathogenic E. coli Infection.- Genetics.- Properties of the Related Transposable Phage VcAl and Defective Prophage dVcAl in El Tor and Classical Biotypes of Vibrio Cholerae.- Isolation of Enterotoxin Structural Gene Deletion Mutations in Vibrio Cholerae Induced by Two Mutagenic Vibriophages.- Plasmids and the Heat-Labile Enterotoxin Operon Originating in a Clinically Isolated Strain Serotype 078:H11 of Enterotoxigenic Escherichiacoli.- Expression of Plasmid Genes Encoding Escherichia coli Heat-Labile Enterotoxin in Bacterial Strains with Different Genetic Backgrounds.- Detection of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli by Colony DNA Hybridization: Use of a Second Heat Stable Enterotoxin Gene Probe.- Enterotoxins.- A New Immuno Assay of Cholera Toxin with Stable Polystyrene Latex Particles.- Further Evidence Showing that Subunit B of Cholera Toxin Enters the Cell.- Purification and Some Properties of an Enterotoxin from Vibrio Cholerae Non-01 that is Identical to Cholera Enterotoxin.- High Affinity Receptor for Heat-Stable Enterotoxins (STa) on Rat Intestinal Epithelial Cells.- Characteristics of the Binding of Pure Human E. coli Heat-Stable Enterotoxin to Rat Intestine.- Studies on the Mechanism of Action of the Escherichia coli Heat-Stable Enterotoxin (STa).- Development of a Simple Test (Biken Test) for Detection of LT-Producing Escherichia coli and Application of this Test.- Immunological and Molecular Heterogeneity of Heat-Labile Enterotoxins from Human and Porcine Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.- Antigenic Heterogeneity among Heat-Labile Enterotoxin from Escherichia coli.- Author Index.