Publications

[isolation of corynebacterium diphtheriae subsp. belfanti from a cow with chronic active dermatitis].	diphtheria is an acute communicable disease of man caused by c. diphtheriae. pharyngeal and cutaneous forms are described, where from both toxigenic and nontoxigenic strains can be isolated. the occurrence of c. diphtheriae in dairy cattle has already been reported in the past. the pathogens were isolated from ulcerated teats and from the milk of cows with mastitis as well. these animals were considered to play a role in the transmission of the disease to man. this paper describes the isolation ...	1996	9045292
plasmid pga1 from corynebacterium glutamicum codes for a gene product that positively influences plasmid copy number.	the complete nucleotide sequence (4,826 bp) of the cryptic plasmid pga1 from corynebacterium glutamicum was determined. dna sequence analysis revealed four putative coding regions (open reading frame a [orfa], orfa2, orfb, and orfc). orfc was identified as a rep gene coding for an initiator of plasmid replication (rep) according to the high level of homology of its deduced amino acid sequence with the rep proteins of plasmids psr1 (from c. glutamicum) and png2 (from corynebacterium diphtheriae). ...	1997	9045809
misdiagnosis of diphtheria: laboratory errors due to toxigenic control strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae.		1997	9057340
[an experimental study of the effect of immunomodulators on the immune response to the anatoxin components of adsorbed dpt vaccine against a background of poisoning].	an experiment of rabbits subjected to artificial lead intoxication revealed that after the immunization of the animals with adsorbed dpt vaccine myelopid and thymoptin exhibited practically the same immunomodulating activity with respect to antibody response to diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, exceeding that of rabbits without intoxication. still the immunomodulators used in this experiment did not completely compensate the negative effect of intoxication on antibody response to the toxoids. for ...	1996	9082731
[the genetic typing of corynebacterium diphtheriae strains by the polymerase chain reaction with universal primers].	the use of polymerase chain reaction (up-pcr with universal primers for the genetic typing of 85 c. diphtheriae strains, isolated from patients and carriers at the period of the epidemic, has shown that a single natural clone of biovar gravis seems to prevail in north western russia. up-pcr is an effective too for the rapid intraspecific typing of strains on the molecular-genetic level and for the study of the circulation of c.diphtheriae epidemic clones.	1996	9082736
bacterial tracheitis caused by corynebacterium diphtheriae.	diphtheria has become a rare disease in germany. we report on an unimmunized 3.5-year-old german girl with a 7-day history of respiratory distress and fever, presenting a clinical picture mimicking typical bacterial tracheitis without pharyngeal and laryngeal manifestation. diagnosis of diphtheria was not made until culture of tracheal secretions yielded growth of a toxigenic strain of corynebacterium diphtheriae. the patient died from toxic cardiac failure despite treatment with diphtheria anti ...	1997	9083761
[diphtheria booster immunization for adults].	nearly 50% of adults in germany have no measurable antibody protection against diphtheria, even though most of them will have been vaccinated against it in their childhood. we investigated how vaccination should be performed in this situation to provide lasting protection.	1997	9102270
fever, cardiac failure and arteritis in a child with rheumatic carditis.		1997	9109144
diphtheria outbreak in st. petersburg: clinical characteristics of 1860 adult patients.	an epidemic of respiratory tract diphtheria began in russia in 1989. in 1994 more than 2,500 cases occurred in st. petersburg alone. we describe clinical findings in the 1,860 adult patients treated in botkin's hospital. the study is based on a retrospective review of patient records. in 98% of the patients the diagnosis was confirmed by a positive throat culture growing a toxin producing strain of corynebacterium diphtheriae. a catarrhal disease without membranes was present in 1,256 (67.5%) pa ...	1996	9122631
exudative pharyngitis possibly due to corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum, a new challenge in the differential diagnosis of diphtheria.	corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum has rarely been reported to cause disease in humans, despite its common presence in the flora of the upper respiratory tract. we report here a case of exudative pharyngitis with pseudomembrane possibly caused by c. pseudodiphtheriticum in a 4-year-old girl. the case initially triggered clinical and laboratory suspicion of diphtheria. because c. pseudodiphtheriticum can be easily confused with corynebacterium diphtheriae in gram stain, clarification of its rol ...	1997	9126447
[the circulation of corynebacterium diphtheriae within the current epidemiological context].		1993	9132114
[immunity to diphtheria in the croatian population in 1994].	the large outbreak of diphtheria in the former sssr countries, which has been linked, among others, to low herd immunity, has led us to determine the level of this immunity in the croatian population in view to undertake, if necessary, extra prophylactic measures (vaccination). for the purpose, c. diphtheriae serum antibody levels were determined in persons aged from 20 to above 60 years and coming from four major croatian towns (zagreb, rijeka, osijek and split). a commercial elisa test and neu ...	1996	9132520
[the morphological characteristics of diphtheria in adults under current conditions].	clinico-anatomical analysis of 112 lethal cases of diphtheria in adults showed a grave course of the disease in chronic alcoholics at the age of 40-49 years. the morphological changes were characterized by a complex of typical changes at the primary focus, intracanalicular and hematogenous dissemination with high bacteremia. the morphology of pneumonia caused by corynebacterium diphtheria is described for the first time. at the early stages of the disease infectious-toxic degeneration of the myo ...	1996	9139589
comparison of high-resolution structures of the diphtheria toxin repressor in complex with cobalt and zinc at the cation-anion binding site.	the diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxr) from corynebacterium diphtheriae is a divalent-metal activated repressor of chromosomal genes responsible for siderophore-mediated iron-uptake and of a gene on several corynebacteriophages that encodes diphtheria toxin. even though dtxr is the best characterized iron-dependent repressor to date, numerous key properties of the protein still remain to be explained. one is the role of the cation-anion pair discovered in its first metal-binding site. a second is ...	1997	9144784
[the toxin-containing filtrates from the culture broths of clinical strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae].	composition as well as toxicity and antigenicity of toxin-including filtrates of 6 circulating strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae, isolated in 1992-1994 in the city of kharkiv have been studied as compared with production strain pw-8. it is shown that toxicity of filtrates of circulating strains was analogous of toxicity of the strain pw-8 (100 dlm) or lower (45 dlm). antigenicity of four strains which was expressed in if units proved to be higher than that of the production strains and it w ...	1997	9172866
characterization of bacteriophages from tox-containing, non-toxigenic isolates of corynebacterium diphtheriae.	non-toxigenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae continue to cause disease within immunized populations. a subset of these corynebacteria carry the diphtheria toxin gene but in a cryptic form. to determine whether such strains might contribute to the re-emergence of functional toxin genes, the phages and tox mutations within three clone types were examined. tox-containing, beta-related phages were isolated from two of the strain types. the third isolate appeared to harbour a defective propha ...	1997	9188089
toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae--northern plains indian community, august-october 1996.		1997	9194403
development of a direct pcr assay for detection of the diphtheria toxin gene.	pcr has proved to be a reliable tool for the detection of the diphtheria toxin gene, tox, and its use has allowed for the rapid differentiation between toxigenic and nontoxigenic strains. in this study, this pcr was further developed, evaluated, and standardized to detect this gene directly from clinical specimens. optimal conditions for collection, transport, and storage of the clinical specimens and isolation and purification of dna from the clinical specimens were defined. with two sets of pr ...	1997	9196167
diphtheria acquired during a cruise in the baltic sea.		1997	9198300
infections with corynebacterium diphtheriae--changing epidemiology and clinical manifestations. report of the third international meeting of the european laboratory working group on diphtheria (elwgd), institute pasteur, paris 7-8 june 1996.	a widespread epidemic of diphtheria began in 1990 in the former soviet union, in the context of falling immunisation rates and social disruption. control was impeded by limited diagnostic resources in affected countries (mainly russia) and there was a risk of spread to neighbouring countries. the european laboratory working group on diphtheria (elwgd) was formed to assist in control of the epidemic. the elwgd is convened by the public health laboratory service in the united kingdom and includes ...	1997	9198302
diphtheria--the australian perspective.		1997	9198303
diphtheria acquired during a cruise in the baltic sea: update.		1997	9210797
[the antidiphtheria immunity of the eligible donor population].	antidiphtheritic antibodies were studied in the blood serum of kiev and kiev region population capable of blood donation (984 persons). it has been found out that antidiphtheritic antibodies were present in men's and women's blood serum of different blood groups (by abo system) during a year. antidiphtheritic antibodies with high titers > 1.80 were most often found in autumn, winter and spring in people having a (ii), b (iii) and ab (iv) blood groups.	1997	9221110
corynebacterium imitans sp. nov. isolated from patients with suspected diphtheria.	a 5-month-old boy of a romanian family traveling via ukraine to poland developed a respiratory disease that resembled and that was initially diagnosed as pharyngeal diphtheria. the child recovered after treatment with antidiphtheria antitoxin. a coryneform bacterium had been isolated from a nasopharyngeal specimen from the child and was initially identified as an atypical corynebacterium diphtheriae strain. seven adults who had contact with either the child or an adult contact person also develo ...	1997	9230366
[seroepidemiological survey on diphtheria and tetanus immunization coverage in adolescents in calabria].		1996	9235011
genetic identification of members of the genus corynebacterium at genus and species levels with 16s rdna-targeted probes.	16s rrna gene-targeted probes were designed for the identification of corynebacteria at the genus and species levels. the genus-specific probe hybridized all clinically important members of the genus corynebacterium and could distinguish them from other coryneform bacteria and phylogenetically related high g+c% gram-positive bacteria, including actinomyces, rhodococcus, gordona, nocardia, streptomyces, brevibacterium and mycobacterium. the species-specific probes for c. jeikeium and c. diphtheri ...	1997	9251056
experimental study on estimating the immunogenic potency of diphtheria and/or tetanus toxoids in monovaccines and associated vaccines.	the results obtained using the "classical" active immunoprotection tests on guinea pigs, biometrically interpreted by the regression analysis in "probit" systems revealed that the biopreparations of the cantacuzino institute meet the validity conditions related to the parallelism of the "slopes" enabling the calculation of ed50 and of the relative potencies against the reference preparations. the results also showed that the relative potencies of the biopreparations tested by the two methodologi ...	1996	9253238
response to diphtheria and tetanus booster vaccination in pediatric renal transplant recipients.	although inactivated vaccines are recommended for immunocompromized patients, efficacy and safety of diphtheria and tetanus immunization in renal transplant recipients have received little attention so far. the aim of the study was to investigate the response to a standard diphtheria and tetanus booster vaccination in pediatric renal transplant recipients.	1997	9256180
serological survey on the immunity to diphtheria of the northern greek population.	the recent outbreak of diphtheria in the newly independent states (nis) of the former ussr and the immigration from these high risk areas to greece prompted us to determine the diphtheria antitoxin levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisa) in 509 healthy individuals (307 males and 202 females) from northern greece. the population under study was divided in ten age groups from 1 day to > 60 years old. diphtheria antitoxin levels of > or = 0.1 iu/ml were considered as protective ones. 4 ...	1997	9258565
immunity to diphtheria in women of childbearing age in delhi in 1994: evidence of continued corynebacterium diphtheriae circulation.	blood samples from 171 full-term pregnant women (aged 18-38 years) of middle socioeconomic status from delhi were tested for diphtheria antitoxins by indirect hemagglutination (iha) test. history of primary immunization/clinical diphtheria during childhood was not ascertainable, but none had been revaccinated against diphtheria at any time. about 94% women had very high antitoxin titers (> or = 0.125 iu/ ml); none had antitoxin titer less than 0.015 iu/ml, the minimum protective level. the titer ...	1996	9279989
[unusual diphtheromorphic gram-positive bacilli in clinical samples: current taxonomic status and clinical significance].		1997	9312280
identification and characterization of three new promoter/operators from corynebacterium diphtheriae that are regulated by the diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxr) and iron.	dtxr is a dimeric, sequence-specific, dna-binding protein that functions as an iron-dependent, negative global regulator in corynebacterium diphtheriae. under high-iron conditions, dtxr represses the synthesis of diphtheria toxin, corynebacterial siderophore, and other components of the high-affinity iron uptake system. three dtxr-regulated promoter/operators designated tox, irp1, and irp2 were reported previously. in this study, we identified and characterized three additional dtxr-regulated pr ...	1997	9317037
comparison of traditional and molecular methods for typing nontoxigenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae.	thirty-eight nontoxigenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae isolated between 1987 and 1992 from clinical specimens of french patients were typed by biotyping, antibiograms, bacteriophage typing, ribotyping, and restriction analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge). excellent correlation occurred between the genotypes defined by pfge sfii profiles or by ribotype bsteii profiles. genotyping revealed seven genotype patterns among the 26 biotype mitis isolates, five among the nine bio ...	1997	9323477
[culture medium for isolation of causative agent of diphtheria].		1997	9340094
a trna(2arg) gene of corynebacterium diphtheriae is the chromosomal integration site for toxinogenic bacteriophages.		1997	9350874
transcription of the corynebacterium diphtheriae hmuo gene is regulated by iron and heme.	the hmuo gene is required for the utilization of heme and hemoglobin as iron sources by corynebacterium diphtheriae. the product of hmuo has homology to eukaryotic heme oxygenases which are involved in the degradation of heme and the release of iron. to investigate the mechanism of hmuo regulation, a promoterless lacz gene present on the promoter-probe vector pcm502 was placed under transcriptional control of the hmuo promoter. in c. diphtheriae c7, optimal expression from the hmuo promoter was ...	1997	9353044
characterization of lipoprotein irp1 from corynebacterium diphtheriae, which is regulated by the diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxr) and iron.	the corynebacterium diphtheriae irp1 gene is negatively regulated by dtxr and iron. the nucleotide sequence of irp1 revealed that it has homology with genes involved in iron acquisition. expression of the irp1 gene showed that it encodes a lipoprotein (irp1) with a predicted size of 38 kda. northern blot experiments indicated that transcription from the irp1 promoter is repressed in high-iron medium and suggested that irp1 is part of an iron-regulated operon.	1997	9393842
oligomerization of a 45 kilodalton fragment of diphtheria toxin at ph 5.0 to a molecule of 20-24 subunits.	diphtheria toxin (dt) is a 58 kda protein, secreted by lysogenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae, that causes the disease diphtheria in humans. the catalytic (c) domain of dt kills host cells by gaining entry into the cytoplasm and inhibiting protein synthesis. the translocation of the c domain across the endosomal membrane and into the cytoplasm of a host cell is mediated by the translocation (t) domain of dt. this process is triggered by acidification from ph approximately 7 to ph appro ...	1997	9398247
reversed passive latex agglutination assay for detection of toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae.	a reversed passive latex agglutination (rpla) assay for determining the toxigenicity of corynebacterium diphtheriae is presented. rabbit antitoxin antiserum was raised by using commercially available diphtheria toxoid. this antiserum reacted with the diphtheria toxin when the culture supernatant was assayed by western blotting, and it did not cross-react with other extracellular antigens. affinity-purified antibodies for latex sensitization were obtained by using a hi trap n-hydroxysuccinimide-a ...	1997	9399510
analysis of heterogeneity of corynebacterium diphtheriae toxin gene, tox, and its regulatory element, dtxr, by direct sequencing.	the largest diphtheria outbreak in the developed world since the 1960s is in progress in the russian federation. seventy-two corynebacterium diphtheriae strains from throughout russia and the ukraine, selected for temporal and geographic diversity, and 6 reference and control strains were assayed by dna direct sequencing, and dna sequences of their diphtheria toxin gene, tox, and the regulatory dtxr gene, were compared to those of the park-williams no. 8 strain (pw8). twenty-eight c. diphtheriae ...	1997	9404504
expression and characterization of a heme oxygenase (hmu o) from corynebacterium diphtheriae. iron acquisition requires oxidative cleavage of the heme macrocycle.	a full-length heme oxygenase gene from the pathogenic bacterium corynebacterium diphtheriae has been subcloned and expressed in escherichia coli. the enzyme is expressed at high levels as a soluble catalytically active protein that results in the accumulation of biliverdin within the e. coli cells. the purified heme oxygenase forms a 1:1 complex with heme (kd = 2.5 +/- 1 microm) and has hemeprotein spectra similar to those previously reported for the purified eukaryotic heme oxygenases. in the p ...	1998	9422739
antitoxin-in-membrane and antitoxin-in-well assays for detection of toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae.	the elek culture plate precipitin test is routinely used for the detection of exotoxin from toxigenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae. recently, the world health organization standardized this test to ensure accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility. in this study, we further modified the standard elek test by using the antitoxin-in-membrane (aim) and antitoxin-in-well (aiw) approaches. in the aim tests, each strain was stabbed and streaked backwards and away from a point approximately 7 ...	1998	9431948
[collective immunity to diphtheria in the children and adolescents of vladivostok during a mass immunization against this infection].	the state of collective immunity to diphtheria in children and adolescents of vladivostok was studied. adsorbed dpt vaccine was shown to have higher immunological effectiveness in comparison with adsorbed dt toxoid with reduced antigen content. as revealed in this study, as early as in 2 years a part of the children lost their immunity, irrespective of the preparation used for vaccination, and enlarged the reserve of initially seronegative children and adolescents, capable of maintaining the epi ...	1997	9432857
fatal respiratory tract diphtheria apparently caused by nontoxigenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae.	a major diphtheria epidemic affecting the whole population of st. petersburg started in 1990. during the period of 1991 to 1995, 4600 patients with clinical respiratory tract diphtheria were treated in botkin's hospital. from 112 (2.4%) of these patients only a nontoxigenic strain of corynebacterium diphtheriae was isolated. three patients with this strain who were suffering from clinical disease consistent with classical toxic diphtheria died. all had myocarditis, two had asphyxia due to membra ...	1997	9447903
[the characteristics of the lymphocyte subpopulation composition and its clinical significance in bacterial carriers of toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae].	in 43 carriers of toxigenic c. diphtheriae the antigenic picture of lymphocyte membranes was studied by the method of flow cytofluorometry. the study revealed that at the time of the hospitalization of the carriers a decrease in the number of cd21+ and hdl-dr+ lymphocytes was a prognostically important criterion for the formation of carrier state, while a decrease in the content of natural killers (cd16+) was characteristic of prolonged forms of carrier state. the necessity of the study of cellu ...	1997	9460869
[commercial preparations of immunoglobulin from donor blood as a means of treating patients with severe forms of diphtheria].	content of antidiphtheritic antibodies in commercial preparations of donor immunoglobulin endowed with antistaphylococcal activity and of normal immunoglobulin (150 specimens) was studied. high titres of antidiphtheritic antibodies (1:80 to > or 1:5120) were revealed in 70% of series. the above preparations also have antidiphtheritic activity, which fact permits these to be employed as a specific treatment option for diphtheria patients instead of antidiphtheritic horse serum.	1997	9471346
[susceptibility of corynebacteria isolated in st petersburg to antibacterial drugs].	susceptibility of 150 corynebacterium isolates (91 strains of c.pseudodiphtheriticum and 59 strains of the anf group corynebacteria) to 21 antibacterial drugs was determined by the method of serial dilutions in a solid medium. it was shown that the mic of the drugs for the diphtheroids was within the ranges of < 0.015 to > 32.0 micrograms/ml. 66 per cent of the corynebacterium strains circulating in st. petersburg was resistant at least to 1 antibacterial drug. the corynebacterium isolates with ...	1997	9480648
diversity of coryneforms found in infections following prosthetic joint insertion and open fractures.	in a 5-year period, 73 coryneform isolates from prosthetic joint and open fracture infections in 60 patients treated in a hospital specialized in orthopedic surgery were speciated. the most frequent species were corynebacterium amycolatum, corynebacterium striatum, corynebacterium diphtheriae biotype mitis, and corynebacterium jeikeium. at least 14 isolates were deemed clinically significant as sole agents of infection.	1998	9505178
[the effect of immunomodulators on the development of antibodies to the diphtheria antigen in mice vaccinated with the dtp adsorbed vaccine].	an animal model for the study of the influence of immunomodulators on the development and preservation of postvaccinal antidiphtheria immunity was experimentally selected and the corresponding study was carried out. in this work the following immunomodulators were used: dibasol, prodigiosan, splenin, thymalin, reaferon, tactivin, methyluracyl. the study revealed that by day 120 of observation all immunomodulators stimulated the production of antibodies in higher titers than adsorbed dpt vaccine, ...	1998	9532687
use of random amplified polymorphic dna for rapid molecular subtyping of corynebacterium diphtheriae.	a total of 210 corynebacterium diphtheriae strains isolated worldwide were assayed by random amplified polymorphic dna (rapd) assay. rapd was as discriminating as standard ribotyping, and in some cases, even further differentiation was obtained. rapd can rapidly aid clinical and molecular epidemic studies in a simple and cost-effective manner.	1998	9572022
long-term antibody persistence after booster vaccination with combined tetravalent diphtheria tetanus, whole-cell bordetella pertussis and hepatitis b vaccine in healthy infants.	combining hb vaccine with routine paediatric vaccines has been recognized as the best means of universal vaccination against hepatitis b. our objective was to evaluate the long-term antibody persistence of such a combined vaccine in an area of high hepatitis b endemicity. we have shown that a dtpw-hb vaccine was safe and immunogenic when given as a booster dose at 18 months of age. one month after the booster dose of dtpw-hb vaccine, at least 97.8% of subjects had seroprotective anti-hbsag level ...	1997	9578788
nasopharyngeal flora in hiv seropositive men who have sex with men.	to assess, in men who were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) and who identified themselves as having had sex with men; the nasopharyngeal prevalence of neisseria gonorrhoeae, n meningitidis, corynebacterium diphtheriae, and candida species; oral sexual behaviour; the relation between oral flora and oral sexual behavior.	1997	9582465
factors influencing immunity against diphtheria in adults.	in about 50% of all adult germans, serological immunity to diphtheria is lacking even though a vaccination history exists in most cases. in this study, the factors contributing to diphtheria immunity, up to 43 years after the last diphtheria vaccination, were analysed. serum samples were taken from 287 adults whose complete vaccination history was available, and who had received a standard primary vaccination. the sera were tested by tissue culture neutralization assay for diphtheria antitoxin l ...	1998	9607012
randomised controlled trial of combined diphtheria, tetanus, whole-cell pertussis vaccine administered in the same syringe and separately with haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine at two, three and four months of age.	an open randomised controlled multicentre study compared the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of three vaccines given by injection at two, three and four months of age. children (89) received haemophilus influenzae type b (hib) vaccine (smithkline beecham biologicals [sb]) administered in the same syringe with combined diphtheria-tetanus-whole-cell pertussis (dtpw) vaccine (evans); 75 received hib vaccine (sb) administered as a separate injection with dtpw vaccine; 66 received hib vaccine (past ...	1998	9607017
controlled release microparticles as a single dose diphtheria toxoid vaccine: immunogenicity in small animal models.	diphtheria toxoid (dt) was encapsulated in microparticles prepared from polylactide-co-glycolide (plg) polymers using a solvent evaporation technique. combinations of small and large sized microparticles with controlled release characteristics were used to immunize sprague dawley rats and the antibody responses were monitored for one year. for comparison, control groups of rats were immunized at 0, 1 and 2 months with dt adsorbed to alum. the antibody responses generated by the microparticles we ...	1998	9607054
the immunogenicity of haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccines in children born to human immunodeficiency virus-infected women. women and infants transmission study group.	immunocompromise caused by hiv-1 infection increases the importance of receipt of routine childhood vaccines to prevent infections such as invasive haemophilus influenzae type b (hib) disease. the objectives of the study were to evaluate the immunogenicity of hib conjugate vaccines among hiv-infected children according to clinical and immunologic disease progression as well as viral load.	1998	9613652
quantitative restriction fragment length polymorphism: a procedure for quantitation of diphtheria toxin gene crm197 allele.	here we present an assay for quantitation of a particular gene allele in dna mixtures by means of restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) in combination with polymerase chain reaction (pcr). we applied the quantitative rflp principle for estimation of the relative amount of diphtheria toxin gene crm197 allele in corynebacterium diphtheriae culture dna samples. the procedure is based on pcr-mediated generation of an artificial alui restriction site specifically with the crm197 dna templat ...	1998	9648648
crystal structure of the complex of diphtheria toxin with an extracellular fragment of its receptor.	we describe the crystal structure at 2.65 a resolution of diphtheria toxin (dt) complexed 1:1 with a fragment of its cell-surface receptor, the precursor of heparin-binding epidermal-growth-factor-like growth factor (hbegf). hbegf in the complex has the typical egf-like fold and packs its principal beta hairpin against the face of a beta sheet in the receptor-binding domain of dt. the interface has a predominantly hydrophobic core, and polar interactions are formed at the periphery. the structur ...	1997	9659904
[the effect of antibiotics on the adhesion of corynebacterium diphtheriae to buccal epithelial cells].	the model of buccal epithelium of healthy people was used to study the effect of antibiotics with different action mechanism (benzylpenicillin, ampicylin, erythromycin, streptomycin) on the adhesion intensity of diphtheria corynebacteria. it has been established that only erythromycin in minimum inhibiting concentration manifested the ability to inhibit the adhesion of different biovars of corynebacterium diphtheriae. the drug action did not depend on the level of adhesive activity of certain cu ...	1998	9670755
[adverse reactions and immune response to heberbiovac-hb vaccine administered to infants simultaneously with dpt and va-mengoc-bc].	the cuban recombinant yeast-derived hepatitis b vaccine (heberbiovac-hb) was administered to 2 groups of infants aged 3 months. a dosage of 10 micrograms was used through a scheme of 0, 1 and 6 and 0, 1, 2 and 12, coinciding with the dpt and anti-meningococcal vaccines, according to the immunization schedule. reactogenicity and immunogenicity were studied in both groups. the reactions observed were mild and similar to other studies, where fever , erythema and induration were the most common sign ...	1997	9685987
bacteriological properties of a sucrose-fermenting corynebacterium diphtheriae strain isolated from a case of endocarditis.	an atypical sucrose-fermenting corynebacterium diphtheriae strain was isolated from three blood cultures of a 14-year-old girl presented to a university teaching hospital in rio de janeiro, brazil. she had mitral endocarditis that proved to be fatal despite intensive antibiotic therapy. blood cultures showed a fluorescent gram-positive, aerobic, coryneform-like bacillus presenting pyrazinamidase and camp reaction negative. the isolate was identified as a toxigenic strain of c. diphtheriae var. m ...	1998	9688813
[cardiac affection in adults with diphtheria].		1998	9693494
structure of the metal-ion-activated diphtheria toxin repressor/tox operator complex.	the virulent phenotype of the pathogenic bacterium corynebacterium diphtheriae is conferred by diphtheria toxin, whose expression is an adaptive response to low concentrations of iron. the expression of the toxin gene (tox) is regulated by the repressor dtxr, which is activated by transition metal ions. x-ray crystal structures of dtxr with and without (apo-form) its coordinated transition metal ion have established the general architecture of the repressor, identified the location of the metal- ...	1998	9697776
sirr, a novel iron-dependent repressor in staphylococcus epidermidis.	in staphylococcus epidermidis and staphylococcus aureus, a number of cell wall- and cytoplasmic membrane-associated lipoproteins are induced in response to iron starvation. to gain insights into the molecular basis of iron-dependent gene regulation in the staphylococci, we sequenced the dna upstream of the 3-kb s. epidermidis sitabc operon, which northern blot analysis indicates is transcriptionally regulated by the growth medium iron content. we identified two dna sequences which are homologous ...	1998	9712757
motion of the dna-binding domain with respect to the core of the diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxr) revealed in the crystal structures of apo- and holo-dtxr.	the diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxr) from corynebacterium diphtheriae is a divalent metal-activated repressor of chromosomal genes that encode proteins responsible for siderophore-mediated iron uptake and also of the gene of certain corynebacteriophages that encodes diphtheria toxin. dtxr consists of two 25.3-kda three-domain subunits and is a member of a family of related repressor proteins in several gram-positive bacterial species, some of which are important human pathogens. in this paper, ...	1998	9712865
non-toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae: two cases and review of the literature.	non-toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae infections are being reported with increasing frequency. we present two cases of c. diphtheriae endocarditis requiring early valve replacement. both cases were complicated by cerebral embolic phenomena and pseudoaneurysm formation in lower limb arterial vessels. non-toxigenic c. diphtheriae septicaemia must be excluded when 'diphtheroids' are isolated from blood cultures.	1998	9733382
phage typing, an accessible and useful method in the epidemiological surveillance of diphtheria.	within the framework of the measures for diphtheria prevention and control, phage typing of isolates is useful for epidemiological investigations in a disease focus and in general population. the identification of asymptomatic carriers of toxigenic c.diphtheriae and its eradication decrease the transmission rate of the disease. the study of the circulating phage types (6058) enabled us to demonstrate the frequency and distribution of the different phage types, toxigenic and nontoxigenic in roman ...	1997	9745326
[implications of bacterial protein toxins in infectious and food-borne diseases].	among the 315 protein toxins elicited by gram positive and gram negative bacteria so far characterized, about 50 toxins are currently considered as totally or partially, responsible of the pathological manifestations and/or lethality resulting from host infection or intoxication (contaminated food) by relevant toxinogenic bacteria. a certain number of criteria are required for the assessment of indisputable involvement of a toxin or an array of toxins (from the same bacteria) in infectious disea ...	1998	9759385
comparison of phenotypic and genotypic methods for detection of diphtheria toxin among isolates of pathogenic corynebacteria.	we have compared molecular, immunochemical, and cytotoxic assays for the detection of diphtheria toxin from 55 isolates of corynebacterium diphtheriae and corynebacterium ulcerans originally isolated in five different countries. the suitabilities and accuracies of these assays for the laboratory diagnosis of diphtheria were compared and evaluated against the "gold standard" in vivo methods. the in vivo and vero cell cytotoxicity assays were accurate in their abilities to detect diphtheria toxin ...	1998	9774560
[the molecular epidemiology of diphtheria].		1998	9783414
[cutaneous diphtheria in returning vacationers--mirror of inappropriate vaccination practice?].	the causative agent for diphtheria is corynebacterium diphtheriae, which is transmitted from person to person from the throat of carriers or from patients with active cutaneous diphtheria. the disease occurs in preexisting ulcers, but it may also appear on apparently normal skin. although primary cutaneous diphtheria starts as a vesicle or pustule, most patients feature a reddish ulcer with undermined borders. the lesion is tender but hypesthesia develops after 2 weeks. the clinical diagnosis is ...	1998	9785999
molecular basis of vaccination.	vaccines represent the most cost-effective means to prevent infectious diseases. most of the vaccines which are currently available were developed long before the era of molecular biology and biotechnology. they were obtained following empirical approaches leading to the inactivation or to the attenuation of microorganisms, without any knowledge neither of the mechanisms of pathogenesis of the disease they were expected to protect from, nor of the immune responses elicited by the infectious agen ...	1998	9789264
penicillin vs. erythromycin in the treatment of diphtheria.	in an open-label, randomized trial, 44 vietnamese children with diphtheria were given penicillin therapy (intramuscular benzylpenicillin, 50,000 u/[kg.d] for 5 days and then oral penicillin, 50 mg/[kg.d] for 5 days), and 42 were given erythromycin therapy (50 mg/[kg.d] orally for 10 days). there were no differences in times to membrane clearance or bacteriologic clearance, but median times to fever clearance were 27 hours (95% confidence interval [ci], 19-30; range, 0-124 hours) for penicillin r ...	1998	9798043
vaccination against diphtheria and tetanus. assays, antigens, adjuvants and application.		1998	9810281
dose-response to a two-component acellular pertussis vaccine in infants and comparison with whole-cell vaccine.	in an effort to determine the optimal dose of pertussis toxoid (pt) and filamentous haemagglutinin (fha) for use in acellular pertussis vaccines we compared the immunogenicity and safety of acellular pertussis vaccine combined with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids containing 12.5 microg (dtap-12.5) or 25 microg (dtap-25) each of pt and fha with a whole cell pertussis vaccine in infants immunized at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. recipients of acellular vaccines developed higher anti-fha concentrations ...	1998	9811522
an outbreak of nontoxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae infection: single bacterial clone causing invasive infection among swiss drug users.	from 1990 to 1996, a total of 65 patients from whom corynebacterium diphtheriae had been isolated were reported to the swiss federal office of public health. a retrospective review of medical and microbiological records as well as results of ribotyping of available isolates was performed. twenty-seven patients had acquired their infection without evidence of use of illicit drugs, mostly as a skin infection imported from subtropical areas (20 patients); 38 isolations were associated with intraven ...	1998	9827285
trans-sialidase activity for sialic acid incorporation on corynebacterium diphtheriae.	a rapid and sensitive assay for neuraminidase using peanut lectin hemagglutination was used to study the prevalence of neuraminidase activity among sucrose-fermenting and non-sucrose-fermenting toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae strains. neuraminidase activity was found in 15 (100%) isolates regardless of biotype, hemagglutinating activity and site of isolation of bacteria. besides expressing the neuraminidase activity that hydrolyzes sialic acid from glycoconjugates, c. diphtheriae was also ...	1998	9835025
cell surface hydrophobicity of sucrose fermenting and nonfermenting corynebacterium diphtheriae strains evaluated by different methods.	corynebacterium diphtheriae strains expressed variation in hydrophobic characteristics dependent on the method used. results of single assays are not a reliable representation of c. diphtheriae hydrophobicity. all 12 strains adhered to polystyrene surfaces; three showed spontaneous aggregation (sa) in trypticase soy broth (tsb) medium, and eight exhibited autoagglutination in phosphate-buffered saline (pbs; aa-positive). the salt aggregation test (sat) values </=0.002 or >/=1.6 represented break ...	1999	9841780
isolation and characterization of iron-independent positive dominant mutants of the diphtheria toxin repressor dtxr.	it is well known that the functional activity of the diphtheria toxin repressor dtxr is controlled by iron, which serves as an essential cofactor necessary for activation of target dna binding by this regulatory element. in this communication, we describe the isolation and characterization of a unique series of dtxr mutants that are constitutively active and repress the expression of beta-galactosidase from a diphtheria tox promoter/operator-lacz transcriptional fusion, even in the absence of ir ...	1998	9844002
[the characteristics of the development of postvaccinal diphtheria immunity in children under elevated technogenic environmental pollution in the region near the dnieper river].	condition was studied of collective specific immunity against diphtheria in vaccinated children who ranged from 2 to 15 years old, living in the industrial region of pridneprovye, with special reference for the degree of the technogenous environmental pollution. to determine specific cellular sensibilization to diphtherial antigen. lait was used for the first time. the studies made showed that in a region under health-hazard conditions lower level of antitoxic antidiphtherial immunity occurs mor ...	1998	9844861
diphtheria in the former soviet union: reemergence of a pandemic disease.	the massive reemergence of diphtheria in the newly independent states of the former soviet union marked the first large-scale diphtheria epidemic in industrialized countries in 3 decades. factors contributing to the epidemic included a large population of susceptible adults; decreased childhood immunization, which compromised what had been a well-established childhood vaccination program; suboptimal socioeconomic conditions; and high population movement. the role of a change in the predominant c ...	1998	9866730
comparison of antibody titers in eleven- to twelve-year old japanese school children six years after administration of acellular and whole cell pertussis vaccines combined with diphtheria-tetanus toxoids.		1998	9877371
untreatable infections?--the challenge of the 21st century.	the triumph of antibiotics over bacterial pathogens that has occurred in the latter half of this century looks increasingly threatened as we approach the new millennium. increasing resistance in important pathogens such as mycobacterium tuberculosis, shigella, and streptococcus pneumoniae threatens the lives of millions. the increasing problems with drug resistance in (c. diphtheriae, salmonella typhi and the pneumococcus in vietnam are presented as examples of the challenge confronting tropical ...	1998	9886138
crystal structure of the iron-dependent regulator (ider) from mycobacterium tuberculosis shows both metal binding sites fully occupied.	iron-dependent regulators are a family of metal-activated dna binding proteins found in several gram-positive bacteria. these proteins are negative regulators of virulence factors and of proteins of bacterial iron-uptake systems. in this study we present the crystal structure of the iron-dependent regulator (ider) from mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis. the protein crystallizes in the hexagonal space group p62 with unit cell dimensions a=b=92.6 a, c=63.2 a. the curr ...	1999	9887269
[low level of immune protection against diphtheria in adult population of catalonia].	seroepidemiologic studies carried out in different european countries have shown the existence of low levels of protection against diphtheria. in this study the prevalence of antidiphtheria antibodies in the adult population of catalonia, spain, during 1995 has been studied.	1998	9887432
characterization of surface saccharides in two corynebacterium diphtheriae strains.	two corynebacterium diphtheriae strains were analyzed by assays employing a battery of highly purified fluorescent lectins. from 22 lectins tested only seven with affinity to receptor molecules containing n-acetylglucosamine (d-glcnac), n-acetylgalactosamine (d-galnac), galactose (d-gal), mannose-like (d-man-like) and sialic acid residues showed positive fluorescent labeling. a higher reactivity of triticum vulgaris (wga), which binds to sialic acid and/or beta-d-glcnac-containing residues, and ...	1999	9919665
[immunity to diphtheria in the north of france].		1999	9920972
[isoenzymes of transferases in serum from diphtheria patients].	investigation of serum spectrum of isoenzymes alat, asat, ggt in diphtheria in adults.	1998	9949453
[vaccinations and epidemiology].	diphtheria is an uncommon infectious disease in germany. since 1994, approximately 150,000 new cases with about 5,000 deaths have occurred in the new independent states of the former ussr. corynebacterium diphtheriae can be imported to germany since only 20 percent of the adult population is vaccinated against diphtheria. compared to other european countries, germany has one of the lowest immunization rates against measles, mumps and rubella. despite this fact, young parents still place a high p ...	1998	10028593
expression and assignment of the 1h, 15n, and 13c resonances of the c-terminal domain of the diphtheria toxin repressor.		1999	10070762
identification and characterization of is2404 and is2606: two distinct repeated sequences for detection of mycobacterium ulcerans by pcr.	molecular analysis of mycobacterium ulcerans has revealed two new insertion sequences (iss), is2404 and is2606. is2404 was identified by complete sequencing of a previously described repetitive dna segment from m. ulcerans. this element is 1,274 bp long, contains 12-bp inverted repeats and a single open reading frame (orf) potentially encoding a protein of 327 amino acids (aa), and apparently generates 7-bp direct repeats upon transposition. amino acid similarity was found between the putative t ...	1999	10074520
use of molecular subtyping to document long-term persistence of corynebacterium diphtheriae in south dakota.	enhanced surveillance of patients with upper respiratory symptoms in a northern plains community revealed that approximately 4% of them were infected by toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae of both mitis and gravis biotypes, showing that the organism is still circulating in the united states. toxigenic c. diphtheriae was isolated from five members of four households. four molecular subtyping methods-ribotyping, multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (mee), random amplified polymorphic dna (rapd), an ...	1999	10074531
anion-coordinating residues at binding site 1 are essential for the biological activity of the diphtheria toxin repressor.	the homodimeric diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxr) uses fe2+ as a corepressor, binds to iron-regulated promoters, and negatively regulates the syntheses of diphtheria toxin, corynebacterial siderophore, and several other corynebacterium diphtheriae products. the crystal structure of dtxr shows that the second domain of each monomer has two binding sites for fe2+ or certain other divalent metal ions. in addition, site 1 binds a sulfate or phosphate anion, suggesting that phosphate may function int ...	1999	10085021
[diphtheria].		1999	10088353
low prevalence of diphtheria immunity in the spanish population: results of a cross-sectional study.	a seroepidemiological study was conducted on a representative sample (n = 3944) of the spanish population to assess the immune status to diphtheria. a total of 1907 men and 2037 women in the 5-59 years age range were stratified by sex and age (5-12, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 years). concentrations of toxin antibodies were measured using a commercial elisa kit. samples with titres > or = 0.1 iu/ml were considered to show full protection. only 26% (95% ci: 25-28%) of the overall population ...	1999	10217597
[diphtheria and infections caused by corynebacterium diphtheriae in 1997].	introduction: diphtheria is a reemerging disease. two epidemics recently occurred in algeria and independent states community, not so far from europe. imported cases were diagnosed in contiguous european countries. this review focuses on the data obtained from these epidemics, with particular emphasis on new clinical forms of corynebacterium diphtheriae infections. currents knowledge and key points: sore throat with membranes is no longer the only clinical feature of diphtheria. however, patient ...	1999	10220818
cutaneous diphtheria in a child.		1999	10321948
resurgent diphtheria--are we safe?	diphtheria, one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the past, seemed nearly eliminated from industrialized countries, thanks to improved hygienic conditions and large scale vaccinations. in 1990, a large epidemic started in eastern europe, mainly in russia and ukraine, with over 70,000 cases reported within a 5 year period. the main factors leading to the epidemic included low immunization coverage among infants and children, waning immunity to diphtheria among adults, and profound ...	1998	10326290
solution structure and peptide binding studies of the c-terminal src homology 3-like domain of the diphtheria toxin repressor protein.	the diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxr) is the best-characterized member of a family of homologous proteins that regulate iron uptake and virulence gene expression in the gram-positive bacteria. dtxr contains two domains that are separated by a short, unstructured linker. the n-terminal domain is structurally well-defined and is responsible for fe2+ binding, dimerization, and dna binding. the c-terminal domain adopts a fold similar to eukaryotic src homology 3 domains, but the functional role of t ...	1999	10339551
emergence of related nontoxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae biotype mitis strains in western europe.	we report on 17 isolates of corynebacterium diphtheriae biotype mitis with related ribotypes from switzerland, germany, and france. isolates came from skin and subcutaneous infections of injecting drug users, homeless persons, prisoners, and elderly orthopedic patients with joint prostheses or primary joint infections. such isolates had only been observed in switzerland.	1999	10341192