Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
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| virulence of cryptococcus sp. biofilms in vitro and in vivo using galleria mellonella as an alternative model. | cryptococcus neoformans and c. gattii are fungal pathogens that are most commonly found in infections of the central nervous system, which cause life-threatening meningoencephalitis and can grow as a biofilm. biofilms are structures conferring protection and resistance of microorganism to the antifungal drugs. this study compared the virulence of planktonic and biofilm cells of c. neoformans and c. gattii in galleria mellonella model, as well as, the quantification of gene transcripts lac1, ure1 ... | 2016 | 27014214 |
| genetic & virulence profiling of esbl-positive e. coli from nosocomial & veterinary sources. | ctx-m genes are the most prevalent esbl globally, infiltrating nosocomial, community and environmental settings. wild and domesticated animals may act as effective vectors for the dissemination of ctx-producing enterobacteriaceae. this study aimed to contextualise blactx-m-14-positive, cephalosporin-resistant enterobacteriaceae human infections and compared resistance and pathogenicity markers with veterinary isolates. epidemiologically related human (n=18) and veterinary (n=4) blactx-m-14-posit ... | 2016 | 27016755 |
| characterization of surface antigen protein 1 (sura1) from acinetobacter baumannii and its role in virulence and fitness. | acinetobacter baumannii is a gram-negative bacillus that causes nosocomial infections, such as bacteremia, pneumonia, and meningitis and urinary tract and wound infections. in the present study, the surface antigen protein 1 (sura1) gene of a. baumannii strain ccggd201101 was identified, cloned and expressed, and then its roles in fitness and virulence were investigated. virulence was observed in the human lung cancer cell lines a549 and hep-2 at one week after treatment with recombinant sura1. ... | 2016 | 27016767 |
| evolution of virulence in photorhabdus spp., entomopathogenic nematode symbionts. | photorhabdus is a genus of gram-negative bacteria belonging to the enterobacteriaceae family. in addition to forming a mutualistic relationship with the heterorhabditidae family of nematodes, these bacteria are the causal agent of insect mortality during nematode infection, and are commonly used as biocontrol agents against pest insects in managed ecosystems. there are three described species of photorhabdus; photorhabdus luminescens and photorhabdus temperata, which are strictly entomopathogens ... | 2016 | 27020955 |
| immuno-physiological adaptations confer wax moth galleria mellonella resistance to bacillus thuringiensis. | microevolutionary mechanisms of resistance to a bacterial pathogen were explored in a population of the greater wax moth, galleria mellonella, selected for an 8.8-fold increased resistance against the entomopathogenic bacterium bacillus thuringiensis (bt) compared with a non-selected (suspectible) line. defense strategies of the resistant and susceptible insect lines were compared to uncover mechanisms underpinning resistance, and the possible cost of those survival strategies. in the uninfected ... | 2016 | 27029421 |
| sericin composition in the silk of antheraea yamamai. | the silks produced by caterpillars consist of fibroin proteins that form two core filaments, and sericin proteins that seal filaments into a fiber and conglutinate fibers in the cocoon. sericin genes are well-known in bombyx mori (bombycidae) but have received little attention in other insects. this paper shows that antheraea yamamai (saturniidae) contains five sericin genes very different from the three sericin genes of b. mori. in spite of differences, all known sericins are characterized by s ... | 2016 | 27049111 |
| in silico and bio assay of juvenile hormone analogs as an insect growth regulator against galleria mellonella (wax moth) - part i. | juvenile hormone (jh) analogs are nowadays in use to control harmful pests. in order to develop new bioactive molecules as potential pesticides, we have incorporated different active structural features like sulfonamide, aromatic rings, amide group, and amino acid moiety to the base structure. we have screened a series of designed novel jh analogs against jh receptor protein (jhbpgm-2rck) of galleria mellonella in comparison to commercial insect growth regulators (igrs) - pyriproxyfen (t1) and f ... | 2016 | 27070862 |
| the acinetobacter baumannii two-component system aders regulates genes required for multidrug efflux, biofilm formation, and virulence in a strain-specific manner. | the opportunistic pathogen acinetobacter baumannii is able to persist in the environment and is often multidrug resistant (mdr), causing difficulties in the treatment of infections. here, we show that the two-component system aders, which regulates the production of the adeabc multidrug resistance efflux pump, is required for the formation of a protective biofilm in an ex vivo porcine mucosal model, which mimics a natural infection of the human epithelium. interestingly, deletion of adeb impacte ... | 2016 | 27094331 |
| the lipid composition of legionella dumoffii membrane modulates the interaction with galleria mellonella apolipophorin iii. | apolipophorin iii (apolp-iii), an insect homologue of human apolipoprotein e (apoe), is a widely used model protein in studies on protein-lipid interactions, and anti-legionella activity of galleria mellonella apolp-iii has been documented. interestingly, exogenous choline-cultured legionella dumoffii cells are considerably more susceptible to apolp-iii than non-supplemented bacteria. in order to explain these differences, we performed, for the first time, a detailed analysis of l. dumoffii lipi ... | 2016 | 27094351 |
| in vivo efficacy of trans-cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol, and thymol in attenuating listeria monocytogenes infection in a galleria mellonella model. | listeria monocytogenes is a major foodborne pathogen that causes life-threatening illnesses in humans. with emergence of antibiotic resistance in l. monocytogenes, there is considerable interest in testing the efficacy of alternative therapies for controlling listeriosis in humans. this study investigated the efficacy of three phytochemicals, namely trans-cinnamaldehyde (tc), carvacrol (cr), and thymol (ty) in reducing l. monocytogenes virulence in the recently established invertebrate model, ga ... | 2016 | 27094514 |
| long-term effects of single and combined introductions of antibiotics and bacteriophages on populations of pseudomonas aeruginosa. | with escalating resistance to antibiotics, there is an urgent need to develop alternative therapies against bacterial pathogens and pests. one of the most promising is the employment of bacteriophages (phages), which may be highly specific and evolve to counter antiphage resistance. despite an increased understanding of how phages interact with bacteria, we know very little about how their interactions may be modified in antibiotic environments and, reciprocally, how phage may affect the evoluti ... | 2016 | 27099623 |
| the potential of the galleria mellonella innate immune system is maximized by the co-presentation of diverse antimicrobial peptides. | antimicrobial peptides (amps) are ubiquitous components of the insect innate immune system. the model insect galleria mellonella has at least 18 amps, some of which are still uncharacterized in terms of antimicrobial activity. to determine why g. mellonella secretes a repertoire of distinct amps following an immune challenge, we selected three different amps: cecropin a (ceca), gallerimycin and cobatoxin. we found that cobatoxin was active against micrococcus luteus at a minimum inhibitory conce ... | 2016 | 27105487 |
| galleria mellonella larvae are capable of sensing the extent of priming agent and mounting proportionatal cellular and humoral immune responses. | larvae of galleria mellonella are useful models for studying the innate immunity of invertebrates or for evaluating the virulence of microbial pathogens. in this work, we demonstrated that prior exposure of g. mellonella larvae to high doses (1×10(4), 1×10(5) or 1×10(6) cells/larva) of heat-killed photorhabdus luminescens tt01 increases the resistance of larvae to a lethal dose (50 cells/larva) of viable p. luminescens tt01 infection administered 48h later. we also found that the changes in immu ... | 2016 | 27107784 |
| evaluation of galleria mellonella larvae as an in vivo model for assessing the relative toxicity of food preservative agents. | larvae of galleria mellonella are widely used for evaluating the virulence of microbial pathogens and for measuring the efficacy of anti-microbial agents and produce results comparable to those that can be obtained using mammals. in this work, the suitability of using g. mellonella larvae to measure the relative toxicity of a variety of food preservatives was evaluated. the response of larvae to eight commonly used food preservatives (potassium nitrate, potassium nitrite, potassium sorbate, sodi ... | 2016 | 27122324 |
| corrigendum: impact of resistance to fluconazole on virulence and morphological aspects of cryptococcus neoformans and cryptococcus gattii isolates. | [this corrects the article on p. 153 in vol. 7, pmid: 26909069.]. | 2016 | 27148225 |
| impact of blandm-1 on fitness and pathogenicity of escherichia coli and klebsiella pneumoniae. | the objective of this study was to determine whether acquisition of new delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (ndm-1) has an impact on the fitness and virulence of escherichia coli and klebsiella pneumoniae. growth kinetics and the cost of fitness of ndm-1 plasmid carriage were assessed in isogenic e. coli j53 and k. pneumoniae prz in vitro by pairwise competition assays. the pathogenicity of ndm-1-expressing e. coli and k. pneumoniae strains and their isogenic controls was analysed in vivo using a galler ... | 2016 | 27179815 |
| virulence characterisation of salmonella enterica isolates of differing antimicrobial resistance recovered from uk livestock and imported meat samples. | salmonella enterica is a foodborne zoonotic pathogen of significant public health concern. we have characterized the virulence and antimicrobial resistance gene content of 95 salmonella isolates from 11 serovars by dna microarray recovered from uk livestock or imported meat. genes encoding resistance to sulphonamides (sul1, sul2), tetracycline [tet(a), tet(b)], streptomycin (stra, strb), aminoglycoside (aada1, aada2), beta-lactam (bla tem), and trimethoprim (dfra17) were common. virulence gene c ... | 2016 | 27199965 |
| all yersinia enterocolitica are pathogenic: virulence of phylogroup 1 y. enterocolitica in a galleria mellonella infection model. | yersinia enterocolitica is a zoonotic pathogen and a common cause of gastroenteritis in humans. the species is composed of six diverse phylogroups, of which strains of phylogroup 1 are considered non-pathogenic to mammals due to the lack of the major virulence plasmid pyv, and their lack of virulence in a mouse infection model. in the present report we present data examining the pathogenicity of strains of y. enterocolitica across all six phylogroups in a galleria mellonellla model. we have demo ... | 2016 | 27221796 |
| coxiella burnetii effector cvpb modulates phosphoinositide metabolism for optimal vacuole development. | the q fever bacterium coxiella burnetii replicates inside host cells within a large coxiella-containing vacuole (ccv) whose biogenesis relies on the dot/icm-dependent secretion of bacterial effectors. several membrane trafficking pathways contribute membranes, proteins, and lipids for ccv biogenesis. these include the endocytic and autophagy pathways, which are characterized by phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate [pi(3)p]-positive membranes. here we show that the c. burnetii secreted effector coxie ... | 2016 | 27226300 |
| galleria mellonella as a model system to assess the efficacy of antimicrobial agents against klebsiella pneumoniae infection. | 2016 | 27237961 | |
| francisella philomiragia infection and lethality in mammalian tissue culture cell models, galleria mellonella, and balb/c mice. | francisella (f.) philomiragia is a gram-negative bacterium with a preference for brackish environments that has been implicated in causing bacterial infections in near-drowning victims. the purpose of this study was to characterize the ability of f. philomiragia to infect cultured mammalian cells, a commonly used invertebrate model, and, finally, to characterize the ability of f. philomiragia to infect balb/c mice via the pulmonary (intranasal) route of infection. this study shows that f. philom ... | 2016 | 27252681 |
| heterologous expression of streptococcus mutans cnm in lactococcus lactis promotes intracellular invasion, adhesion to human cardiac tissues and virulence. | in s. mutans, the expression of the surface glycoprotein cnm mediates binding to extracellular matrix proteins, endothelial cell invasion and virulence in the galleria mellonella invertebrate model. to further characterize cnm as a virulence factor, the cnm gene from s. mutans strain omz175 was expressed in the non-pathogenic lactococcus lactis nz9800 using a nisin-inducible system. despite the absence of the machinery necessary for cnm glycosylation, western blot and immunofluorescence microsco ... | 2017 | 27260618 |
| comparison between superficial and solid-state cultures of isaria fumosorosea: conidial yields, quality and sensitivity to oxidant conditions. | conidia production and quality from mycoinsecticides in solid-state cultures (ssc) are frequently inferred from superficial culture (sc) results. both parameters were evaluated for two isaria fumosorosea strains (arsef 3302 and cnrcb1), in sc and ssc, using culture media with the same chemical composition. for both strains, conidia production was higher in sc than ssc in terms of conidia per gram of dry substrate. germination in both strains did not show significant differences between sc and ss ... | 2016 | 27263006 |
| three fusarium oxysporum mitogen-activated protein kinases (mapks) have distinct and complementary roles in stress adaptation and cross-kingdom pathogenicity. | mitogen-activated protein kinase (mapk) cascades mediate cellular responses to environmental signals. previous studies in the fungal pathogen fusarium oxysporum have revealed a crucial role of fmk1, the mapk orthologous to saccharomyces cerevisiae fus3/kss1, in vegetative hyphal fusion and plant infection. here, we genetically dissected the individual and combined contributions of the three mapks fmk1, mpk1 and hog1 in the regulation of development, stress response and virulence of f. oxysporum ... | 2016 | 27301316 |
| combination therapy with polymyxin b and netropsin against clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant acinetobacter baumannii. | polymyxins are last-resort antibiotics for treating infections of gram-negative bacteria. the recent emergence of polymyxin-resistant bacteria, however, urgently demands clinical optimisation of polymyxin use to minimise further evolution of resistance. in this study we developed a novel combination therapy using minimal concentrations of polymyxin b. after large-scale screening of streptomyces secondary metabolites, we identified a reliable polymixin synergist and confirmed as netropsin using h ... | 2016 | 27306928 |
| oma1 links mitochondrial protein quality control and tor signaling to modulate physiological plasticity and cellular stress responses. | a network of conserved proteases known as the intramitochondrial quality control (imqc) system is central to mitochondrial protein homeostasis and cellular health. imqc proteases also appear to participate in establishment of signaling cues for mitochondrion-to-nucleus communication. however, little is known about this process. here, we show that in saccharomyces cerevisiae, inactivation of the membrane-bound imqc protease oma1 interferes with oxidative-stress responses through enhanced producti ... | 2016 | 27325672 |
| the role of epigenetics in host-parasite coevolution: lessons from the model host insects galleria mellonella and tribolium castaneum. | recent studies addressing experimental host-parasite coevolution and transgenerational immune priming in insects provide evidence for heritable shifts in host resistance or parasite virulence. these rapid reciprocal adaptations may thus be transferred to offspring generations by either genetic changes or mechanisms that do not involve changes in the germline dna sequence. epigenetic inheritance refers to changes in gene expression that are heritable across generations and mediated by epigenetic ... | 2016 | 27341739 |
| pyrazinone protease inhibitor metabolites from photorhabdus luminescens. | photorhabdus luminescens is a bioluminescent entomopathogenic bacterium that undergoes phenotypic variation and lives in mutualistic association with nematodes of the family heterorhabditidae. the pair infects and kills insects, and during their coordinated lifecycle, the bacteria produce an assortment of specialized metabolites to regulate its mutualistic and pathogenic roles. as part of our search for new specialized metabolites from the photorhabdus genus, we examined organic extracts from p. ... | 2016 | 27353165 |
| galleria mellonella as a model host for microbiological and toxin research. | mammals are widely used by microbiologists as a model host species to study infectious diseases of humans and domesticated livestock. these studies have been pivotal for our understanding of mechanisms of virulence and have allowed the development of diagnostics, pre-treatments and therapies for disease. however, over the past decade we have seen efforts to identify organisms which can be used as alternatives to mammals for these studies. the drivers for this are complex and multifactorial and i ... | 2016 | 27362761 |
| trehalase plays a role in macrophage colonization and virulence of burkholderia pseudomallei in insect and mammalian hosts. | trehalose is a disaccharide formed from two glucose molecules. this sugar molecule can be isolated from a range of organisms including bacteria, fungi, plants and invertebrates. trehalose has a variety of functions including a role as an energy storage molecule, a structural component of glycolipids and plays a role in the virulence of some microorganisms. there are many metabolic pathways that control the biosynthesis and degradation of trehalose in different organisms. the enzyme trehalase for ... | 2017 | 27367830 |
| enhanced insecticidal activity of chilo iridescent virus expressing an insect specific neurotoxin. | previously we have generated a recombinant chilo iridescent virus (civ) by inserting the green fluorescent protein gene (gfp) into the civ 157l open reading frame (orf) locus and showed that this recombinant (rciv-δ157l-gfp) was fully infectious both in cell culture as well as in insect larvae. this study opened up a new avenue for increasing the speed of kill of civ and other iridoviruses by inserting virulence or toxin genes into the viral genome. in the current study we constructed a recombin ... | 2016 | 27369385 |
| ultrastructural and functional characterization of circulating hemocytes from galleria mellonella larva: cell types and their role in the innate immunity. | galleria mellonella larvae have been widely used as a model to study the virulence of various human pathogens. hemocytes play important roles in the innate immune response of g. mellonella. in this study, the hemocytes of g. mellonella larvae were analyzed by transmission electron microscope, light microscope, and cytochemistry. the cytological and morphological analyses revealed four types of hemocytes; plasmatocytes, granular cells, spherule cells and oenocytoids. differential hemocyte counts ... | 2016 | 27378036 |
| the ctsr regulator controls the expression of clpc, clpe and clpp and is required for the virulence of enterococcus faecalis in an invertebrate model. | the intrinsic ruggedness of enterococcus faecalis is responsible for its widespread distribution in nature and is often viewed as an important virulence determinant. previously, we showed that the clpb atpase is negatively regulated by ctsr and is required for thermotolerance and virulence in a galleria mellonella invertebrate model. here, we used in silico, northern blot and quantitative real-time pcr analyses to identify additional members of the ctsr regulon, namely the clpp peptidase and the ... | 2016 | 27388279 |
| role of indole production on virulence of vibrio cholerae using galleria mellonella larvae model. | cell to cell communication facilitated by chemical signals plays crucial roles in regulating various cellular functions in bacteria. indole, one such signaling molecule has been demonstrated to control various bacterial phenotypes such as biofilm formation and virulence in diverse bacteria including vibrio cholerae. the present study explores some key factors involved in indole production and the subsequent pathogenesis of v. cholerae. indole production was higher at 37 °c than at 30 °c, althoug ... | 2016 | 27407302 |
| personalized therapeutic cocktail of wild environmental phages rescues mice from acinetobacter baumannii wound infections. | multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens are an increasing threat to public health, and lytic bacteriophages have reemerged as a potential therapeutic option. in this work, we isolated and assembled a five-member cocktail of wild phages against acinetobacter baumannii and demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in a mouse full-thickness dorsal infected wound model. the cocktail lowers the bioburden in the wound, prevents the spread of infection and necrosis to surrounding tissue, and decreases infectio ... | 2016 | 27431214 |
| effector protein cig2 decreases host tolerance of infection by directing constitutive fusion of autophagosomes with the coxiella-containing vacuole. | coxiella burnetii replicates in an acidified lysosome-derived vacuole. biogenesis of the coxiella-containing vacuole (ccv) requires bacterial effector proteins delivered into host cells by the dot/icm secretion system. genetic and cell biological analysis revealed that an effector protein called cig2 promotes constitutive fusion of autophagosomes with the ccv to maintain this compartment in an autolysosomal stage of maturation. this distinguishes the ccv from other pathogen-containing vacuoles t ... | 2016 | 27435465 |
| coronatin-2 from the entomopathogenic fungus conidiobolus coronatus kills galleria mellonella larvae and incapacitates hemocytes. | coronatin-2, a 14.5 kda protein, was isolated from culture filtrates of the entomopathogenic fungus conidiobolus coronatus (costantin) batko (entomophthoramycota: entomophthorales). after lc-ms/ms (liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry) analysis of the tryptic peptide digest of coronatin-2 and a mass spectra database search no orthologs of this protein could be found in fungi. the highest homology was observed to the partial translation elongation factor 1a from sphaerosporium equinum ( ... | 2017 | 27444104 |
| evaluation of the efficacy of antifungal drugs against paracoccidioides brasiliensis and paracoccidioides lutzii in a galleria mellonella model. | paracoccidioides brasiliensis and p. lutzii belong to a group of thermodimorphic fungi and cause paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm), which is a human systemic mycosis endemic in south and central america. patients with this mycosis are commonly treated with amphotericin b (amb) and azoles. the study of fungal virulence and the efficacy and toxicity of antifungal drugs has been successfully performed in a galleria mellonella infection model. in this work, g. mellonella larvae were infected with two par ... | 2016 | 27444116 |
| coevolution of parasitic fungi and insect hosts. | parasitic fungi and their insect hosts provide an intriguing model system for dissecting the complex co-evolutionary processes, which result in red queen dynamics. to explore the genetic basis behind host-parasite coevolution we chose two parasitic fungi (beauveria bassiana and metarhizium anisopliae, representing the most important entomopathogenic fungi used in the biological control of pest or vector insects) and two established insect model hosts (the greater wax moth galleria mellonella and ... | 2016 | 27448694 |
| death becomes them: bacterial community dynamics and stilbene antibiotic production in cadavers of galleria mellonella killed by heterorhabditis and photorhabdus spp. | insect larvae killed by entomopathogenic nematodes are thought to contain bacterial communities dominated by a single bacterial genus, that of the nematode's bacterial symbiont. in this study, we used next-generation sequencing to profile bacterial community dynamics in greater wax moth (galleria mellonella) larvae cadavers killed by heterorhabditis nematodes and their photorhabdus symbionts. we found that, although photorhabdus strains did initially displace an enterococcus-dominated community ... | 2016 | 27451445 |
| the candida albicans pho4 transcription factor mediates susceptibility to stress and influences fitness in a mouse commensalism model. | the pho4 transcription factor is required for growth under low environmental phosphate concentrations in saccharomyces cerevisiae. a characterization of candida albicans pho4 mutants revealed that these cells are more susceptible to both osmotic and oxidative stress and that this effect is diminished in the presence of 5% co2 or anaerobiosis, reflecting the relevance of oxygen metabolism in the pho4-mediated response. a pho4 mutant was as virulent as wild type strain when assayed in the galleria ... | 2016 | 27458452 |
| synthesis and biofilm formation reduction of pyrazole-4-carboxamide derivatives in some staphylococcus aureus strains. | the ability of several n-phenyl-1h-pyrazole-4-carboxamide derivatives and other pyrazoles opportunely modified at the positions 3, 4 and 5, to reduce the formation of the biofilm in some staphylococcus aureus strains (atcc 29213, atcc 25923 and atcc 6538) were investigated. all the tested compounds were able, although to a different extent, to reduce the biofilm formation of the three bacterial strains considered. among these, the 1-(2,5-dichlorophenyl)-5-methyl-n-phenyl-1h-pyrazole-4-carboxamid ... | 2016 | 27474923 |
| functional characterization of the aspergillus nidulans glucosylceramide pathway reveals that lcb δ8-desaturation and c9-methylation are relevant to filamentous growth, lipid raft localization and psd1 defensin activity. | c8-desaturated and c9-methylated glucosylceramide (glccer) is a fungal-specific sphingolipid that plays an important role in the growth and virulence of many species. in this work, we investigated the contribution of aspergillus nidulans sphingolipid δ8-desaturase (sdea), sphingolipid c9-methyltransferases (smta/smtb) and glucosylceramide synthase (gcsa) to fungal phenotypes, sensitivity to psd1 defensin and galleria mellonella virulence. we showed that δsdea accumulated c8-saturated and unmethy ... | 2016 | 27479571 |
| microbiota from rhabditis regina may alter nematode entomopathogenicity. | here we report the presence of the entomopathogenic nematode rhabditis (rhabditoides) regina affecting white grubs (phyllophaga sp. and anomala sp.) in mexico and r. regina-associated bacteria. bioassays were performed to test the entomopathogenic capacity of dauer and l2 and l3 (combined) larval stages. furthermore, we determined the diversity of bacteria from laboratory nematodes cultivated for 2 years (dauer and l2-l3 larvae) and from field nematodes (dauer and l2-l3 larvae) in addition to th ... | 2016 | 27492201 |
| characterization of enteropathogenic escherichia coli of clinical origin from the pediatric population in pakistan. | enteropathogenic escherichia coli (epec) is one of the leading causes of watery diarrhea among children. | 2016 | 27496516 |
| the synergistic effect of azoles and fluoxetine against resistant candida albicans strains is attributed to attenuating fungal virulence. | this study evaluated the synergistic effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, in combination with azoles against candida albicans both in vitro and in vivo and explored the underlying mechanism. mics, sessile mics, and time-kill curves were determined for resistant c. albicans galleria mellonella was used as a nonvertebrate model for determining the efficacy of the drug combinations against c. albicans in vivo for the mechanism study, gene expression levels of the sap g ... | 2016 | 27503639 |
| vital role for the j-domain protein mdj1 in asexual development, multiple stress tolerance, and virulence of beauveria bassiana. | mdj1 is a member of the hsp40 family containing a dnaj or j domain. here, we have examined the functions of an mdj1 orthologue (56.68 kda) in beauveria bassiana, a filamentous fungal insect pathogen widely applied in biological control of insect pests. deletion of mdj1 in b. bassiana resulted in significant growth defects on a variety of complex and minimal media. the δmdj1 mutant exhibited not only a drastic reduction (92 %) in aerial conidiation during optimal cultivation but also a remarkable ... | 2017 | 27514385 |
| effects of antiviral agent, acyclovir, on the biological fitness of galleria mellonella (lepidoptera: pyralidae) adults. | the effects of a synthetic purine nucleoside analog, antiviral agent, acyclovir (acv), on adult longevity, fecundity, and hatchability of a serious honeycomb pest, greater wax moth galleria mellonella l. were investigated by adding 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, and 3.0% acv into artificial and natural diets. control larvae were reared on diet without acv. the artificial diet containing the lowest level of acv, 0.01%, raised egg production from a number of 12.9 ± 0.6 to 163.2 ± 1.3. the hatching rate of these ... | 2016 | 27515595 |
| hybrid antibiotic overcomes resistance in p. aeruginosa by enhancing outer membrane penetration and reducing efflux. | therapeutic interventions to treat multidrug-resistant (mdr) pseudomonas aeruginosa infections are severely limited and often require the use of colistin as drug of last resort. the major challenges impeding the development of novel antipseudomonal agents are the lack of cell penetration and extensive efflux. we have discovered a tobramycin-moxifloxacin hybrid core structure which enhances outer membrane permeability and reduces efflux by dissipating the proton motive force of the cytoplasmic me ... | 2016 | 27524179 |
| phylogenetic structure and habitat associations of beauveria species isolated from soils in slovakia. | the phylogenetic structure of 109 soil-borne entomopathogenic beauveria isolates acquired using the galleria mellonella bait method from different habitat types in slovakia was determined by sequence analysis of their its and bloc loci. three beauveria species were identified; beauveria bassiana, b. pseudobassiana and b. brongniartii, represented by 51.4%, 43.1% and 5.5% of acquired isolates, respectively, which were resolved into 15, 1 and 1 distinguishable haplotypes. correlation analysis with ... | 2016 | 27546863 |
| comparative pathogenicity of united kingdom isolates of the emerging pathogen candida auris and other key pathogenic candida species. | candida auris, first described in 2009, has since emerged as an important, multidrug-resistant, nosocomial agent of candidemia, with large outbreaks reported worldwide and high mortality rates associated with therapeutic failure. the current study employed c. auris isolates from a variety of centers in the united kingdom to evaluate the pathogenicity of this emerging pathogen compared to that of other common pathogenic yeast species in the invertebrate galleria mellonella infection model. we sho ... | 2017 | 27547827 |
| the shigella prou system is required for osmotic tolerance and virulence. | to cope with hyperosmotic stress encountered in the environments and in the host, the pathogenic as well as non-pathogenic microbes use diverse transport systems to obtain osmoprotectants. to study the role of shigella sonnei prou system in response to hyperosmotic stress and virulence, we constructed deletion and complementation strains of prov and used an rnai approach to silence the whole prou operon. we compared the response between wild type and the mutants to the hyperosmotic pressure in v ... | 2016 | 27558288 |
| characterization of gprk encoding a putative hybrid g-protein-coupled receptor in aspergillus fumigatus. | the g-protein-coupled receptor (gpcr) family represents the largest and most varied collection of membrane embedded proteins that are sensitized by ligand binding and interact with heterotrimeric g proteins. despite their presumed critical roles in fungal biology, the functions of the gpcr family members in the opportunistic human pathogen aspergillus fumigatus are largely unknown, as only two (gprc and gprd) of the 15 predicted gpcrs have been studied. here, we characterize the gprk gene, which ... | 2016 | 27584150 |
| ingestion of the anti-bacterial agent, gemifloxacin mesylate, leads to increased gst activity and peroxidation products in hemolymph of galleria mellonella l. (lepidoptera: pyralidae). | gemifloxacin mesylate (gem) is a synthetic, fourth-generation fluoroquinolone antibacterial antibiotic that has a broad spectrum of activity against bacteria. gem inhibits dna synthesis by inhibiting dna gyrase and topoisomerase iv activities. recent research into insect nutrition and mass-rearing programs, in which antibiotics are incorporated into the culture media to maintain diet quality, raised a question of whether clinical antibiotics influence the health or biological performance of the ... | 2016 | 27588824 |
| antifungal effect of novel 2-bromo-2-chloro-2-(4-chlorophenylsulfonyl)-1-phenylethanone against candida strains. | we investigated the antifungal activity of novel a 2-bromo-2-chloro-2-(4-chlorophenylsulfonyl)-1-phenylethanone (compound 4). the synthesis of compound 4 was commenced from sodium 4-chlorobenzene sulfinate and the final product was obtained by treatment of α-chloro-β-keto-sulfone with sodium hypobromite. the sensitivity of 63 clinical isolates belonging to the most relevant candida species toward compound 4 using the method m27-a3 was evaluated. we observed among most of the clinical strains of ... | 2016 | 27610100 |
| investigating the effect of different treatments with lactic acid bacteria on the fate of listeria monocytogenes and staphylococcus aureus infection in galleria mellonella larvae. | the use of galleria mellonella as a model host to elucidate microbial pathogenesis and search for novel drugs and therapies has been well appreciated over the past years. however, the effect of microorganisms with functional appeal in the specific host remains scarce. the present study investigates the effect of treatment with selected lactic acid bacteria (lab) with probiotic potential, as potential protective agents by using live or heat-killed cells at 6 and 24 h prior to infection with liste ... | 2016 | 27618619 |
| 'get in early'; biofilm and wax moth (galleria mellonella) models reveal new insights into the therapeutic potential of clostridium difficile bacteriophages. | clostridium difficile infection (cdi) is a global health threat associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. conventional antibiotic cdi therapy can result in treatment failure and recurrent infection. c. difficile produces biofilms which contribute to its virulence and impair antimicrobial activity. some bacteriophages (phages) can penetrate biofilms and thus could be developed to either replace or supplement antibiotics. here, we determined the impact of a previously optimized 4-phag ... | 2016 | 27630633 |
| molecular identification, antifungal resistance and virulence of cryptococcus neoformans and cryptococcus deneoformans isolated in seville, spain. | cryptococcal meningitis is one of the leading causes of death in hiv/aids patients. our aim was to in order to characterise the epidemiology, antifungal susceptibility pattern and virulence of 28 cyptococcus sp. strains recovered from 12 aids patients during two years in a spanish single institution. antifungal susceptibility testing was performed according to the clsi protocols. clinical strains were molecularly characterised by serotyping, mating type, pcr fingerprinting (m13 and gaca4 microsa ... | 2017 | 27633849 |
| raf-kinase inhibitor gw5074 shows antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and potentiates the activity of gentamicin. | increasing antimicrobial resistance has compromised the effectiveness of many antibiotics, including those used to treat staphylococcal infections like methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. the development of combination therapies, where antimicrobial agents are used with compounds that inhibit resistance pathways is a promising strategy. results/methodology: the raf kinase inhibitor gw5074 exhibited selective in vitro activity against gram-positive bacteria, including clinical isolates o ... | 2016 | 27652456 |
| variation of burkholderia cenocepacia virulence potential during cystic fibrosis chronic lung infection. | during long-term lung infection in cystic fibrosis (cf) patients, burkholderia cenocepacia faces multiple selective pressures in this highly stressful and fluctuating environment. as a consequence, the initial infecting strain undergoes genetic changes that result in the diversification of genotypes and phenotypes. whether this clonal expansion influences the pathogenic potential is unclear. the virulence potential of 39 sequential b. cenocepacia (reca lineage iiia) isolates, corresponding to 3 ... | 2016 | 27652671 |
| punica granatum l. (pomegranate) extract: in vivo study of antimicrobial activity against porphyromonas gingivalis in galleria mellonella model. | due to the increase of bacterial resistance, medicinal alternatives are being explored. punica granatum l. is an effective herbal extract with broad spectrum of action and bactericidal, antifungal, anthelmintic potential and being able to modulate the immune response. the aim was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of pomegranate glycolic extract (pge) against the periodontal pathogen porphyromonas gingivalis by using galleria mellonella as in vivo model. fifteen larvae were used per group. i ... | 2017 | 27668280 |
| preparation, characterization and in vivo antimycobacterial studies of panchovillin-chitosan nanocomposites. | chitosan (cs, molecular weight 20.2 kda, degree of deacylation (dd) 73.31%) was successfully obtained by deacetylation of chitin extracted from shrimp (litopenaeus vannamei) shell wastes. the encapsulation of the bioactive natural product, panchovillin (panv), isolated from erythrina schliebenii, on a chitosan-tripolyphosphate (cs/tpp) nano-framework was achieved by ionotropic gelation. characterization of pure cs, cs/tpp and panv-cs/tpp nanocomposites was performed by ftir, sem and xrd. the mol ... | 2016 | 27689997 |
| transcript abundance of photorhabdus insect-related (pir) toxin in manduca sexta and galleria mellonella infections. | in this study, we assessed pirab toxin transcription in photorhabdus luminescens laumondii (strain tt01) (enterobacteriaceae) by comparing mrna abundance under in vivo and in vitro conditions. in vivo assays considered both natural and forced infections with two lepidopteran hosts: galleria mellonella and manduca sexta. three portals of entry were utilized for the forced infection assays: (a) integument; (b) the digestive route (via mouth and anus); and (c) the tracheal route (via spiracles). we ... | 2016 | 27690103 |
| genome-wide transcriptome analysis of aspergillus fumigatus exposed to osmotic stress reveals regulators of osmotic and cell wall stresses that are saka(hog1) and mpkc dependent. | invasive aspergillosis is predominantly caused by aspergillus fumigatus, and adaptations to stresses experienced within the human host are a prerequisite for the survival and virulence strategies of the pathogen. the central signal transduction pathway operating during hyperosmotic stress is the high osmolarity glycerol mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. a. fumigatus mpkc and saka, orthologues of the saccharomyces cerevisiae hog1p, constitute the primary regulator of the hyperosmotic stre ... | 2017 | 27706915 |
| galleria mellonella hemocytes: a novel phagocytic assay for leishmania (viannia) braziliensis. | galleria mellonella is an excellent invertebrate model for the study of diseases that involve interactions with cells from the innate immune system, since they have an innate immune system capable of recognizing the pathogens. here we present for the first time, an alternative model for an in vitro phagocytic assay using hemocytes of g. mellonella larvae to study infection by leishmania (viannia) braziliensis. we showed that the insect phagocytic cells were able to engulf promastigotes. furtherm ... | 2016 | 27713019 |
| a naturally occurring antibody fragment neutralizes infectivity of diverse infectious agents. | a phosphorylated peptide, named k40h, derived from the constant region of igms was detected in human serum by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. synthetic k40h proved to exert a potent in vitro activity against fungal pathogens, and to inhibit hiv-1 replication in vitro and ex vivo. it also showed a therapeutic effect against an experimental infection by candida albicans in the invertebrate model galleria mellonella. k40h represents the proof of concept of the in ... | 2016 | 27725769 |
| lactobacillus rhamnosus inhibits candida albicans virulence factors in vitro and modulates immune system in galleria mellonella. | the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential anti-candida effects of lactobacillus rhamnosus atcc 9595 on candida albicans atcc 18804 using in vitro and in vivo models. | 2017 | 27727499 |
| haemocoel injection of pira1b1 to galleria mellonella larvae leads to disruption of the haemocyte immune functions. | the bacterium photorhabdus luminescens produces a number of insecticidal proteins to kill its larval prey. in this study, we cloned the gene coding for a binary toxin pira1b1 and purified the recombinant protein using affinity chromatography combined with desalination technology. furthermore, the cytotoxicity of the recombinant protein against the haemocytes of galleria mellonella larvae was investigated. we found that the protein had haemocoel insecticidal activity against g. mellonella with an ... | 2016 | 27734915 |
| effect of novel triazole-amino acid hybrids on growth and virulence of candida species: in vitro and in vivo studies. | the increasing incidence of human candidiasis and the tendency of candida species to become resistant to existing chemotherapies are well-recognized health problems. the present study demonstrates the successful synthesis of novel triazole-amino acid hybrids with potent in vitro and in vivo inhibitory activity against candida species. particularly, compounds 68 and 70 showed potent in vitro activity against fluconazole (flc) resistant as well as sensitive clinical isolates of candida albicans. t ... | 2016 | 27735963 |
| the group a streptococcus serotype m2 pilus plays a role in host cell adhesion and immune evasion. | group a streptococcus (gas), or streptococcus pyogenes, is a human pathogen that causes diseases ranging from skin and soft tissue infections to severe invasive diseases, such as toxic shock syndrome. each gas strain carries a particular pilus type encoded in the variable fibronectin-binding, collagen-binding, t antigen (fct) genomic region. here, we describe the functional analysis of the serotype m2 pilus encoded in the fct-6 region. we found that, in contrast to other investigated gas pili, t ... | 2017 | 27741558 |
| synergistic effect of pedalitin and amphotericin b against cryptococcus neoformans by in vitro and in vivo evaluation. | cryptococcosis is an opportunistic fungal infection responsible for high morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. combination of antifungal substances is a promising way to increase the percentage of successful treatment. pedalitin (ped) is a natural substance obtained from pterogyne nitens. the aim of this study was to verify the efficacy of ped alone and in combination with amphotericin b (amb) in vitro and in vivo against cryptococcus spp. in the in vitro assay, minimum inhibito ... | 2016 | 27742203 |
| synthesis of novel tetrazole derivatives and evaluation of their antifungal activity. | with the appearance of the antifungal resistance, novel antifungal agents need to be identified. in this context new 2,5-disubstituted tetrazole derivatives containing benzothiazole, benzoxazole or phenylsulfonyl moiety were synthesized by n-alkylation of aryltetrazole with 2-[(3-chloropropyl)sulfanyl]-1,3-benzothiazole or 2-[(3-chloropropyl)sulfanyl]-1,3-benzoxazole and michael-type addition of aryltetrazole to phenyl vinyl sulfone. the chemical structures of the synthesized compounds were conf ... | 2016 | 27745991 |
| a novel fucose-binding lectin from photorhabdus luminescens (pll) with an unusual heptabladed β-propeller tetrameric structure. | photorhabdus luminescens is known for its symbiosis with the entomopathogenic nematode heterorhabditis bacteriophora and its pathogenicity toward insect larvae. a hypothetical protein from p. luminescens was identified, purified from the native source, and characterized as an l-fucose-binding lectin, named p. luminescens lectin (pll). glycan array and biochemical characterization data revealed pll to be specific toward l-fucose and the disaccharide glycan 3,6-o-me2-glcβ1-4(2,3-o-me2)rhaα-o-(p-c6 ... | 2016 | 27758853 |
| multiple roles for a novel rnd-type efflux system in acinetobacter baumannii ab5075. | colony opacity phase variation in acinetobacter baumannii strain ab5075 is regulated by a reversible high-frequency switch. transposon mutagenesis was used to generate mutations that decreased the opaque to translucent switch and a gene encoding a predicted periplasmic membrane fusion component of a resistance-nodulation-cell division (rnd)-type efflux system was isolated. this gene was designated arpa and immediately downstream was a gene designated arpb that encodes a predicted membrane transp ... | 2016 | 27762102 |
| identification and characterization of vni/vnii and novel vnii/vniv hybrids and impact of hybridization on virulence and antifungal susceptibility within the c. neoformans/c. gattii species complex. | cryptococcus neoformans and c. gattii are pathogenic basidiomycetous yeasts and the commonest cause of fungal infection of the central nervous system. cryptococci are typically haploid but several inter-species, inter-varietal and intra-varietal hybrids have been reported. it has a bipolar mating system with sexual reproduction occurring normally between two individuals with opposite mating types, α and a. this study set out to characterize hybrid isolates within the c. neoformans/c. gattii spec ... | 2016 | 27764108 |
| the temperate burkholderia phage ap3 of the peduovirinae shows efficient antimicrobial activity against b. cenocepacia of the iiia lineage. | burkholderia phage ap3 (vb_bcem_ap3) is a temperate virus of the myoviridae and the peduovirinae subfamily (p2likevirus genus). this phage specifically infects multidrug-resistant clinical burkholderia cenocepacia lineage iiia strains commonly isolated from cystic fibrosis patients. ap3 exhibits high pairwise nucleotide identity (61.7 %) to burkholderia phage ks5, specific to the same b. cenocepacia host, and has 46.7-49.5 % identity to phages infecting other species of burkholderia. the lysis c ... | 2017 | 27770178 |
| the multidrug resistance transporters cgtpo1_1 and cgtpo1_2 play a role in virulence and biofilm formation in the human pathogen candida glabrata. | the mechanisms of persistence and virulence associated with candida glabrata infections are poorly understood, limiting the ability to fight this fungal pathogen. in this study, the multidrug resistance transporters cgtpo1_1 and cgtpo1_2 are shown to play a role in c. glabrata virulence. the survival of the infection model galleria mellonella, infected with c. glabrata, was found to increase upon the deletion of either cgtpo1_1 or cgtpo1_2. the underlying mechanisms were further explored. in the ... | 2017 | 27780306 |
| flhf is required for swarming motility and full pathogenicity of bacillus cereus. | besides sporulation, bacillus cereus can undergo a differentiation process in which short swimmer cells become elongated and hyperflagellated swarmer cells that favor migration of the bacterial community on a surface. the functionally enigmatic flagellar protein flhf, which is the third paralog of the signal recognition particle (srp) gtpases ffh and ftsy, is required for swarming in many bacteria. previous data showed that flhf is involved in the control of the number and positioning of flagell ... | 2016 | 27807433 |
| the wax moth galleria mellonella as a novel model system to study enteroaggregative escherichia coli pathogenesis. | 2016 | 27824518 | |
| galleria mellonella lysozyme induces apoptotic changes in candida albicans cells. | the greater wax moth galleria mellonella has been increasingly used as a model host to determine candida albicans virulence and efficacy of antifungal treatment. the g. mellonella lysozyme, similarly to its human counterpart, is a member of the c-type family of lysozymes that exhibits antibacterial and antifungal activity. however, in contrast to the relatively well explained bactericidal action, the mechanism of fungistatic and/or fungicidal activity of lysozymes is still not clear. in the pres ... | 2016 | 27825480 |
| temporal profile of biofilm formation, gene expression and virulence analysis in candida albicans strains. | the characterization of candida albicans strains with different degrees of virulence became very useful to understand the mechanisms of fungal virulence. then, the objective of this study was to assess and compare the temporal profiles of biofilms formation, gene expression of als1, als3, hwp1, bcr1, efg1, tec1, sap5, plb2 and lip9 and virulence in galleria mellonella of c. albicans atcc18804 and a clinical sample isolated from an hiv-positive patient (ca60). although the cfu/ml counting was hig ... | 2017 | 27830437 |
| alternative animal and non-animal models for drug discovery and development: bonus or burden? | mammalian models have served as a basis for r&d over the past decades. nevertheless, these models are expensive, laborious, may yield results that cannot always be translated into the human in vivo situation and, more recently, have reverberated great social and ethical dilemmas. hence, the prospect of changes in the global scientific scenario and the three rs principle (reduction, replacement and refinement) have encouraged the development of alternative methods to the use of mammals. despite t ... | 2017 | 27858217 |
| iron-regulated phospholipase c activity contributes to the cytolytic activity and virulence of acinetobacter baumannii. | acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic gram-negative pathogen that causes a wide range of infections including pneumonia, septicemia, necrotizing fasciitis and severe wound and urinary tract infections. analysis of a. baumannii representative strains grown in chelex 100-treated medium for hemolytic activity demonstrated that this pathogen is increasingly hemolytic to sheep, human and horse erythrocytes, which interestingly contain increasing amounts of phosphatidylcholine in their membranes ... | 2016 | 27875572 |
| effects of storage temperature on survival and infectivity of three indigenous entomopathogenic nematodes strains (steinernematidae and heterorhabditidae) from meghalaya, india. | three locally isolated strains of entomopathogenic nematodes (epns), viz. heterorhabditis indica, steinernema thermophilum and steinernema glaseri, from meghalaya, india were characterized in terms of storage temperature and survival and infectivity of their infective juveniles (ijs). the survival and infectivity of nematode ijs was studied at, 5 ± 2 and 25 ± 2 °c, for a period of 120 days, using deionized water as storage medium. the viability of nematode ijs was checked by mobility criterion a ... | 2016 | 27876904 |
| cross-talk between staphylococcus aureus and other staphylococcal species via the agr quorum sensing system. | staphylococci are associated with both humans and animals. while most are non-pathogenic colonizers, staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen capable of causing severe infections. s. aureus virulence is controlled by the agr quorum sensing system responding to secreted auto-inducing peptides (aips) sensed by agrc, a two component histidine kinase. agr loci are found also in other staphylococcal species and for staphylococcus epidermidis, the encoded aip represses expression of agr regu ... | 2016 | 27877157 |
| using galleria mellonella as an infection model for campylobacter jejuni pathogenesis. | nonmammalian model systems of infection have been employed recently to study bacterial virulence. for instance, galleria mellonella (the greater wax moth) has been shown to be susceptible to infection by many bacterial pathogens including the enteric pathogen campylobacter jejuni. in contrast to the traditional animal models for c. jejuni such as the chick colonization model and ferret diarrheal model, the galleria mellonella infection model has the advantages of lower cost, ease of use and no a ... | 2017 | 27885606 |
| the burkholderia cenocepacia peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein is involved in epithelial cell attachment and elicitation of inflammation. | the burkholderia cepacia complex (bcc) is a group of gram-negative opportunistic pathogens causing infections in people with cystic fibrosis (cf). bcc is highly antibiotic resistant, making conventional antibiotic treatment problematic. the identification of novel targets for anti-virulence therapies should improve therapeutic options for infected cf patients. we previously identified that the peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (pal) was immunogenic in bcc infected cf patients; however, its ro ... | 2017 | 27886433 |
| inhibition of eicosanoid signaling leads to increased lipid peroxidation in a host/parasitoid system. | we posed the hypothesis that inhibition of eicosanoid biosynthesis leads to increased lipid peroxidation in insects. here we report that rearing the greater wax moth, galleria mellonella, on media supplemented with selected inhibitors of eicosanoid biosynthesis throughout the larval, pupal and adult life led to major alterations in selected oxidative and antioxidative parameters of wax moth and its ectoparasitoid, bracon hebetor. the highest dietary dexamethasone (dex), esculetin (esc) and pheni ... | 2017 | 27887946 |
| two symbiotic bacteria of the entomopathogenic nematode heterorhabditis spp. against galleria mellonella. | the entomopathogenic nematode heterorhabditis spp. is considered a promising agent in the biocontrol of injurious insects of agriculture. however, different symbiotic bacteria associated with the nematode usually have different specificity and virulence toward their own host. in this study, two symbiotic bacteria, ly2w and nk, were isolated from the intestinal canals of two entomopathogenic nematode heterorhabditis megidis 90 (pdsj1 and pdsj2) from galleria mellonela, separately. to determine th ... | 2017 | 27889603 |
| fungal infection dynamics in response to temperature in the lepidopteran insect galleria mellonella. | this study examines how the dynamics of fungus-insect interactions can be modulated by temperature. the wax moth, galleria mellonella, is a well-studied and important model insect whose larvae in the wild develop optimally at around 34 °c in beehives. however, surprisingly little research on wax moths has been conducted at relevant temperatures. in this study, the entomopathogenic fungus metarhizium robertsii inflicted rapid and substantial mortality on wax moth larvae maintained at a constant t ... | 2016 | 27900825 |
| comparative analysis of phenol-soluble modulin production and galleria mellonella killing by community-associated and healthcare-associated meticillin-resistant staphylococcusaureus strains. | community-associated meticillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (ca-mrsa) have emerged globally and have been associated with more severe disease than healthcare-associated mrsa (ha-mrsa). the purpose of this study was to determine whether laboratory measures of virulence can distinguish dominant ca-mrsa clones from ha-mrsa clones. we compared the production of phenol-soluble modulins (psms) and ability to kill galleria mellonella caterpillars for a range of ca- and ha-mrsa strains. twenty-two h ... | 2016 | 27902400 |
| response of three cyprinid fish species to the scavenger deterrent factor produced by the mutualistic bacteria associated with entomopathogenic nematodes. | the symbiotic bacteria, photorhabdus and xenorhabdus associated with entomopathogenic nematodes (epns) in the genera heterorhabditis and steinernema, respectively, produce a compound(s) called the scavenging deterrent factor (sdf). sdf deters a number of terrestrial insect scavengers and predators and one bird species from feeding on host insects killed by the nematode-bacterium complex but has not been tested against aquatic vertebrates. moreover, the heterorhabditis-photorhabdus association is ... | 2017 | 27908637 |
| capsule-targeting depolymerase, derived from klebsiella kp36 phage, as a tool for the development of anti-virulent strategy. | the rise of antibiotic-resistant klebsiella pneumoniae, a leading nosocomial pathogen, prompts the need for alternative therapies. we have identified and characterized a novel depolymerase enzyme encoded by klebsiella phage kp36 (depokp36), from the siphoviridae family. to gain insights into the catalytic and structural features of depokp36, we have recombinantly produced this protein of 93.4 kda and showed that it is able to hydrolyze a crude exopolysaccharide of a k. pneumoniae host. using in ... | 2016 | 27916936 |
| the er-mitochondria encounter structure contributes to hyphal growth, mitochondrial morphology and virulence of the pathogenic mold aspergillus fumigatus. | aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen and the primary causative species of invasive aspergillosis, a systemic disease associated with high mortality rates. treatment of invasive fungal infection relies on a very limited number of antifungal drug classes. in order to extend the spectrum of antifungal drugs novel target structures have to be identified. the er-mitochondria encounter structure (ermes), a recently discovered tether that links mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulu ... | 2017 | 27939177 |
| repurposing the anticancer drug mitomycin c for the treatment of persistent acinetobacter baumannii infections. | acinetobacter baumannii is an emergent opportunistic bacterial pathogen responsible for recalcitrant infections owing to its high intrinsic tolerance to most antibiotics; therefore, suitable strategies to treat these infections are needed. one plausible approach is the repurposing of drugs that are already in use. among them, anticancer drugs may be especially useful due their cytotoxic activities and ample similarities between bacterial infections and growing tumours. in this work, the effectiv ... | 2017 | 27939675 |
| changes occurred in the testes and dna pattern of males wax moth (galleria mellonella) first generation as a result of irradiation of their parents. | nowadays, the sterile insect technique is broadly used as a pest control measure. therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the alteration occurred in testes and dna pattern as an effect of inherited sterility. full grown pupae of the wax moth, galleria mellonella were irradiated with 80 and 160 gy of γ irradiation. the size of the testes was decreased by increasing of γ irradiation dose. also, the size of the testes was decreased in f 1 males comparing with the size of the teste ... | 2016 | 27974072 |
| evaluation of galleria mellonella larvae for studying the virulence of streptococcus suis. | streptococcus suis is an encapsulated gram-positive bacterium and the leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in young pigs, resulting in considerable economic losses in the porcine industry. s. suis is considered an emerging zoonotic agent with increasing numbers of human cases over the last years. in the environment, both avirulent and virulent strains occur in pigs, with no evidence for consistent adapatation of virulent strains to the human host. currently, there is an urgent need for a conve ... | 2016 | 27978817 |
| novel cadmium resistance determinant in listeria monocytogenes. | listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can cause severe disease (listeriosis) in susceptible individuals. it is ubiquitous in the environment and often exhibits resistance to heavy metals. one of the determinants that enables listeria to tolerate exposure to cadmium is the cadac efflux system, with cada being a p-type atpase. three different cada genes (designated cada1 to cada3) were previously characterized in l. monocytogenes a novel putative cadmium resistance gene (cada4) was r ... | 2017 | 27986731 |
| disruption of protein mannosylation affects candida guilliermondii cell wall, immune sensing, and virulence. | the fungal cell wall contains glycoproteins that interact with the host immune system. in the prominent pathogenic yeast candida albicans, pmr1 acts as a golgi-resident ion pump that provides cofactors to mannosyltransferases, regulating the synthesis of mannans attached to glycoproteins. to gain insight into a putative conservation of such a crucial process within opportunistic yeasts, we were particularly interested in studying the role of the pmr1 homolog in a low-virulent species that rarely ... | 2016 | 27994582 |
| antimicrobial activity and interactions of cationic peptides derived from galleria mellonella cecropin d-like peptide with model membranes. | antimicrobial peptides are effector molecules of the innate immune system against invading pathogens. the cationic charge in their structures has a strong correlation with antimicrobial activity, being responsible for the initial electrostatic interaction between peptides and the anionic microbial surface. this paper contains evidence that charge modification in the neutral peptide gm cecropin d-like (wt) improved the antimicrobial activity of the modified peptides. two cationic peptides derived ... | 2017 | 27999446 |