Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| syndromic surveillance in bioterrorist attacks. | 2005 | 16673516 | |
| a 43-year-old colonel with chills, diaphoresis, and headache. | the objectives were to illustrate the ease with which one might attribute concomitant or subsequent illness to an exposure such as the anthrax vaccine and to demonstrate an approach that keeps the significance of such exposures in appropriate perspective. a 43-year-old, active duty, army officer presents with a variety of nonspecific common symptoms and raises concerns about the relationship of his symptoms to receipt of the anthrax vaccine. he is admitted for an evaluation that includes a serie ... | 2006 | 16673751 |
| synthesis of copolymers containing an active ester of methacrylic acid by raft: controlled molecular weight scaffolds for biofunctionalization. | we report the controlled radical copolymerization of n-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (hpma) with a monomer containing an active ester, n-methacryloyloxysuccinimide (nms), by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (raft). the large difference in the reactivity ratios of hpma and nms resulted in significant variations in copolymer composition with increasing conversion during batch copolymerization. the use of a semi-batch copolymerization method, involving the gradual addition of the ... | 2006 | 16677052 |
| sverdlovsk revisited: modeling human inhalation anthrax. | several models have been proposed for the dose-response function and the incubation period distribution for human inhalation anthrax. these models give very different predictions for the severity of a hypothetical bioterror attack, when an attack might be detected from clinical cases, the efficacy of medical intervention and the requirements for decontamination. using data from the 1979 accidental atmospheric release of anthrax in sverdlovsk, russia, and limited nonhuman primate data, this paper ... | 2006 | 16679412 |
| cutaneous anthrax as an occupational disease in central anatolia, turkey. | 2006 | 16680276 | |
| observing local and global properties of metabolic pathways: 'load points' and 'choke points' in the metabolic networks. | the local and global aspects of metabolic network analyses allow us to identify enzymes or reactions that are crucial for the survival of the organism(s), therefore directing us towards the discovery of potential drug targets. | 2006 | 16682421 |
| rapid, sensitive, and specific lateral-flow immunochromatographic device to measure anti-anthrax protective antigen immunoglobulin g in serum and whole blood. | evidence from animals suggests that anti-anthrax protective antigen (pa) immunoglobulin g (igg) from vaccination with anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava) is protective against bacillus anthracis infection. measurement of anti-pa igg in human sera can be performed using either enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or fluorescent covalent microsphere immunoassay (elisa) (r. e. biagini, d. l. sammons, j. p. smith, b. a. mackenzie, c. a. striley, v. semenova, e. steward-clark, k. stamey, a. e. freeman, c. p. ... | 2006 | 16682473 |
| thump from archaeal trna:m22g10 methyltransferase, a genuine autonomously folding domain. | the trna:m2(2)g10 methyltransferase of pyrococus abyssi (pab1283, a member of cog1041) catalyzes the n2,n2-dimethylation of guanosine at position 10 in trna. boundaries of its thump (thiouridine synthases, rna methyltransferases and pseudo-uridine synthases)--containing n-terminal domain [1-152] and c-terminal catalytic domain [157-329] were assessed by trypsin limited proteolysis. an inter-domain flexible region of at least six residues was revealed. the n-terminal domain was then produced as a ... | 2006 | 16687654 |
| media, law, and the public's health. | 2005 | 16689163 | |
| dynamics of no rebinding to the heme domain of no synthase-like proteins from bacterial pathogens. | some gram-positive bacterial pathogens harbor a gene that encodes a protein (hns, heme domain of no synthase-like proteins) with striking sequence identity to the oxygenase domain of mammalian no synthases (nos). however, they lack the n-terminal and the zn-cysteine motif participating to the stability of an active dimer in the mammalian isoforms. the unique properties of hns make it an excellent model system for probing how the heme environment tunes no dynamics and for comparing it to the endo ... | 2006 | 16690332 |
| environmental survey for four pathogenic bacteria and closely related species using phylogenetic and functional genes. | bacterial species with high dna sequence similarity to pathogens could affect the specificity of assays designed to detect biological threat agents in environmental samples. the natural presence of four pathogenic bacteria, bacillus anthracis, clostridium perfringens, francisella tularensis, and yersinia pestis and their closely related species, was determined for a large collection of soil and aerosol samples. polymerase chain reaction (pcr) and gene sequencing were used using group-specific 16 ... | 2006 | 16696701 |
| composition of bacillus species in aerosols from 11 u.s. cities. | a pcr-based heteroduplex assay was used to determine the presence and composition of bacillus species in 11,059 environmental protection agency pm2.5 aerosol samples from 11 u.s. cities. the assay differentiated three groups: type a containing bacillus anthracis and very closely related, often pathogenic, bacillus cereus and bacillus thuringiensis strains; type b containing other b. cereus and b. thuringiensis strains; and a third group of more-distantly related bacillus species. eight of the 11 ... | 2006 | 16696702 |
| characterization of a permissive epitope insertion site in adenovirus hexon. | a robust immune response is generated against components of the adenovirus capsid. in particular, a potent and long-lived humoral response is elicited against the hexon protein. this is due to the efficient presentation of adenovirus capsid proteins to cd4+ t cells by antigen-presenting cells, in addition to the highly repetitive structure of the adenovirus capsids, which can efficiently stimulate b-cell proliferation. in the present study, we take advantage of this immune response by inserting ... | 2006 | 16699016 |
| manganese transport and the role of manganese in virulence. | two areas of research have recently converged to highlight important roles for mn(2+) in pathogenesis: the recognition that both bacterial nramp homologs and members of lrai family of proteins are mn(2+) transporters. their mutation is associated with decreased virulence of various bacterial species. thus, mn(2+) appears to be essential for bacterial virulence. this review describes what is currently known about mn(2+) transport in prokaryotes and how prokaryotic mn(2+) transport is regulated. s ... | 2006 | 16704341 |
| the superoxide dismutases of bacillus anthracis do not cooperatively protect against endogenous superoxide stress. | the bacillus anthracis chromosome encodes four unique, putative superoxide dismutase (sod) genes. during exponential growth and sporulation, soda1, soda2, and sodc are transcribed constitutively throughout the growth cycle as individual genes. in contrast, the transcription of sod15 occurs mainly during late exponential and sporulation phases as part of a four-gene operon that may be involved in spore formation. vegetative cell and spore lysates of wild-type sterne and superoxide dismutase delet ... | 2006 | 16707676 |
| confronting infectious diseases is a perpetual struggle, top official says. | 2006 | 16709878 | |
| cutaneous anthrax, belgian traveler. | 2006 | 16710982 | |
| blocking of an ion channel by a highly charged drug: modeling the effects of applied voltage, electrolyte concentration, and drug concentration. | we present a simple physical model to estimate the blocked pore probability of an ion channel that can be blocked by a highly charged drug in solution. the model is inspired by recent experimental work on the blocking of the pa(63) channel, involved in the anthrax toxin infection, by a highly charged drug [karginov pnas 102, 15075 (2005)]. the drug binding to the pore is highly specific but the strong dependence of blocking on the applied voltage and electrolyte concentration suggests that long ... | 2006 | 16711843 |
| topical application of escherichia coli-vectored vaccine as a simple method for eliciting protective immunity. | we report here that animals can be protected against lethal infection by clostridium tetani cells and bacillus anthracis spores following topical application of intact particles of live or gamma-irradiated escherichia coli vectors overproducing tetanus and anthrax antigens, respectively. cutaneous gammadeltat cells were rapidly recruited to the administration site. live e. coli cells were not found in nonskin tissues after topical application, although fragments of e. coli dna were disseminated ... | 2006 | 16714593 |
| nasal immunization with anthrax protective antigen protein adjuvanted with polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid induced strong mucosal and systemic immunities. | the current anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava) was originally licensed for the prevention of cutaneous anthrax infection. it has many drawbacks, including the requirement for multiple injections and subsequent annual boosters. thus, an easily administrable and efficacious anthrax vaccine is needed to prevent the most lethal form of anthrax infection, inhalation anthrax. we propose to develop a nasal anthrax vaccine using anthrax protective antigen (pa) protein as the antigen and synthetic double-str ... | 2006 | 16718616 |
| recombinant viral-like particles of parvovirus b19 as antigen carriers of anthrax protective antigen. | viral-like particles (vlps) of parvovirus b19 were employed as an antigen carrier to present antigenic determinants of bacillus anthracis. the small-loop peptide and the full-length domain 4 of protective antigen (pa) were chosen as immunogens for presentation on the vlp-capsid surface and subsequent immunization of balb/c mice. the recombinant vlps induced anti-pa igg titers of up to 2.5 x 10(4). neutralization assays showed that the recombinant vlps elicited neutralizing anti-pa antibody titer ... | 2006 | 16724664 |
| specific electrochemical phage sensing for bacillus cereus and mycobacterium smegmatis. | the rapid and reliable detection of pathogenic microorganisms is an important issue for the safety and security of our society. here we describe the use of a sensitive, inexpensive, amperometric, phage-based biosensor for the detection of extremely low concentrations of bacillus cereus and mycobacterium smegmatis as models for bacillus anthracis (the causative agent of anthrax) and for mycobacterium tuberculosis (the causative agent of tuberculosis), respectively. the detection procedure develop ... | 2007 | 16725377 |
| a review of the interaction of bacillus anthracis with cells of the innate immune response. | bacillus anthracis spores cause natural infections and can be used as biological weapons. the innate immune response is the first line of defence against invading pathogens and is likely to play a central role in this acute infection. to date the immune evasion mechanisms of b. anthracis are not well understood. infection by inhalation with b. anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax, is almost always lethal, yet cutaneous infections usually remain localized and resolve spontaneously in the m ... | 2006 | 16729468 |
| rapid discrimination of bacillus anthracis from other members of the b. cereus group by mass and sequence of "intact" small acid soluble proteins (sasps) using mass spectrometry. | the intentional contamination of buildings, e.g. anthrax in the bioterrorism attacks of 2001, demonstrated that the population can be affected rapidly and lethally if the appropriate treatment is not provided at the right time. molecular approaches, primarily involving pcr, have proved useful in characterizing "white powders" used in these attacks as well as isolated organisms. however there is a need for a simpler approach, which does not involve temperamental reagents (e.g. enzymes and primers ... | 2006 | 16730083 |
| topical immunization onto mouse skin using a microemulsion incorporated with an anthrax protective antigen protein-encoding plasmid. | the current anthrax vaccine in the u.s., the anthrax vaccine adsorbed, has several serious drawbacks, most notably the very lengthy and complicated dosing schedule. thus, there is a critical need to develop an alternative anthrax vaccine with a simplified immunization schedule. to address this need, we evaluated the feasibility of topically priming or boosting onto the skin using an anthrax protective antigen (pa) protein-encoding dna vaccine. to this end, we have shown that topical immunization ... | 2006 | 16730934 |
| emerging infectious disease outbreaks: old lessons and new challenges for obstetrician-gynecologists. | the purpose of this study was to summarize 3 recent high-profile infectious disease threats that have affected the united states: severe acute respiratory syndrome, west nile virus, and anthrax. | 2006 | 16731070 |
| anthrax meningoencephalitis secondary to oral infection. | 2006 | 16732167 | |
| anthrax. | 2006 | 16737110 | |
| modeling the effects of a staphylococcal enterotoxin b (seb) on the apoptosis pathway. | the lack of detailed understanding of the mechanism of action of many biowarfare agents poses an immediate challenge to biodefense efforts. many potential bioweapons have been shown to affect the cellular pathways controlling apoptosis 1234. for example, pathogen-produced exotoxins such as staphylococcal enterotoxin b (seb) and anthrax lethal factor (lf) have been shown to disrupt the fas-mediated apoptotic pathway 24. to evaluate how these agents affect these pathways it is first necessary to u ... | 2006 | 16737533 |
| a new bacillus anthracis found in wild chimpanzees and a gorilla from west and central africa. | 2006 | 16738706 | |
| resident cd11c+ lung cells are impaired by anthrax toxins after spore infection. | bacillus anthracis secretes 2 toxins: lethal toxin (lt) and edema toxin (et). we investigated their role in the physiopathologic mechanisms of inhalational anthrax by evaluating murine lung dendritic cell (ldc) functions after infection with b. anthracis strains secreting lt, et, or both or with a nontoxinogenic strain. three lung cell populations gated on cd11c/cd11b expression were obtained after lung digestion: (1) cd11c(high)/cd11b(low) (alveolar macrophages), (2) cd11c(intermediate (int))/c ... | 2006 | 16741886 |
| the capsular substance of bacillus anthracis: with an appendix by p. bruce white. | 1946 | 16748005 | |
| bacillus anthracis toxins inhibit human neutrophil nadph oxidase activity. | bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is a gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium. b. anthracis virulence is ascribed mainly to a secreted tripartite ab-type toxin composed of three proteins designated protective ag (pa), lethal factor, and edema factor. pa assembles with the enzymatic portions of the toxin, the metalloprotease lethal factor, and/or the adenylate cyclase edema factor, to generate lethal toxin (ltx) and edema toxin (etx), respectively. these toxins enter cells throu ... | 2006 | 16751402 |
| evaluation of a macrofoam swab protocol for the recovery of bacillus anthracis spores from a steel surface. | a protocol to recover bacillus anthracis spores from a steel surface using macrofoam swabs was evaluated for its accuracy, precision, reproducibility, and limit of detection. macrofoam swabs recovered 31.7 to 49.1% of spores from 10-cm2 steel surfaces with a < or =32.7% coefficient of variation in sampling precision and reproducibility for inocula of > or =38 spores. | 2006 | 16751562 |
| thermal inactivation of bacillus anthracis spores in cow's milk. | decimal reduction time (time to inactivate 90% of the population) (d) values of bacillus anthracis spores in milk ranged from 3.4 to 16.7 h at 72 degrees c and from 1.6 to 3.3 s at 112 degrees c. the calculated increase of temperature needed to reduce the d value by 90% varied from 8.7 to 11.0 degrees c, and the arrhenius activation energies ranged from 227.4 to 291.3 kj/mol. six-log-unit viability reductions were achieved at 120 degrees c for 16 s. these results suggest that a thermal process s ... | 2006 | 16751573 |
| simultaneous identification and verification of bacillus anthracis. | specific identification of bacillus anthracis (b. anthracis) is vital for the accurate treatment of afflicted personnel during biological warfare situations and civilian terrorist attacks. in order to accomplish this, we have subjected the lysates from b. anthracis to affinity purification using monoclonal antibodies for the selected antigenic protein present in the bacteria. the bound antigenic protein was identified by multi-dimensional protein identification technology (mudpit) to be a surfac ... | 2006 | 16755617 |
| [a comparative analysis of molecular-genetic peculiarities of the genomes of cholera, plague and anthrax agents and their evolutional transformations]. | cholera, plague, and anthrax, the diseases that have accounted for millions of human victims, still endanger the entire mankind by possible development of epidemic outbreaks due to their spread or application as bioterrorist agents. generalized results of research into the genomic features of the vibrio cholerae, yersinia pestis, and bacillus anthracis are discussed. despite different frequencies of evolutional transformations occurring in their genomes, that are likely to be associated with div ... | 2006 | 16755997 |
| self-association of the transmembrane domain of an anthrax toxin receptor. | protective antigen (pa), lethal factor (lf) and edema factor (ef) are secreted individually by bacillus anthracis. these components of anthrax toxin must then assemble into complexes to intoxicate mammalian cells. toxin assembly initiates when molecules of pa bind mammalian receptors antxr1/2 and are cleaved by surface proteases into 20 kda and 63 kda fragments. after pa20 dissociates, receptor-bound pa63 homo-oligomerizes into heptamers. oligomeric pa63 binds ef and lf and these complexes are i ... | 2006 | 16756998 |
| long-lasting t cell responses to biological warfare vaccines in human vaccinees. | medical countermeasures against biological warfare include the use of vaccines for anthrax and plague, which require repeated dosing and adjuvant to achieve adequate protection from threats such as inhalational anthrax and pneumonic plague. despite the widespread use of these measures in preparation for recent military deployments, little is known about the cell-mediated immune response that is induced by these vaccines, in comparison with conventional vaccines, such as pertussis or tetanus-diph ... | 2006 | 16758411 |
| plant vs. pathogen: enlisting tobacco in the fight against anthrax. | 2006 | 16759974 | |
| detection of anthrax toxin in the serum of animals infected with bacillus anthracis by using engineered immunoassays. | several strategies that target anthrax toxin are being developed as therapies for infection by bacillus anthracis. although the action of the tripartite anthrax toxin has been extensively studied in vitro, relatively little is known about the presence of toxins during an infection in vivo. we developed a series of sensitive sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisas) for detection of both the protective antigen (pa) and lethal factor (lf) components of the anthrax exotoxin in serum. the ... | 2006 | 16760326 |
| cationic polyamines inhibit anthrax lethal factor protease. | anthrax is a human disease that results from infection by the bacteria, bacillus anthracis and has recently been used as a bioterrorist agent. historically, this disease was associated with bacillus spore exposure from wool or animal carcasses. while current vaccine approaches (targeted against the protective antigen) are effective for prophylaxis, multiple doses must be injected. common antibiotics that block the germination process are effective but must be administered early in the infection ... | 2006 | 16762077 |
| enhancement of an analytical method for the determination of squalene in anthrax vaccine adsorbed formulations. | specific lots of anthrax vaccine adsorbed administered to members of the u.s. armed forces have been alleged to contain squalene, a chemical purported to be associated with illnesses of gulf war veterans. a method of enhanced sensitivity for determining squalene in anthrax vaccine adsorbed using high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection has been developed, validated, and applied to 44 bottles of 38 lots of anthrax vaccine. in 43 bottles of 37 lots, no squalene was de ... | 2006 | 16762524 |
| anthrax: from antiquity and obscurity to a front-runner in bioterrorism. | 2006 | 16762737 | |
| anthrax toxin receptor 1/tumor endothelium marker 8 mediates cell spreading by coupling extracellular ligands to the actin cytoskeleton. | tumor endothelial marker 8 (tem8) is induced in tumor-associated vasculature and acts as a receptor for protective antigen (pa), the cell-binding component of the anthrax toxin determinant for toxin entrance into cells. however, the normal function for tem8 remains unknown. we show that tem8 functions as an adhesion molecule mediating cell spreading on immobilized pa and collagen i. the mechanism for tem8 interaction with collagen i was cell type-specific, because binding to collagen i was abrog ... | 2006 | 16762926 |
| immunization to protect the us armed forces: heritage, current practice, and prospects. | americans serving with the us armed forces need protection from the dangerous infections that they can contract during training, based on occupation, during overseas deployment, or because of underlying health status. for over 230 years, the military health-care system has immunized troops to protect them personally and to help them accomplish their missions. military researchers have invented, developed, and improved vaccines and immunization delivery methods against more than 20 diseases. this ... | 2006 | 16763072 |
| vacuum sampling techniques for industrial hygienists, with emphasis on beryllium dust sampling. | the u.s. department of energy (doe) chronic beryllium disease prevention program rule, 10 cfr part 850 became effective in 2000 in response to the prevalence of chronic beryllium disease (cbd) in workers. the rule requires surface and air monitoring for beryllium to determine exposure levels and the evaluation of the effectiveness of controls used to minimize or eliminate that risk. the most common methods for surface sampling use wet or dry wipes. wipe sampling techniques may be impractical for ... | 2006 | 16767227 |
| anthrax vaccination and risk of optic neuritis in the united states military, 1998-2003. | numerous case reports have suggested a possible association between optic neuritis and receipt of several different vaccines. the most frequently identified vaccines associated with optic neuritis in the literature are influenza and hepatitis b, and a report describing 2 us military cases suggests an association with the currently used anthrax vaccine (anthrax vaccine adsorbed). | 2006 | 16769869 |
| [sporicidal activity of hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid against bacillus anthracis spores]. | the aim of the presented study was determined the effectiveness of sporicidal activity the peracetic acid and the hydrogen peroxide against b. anthracis spores. in the investigations was used b. anthracis stain "sterne" 34f2. as inactivators were applied 0,5 % natriumthiosulphate and catalase. the obtained results show that the sporicidal effect of studied substances depends from their concentration and operates time. 5% water solution of peracetic acid shows the full sporicidal activity after o ... | 2005 | 16773838 |
| real-time monitoring of the membrane-binding and insertion properties of the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin anthrolysin o from bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis has recently been shown to secrete a potently hemolytic/cytolytic protein that has been designated anthrolysin o (alo). in this work, we initiated a study of this potential anthrax virulence factor in an effort to understand the membrane-binding properties of this protein. recombinant anthrolysin o (ralo35-512) and two n-terminally truncated versions of alo (ralo390-512 and ralo403-512) from b. anthracis were overproduced in escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. the ro ... | 2006 | 16775845 |
| ornithology. vulture research soars as the scavengers' numbers decline. | 2006 | 16778034 | |
| laboratory study on the immobilization of bacterial spores in arid environments. | in this study, two effective, non-toxic, wind erosion palliative materials were analyzed for their efficacy in preventing the spread of bacterial spores. desert sand was employed in a laboratory setting with a non-toxic simulant bacterium in an attempt to accurately represent the spreadability of the hantavirus. spore simulants were used instead of viruses due to availability, decreased susceptibility to desiccation and detection ability without involving tissue cultures. the simulant was used t ... | 2006 | 16779932 |
| trojan horse or proton force: finding the right partner(s) for toxin translocation. | much is known about the structure function relationships of a large number of bacterial protein toxins, the nature of their cell surface receptors, and their enzymatic activities which lead to the inactivation of their respective cytosolic targets. despite this wealth of knowledge a detailed understanding of the mechanisms which underlie translocation of the catalytic domain across the eukaryotic cell membrane to the cytosol, the penultimate event in the intoxication process, have been slow in d ... | 2006 | 16785102 |
| a loop network within the anthrax toxin pore positions the phenylalanine clamp in an active conformation. | heptameric pores formed in the endosomal membrane by the protective antigen moiety of anthrax toxin serve as portals for entry of the enzymatic moieties of the toxin into the cytosol. in the aqueous lumen of each pore is a "phe clamp," a heptad of narrowly apposed phe residues (phe-427), that catalyzes the unfolding and translocation of the enzymatic moieties across the membrane. here, we provide evidence for a "loop swap" between neighboring protective antigen subunits, which is required for ef ... | 2006 | 16785422 |
| morphologic, immunologic, and molecular methods to detect bacillus anthracis in formalin-fixed tissues. | due to the importance of bacillus anthracis as a cause of naturally occurring infection among humans and as an agent of bioterrorism, there is a vital need for rapid and specific assays, including immunohistochemistry (ihc) and polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assays, to detect the bacterium in formalin-fixed tissues. colorimetric ihc assays were developed using a multistep indirect immunoalkaline phosphatase method with anti-b. anthracis cell wall (eaii-6g6-2-3) and anti-b. anthracis capsule (fd ... | 2006 | 16785797 |
| ecology and epidemiology of anthrax in cattle and humans in zambia. | anthrax is endemic in western and north-western provinces of zambia. the disease occurs throughout the year and impacts negatively on the economy of the livestock industry and public health in zambia. during 1989-1995, there were 1626 suspected cases of anthrax in cattle in western province and of these 51 were confirmed. there were 220 cases of human anthrax cases in 1990 alone and 248 cases during 1991-1998 with 19.1% and 7.7% case fatality rates, respectively. interplay of the ecology of affe ... | 2006 | 16786974 |
| the bacillus anthracis cholesterol-dependent cytolysin, anthrolysin o, kills human neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages. | bacillus anthracis is an animal and human pathogen whose virulence is characterized by lethal and edema toxin, as well as a poly-glutamic acid capsule. in addition to these well characterized toxins, b. anthracis secretes several proteases and phospholipases, and a newly described toxin of the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (cdc) family, anthrolysin o (alo). | 2006 | 16790055 |
| passive immunotherapy of bacillus anthracis pulmonary infection in mice with antisera produced by dna immunization. | because of the high failure rate of antibiotic treatment in patients with anthrax there is a need for additional therapies such as passive immunization with therapeutic antibodies. in this study, we used codon-optimized plasmid dnas (dna vaccines) encoding bacillus anthracis protective antigen (pa) to immunize rabbits for producing anti-anthrax antibodies for use in passive immunotherapy. the antisera generated with these dna vaccines were of high titer as measured by elisa. the antisera were al ... | 2006 | 16790303 |
| retrocyclins kill bacilli and germinating spores of bacillus anthracis and inactivate anthrax lethal toxin. | theta-defensins are cyclic octadecapeptides encoded by the modified alpha-defensin genes of certain nonhuman primates. the recent demonstration that human alpha-defensins could prevent deleterious effects of anthrax lethal toxin in vitro and in vivo led us to examine the effects of theta-defensins on bacillus anthracis (sterne). we tested rhesus theta-defensins 1-3, retrocyclins 1-3, and several analogues of rc-1. low concentrations of theta-defensins not only killed vegetative cells of b. anthr ... | 2006 | 16790431 |
| oxidized atp protection against anthrax lethal toxin. | bacillus anthracis lethal toxin (lt) induces rapid lysis (<90 min) of murine macrophages from certain inbred strains. the mechanism for lt-induced cytolysis is currently unknown. we hypothesized that the atp-activated macrophage p2x7 receptors implicated in nucleotide-mediated macrophage lysis could play a role in lt-mediated cytolysis and discovered that a potent p2x7 antagonist, oxidized atp (o-atp), protects macrophages against lt. other p2x7 receptor antagonists, however, had no effect on lt ... | 2006 | 16790743 |
| bacillus anthracis phospholipases c facilitate macrophage-associated growth and contribute to virulence in a murine model of inhalation anthrax. | several models of anthrax pathogenesis suggest that early in the infectious process bacillus anthracis endospores germinate and outgrow into vegetative bacilli within phagocytes before being released into the blood. here, we define the respective contributions of three phospholipases c (plcs) to the pathogenesis of b. anthracis. genetic deletions of the plcs were made in the sterne 7702 background, resulting in the respective loss of their activities. the plcs were redundant both in tissue cultu ... | 2006 | 16790747 |
| search for bacillus anthracis potential vaccine candidates by a functional genomic-serologic screen. | bacillus anthracis proteins that possess antigenic properties and are able to evoke an immune response were identified by a reductive genomic-serologic screen of a set of in silico-preselected open reading frames (orfs). the screen included in vitro expression of the selected orfs by coupled transcription and translation of linear pcr-generated dna fragments, followed by immunoprecipitation with antisera from b. anthracis-infected animals. of the 197 selected orfs, 161 were chromosomal and 36 we ... | 2006 | 16790772 |
| a monoclonal antibody to bacillus anthracis protective antigen defines a neutralizing epitope in domain 1. | antibody (ab) responses to bacillus anthracis toxins are protective, but relatively few protective monoclonal antibodies (mabs) have been reported. protective antigen (pa) is essential for the action of b. anthracis lethal toxin (letx) and edema toxin. in this study, we generated two mabs to pa, mabs 7.5g and 10f4. these mabs did not compete for binding to pa, consistent with specificities for different epitopes. the mabs were tested for their ability to protect a monolayer of cultured macrophag ... | 2006 | 16790789 |
| a history of biological disasters of animal origin in north america. | this paper examines past occurrences in north america relevant to the possibility of biological disasters with animal origins. with respect to naturally occurring animal disease outbreaks, north america, while not as adversely affected by epizootics as other regions, has had its fair share of such outbreaks of both 'traditional' and emerging animal diseases. the traditional category includes such diseases as anthrax, classical swine fever, bluetongue, brucellosis, foot and mouth disease, and the ... | 2006 | 16796038 |
| achievements of the soviet biological weapons programme and implications for the future. | the military-biological complex of the former union of soviet socialist republics was a true frankenstein's monster, with a powerful scientific potential--or good and for ill. this article examines both the direct scientific results of the twin biological weapons (bws) programmes run by the 'civilian' biopreparat and by the ministry of defence (mod) and the public health benefits that sprang, despite the original intent, out of those programmes. the authors will also explore the potential for bo ... | 2006 | 16796045 |
| toxins of concern to animals and people. | historically veterinarians have diagnosed accidental poisonings and identified possible terrorist events before they have come to the attention of public health authorities. there are many toxins that pose a threat to both humans and animals and the authors examine several of them here, namely, anthrax, tricothecenes, staphylococcal enterotoxin b, botulinum toxins, ricin, saxitoxin and dinoflagellate toxins. by discussing exposure routes, clinical signs and differential diagnoses the authors dem ... | 2006 | 16796059 |
| single-step purification of recombinant anthrax lethal factor from periplasm of escherichia coli. | lethal toxin (lt) that composed by protective antigen and lethal factor (lf) is the major virulence factor of bacillus anthracis. the treatments of lt in animals could reproduce most manifestations of b. anthracis infections that greatly improves our knowledge in lt-mediated pathogenesis and facilitates anthrax-related researches without having to directly contact the hazardous bacterium b. anthracis. the recombinant protein of lf (rlf), however, still lacks a simple purification method. herein, ... | 2006 | 16797097 |
| antimicrobial activities of human beta-defensins against bacillus species. | natural defences in the human body function to protect us from numerous environmental toxins and exposure to potential harmful biological agents. an important frontline defence is antimicrobial peptides. these peptides occur at environmental interfaces and serve to limit bacterial invasion. there has been little work comparing specific peptides as potential antimicrobial compounds. in this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of peptides from the human beta-defensin (hbd) family agains ... | 2006 | 16797165 |
| immunogenicity and tolerance of ascending doses of a recombinant protective antigen (rpa102) anthrax vaccine: a randomized, double-blinded, controlled, multicenter trial. | we report the results of a phase i dose escalation, safety and immunogenicity trial of a new recombinant protective antigen (rpa102) anthrax vaccine. | 2006 | 16797805 |
| expression and purification of functional human anthrax toxin receptor (atr/tem8) binding domain from escherichia coli. | anthrax is caused by the gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium, bacillus anthracis. anthrax receptors play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the anthrax disease. anthrax toxin receptor atr/tem8 vwa domain is responsible for the binding of protective antigen (pa) of b. anthracis, and thus an attractive target for structure-based drug therapies. however, the production of soluble and functional atr/tem8 vwa domain currently requires the use of mammalian expression systems. in this work, we ex ... | 2006 | 16798009 |
| proteolytic degradation of human antimicrobial peptide ll-37 by bacillus anthracis may contribute to virulence. | in this paper we report on the susceptibilities of a range of bacillus species to the human antimicrobial peptide ll-37. b. subtilis showed a low level of resistance to killing by ll-37 (50% growth-inhibitory concentration [gi50], 1 microg/ml). b. cereus and b. thuringiensis showed intermediate levels of resistance to killing (gi50s, 33 microg/ml and 37 microg/ml, respectively). b. anthracis showed the highest level of resistance (gi50s, 40 to 66 microg/ml). the degradation of ll-37 by b. anthra ... | 2006 | 16801407 |
| evaluation of an online bioterrorism continuing medical education course. | much of the international community has an increased awareness of potential biologic, chemical, and nuclear threats and the need for physicians to rapidly acquire new knowledge and skills in order to protect the public's health. the present study evaluated the educational effectiveness of an online bioterrorism continuing medical education (cme) activity designed to address clinical issues involving suspected bioterrorism and reporting procedures in the united states. | 2006 | 16802314 |
| anthrax in animals and a farmer in alto adige, italy. | 2006 | 16804212 | |
| treatment and prophylaxis of anthrax by new neurosecretory cytokines. | in 1881, louis pasteur described the bacillus anthracis vaccine, which plays an important role for the treatment and prophylaxis of anthrax. currently, treatment for anthrax infection involves the use of several different antibiotics, used in combination with vaccines, which possess potential virulence in white mice and guinea pigs. we discovered several new immunomodulators cytokines (polypeptides) produced by the neurosecretory cells of hypothalamus, some of which can be used as drugs for the ... | 2006 | 16804761 |
| multiple vaccine and pyridostigmine interactions: effects on cognition, muscle function and health outcomes in marmosets. | following active service during the 1990/1991 gulf conflict, a number of uk and us veterans presented with a diverse range of symptoms, collectively known as gulf veterans illnesses (gvi). the administration of vaccines and/or the pretreatment against possible nerve agent poisoning, pyridostigmine bromide (pb), given to armed forces personnel during the gulf conflict has been implicated as a possible factor in the aetiology of these illnesses. the possibility that long-term health effects may re ... | 2006 | 16806443 |
| [diagnosis image (260). a woman with a black crust on the face]. | 2006 | 16808376 | |
| a new method of demonstrating capsulated bacillus anthracis. | 1960 | 16810962 | |
| clinical and pathologic differential diagnosis of selected potential bioterrorism agents of interest to pediatric health care providers. | the early recognition of potential bioterrorism agents has been of increasing concern in recent years. the centers for disease control and prevention has categorized and listed biological terrorism agents. although any or all of the highest risk biological agents (including inhalation anthrax, pneumonic plague, smallpox, tularemia, botulism, and viral hemorrhagic fevers) can be seen in the pediatric patient, several agents might closely resemble--at least in their initial stages-some of the more ... | 2006 | 16815456 |
| engineered chloroplasts as vaccine factories to combat bioterrorism. | bacillus anthracis is ideal for making biological weapons, but the licensed anthrax vaccine is unsuitable for widespread public administration. recombinant subunit-vaccine candidates offer potential alternatives, and plant-based production systems facilitate the inexpensive bulking of target antigens. a recent report demonstrates expression of anthrax protective antigen in tobacco chloroplasts--this material is immunogenic and protective when injected into mice. provided an economic purification ... | 2006 | 16815579 |
| mixed-type noncompetitive inhibition of anthrax lethal factor protease by aminoglycosides. | we report a detailed kinetic investigation of the aminoglycosides neomycin b and neamine as inhibitors of the lethal factor protease from bacillus anthracis. both inhibitors display a mixed-type, noncompetitive kinetic pattern, which suggests the existence of multiple enzyme-inhibitor binding sites or the involvement of multiple structural binding modes at the same site. quantitative analysis of the ionic strength effects by using the debye-hückel model revealed that the average interionic dista ... | 2006 | 16817854 |
| rabies virus glycoprotein as a carrier for anthrax protective antigen. | live viral vectors expressing foreign antigens have shown great promise as vaccines against viral diseases. however, safety concerns remain a major problem regarding the use of even highly attenuated viral vectors. using the rabies virus (rv) envelope protein as a carrier molecule, we show here that inactivated rv particles can be utilized to present bacillus anthracis protective antigen (pa) domain-4 in the viral membrane. in addition to the rv glycoprotein (g) transmembrane and cytoplasmic dom ... | 2006 | 16820183 |
| sequence diversity of the bacillus thuringiensis and b. cereus sensu lato flagellin (h antigen) protein: comparison with h serotype diversity. | we set out to analyze the sequence diversity of the bacillus thuringiensis flagellin (h antigen [hag]) protein and compare it with h serotype diversity. some other bacillus cereus sensu lato species and strains were added for comparison. the internal sequences of the flagellin (hag) alleles from 80 bacillus thuringiensis strains and 16 strains from the b. cereus sensu lato group were amplified and cloned, and their nucleotide sequences were determined and translated into amino acids. the flagell ... | 2006 | 16820457 |
| cloning, purification and crystallization of bacillus anthracis class c acid phosphatase. | cloning, expression, purification and crystallization studies of a recombinant class c acid phosphatase from the category a pathogen bacillus anthracis are reported. large diffraction-quality crystals were grown in the presence of hepes and jeffamine ed-2001 at ph 7.0. the crystals belong to space group p2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 53.4, b = 90.1, c = 104.2 angstroms. the asymmetric unit is predicted to contain two protein molecules with a solvent content of 38%. two native data ... | 2006 | 16820700 |
| chemical or biological terrorist attacks: an analysis of the preparedness of hospitals for managing victims affected by chemical or biological weapons of mass destruction. | the possibility of a terrorist attack employing the use of chemical or biological weapons of mass destruction (wmd) on american soil is no longer an empty threat, it has become a reality. a wmd is defined as any weapon with the capacity to inflict death and destruction on such a massive scale that its very presence in the hands of hostile forces is a grievous threat. events of the past few years including the bombing of the world trade center in 1993, the murrah federal building in oklahoma city ... | 2006 | 16823078 |
| bacillus anthracis virulent plasmid px02 genes found in large plasmids of two other bacillus species. | in order to cause the disease anthrax, bacillus anthracis requires two plasmids, px01 and px02, which carry toxin and capsule genes, respectively, that are used as genetic targets in the laboratory detection of the bacterium. clinical, forensic, and environmental samples that test positive by pcr protocols established by the centers for disease control and prevention for b. anthracis are considered to be potentially b. anthracis until confirmed by culture and a secondary battery of tests. we rep ... | 2006 | 16825351 |
| synthesis of polyvalent inhibitors of controlled molecular weight: structure-activity relationship for inhibitors of anthrax toxin. | we describe a novel method to synthesize activated polymers of controlled molecular weight and apply this method to investigate the relationship between the structure and activity of polyvalent inhibitors of anthrax toxin. in particular, we observe an initial sharp increase in potency with increasing ligand density, followed by a plateau where potency is independent of ligand density. our simple strategy for designing polyvalent inhibitors of controlled molecular weight and ligand density will b ... | 2006 | 16827573 |
| cpg oligonucleotides accelerate and boost the immune response elicited by ava, the licensed anthrax vaccine. | synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (odn) containing unmethylated cpg motifs act as immune adjuvants, improving the immune response elicited by coadministered vaccines. combining cpg odn with anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava), the licensed human vaccine, can increase the speed, magnitude and avidity of the resultant anti-anthrax response in mice, rhesus macaques and humans. adsorbing the cpg odn onto cationic poly(actide-coglycolides) microparticles further boosts immunity to coadministered ava. the an ... | 2006 | 16827620 |
| multiple vaccine and pyridostigmine interactions: effects on eeg and sleep in the common marmoset. | following active service during the 1990/1991 gulf conflict, a number of uk and us veterans presented with a diverse range of symptoms, collectively known as gulf veterans' illnesses (gvi). the administration of vaccines and/or the pretreatment against possible nerve agent poisoning, pyridostigmine bromide (pb), given to armed forces personnel during the gulf conflict has been implicated as a possible factor in the aetiology of these illnesses. the possibility that long-term health effects may r ... | 2006 | 16828151 |
| quantitative analysis of the effect of cell type and cellular differentiation on protective antigen binding to human target cells. | we quantitatively measured protective antigen (pa) binding to human cells targeted by anthrax lethal toxin (lt). affinities were less than 50 nm for all cells, but differentiated cells (macrophages and neutrophils) had significantly increased pa binding and endothelial cells demonstrated the most binding. combined with the function of such cells, this suggests that pa receptors interact with the extracellular matrix and that differentiation increases the number of pa-specific receptors, which su ... | 2006 | 16828760 |
| multiagent vaccines vectored by venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon elicits immune responses to marburg virus and protection against anthrax and botulinum neurotoxin in mice. | the development of multiagent vaccines offers the advantage of eliciting protection against multiple diseases with minimal inoculations over a shorter time span. we report here the results of using formulations of individual venezuelan equine encephalitis (vee) virus replicon-vectored vaccines against a bacterial disease, anthrax; a viral disease, marburg fever; and against a toxin-mediated disease, botulism. the individual vee replicon particles (vrp) expressed mature 83-kda protective antigen ... | 2006 | 16828936 |
| nasal immunization with a dual antigen anthrax vaccine induced strong mucosal and systemic immune responses against toxins and bacilli. | anthrax-vaccine-adsorbed (ava), the only anthrax vaccine licensed in the u.s., suffers from many major drawbacks. therefore, there is a need to develop new generation anthrax vaccines that can be easily administered and induce strong immune responses not only against the anthrax toxins, but also against the toxin-producing vegetative anthrax bacilli. in the present study, we evaluated the feasibility of inducing strong mucosal and systemic immune responses against both anthrax toxins and bacilli ... | 2006 | 16828937 |
| [induction of bacillus anthracis hemolytic activity with the use of myxococcus xanthus]. | the development of a new method for the induction of the b. anthracis hemolytic activity with the use of m. xanthus and the differentiation of pure cultures of the causative agent of anthrax from those contaminated with myxobacteria is presented. to demonstrate the induction of the hemolytic acivity of b. anthracis with the use of m. xanthus, conditions for the symbiosis of b. anthracis cells sti, exhibiting no hemolytic activity, with m. xanthus non-hemolytic cells were created by mixing them a ... | 2006 | 16830581 |
| evaluation of the protective effects of quinacrine against bacillus anthracis ames. | bacillus anthracis has gained notoriety as a dangerous biological weapon because of its virulence and ability to produce highly resistant spores. in addition, the ability of this organism to produce plasmid-encoded edema toxin (edtx) and lethal toxin (letx) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of anthrax. in this study, the efficacy of quinacrine was evaluated against the effects of anthrax toxins in vitro and its ability to provide protection against challenge with b. anthracis ames strain ... | 2006 | 16840255 |
| brief report: recent progress in biodefense countermeasure development. | 2006 | 16841397 | |
| microwave-assisted tissue processing for same-day em-diagnosis of potential bioterrorism and clinical samples. | the purpose of this study was to explore the turnaround times, section and image quality of a number of more "difficult" specimens destined for rapid diagnostic electron microscopy (em) after microwave-assisted processing. the results were assessed and compared with those of conventionally processed samples. a variety of infectious agents, some with a potential for bioterrorism, and liver biopsies serving as an example for routine histopathology samples were studied. the samples represented viru ... | 2006 | 16843832 |
| neurologists and the threat of bioterrorism. | neurologists are most likely to become involved in primarily diagnosing those bioterrorist attacks utilising botulinum toxin. oral ingestion, or possibly inhalation, are likely routes of delivery. the characteristic descending paralysis starts in the extraocular and bulbar muscles, with associated autonomic features. repetitive nerve stimulation usually shows an incremental muscle response. treatment is supportive. the differential diagnosis is from naturally occurring paralysing illnesses such ... | 2006 | 16844143 |
| murine macrophage transcriptional and functional responses to bacillus anthracis edema toxin. | edema toxin (edtx), which is a combination of edema factor and a binding moiety (protective antigen), is produced by bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax. edtx is an adenylyl cyclase enzyme that converts adenosine triphosphate to adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate, resulting in interstitial edema seen in anthrax patients. we used genechip analysis to examine global transcriptional profiles of edtx-treated raw 264.7 murine macrophage-like cells and identified 71 and 259 genes whose exp ... | 2006 | 16846716 |
| antibacterial activity of the soy isoflavone genistein. | genistein, a radioprotective soy isoflavone and protein kinase inhibitor, blocks the invasion of pathogenic bacteria in mammalian epithelial cells. the purpose of this study was to evaluate the direct effect of genistein on the survival and growth of the probiotic lactobacillus reuteri and selected opportunistic bacteria in vitro as a prelude to in vivo use for managing postirradiation sepsis. we evaluated the opportunistic bacterial enteropathogens escherichia coli, shigella sonnei, and staphyl ... | 2006 | 16847837 |
| self-assembled "dock and lock" system for linking payloads to targeting proteins. | random conjugation of therapeutic or diagnostic payloads to targeting proteins generates functionally heterogeneous products. conjugation of payloads to an adapter that binds to a peptide tag engineered into a targeting protein provides an alternative strategy. to progress into clinical development, an adapter/docking tag system should include humanized components and be stable in circulation. we describe here an adapter/docking tag system based on mutated fragments of human rnase i that spontan ... | 2006 | 16848397 |
| nanoparticle-mirror sandwich substrates for surface-enhanced raman scattering. | sandwich surface-enhanced raman scattering (sers) substrates (3s) utilizing coupling between continuous metal films and plasmonic particles were fabricated using silver mirrors, electrochemically roughened films, and various sizes of silver nanoparticles. the effect of excitation wavelength and nanoparticle size on sers spectra of poly(vinylpyridine), selected as a model compound, was studied to determine the optimum conditions for the strongest sers signal. the raman enhancement resulted from t ... | 2005 | 16853302 |