Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| characterization and analysis of early enzymes for petrobactin biosynthesis in bacillus anthracis. | recently, iron acquisition and, more specifically, enzymes involved in siderophore biosynthesis have become attractive targets for discovery of new antibiotics. accordingly, targeted inhibition of the biosynthesis of petrobactin, a virulence-associated siderophore encoded by the asb locus in bacillus anthracis, may hold promise as a potential therapy against anthrax. this study describes the biochemical characterization of asbc, the first reported 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid-amp ligase, and a key ... | 2007 | 17346033 |
| first detection of bacillus anthracis in feces of free-ranging raptors from central argentina. | prevalence of anthrax spores in feces of raptors was determined from samples collected in november-december 2000 and april-may 2001 in an agricultural region of santa fé province, argentina. feces were tested from 48 birds of six raptor species. one of 14 chimango caracaras (milvago chimango) and one of eight road-side hawks (buteo magnirostris) tested positive. the prevalence of bacillus anthracis spores in feces for the six species was 4% (n=48). the prevalence was 7% (n=14) for chimango carac ... | 2007 | 17347404 |
| pathobiology and management of laboratory rodents administered cdc category a agents. | the centers for disease control and prevention category a infectious agents include bacillus anthracis (anthrax), clostridium botulinum toxin (botulism), yersinia pestis (plague), variola major virus (smallpox), francisella tularensis (tularemia), and the filoviruses and arenaviruses that induce viral hemorrhagic fevers. these agents are regarded as having the greatest potential for adverse impact on public health and therefore are a focus of renewed attention in infectious disease research. fre ... | 2007 | 17348288 |
| identification of in vivo-expressed immunogenic proteins by serological proteome analysis of the bacillus anthracis secretome. | in a previous comparative proteomic study of bacillus anthracis examining the influence of the virulence plasmids and of various growth conditions on the composition of the bacterial secretome, we identified 64 abundantly expressed proteins (t. chitlaru, o. gat, y. gozlan, n. ariel, and a. shafferman, j. bacteriol. 188:3551-3571, 2006). using a battery of sera from b. anthracis-infected animals, in the present study we demonstrated that 49 of these proteins are immunogenic. thirty-eight b. anthr ... | 2007 | 17353282 |
| murine aerosol challenge model of anthrax. | the availability of relevant and useful animal models is critical for progress in the development of effective vaccines and therapeutics. the infection of rabbits and non-human primates with fully virulent bacillus anthracis spores provides two excellent models of anthrax disease. however, the high cost of procuring and housing these animals and the specialized facilities required to deliver fully virulent spores limit their practical use in early stages of product development. conversely, the s ... | 2007 | 17353290 |
| adverse reactions to anthrax vaccine (eg, optic neuritis) may be more complex or delayed than reported initially by payne et al (2006). | 2007 | 17353397 | |
| nesting biology of four tetrapedia species in trap-nests (hymenoptera: apidae: tetrapediini). | the nests used in this study were obtained from trap-nests (tubes of cardboard and cut bamboo stems) placed on santa carlota farm (itaoca section-is, santana section-ss and cerrado-ce), cajuru, sp, brazil. the number of nests and corresponding species obtained were as follows: 516 nests of t. curvitarsis, 104 of t. rugulosa, 399 of t. diversipes and 98 of t. gamfaloi. the most abundant species from ss and ce was t. curvitarsis, and from is it was t. diversipes. in general, most nests were collec ... | 2005 | 17354430 |
| immunotherapeutic activity of a conjugate of a toll-like receptor 7 ligand. | the immunotherapeutic activity of toll-like receptor (tlr) activators has been difficult to exploit because of side effects related to the release and systemic dispersion of proinflammatory cytokines. to overcome this barrier, we have synthesized a versatile tlr7 agonist, 4-[6-amino-8-hydroxy-2-(2-methoxyethoxy)purin-9-ylmethyl]benzaldehyde (uc-1v150), bearing a free aldehyde that could be coupled to many different auxiliary chemical entities through a linker molecule with a hydrazine or amino g ... | 2007 | 17360465 |
| standard practice for bulk sample collection and swab sample collection of visible powders suspected of being biological agents from nonporous surfaces: collaborative study. | the draft astm standard, "standard practice for bulk sample collection and swab sample collection of visible powders suspected of being biological agents from nonporous surfaces," was validated in a collaborative study consisting of 6 teams comprised of civil support personnel and first responders, 2 levels of bacillus anthracis sterne and bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki spores, and 7 nonporous surfaces. the sample collection standard includes collection of the bulk sample (method a) using a dry ... | 2007 | 17373464 |
| anthrax lethal toxin kills macrophages in a strain-specific manner by apoptosis or caspase-1-mediated necrosis. | murine macrophages have been classified as either susceptible or nonsusceptible to killing by anthrax lethal toxin (lt) depending upon genetic background. while considered resistant to lt killing, we found that bone marrow-derived macrophages (bmms) from dba/2, akr, and c57bl/6 mice were slowly killed by apoptosis following lt exposure. lt killing was not restricted to in vitro assays, as splenic macrophages were also depleted in lt-injected c57bl/6 mice. human macrophages, also considered lt re ... | 2007 | 17374996 |
| intranasal administration of dry powder anthrax vaccine provides protection against lethal aerosol spore challenge. | the use of an aerosolizable form of anthrax as a biological weapon is considered to be among the most serious bioterror threats. intranasal (in) delivery of a dry powder anthrax vaccine could provide an effective and non-invasive administration alternative to traditional intramuscular (im) or subcutaneous (sc) injection. we evaluated a dry powder vaccine based on the recombinant protective antigen (rpa) of bacillus anthracis for vaccination against anthrax via in immunization in a rabbit model. ... | 2007 | 17375001 |
| chemical genetic screening identifies critical pathways in anthrax lethal toxin-induced pathogenesis. | anthrax lethal toxin (lt)-induced cell death via mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (mapkk) cleavage remains questionable. here, a chemical genetics approach was used to investigate what pathways mediate lt-induced cell death. several small molecules were found to protect macrophages from anthrax lt cytotoxicity and mapkk from cleavage by lethal factor (lf), without inhibiting lf enzymatic activity or cellular proteasome activity. interestingly, the compounds activated mapk-signaling molecu ... | 2007 | 17379140 |
| characterization of the interaction between anthrax toxin and its cellular receptors. | mutations in capillary morphogenesis gene 2 (cmg2), one of the two closely related proteins that act as anthrax toxin receptors, cause two rare human autosomal recessive conditions, juvenile hyaline fibromatosis (jhf) and infantile systemic hyalinosis (ish). here we demonstrate that cmg2 proteins with certain jhf- and ish-associated single amino acid substitutions in their von willebrand factor a domain or transmembrane region do not function as anthrax toxin receptors. however, an ish-associate ... | 2007 | 17381430 |
| anthrax vaccination in the millennium cohort: validation and measures of health. | in 1998, the united states department of defense initiated the anthrax vaccine immunization program. concerns about vaccine-related adverse health effects followed, prompting several studies. although some studies used self-reported vaccination data, the reliability of such data has not been established. the purpose of this study was to compare self-reported anthrax vaccination to electronic vaccine records among a large military cohort and to evaluate the relationship between vaccine history an ... | 2007 | 17383567 |
| the global transcriptional responses of bacillus anthracis sterne (34f2) and a delta soda1 mutant to paraquat reveal metal ion homeostasis imbalances during endogenous superoxide stress. | microarray analyses were conducted to evaluate the paraquat-induced global transcriptional response of bacillus anthracis sterne (34f(2)) to varying levels of endogenous superoxide stress. data revealed that the transcription of genes putatively involved in metal/ion transport, bacillibactin siderophore biosynthesis, the glyoxalase pathway, and oxidoreductase activity was perturbed most significantly. a b. anthracis mutant lacking the superoxide dismutase gene soda1 (delta soda1) had transcripti ... | 2007 | 17384197 |
| putative type iv secretion genes in bacillus anthracis. | although the physiology of bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, has been studied extensively, we still do not know how toxins are dispatched from the bacterial cell. here, by means of distant homology and genome context analyses, we identify genes encoding putative type iv secretion system-related elements on the b. anthracis plasmids pxo1 and pxo2 and in the chromosome. we argue that this type iv secretion system-like system could be responsible for anthrax toxin secretion, altho ... | 2007 | 17387016 |
| agroterrorism: where are we in the ongoing war on terrorism? | the u.s. agricultural infrastructure is one of the most productive and efficient food-producing systems in the world. many of the characteristics that contribute to its high productivity and efficiency also make this infrastructure extremely vulnerable to a terrorist attack by a biological weapon. several experts have repeatedly stated that taking advantage of these vulnerabilities would not require a significant undertaking and that the nation's agricultural infrastructure remains highly vulner ... | 2007 | 17388078 |
| anthrax toxin receptor 2 determinants that dictate the ph threshold of toxin pore formation. | the anthrax toxin receptors, antxr1 and antxr2, act as molecular clamps to prevent the protective antigen (pa) toxin subunit from forming pores until exposure to low ph. pa forms pores at ph approximately 6.0 or below when it is bound to antxr1, but only at ph approximately 5.0 or below when it is bound to antxr2. here, structure-based mutagenesis was used to identify non-conserved antxr2 residues responsible for this striking 1.0 ph unit difference in ph threshold. residues conserved between an ... | 2007 | 17389920 |
| a detailed analysis of 16s ribosomal rna gene segments for the diagnosis of pathogenic bacteria. | bacterial 16s ribosomal rna (rrna) genes contain nine "hypervariable regions" (v1-v9) that demonstrate considerable sequence diversity among different bacteria. species-specific sequences within a given hypervariable region constitute useful targets for diagnostic assays and other scientific investigations. no single region can differentiate among all bacteria; therefore, systematic studies that compare the relative advantage of each region for specific diagnostic goals are needed. we characteri ... | 2007 | 17391789 |
| genetic diversity in a bacillus anthracis historical collection (1954 to 1988). | bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent of anthrax, has been widely described as a genetically monomorphic species. we used both multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (mlva) and paga gene sequencing to determine the genetic diversity of a historical collection of b. anthracis isolates collected from the 1950s to the 1980s from various geographic locations and sources. we sequenced the paga gene of 124 diverse b. anthracis isolates and found all previously identified b. anthracis ... | 2007 | 17392445 |
| antimicrobial activity and brine shrimp toxicity of extracts of terminalia brownii roots and stem. | ternimalia brownii fresen (combretaceae) is widely used in traditional medicine to treat bacterial, fungal and viral infections. there is a need to evaluate extracts of this plant in order to provide scientific proof for it's wide application in traditional medicine system. | 2007 | 17394672 |
| inhibition of cftr cl- channel function caused by enzymatic hydrolysis of sphingomyelin. | numerous mutations in the cystic fibrosis (cf) transmembrane conductance regulator (cftr, a cl(-) channel) disrupt salt and fluid transport and lead to the formation of thick mucus in patients' airways. obstruction by mucus predisposes cf patients to chronic infections and inflammation, which become gradually harder to control and eventually fatal. aggressive antibiotic therapy and supportive measures have dramatically lengthened cf patients' lives. here, we report that sphingomyelinases (smase) ... | 2007 | 17400751 |
| differentiation of bacillus anthracis, b. cereus, and b. thuringiensis by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. | a pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge) method was developed for discriminating bacillus anthracis from b. cereus and b. thuringiensis. a worldwide collection of 25 b. anthracis isolates showed high-profile homology, and these isolates were unambiguously distinguished from b. cereus and b. thuringiensis isolates by cluster analysis of the whole-genome macrorestriction enzyme digestion patterns generated by noti. | 2007 | 17400781 |
| monochloramine inactivation of bacterial select agents. | seven species of bacterial select agents were tested for susceptibility to monochloramine. under test conditions, the monochloramine routinely maintained in potable water would reduce six of the species by 2 orders of magnitude within 4.2 h. bacillus anthracis spores would require up to 3.5 days for the same inactivation with monochloramine. | 2007 | 17400782 |
| systematic urokinase-activated anthrax toxin therapy produces regressions of subcutaneous human non-small cell lung tumor in athymic nude mice. | the novel recombinant anthrax toxin, pragu2/fp59, composed of the urokinase-activated protective antigen and a fusion protein of pseudomonas exotoxin and lethal factor was tested for anti-lung cancer efficacy in an in vivo human tumor model. male athymic nude mice (age 4-6 weeks) were inoculated s.c. with 10 million h1299 non-small cell lung cancer (nsclc) cells in the left flank. when tumor volumes reached 200 mm(3) (6-8 days), i.p. injection of 100 mul saline or different ratios and doses of p ... | 2007 | 17409442 |
| immunogens related to the synthetic tetrasaccharide side chain of the bacillus anthracis exosporium. | the known methyl 2-o-acetyl-3,4-di-o-benzyl-1-thio-alpha-l-rhamnopyranoside (3) was converted to the corresponding 5-methoxycarbonylpentyl glycoside 4 which was deacetylated. the product 5 was used as the initial glycosyl acceptor to construct two trirhamnoside glycosyl acceptors having ho-3(iii) flanked by either benzoyl or benzyl groups, compounds 10 and 29, respectively [fully protected, except ho-3(iii), alpha-l-rha-(1-->3)-alpha-l-rha-(1-->2)-alpha-l-rha-1-o-(ch2)5cooch3]. when these were g ... | 2007 | 17412599 |
| induction of cytotoxic t lymphocyte response against mycobacterial antigen using domain i of anthrax edema factor as antigen delivery system. | we have investigated the efficiency of n-terminal 1-260 residues of edema factor (efn) as a delivery system for esat-6, an antigenic protein of mycobacterium tuberculosis h(37)r(v), into the cytosol of mammalian cells. the efn.esat-6 recombinant protein was obtained by genetic fusion of efn and esat-6 dna. our data shows that in the presence of pa, efn.esat-6 fusion protein is internalized into the cytosol of antigen presenting cells, and the splenocytes produced both th1 and th2 cytokines in vi ... | 2007 | 17416345 |
| identification and characterization of a novel toxin-antitoxin module from bacillus anthracis. | comparative genome analysis of bacillus anthracis revealed a pair of linked genes encoding pemk (k, killer protein) and pemi (i, inhibitory protein) homologous to pem loci of other organisms. expression of pemk in escherichia coli and bacillus anthracis was bacteriostatic whereas the concomitant expression of pemi reversed the growth arrest. pemk expression effectively inhibited protein synthesis with no significant effect on dna replication. coexpression and interaction of these proteins confir ... | 2007 | 17416361 |
| the multiple mechanisms of ca2+ signalling by listeriolysin o, the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin of listeria monocytogenes. | cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (cdcs) represent a large family of conserved pore-forming toxins produced by several gram-positive bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes, streptococcus pyrogenes and bacillus anthracis. these toxins trigger a broad range of cellular responses that greatly influence pathogenesis. using mast cells, we demonstrate that listeriolysin o (llo), a prototype of cdcs produced by l. monocytogenes, triggers cellular responses such as degranulation and cytokine synthesis i ... | 2007 | 17419718 |
| bacillus anthracis anthrolysin o and three phospholipases c are functionally redundant in a murine model of inhalation anthrax. | although traditionally considered to be an extracellular pathogen, bacillus anthracis has a brief intracellular step to initiate anthrax. at the onset of infection, b. anthracis must withstand the bactericidal activities of the macrophage. recently, three phospholipases c (plcs) were shown to contribute to macrophage-associated growth of b. anthracis by presumably aiding in the escape of the bacterium from phagocytic vacuoles following phagocytosis. however, in the absence of all three plcs, veg ... | 2007 | 17419764 |
| genome-wide identification of francisella tularensis virulence determinants. | francisella tularensis is a gram-negative pathogen that causes life-threatening infections in humans and has potential for use as a biological weapon. the genetic basis of the f. tularensis virulence is poorly understood. this study screened a total of 3,936 transposon mutants of the live vaccine strain for infection in a mouse model of respiratory tularemia by signature-tagged mutagenesis. we identified 341 mutants attenuated for infection in the lungs. the transposon disruptions were mapped to ... | 2007 | 17420240 |
| responding to a small-scale bioterrorist anthrax attack: cost-effectiveness analysis comparing preattack vaccination with postattack antibiotic treatment and vaccination. | in 2001, a small-scale bioterrorism-related anthrax attack was perpetrated via the us mail. the optimal future response may require strategies different from those required in a large-scale attack. | 2007 | 17420423 |
| anthrax in canada. | 1963 | 17421645 | |
| a winter outbreak of anthrax in cattle in saskatchewan. | anthrax was diagnosed in a cow on a ranch in southwest saskatchewan in february of 1980. confirmation was based on bacteriological isolation from the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes. evidence suggests that a creek on the ranch had carried the organisms from an area of previous infection years earlier. it is noteworthy in this case that the spleen was not enlarged. carcass disposal, vaccination, and disinfection procedures are discussed. | 1982 | 17422191 |
| commentaries on anthrax in ruminants. | 1983 | 17422264 | |
| aspects of the epidemiology of anthrax in wood buffalo national park and environs. | 1989 | 17423475 | |
| northwest territories. anthrax in bison in wood buffalo national park. | 1992 | 17423951 | |
| alberta. anthrax in cattle. | 1992 | 17423952 | |
| multiplexed identification of blood-borne bacterial pathogens by use of a novel 16s rrna gene pcr-ligase detection reaction-capillary electrophoresis assay. | we have developed a novel high-throughput pcr-ligase detection reaction-capillary electrophoresis (pcr-ldr-ce) assay for the multiplexed identification of 20 blood-borne pathogens (staphylococcus epidermidis, staphylococcus aureus, bacillus cereus, enterococcus faecalis, enterococcus faecium, listeria monocytogenes, streptococcus pneumoniae, streptococcus pyogenes, streptococcus agalactiae, escherichia coli, klebsiella pneumoniae, haemophilus influenzae, pseudomonas aeruginosa, acinetobacter bau ... | 2007 | 17428930 |
| pathogenesis and sepsis caused by organisms potentially utilized as biologic weapons: opportunities for targeted intervention. | the microorganisms potentially utilized as biologic weapons have a variety of pathogenic mechanisms that lead to overwhelming infection, septic shock and death. although many of these organisms have unique pathogenic attributes, the development of generic therapies for common pathways would be exceedingly useful as countermeasures. this review will examine the features of pathogenesis leading to sepsis for key biologic threat agents (causative agents of anthrax, plague, tularemia, smallpox and v ... | 2007 | 17430123 |
| targeting the methyl erythritol phosphate (mep) pathway for novel antimalarial, antibacterial and herbicidal drug discovery: inhibition of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (dxr) enzyme. | the 2-c-methyl-d-erythritol-4-phosphate (mep) pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis has come under increased scrutiny as a target for novel antimalarial, antibacterial and herbicidal agents. 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (dxr) is a key enzyme of the pathway that catalyzes the rearrangement and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (nadph)-dependent reduction of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate (dxp) to mep. the unique properties of dxr make it a remarkable and rational target ... | 2007 | 17430177 |
| optimizing the laser-pulse configuration for coherent raman spectroscopy. | we introduce a hybrid technique that combines the robustness of frequency-resolved coherent anti-stokes raman scattering (cars) with the advantages of time-resolved cars spectroscopy. instantaneous coherent broadband excitation of several characteristic molecular vibrations and the subsequent probing of these vibrations by an optimally shaped time-delayed narrowband laser pulse help to suppress the nonresonant background and to retrieve the species-specific signal. we used this technique for coh ... | 2007 | 17431177 |
| extending the bacillus cereus group genomics to putative food-borne pathogens of different toxicity. | the bacillus cereus group represents sporulating soil bacteria containing pathogenic strains which may cause diarrheic or emetic food poisoning outbreaks. multiple locus sequence typing revealed a presence in natural samples of these bacteria of about 30 clonal complexes. application of genomic methods to this group was however biased due to the major interest for representatives closely related to bacillus anthracis. albeit the most important food-borne pathogens were not yet defined, existing ... | 2008 | 17434157 |
| isolation of engineered, full-length antibodies from libraries expressed in escherichia coli. | we describe facile isolation of full-length igg antibodies from combinatorial libraries expressed in e. coli. full-length heavy and light chains are secreted into the periplasm, where they assemble into aglycosylated iggs that are captured by an fc-binding protein that is tethered to the inner membrane. after permeabilizing the outer membrane, spheroplast clones expressing so-called e-clonal antibodies, which specifically recognize fluorescently labeled antigen, are selected using flow cytometry ... | 2007 | 17435747 |
| assessment of anthrax vaccination data in the defense medical surveillance system, 1998-2004. | understanding the completeness and accuracy of u.s. military anthrax vaccination data is important to the design and interpretation of studies to assess the safety of anthrax vaccine. we estimated the agreement between electronically recorded anthrax vaccination data in the defense medical surveillance system (dmss) versus anthrax vaccination data abstracted from hardcopy medical charts in a representative sample of the u.s. military from 1998 to 2004. | 2007 | 17437247 |
| public health response to an anthrax attack: an evaluation of vaccination policy options. | a discrete-time, deterministic, compartmental model was developed and analyzed to provide insight into how the use of anthrax vaccine before or after a large-scale attack can reduce casualties. the model accounts for important response and protection factors such as antibiotic and vaccine efficacy, the protective effects of buildings, the timing of emergency response, and antibiotic adherence and vaccine coverage in the population prior to the attack. the relative benefit of pre- versus post-exp ... | 2007 | 17437349 |
| bioterrorism-related inhalational anthrax: can extrapolated adult guidelines be applied to a pediatric population? | since the 2001 anthrax attacks, an extensive body of literature has evolved, but there has been a limited focus on the management of pediatric-specific issues. we looked at the symptom complexes of all pediatric patients presenting to the emergency department of our hospital during this period and examined whether their presentations would likely allow current guidelines to be used as potential screening criteria to identify children infected with anthrax. | 2007 | 17437350 |
| regulating biorisks: developing a coherent policy logic (part ii). | this is the second of two articles that empirically details the working practices of regulators charged with overseeing biological research. the first article considered how regulators from the biological agents unit of the uk health and safety executive went about implementing the british legislation controlling work with biological agents and genetically modified organisms prior to the terrorist attacks of 11 september 2001 and the ensuing anthrax letters in the u.s. this second article contin ... | 2007 | 17437352 |
| rat survival to anthrax lethal toxin is likely controlled by a single gene. | we examined whether survival of different rat strains administered anthrax lethal toxin is genetically determined. a reproducible test population of first filial generation hybrid rats was bred based on the susceptibility of progenitors to anthrax lethal toxin and to maximize genetic diversity across the strains. these rats were then tested with varying doses of anthrax lethal toxin. we found that all 'sensitive' strains died within 2 h following systemic administration of 240 mug/kg lethal toxi ... | 2008 | 17440430 |
| caspase-1 inflammasomes in infection and inflammation. | nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain-like receptors (nlrs) constitute a family of germline-encoded pattern-recognition receptors, which allow the host to respond rapidly to a wide variety of pathogenic microorganisms. here, we discuss recent advances in the study of a subset of nlrs, which control the activation of caspase-1 through the assembly of large protein complexes, inflammasomes. the nalp1b inflammasome recognizes anthrax lethal toxin, and flagellin from salmonella and legionell ... | 2007 | 17442855 |
| anthrax lethal toxin paralyzes actin-based motility by blocking hsp27 phosphorylation. | inhalation of anthrax causes fatal bacteremia, indicating a meager host immune response. we previously showed that anthrax lethal toxin (lt) paralyzes neutrophils, a major component of innate immunity. here, we have found that lt also inhibits actin-based motility of the intracellular pathogen listeria monocytogenes. lt inhibition of actin assembly is mediated by blockade of hsp27 phosphorylation, and can be reproduced by treating cells with the p38 mitogen-activated protein (map) kinase inhibit ... | 2007 | 17446863 |
| human monoclonal antibody avp-21d9 to protective antigen reduces dissemination of the bacillus anthracis ames strain from the lungs in a rabbit model. | dutch-belted and new zealand white rabbits were passively immunized with avp-21d9, a human monoclonal antibody to protective antigen (pa), at the time of bacillus anthracis spore challenge using either nasal instillation or aerosol challenge techniques. avp-21d9 (10 mg/kg) completely protected both rabbit strains against lethal infection with bacillus anthracis ames spores, regardless of the inoculation method. further, all but one of the passively immunized animals (23/24) were completely resis ... | 2007 | 17452469 |
| fluid support worsens outcome and negates the benefit of protective antigen-directed monoclonal antibody in a lethal toxin-infused rat bacillus anthracis shock model. | the aim of this study was to test the effects of normal saline treatment either alone or in combination with protective antigen-directed monoclonal antibody in a lethal toxin-infused rat model of anthrax sepsis. | 2007 | 17452924 |
| effect of electron beam irradiation on forensic evidence. 2. analysis of writing inks on porous surfaces. | the effect of electron beam irradiation on a series of different writing inks is described. as the anthrax-tainted letters were discovered in october 2001, the u.s. government began to experiment with the use of the electron beam irradiation process for destroying such biological agents. plans initially considered a large-scale countrywide use of this technology. however, over time the scope of this plan as well as the radiation dosage were reduced, especially when some adverse consequences to m ... | 2007 | 17456088 |
| transcriptional stimulation of anthrax toxin receptors by anthrax edema toxin and bacillus anthracis sterne spore. | we used quantitative real-time rt-pcr to not only investigate the mrna levels of anthrax toxin receptor 1 (antxr1) and 2 (antxr2) in the murine j774a.1 macrophage cells and different tissues of mice, but also evaluate the effect of anthrax edema toxin and bacillus anthracis sterne spores on the expression of mrna of these receptors. the mrna transcripts of both receptors were detected in j774a.1 cells and mouse tissues such as the lung, heart, kidney, spleen, stomach, jejunum, brain, skeleton mu ... | 2007 | 17459655 |
| highlights of mediterranean clinical immunology. | the immune system continues to fascinate by the complexity of its intricacies. at the first mediterranean workshop on clinical immunology held in evora (portugal), recently identified mechanisms of immune defense and immunoregulation were put under a magnifying glass by an international cast of immunologists. studies of bacillus anthracis revealed that this anaerobic bacterium can inhibit type-ii a phospholipase synthesis and secretion by alveolar macrophages, thereby subverting the pulmonary ho ... | 2007 | 17466384 |
| rapid diagnostic thin section electron microscopy of bacterial endospores. | emerging infectious diseases such as sars and the bioterror attacks with anthrax spores that occurred after september 11th, 2001 have highlighted the need to be better prepared for the detection and management of infectious pathogens that threaten public health. negative staining electron microscopy is one method used to screen environmental and clinical samples for relevant infectious pathogens. unfortunately, bacterial endospores, like those of bacillus anthracis, are difficult to identify usi ... | 2007 | 17466397 |
| stable isotope ratios and forensic analysis of microorganisms. | in the aftermath of the anthrax letters of 2001, researchers have been exploring various analytical signatures for the purpose of characterizing the production environment of microorganisms. one such signature is stable isotope ratios, which in heterotrophs, are a function of nutrient and water sources. here we discuss the use of stable isotope ratios in microbial forensics, using as a database the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen stable isotope ratios of 247 separate cultures of bacillus ... | 2007 | 17468274 |
| multiple asparagine deamidation of bacillus anthracis protective antigen causes charge isoforms whose complexity correlates with reduced biological activity. | protective antigen is essential for the pathology of bacillus anthracis and is the proposed immunogen for an improved human anthrax vaccine. known since discovery to comprise differentially charged isoforms, the cause of heterogeneity has eluded specific structural definition until now. recombinant protective antigen (rpa) contains similar isoforms that appear early in fermentation and are mostly removed through purification. by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry sequencing of the en ... | 2007 | 17469195 |
| transcriptional profiling of bacillus anthracis during infection of host macrophages. | the interaction between bacillus anthracis and the mammalian phagocyte is one of the central stages in the progression of inhalational anthrax, and it is commonly believed that the host cell plays a key role in facilitating germination and dissemination of inhaled b. anthracis spores. given this, a detailed definition of the survival strategies used by b. anthracis within the phagocyte is critical for our understanding of anthrax. in this study, we report the first genome-wide analysis of b. ant ... | 2007 | 17470545 |
| bacillus anthracis internalization by human fibroblasts and epithelial cells. | the current model for bacillus anthracis dissemination in vivo focuses on macrophages as carriers. however, recent evidence suggested that other host cells may also play a role in the process. here, we tested the possibility of b. anthracis being internalized by a human fibroblast cell line, ht1080 and an epithelial cell line, caco-2. a combination of gentamicin protection assays, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (em) and fluorescence microscopy was used. the results demonstrated fo ... | 2007 | 17474904 |
| nod1 mediates cytoplasmic sensing of combinations of extracellular bacteria. | during mucosal colonization, epithelial cells are concurrently exposed to numerous microbial species. epithelial cytokine production is an early component of innate immunity and contributes to mucosal defence. we have previously demonstrated a synergistic response of respiratory epithelial cells to costimulation by two human pathogens, streptococcus pneumoniae and haemophilus influenzae. here we define a molecular mechanism for the synergistic activation of epithelial signalling during polymicro ... | 2007 | 17474907 |
| electrical detection of germination of viable model bacillus anthracis spores in microfluidic biochips. | in this paper, we present a new impedance-based method to detect viable spores by electrically detecting their germination in real time within microfluidic biochips. we used bacillus anthracis sterne spores as the model organism. during germination, the spores release polar and ionic chemicals, such as dipicolinic acid (dpa), calcium ions, phosphate ions, and amino acids, which correspondingly increase the electrical conductivity of the medium in which the spores are suspended. we first present ... | 2007 | 17476379 |
| terrorism preparedness: have office-based physicians been trained? | terrorism may have a severe impact on physicians' practices. we examined terrorism preparedness training of office-based physicians. | 2007 | 17476610 |
| lateral flow microarrays: a novel platform for rapid nucleic acid detection based on miniaturized lateral flow chromatography. | widely used nucleic acid assays are poorly suited for field deployment where access to laboratory instrumentation is limited or unavailable. the need for field deployable nucleic acid detection demands inexpensive, facile systems without sacrificing information capacity or sensitivity. here we describe a novel microarray platform capable of rapid, sensitive nucleic acid detection without specialized instrumentation. the approach is based on a miniaturized lateral flow device that makes use of hy ... | 2007 | 17478499 |
| prevention of immune cell apoptosis as potential therapeutic strategy for severe infections. | some labile cell types whose numbers are normally controlled through programmed cell death are subject to markedly increased destruction during some severe infections. lymphocytes, in particular, undergo massive and apparently unregulated apoptosis in human patients and laboratory animals with sepsis, potentially playing a major role in the severe immunosuppression that characterizes the terminal phase of fatal illness. extensive lymphocyte apoptosis has also occurred in humans and animals infec ... | 2007 | 17479879 |
| expression of furin-linked fab fragments against anthrax toxin in a single mammalian expression vector. | human anti-recombinant protective antigen (rpa) fab genes were previously cloned from single b cells of a donor immunized with anthrax vaccine using fluorescence activated cell sorting with fluorescein labeled rpa and single-cell pcr. the light and heavy chains were sub-cloned individually into mammalian expression vectors psectag2b or pexpr44, respectively, and expressed in the same chok1 cells. alternatively, the same heavy and light chains were linked together, using pcr, with an in-frame seq ... | 2007 | 17481917 |
| evaluation of combinatorial vaccines against anthrax and plague in a murine model. | in this study, we examine the potential of a combinatorial vaccine consisting of the lead-candidate antigens for the next generations of vaccines against anthrax (rpa) and plague (f1-v) with the specific objective of determining synergy or interference between the vaccine components when they are administered separately or together by both traditional parenteral immunization (sc) and mucosal immunization (in) in the presence of appropriate adjuvants. the most significant findings of the study re ... | 2007 | 17482725 |
| lethal and edema toxins of anthrax induce distinct hemodynamic dysfunction. | fatalities due to anthrax are associated with severe hypotension suggesting that the toxins generated from bacillus anthracis, lethal toxin (letx) and edema toxin (edtx), have cardiovascular effects. here, we demonstrate the effects of these toxins and characterize their effects by echocardiography. letx leads to a significant reduction in ejection fraction, decreased velocity of propagation (diastolic dysfunction), decreased velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (decreased contractility) ... | 2007 | 17485403 |
| amiodarone and bepridil inhibit anthrax toxin entry into host cells. | anthrax lethal toxin is one of the fundamental components believed to be responsible for the virulence of bacillus anthracis. in order to find novel compounds with anti-lethal toxin properties, we used a cell-based assay to screen a collection of approximately 500 small molecules. nineteen compounds that blocked lethal toxin-mediated killing of raw 264.7 macrophages were identified, and we report here on the characterization of the two most potent antitoxic compounds, amiodarone and bepridil. th ... | 2007 | 17485504 |
| public health and bioterrorism: renewed threat of anthrax and smallpox. | bioterrorism is one of the main public health categorical domains. according to sociological analytics, in postmodern society terrorism is one of the real threats of the 21st century. while rare, the use of biological weapons has a long history. recently, anthrax has been evaluated as one of the most dangerous biological weapons. naturally occurring anthrax in humans is a disease acquired from contact with anthrax-infected animals or anthrax-contaminated animal products. usually anthrax infectio ... | 2007 | 17485954 |
| [a recent case of palpebral anthrax]. | anthrax disease is an acute infection caused by bacillus anthracis. it appears in three forms: pulmonary, intestinal, and cutaneous, whose palpebral location is rare but serious. the authors report the case of a 38-year-old patient who presented 3 weeks after the appearance of an upper and lower palpebral tumefaction. questioning revealed that he was a cattle breeder. the ophthalmologic examination of the right eye brought out serosanguineous blisters, an edema, and necrotic scabs involving the ... | 2007 | 17486033 |
| mutagenesis by retroviral insertion in chemical mutagen-generated quasi-haploid mammalian cells. | diploidy is a major obstacle to the mutagenic analysis of function in cultured mammalian cells. here, we show that 6-8 rounds of chemical mutagenesis generates quasi-haploid cells that can be used as targets for insertional mutagenesis using a specially designed retroviral vector that permits rapid identification of disrupted genes in each cell that bears a phenotype of interest. the utility of combined chemical and insertional mutagenesis is illustrated by the identification of novel host genes ... | 2007 | 17489237 |
| specific bacillus anthracis identification by a plcr-targeted restriction site insertion-pcr (rsi-pcr) assay. | a rsi-pcr assay was developed for the detection of a bacillus anthracis-specific nonsense mutation in the plcr gene. the assay specificity was tested using 170 bacillus spp. strains including 47 strains of b. anthracis. the plcr rsi-pcr distinguished bacillus cereus group strains closely related to b. anthracis from the anthrax agent. the assay was found to be a robust, simple and cost effective tool for b. anthracis identification. in contrast to previously developed real time pcr-based methods ... | 2007 | 17490431 |
| anthrax edema toxin inhibits endothelial cell chemotaxis via epac and rap1. | angiogenesis involves the assembly of endothelial cells into capillaries from a pre-existing vasculature. because abnormal angiogenesis is a hallmark of many cancers, it is critical to find factors that control this process. endothelial cells are enriched in the anthrax receptor; we therefore determined the effect of anthrax edema toxin (et), an adenylyl cyclase, on chemotaxis. camp generated by et does not block proliferation or survival but causes cytoskeletal changes and inhibits chemotaxis b ... | 2007 | 17491018 |
| non-uniform assembly of the bacillus anthracis exosporium and a bottle cap model for spore germination and outgrowth. | spores of bacillus anthracis are enclosed by an exosporium composed of a basal layer and an external hair-like nap. the nap is formed by a collagen-like glycoprotein called bcla, while the basal layer contains many different proteins, one of which is a spore-specific alanine racemase (alr). in this study, we employed fluorescence microscopy and a fluorescently labelled anti-alr monoclonal antibody (mab) to examine the distribution of alr within the exosporium. binding of the mab occurred over ap ... | 2007 | 17493122 |
| [anthrax]. | 2007 | 17494146 | |
| apex 2-hybrid, a quantitative protein-protein interaction assay for antibody discovery and engineering. | we have developed a bacterial system for the discovery of interacting proteins that, unlike other two-hybrid technologies, allows for the selection of protein pairs on the basis of affinity or expression. this technology relies on the anchored periplasmic expression (apex) of one protein (bait) on the periplasmic side of the inner membrane of escherichia coli and its interacting partner (prey) as a soluble, epitope-tagged, periplasmic protein. upon removal of the outer membrane by spheroplasting ... | 2007 | 17494738 |
| functional comparison of the two bacillus anthracis glutamate racemases. | glutamate racemase activity in bacillus anthracis is of significant interest with respect to chemotherapeutic drug design, because l-glutamate stereoisomerization to d-glutamate is predicted to be closely associated with peptidoglycan and capsule biosynthesis, which are important for growth and virulence, respectively. in contrast to most bacteria, which harbor a single glutamate racemase gene, the genomic sequence of b. anthracis predicts two genes encoding glutamate racemases, race1 and race2. ... | 2007 | 17496086 |
| a functional homing endonuclease in the bacillus anthracis nrde group i intron. | the essential bacillus anthracis nrde gene carries a self-splicing group i intron with a putative homing endonuclease belonging to the giy-yig family. here, we show that the nrde pre-mrna is spliced and that the homing endonuclease cleaves an intronless nrde gene 5 nucleotides (nt) upstream of the intron insertion site, producing 2-nt 3' extensions. we also show that the sequence required for efficient cleavage spans at least 4 bp upstream and 31 bp downstream of the cleaved coding strand. the p ... | 2007 | 17496101 |
| crystal structure of the bczbp, a zinc-binding protein from bacillus cereus. | bacillus cereus is an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium closely related to bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax in mammals. a significant portion of the b. cereus chromosomal genes are common to b. anthracis, including genes which in b. anthracis code for putative virulence and surface proteins. b. cereus thus provides a convenient model organism for studying proteins potentially associated with the pathogenicity of the highly infectious b. anthracis. the zinc-binding protein of b ... | 2007 | 17501983 |
| mucosal immunization with a novel nanoemulsion-based recombinant anthrax protective antigen vaccine protects against bacillus anthracis spore challenge. | the currently available commercial human anthrax vaccine requires multiple injections for efficacy and has side effects due to its alum adjuvant. these factors limit its utility when immunizing exposed populations in emergent situations. we evaluated a novel mucosal adjuvant that consists of a nontoxic, water-in-oil nanoemulsion (ne). this material does not contain a proinflammatory component but penetrates mucosal surfaces to load antigens into dendritic cells. mice and guinea pigs were intrana ... | 2007 | 17502384 |
| protective role of bacillus anthracis exosporium in macrophage-mediated killing by nitric oxide. | the ability of the endospore-forming, gram-positive bacterium bacillus anthracis to survive in activated macrophages is key to its germination and survival. in a previous publication, we discovered that exposure of primary murine macrophages to b. anthracis endospores upregulated nos 2 concomitant with an .no-dependent bactericidal response. since nos 2 also generates o(2).(-), experiments were designed to determine whether nos 2 formed peroxynitrite (onoo(-)) from the reaction of .no with o(2). ... | 2007 | 17502390 |
| cloning and molecular characterization of three arylamine n-acetyltransferase genes from bacillus anthracis: identification of unusual enzymatic properties and their contribution to sulfamethoxazole resistance. | the arylamine n-acetyltransferases (nats) are xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes that catalyze the n-acetylation of arylamines and their n-hydroxylated metabolites. these enzymes play a key role in detoxication of numerous drugs and xenobiotics. we report here the cloning, functional expression, and characterization of three new nat genes (termed banata, banatb, and banatc) from the pathogen bacillus anthracis. the sequences of the corresponding proteins are approximately 30% identical with those o ... | 2007 | 17511472 |
| identification of high-stringency dna hairpin probes by partial gene folding. | hairpin dna sequences are widely used as probes for oligonucleotides in a broad range of assays, often as "molecular beacons". a potential disadvantage of the standard methodology for molecular beacon design is the need to add several self-complementary bases to each end of the probe, since these do not correspond to the target sequence. we describe a conceptually new method of hairpin dna probe identification, in which a secondary structure prediction algorithm is employed to identify oligonucl ... | 2007 | 17512187 |
| an automated front-end monitor for anthrax surveillance systems based on the rapid detection of airborne endospores. | a fully automated anthrax smoke detector (asd) has been developed and tested. the asd is intended to serve as a cost effective front-end monitor for anthrax surveillance systems. the principle of operation is based on measuring airborne endospore concentrations, where a sharp concentration increase signals an anthrax attack. the asd features an air sampler, a thermal lysis unit, a syringe pump, a time-gated spectrometer, and endospore detection chemistry comprised of dipicolinic acid (dpa)-trigg ... | 2007 | 17514759 |
| high-affinity, human antibody-like antibody fragment (single-chain variable fragment) neutralizing the lethal factor (lf) of bacillus anthracis by inhibiting protective antigen-lf complex formation. | the anthrax lethal toxin (lt) consists of two subunits, the protective antigen (pa) and the lethal factor (lf), and is essential for anthrax pathogenesis. several recombinant antibodies directed against pa and intended for medical use have been obtained, but none against lf, despite the recommendations of anthrax experts. here we describe an anti-lf single-chain variable fragment (scfv) that originated from an immunized macaque (macaca fascicularis) and was obtained by phage display. panning of ... | 2007 | 17517846 |
| the large clostridial toxins from clostridium sordellii and c. difficile repress glucocorticoid receptor activity. | we have previously shown that bacillus anthracis lethal toxin represses glucocorticoid receptor (gr) transactivation. we now report that repression of gr activity also occurs with the large clostridial toxins produced by clostridium sordellii and c. difficile. this was demonstrated using a transient transfection assay system for gr transactivation. we also report that c. sordellii lethal toxin inhibited gr function in an ex vivo assay, where toxin reduced the dexamethasone suppression of the pro ... | 2007 | 17517870 |
| human lung innate immune response to bacillus anthracis spore infection. | bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of inhalational anthrax, enters a host through the pulmonary system before dissemination. we have previously shown that human alveolar macrophages participate in the initial innate immune response to b. anthracis spores through cell signal-mediated cytokine release. we proposed that the lung epithelia also participate in the innate immune response to this pathogen, and we have developed a human lung slice model to study this process. exposure of our model ... | 2007 | 17517878 |
| methyl bromide as a building disinfectant: interaction with indoor materials and resulting byproduct formation. | several buildings were contaminated with bacillus anthracis in the fall of 2001. these events required consideration of how to disinfect large indoor spaces for continued worker occupation. the interactions of gaseous disinfectants with indoor materials may inhibit the disinfection process, cause persistence of the disinfectant, and lead to possible byproduct formation and persistence. methyl bromide (ch3br) is a candidate for disinfection/deactivation of biological agents in buildings. in this ... | 2007 | 17518223 |
| density-equalizing euclidean minimum spanning trees for the detection of all disease cluster shapes. | existing disease cluster detection methods cannot detect clusters of all shapes and sizes or identify highly irregular sets that overestimate the true extent of the cluster. we introduce a graph-theoretical method for detecting arbitrarily shaped clusters based on the euclidean minimum spanning tree of cartogram-transformed case locations, which overcomes these shortcomings. the method is illustrated by using several clusters, including historical data sets from west nile virus and inhalational ... | 2007 | 17519338 |
| global genetic population structure of bacillus anthracis. | anthrax, caused by the bacterium bacillus anthracis, is a disease of historical and current importance that is found throughout the world. the basis of its historical transmission is anecdotal and its true global population structure has remained largely cryptic. seven diverse b. anthracis strains were whole-genome sequenced to identify rare single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps), followed by phylogenetic reconstruction of these characters onto an evolutionary model. this analysis identified snp ... | 2007 | 17520020 |
| anthrax toxins induce shock in rats by depressed cardiac ventricular function. | anthrax infections are frequently associated with severe and often irreversible hypotensive shock. the isolated toxic proteins of bacillus anthracis produce a non-cytokine-mediated hypotension in rats by unknown mechanisms. these observations suggest the anthrax toxins have direct cardiovascular effects. here, we characterize these effects. as a first step, we administered systemically anthrax lethal toxin (letx) and edema toxin (edtx) to cohorts of three to twelve rats at different doses and de ... | 2007 | 17520025 |
| factors involved in the germination and inactivation of bacillus anthracis spores in murine primary macrophages. | since macrophages have been implicated in inhalation anthrax either for defense and/or as enablers for spore trafficking, their function has been further defined. spores were efficiently taken up by primary mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages even in the absence of serum but a minimal amount was required for spore germination and subsequent inactivation. with 10% fetal bovine serum (fbs) virtually all of the spores germinated but when the concentration of fbs was lowered to 1.0% or less, or wh ... | 2007 | 17521404 |
| optimizing the treatment of a new horseman of the apocalypse. | 2007 | 17522542 | |
| [properties of live antibiotics-resistant anthrax vaccine sti-pr after long-term storage]. | study showed that cultural, morphologic, genetic, immunologic characteristics, and resistance to antibiotics of sti-pr anthrax vaccine did not change after storage during 20 years in lyophilized condition. it has been shown that medium for lyophilization plays important role in preservation of vitality of anthrax spores. optimal preservative properties have been observed for thioureal and sucrose-gelatinous media for lyophilization. obtained results give reasons for prolongation of shelf live of ... | 2007 | 17523426 |
| optimization of high-resolution melting analysis for low-cost and rapid screening of allelic variants of bacillus anthracis by multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis. | molecular genotyping of bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent of anthrax, is important for differentiating and identifying strains from different geographic areas and for tracing strains deliberately released in a bioterrorism attack. we previously described a multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat (vntr) analysis (mlva) based on 25 marker loci. although the method has great differentiating power and reproducibility, faster genotyping at low cost may be requested to accurately identify b ... | 2007 | 17525105 |
| phenotypic and functional characterization of bacillus anthracis biofilms. | biofilms, communities of micro-organisms attached to a surface, are responsible for many chronic diseases and are often associated with environmental reservoirs or lifestyles. bacillus anthracis is a gram-positive, endospore-forming bacterium and is the aetiological agent of pulmonary, gastrointestinal and cutaneous anthrax. anthrax infections are part of the natural lifecycle of many ruminants in north america, including cattle and bison, and b. anthracis is thought to be a central part of this ... | 2007 | 17526827 |
| unfolding transitions of bacillus anthracis protective antigen. | protective antigen (pa) is an 83kda protein which, although essential for toxicity of bacillus anthracis, is harmless and an effective vaccine component. in vivo it undergoes receptor binding, proteolysis, heptamerisation and membrane insertion. here we probe the response of pa to denaturants, temperature and ph. we present analyses (including barycentric mean) of the unfolding and refolding behavior of pa and reveal the origin of two critical steps in the denaturant unfolding pathway in which t ... | 2007 | 17531947 |
| de novo asymmetric synthesis of the anthrax tetrasaccharide by a palladium-catalyzed glycosylation reaction. | 2007 | 17534991 |