Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| overview of the inactivation by 254 nm ultraviolet radiation of bacteria with particular relevance to biodefense. | our goal was to ultimately predict the sensitivity of untested bacteria (including those of biodefense interest) to ultraviolet (uv) radiation. in this study, we present an overview and analysis of the relevant 254 nm data previously reported and available in the literature. the amount of variability in this data prevented us from determining an "average" response for any bacterium. therefore, we developed particular selection criteria to include the data in our analysis and suggested future gui ... | 2008 | 18627518 |
| controlled plasmonic nanostructures for surface-enhanced spectroscopy and sensing. | after its discovery more than 30 years ago, surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy (sers) was expected to have major impact as a sensitive analytical technique and tool for fundamental studies of surface species. unfortunately, the lack of reliable and reproducible fabrication methods limited its applicability. in recent years, sers has enjoyed a renaissance, and there is renewed interest in both the fundamentals and applications of sers. new techniques for nanofabrication, the design of substrates ... | 2008 | 18630932 |
| recovery efficiencies of anthrax spores and ricin from nonporous or nonabsorbent and porous or absorbent surfaces by a variety of sampling methods*. | the 2001 anthrax letter cases brought into focus the need to establish the most effective environmental sampling procedures. results are presented from two studies aimed at establishing the best procedures for everyday surfaces likely to be contaminated after the release of environmentally stable bioaggressive agents, as exemplified by anthrax spores and ricin. with anthrax spores, contact plates, with mean retrieval rates of 28-54%, performed better than other methods by a wide margin for flat ... | 2008 | 18637873 |
| the type iii pantothenate kinase encoded by coax is essential for growth of bacillus anthracis. | in bacillus anthracis, the novel type iii pantothenate kinase (pank(ba); encoded by coax) catalyzes the first committed step in coenzyme a biosynthesis. we have demonstrated by analyzing the growth characteristics of a conditional coax mutant that pank(ba) is an essential enzyme, thus contributing to its validation as a new antimicrobial target. | 2008 | 18641144 |
| mechanistic modeling of emergency events: assessing the impact of hypothetical releases of anthrax. | a modular system for source-to-dose-to-effect modeling analysis has been developed based on the modeling environment for total risk studies (mentor),((1)) and applied to study the impacts of hypothetical atmospheric releases of anthrax spores. the system, mentor-2e (mentor for emergency events), provides mechanistically consistent analysis of inhalation exposures for various release scenarios, while allowing consideration of specific susceptible subpopulations (such as the elderly) at the resolu ... | 2008 | 18643828 |
| sizing the bacillus anthracis pa63 channel with nonelectrolyte poly(ethylene glycols). | nonelectrolyte polymers of poly(ethylene glycol) (peg) were used to estimate the diameter of the ion channel formed by the bacillus anthracis protective antigen 63 (pa(63)). based on the ability of different molecular weight pegs to partition into the pore and reduce channel conductance, the pore appears to be narrower than the one formed by staphylococcus aureus alpha-hemolysin. numerical integration of the peg sample mass spectra and the channel conductance data were used to refine the estimat ... | 2008 | 18645196 |
| the decline of antibiotic era--new approaches for antibacterial drug discovery. | infectious diseases still remain the main cause of human premature deaths; especially in developing countries. the emergence and spread of pathogenic bacteria resistant to many antibiotics (multidrug-resistant strains) have created the need for the development of novel therapeutic agents. only two new classes of antibiotics of novel mechanisms of action (linezolid and daptomycin) have been introduced into the market during the last three decades. the recent progress in molecular biology and bact ... | 2008 | 18646395 |
| a dual-purpose protein ligand for effective therapy and sensitive diagnosis of anthrax. | this article reports the design of a bivalent protein ligand with dual use in therapy and diagnosis of anthrax caused by bacillus anthracis. the ligand specifically binds to pa and thereby blocks the intracellular delivery of lf and ef toxins that, respectively, cause cell lysis and edema. the ligand is a chimeric scaffold with two pa-binding domains (called vwa) linked to an igg-fc frame. molecular modeling and binding measurements reveal that the vwa-fc dimer binds to pa with high affinity (k( ... | 2008 | 18649128 |
| the behaviour of virulent bacillus anthracis strain ao843 in rabbits. | 2009 | 18650035 | |
| nanotube-assisted protein deactivation. | conjugating proteins onto carbon nanotubes has numerous applications in biosensing, imaging and cellular delivery. however, remotely controlling the activity of proteins in these conjugates has never been demonstrated. here we show that upon near-infrared irradiation, carbon nanotubes mediate the selective deactivation of proteins in situ by photochemical effects. we designed nanotube-peptide conjugates to selectively destroy the anthrax toxin, and also optically transparent coatings that can se ... | 2008 | 18654449 |
| functional expression of bacillus anthracis protective antigen in e. coli. | the protective antigen (pa) of bacillus anthracis is a potent immunogen and an important candidate vaccine. in addition, it is used in monitoring systems like enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to assess antibodies against pa in immunized subjects. the low level of pa production in b. anthracis and the difficulty of separating it from other bacterial components have made the researchers do different studies with the aim of producing recombinant pa (rpa). in this study, to produce rpa as a recombi ... | 2009 | 18654743 |
| the response to a specific germinant by bacillus anthracis spores in primary mouse macrophages is modulated by a protein encoded on the pxo1 plasmid. | a bacillus anthracis sterne pxo1 plasmid-encoded protein designated cot43 was found in coat extracts of purified spores. cot43 is a tetratricopeptide repeat domain protein related to those which function as phosphatases in the sporulation phosphorelay and as regulators of competence and pathogenic factors. the synthesis of cot43 began in the late exponential phase downstream from a sigmaa promoter (as mapped by race) and it was present at least until the formation of phase white endospores. ther ... | 2008 | 18654763 |
| recombinant bacillus anthracis spore proteins enhance protection of mice primed with suboptimal amounts of protective antigen. | inactivated bacillus anthracis spores given with protective antigen (pa) contribute to immunity against anthrax in several animal models. antiserum raised against whole irradiated b. anthracis spores has been shown to have anti-germination and opsonic activities in vitro. based on these observations, we hypothesized that surface-exposed spore proteins might serve as supplemental components of a pa-based anthrax vaccine. the protective anti-spore serum was tested for reactivity with recombinant f ... | 2008 | 18657585 |
| protein expression pattern of murine macrophages treated with anthrax lethal toxin. | anthrax lethal toxin (letx; a combination of protective antigen and lethal factor) secreted by the vegetative cells of bacillus anthracis is cytotoxic for certain macrophage cell lines. the role of letx in mediating these effects is complicated largely due to the difficulty in identifying and assigning functions to the affected proteins. to analyze the protein profile of murine macrophages treated with letx, we employed two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and maldi-tof ms, and int ... | 2008 | 18657635 |
| characterization of the catalytic activity of the gamma-phage lysin, plyg, specific for bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis causes anthrax, a lethal disease affecting humans that has attracted attention due to its bioterrorism potential. plyg is a lysin of gamma-phage, which specifically infects b. anthracis and lyses its cell wall. plyg contains a t7 lysozyme-like amidase domain, which appears to be the catalytic domain, in the n-terminal region and has a high degree of sequence similarity with plyl, which is an n-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine amidase encoded by the b. anthracis genome. here, we demons ... | 2008 | 18662316 |
| effect of bacillus anthracis virulence factors on human dendritic cell activation. | bacillus anthracis possesses three primary virulence factors: capsule, lethal toxin (lt), and edema toxin (et). dendritic cells (dcs) are critical to innate and acquired immunity and represent potential targets for these factors. we examined the ability of b. anthracis spores and bacilli to stimulate human monocyte-derived dc (mddc), primary myeloid dc (mdc), and plasmacytoid dc (pdc) cytokine secretion. exposure of mddcs and mdcs to spores or vegetative bacilli of the genetically complete strai ... | 2008 | 18662733 |
| design and synthesis of aryl ether inhibitors of the bacillus anthracis enoyl-acp reductase. | the problem of increasing bacterial resistance to the current generation of antibiotics is well documented. known resistant pathogens such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus are becoming more prevalent, while the potential exists for developing drug-resistant pathogens for use as bioweapons, such as bacillus anthracis. the biphenyl ether antibacterial agent, triclosan, exhibits broad-spectrum activity by targeting the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway through inhibition of enoyl-acyl c ... | 2008 | 18663709 |
| ["remarks on the so-called spleen fire": an early medical-scientific document in liechtenstein]. | 2001 | 18663830 | |
| [the strategic plan for preparedness and response to bioterrorism in korea]. | following the anthrax bioterrorism attacks in the us in 2001, the korean government established comprehensive countermeasures against bioterrorism. these measures included the government assuming management of all infectious agents that cause diseases, including smallpox, anthrax, plaque, botulism, and the causative agents of viral hemorrhagic fevers (ebola fever, marburg fever, and lassa fever) for national security. in addition, the korean government is reinforcing the ability to prepare and r ... | 2008 | 18664725 |
| stable and potent polyvalent anthrax toxin inhibitors: raft-inspired domain formation in liposomes that contain pegylated lipids. | 2008 | 18666271 | |
| early indicators of exposure to biological threat agents using host gene profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. | effective prophylaxis and treatment for infections caused by biological threat agents (bta) rely upon early diagnosis and rapid initiation of therapy. most methods for identifying pathogens in body fluids and tissues require that the pathogen proliferate to detectable and dangerous levels, thereby delaying diagnosis and treatment, especially during the prelatent stages when symptoms for most bta are indistinguishable flu-like signs. | 2008 | 18667072 |
| intrinsic curvature associated with the coordinately regulated anthrax toxin gene promoters. | the current model for virulence gene regulation in bacillus anthracis involves several trans-acting factors, the most important of which appears to be the anthrax toxin activator encoded by the atxa gene. atxa is a positive regulator of the toxin genes paga, cya and lef, and of a number of other plasmid- and chromosome-encoded genes. the atxa protein (56 kda) possesses a predicted winged-helix dna-binding domain and phosphotransferase system-regulated domains, but the mechanism for positive regu ... | 2008 | 18667583 |
| preliminary development of dna aptamer-fc conjugate opsonins. | encapsulated bacteria such as virulent strains of bacillus anthracis impair phagocytosis with their capsules unless opsonized by antibodies. poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid (gamma-pdga) is the major component of the b. anthracis capsule. in this work, poly-alpha-d-glutamic acid (alpha-pdga)-coated magnetic beads (mbs) were used as surrogates to simulate vegetative b. anthracis cells and avoid the hazards of working with virulent bacteria. dna aptamers were developed against the alpha-linked pdga-mbs ... | 2009 | 18671260 |
| heat shock inhibits caspase-1 activity while also preventing its inflammasome-mediated activation by anthrax lethal toxin. | anthrax lethal toxin (lt) rapidly kills macrophages from certain mouse strains in a mechanism dependent on the breakdown of unknown protein(s) by the proteasome, formation of the nalp1b (nlrp1b) inflammasome and subsequent activation of caspase-1. we report that heat-shocking lt-sensitive macrophages rapidly protects them against cytolysis by inhibiting caspase-1 activation without upstream effects on lt endocytosis or cleavage of the toxin's known cytosolic substrates (mitogen-activated protein ... | 2008 | 18671821 |
| studies on the antifungal properties of n-thiolated beta-lactams. | n-thiolated beta-lactams had previously been shown to have antibacterial activity against a narrow selection of pathogenic bacteria including staphylococcus aureus and bacillus anthracis, as well as apoptotic-inducing activity in a variety of human cancer cell lines. we now have found that these lactams also possess antifungal activity against candida and other fungi by exerting powerful cytostatic effects that disrupt the structural integrity of cytoplasmic membranes. the mode of action and str ... | 2008 | 18672374 |
| towards on-site pathogen detection using antibody-based sensors. | in this paper, the recent progress within biosensors for plant pathogen detection will be reviewed. bio-recognition layers on sensors can be designed in various ways, however the most popular approach is to immobilise antibodies for specific capture of analytes. focus will be put on antibody surface-immobilisation strategies as well as the use of antibodies in the widely used sensors, quartz crystal microbalance, surface plasmon resonance and cantilevers. we will describe the available data on a ... | 2008 | 18675543 |
| dual promoters control expression of the bacillus anthracis virulence factor atxa. | the atxa virulence regulator of bacillus anthracis is required for toxin and capsule gene expression. atxa is a phosphotransferase system regulatory domain-containing protein whose activity is regulated by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of conserved histidine residues. here we report that transcription of the atxa gene occurs from two independent promoters, p1 (previously described by dai et al. [z. dai, j. c. sirard, m. mock, and t. m. koehler, mol. microbiol. 16:1171-1181, 1995]) and p2, wh ... | 2008 | 18676674 |
| the anthrax vaccine adsorbed vaccine generates protective antigen (pa)-specific cd4+ t cells with a phenotype distinct from that of naive pa t cells. | cellular immune responses against protective antigen (pa) of bacillus anthracis in subjects that received the anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava) vaccine were examined. multiple cd4(+) t-cell epitopes within pa were identified by using tetramer-guided epitope mapping. pa-reactive cd4(+) t cells with a cd45ra(-) phenotype were also detected by direct ex vivo staining of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) with pa-specific tetramers. surprisingly, pa-specific t cells were also detected in pbmc of ... | 2008 | 18678674 |
| solubility improvement of an anthrax toxin peptide inhibitor by rational amino acid randomization. | we previously described a potent anthrax toxin inhibitor, based on a phage-library-selected peptide sequence, synthesized as a tetra-branched molecule on a lysine core and further modified for improvement of activity [pini et al., biochem. j., 2006, 395, 157]. this branched peptide had very low solubility because of several hydrophobic residues in the peptide sequence. this complicated molecule purification and manufacturing. here we report a rational modification of the peptide sequence, obtain ... | 2008 | 18680450 |
| death renews biosecurity debate. | 2008 | 18685659 | |
| bioterrorism. scientists seek answers, ponder future after anthrax case suicide. | 2008 | 18687926 | |
| naturally acquired anthrax antibodies in a cheetah (acinonyx jubatus) in botswana. | an outbreak of anthrax in the jwana game reserve in jwaneng, botswana, was first observed when three cheetahs (acinonyx jubatus) died of the disease in november 2004. in the aftermath of this event, banked serum samples collected from 23 wild-caught cheetahs were examined, by the inhibition enzyme-linked immunoassay (elisa), for antibodies to the protective antigen (pa) of bacillus anthracis. of the 23 cheetahs, 16 regularly accessed the reserve. antibodies to pa were detected in one cheetah col ... | 2008 | 18689661 |
| decision theoretic analysis of improving epidemic detection. | the potentially catastrophic impact of an epidemic specially these due to bioterrorist attack, makes developing effective detection methods essential for public health. current detection methods trade off reliability of alarms for early detection of outbreaks. the performance of these methods can be improved by disease-specific modeling techniques that take into account the potential costs and effects of an attack to provide optimal warnings and the cost and effectiveness of interventions. we st ... | 2007 | 18693857 |
| responding to a bioterrorism attack--one scenario: part 1. | this article continues the discussions introduced in an earlier article submitted to the health care manager entitled "epidemic simulation for syndromic surveillance," wherein a format for analysis of the incidence of a bioterrorist attack was presented. this article outlines a simulation conducted as part of a federal grant award administered through the center for biological defense at the university of south florida. the disease entity simulated was an attack of anthrax introduced into the ce ... | 2008 | 18695399 |
| anthrax toxins inhibit neutrophil signaling pathways in brain endothelium and contribute to the pathogenesis of meningitis. | anthrax meningitis is the main neurological complication of systemic infection with bacillus anthracis approaching 100% mortality. the presence of bacilli in brain autopsies indicates that vegetative bacteria are able to breach the blood-brain barrier (bbb). the bbb represents not only a physical barrier but has been shown to play an active role in initiating a specific innate immune response that recruits neutrophils to the site of infection. currently, the basic pathogenic mechanisms by which ... | 2008 | 18698416 |
| a single immunization with a dry powder anthrax vaccine protects rabbits against lethal aerosol challenge. | here we confirm that intranasal (in) dry powder anthrax vaccine formulations are able to protect rabbits against aerosol challenge 9 weeks after a single immunization. the optimum dose of rpa in our dry powder anthrax vaccine formulation in rabbits was experimentally determined to be 150microg and therefore was chosen as the target dose for all subsequent experiments. rabbits received a single dose of either 150microg rpa, 150microg rpa+150microg of a conjugated 10-mer peptide representing the b ... | 2008 | 18703110 |
| anthrax investigation. full-genome sequencing paved the way from spores to a suspect. | 2008 | 18703714 | |
| anthrax case ignites new forensics field. | 2008 | 18704053 | |
| molecular modeling and dynamics studies of shikimate kinase from bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis has been used as weapon in bioterrorist activities, with high mortality, despite anti-microbial treatment, which strongly indicates a need of new drugs to treat anthrax. shikimate pathway is a seven-step biosynthetic route which generates chorismic acid. the shikimate pathway is essential for many pathological organisms, whereas it is absent in mammals. therefore, these enzymes are potential targets for the development of non-toxic anti-microbial agents and herbicides and have ... | 2008 | 18706819 |
| plant-produced hepatitis b core protein chimera carrying anthrax protective antigen domain-4. | the hepatitis b core antigen (hbcag) can generate a strong immune response and is recognized as an effective carrier for foreign epitopes. the domain-4 epitope of the anthrax protective antigen (pa-d4) plays an essential role in generating protective immunity against virulent bacillus anthracis. here we report the successful production of a recombinant protein comprised of the antigenic pa-d4 integrated into the c/e1 loop of hbcag in transgenic low-alkaloid nicotiana tabacum. sera of mice inject ... | 2008 | 18707542 |
| a novel approach to development of monoclonal antibodies using native antigen for immunization and recombinant antigen for screening. | the production of monoclonal antibodies (mab) specific to microbes is rapidly growing. finding an appropriate antigen to screen hybridoma clones has become increasingly important. however, the conventional method, in which the purified antigen from the microbe is routinely used for screening, cannot avoid selection of false positive hybridoma clones, since even highly purified antigen is found to be contaminated with some other proteins from the microbe. in this study, mabs against anthrax prote ... | 2008 | 18707549 |
| crystal structure of a family gt4 glycosyltransferase from bacillus anthracis orf ba1558. | 2008 | 18712829 | |
| single-walled carbon nanotube as a unique scaffold for the multivalent display of sugars. | single-walled carbon nanotube (swnt) is a pseudo-one-dimensional nanostructure capable of carrying/displaying a large number of bioactive molecules and species in aqueous solution. in this work, a series of dendritic beta-d-galactopyranosides and alpha-d-mannopyranosides with a terminal amino group were synthesized and used for the functionalization of swnts, which targeted the defect-derived carboxylic acid moieties on the nanotube surface. the higher-order sugar dendrons were more effective in ... | 2008 | 18712920 |
| atomic resolution structures of escherichia coli and bacillus anthracis malate synthase a: comparison with isoform g and implications for structure-based drug discovery. | enzymes of the glyoxylate shunt are important for the virulence of pathogenic organisms such as mycobacterium tuberculosis and candida albicans. two isoforms have been identified for malate synthase, the second enzyme in the pathway. isoform a, found in fungi and plants, comprises approximately 530 residues, whereas isoform g, found only in bacteria, is larger by approximately 200 residues. crystal structures of malate synthase isoform g from escherichia coli and mycobacterium tuberculosis were ... | 2008 | 18714089 |
| functional interactions between anthrax toxin receptors and the wnt signalling protein lrp6. | to exert its activity, anthrax toxin must be endocytosed and its enzymatic toxic subunits delivered to the cytoplasm. it has been proposed that, in addition to the anthrax toxin receptors (atrs), lipoprotein-receptor-related protein 6 (lrp6), known for its role in wnt signalling, is also required for toxin endocytosis. these findings have however been challenged. we show that lrp6 can indeed form a complex with atrs, and that this interaction plays a role both in wnt signalling and in anthrax to ... | 2008 | 18717822 |
| anthrax investigation. fbi discusses microbial forensics--but key questions remain unanswered. | 2008 | 18719254 | |
| anthrax investigation. six anthrax science questions the fbi has yet to answer. | 2008 | 18719255 | |
| case not closed. | 2008 | 18719537 | |
| fact sheet: anthrax. | 2008 | 18720582 | |
| esat-6-like protein secretion in bacillus anthracis. | proteins of the wxg100 family represent the prototypical substrates of bacterial type vii secretion systems that typically encompass 100 residues, lack canonical signal peptides, and form helix-turn-helix hairpin structures with wxg positioned in the turn element. bacillus anthracis encodes six wxg100 proteins, herein referred to as esxb, esxl, esxp, esxq, esxv, and esxw. with the exception of esxb, b. anthracis proteins harbor c-terminal extensions that are appended to canonical wxg domains. wh ... | 2008 | 18723613 |
| assessing bioterrorism preparedness and response of rural veterinarians: experiences and training needs. | veterinarians play a unique role in emergency preparedness and response, and federal agencies and academic institutions therefore allocate considerable resources to provide training to enhance their readiness. however, the level of preparedness of veterinarians in many rural regions is yet to be improved. this article reports an assessment of the bioterrorism preparedness, specifically the experience and training needs, of rural veterinarians in north texas. the study employed a cross-sectional ... | 2008 | 18723813 |
| is 60 days of ciprofloxacin administration necessary for postexposure prophylaxis for bacillus anthracis? | sixty days of ciprofloxacin administration at 500 mg every 12 h is currently recommended for the prophylaxis of inhalational exposure to bacillus anthracis. we examined bacillus anthracis (delta-sterne strain) in our hollow-fiber infection model. we measured the ciprofloxacin concentrations achieved and the number of organisms present before heat shock (total population) and after heat shock (spore population). we fit a mathematical model to these data. monte carlo simulation with differing init ... | 2008 | 18725437 |
| preventing voltage-dependent gating of anthrax toxin channels using engineered disulfides. | the channel-forming component of anthrax toxin, (pa(63))(7), is a heptameric water-soluble protein at neutral ph, but under acidic conditions it spontaneously inserts into lipid bilayers to form a 14-stranded beta-barrel ion-conducting channel. this channel plays a vital role in anthrax pathogenesis because it serves as a conduit for the membrane translocation of the two enzymatic components of anthrax toxin, lethal factor and edema factor. anthrax channels open and close in response to changes ... | 2008 | 18725530 |
| bacillus anthracis secretes proteins that mediate heme acquisition from hemoglobin. | acquisition of iron is necessary for the replication of nearly all bacterial pathogens; however, iron of vertebrate hosts is mostly sequestered by heme and bound to hemoglobin within red blood cells. in bacillus anthracis, the spore-forming agent of anthrax, the mechanisms of iron scavenging from hemoglobin are unknown. we report here that b. anthracis secretes isdx1 and isdx2, two neat domain proteins, to remove heme from hemoglobin, thereby retrieving iron for bacterial growth. unlike other gr ... | 2008 | 18725935 |
| polyvalency: a promising strategy for drug design. | the simultaneous binding of multiple ligands on one entity to multiple receptors on another can result in an affinity that is significantly greater than that for the binding of a single ligand to a single receptor. this concept of "polyvalency" can be used to design molecules that are potent inhibitors of toxins and pathogens. we describe the design of potent polyvalent inhibitors that neutralize anthrax toxin in vivo as well as our attempts to elucidate the relationship between inhibitor struct ... | 2008 | 18727104 |
| determining the efficacy of liquid sporicides against spores of bacillus subtilis on a hard nonporous surface using the quantitative three step method: collaborative study. | a collaborative study was conducted to validate the quantitative three step method (tsm), a method designed to measure the performance of liquid sporicides on a hard nonporous surface. ten laboratories agreed to participate in the collaborative study; data from 8 of 10 participating laboratories were used in the final statistical analysis. the tsm uses 5 x 5 x 1 mm glass coupons (carriers) upon which spores have been inoculated and which are introduced into liquid sporicidal agent contained in a ... | 2008 | 18727544 |
| a case of anthrax. | 1915 | 18736527 | |
| louis pasteur-his contribution to anthrax, vaccination and the evolution of a principle of active immunization. | 1923 | 18738937 | |
| non-canonical effects of anthrax toxins on haematopoiesis: implications for vaccine development. | anthrax receptor (atr) shares similarities with molecules relevant to haematopoiesis. this suggests that anthrax proteins might bind to these mimicking molecules and exert non-specific haematopoietic effects. the haematopoietic system is the site of immune cell development in the adult. as such, atr ligand, protective antigen (pa) and the other anthrax proteins, lethal factor, edema factor, could be significant to haematopoietic responses against bacillus anthracis infection. because haematopoie ... | 2009 | 18752638 |
| fbi to reveal anthrax data. | 2008 | 18754132 | |
| pilot-scale experimental and theoretical investigations into the thermal destruction of a bacillus anthracis surrogate embedded in building decontamination residue bundles. | bacillus anthracis (b. anthracis) spores were released through the u.s. mail system in 2001, highlighting the need to develop efficacious methods of decontaminating and disposing of materials contaminated with biological agents. incineration of building decontamination residue is a disposal option for such material, although the complete inactivation of bacterial spores via this technique is not a certainty. tests revealed that under some circumstances, geobacillus stearothermophilus (g. stearot ... | 2008 | 18754498 |
| too close for comfort. nancy haigwood is interviewed by rex dalton. | 2008 | 18756221 | |
| preparing for disaster: response matrices in the usa and uk. | disasters, whether man-made or naturally occurring, require complex responses across multiple government agencies and private sector elements, including the media. these factors mandate that, for effective disaster management and because of the unpredictability of such events, response structures must be in place in advance, ready to be activated on short notice, with lines of responsibility clearly delineated and mechanisms for coordination of efforts already established. disaster response expe ... | 2008 | 18756376 |
| the anthrax files. | 2008 | 18756706 | |
| structural elucidation of the nonclassical secondary cell wall polysaccharide from bacillus cereus atcc 10987. comparison with the polysaccharides from bacillus anthracis and b. cereus type strain atcc 14579 reveals both unique and common structural features. | nonclassical secondary cell wall polysaccharides constitute a major cell wall structure in the bacillus cereus group of bacteria. the structure of the secondary cell wall polysaccharide from bacillus cereus atcc 10987, a strain that is closely related to bacillus anthracis, was determined. this polysaccharide was released from the cell wall with aqueous hydrogen fluoride (hf) and purified by gel filtration chromatography. the purified polysaccharide, hf-ps, was characterized by glycosyl composit ... | 2008 | 18757856 |
| petrobactin biosynthesis: asbb catalyzes condensation of spermidine with n8-citryl-spermidine and its n1-(3,4-dihydroxybenzoyl) derivative. | the asbb enzyme, which is involved in the biosynthesis of the virulence-conferring siderophore petrobactin in bacillus anthracis, is shown to catalyze efficient atp-dependent condensation of spermidine, but not n1-(3,4-dihydroxbenzoyl)-spermidine, with n8-citryl-spermidine or n1-(3,4-dihydroxbenzoyl)-n8-citryl-spermidine, suggesting that n1-(3,4-dihydroxbenzoyl)-spermidine is very unlikely to be a significant intermediate in petrobactin biosynthesis, contrary to previous suggestions. | 2008 | 18758617 |
| forensic microbiology and the reinterpretation of history. | 2008 | 18759677 | |
| texas isolates closely related to bacillus anthracis ames. | 2008 | 18760033 | |
| transcriptional analysis of the conjugative plasmid paw63 from bacillus thuringiensis. | the broad-host range plasmid paw63 is a model for the study of molecular mechanisms associated with conjugation in the gram-positive bacillus cereus group. its main features are a conjugative apparatus that includes type iv secretion system-like components and two group ii introns, b.th.i1 and b.th.i2, located within conjugation genes, as well as a putative regulatory control circuit. furthermore, paw63 shares a common backbone with pxo2, the second virulence plasmid of bacillus anthracis, and w ... | 2008 | 18761035 |
| targeting of the bcla and bclb proteins to the bacillus anthracis spore surface. | the exosporium is the outermost layer of the bacillus anthracis spore. the predominant protein on the exosporium surface is bcla, a collagen-like glycoprotein. bcla is incorporated on the spore surface late in the b. anthracis sporulation pathway. a second collagen-like protein, bclb, has been shown to be surface-exposed on b. anthracis spores. we have identified sequences near the n-terminus of the bcla and bclb glycoproteins responsible for the incorporation of these proteins into the exospori ... | 2008 | 18761690 |
| inhaled non-capsulated bacillus anthracis in a/j mice: nasopharynx and alveolar space as dual portals of entry, delayed dissemination, and specific organ targeting. | bacillus anthracis virulence is dependent on toxins and capsule. encapsulation is associated with dissemination. we hypothesized that eliminating capsule would modify the portal of entry and the spread of bacteria. using a bioluminescent model of inhalational anthrax, we demonstrated that aerosolized spores of a capsule-deficient strain administered at moderate doses initiated infection in the nasopharynx. dissemination beyond the nasopharynx was delayed for at least 24h and then targeted the ki ... | 2008 | 18762267 |
| environmental monitoring for biological threat agents using the autonomous pathogen detection system with multiplexed polymerase chain reaction. | we have developed and field-tested a now operational civilian biodefense capability that continuously monitors the air in high-risk locations for biological threat agents. this stand-alone instrument, called the autonomous pathogen detection system (apds), collects and selectively concentrates particles from the air into liquid samples and analyzes the samples using multiplexed pcr amplification coupled with microsphere array detection. during laboratory testing, we evaluated the apds instrument ... | 2008 | 18763806 |
| bacillus anthracis edema toxin activates nuclear glycogen synthase kinase 3beta. | bacillus anthracis edema toxin (et) generates high levels of cyclic amp and impacts a complex network of signaling pathways in targeted cells. in the current study, we sought to identify kinase signaling pathways modulated by et to better understand how this toxin alters cell physiology. using a panel of small-molecule inhibitors of mammalian kinases, we found that inhibitors of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (gsk-3beta) protected cells from et-induced changes in the cell cycle. gsk-3beta inhib ... | 2008 | 18765729 |
| expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary x-ray studies of a prolyl-4-hydroxylase protein from bacillus anthracis. | collagen prolyl-4-hydroxylase (c-p4h) catalyzes the hydroxylation of specific proline residues in procollagen, which is an essential step in collagen biosynthesis. a new form of p4h from bacillus anthracis (anthrax-p4h) that shares many characteristics with the type i c-p4h from human has recently been characterized. the structure of anthrax-p4h could provide important insight into the chemistry of c-p4hs and into the function of this unique homodimeric p4h. x-ray diffraction data of selenomethi ... | 2008 | 18765905 |
| an alternative approach to combination vaccines: intradermal administration of isolated components for control of anthrax, botulism, plague and staphylococcal toxic shock. | abstract: | 2008 | 18768085 |
| role of n-terminal amino acids in the potency of anthrax lethal factor. | anthrax lethal factor (lf) is a zn(+2)-dependent metalloprotease that cleaves several mapk kinases and is responsible for the lethality of anthrax lethal toxin (lt). we observed that a recombinant lf (lf-hma) which differs from wild type lf (lf-a) by the addition of two residues (his-met) to the native ala (a) terminus as a result of cloning manipulations has 3-fold lower potency toward cultured cells and experimental animals. we hypothesized that the "n-end rule", which relates the half-life of ... | 2008 | 18769623 |
| biodefense versus bioterrorism. | 2008 | 18771576 | |
| construction of bacillus thuringiensis wild-type s76 and cry- derivatives expressing a green fluorescent protein: two potential marker organisms to study bacteria-plant interactions. | collectively, the species bacillus thuringiensis, bacillus cereus, and bacillus anthracis represent microorganisms of high economic, medical, and biodefense importance. although the genetic correlation and pathogenic characteristics have been extensively dissected, the ecological properties of these three species in their natural environments remain poorly understood. thus, a tractable marker for detecting these bacteria under specific environmental and physiological conditions is a valuable too ... | 2008 | 18772942 |
| effective delivery of antisense peptide nucleic acid oligomers into cells by anthrax protective antigen. | peptide nucleic acid (pna) is highly stable and binds to complementary rna and dna with high affinity, but it resists cellular uptake, thereby limiting its bioavailability. we investigated whether protectiveantigen (pa, a non-toxic component of anthrax toxin) could transport antisense pna oligomers into reporter cells that contain luciferase transgenes with mutant beta-globin ivs2 intronic inserts, which permit aberrant pre-mrna splicing and impair luciferase expression. pna oligomers antisense ... | 2008 | 18774771 |
| protective activity and immunogenicity of two recombinant anthrax vaccines for veterinary use. | in this study, the efficacy of two experimental vaccines against bacillus anthracis toxinaemia was evaluated in the rabbit model. a recombinant protective antigen (rpa) mutant and a trivalent vaccine (tv) composed by the rpa, a inactive mutant of lethal factor (mlf-y728a; e735a) and a inactive mutant of edema factor (mef-k346r), both emulsified with mineral oils, were evaluated for their immunogenicity and protective activity in new zealand white rabbits. rabbits vaccinated subcutaneously with r ... | 2008 | 18775462 |
| interferon protects mice against inhalation anthrax. | interferons (ifns) play a role in innate immunity during many viral, bacterial, and protozoal infections. with the increasing threat of bioterrorist attacks with bacillus anthracis, its high lethality, and the limited effectiveness of antibiotics, alternative treatments are being studied. antibodies to protective antigen (pa) are promising, as is ifn. during many bacterial infections, production of and protection by ifns has been reported, including b. anthracis in vitro. in vivo, we find that ( ... | 2008 | 18778201 |
| recombinant bacillus subtilis expressing the clostridium perfringens alpha toxoid is a candidate orally delivered vaccine against necrotic enteritis. | recombinant bacillus subtilis endospores have been used to vaccinate against tetanus and anthrax. in this work, we have developed spores that could be used to vaccinate against clostridium perfringens alpha toxin and that could be used to protect against gas gangrene in humans and necrotic enteritis in poultry. the primary active agent in both cases is alpha toxin. a carboxy-terminal segment of the alpha toxin gene (cpa) fused to the glutathione-s-transferase (gst) gene was cloned in b. subtilis ... | 2008 | 18779344 |
| evaluation of body mass index, pre-vaccination serum progesterone levels and anti-anthrax protective antigen immunoglobulin g on injection site adverse events following anthrax vaccination in women. | in 2002, cdc initiated the anthrax vaccination program (avp) to provide voluntary pre-exposure anthrax vaccination for individuals at high risk for exposure to bacillus anthracis spores. the avp offered an opportunity to investigate hypothesized reasons for a reported gender difference in injection site adverse events (aes) following anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava). | 2008 | 18781705 |
| cross-contamination of clinical specimens with bacillus anthracis during a laboratory proficiency test--idaho, 2006. | on july 18, 2006, the utah department of health notified epidemiologists at the idaho department of health and welfare that bacillus anthracis, the causative agent for anthrax, had been isolated from a patient. on the same day, the idaho epidemiologists were notified by the idaho bureau of laboratories of a specimen from a second patient received for anthrax testing. the two reports resulted briefly in alerts to the federal bureau of investigation (fbi) and precautionary treatment of one of the ... | 2008 | 18784641 |
| probing the ph-dependent prepore to pore transition of bacillus anthracis protective antigen with differential oxidative protein footprinting. | the protective antigen (pa) component of the anthrax toxin (atx) plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of the bioterrorism bacterium bacillus anthracis. after oligomerization on the cell surface and docking of lethal factor and/or edema factor, pa is internalized and undergoes a conformational change when exposed to the low ph of the endosome to form a membrane-penetrating pore. while the structure of the pa prepore has been determined, precise structural information regarding the pore sta ... | 2008 | 18785752 |
| private and public economic incentives for the control of animal diseases: the case of anthrax in livestock. | this study examined the roles of the public and private sectors as economic components of anthrax control with direct reference to the 2005 anthrax outbreak in livestock in north dakota. anthrax is an endemic disease in north dakota, which often causes disease outbreaks in livestock, leading to economic losses to the livestock industry. the economic incentives and interests behind public and private control of an anthrax outbreak are investigated. anthrax management is most effective with the pa ... | 2008 | 18786071 |
| chimeric hepatitis b virus core particles carrying an epitope of anthrax protective antigen induce protective immunity against bacillus anthracis. | the major aim of present study is to develop and evaluate chimeric virus-like particles (vlps) displaying a neutralizing epitope of anthrax protective antigen (pa) as a potential vaccine against anthrax. the truncated hepatitis b virus core (hbc) protein (aa 1-144) was used as a carrier, and the 2beta2-2beta3 loop of the pa domain 2 (aa 302-325) which has been shown contains a dominant neutralizing epitope was inserted into the major immunodominant region (mir) of the hbc. the recombinant protei ... | 2008 | 18786589 |
| naturally acquired antibodies to bacillus anthracis protective antigen in vultures of southern africa. | sera from 19 wild caught vultures in northern namibia and 15 (12 wild caught and three captive bred but with minimal histories) in north west province, south africa, were examined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) for antibodies to the bacillus anthracis toxin protective antigen (pa). as assessed from the baseline established with a control group of ten captive reared vultures with well-documented histories, elevated titres were found in 12 of the 19 (63%) wild caught namibian bird ... | 2008 | 18788202 |
| molecular characterization of a variant of bacillus anthracis-specific phage ap50 with improved bacteriolytic activity. | the genome sequence of a bacillus anthracis-specific clear plaque mutant phage, ap50c, contains 31 open reading frames spanning 14,398 bp, has two mutations compared to wild-type ap50t, and has a colinear genome architecture highly similar to that of gram-positive tectiviridae phages. spontaneous ap50c-resistant b. anthracis mutants exhibit a mucoid colony phenotype. | 2008 | 18791014 |
| camp imaging of cells treated with pertussis toxin, cholera toxin, and anthrax edema toxin. | the enzymatic activity of the three most studied bacterial toxins that increase the cytosolic camp level: pertussis toxin (pt), cholera toxin (ct), and anthrax edema toxin (et), was imaged by fluorescence videomicroscopy. three different cell lines were transfected with a fluorescence resonance energy transfer biosensor based on the pka regulatory and catalytic subunits fused to cfp and yfp, respectively. real-time imaging of cells expressing this camp biosensor provided time and space resolved ... | 2008 | 18793614 |
| why do uk military personnel refuse the anthrax vaccination? | the purpose of this study was to understand the reasons why some uk military personnel refused the anthrax vaccination. data were collected from 5,302 members of the uk armed forces who had been deployed to iraq since 2003 and had been offered the anthrax vaccination. as part of a larger questionnaire, information was collected on acceptance or refusal of the vaccination. twenty-eight percent of participants refused the anthrax vaccination; of these 51% indicated that they refused vaccination be ... | 2008 | 18795833 |
| complete nucleotide sequencing and analysis of the 65-kb highly conjugative enterococcus faecium plasmid pmg1: identification of the transfer-related region and the minimum region required for replication. | pmg1 (65.1 kb) is a highly conjugative, pheromone-independent enterococcus faecium plasmid that carries a tn4001-like transposon encoding gentamicin resistance. the complete nucleotide sequence (65 029 bp) of the pmg1 plasmid was determined and 73 orfs lying in the same transcription orientation were identified. sixty-one of the 73 orfs showed a high degree of similarity (90-100% identity at the amino acid level) to the orfs of the phtbeta plasmids. like the phtbeta plasmid, 22 of the pmg1 plasm ... | 2008 | 18795955 |
| the symmetry rule: a seven-year study of symptoms and explanatory labels among gulf war veterans. | noticing medical symptoms can cause one to search for explanatory labels such as "ate bad food" or even "exposed to anthrax," and perhaps these labels may cause new symptom reports. the present study examined whether there is empirical support for this symptom-label "symmetry rule." we interviewed veterans (n= 362) from the gulf war registry in 1995 and 2002 about their medical symptoms and about their exposure to war-related hazards and stressors. health symptom reports were strongly correlated ... | 2008 | 18795995 |
| antibody-mediated targeting of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator proteolytic function neutralizes fibrinolysis in vivo. | urokinase-type plasminogen activator (upa) plays a central role in tissue remodeling processes. most of our understanding of the role of upa in vivo is derived from studies using gene-targeted upa-deficient mice. to enable in vivo studies on the specific interference with upa functionality in mouse models, we have now developed murine monoclonal antibodies (mabs) directed against murine upa by immunization of upa-deficient mice with the recombinant protein. guided by enzyme-linked immunosorbent ... | 2008 | 18799467 |
| cathelicidin administration protects mice from bacillus anthracis spore challenge. | cathelicidins are a family of cationic peptides expressed in mammals that possess numerous bactericidal and immunomodulatory properties. in vitro analyses showed that human, mouse, and pig cathelicidins inhibited bacillus anthracis bacterial growth at micromolar concentrations in the presence or absence of capsule. combined in vitro analyses of the effects of each peptide on spore germination and vegetative outgrowth by time lapse phase contrast microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and ... | 2008 | 18802102 |
| rapid detection of bacillus anthracis using monoclonal antibody functionalized qcm sensor. | since the anthrax spore bioterrorism attacks in america in 2001, the early detection of bacillus anthracis spores and vegetative cells has gained significant interest. at present, many polyclonal antibody-based quartz crystal microbalance (qcm) sensors have been developed to detect b. anthracis simulates. to achieve a simultaneous rapid detection of b. anthracis spores and vegetative cells, this paper presents a biosensor that utilizes an anti-b. anthracis monoclonal antibody designated to 8g3 ( ... | 2009 | 18804365 |
| towards a human oral vaccine for anthrax: the utility of a salmonella typhi ty21a-based prime-boost immunization strategy. | we previously demonstrated the ability of an orally administered attenuated salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium strain expressing the protective antigen (pa) of bacillus anthracis to confer protection against lethal anthrax aerosol spore challenge [stokes mg, titball rw, neeson bn, et al. oral administration of a salmonella enterica-based vaccine expressing bacillus anthracis protective antigen confers protection against aerosolized b. anthracis. infect immun 2007;75(april (4)):1827-34]. to ... | 2008 | 18805452 |
| activity of the bacillus anthracis 20 kda protective antigen component. | anthrax is caused by bacillus anthracis that produce two exotoxins, lethal toxin and edema toxin. the lethal toxin is composed of the lethal factor (lf) complexed with the cell binding protective antigen (pa83, 83 kda). likewise, the edema factor (ef) binds to the pa83 to form the edema toxin. once pa83 is bound to the host cell surface, a furin-like protease cleaves the full-length, inactive protein into 63 kda and 20 kda antigens (pa63 and pa20). pa63 forms a heptamer and is internalized via r ... | 2008 | 18808698 |
| cytoplasmic delivery of antigens, by bacillus subtilis enhances th1 responses. | endospores of the gram-positive bacterium, bacillus subtilis, have been used successfully for delivery of antigens where the immunogen is expressed on the spore surface. in this work the spore has been engineered to deliver antigens to the cytoplasm of macrophages by expressing listeriolysin o (llo) or a derivative, llo(l461t), that is stable at neutral ph, from the b. subtilis vegetative cell. following phagocytosis spores were shown to germinate in the phagosome enabling secretion of llo/llo(l ... | 2008 | 18809450 |
| inhibition of bacillus anthracis spore outgrowth by nisin. | the lantibiotic nisin has previously been reported to inhibit the outgrowth of spores from several bacillus species. however, the mode of action of nisin responsible for outgrowth inhibition is poorly understood. by using b. anthracis sterne 7702 as a model, nisin acted against spores with a 50% inhibitory concentration (ic(50)) and an ic(90) of 0.57 microm and 0.90 microm, respectively. viable b. anthracis organisms were not recoverable from cultures containing concentrations of nisin greater t ... | 2008 | 18809941 |