Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted descending) Filter |
|---|
| the sociality-health-fitness nexus: synthesis, conclusions and future directions. | this theme issue has highlighted the links between sociality, health and fitness in a broad range of organisms, and with approaches that include field and captive studies of animals, comparative and meta-analyses, theoretical modelling and clinical and psychological studies of humans. in this concluding chapter, we synthesize the results of these diverse studies into some of the key concepts discussed in this issue, focusing on risks of infectious disease through social contact, the effects of c ... | 2015 | 25870401 |
| hypercholesterolemia and apoe deficiency result in severe infection with lyme disease and relapsing-fever borrelia. | the lyme disease (borrelia burgdorferi) and relapsing-fever (borrelia hispanica) agents have distinct infection courses, but both require cholesterol for growth. they acquire cholesterol from the environment and process it to form cholesterol glycolipids that are incorporated onto their membranes. to determine whether higher levels of serum cholesterol could enhance the organ burdens of b. burgdorferi and the spirochetemia of b. hispanica in laboratory mice, apolipoprotein e (apoe)-deficient and ... | 2015 | 25870274 |
| macrophage polarization during murine lyme borreliosis. | infection of c3h mice with borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease, reliably produces an infectious arthritis and carditis that peak around 3 weeks postinfection and then spontaneously resolve. macrophage polarization has been suggested to drive inflammation, the clearance of bacteria, and tissue repair and resolution in a variety of infectious disease models. during lyme disease it is clear that macrophages are capable of clearing borrelia spirochetes and exhausted neutrophils ... | 2015 | 25870230 |
| the role of cd1d-restricted nkt cells in the clearance of pseudomonas aeruginosa from the lung is dependent on the host genetic background. | pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important human opportunistic pathogen, accounting for a significant fraction of hospital-acquired lung infections. cd1d-restricted nkt cells comprise an unusual innate-like t cell subset that plays important roles in both bacterial and viral infections. previous reports have differed in their conclusions regarding the role of nkt cells in clearance of p. aeruginosa from the lung. since there is significant strain-dependent variation in nkt cell number and function a ... | 2015 | 25870224 |
| tick species (acari: ixodida) in antalya city, turkey: species diversity and seasonal activity. | ticks (acari: ixodida) are an important group of ectoparasites of vertebrates. most species are known vectors of diseases including lyme disease, q fever, and crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever. a 3-year research was conducted in antalya, turkey, to determine tick species composition, seasonal abundance, and spatial distribution. the study was carried out in five districts (aksu, dosemealtı, kepez, konyaaltı, and muratpasa) of antalya metropolitan municipality area in turkey, between may 2010 and m ... | 2015 | 25869959 |
| abstracts from the 38th annual meeting of the society of general internal medicine. | 2015 | 25869016 | |
| lyme neuroborreliosis: a treatable cause of acute ocular motor disturbances in children. | lyme neuroborreliosis (lnb) designates central nervous system involvement caused by the tick-borne spirochaete borrelia burgdorferi (bb). the present study describes a spectrum of acquired ocular motor disorders in children with lnb. | 2015 | 25868792 |
| first record of autochthonous canine ehrlichiosis caused by ehrlichia canis in romania. | this case study describes the first genetically confirmed and clinically manifested autochthonous ehrlichia canis infection in a 9-year-old female mixed-breed dog from romania. health screening of the dog included clinical examination, evaluation of stained peripheral blood smear and hematologic variables, as well as serologic testing and molecular analysis. clinical signs included fever, apathy, dehydration, pale mucous membranes, and weakness. the microscopic examination of the blood smear and ... | 2015 | 25867940 |
| anti-neural antibody response in patients with post-treatment lyme disease symptoms versus those with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. | 2015 | 25866194 | |
| new insights into the epidemiology of non-hodgkin lymphoma and implications for therapy. | non-hodgkin lymphoma (nhl) comprises numerous biologically and clinically heterogeneous subtypes, with limited data examining the risk factors for these distinct disease entities. many limitations exist when studying lymphoma epidemiology; therefore, until recently, little was known regarding the etiology of nhl subtypes. this review highlights the results of recent pooled analyses examining the risk factors for nhl subtypes. we outline the heterogeneity and commonality among the risk factors fo ... | 2015 | 25864967 |
| host cell heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans are ligands for ospf-related proteins of the lyme disease spirochete. | borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of lyme disease, spreads from the site of the tick bite to tissues such as heart, joints and the nervous tissues. host glycosaminoglycans, highly modified repeating disaccharides that are present on cell surfaces and in extracellular matrix, are common targets of microbial pathogens during tissue colonization. while several dermatan sulfate-binding b. burgdorferi adhesins have been identified, b. burgdorferi adhesins documented to promote spirochetal binding to he ... | 2015 | 25864455 |
| lyme disease: a case report of a 17-year-old male with fatal lyme carditis. | lyme disease is a systemic infection commonly found in the northeastern, mid-atlantic, and north-central regions of the united states. of the many systemic manifestations of lyme disease, cardiac involvement is uncommon and rarely causes mortality. we describe a case of a 17-year-old adolescent who died unexpectedly after a 3-week viral-like syndrome. postmortem examination was remarkable for diffuse pancarditis characterized by extensive infiltrates of lymphocytes and focal interstitial fibrosi ... | 2015 | 25864163 |
| neuro-ophthalmological approach to facial nerve palsy. | facial nerve palsy is associated with significant morbidity and can have different etiologies. the most common causes are bell's palsy, ramsay-hunt syndrome and trauma, including surgical trauma. incidence varies between 17 and 35 cases per 100,000. initial evaluation should include accurate clinical history, followed by a comprehensive investigation of the head and neck, including ophthalmological, otological, oral and neurological examination, to exclude secondary causes. routine laboratory te ... | 2014 | 25859138 |
| neuro-ophthalmological approach to facial nerve palsy. | facial nerve palsy is associated with significant morbidity and can have different etiologies. the most common causes are bell's palsy, ramsay-hunt syndrome and trauma, including surgical trauma. incidence varies between 17 and 35 cases per 100,000. initial evaluation should include accurate clinical history, followed by a comprehensive investigation of the head and neck, including ophthalmological, otological, oral and neurological examination, to exclude secondary causes. routine laboratory te ... | 2014 | 25859138 |
| the resolution code of acute inflammation: novel pro-resolving lipid mediators in resolution. | studies into the mechanisms in resolution of self-limited inflammation and acute reperfusion injury have uncovered a new genus of pro-resolving lipid mediators coined specialized pro-resolving mediators (spm) including lipoxins, resolvins, protectins and maresins that are each temporally produced by resolving-exudates with distinct actions for return to homeostasis. spm evoke potent anti-inflammatory and novel pro-resolving mechanisms as well as enhance microbial clearance. while born in inflamm ... | 2015 | 25857211 |
| case report: a retrospective serological analysis indicating human exposure to tick-borne relapsing fever spirochetes in texas. | 2015 | 25856342 | |
| parasite prevalence corresponds to host life history in a diverse assemblage of afrotropical birds and haemosporidian parasites. | avian host life history traits have been hypothesized to predict rates of infection by haemosporidian parasites. using molecular techniques, we tested this hypothesis for parasites from three haemosporidian genera (plasmodium, haemoproteus, and leucocytozoon) collected from a diverse sampling of birds in northern malawi. we found that host life history traits were significantly associated with parasitism rates by all three parasite genera. nest type and nest location predicted infection probabil ... | 2015 | 25853491 |
| unorthodox alternative therapies marketed to treat lyme disease. | some patients with medically unexplained symptoms or alternative medical diagnoses suspect that they chronically suffer from the tick-borne infection lyme disease. these patients are commonly targeted by providers of alternative therapies. this study was designed to identify and characterize the range of unorthodox alternative therapies advertised to patients with a diagnosis of lyme disease. | 2015 | 25852124 |
| editorial commentary: what constitutes appropriate treatment of post-lyme disease symptoms and other pain and fatigue syndromes? | 2015 | 25852123 | |
| making water-soluble integral membrane proteins in vivo using an amphipathic protein fusion strategy. | integral membrane proteins (imps) play crucial roles in all cells and represent attractive pharmacological targets. however, functional and structural studies of imps are hindered by their hydrophobic nature and the fact that they are generally unstable following extraction from their native membrane environment using detergents. here we devise a general strategy for in vivo solubilization of imps in structurally relevant conformations without the need for detergents or mutations to the imp itse ... | 2015 | 25851941 |
| new borrelia species detected in ixodid ticks in oromia, ethiopia. | little is known about borrelia species transmitted by hard ticks in ethiopia. the present study was conducted from november 2011 through march 2014 to address the occurrence and molecular identity of these bacteria in ixodid ticks infesting domestic animals in oromia, ethiopia. a total of 767 ixodid ticks collected from domestic animals were screened for borrelia dna by quantitative (q) real-time pcr followed by standard pcr and sequencing to identify the species. overall, 3.8% (29/767) of the t ... | 2015 | 25843811 |
| comparative genetic diversity of lyme disease bacteria in northern californian ticks and their vertebrate hosts. | vector-borne pathogens are transmitted between vertebrate hosts and arthropod vectors, two immensely different environments for the pathogen. there is further differentiation among vertebrate hosts that often have complex, species-specific immunological responses to the pathogen. all this presents a heterogeneous environmental and immunological landscape with possible consequences on the population genetic structure of the pathogen. we evaluated the differential genetic diversity of the lyme dis ... | 2015 | 25843810 |
| seven challenges for modelling indirect transmission: vector-borne diseases, macroparasites and neglected tropical diseases. | many of the challenges which face modellers of directly transmitted pathogens also arise when modelling the epidemiology of pathogens with indirect transmission--whether through environmental stages, vectors, intermediate hosts or multiple hosts. in particular, understanding the roles of different hosts, how to measure contact and infection patterns, heterogeneities in contact rates, and the dynamics close to elimination are all relevant challenges, regardless of the mode of transmission. howeve ... | 2015 | 25843376 |
| anaphylaxis to the carbohydrate side chain alpha-gal. | in 2007, the monoclonal antibody cetuximab caused severe hypersensitivity reactions during the first infusion in a region of the southeastern united states. investigation of pretreatment sera established that they contained immunoglobulin (ig) e against the oligosaccharide galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal), which is present on the fab of cetuximab. alpha-gal is a blood group substance of nonprimate mammals. these ige antibodies are also associated with delayed anaphylaxis to red meat (ie ... | 2015 | 25841549 |
| new insights into lyme disease. | lyme borreliosis is transmitted through the bite of a tick that is infected by the bacterial spirochete borrelia burgdorferi. clinical manifestation of the disease can lead to heart conditions, neurological disorders, and inflammatory disorders. oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many human diseases. the aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of oxidative stress and intracellular communication in lyme borreliosis patients. mitochondrial superoxide and cytoso ... | 2015 | 25838067 |
| lyme carditis--diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. | there are 60,000 to 100,000 new cases of borreliosis in germany each year. this infectious disease most commonly affects the skin, joints, and nervous system. lyme carditis is a rare manifestation with potentially lethal complications. | 2015 | 25838022 |
| medplot: a web application for dynamic summary and analysis of longitudinal medical data based on r. | in biomedical studies the patients are often evaluated numerous times and a large number of variables are recorded at each time-point. data entry and manipulation of longitudinal data can be performed using spreadsheet programs, which usually include some data plotting and analysis capabilities and are straightforward to use, but are not designed for the analyses of complex longitudinal data. specialized statistical software offers more flexibility and capabilities, but first time users with bio ... | 2015 | 25837352 |
| regulation of bacterial virulence by csr (rsm) systems. | most bacterial pathogens have the remarkable ability to flourish in the external environment and in specialized host niches. this ability requires their metabolism, physiology, and virulence factors to be responsive to changes in their surroundings. it is no surprise that the underlying genetic circuitry that supports this adaptability is multilayered and exceedingly complex. studies over the past 2 decades have established that the csra/rsma proteins, global regulators of posttranscriptional ge ... | 2015 | 25833324 |
| the role of wildlife in the transmission of parasitic zoonoses in peri-urban and urban areas. | during the last 100 years in many countries of the world, there have been dramatic changes in natural/rural landscapes due to urbanization. since many wildlife species are unable to adapt to these alterations in their environment, urbanization is commonly responsible for a decline of biodiversity in areas of urban development. in contrast, some wild animal species are attracted to peri-urban and urban habitats due to the availability of an abundant food supply and the presence of structures in w ... | 2015 | 25830108 |
| wildlife reservoirs for vector-borne canine, feline and zoonotic infections in austria. | austria's mammalian wildlife comprises a large variety of species, acting and interacting in different ways as reservoir and intermediate and definitive hosts for different pathogens that can be transmitted to pets and/or humans. foxes and other wild canids are responsible for maintaining zoonotic agents, e.g. echinococcus multilocularis, as well as pet-relevant pathogens, e.g. hepatozoon canis. together with the canids, and less commonly felids, rodents play a major role as intermediate and par ... | 2014 | 25830102 |
| wildlife reservoirs for vector-borne canine, feline and zoonotic infections in austria. | austria's mammalian wildlife comprises a large variety of species, acting and interacting in different ways as reservoir and intermediate and definitive hosts for different pathogens that can be transmitted to pets and/or humans. foxes and other wild canids are responsible for maintaining zoonotic agents, e.g. echinococcus multilocularis, as well as pet-relevant pathogens, e.g. hepatozoon canis. together with the canids, and less commonly felids, rodents play a major role as intermediate and par ... | 2014 | 25830102 |
| evidence for intercontinental parasite exchange through molecular detection and characterization of haematozoa in northern pintails (anas acuta) sampled throughout the north pacific basin. | empirical evidence supports wild birds as playing a role in the interhemispheric exchange of bacteria and viruses; however, data supporting the redistribution of parasites among continents are limited. in this study, the hypothesis that migratory birds contribute to the redistribution of parasites between continents was tested by sampling northern pintails (anas acuta) at locations throughout the north pacific basin in north america and east asia for haemosporidian infections and assessing the g ... | 2014 | 25830100 |
| evidence for intercontinental parasite exchange through molecular detection and characterization of haematozoa in northern pintails (anas acuta) sampled throughout the north pacific basin. | empirical evidence supports wild birds as playing a role in the interhemispheric exchange of bacteria and viruses; however, data supporting the redistribution of parasites among continents are limited. in this study, the hypothesis that migratory birds contribute to the redistribution of parasites between continents was tested by sampling northern pintails (anas acuta) at locations throughout the north pacific basin in north america and east asia for haemosporidian infections and assessing the g ... | 2014 | 25830100 |
| disseminated conidiobolus incongruus in a dog: a case report and literature review. | conidiobolomycosis is a rare fungal disease of both humans and animals, occurring mainly in tropical and subtropical climates. we describe a disseminated fungal infection in a young, apparently immunocompetent dog who initially presented for antibiotic resistant pneumonia. histopathology and mycology identified a conidiobolus sp., further confirmed as conidiobolus incongruus through dna sequencing of d1/d2 regions. this is the first report of this species causing disease in dogs and the fifth re ... | 2015 | 25830088 |
| international union of basic and clinical pharmacology. xcvi. pattern recognition receptors in health and disease. | since the discovery of toll, in the fruit fly drosophila melanogaster, as the first described pattern recognition receptor (prr) in 1996, many families of these receptors have been discovered and characterized. prrs play critically important roles in pathogen recognition to initiate innate immune responses that ultimately link to the generation of adaptive immunity. activation of prrs leads to the induction of immune and inflammatory genes, including proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. it ... | 2015 | 25829385 |
| characterizing the relationship between tick bites and lyme disease in active component u.s. armed forces in the eastern united states. | lyme disease (ld) is the most commonly diagnosed vector-borne illness in the u.s. analysis of ticks that are removed from patients (rather than collected from the environment) may inform ld surveillance. in this ecological study, ld rates among active component u.s. armed forces in the eastern u.s. were compared with tick data from the u.s. army public health command human tick test kit program (httkp) covering the same geographic region. in the population of service members in the study sample, ... | 2015 | 25825928 |
| identification of 24h ixodes scapularis immunogenic tick saliva proteins. | ixodes scapularis is arguably the most medically important tick species in the united states. this tick transmits 5 of the 14 human tick-borne disease (tbd) agents in the usa: borrelia burgdorferi, anaplasma phagocytophilum, b. miyamotoi, babesia microti, and powassan virus disease. except for the powassan virus disease, i. scapularis-vectored tbd agents require more than 24h post attachment to be transmitted. this study describes identification of 24h immunogenic i. scapularis tick saliva prote ... | 2015 | 25825233 |
| correction: characterization of the relbbu regulon in borrelia burgdorferi reveals modulation of glycerol metabolism by (p)ppgpp. | 2015 | 25822173 | |
| human milk blocks dc-sign-pathogen interaction via muc1. | beneficial effects of breastfeeding are well-recognized and include both immediate neonatal protection against pathogens and long-term protection against allergies and autoimmune diseases. although several proteins have been identified to have anti-viral or anti-bacterial effects like secretory iga or lactoferrin, the mechanisms of immune modulation are not fully understood. recent studies identified important beneficial effects of glycans in human milk, such as those expressed in oligosaccharid ... | 2015 | 25821450 |
| comparison of detection of borrelia burgdorferi dna and anti-borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in patients with erythema migrans in north-eastern poland. | diagnostic methods in erythema migrans are still not standardized. | 2015 | 25821421 |
| ectoparasite loads in sympatric urban populations of the northern white-breasted and the european hedgehog. | we investigated abundance and prevalence of ticks and fleas infesting urban populations of two species of hedgehogs: the northern white-breasted hedgehog (erinaceus roumanicus) and the european hedgehog (erinaceus europaeus). the hedgehogs were captured in the city of poznań (western poland) over the period of 4 years. both species of hedgehogs were infested with the castor bean tick (ixodes ricinus), the hedgehog tick (ixodes hexagonus), and the hedgehog flea (archeopsylla erinacei). the northe ... | 2015 | 25820646 |
| decorin binding proteins of borrelia burgdorferi promote arthritis development and joint specific post-treatment dna persistence in mice. | decorin binding proteins a and b (dbpa and b) of borrelia burgdorferi are of critical importance for the virulence of the spirochete. the objective of the present study was to further clarify the contribution of dbpa and b to development of arthritis and persistence of b. burgdorferi after antibiotic treatment in a murine model of lyme borreliosis. with that goal, mice were infected with b. burgdorferi strains expressing either dbpa or dbpb, or both dbpa and b, or with a strain lacking the adhes ... | 2015 | 25816291 |
| male genital lichen sclerosus. | male genital lichen sclerosus (mglsc) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease responsible for male sexual dyspareunia and urological morbidity. an afeared complication is squamous cell carcinoma (scc) of the penis. the precise etiopathogenesis of mglsc remains controversial although genetic, autoimmune and infective (such as human papillomavirus (hpv) hepatitis c (hcv), epstein-barr virus (ebv) and borrelia) factors have been implicated: consideration of all the evidence suggests that chronic exp ... | 2015 | 25814697 |
| prevalence of tick-borne pathogens at various workplaces in forest exploitation environment. | the objective of the study was the evaluation of the infection of ticks with pathogenic microorganisms at various workplaces (timber acquisition, forest growing, forest cultivation, forest protection). | 2014 | 25812385 |
| structure-function dissection of myxococcus xanthus card n-terminal domain, a defining member of the card_cdnl_trcf family of rna polymerase interacting proteins. | two prototypes of the large card_cdnl_trcf family of bacterial rna polymerase (rnap)-binding proteins, myxococcus xanthus card and cdnl, have distinct functions whose molecular basis remain elusive. card, a global regulator linked to the action of several extracytoplasmic function (ecf) σ-factors, binds to the rnap β subunit (rnap-β) and to protein carg via an n-terminal domain, cardnt, and to dna via an intrinsically unfolded c-terminal domain resembling eukaryotic high-mobility-group a (hmga) ... | 2015 | 25811865 |
| effect of climate change on vector-borne disease risk in the uk. | during the early part of the 21st century, an unprecedented change in the status of vector-borne disease in europe has occurred. invasive mosquitoes have become widely established across europe, with subsequent transmission and outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya virus. malaria has re-emerged in greece, and west nile virus has emerged throughout parts of eastern europe. tick-borne diseases, such as lyme disease, continue to increase, or, in the case of tick-borne encephalitis and crimean-congo h ... | 2015 | 25808458 |
| drug combinations against borrelia burgdorferi persisters in vitro: eradication achieved by using daptomycin, cefoperazone and doxycycline. | although most lyme disease patients can be cured with antibiotics doxycycline or amoxicillin using 2-4 week treatment durations, some patients suffer from persistent arthritis or post-treatment lyme disease syndrome. why these phenomena occur is unclear, but possibilities include host responses, antigenic debris, or b. burgdorferi organisms remaining despite antibiotic therapy. in vitro, b. burgdorferi developed increasing antibiotic tolerance as morphology changed from typical spirochetal form ... | 2015 | 25806811 |
| infection of siberian chipmunks (tamias sibiricus barberi) with borrelia sp. reveals a low reservoir competence under experimental conditions. | reservoir competence is a key parameter in understanding the role of host species in the epidemiology of multi-host-especially vector-borne-pathogens. with this aim in view, we studied the reservoir competence of the siberian chipmunk (tamias sibiricus barberi) recently introduced into europe, for the multi-host tick-borne bacteria, borrelia burgdorferi sl, the agent of lyme borreliosis. t. sibiricus were experimentally exposed to bites from ixodes ricinus ticks infected with borrelia burgdorfer ... | 2015 | 25805623 |
| using sterol substitution to probe the role of membrane domains in membrane functions. | ordered membrane lipid domains rich in sphingolipids and sterols ("lipid rafts") are thought to be important in many biological processes. however, it is often difficult to distinguish domain-dependent biological functions from ones that have a specific dependence on sterol, e.g. are dependent upon a protein with a function that is dependent upon its binding to sterol. removing cholesterol and replacing it with various sterols with varying abilities to form membrane domains or otherwise alter ... | 2015 | 25804641 |
| an investigation of binding ability of ixodes persulcatus schulze salp15 with lyme disease spirochetes. | salp15, a 15-kda tick salivary gland protein, has several suppressive modes of activity against host immunity and plays a critical role in the transmission of lyme disease spirochetes in ixodes scapularis and ixodes ricinus, major vectors of lyme disease in north america and western europe. salp15 adheres to borrelia burgdorferi and specifically interacts with its outer surface protein c (ospc), protecting the spirochete from antibody-mediated cytotoxicity and facilitating infection in the mice. ... | 2015 | 25796479 |
| a case of subacute ataxia in the summertime: tick paralysis. | tick paralysis is caused by a neurotoxin secreted in the saliva of a gravid female tick, and manifests with ataxia, areflexia, ascending paralysis, bulbar palsy, and ophthalmoparesis. an 84-year-old man presented in june in coastal mississippi with several days of subacute ataxia, bulbar palsy, unilateral weakness, and absent deep tendon reflexes. mri/mra and extensive serum and cerebrospinal fluid investigations were unrevealing. his symptoms progressed over several days, until his nurse discov ... | 2015 | 25794538 |
| borrelia burgdorferi not confirmed in human-biting amblyomma americanum ticks from the southeastern united states. | the predominant human-biting tick throughout the southeastern united states is amblyomma americanum. its ability to transmit pathogens causing lyme disease-like illnesses is a subject of ongoing controversy. results of previous testing by the department of defense human tick test kit program and other laboratories indicated that it is highly unlikely that a. americanum transmits any pathogen that causes lyme disease. in contrast, a recent publication by clark and colleagues (k. l. clark, b. leyd ... | 2015 | 25788545 |
| the challenge of efflux-mediated antibiotic resistance in gram-negative bacteria. | the global emergence of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria is a growing threat to antibiotic therapy. the chromosomally encoded drug efflux mechanisms that are ubiquitous in these bacteria greatly contribute to antibiotic resistance and present a major challenge for antibiotic development. multidrug pumps, particularly those represented by the clinically relevant acrab-tolc and mex pumps of the resistance-nodulation-division (rnd) superfamily, not only mediate intrinsic and acquired mult ... | 2015 | 25788514 |
| imported lyme disease. | 2015 | 25786470 | |
| rna-binding proteins involved in post-transcriptional regulation in bacteria. | post-transcriptional regulation is a very important mechanism to control gene expression in changing environments. in the past decade, a lot of interest has been directed toward the role of small rnas (srnas) in bacterial post-transcriptional regulation. however, srnas are not the only molecules controlling gene expression at this level, rna-binding proteins (rbps) play an important role as well. csra and hfq are the two best studied bacterial proteins of this type, but recently, additional prot ... | 2015 | 25784899 |
| association of toll-like receptor 2 arg753gln and toll-like receptor 1 ile602ser single-nucleotide polymorphisms with leptospirosis in an argentine population. | toll-like receptor 2 (tlr2), a member of the toll-like receptor family, plays an important role in the recognition of and subsequent immune response activation against leptospirosis in humans. the genetic polymorphism in tlr2 of an arginine to glutamine substitution at residue 753 (arg753gln) has been associated with a negative influence on tlr2 function, which may, in turn, determine the innate host response to leptospira spp. this bacterium signals through tlr2/tlr1 heterodimers in human cells ... | 2015 | 25784560 |
| molecular detection of rickettsia, borrelia, and babesia species in ixodes ricinus sampled in northeastern, central, and insular areas of italy. | the aim of the present study was to provide insight into the diversity of tick-borne pathogens circulating in italy, carried/transmitted by ixodes ricinus, one of the most abundant tick species in the country. a total of 447 specimens sampled in five areas of northeastern, central and insular italy were analysed by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing for the presence of rickettsiae, borreliae and babesiae. several rickettsial species of the spotted fever group of zoonotic concern and other ... | 2015 | 25784072 |
| landscape risk factors for lyme disease in the eastern broadleaf forest province of the hudson river valley and the effect of explanatory data classification resolution. | this study assessed how landcover classification affects associations between landscape characteristics and lyme disease rate. landscape variables were derived from the national land cover database (nlcd), including native classes (e.g., deciduous forest, developed low intensity) and aggregate classes (e.g., forest, developed). percent of each landcover type, median income, and centroid coordinates were calculated by census tract. regression results from individual and aggregate variable models ... | 2015 | 25779905 |
| molecular dissection of a borrelia burgdorferi in vivo essential purine transport system. | the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi is dependent on purine salvage from the host environment for survival. the genes bbb22 and bbb23 encode purine permeases that are essential for b. burgdorferi mouse infectivity. we now demonstrate the unique contributions of each of these genes to purine transport and murine infection. the affinities of spirochetes carrying bbb22 alone for hypoxanthine and adenine were similar to those of spirochetes carrying both genes. spirochetes carrying bbb22 ... | 2015 | 25776752 |
| ngs population genetics analyses reveal divergent evolution of a lyme borreliosis agent in europe and asia. | borrelia bavariensis is a recently described agent of lyme disease within the b. burgdorferi sensu lato species complex and exhibits a strong capacity for human pathogenicity. b. bavariensis strains are widely distributed in eurasia spanning the distribution range of the tick vectors ixodes persulcatus and i. ricinus. it has been suggested that b. bavariensis forms two populations, one of which arose through vector adaptation and geographic expansion. we have performed phylogenetic and populatio ... | 2015 | 25766392 |
| evolution and population genomics of the lyme borreliosis pathogen, borrelia burgdorferi. | population genomic studies have the potential to address many unresolved questions about microbial pathogens by facilitating the identification of genes underlying ecologically important traits, such as novel virulence factors and adaptations to humans or other host species. additionally, this framework improves estimations of population demography and evolutionary history to accurately reconstruct recent epidemics and identify the molecular and environmental factors that resulted in the outbrea ... | 2015 | 25765920 |
| beyond iron: non-classical biological functions of bacterial siderophores. | bacteria secrete small molecules known as siderophores to acquire iron from their surroundings. for over 60 years, investigations into the bioinorganic chemistry of these molecules, including fundamental coordination chemistry studies, have provided insight into the crucial role that siderophores play in bacterial iron homeostasis. the importance of understanding the fundamental chemistry underlying bacterial life has been highlighted evermore in recent years because of the emergence of antibiot ... | 2015 | 25764171 |
| fever in a visitor to canada: a case of mistaken identity. | we report a case of babesiosis in a traveler from india who was diagnosed with malaria on the basis of blood smears. pan-plasmodium pcr was positive, though species-specific assays were negative. reexamination of blood smears and babesia-specific pcr confirmed babesiosis. we highlight the overlapping clinical and diagnostic features of malaria and babesiosis and the potential cross-reactivity of plasmodium primers in cases of babesiosis. | 2015 | 25762775 |
| development of a metabolic biosignature for detection of early lyme disease. | early lyme disease patients often present to the clinic prior to developing a detectable antibody response to borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent. thus, existing 2-tier serology-based assays yield low sensitivities (29%-40%) for early infection. the lack of an accurate laboratory test for early lyme disease contributes to misconceptions about diagnosis and treatment, and underscores the need for new diagnostic approaches. | 2015 | 25761869 |
| mechanism of coupling drug transport reactions located in two different membranes. | gram- negative bacteria utilize a diverse array of multidrug transporters to pump toxic compounds out of the cell. some transporters, together with periplasmic membrane fusion proteins (mfps) and outer membrane channels, assemble trans-envelope complexes that expel multiple antibiotics across outer membranes of gram-negative bacteria and into the external medium. others further potentiate this efflux by pumping drugs across the inner membrane into the periplasm. together these transporters creat ... | 2015 | 25759685 |
| geographical and temporal correlations in the incidence of lyme disease, rmsf, ehrlichiosis, and coccidioidomycosis with search data. | 2015 | 25756797 | |
| imported visceral leishmaniasis - unexpected bone marrow diagnosis in a patient with fever, pancytopenia, and splenomegaly. | leishmaniasis is spreading from mediterranean countries to the north of europe. the alps are not an endemic region and there are only few reports of sporadic cases. we report the case of a 72 year old male who presented after a syncope with fever, cough and a sacral skin rash. clinical examination revealed splenomegaly, elevated liver enzymes and pancytopenia; differential diagnosis included myeloproliferative or lymphoproliferative disorders, infections and auto-immune conditions that cause enl ... | 2014 | 25755910 |
| revisiting the gram-negative lipoprotein paradigm. | the processing of lipoproteins (lpps) in gram-negative bacteria is generally considered an essential pathway. mature lipoproteins in these bacteria are triacylated, with the final fatty acid addition performed by lnt, an apolipoprotein n-acyltransferase. the mature lipoproteins are then sorted by the lol system, with most lpps inserted into the outer membrane (om). we demonstrate here that the lnt gene is not essential to the gram-negative pathogen francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis strain ... | 2015 | 25755189 |
| an escherichia coli strain, pgb01, isolated from feral pigeon faeces, thermally fit to survive in pigeon, shows high level resistance to trimethoprim. | in this study, of the hundred escherichia coli strains isolated from feral pigeon faeces, eighty five strains were resistant to one or more antibiotics and fifteen sensitive to all the antibiotics tested. the only strain (among all antibiotic-resistant e. coli isolates) that possessed class 1 integron was pgb01. the dihydrofolate reductase gene of the said integron was cloned, sequenced and expressed in e. coli jm109. since pgb01 was native to pigeon's gut, we have compared the growth of pgb01 a ... | 2015 | 25750990 |
| treatment of menière's disease. | diagnosis of menière's disease is made with a characteristic patient history, including discrete episodes of vertigo lasting 20 min or longer, accompanied by sensorineural hearing loss, which is typically low frequency at first, aural fullness, and tinnitus. workup includes audiometry, a contrast enhanced mri of the internal auditory canals, and exclusion of other diseases that can produce similar symptoms, like otosyphilis, autoimmune inner ear disease, perilymphatic fistula, superior semicircu ... | 2015 | 25749846 |
| the alpha-gal story: lessons learned from connecting the dots. | anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can be rapidly progressing and fatal, and therefore establishing its cause is pivotal to long-term risk management. our recent work has identified a novel ige antibody response to a mammalian oligosaccharide epitope, galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal). ige to alpha-gal has been associated with 2 distinct forms of anaphylaxis: (1) immediate-onset anaphylaxis during first exposure to intravenous cetuximab and (2) delayed-onset anaphylaxis 3 to ... | 2015 | 25747720 |
| molecular and pharmacological characterization of the chelicerata pyrokinin receptor from the southern cattle tick, rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus. | we identified the first pyrokinin receptor (rhimi-pkr) in chelicerata and analyzed structure-activity relationships of cognate ligand neuropeptides and their analogs. based on comparative and phylogenetic analyses, this receptor, which we cloned from larvae of the cattle tick rhipicephalus microplus (acari: ixodidae), is the ortholog of the insect pyrokinin (pk)/pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (pban)/diapause hormone (dh) neuropeptide family receptor. rhimi-pkr functional analyses ... | 2015 | 25747529 |
| panuveitis caused by borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection. | a 13-year-old boy who presented with a red left eye, painful eye movement, blurred vision, photophobia and increased lacrimation, was diagnosed with 1-sided panuveitis with optic disk edema. diagnostic work-up revealed borrelial antibodies in serum. diagnosis of lyme borreliosis was substantiated by demonstration of lymphocytic pleocytosis, intrathecal borrelial antibody synthesis, improvement after treatment with ceftriaxone and exclusion of other causes. | 2015 | 25741803 |
| malaria and the liver: immunological hide-and-seek or subversion of immunity from within? | during the pre-erythrocytic asymptomatic phase of malarial infection, sporozoites develop transiently inside less than 100 hepatocytes that subsequently release thousands of merozoites. killing of these hepatocytes by cytotoxic t cells (ctls) confers protection to subsequent malarial infection, suggesting that this bottleneck phase in the parasite life cycle can be targeted by vaccination. during natural transmission, although some ctls are generated in the skin draining lymph nodes, they are un ... | 2015 | 25741320 |
| nanoscopic localization of surface-exposed antigens of borrelia burgdorferi. | borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the causative agent of lyme disease, is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ixodes spp. ticks. successful infection of vertebrate hosts necessitates sophisticated means of the pathogen to escape the vertebrates' immune system. one strategy employed by lyme disease spirochetes to evade adaptive immunity involves a highly coordinated regulation of the expression of outer surface proteins that is vital for infection, dissemination, and persistence. he ... | 2015 | 25739645 |
| virulence regulation with venus flytrap domains: structure and function of the periplasmic moiety of the sensor-kinase bvgs. | two-component systems (tcs) represent major signal-transduction pathways for adaptation to environmental conditions, and regulate many aspects of bacterial physiology. in the whooping cough agent bordetella pertussis, the tcs bvgas controls the virulence regulon, and is therefore critical for pathogenicity. bvgs is a prototypical tcs sensor-kinase with tandem periplasmic venus flytrap (vft) domains. vft are bi-lobed domains that typically close around specific ligands using clamshell motions. we ... | 2015 | 25738876 |
| bacterial iron-sulfur cluster sensors in mammalian pathogens. | iron-sulfur clusters act as important cofactors for a number of transcriptional regulators in bacteria, including many mammalian pathogens. the sensitivity of iron-sulfur clusters to iron availability, oxygen tension, and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species enables bacteria to use such regulators to adapt their gene expression profiles rapidly in response to changing environmental conditions. in this review, we discuss how the [4fe-4s] or [2fe-2s] cluster-containing regulators fnr, wbl, aconita ... | 2015 | 25738802 |
| fatal multiple deer tick-borne infections in an elderly patient with advanced liver disease. | we present a case of a 66-year-old woman with decompensated alcoholic liver cirrhosis and poorly controlled non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who was admitted with a 1 day history of altered mental status, high-grade fevers, worsening jaundice and generalised malaise with subsequent development of hypotension requiring intensive care. she was diagnosed with severe babesiosis with high-grade parasitaemia. she was also found to have lyme disease coinfection. despite aggressive therapeutic me ... | 2015 | 25733088 |
| a coding variant of ano10, affecting volume regulation of macrophages, is associated with borrelia seropositivity. | in a first genome-wide association study (gwas) approach to anti-borrelia seropositivity, we identified two significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) (rs17850869, p = 4.17e-09; rs41289586, p = 7.18e-08). both markers, located on chromosomes 16 and 3, respectively, are within or close to genes previously connected to spinocerebellar ataxia. the risk snp rs41289586 represents a missense variant (r263h) of anoctamin 10 (ano10), a member of a protein family encoding cl(-) channels and phosp ... | 2015 | 25730773 |
| an unrecognized rash progressing to lyme carditis: important features and recommendations regarding lyme disease. | we present a case report of 46-year-old man with no medical history, who complained of extreme fatigue, near-syncope, and palpitations. he initially presented in complete heart block. a transvenous pacemaker was placed in the emergency department, and he was started empirically on ceftriaxone for lyme disease. he was admitted and over the course of the next few days, his rhythm regressed to mobitz type i first-degree atrioventricular block and then to normal sinus rhythm. this case report highli ... | 2016 | 25730155 |
| repurposing drugs in oncology (redo)-clarithromycin as an anti-cancer agent. | clarithromycin (cam) is a well-known macrolide antibiotic available as a generic drug. cam is traditionally used for many types of bacterial infections, treatment of lyme disease and eradication of gastric infection with helicobacter pylori. extensive preclinical and clinical data demonstrate a potential role for cam to treat various tumours in combination with conventional treatment. the mechanisms of action underlying the anti-tumour activity of cam are multiple and include prolonged reduction ... | 2015 | 25729426 |
| acute lyme neuroborreliosis with transient hemiparesis and aphasia. | nervous system involvement in lyme disease often mimics other conditions and thus represents a diagnostic challenge, especially in an emergency department setting. we report a case of a female teenager presenting with sudden-onset aphasia and transient right-sided faciobrachial hemiplegia, along with headache and agitation. ischemia, vasculitis, or another structural lesion was excluded by brain imaging. toxicologic evaluation results were negative. cerebral perfusion computed tomography and ele ... | 2015 | 25728308 |
| lyme disease. | lyme disease (borreliosis), also called the "disease of 1000 faces", is produced by a bacterium called borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted by the ixodes tick. the clinical picture is non-specific and polymorph, with multisystemic involvement. diagnosis is most often one of exclusion, and certain diagnosis is based on the presence of borellia antibodies. the treatment is done differently depending on the stage of the disease and the severity of injuries, being used antibiotics like doxycycline, amo ... | 2015 | 25726630 |
| [epidemiology of lyme disease in a healthcare area in north-west spain]. | to evaluate the influence of some risk factors on the incidence rate of lyme disease and the main clinical manifestations. | 2017 | 25726250 |
| a replicative plasmid vector allows efficient complementation of pathogenic leptospira strains. | leptospirosis, an emerging zoonotic disease, remains poorly understood because of a lack of genetic manipulation tools available for pathogenic leptospires. current genetic manipulation techniques include insertion of dna by random transposon mutagenesis and homologous recombination via suicide vectors. this study describes the construction of a shuttle vector, pmaori, that replicates within saprophytic, intermediate, and pathogenic leptospires. the shuttle vector was constructed by the insertio ... | 2015 | 25724960 |
| endemic zoonoses in the tropics: a public health problem hiding in plain sight. | zoonotic diseases are a significant burden on animal and human health, particularly in developing countries. despite recognition of this fact, endemic zoonoses often remain undiagnosed in people, instead being mistaken for febrile diseases such as malaria. here, as part of veterinary record's ongoing series of articles on one health, a multidisciplinary team of researchers from scotland, tanzania and new zealand argues that a one health approach is needed to effectively combat these diseases. | 2015 | 25722334 |
| detection and quantification of anaplasma phagocytophilum and babesia spp. in ixodes ricinus ticks from urban and rural environment, northern poland, by real-time polymerase chain reaction. | anaplasma phagocytophilum and babesia spp. are emerging tick-borne pathogens which can threaten human health. a duplex real-time pcr and qpcrs with primers and probes targeting 97 and 116 bp fragments of 16s rrna and 18s rrna genes, respectively, were used for qualitative and quantitative detection of both pathogens in ixodes ricinus ticks. altogether 1875 ticks (1084 adults and 791 nymphs) were collected from rural and urban habitats in northern poland. of them, at least 0.9% were found to be i ... | 2015 | 25721255 |
| dominance of dermacentor reticulatus over ixodes ricinus (ixodidae) on livestock, companion animals and wild ruminants in eastern and central poland. | the most common tick species parasitizing animals in poland are ixodes ricinus and dermacentor reticulatus. these tick species differ in their distribution, habitats, seasonal activity and host specificity. ixodes ricinus is the most prevalent and widely distributed, whereas the range of d. reticulatus is limited to eastern and central parts of the country with several new foci in the middle-west and the west. however, as in many central european countries, the range of d. reticulatus is expandi ... | 2015 | 25717007 |
| a new player at the flagellar motor: flil controls both motor output and bias. | the bacterial flagellum is driven by a bidirectional rotary motor, which propels bacteria to swim through liquids or swarm over surfaces. while the functions of the major structural and regulatory components of the flagellum are known, the function of the well-conserved flil protein is not. in salmonella and escherichia coli, the absence of flil leads to a small defect in swimming but complete elimination of swarming. here, we tracked single motors of these bacteria and found that absence of fli ... | 2015 | 25714720 |
| borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes in wild birds in northwestern california: associations with ecological factors, bird behavior and tick infestation. | although borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) are found in a great diversity of vertebrates, most studies in north america have focused on the role of mammals as spirochete reservoir hosts. we investigated the roles of birds as hosts for subadult ixodes pacificus ticks and potential reservoirs of the lyme disease spirochete b. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.) in northwestern california. overall, 623 birds representing 53 species yielded 284 i. pacificus larvae and nymphs. we used generalized l ... | 2015 | 25714376 |
| discovery and targeted proteomics on cutaneous biopsies infected by borrelia to investigate lyme disease. | lyme disease is the most important vector-borne disease in the northern hemisphere and represents a major public health challenge with insufficient means of reliable diagnosis. skin is rarely investigated in proteomics but constitutes in the case of lyme disease the key interface where the pathogens can enter, persist, and multiply. therefore, we investigated proteomics on skin samples to detect borrelia proteins directly in cutaneous biopsies in a robust and specific way. we first set up a disc ... | 2015 | 25713121 |
| ixodes ricinus salivary serpin irs-2 affects th17 differentiation via inhibition of the interleukin-6/stat-3 signaling pathway. | th17 cells constitute a subset of cd4(+) t lymphocytes that play a crucial role in protection against extracellular bacteria and fungi. they are also associated with tissue injury in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. here, we report that serpin from the tick ixodes ricinus, irs-2, inhibits th17 differentiation by impairment of the interleukin-6 (il-6)/stat-3 signaling pathway. following activation, mature dendritic cells produce an array of cytokines, including the pleiotropic cytokine il-6, ... | 2015 | 25712932 |
| effects of land use on plague (yersinia pestis) activity in rodents in tanzania. | understanding the effects of land-use change on zoonotic disease risk is a pressing global health concern. here, we compare prevalence of yersinia pestis, the etiologic agent of plague, in rodents across two land-use types-agricultural and conserved-in northern tanzania. estimated abundance of seropositive rodents nearly doubled in agricultural sites compared with conserved sites. this relationship between land-use type and abundance of seropositive rodents is likely mediated by changes in roden ... | 2015 | 25711606 |
| proteomic profiling of the outer membrane fraction of the obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen ehrlichia ruminantium. | the outer membrane proteins (omps) of gram-negative bacteria play a crucial role in virulence and pathogenesis. identification of these proteins represents an important goal for bacterial proteomics, because it aids in vaccine development. here, we have developed such an approach for ehrlichia ruminantium, the obligate intracellular bacterium that causes heartwater. a preliminary whole proteome analysis of elementary bodies, the extracellular infectious form of the bacterium, had been performed ... | 2015 | 25710494 |
| borreliacidal activity of borrelia metal transporter a (bmta) binding small molecules by manganese transport inhibition. | borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease, utilizes manganese (mn) for its various metabolic needs. we hypothesized that blocking mn transporter could be a possible approach to inhibit metabolic activity of this pathogen and eliminate the infection. we used a combination of in silico protein structure prediction together with molecular docking to target the borrelia metal transporter a (bmta), a single known mn transporter in borrelia and screened libraries of fda approved compou ... | 2015 | 25709405 |
| two classes of bacterial impdhs according to their quaternary structures and catalytic properties. | inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (impdh) occupies a key position in purine nucleotide metabolism. in this study, we have performed the biochemical and physico-chemical characterization of eight bacterial impdhs, among which six were totally unexplored. this study led to a classification of bacterial impdhs according to the regulation of their catalytic properties and their quaternary structures. class i impdhs are cooperative enzymes for imp, which are activated by mgatp and are octameric ... | 2015 | 25706619 |
| repeat or persistent lyme disease: persistence, recrudescence or reinfection with borrelia burgdorferi? | whether or not borrelia burgdorferi can persist after conventional treatment with antimicrobials has been a very controversial issue. two recent studies took different approaches to try to answer this question. in one, investigators showed that, in each of 22 instances in 17 patients with two consecutive episodes of culture-proved erythema migrans, the strains of b. burgdorferi were different based on their genotypes. this indicated that the repeat episodes were due to new infections rather than ... | 2015 | 25705394 |
| b cells and antibodies in the defense against mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. | better understanding of the immunological components and their interactions necessary to prevent or control mycobacterium tuberculosis (mtb) infection in humans is critical for tuberculosis (tb) vaccine development strategies. although the contributory role of humoral immunity in the protection against mtb infection and disease is less defined than the role of t cells, it has been well-established for many other intracellular pathogens. here we update and discuss the increasing evidence and the ... | 2015 | 25703559 |
| borrelia miyamotoi infection in nature and in humans. | borrelia miyamotoi is a relapsing fever borrelia group spirochete that is transmitted by the same hard-bodied (ixodid) tick species that transmit the agents of lyme disease. it was discovered in 1994 in ixodes persulcatus ticks in japan. b. miyamotoi species phylogenetically cluster with the relapsing fever group spirochetes, which usually are transmitted by soft-bodied (argasid) ticks or lice. b. miyamotoi infects at least six ixodes tick species in north america and eurasia that transmit lyme ... | 2015 | 25700888 |
| demographic characteristics and infectious diseases of a population of american black bears in humboldt county, california. | american black bears (ursus americanus) are common, widely distributed, and broad-ranging omnivorous mammals in northern california forests. bears may be susceptible to pathogens infecting both domestic animals and humans. monitoring bear populations, particularly in changing ecosystems, is important to understanding ecological features that could affect bear population health and influence the likelihood that bears may cause adverse impacts on humans. in all, 321 bears were captured between may ... | 2015 | 25700042 |