Publications

novel conformational states of peptide deformylase from pathogenic bacterium leptospira interrogans: implications for population shift.	peptide deformylase is an attractive target for developing novel antibiotics. previous studies at ph 3.0 showed peptide deformylase from leptospira interrogans (lipdf) exists as a dimer in which one monomer is in a closed form and the other is in an open form, with different conformations of the cd-loop controlling the entrance to the active pocket. here we present structures of lipdf at its active ph range. lipdf forms a similar dimer at ph values 6.5-8.0 as it does at ph 3.0. interestingly, bo ...	2005	16239225
lrua and lrub, novel lipoproteins of pathogenic leptospira interrogans associated with equine recurrent uveitis.	recurrent uveitis as a sequela to leptospira infection is the most common infectious cause of blindness and impaired vision of horses worldwide. leptospiral proteins expressed during prolonged survival in the eyes of horses with lesions of chronic uveitis were identified by screening a phage library of leptospira interrogans dna fragments with eye fluids from uveitic horses. inserts of reactive phages encoded several known leptospiral proteins and two novel putative lipoproteins, lrua and lrub. ...	2005	16239521
the incp island in the genome of brucella suis 1330 was acquired by site-specific integration.	an 18,228-bp region containing open reading frames predicted to be derived from the incp plasmid or phage ancestors is present in the genomes of brucella suis biovars 1 to 4, b. canis, b. neotomae, and strains isolated from marine mammals, but not in b. melitensis, b. abortus, b. ovis, and b. suis biovar 5. the presence of circular excision intermediates and the results of an analysis of sequenced bacterial genomes suggest that the region downstream of the guaa gene is a hotspot for site-specifi ...	2005	16239585
infectious disease and the decline of steller sea lions (eumetopias jubatus) in alaska, usa: insights from serologic data.	serologic data were examined to determine whether infectious disease may have played a role in the decline of steller sea lions (eumetopias jubatus) in the gulf of alaska and aleutian islands, usa. available published data, unpublished data, and recent collections (1997-2000) were compared and reviewed. data were stratified by geography to compare the declining western alaskan population in the aleutian islands through eastern prince william sound to the increasing population in southeastern ala ...	2005	16244061
serological prevalence of leptospira interrogans serovar bratislava in horses in mongolia.		2005	16244236
rat bite fever caused by streptobacillus moniliformis in a child: human infection and rat carriage diagnosed by pcr.	a child owning pet rats developed an eruptive fever with blisters, polyarthritis, and spectacular desquamation of the hands. streptobacillus moniliformis was identified after culture of the child's blister fluid and was detected in rat samples by molecular methods. such detection in the pet of a human victim of rat bite fever has not been reported previously.	2005	16254115
[gene expression, purification and functional analysis of liprma].	leptospira interrogans (l. interrogans) genomic dna was used as template to amplify the full-length gene for ribosomal protein l11 methyltransferase (liprma) by pcr. the pet22b-/liprma expression plasmid was successfully constructed in escherichia coli (e.coli.) strain top10 and confirmed by restriction enzyme digest and sequencing. through optimizing expression of the recombinant liprma-6xhis fusion protein in expression host e. coli. bl21, the yield of soluble target protein reached 40 mg (lit ...	2005	16257911
microarray analysis of escherichia coli o157:h7.	to establish the rapid, specific, and sensitive method for detecting o157:h7 with dna microchips.	2005	16270390
serologic responses of dogs given a commercial vaccine against leptospira interrogans serovar pomona and leptospira kirschneri serovar grippotyphosa.	to evaluate serum titers obtained by use of the microscopic agglutination test (ie, mat titers) to leptospira interrogans serovar pomona and autumnalis and leptospira kirschneri serovar grippotyphosa in dogs given a commercial vaccine against serovars pomona and grippotyphosa.	2005	16273911
experimental canine leptospirosis caused by leptospira interrogans serovars pomona and bratislava.	to evaluate gross, histopathologic, and serum biochemical findings caused by leptospira interrogans serovars pomona and bratislava inoculated in dogs.	2005	16273916
diversity of bat-associated leptospira in the peruvian amazon inferred by bayesian phylogenetic analysis of 16s ribosomal dna sequences.	the role of bats as potential sources of transmission to humans or as maintenance hosts of leptospires is poorly understood. we quantified the prevalence of leptospiral colonization in bats in the peruvian amazon in the vicinity of iquitos, an area of high biologic diversity. of 589 analyzed bats, culture (3 of 589) and molecular evidence (20 of 589) of leptospiral colonization was found in the kidneys, yielding an overall colonization rate of 3.4%. infection rates differed with habitat and loca ...	2005	16282313
chex is a phosphorylated chey phosphatase essential for borrelia burgdorferi chemotaxis.	motility and chemotaxis are believed to be important in the pathogenesis of lyme disease caused by the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi. controlling the phosphorylation state of chey, a response regulator protein, is essential for regulating bacterial chemotaxis and motility. rapid dephosphorylation of phosphorylated chey (chey-p) is crucial for cells to respond to environmental changes. chey-p dephosphorylation is accomplished by one or more phosphatases in different species, including chez, che ...	2005	16291669
identification of regions involved in enzymatic stability of peptide deformylase of mycobacterium tuberculosis.	sequence analysis of peptide deformylase of mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed the presence of insertions (residues 74 to 85) and an unusually long carboxy-terminal end (residues 182 to 197). our results with deletion mutants indicated the contribution of these regions in maintaining enzymatic stability. furthermore, we showed that the region spanning the insertions was responsible for maintaining resistance to oxidizing agents, like h(2)o(2).	2005	16291698
a guild of 45 crispr-associated (cas) protein families and multiple crispr/cas subtypes exist in prokaryotic genomes.	clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (crisprs) are a family of dna direct repeats found in many prokaryotic genomes. repeats of 21-37 bp typically show weak dyad symmetry and are separated by regularly sized, nonrepetitive spacer sequences. four crispr-associated (cas) protein families, designated cas1 to cas4, are strictly associated with crispr elements and always occur near a repeat cluster. some spacers originate from mobile genetic elements and are thought to confer "im ...	2005	16292354
serological survey of pre-weaned new zealand fur seals (arctocephalus forsteri) for brucellosis and leptospirosis.	to conduct a longitudinal serological survey for evidence of brucella spp and leptospira spp infection of pre-weaned new zealand fur seals in a colony on the otago peninsula.	2005	16317444
genetic characterization of the bifidobacterium breve ucc 2003 hrca locus.	the bacterial heat shock response is characterized by the elevated expression of a number of chaperone complexes and transcriptional regulators, including the dnaj and the hrca proteins. genome analysis of bifidobacterium breve ucc 2003 revealed a second copy of a dnaj gene, named dnaj2, which is flanked by the hrca gene in a genetic constellation that appears to be unique to the actinobacteria. phylogenetic analysis using 53 bacterial dnaj sequences, including both dnaj1 and dnaj2 sequences, su ...	2005	16332909
a global research agenda for leptospirosis.	leptospirosis is a zoonotic spirochetal disease of global importance. this disease continues to have a major impact on people living in urban and rural areas of developing countries with inestimable morbidity and mortality. funding for research and control efforts is currently haphazard, not organized and not effective for public health efforts, primarily because there are no concerted, ongoing international efforts to assess the impact of leptospirosis on human health. major issues in the field ...	2005	16333188
[clinical and epidemiological features of leptospirosis in bolívar state, venezuela. comparison of diagnostic methods: lepto-dipstick and plaque macroscopic agglutination test].	leptospirosis is caused by numerous serovars of leptospira interrogans. the infection is acquired through the contact of softened skin, mucous and conjunctive with the urine of animals and humans infected by animal carriers. the aim of this study was to determine the clinical and epidemiological features of leptospirosis in bolívar state venezuela and to compare the sensibility and specificity of the lepto-dipstick, with the test of macroscopic agglutination in plate with the termorresistent ant ...	2005	16353539
[identification on the immunogenic activity of recombinant rltb/ctb-lipl41/ 1 to leptospira interrogans and detection of lipl41 gene with its production].	to construct prokaryotic expression systems of ltb/ctb-lipl41/1 fusion genes, identify immunogenic and adjuvant activities of the products as well as to understand the frequencies of lipl41 gene that carrying and expressing in l. interrogans wild strains and specific antibody levels in sera from patients with leptospirosis.	2005	16390012
phenotypic & genotypic conservation of ompl1 & lipl41 among leptospiral isolates of andaman islands.	the leptospiral antigens that are conserved among the diverse pathogenic leptospires have potential importance in the development of new serodiagnostic and immunoprotective strategies. the present study was therefore carried out to find out the phenotypic conservation of the leptospiral proteins ompl1 and lipl41, and the genetic conservation of ompl1 and lipl41 genes among the leptospiral isolates of andaman islands and among the reference strains.	2005	16394328
serologic survey of select infectious diseases in coyotes and raccoons in nebraska.	to obtain data about select zoonotic and other infectious diseases in free-ranging predators in five ecoregions in nebraska, sera were collected from 67 coyotes (canis latrans) and 63 raccoons (procyon lotor) from november 2002 through january 2003. for coyotes, antibodies were detected against canine distemper virus (cdv, 61%), francisella tularensis (32%), rickettsia rickettsi (13%), and flaviviruses (48%). none of the coyote sera had antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi, brucella canis, or six ...	2005	16456169
host range and emerging and reemerging pathogens.	an updated literature survey identified 1,407 recognized species of human pathogen, 58% of which are zoonotic. of the total, 177 are regarded as emerging or reemerging. zoonotic pathogens are twice as likely to be in this category as are nonzoonotic pathogens. emerging and reemerging pathogens are not strongly associated with particular types of nonhuman hosts, but they are most likely to have the broadest host ranges. emerging and reemerging zoonoses are associated with a wide range of drivers, ...	2005	16485468
[immunogenicity and protective capacity of leptospiral whole-cell monovalent serogroup ballum vaccines in hamsters].	leptospira serogroup ballum is at present the first cause of human leptospirosis in cuba. killed whole-cell vaccines were formulated with two clinical isolates of leptospira interrogans serogroup ballum using aluminum hydroxide as adjuvant. agglutinins levels induced by each vaccine in hamsters were estimated by microscopic agglutination test and specific igg activities were quantified by a whole cell-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. homologous and cross protective capacity against letha ...	2005	16502635
a clone of leptospira interrogans sensu stricto is the major cause of leptospirosis in the archipelago of andaman and nicobar islands, india.	andaman and nicobar islands in india has a century long history of human leptospirosis. several isolates have been recovered over the years from different locations. the present study was undertaken to understand the clonal relationship between all these pathogenic leptospires recovered from these islands.	2005	16033518
the vitamin k-dependent carboxylase has been acquired by leptospira pathogens and shows altered activity that suggests a role other than protein carboxylation.	leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease whose pathology includes a hemorrhagic response, and sequencing of the leptospira interrogans genome revealed an ortholog of the vitamin k-dependent (vkd) carboxylase as one of several hemostatic proteins present in the bacterium. until now, the vkd carboxylase was known to be present only in the animal kingdom (i.e. metazoans that include mammals, fish, snails, and insects), and this restricted distribution and high sequence similarity between met ...	2005	16061481
the leptospira interrogans lexa gene is not autoregulated.	footprinting and mutagenesis experiments demonstrated that leptospira interrogans lexa binds the palindrome tttgn(5)caaa found in the reca promoter but not in the lexa promoter. in silico analysis revealed that none of the other canonical sos genes is under direct control of lexa, making the leptospiral lexa gene the first described which is not autoregulated.	2005	16077133
leptospirosis in northern elephant seals (mirounga angustirostris) stranded along the california coast.	leptospirosis was identified in six northern elephant seals (mirounga angustirostris) that were stranded in 1995 along the coast of california (usa). histologic lesions in all seals included tubulointerstitial nephritis with tubular degeneration and necrosis. infection was confirmed through identification of spirochetes using an immunohistochemical stain for leptospira sp. antigens. one affected seal had an elevated titer to leptospira interrogans serovar pomona. four of the six seals developed ...	2005	16107678
identification of genes of vsh-1, a prophage-like gene transfer agent of brachyspira hyodysenteriae.	vsh-1 is a mitomycin c-inducible prophage of the anaerobic spirochete brachyspira hyodysenteriae. purified vsh-1 virions are noninfectious, contain random 7.5-kb fragments of the bacterial genome, and mediate generalized transduction of b. hyodysenteriae cells. in order to identify and sequence genes of this novel gene transfer agent (gta), proteins associated either with vsh-1 capsids or with tails were purified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. the n-terminal amino ...	2005	16109929
bacteroides fragilis-derived lipopolysaccharide produces cell activation and lethal toxicity via toll-like receptor 4.	bacteroides fragilis, which is part of the normal intestinal flora, is a frequent cause of serious disease, especially in diabetic and surgical patients. in these conditions, b. fragilis lipopolysaccharide (lps) is likely to play a major pathophysiologic role. b. fragilis lps is structurally different from classical enterobacterial lps, whose biological activities are mediated by toll-like receptor 4 (tlr4) activation. the ability of b. fragilis lps to activate tlr4 and tlr2 was investigated her ...	2005	16113279
quantitative assessment of protection in experimental syphilis.	protection in experimental rabbit syphilis has been previously assessed by lesion development following intradermal challenge with treponema pallidum. we have recently reported that passive immunization using monoclonal antibody m131 conveys partial protection as evidenced by significant lesion delays following intradermal challenge. to determine whether such delays in time to lesion appearance corresponded to decreases in the numbers of spirochetes, we used real-time pcr to quantitate t. pallid ...	2005	16113312
horizontally acquired genes for purine salvage in borrelia spp. causing relapsing fever.	unlike borrelia burgdorferi, the relapsing fever agent borrelia hermsii and the related borrelia miyamotoi had pura and purb genes of the purine salvage pathway. these were located among the rrna genes. phylogenetic analysis indicated that these genes had a different evolutionary history than those of orthologs in other spirochetes.	2005	16113341
leptospirosis.	leptospirosis, a spirochaetal zoonotic disease, has been recognized as an important emerging infectious disease in the last 10 years. this review addresses the issues in the epidemiology, diagnosis and clinical management which confront public health responses, and highlights the progress made towards understanding the leptospira genome, biology and pathogenesis.	2005	16148523
diversity in domain architectures of ser/thr kinases and their homologues in prokaryotes.	ser/thr/tyr kinases (styks) commonly found in eukaryotes have been recently reported in many bacterial species. recent studies elucidating their cellular functions have established their roles in bacterial growth and development. however functions of a large number of bacterial styks still remain elusive. the organisation of domains in a large dataset of bacterial styks has been investigated here in order to recognise variety in domain combinations which determine functions of bacterial styks.	2005	16171520
serological evidence of the persistence of infection with leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo in cattle in mongolia.	serum samples were collected randomly from mongol breed cattle in three geographically distinct provinces of mongolia. antibodies specific to leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo were detected by microscopic agglutination test (mat) at titres of 100 or more in 80.4% (86/107) of the samples from dornod province, but in only 28.9% (13/45) in arkhangai and 23.5% (12/51) in khuvsgul provinces, respectively. treatment of 9 serum samples from dornod, positive to serovar hardjo in mat and negative in ...	2005	16172542
successful selection of cross-protective vaccine candidates for ornithobacterium rhinotracheale infection.	ornithobacterium rhinotracheale is a bacterial pathogen known for causing respiratory disease in poultry. in this study, we demonstrate for the first time that cross-protective immunity against different o. rhinotracheale serotypes can be induced by live vaccination. sera from these live-vaccinated and cross-protected birds were used to identify new vaccine targets by screening an o. rhinotracheale expression library. out of 20,000 screened plaques, a total of 30 cross-reactive clones were selec ...	2005	16177359
lethal infection of c3h/hej and c3h/scid mice with an isolate of leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni.	leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni strain rj16441, a blood isolate from humans with the severe pulmonary form of leptospirosis, has previously been shown to cause fatal pulmonary hemorrhage in guinea pigs and asymptomatic chronic renal tubular colonization with urinary shedding in rats. in this study, rj16441 caused lethal infection of both c3h/hej and c3h/scid mice, but no hemorrhagic phenomena were observed.	2005	16177383
mathematical design of prokaryotic clone-based microarrays.	clone-based microarrays, on which each spot represents a random genomic fragment, are a good alternative to open reading frame-based microarrays, especially for microorganisms for which the complete genome sequence is not available. since the generation of a genomic dna library is a random process, it is beforehand uncertain which genes are represented. nevertheless, the genome coverage of such an array, which depends on different variables like the insert size and the number of clones in the li ...	2005	16191193
the crystal structure of mitochondrial (type 1a) peptide deformylase provides clear guidelines for the design of inhibitors specific for the bacterial forms.	peptide deformylase (pdf) inhibitors have a strong potential to be used as a new class of antibiotics. however, recent studies have shown that the mitochondria of most eukaryotes, including humans, contain an essential pdf, pdf1a. the crystal structure of the arabidopsis thaliana pdf1a (atpdf1a), considered representative of pdf1as in general, has been determined. this structure displays several similarities to that of known bacterial pdfs. atpdf1a behaves as a dimer, with the c-terminal residue ...	2005	16192279
intracellular screen to identify metagenomic clones that induce or inhibit a quorum-sensing biosensor.	the goal of this study was to design and evaluate a rapid screen to identify metagenomic clones that produce biologically active small molecules. we built metagenomic libraries with dna from soil on the floodplain of the tanana river in alaska. we extracted dna directly from the soil and cloned it into fosmid and bacterial artificial chromosome vectors, constructing eight metagenomic libraries that contain 53,000 clones with inserts ranging from 1 to 190 kb. to identify clones of interest, we de ...	2005	16204555
expression and comparative analysis of genes encoding outer membrane proteins lipl21, lipl32 and ompl1 in epidemic leptospires.	leptospiral outer membrane proteins (omps) are highly conserved in different species, and play an essential role in the development of new immunoprotection and serodiagnosis strategies. the genes encoding lipl21, lipl32 and ompl1 were cloned from the complete genome sequence of leptospira interrogans serovar lai strain lai and expressed in vitro. sequence comparison analysis revealed that the three genes were highly conserved among distinct epidemic leptospires, including three major epidemic sp ...	2005	16215631
leptospiral pneumonia.	severe leptospirosis rarely presents with primary pulmonary manifestations, without any associated jaundice or renal dysfunction. the authors report a nine-year-old boy who presented with complaints of abrupt onset of high fever; with myalgia, headache, and pain in right chest region, productive cough with hemoptysis and vomiting developing over the past 72 hours. chest radiograph showed consolidation in the right upper lobe with air bronchogram. a history of contact with sewage water and presen ...	2005	15684465
[advances in research on pathogenic mechanism the prospect of genus-specific genetic engineering vaccine of leptospira interrogans].		2005	15693115
[apoptosis and ultrastructural lesions in vero and j774a.1 cells induced by leptospira interrogans].	to determine the ability of adhering and invading to host cells and the related pathologic changes of leptospira spp. with different virulence.	2005	15693116
[immune-functional epitopes and inflammation-inducing effects of the major outer envelope proteins of leptospira interrogans].	to investigate the immune-functional epitopes and inflammation-inducing effects of the major outer envelope proteins of leptospira interrogans.	2005	15693117
[phospholipase c activity and alteration of intracellular free ca2+ levels during internalization of leptospira interrogans].	to determine the effects of leptospiral strains with different virulence on intracellular free ca(2+)level and its relation with phospholipase c (plc) activity of l.interrogans.	2005	15693118
[construction and application of prokaryotic expression system of leptospira interrogans lipl32/1-lipl41/1 fusion gene].	to construct lipl32/1-lipl41/1 fusion gene and its prokaryotic expression system and to determine frequencies of carrying and expression of lipl32 and lipl41 genes in l.interrogans wild strains and specific antibody levels in sera from leptospirosis patients.	2005	15693120
[eukaryotic expression of leptospira interrogans lipl32/1-ompl1/1 fusion gene encoding genus-specific protein antigens and the immunoreactivity of expression products].	to construct the eukaryotic expression system of l.interrogans lipl32/1-ompl1/1 fusion gene and to identify the immunoreactivity of expression products.	2005	15693121
identification of variable-number tandem-repeat loci in leptospira interrogans sensu stricto.	leptospira interrogans sensu stricto is responsible for the most frequent and severe cases of human leptospirosis. the epidemiology and clinical features of leptospirosis are usually associated with the serovars and serogroups of leptospira. because of the difficulties associated with serological identification of leptospira strains, we evaluated a novel pcr-based method for typing l. interrogans serovars. based upon the genome sequence of l. interrogans serovar lai type strain 5660, 44 loci wer ...	2005	15695642
specialized microbial databases for inductive exploration of microbial genome sequences.	the enormous amount of genome sequence data asks for user-oriented databases to manage sequences and annotations. queries must include search tools permitting function identification through exploration of related objects.	2005	15698474
protein domains and architectural innovation in plant-associated proteobacteria.	evolution of new complex biological behaviour tends to arise by novel combinations of existing building blocks. the functional and evolutionary building blocks of the proteome are protein domains, the function of a protein being dependent on its constituent domains. we clustered completely-sequenced proteomes of prokaryotes on the basis of their protein domain content, as defined by pfam (release 16.0). this revealed that, although there was a correlation between phylogeny and domain content, ot ...	2005	15715905
toxin-antitoxin loci are highly abundant in free-living but lost from host-associated prokaryotes.	prokaryotic chromosomes code for toxin-antitoxin (ta) loci, often in multiple copies. in e.coli, experimental evidence indicates that ta loci are stress-response elements that help cells survive unfavorable growth conditions. the first gene in a ta operon codes for an antitoxin that combines with and neutralizes a regulatory 'toxin', encoded by the second gene. rele and mazf toxins are regulators of translation that cleave mrna and function, in interplay with tmrna, in quality control of gene ex ...	2005	15718296
variation in the strength of selected codon usage bias among bacteria.	among bacteria, many species have synonymous codon usage patterns that have been influenced by natural selection for those codons that are translated more accurately and/or efficiently. however, in other species selection appears to have been ineffective. here, we introduce a population genetics-based model for quantifying the extent to which selection has been effective. the approach is applied to 80 phylogenetically diverse bacterial species for which whole genome sequences are available. the ...	2005	15728743
experimental leptospirosis in marmoset monkeys (callithrix jacchus): a new model for studies of severe pulmonary leptospirosis.	experimental infection of marmoset monkeys (callithrix jacchus) with leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni showed microscopic patterns of tissue reactions comparable to those seen in the severe forms of human leptospirosis, including intra-alveolar hemorrhage. the most impressive microscopic changes were seen in the lung and kidney of animals killed at days 6 and 12 after inoculation. there were extensive and irregular areas of hemorrhage predominating around main bronchial branches or diff ...	2005	15728860
molecular analysis of the rebeccamycin l-amino acid oxidase from lechevalieria aerocolonigenes atcc 39243.	rebeccamycin, a member of the tryptophan-derived indolocarbazole family, is produced by lechevalieria aerocolonigenes atcc 39243. the biosynthetic pathway that specifies biosynthesis of this important metabolite is comprised of 11 genes spanning 18 kb of dna. a presumed early enzyme involved in elaboration of the rebeccamycin aglycone is encoded by rebo, located at the left-hand region of the reb gene cluster. the deduced protein product, rebo (51.9 kda), is an l-amino acid oxidase (l-aao) that ...	2005	15743957
identification of a new borrelia species among small mammals in areas of northern spain where lyme disease is endemic.	the role of small mammals as reservoir hosts for borrelia burgdorferi was investigated in several areas where lyme disease is endemic in northern spain. a low rate of infestation by ixodes ricinus nymphs was found in the small mammal populations studied that correlated with the near-absence of b. burgdorferi sensu lato in 184 animals tested and with the lack of transmission of b. burgdorferi sensu lato to i. ricinus larvae that fed on them. in contrast, questing ticks collected at the same time ...	2005	15746336
whole-genome analysis of leptospira interrogans to identify potential vaccine candidates against leptospirosis.	leptospirosis is an important global human and veterinary health problem. humans can be infected by exposure to chronically infected animals and their environment. an important focus of the current leptospiral research is the identification of outer membrane proteins (omps). due to their location, leptospiral omps are likely to be relevant in host-pathogen interactions, hence their potential ability to stimulate heterologous immunity. the existing whole-genome sequence of leptospira interrogans ...	2005	15766783
identification and classification of all potential hemolysin encoding genes and their products from leptospira interrogans serogroup icterohae-morrhagiae serovar lai.	to identify and classify all potential hemolysin candidates of leptospira interrogans serogroup icterohaemorrhagiae serovar lai.	2005	15780195
the thermophilic, homohexameric aminopeptidase of borrelia burgdorferi is a member of the m29 family of metallopeptidases.	proteases are implicated in several aspects of the physiology of microorganisms, as well as in host-pathogen interactions. aminopeptidases are also emerging as novel drug targets in infectious agents. in this study, we have characterized an aminopeptidase from the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease. the aminopeptidolytic activity was identified in cell extracts from b. burgdorferi by using the substrate leucine-7-amido-4-methylcoumarin. a protein displaying this ...	2005	15784569
penicillin-binding proteins in the pathogenic intestinal spirochete brachyspira pilosicoli.	penicillin-binding proteins (pbps) of slightly different molecular masses (94, 62 or 68, 42 or 50, 25, and 22 kda) were identified in one human and two porcine brachyspira pilosicoli strains. identification of pbps of b. pilosicoli provides a basis for characterization of the genes encoding these proteins among pathogenic intestinal spirochetes of humans and animals.	2005	15793139
leptospiral membrane proteins--variations on a theme?		2005	15802754
functional insights from the distribution and role of homopeptide repeat-containing proteins.	expansion of "low complex" repeats of amino acids such as glutamine (poly-q) is associated with protein misfolding and the development of degenerative diseases such as huntington's disease. the mechanism by which such regions promote misfolding remains controversial, the function of many repeat-containing proteins (rcps) remains obscure, and the role (if any) of repeat regions remains to be determined. here, a web-accessible database of rcps is presented. the distribution and evolution of rcps t ...	2005	15805494
comprehensive characterization of the contribution of individual sigb-dependent general stress genes to stress resistance of bacillus subtilis.	the sigma(b)-dependent general stress regulon of bacillus subtilis comprises more than 150 members. induction of this regulon by imposition of environmental or metabolic stress confers multiple, nonspecific, and preemptive stress resistance to nongrowing, nonsporulated cells of b. subtilis. in this study we performed a regulon-wide phenotypic screening analysis to determine the stress sensitivity profiles of 94 mutants defective in candidate members of the general stress regulon that were previo ...	2005	15805528
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of canine leptospira antibodies using recombinant ompl1 protein.	ompl1 is a 31-kda outer membrane protein characterized in 1993 and known to be expressed only in pathogenic leptospira spp. recombinant ompl1 (gst-rompl1) was expressed for use as an elisa antigen for the detection of anti-leptospira antibodies. in immunoblot analysis, the protein reacted with sera of dogs infected with three different serotypes of leptospira interrogans, while did not react with sera of dogs both uninfected negative controls and infected with borrelia burgdorferi, which is clos ...	2005	15805726
serological evidence of leptospira interrogans serovar bratislava infection and its association with abortions in cattle in northern spain.	a cross-sectional study was carried out in the basque country of spain to determine the seroprevalence of 10 leptospira serovars in a population of dairy cattle with poor fertility, and a case-control study was carried out in another northern area to investigate the role of leptospira interrogans serovar bratislava in abortions. l. bratislava was the most prevalent serovar in the cross-sectional study, with 25.4 per cent of the cows testing positive in the microagglutination test when a cut-off ...	2005	15816182
synthesis of autoinducer 2 by the lyme disease spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi.	defining the metabolic capabilities and regulatory mechanisms controlling gene expression is a valuable step in understanding the pathogenic properties of infectious agents such as borrelia burgdorferi. the present studies demonstrated that b. burgdorferi encodes functional pfs and luxs enzymes for the breakdown of toxic products of methylation reactions. consistent with those observations, b. burgdorferi was shown to synthesize the end product 4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione (dpd) during laborat ...	2005	15838035
rnase/anti-rnase activities of the bacterial pard toxin-antitoxin system.	the bacterial pard toxin-antitoxin system of plasmid r1 encodes two proteins, the kid toxin and its cognate antitoxin, kis. kid cleaves rna and inhibits protein synthesis and cell growth in escherichia coli. here, we show that kid promotes rna degradation and inhibition of protein synthesis in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. these new activities of the kid toxin were counteracted by the kis antitoxin and were not displayed by the kidr85w variant, which is nontoxic in e. coli. moreover, while kid cl ...	2005	15838042
the genome of s-pm2, a "photosynthetic" t4-type bacteriophage that infects marine synechococcus strains.	bacteriophage s-pm2 infects several strains of the abundant and ecologically important marine cyanobacterium synechococcus. a large lytic phage with an isometric icosahedral head, s-pm2 has a contractile tail and by this criterion is classified as a myovirus (1). the linear, circularly permuted, 196,280-bp double-stranded dna genome of s-pm2 contains 37.8% g+c residues. it encodes 239 open reading frames (orfs) and 25 trnas. of these orfs, 19 appear to encode proteins associated with the cell en ...	2005	15838046
isolation and characterization of feca- and feob-mediated iron acquisition systems of the spirochete leptospira biflexa by random insertional mutagenesis.	the specific mechanisms by which leptospira spp. acquire iron from their ecological niches are unknown. a major factor contributing to our ignorance of spirochetal biology is the lack of methods for genetic analysis of these organisms. in this study, we have developed a system for random transposon mutagenesis of leptospira biflexa using a mariner transposon, himar1. to demonstrate the validity of himar1 in vivo transposon mutagenesis in l. biflexa, a screen of mutants for clones impaired in ami ...	2005	15838052
random insertional mutagenesis of leptospira interrogans, the agent of leptospirosis, using a mariner transposon.	the recent availability of the complete genome sequences of leptospira interrogans, the agent of leptospirosis, has allowed the identification of several putative virulence factors. however, to our knowledge, attempts to carry out gene transfer in pathogenic leptospira spp. have failed so far. in this study, we show that the himar1 mariner transposon permits random mutagenesis in the pathogen l. interrogans. we have identified genes that have been interrupted by himar1 insertion in 35 l. interro ...	2005	15838053
seroepidemiology of leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, and leishmaniosis among dogs in ankara, turkey.	seroprevalence of five different leptospira interrogans serovars, toxoplasma gondii and leishmania infantum in stray dogs in ankara was investigated. a total of 116 dog sera collected from apparently healthy stray dogs were tested for l. interrogans serovars by microscopic agglutination test (mat), for t. gondii antibodies by sabin-feldman dye test (sfdt), and for l. infantum antibodies by indirect fluorescence antibody test (ifat). of the 116 dogs, 51 (43.96%) were seropositive for leptospirosi ...	2005	15845273
a monoclonal antibody that conveys in vitro killing and partial protection in experimental syphilis binds a phosphorylcholine surface epitope of treponema pallidum.	immunization with purified treponema pallidum outer membrane vesicles (omv) has previously resulted in high-titer complement-dependent serum bactericidal activity. in this study, omv immunization resulted in the isolation of a monoclonal antibody, m131, with complement-dependent killing activity. passive immunization of rabbits with m131 administered intravenously conferred significant immunity demonstrated by the failure of syphilitic lesions to appear at 29% of intradermal challenge sites (7/2 ...	2005	15845516
leptospirosis presenting with fever and pulmonary hemorrhage.	reports of leptospirosis have recently been increasing in taiwan. we report a case of leptospirosis with the unusual initial manifestation of pulmonary hemorrhage. the patient presented with cough for 1 week and was admitted. after admission, fever, hemoptysis and severe dyspnea developed suddenly. chest radiograph showed bilateral diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and he was transferred to the emergency room of our hospital. oxygen saturation was 86% under room air and respiratory rate was 30 per m ...	2005	15660179
clinical spectrum of pulmonary involvement in leptospirosis in a region of endemicity, with quantification of leptospiral burden.	pulmonary involvement in leptospirosis remains poorly recognized in regions where it is endemic, despite reports of recent outbreaks and epidemic disease.	2005	15668855
purification and proteomic analysis of outer membrane vesicles from a clinical isolate of leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni.	the severe pulmonary form of leptospirosis (spfl) is an especially serious and rapid disease process characterized by alveolar hemorrhage and acute respiratory failure. the outer membrane of leptospira facilitates direct interactions with the environs and likely contains important constituents involved during infection, transmission, survival, and adaptation to environmental conditions, including putative vaccinogen and diagnostic candidates. outer membrane vesicles (omvs) were purified by incub ...	2005	15672460
leptospiral antibodies in captive lion tamarins (leontopithecus sp) in brazil.	serum samples from 73 lion tamarins of three species living at the centro de primatologia do rio de janeiro were tested for antibodies against serovars of leptospira interrogans by microscopic agglutination test. antibodies were detected in serum samples of 15% of tested samples. seroreactivity prevalence was lower than that described in other non-human primates and could be explained by the arboreal behaviour of these animals. icterohaemorrhagiae was the most common serogroup.	2005	15848790
leptospirosis in germany, 1962-2003.	epidemiologic trends of human leptospirosis in germany were investigated by analyzing national surveillance data from 1962 to 2003 and by conducting a questionnaire-based survey from 1997 to 2000. after a steady decrease of leptospirosis incidence from 1962 to 1997, surveillance data indicate an increase in disease incidence to 0.06 per 100,000 (1998-2003). of 102 laboratory-confirmed cases in humans from 1997 to 2000, 30% were related to occupational exposures. recreational exposures were repor ...	2005	16022779
identification of a novel gene encoding a flavin-dependent trna:m5u methyltransferase in bacteria--evolutionary implications.	formation of 5-methyluridine (ribothymidine) at position 54 of the t-psi loop of trna is catalyzed by site-specific trna methyltransferases (trna:m(5)u-54 mtase). in all eukarya and many gram-negative bacteria, the methyl donor for this reaction is s-adenosyl-l-methionine (s-adomet), while in several gram-positive bacteria, the source of carbon is n(5), n(10)-methylenetetrahydrofolate (ch(2)h(4)folate). we have identified the gene for bacillus subtilis trna:m(5)u-54 mtase. the encoded recombinan ...	2005	16027442
osmolarity, a key environmental signal controlling expression of leptospiral proteins liga and ligb and the extracellular release of liga.	the high-molecular-weight leptospiral immunoglobulin-like repeat (lig) proteins are expressed only by virulent low-passage forms of pathogenic leptospira species. we examined the effects of growth phase and environmental signals on the expression, surface exposure, and extracellular release of liga and ligb. liga was lost from stationary-phase cells, while ligb expression was maintained. the loss of cell-associated liga correlated with selective release of a lower-molecular-weight form of liga i ...	2005	15618142
genetic determinant of intrinsic quinolone resistance in fusobacterium canifelinum.	fourteen fluoroquinolone-resistant fusobacterial strains, originating from cats or dogs, were characterized by sequencing of the 16s-23s and 16s rrna genes and dna-dna hybridization and were described as a new species, fusobacterium canifelinum. all of the strains are intrinsically resistant (mic, >4 g/ml) to levofloxacin and other fluoroquinolones. compared to the quinolone resistance-determining region (gyra) of the susceptible relative f. nucleatum, we found that ser79 was replaced with leuci ...	2005	15616329
an adenylyl cyclase, cyab, acts as an osmosensor in myxococcus xanthus.	we have previously reported that a receptor-type adenylyl cyclase (cyaa) of myxococcus xanthus undergoes an osmosensor mainly during spore germination (y. kimura et al., j. bacteriol. 184:3578-3585, 2002). in the present study, we cloned another receptor-type adenylyl cyclase gene (cyab) and characterized the function of the cyab-encoded protein. disruption of cyab generates a mutant that showed growth retardation at high ionic (nacl) or high nonionic (sucrose) osmolarity. when vegetative cells ...	2005	15866951
suppressive subtractive hybridization of and differences in gene expression content of calcifying and noncalcifying cultures of emiliania huxleyi strain 1516.	the marine coccolithophorid emiliania huxleyi is a cosmopolitan alga intensely studied in relation to global carbon cycling, biogeochemistry, marine ecology, and biomineralization processes. the biomineralization capabilities of coccolithophorids have attracted the attention of scientists interested in exploiting this ability for the development of materials science and biomedical and biotechnological applications. although it has been well documented that biomineralization in e. huxleyi is prom ...	2005	15870347
genomic diversity in campylobacter jejuni: identification of c. jejuni 81-176-specific genes.	since the publication of the complete genomic sequence of campylobacter jejuni nctc 11168 in february 2000, evidence has been compiling that suggests c. jejuni strains exhibit high genomic diversity. in order to investigate this diversity, the unique genomic dna sequences from a nonsequenced campylobacter strain, c. jejuni 81-176, were identified by comparison with c. jejuni nctc 11168 by using a shotgun dna microarray approach. up to 63 kb of new chromosomal dna sequences unique to this pathoge ...	2005	15872262
a multidomain fusion protein in listeria monocytogenes catalyzes the two primary activities for glutathione biosynthesis.	glutathione is the predominant low-molecular-weight peptide thiol present in living organisms and plays a key role in protecting cells against oxygen toxicity. until now, glutathione synthesis was thought to occur solely through the consecutive action of two physically separate enzymes, gamma-glutamylcysteine ligase and glutathione synthetase. in this report we demonstrate that listeria monocytogenes contains a novel multidomain protein (termed gshf) that carries out complete synthesis of glutat ...	2005	15901709
changes in lipopolysaccharide o antigen distinguish acute versus chronic leptospira interrogans infections.	leptospirosis is the most geographically widespread zoonotic disease in the world. a severe pulmonary form of leptospirosis (spfl) is being recognized with increased frequency. we have reported that human spfl isolates of leptospira cause acute lethal infection with prominent pulmonary hemorrhage in guinea pigs. we have found that the same spfl strains cause asymptomatic infection and chronic renal shedding in rats, where infection is restricted to the renal tubules. to address the antigenic com ...	2005	15908349
fatal septicemic melioidosis in a young military person possibly co-infected with leptospira interrogans and orientia tsutsugamushi.	concurrent melioidosis, leptospirosis, and scrub typhus after rural activities is rarely reported. a 19-year-old previously healthy man had fever onset after 2 weeks of military training. pneumonia became evident on the fifth day of fever under intravenous penicillin and oral minocycline therapy. acute respiratory failure developed the next day with shock and acute renal and liver function deterioration, which resulted in death. blood cultures on the third and fifth days grew burkholderia pseudo ...	2005	15909673
prevention of renal infection and urinary shedding in dogs by a leptospira vaccination.	prevention of urinary shedding of leptospira interrogans spp. by chronically infected dogs remains a key objective of the vaccination in dogs against leptospirosis which is a zoonotic disease. an inactivated bivalent vaccine composed of leptospira interrogans serovars icterohaemorrhagiae [l. icterohaemorrhagiae] and canicola [l. canicola] bacterins was tested for its ability to protect puppies against a challenge exposure with l. icterohaemorrhagiae. the vaccine was administered twice at a 3-wee ...	2005	15917139
leptospira interrogans activation of peripheral blood monocyte glycolipoprotein demonstrated in whole blood by the release of il-6.	glycolipoprotein (glp) from pathogenic serovars of leptospira has been implicated in the pathogenesis of leptospirosis by its presence in tissues of experimental animals with leptospirosis, the inhibition of the na,k-atpase pump activity, and induced production of cytokines. the aims of the present study were to investigate the induction of il-6 by glp in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) and to demonstrate monocyte stimulation at the cellular level in whole blood from healthy volunteers ...	2005	15933785
evaluation of pcr-based assay for diagnosis of spotted fever group rickettsiosis in human serum samples.	a nested pcr assay was developed for the detection of spotted fever group (sfg) rickettsiae in serum samples. the assay was based on specific primers derived from the rickettsial outer membrane protein b gene (rompb) of rickettsia conorii. an sfg rickettsia-specific signal is obtained from r. akari, r. japonica, r. sibirica, and r. conorii. other bacterial species tested did not generate any signal, attesting to the specificity of the assay. as few as seven copies of the rompb gene of r. conorii ...	2005	15939751
interruptions in gene expression drive highly expressed operons to the leading strand of dna replication.	in bacteria, most genes are on the leading strand of replication, a phenomenon attributed to collisions between the dna and rna polymerases. in escherichia coli, these collisions slow the movement of the replication fork through actively transcribed genes only if they are coded on the lagging strand. for genes on both strands, however, these collisions sever nascent transcripts and interrupt gene expression. based on these observations, we propose a new theory to explain strand bias: genes whose ...	2005	15942025
the tetr family of transcriptional repressors.	we have developed a general profile for the proteins of the tetr family of repressors. the stretch that best defines the profile of this family is made up of 47 amino acid residues that correspond to the helix-turn-helix dna binding motif and adjacent regions in the three-dimensional structures of tetr, qacr, cprb, and ethr, four family members for which the function and three-dimensional structure are known. we have detected a set of 2,353 nonredundant proteins belonging to this family by scree ...	2005	15944459
evaluation of the recombinant lipl32 in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the serodiagnosis of bovine leptospirosis.	the recombinant leptospiral protein lipl32 was evaluated for use in the diagnosis of bovine leptospirosis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (rlipl32 igg elisa). the microscopic agglutination test (mat) of 150 serum samples from cattle suspected of leptospirosis showed that 125 (83.3%) samples had positive reciprocal agglutination titres, which ranged from 100 to 1600. the highest titres were observed for the serovars hardjoprajitno and bratislava. in the rlipl32 igg elisa, 83.3% of the sample ...	2005	15950404
a census of membrane-bound and intracellular signal transduction proteins in bacteria: bacterial iq, extroverts and introverts.	analysis of complete microbial genomes showed that intracellular parasites and other microorganisms that inhabit stable ecological niches encode relatively primitive signaling systems, whereas environmental microorganisms typically have sophisticated systems of environmental sensing and signal transduction.	2005	15955239
signature proteins that are distinctive of alpha proteobacteria.	the alpha (alpha) proteobacteria, a very large and diverse group, are presently characterized solely on the basis of 16s rrna trees, with no known molecular characteristic that is unique to this group. the genomes of three alpha-proteobacteria, rickettsia prowazekii (rp), caulobacter crescentus (cc) and bartonella quintana (bq), were analyzed in order to search for proteins that are unique to this group.	2005	15960851
protection against leptospira interrogans sensu lato challenge by dna immunization with the gene encoding hemolysin-associated protein 1.	the use of dna constructs encoding leptospiral proteins is a promising new approach for vaccination against leptospirosis. in previous work we determined that immunization with hemolysis-associated protein 1 (hap1) (lipl32) expressed by adenovirus induced significant protection against a virulent leptospira challenge in gerbils. to avoid the use of the adenovirus vector, we checked for clinical protection against lethal challenge by dna vaccination. a dna vaccine expressing hap1 was designed to ...	2005	15972494
characterization of is1501 mutants of leptospira interrogans serovar pomona.	leptospira interrogans is a diverse species in which individual serovars have distinctive restriction fragment length polymorphisms that are useful in strain identification. many of these polymorphisms can be detected using hybridization probes derived from insertion sequences; an observation that suggests these is elements are active and can transpose in l. interrogans. two spontaneous mutants of l. interrogans serovar pomona strain rz11 were isolated by immune selection and characterized. chan ...	2005	15979822
differential gene expression in benznidazole-resistant trypanosoma cruzi parasites.	we analyzed the differential gene expression among representative trypanosoma cruzi stocks in relation to benznidazole exposures using a random differentially expressed sequences (rades) technique. studies were carried out with drug pressure both at the natural susceptibility level of the wild-type parasite (50% inhibitory concentration for the wild type) and at different resistance levels. the pattern of differential gene expression performed with resistant stocks was compared to the population ...	2005	15980339
the genome sequence of rickettsia felis identifies the first putative conjugative plasmid in an obligate intracellular parasite.	we sequenced the genome of rickettsia felis, a flea-associated obligate intracellular alpha-proteobacterium causing spotted fever in humans. besides a circular chromosome of 1,485,148 bp, r. felis exhibits the first putative conjugative plasmid identified among obligate intracellular bacteria. this plasmid is found in a short (39,263 bp) and a long (62,829 bp) form. r. felis contrasts with previously sequenced rickettsia in terms of many other features, including a number of transposases, severa ...	2005	15984913
development of a multiple-locus variable number of tandem repeat analysis (mlva) for leptospira interrogans and its application to leptospira interrogans serovar australis isolates from far north queensland, australia.	leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the genus, leptospira. leptospira interrogans is the most common genomospecies implicated in the disease. epidemiological investigations are needed to distinguish outbreak situations or to trace reservoirs of the organisms. current methodologies used for typing leptospira have significant drawbacks. the development of an easy to perform yet high resolution method is needed for this organism.	2005	15987533
expression and characterization of hlyx hemolysin from leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni: potentiation of hemolytic activity by lipl32.	the hlyx, a putative hemolysin identified from the leptospira genomes, was cloned, expressed in escherichia coli, purified, and its hemolytic activity was confirmed. mouse polyclonal antiserum against the recombinant hlyx recognized hlyx-related antigens in a panel of leptospira species extracts and it was also able to abolish the hemolytic activity of hlyx. a mixture of hlyx and lipl32, a known hemolysin from leptospira, induced hemolysis in a synergistic way that was fully inhibited by antiser ...	2005	15990088
[acute leptospirosis in children in reunion island: a retrospective review of 16 cases].	leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by pathogenic species of the genus leptospira. this infectious disease known with a high incidence in reunion island (french overseas territories in indian ocean) is in state of endemia especially during rains season.	2005	15994067