Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
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| capillary electrophoresis and fluorescence studies on molecular beacon-based variable length oligonucleotide target discrimination. | molecular beacons (mbs) are oligonucleotide probes having a compact hairpin structure, with a fluorophore attached to one end and a quencher molecule attached to the other end. in its native state, the fluorophore is quenched by virtue of its proximity to the quencher molecule. upon hybridization with its complementary oligonucleotide target, fluorescence is elicited due to a conformational change that results in separation of the fluorophore and quencher molecule. the present study describes th ... | 2003 | 12652574 |
| tick salivary gland extract accelerates proliferation of francisella tularensis in the host. | accelerated proliferation of the tick-borne bacterial pathogen francisella tularensis was demonstrated in mice when the bacterium was injected together with salivary gland extract from ixodes ricinus ticks. a significant increase in the numbers of bacteria was recorded in the dermal site of infection,the draining lymph nodes, and the spleen. analysis of the expression of cytokine messenger ribonucleic acids showed polarization toward a th2 profile. salivary gland extract-mediated suppression of ... | 2003 | 12659297 |
| towards proteome database of francisella tularensis. | the accessibility of the partial genome sequence of francisella tularensis strain schu 4 was the starting point for a comprehensive proteome analysis of the intracellular pathogen f. tularensis. the main goal of this study is identification of protein candidates of value for the development of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. in this review, the current status of 2-de f. tularensis database building, approaches used for identification of biologically important subsets of f. tularensis pro ... | 2003 | 12659739 |
| molecular evidence for novel tick-associated spotted fever group rickettsiae from thailand. | ticks are of considerable medical and veterinary importance because they directly harm the host through their feeding action and indirectly through vectoring many bacterial pathogens. despite many ticks being known from thailand, very little is known about the bacteria they may harbor. we report here the results of a survey of tick-associated bacteria in thailand. a total of 334 individuals representing 14 species of ticks in five genera were collected from 10 locations in thailand and were exam ... | 2003 | 12693853 |
| [germs and toxins in bioterrorism]. | 2003 | 12722194 | |
| [modern possibilities of bioterrorism diagnosis]. | one of the most important components of early detecting and response to biological attack are microbiological diagnostic methods. in order to provide the effectiveness of diagnosis continuous training in detection of potentially dangerous bioterrorist agents is needed. basic information about selected microbiological agents most dangerous for public health, belonging to a and b cdc categories are presented in the article. the most potent biological weapon mentioned in the last decade is anthrax. ... | 2003 | 12728676 |
| [tularemia possibly transmitted by red swamp crayfish]. | 2003 | 12729545 | |
| experimental tularemia in mice challenged by aerosol or intradermally with virulent strains of francisella tularensis: bacteriologic and histopathologic studies. | balb/c and c57bl/6 mice were challenged by aerosol or intradermally with low doses ( approximately 10-20 colony forming units) of virulent type a and type b strains of the facultative intracellular pathogen, francisella tularensis, and the course of infection was monitored. both mouse strains were equally susceptible to infection, but type a strains reached lethal numbers a few days earlier than type b strains regardless of challenge route. balb/c mice showed overt signs of infection for several ... | 2003 | 12732472 |
| tularemia of the head and neck: a possible sign of bioterrorism. | recent bioterror attacks and other world events have focused the medical community's attention on agents that might be used in biological warfare. one of these potential biological weapons is francisella tularensis, a gramnegative coccobacillus that is one of the most infectious bacteria known. f tularensis can cause severe, even fatal, systemic tularemia. under normal circumstances, f tularensis is transmitted by infected ticks, insects, and other animals. as a weapon of terrorism, the bacteriu ... | 2003 | 12735158 |
| francisella novicida lps has greater immunobiological activity in mice than f. tularensis lps, and contributes to f. novicida murine pathogenesis. | to further understand the role of lps in the pathogenesis of francisella infection, we characterized murine infection with f. novicida, and compared immunobiological activities of f. novicida lps and the lps from f. tularensis live vaccine strain (lvs). f. novicida had a lower intradermal ld(50) in balb/cbyj mice than f. tularensis lvs, and mice given a lethal f. novicida dose intraperitoneally died faster than those given the same lethal f. tularensis lvs dose. however, the pattern of in vivo d ... | 2003 | 12737995 |
| a case of primary tularemic pneumonia presenting with necrotizing mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes. | tularemia is an unusual disease caused by the gram-negative coccobacillus francisella tularensis. the clinical features of the disease depend on the route of inoculation. ulceroglandular and typhoidal forms have been recognized as occurring in tularemia, however primary or secondary pneumonic infections have also been reported. symptoms, laboratory markers and radiological features are non-specific in tularemic pneumonia. diagnosis is made on clinical grounds and evidence of elevated agglutinati ... | 2003 | 12741082 |
| a method for allelic replacement in francisella tularensis. | a vector for mutagenesis of francisella tularensis was constructed based on the puc19 plasmid. by inserting the sacb gene of bacillus subtilis, orit of plasmid rp4, and a chloramphenicol resistance gene of shigella flexneri, a vector, ppv, was obtained that allowed specific mutagenesis. a protocol was developed that allowed introduction of the vector into the live vaccine strain, lvs, of f. tularensis by conjugation. as a proof of principle, we aimed to develop a specific mutant defective in exp ... | 2003 | 12770718 |
| rabbit's revenge. | 2003 | 12781506 | |
| francisella tularensis bacteremia. | bacteremia caused by francisella tularensis is rare and has been reported mainly in the united states and infrequently in europe. we report herein the first case of bacteremic f. tularensis pneumonia in an immunocompetent individual in southern europe. | 2003 | 12791928 |
| a vaccine for tularaemia. | francisella tularensis is an intracellular pathogen with a very low infectious dose for humans. several forms of tularaemia occur, which range from a severely debilitating to a fatal disease. diagnosis is difficult due to the generalised, nonspecific nature of symptoms and the difficulty in culturing the slow-growing and nutritionally fastidious pathogen. a live attenuated vaccine strain (lvs) has been used in humans as an investigational new drug and does appear to induce a protective response. ... | 2003 | 12831369 |
| genome-wide dna microarray analysis of francisella tularensis strains demonstrates extensive genetic conservation within the species but identifies regions that are unique to the highly virulent f. tularensis subsp. tularensis. | francisella tularensis is a potent pathogen and a possible bioterrorism agent. little is known, however, to explain the molecular basis for its virulence and the distinct differences in virulence found between the four recognized subspecies, f. tularensis subsp. tularensis, f. tularensis subsp. mediasiatica, f. tularensis subsp. holarctica, and f. tularensis subsp. novicida. we developed a dna microarray based on 1,832 clones from a shotgun library used for sequencing of the highly virulent stra ... | 2003 | 12843022 |
| francisella strains express hemolysins of distinct characteristics. | historically, francisella strains have been described as nonhemolytic. in this study, we show by use of solid and liquid hemolysis assays that some francisella strains have hemolytic properties. the francisella novicida type strain u112 is hemolytic to horse erythrocytes and francisella philomiragia type strain fsc144 is hemolytic towards both human and horse erythrocytes. the f. novicida strain u112 released a protein (novilysin a) into the culture supernatant which cross-reacted with antiserum ... | 2003 | 12855173 |
| genetic diversity of bacterial agents detected in ticks removed from asymptomatic patients in northeastern italy. | a total of 360 ticks were removed from 353 asymptomatic subjects in belluno province, italy and surrounding areas, from 1998 to 2001. ticks were identified as ixodes ricinus (357), ixodes hexagonus (1), rhipicephalus sanguineus (1), and ixodes ventalloi (1). tick dna was investigated by pcr and subsequent sequencing of amplified products to identity associated bacterial agents. primers targeting different genes of rickettsia (glta and ompa), borrelia (16s rdna, rpob), francisella (16s rdna), and ... | 2003 | 12860623 |
| expression cloning and biochemical characterization of a rhizobium leguminosarum lipid a 1-phosphatase. | lipid a of rhizobium leguminosarum, a nitrogen-fixing plant endosymbiont, displays several significant structural differences when compared with escherichia coli. an especially striking feature of r. leguminosarum lipid a is that it lacks both the 1- and 4'-phosphate groups. distinct lipid a phosphatases that attack either the 1 or the 4' positions have previously been identified in extracts of r. leguminosarum and rhizobium etli but not sinorhizobium meliloti or e. coli. here we describe the id ... | 2003 | 12869541 |
| delineation of the molecular mechanisms of francisella tularensis-induced apoptosis in murine macrophages. | francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium capable of inducing apoptosis in murine macrophages. here we analyzed the pathway leading to apoptosis in the murine macrophage-like cell line j774a.1 after infection with f. tularensis strain lvs (named lvs for live vaccine strain). we obtained evidence that the infection affected the mitochondria of the macrophages, since it induced release of the mitochondrial molecule cytochrome c into the cytosol and changed the potential over ... | 2003 | 12874344 |
| molecular characterization of the sucb gene encoding the immunogenic dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase protein of bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and bartonella quintana. | members of the genus bartonella have historically been connected with human disease, such as cat scratch disease, trench fever, and carrion's disease, and recently have been recognized as emerging pathogens causing other clinical manifestations in humans. however, because little is known about the antigens that elicit antibody production in response to bartonella infections, this project was undertaken to identify and molecularly characterize these immunogens. immunologic screening of a bartonel ... | 2003 | 12874367 |
| tularemia presenting as tonsillopharyngitis and cervical lymphadenitis: a case report and review of the literature. | in this report, we describe a 57-year-old woman with oropharyngeal tularemia who presented with tonsillopharyngitis and cervical lymphadenitis. clinical and radiological manifestations and histopathological characteristics of this disease are discussed with a review of the world literature. the oropharyngeal form of tularemia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cases involving tonsillopharyngitis and cervical lymphadenitis, particularly in those not responding to penicillin tre ... | 2003 | 12883950 |
| multiple t cell subsets control francisella tularensis lvs intracellular growth without stimulation through macrophage interferon gamma receptors. | a variety of data suggest that in vivo production of interferon (ifn)-gamma is necessary, but not sufficient, for expression of secondary protective immunity against intracellular pathogens. to discover specific ifn-gamma-independent t cell mediated mechanisms, we took advantage of an in vitro culture system that models in vivo immune responses to the intracellular bacterium francisella tularensis live vaccine strain (lvs). lvs-immune lymphocytes specifically controlled 99% of the growth of lvs ... | 2003 | 12885873 |
| [seroepidemiological studies of zoonotic infections in hunters in southeastern austria--prevalences, risk factors, and preventive methods]. | the aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalences to zoonotic pathogens in hunters, to propose preventive measures and to obtain more information about the occurrence of zoonotic pathogens in local wild animal populations. from 146 male and 3 female hunters originating from the south-eastern austrian federal states of styria and burgenland blood samples were taken and anamnestic data were obtained using a questionnaire. the serological investigations included the following viral, bact ... | 2003 | 12894685 |
| specific antibodies contribute to the host protection against strains of francisella tularensis subspecies holarctica. | t cells are crucial to the control and eradication of the facultative intracellular bacterium francisella tularensis. a contributory role of humoral antibodies in the host defence remains to be assessed. we used b-cell-deficient mice to study the possible contribution of antibodies to the defence against the live vaccine strain (lvs) or a clinical isolate of f. tularensis, both belonging to the subspecies holarctica (type b). when b-cell-deficient (igmu(-/-)) mice of the c57bl/10 background were ... | 2003 | 12901846 |
| characterization of a novicida-like subspecies of francisella tularensis isolated in australia. | francisella tularensis is found throughout the northern hemisphere, where it is associated with the disease of tularaemia in animals and humans. the isolation and identification is reported of a novicida-like subspecies of f. tularensis from a foot wound sustained in brackish water in the northern territory of australia. | 2003 | 12909664 |
| serologic survey for diseases in free-ranging coyotes (canis latrans) from two ecologically distinct areas of utah. | the influence of habitat and associated prey assemblages on the prevalence of canine diseases in coyotes (canis latrans) has received scant attention. from december 1997 through december 1999, we captured 67 coyotes in two ecologically distinct areas of utah (usa): deseret land and livestock ranch and us army dugway proving ground. these areas differ in habitat and prey base. we collected blood samples and tested for evidence of various canine diseases. prevalence of antibodies against canine pa ... | 2003 | 12910777 |
| tularemia in balb/c and c57bl/6 mice vaccinated with francisella tularensis lvs and challenged intradermally, or by aerosol with virulent isolates of the pathogen: protection varies depending on pathogen virulence, route of exposure, and host genetic background. | in order to begin understanding the immunological basis for immunity to tularemia, and to establish a baseline for judging the efficacy of potential novel vaccines, the present study examined the ability of the live vaccine strain of francisella tularensis (f. tularensis) lvs, to elicit immunity in mice against subsequent systemic and aerosol challenge with highly virulent strains of the pathogen. the results show, that infection with lvs protects balb/c mice against systemic challenge with viru ... | 2003 | 12922099 |
| francisella tularensis selectively induces proinflammatory changes in endothelial cells. | naturally acquired infections with francisella tularensis, the bacterial agent of tularemia, occur infrequently in humans. however, the high infectivity and lethality of the organism in humans raise concerns that it might be exploited as a weapon of bioterrorism. despite this potential for illicit use, the pathogenesis of tularemia is not well understood. to examine how f. tularensis interacts with cells of its mammalian hosts, we tested the ability of a live vaccine strain (lvs) to induce proin ... | 2003 | 12928407 |
| [tularemia, a potential bioterrorism weapon]. | a potential weapon: because of its highly contagious nature with a low inoculum, principally with the biovar a, f. tularensis is considered as an agent that could be used by terrorists, notably when sprayed. any epidemic of tularemia, essentially in its respiratory form, particularly in areas of low incidence of this infection, should be suspected to be a biowarfare attack. the voluntary contamination of water with this bacteria could also be used as a biological weapon. the different forms of t ... | 2003 | 12947746 |
| missed sentinel case of naturally occurring pneumonic tularemia outbreak: lessons for detection of bioterrorism. | family physicians are likely to care for patients that have been exposed to diseases associated with bioterrorism. persons with seemingly nondescript initial disease symptoms could be harbingers of a larger outbreak, whether naturally occurring or purposefully created. | 2003 | 12949036 |
| [the role of lipopolysaccharide in toxicity of francisella genus bacteria]. | it was demonstrated that the lipopolysaccharides (lps) preparations, which were isolated from all representatives of francisella genus bacteria, i.e. f. tularensis, f. novicida, f. novicida-like and f. philomiragia by using the method of r.p. darveau, r.e. hancock (1983), were not toxic for white rats and white mice. a comparative study of toxicity of live f. tularensis bacteria (both wild and lps-defective strains) made it possible to establish a direct correlation between the toxicity of micro ... | 2003 | 12966923 |
| identifying and subtyping species of dangerous pathogens by automated ribotyping. | an investigation of dangerous bacterial pathogens was conducted to determine the usefulness of automated rrna operon ribotyping (riboprinter system) to identify species. a total of 26 isolates comprising bacillus anthracis, brucella spp., burkholderia mallei, francisella tularensis, and yersinia pestis were tested using restriction endonucleases ecori, psti, pvuii and asei. the main problem was that the system's database-relying on ecori as restriction enzyme-does not contain the essential dange ... | 2003 | 12967744 |
| characterization of the o antigen gene cluster and structural analysis of the o antigen of francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis. | a gene cluster encoding enzymes involved in lps o antigen biosynthesis was identified from the partial genome sequence of francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis schu s4. all of the genes within the cluster were assigned putative functions based on sequence similarity with genes from o antigen biosynthetic clusters from other bacteria. ten pairs of overlapping primers were designed to amplify the o antigen biosynthetic cluster by pcr from nine strains of f. tularensis. although the gene cluster ... | 2003 | 12972577 |
| the ascendancy of amblyomma americanum as a vector of pathogens affecting humans in the united states. | until the 1990s, amblyomma americanum was regarded primarily as a nuisance species, but a tick of minor importance as a vector of zoonotic pathogens affecting humans. with the recent discoveries of ehrlichia chaffeensis, ehrlichia ewingii, and "borrelia lonestari," the public health relevance of lone star ticks is no longer in question. during the next 25 years, the number of cases of human disease caused by a. americanum-associated pathogens will probably increase. based on current trajectories ... | 2003 | 12414740 |
| expression of iglc is necessary for intracellular growth and induction of apoptosis in murine macrophages by francisella tularensis. | francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium capable of inducing apoptosis in murine macrophages. in a previous study, an iglc null mutant of f. tularensis live vaccine strain lvs was generated by allelic replacement and in the current study this iglc mutant was successfully complemented in trans. we characterized the capacity of this iglc mutant and the complemented strain to induce macrophage apoptosis. the iglc mutant did not induce apoptosis in the infected cells. in contr ... | 2004 | 15519043 |
| [should ticks be regarded as a tularemia vector in habitants of north-eastern poland?]. | a growing incidence of tick borne encephalitis and lyme borreliosis in north-eastern poland as well as an increasing number of ixodes ricinus ticks in wooded areas and meadows have prompted the authors to evaluate the presence of antibodies against francisella tularensis in serum of forest workers. | 2004 | 15524088 |
| molecular recognition of biowarfare agents using micromechanical sensors. | recent terrorist events have demonstrated that an urgent and widespread need exists for the development of novel sensors for threat detection, especially biowarfare agents. the advent of inexpensive, mass-produced microcantilever sensors promises to bring about a revolution in detection of terrorist threats. extremely sensitive and highly selective sensors can be developed for using a microcantilever platform. microcantilevers undergo bending when molecules are adsorbed on a single side. for bio ... | 2004 | 15525227 |
| use of transposon-transposase complexes to create stable insertion mutant strains of francisella tularensis lvs. | francisella tularensis is a highly virulent zoonotic bacterial pathogen capable of infecting numerous different mammalian species, including humans. elucidation of the pathogenic mechanisms of f. tularensis has been hampered by a lack of tools to genetically manipulate this organism. herein we describe the use of transposome complexes to create insertion mutations in the chromosome of the f. tularensis live vaccine strain (lvs). a tn5-derived transposon encoding kanamycin resistance and lacking ... | 2004 | 15528561 |
| genotypic diversity of francisella tularensis infecting dermacentor variabilis ticks on martha's vineyard, massachusetts. | martha's vineyard, mass., has been the site of two outbreaks of tularemia (1978 and 2000). although most patients from both outbreaks presented with pneumonic disease and although aerosol transmission has been suggested, the bite of a dog tick and exposure to rabbits remain the only proven modes of transmission. the factors that precipitated the tularemia outbreaks or the proximal determinants of human risk remain undescribed. we sought to test the hypothesis that the ongoing outbreak is due to ... | 2004 | 15528681 |
| comparison of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blotting, microagglutination, indirect immunofluorescence assay, and flow cytometry for serological diagnosis of tularemia. | the serodiagnostic efficiencies of five different approaches to detecting antibodies (immunoglobulins g, a, and m) developed in clinically proven infections with francisella tularensis have been assessed. fifty serum samples from patients suffering from tularemia during an outbreak in sweden were compared with samples from 50 healthy blood donors (controls) by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa), microagglutination (ma), western blotting (wb), an indirect immunofluorescence assay ... | 2004 | 15539498 |
| tularaemia: bioterrorism defence renews interest in francisella tularensis. | francisella tularensis is a highly infectious aerosolizable intracellular pathogen that is capable of causing a debilitating or fatal disease with doses as low as 25 colony-forming units. there is no licensed vaccine available. since the 1950s there has been concern that f. tularensis could be used as a biological threat agent, and it has received renewed attention recently owing to concerns about bioterrorism. the international conference on tularaemia in 2003 attracted more than 200 delegates, ... | 2004 | 15550942 |
| distinct roles of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species to control infection with the facultative intracellular bacterium francisella tularensis. | reactive nitrogen species (rns) and reactive oxygen species (ros) are important mediators of the bactericidal host response. we investigated the contribution of these two mediators to the control of infection with the facultative intracellular bacterium francisella tularensis. when intradermally infected with the live vaccine strain f. tularensis lvs, mice deficient in production of rns (inos(-/-) mice) or in production of ros by the phagocyte oxidase (p47(phox-/-) mice) showed compromised resis ... | 2004 | 15557642 |
| intranasal interleukin-12 treatment promotes antimicrobial clearance and survival in pulmonary francisella tularensis subsp. novicida infection. | francisella tularensis is a highly virulent facultative intracellular bacterium and is considered a potential biological warfare agent. inhalation tularemia can lead to the development of bronchopneumonia, which is frequently fatal without medical intervention. treatment strategies that directly target the respiratory mucosa may extend the efficacy of therapy, particularly for the medical management of acute aerosol exposure. to this end, we describe an intranasal (i.n.) strategy for the treatme ... | 2004 | 15561819 |
| construction and characterization of a highly efficient francisella shuttle plasmid. | francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular pathogen that infects a wide variety of mammals and causes tularemia in humans. it is recognized as a potential agent of bioterrorism due to its low infectious dose and multiple routes of transmission. to date, genetic manipulation in francisella spp. has been limited due to the inefficiency of dna transformation, the relative lack of useful selective markers, and the lack of stably replicating plasmids. therefore, the goal of this study was ... | 2004 | 15574954 |
| broth microdilution susceptibility testing of francisella tularensis: quality control limits for nine antimicrobial agents and three standard quality control strains. | for broth microdilution susceptibility tests of francisella tularensis, mueller-hinton broth with 2% isovitalex is recommended. using that medium, we studied three standard control strains tested with nine antimicrobial agents potentially efficacious for treating tularemia. an eight-laboratory collaborative study generated the data needed to propose appropriate mic control limits. | 2004 | 15583330 |
| the bartonella henselae sucb gene encodes a dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase protein reactive with sera from patients with cat-scratch disease. | bartonella henselae is a recently recognized pathogenic bacterium associated with cat-scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis and bacillary peliosis. a recombinant clone expressing an immunoreactive antigen of b. henselae was isolated by screening a genomic dna cosmid library by western blotting with sera pooled from patients positive for b. henselae igg antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence (ifa). the deduced amino acid sequence of the 43.7 kda encoded protein was found to be 76.3 % identic ... | 2004 | 15585501 |
| variable presentation of the cause of lymphadenopathy in two children. | 2004 | 15602207 | |
| [bite wound infections]. | the lifetime risk of experiencing a bite wound, human or animal, is approximately 50%, and bite wounds account for approximately 1% of all visits to emergency departments. the majority of bite wounds are inflicted by dogs and cats. | 2004 | 15608763 |
| [tularemia from a cat bite]. | we report the first case in norway of a man who developed ulceroglandular tularaemia following a cat bite. if after feline contact, patients develop skin and soft-tissue infections that fail to respond to therapy with penicillin, physicians should consider the possibility of tularaemia. our patient was successfully treated with ciprofloxacin, which is effective against francisella tularensis and most pathogens associated with feline infections. a greater awareness of infections following a cat b ... | 2004 | 15608764 |
| concomitant or consecutive infection with coxiella burnetii and tickborne diseases. | q fever is a worldwide zoonosis caused by coxiella burnetii, which can be isolated from ticks. reports of people with both q fever and other tickborne diseases are rare. in this study, we describe 6 patients with q fever who were infected with 1 of the following tickborne pathogens: rickettsia conorii (2 patients), rickettsia slovaca (2), rickettsia africae (1), and francisella tularensis (1). | 2004 | 15614696 |
| localized cutaneous infection with francisella tularensis resembling ulceroglandular tularemia in a cat. | a chronically draining subcutaneous mass was removed from the ventral cervical region of a 6-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat. the histopathologic diagnosis was severe locally extensive pyogranulomatous and necrotizing cellulitis. bacterial culture yielded francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis as the causative agent. immunohistochemical evaluation of sections for f. tularensis was negative. one year later, the cat was euthanized because of progressive lethargy found to be due to ... | 2004 | 14974853 |
| histologic and molecular diagnosis of tularemia: a potential bioterrorism agent endemic to north america. | francisella tularensis (ft), a zoonotic bacterium that causes tularemia, has received attention as a possible bioterrorism threat. we developed a pcr assay for use in fixed, processed tissues, which are safer to handle and allow archival testing. pcr analysis for a 211-bp fragment of the ft lipoprotein gene was performed on tissues from 16 cases of tularemia. in all, 14/15 cases with intact dna (93%) were positive for ft by pcr. frequent histologic findings in pcr-positive tissues included irreg ... | 2004 | 15001997 |
| an outbreak of tularemia in western black sea region of turkey. | the aim of this study was to investigate the source and the size of a tularemia outbreak in a village located in a non-endemic area. five patients from the same village were admitted to hospital with the same complaints all within one week of september 2001. tularemia was suspected and a diagnosis was made after physical and anamnesis examinations. the village was visited the same week that the patients were admitted to the hospital, in the january and april 2002. the villagers were examined and ... | 2004 | 15004863 |
| mgla regulates transcription of virulence factors necessary for francisella tularensis intraamoebae and intramacrophage survival. | francisella tularensis is able to survive and grow within macrophages, a trait that contributes to pathogenesis. several genes have been identified that are important for intramacrophage survival, including mgla and iglc. f. tularensis is also able to survive within amoebae. it is shown here that f. tularensis mgla and iglc mutant strains are not only defective for survival and replication within the macrophage-like cell line j774, but also within acanthamoebae castellanii. moreover, these strai ... | 2004 | 15010524 |
| francisella tularensis: possible agent in bioterrorism. | francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, is a highly infectious gram-negative coccobacillus. due to its high infectivity it is of major concern to public health officials as a possible biological weapon. although accidental exposure can occur through arthropod bites, handling infected animals, or breathing in aerosols, cases are usually isolated and contained. in the event of an intentional exposure such as in a bioterrorist attack, inhalation of aerosols can result in devastati ... | 2004 | 15011979 |
| characterization of the lipopolysaccharide o-antigen of francisella novicida (u112). | francisella novicida (u112), a close relative of the highly virulent bacterium f. tularensis, was shown to produce a lipopolysaccharide in which the antigenic o-polysaccharide component was found by chemical, 1h and 13c nmr and ms analyses to be an unbranched neutral linear polymer of a repeating tetrasaccharide unit composed of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-galacturonamide (d-galnacan) and 2,4-diacetamido-2,4,6-trideoxy-d-glucose (d-qui2nac4nac, di-n-acetylbacillosamine) residues (3:1) and had the stru ... | 2004 | 15013402 |
| [diagnostic suspension for detection of the infective agent of tularemia]. | the matrix for obtaining silica-based diagnosticum was selected, its activation with surfactant was optimized and its immobilization with tularemia immunoglobulins was carried out. in the glass suspension agglutination test (sat) the sensitivity of the diagnosticum was 3.125 x 10(6) to 6.25 x 10(6) microbial cells per ml; the duration of sat, including the evaluation of its results, was 1-5 minutes. | 2004 | 15024986 |
| the development of tools for diagnosis of tularemia and typing of francisella tularensis. | rapid development of molecular techniques for the diagnosis of infections and typing of microbes has been seen during the last 10 years. the present review exemplifies this development by presenting the work of the authors and others regarding techniques for the diagnosis of tularemia and typing of francisella tularensis. the lack of rapid and safe methods for the laboratory diagnosis of tularemia was the rationale behind the development of methods for the direct detection of f. tularensis in cl ... | 2004 | 15638842 |
| serologic survey for selected disease agents in wolves (canis lupus) from alaska and the yukon territory, 1984-2000. | wolves (canis lupus) were captured in several geographic areas of alaska (usa) and the yukon territory (canada) during 1984-2000. blood was collected from 1,122 animals. sera were tested for antibodies against infectious canine hepatitis virus (ich), canine distemper virus (cdv), canine parvovirus (cpv), francisella tularensis, and serovars of leptospira interrogans. antibody prevalence for ich was >84% for all areas. area-specific prevalences of antibodies ranged from 12% to 70% for cpv, from 0 ... | 2004 | 15650081 |
| serologic survey for canine infectious diseases among sympatric swift foxes (vulpes velox) and coyotes (canis latrans) in southeastern colorado. | swift foxes (vulpes velox) and coyotes (canis latrans) are sympatric canids distributed throughout many regions of the great plains of north america. the prevalence of canid diseases among these two species where they occur sympatrically is presently unknown. from january 1997 to january 2001, we collected blood samples from 89 swift foxes and 122 coyotes on the us army piñon canyon maneuver site, las animas county, se colorado (usa). seroprevalence of antibodies against canine parvovirus (cpv) ... | 2004 | 15650093 |
| francisella tularensis peritonitis in stomach cancer patient. | tularemia with peritonitis developed in a 50-year-old man soon after diagnosis of stomach cancer with metastasis. the ascites grew francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica, which was identified by sequencing analysis of the 16s rdna. the infection resolved with antimicrobial treatment. antibodies detected 4 weeks after onset disappeared after chemotherapy-associated lymphopenia. | 2004 | 15663872 |
| early activation of nk cells after lung infection with the intracellular bacterium, francisella tularensis lvs. | francisella tularensis is a gram-negative intracellular bacterium that has been classified as a category a biothreat because of its ability to induce deadly pneumonic tularemia when inhaled. in the present study, an experimental model of f. tularensis lvs intranasal infection was used to study the immune cells involved in cytokine secretion in the lungs after infection. dramatic increases in the numbers of cells secreting ifn-gamma were observed 72 h after intranasal infection of balb/c and c57b ... | 2004 | 15922718 |
| tularaemia outbreak in bulgaria. | during the last 40 y, 2 large tularaemia outbreaks occurred in bulgaria. we report the second outbreak, in 1998--2003, including a total of 262 laboratory confirmed cases. the majority of the patients presented with oropharyngeal tularaemia (89.7%). less common were the glandular, pulmonary and oculoglandular forms. the diagnosis of tularaemia was confirmed serologically. in 5 cases, f. tularensis was detected by immunofluorescent assay in lymph node biopsies. by pcr, all 5 samples yielded succe ... | 2004 | 15764161 |
| commentary: wherry wb, lamb bh. infection of man with bacterium tularense. j infect dis 1914; 15:331-40. | 2004 | 15031803 | |
| in vitro susceptibility of field isolates of francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica recovered in spain to several antimicrobial agents. | forty-two recent (1997-1999) spanish isolates of francisella tularensis subsp.holarctica were tested in a broth microdilution method for their susceptibilities to 29 antimicrobial agents, including penicillins, cephalosporins, cephamicins, monobactams, penems, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, macrolides, quinolones, chloramphenicol and fosfomycin. the isolates were resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics and susceptible to chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and norfloxacin. | 2004 | 15046952 |
| an outbreak of francisella tularensis in captive prairie dogs: an immunohistochemical analysis. | an immunohistochemical assay was developed and tested for detection of francisella tularensis lipopolysaccaride antigen in tissues of captive prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus). tissues from 59 cases of f. tularensis were examined by this technique, which was corroborated by direct fluorescent antibody assay and direct isolation of the organism. in infected prairie dogs, studies indicated multiple, severe, necroprurulent foci occurring in the liver, lung, spleen, terminal ileum, and mandibular ... | 2004 | 15053367 |
| vaccines against biologic agents: uses and developments. | although the geneva protocol that prohibits the use of chemical and biologic weapons was ratified in 1925, many countries failed to accept this protocol: others stipulated retaliation, and some, like the united states, did not ratify the protocol for decades. this delay allowed the continued development of chemical and biologic agents. members of the health care community are responsible for determining the best way to protect society from the potentially devastating effects of these biologic ag ... | 2004 | 15062232 |
| problems in identification of francisella philomiragia associated with fatal bacteremia in a patient with chronic granulomatous disease. | francisella philomiragia is a rare gram-negative, halophilic coccobacillus with bizarre spherical forms on primary isolation. a case of f. philomiragia bacteremia in a 24-year-old patient with chronic granulomatous disease is reported. identification of f. philomiragia was problematic with conventional tests but was done correctly and rapidly by kit 16s ribosomal dna sequencing. | 2004 | 15071065 |
| microorganisms resistant to free-living amoebae. | free-living amoebae feed on bacteria, fungi, and algae. however, some microorganisms have evolved to become resistant to these protists. these amoeba-resistant microorganisms include established pathogens, such as cryptococcus neoformans, legionella spp., chlamydophila pneumoniae, mycobacterium avium, listeria monocytogenes, pseudomonas aeruginosa, and francisella tularensis, and emerging pathogens, such as bosea spp., simkania negevensis, parachlamydia acanthamoebae, and legionella-like amoebal ... | 2004 | 15084508 |
| [tularemia live vaccine as a modifier of tumorigenesis and carcinogenesis]. | 2004 | 15088516 | |
| [the use of tularemia live vaccine in clinical oncology]. | 2004 | 15088525 | |
| hemochromatosis and the enigma of misplaced iron: implications for infectious disease and survival. | the mystery surrounding the apparent lack of iron within the macrophages of individuals with hereditary hemochromatosis, a condition of excessive uptake of dietary iron, has yet to be fully explained. we have suggested that iron deficiency of macrophages in people with hereditary hemochromatosis mutations is associated with increased resistance to infection by yersinia and other intracellular pathogens, a selection pressure resulting in unusually high current population frequencies of hereditary ... | 2004 | 15088940 |
| a young man from nantucket. | 2004 | 15101387 | |
| presence of pili on the surface of francisella tularensis. | francisella tularensis is a highly infectious gram-negative bacterium with potential for use as a bioweapon. analysis of the f. tularensis live vaccine strain (lvs) ultrastructure by electron microscopy revealed the presence of long, thin fibers, similar in appearance to type 4 pili. the highly virulent f. tularensis schu s4 strain was found to contain type 4 pilus genes, and we confirmed that these genes are present and expressed in the lvs. | 2004 | 15102818 |
| infection of man with bacterium tularense. 1914. | 2004 | 15108712 | |
| laboratory analysis of tularemia in wild-trapped, commercially traded prairie dogs, texas, 2002. | oropharyngeal tularemia was identified as the cause of a die-off in captured wild prairie dogs at a commercial exotic animal facility in texas. from this point source, francisella tularensis-infected prairie dogs were traced to animals distributed to the czech republic and to a texas pet shop. f. tularensis culture isolates were recovered tissue specimens from 63 prairie dogs, including one each from the secondary distribution sites. molecular and biochemical subtyping indicated that all isolate ... | 2004 | 15109407 |
| first reported prairie dog-to-human tularemia transmission, texas, 2002. | a tularemia outbreak, caused by francisella tularensis type b, occurred among wild-caught, commercially traded prairie dogs. f. tularensis microagglutination titers in one exposed person indicated recent infection. these findings represent the first evidence for prairie-dog-to-human tularemia transmission and demonstrate potential human health risks of the exotic pet trade. | 2004 | 15109417 |
| susceptibility of immunodeficient mice to aerosol and systemic infection with virulent strains of francisella tularensis. | previous studies have shown that ifn-gamma, tnf-alpha and nos-2, but not b cells, are crucial for host defense against primary systemic infection with the attenuated live vaccine strain (lvs) of francisella tularensis. in this study, we examined the importance of these and additional immune components in host resistance against infection with virulent strains of f. tularensis initiated by systemic and airborne routes. wild-type (wt) mice and mice deficient in ifn-gamma, tnfr1r2, nos-2, or b cell ... | 2004 | 15120157 |
| [development of magnetic biosorbents and their application in microbial antigen immunoassays]. | the feasibility of rendering erythrocytes magnetic and thereby creating magnetic biosorbents (mb ss) through room temperature exposure to 25-37% iron (ii) sulfate solution for 48 +/- 2 h, followed by exposure to 15-35% ammonia water solution for 48 +/- 2 h (with drying after each procedure) was demonstrated. the feasibility of immobilizing ligands on magnetic erythrocytes (me) and obtaining biological magnetic immunosorbents (bmiss) for further use in eias for plague and tularemia antigens was d ... | 2004 | 15125202 |
| identification of francisella tularensis using real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction. | a francisella tularensis-specific, taqman probe-based, real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assay required approximately 60 minutes and consistently achieved a sensitivity of < or = 10 fg of f. tularensis genomic dna (five genome equivalents). specificity testing against a genomic dna cross-reaction panel comprised of 22 bacterial organisms representing closely related species, diverse genera, and human genomic dna resulted in no false positives of significance. the assay was c ... | 2004 | 15132239 |
| the influence of low-level sarin inhalation exposure on the host resistance and immune reaction of inbred balb/c mice after their infection with francisella tularensis lvs. | to study the influence of low-level sarin inhalation exposure on immune functions, inbred balb/c mice were exposed to two low concentrations of sarin for 60 minutes in the inhalation chamber and then infected with francisella tularensis lvs on the 7th day following the exposure to sarin. 24 hours after infection, the level of some isotypes of antibodies (igm, iga) against tularaemia was significantly decreased regardless of the sarin concentration used while the lymphoproliferation was significa ... | 2004 | 15141973 |
| susceptibility of various mouse strains to systemically- or aerosol-initiated tularemia by virulent type a francisella tularensis before and after immunization with the attenuated live vaccine strain of the pathogen. | the following study determined whether commonly available mouse strains could be used to reveal vaccines capable of protecting against aerosol exposure to virulent type a strains of francisella tularensis. the attenuated live vaccine strain (lvs) of the pathogen, f. tularensis lvs, was used as the model vaccine for these studies. the results showed that most mouse strains survived intradermal immunization with 10(5)cfu of lvs, except for a/j mice the majority of which died following exposure to ... | 2004 | 15149767 |
| transfer of specific antibodies results in increased expression of tnf-alpha and il12 and recruitment of neutrophils to the site of a cutaneous francisella tularensis infection. | this study demonstrates that passive transfer of francisella tularensis-specific antibodies before experimental cutaneous infection with the live vaccine strain of f. tularensis has profound effects. recipient mice showed stronger staining for tnf-alpha and il12, and larger numbers of neutrophils in skin samples after infection than control mice. | 2004 | 15150328 |
| virulent and avirulent strains of francisella tularensis prevent acidification and maturation of their phagosomes and escape into the cytoplasm in human macrophages. | francisella tularensis, the agent of tularemia, is an intracellular pathogen, but little is known about the compartment in which it resides in human macrophages. we have examined the interaction of a recent virulent clinical isolate of f. tularensis subsp. tularensis and the live vaccine strain with human macrophages by immunoelectron and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. we assessed the maturation of the f. tularensis phagosome by examining its acquisition of the lysosome-associated membr ... | 2004 | 15155622 |
| molecular beacons for multiplex detection of four bacterial bioterrorism agents. | 2004 | 15161722 | |
| [genotyping of the francisella tularensis strains isolated from natural foci of tularemia in the rostov region by multilocus vntr analysis]. | on the basis of an analysis of the vntr alleles' distribution in 109 strains of f. tularensis it was established that 19 genotypes of the disease causative agent circulated in the rostov region from 1945 to 2002. the microbe-provoked infection episodes can be divided into polyclonal, monoclonal and cluster ones. a retrospective analysis of the genotypes' distribution is indicative of that strains of similar or of closely-related genotypes circulate simultaneously in the studied territory. all in ... | 2004 | 15164717 |
| vaccines against francisella tularensis--past, present and future. | francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen capable of causing a spectrum of human diseases collectively called tularemia. the pathogen is highly infectious and some strains can cause rapidly lethal infection especially when inhaled. the latter were developed as biological weapons in the past and nowadays cause concern as potential bioterrorism agents. a live attenuated strain of the pathogen was developed more that 40 years ago and remains the sole prophylactic meas ... | 2004 | 15176947 |
| characterisation of the core part of the lipopolysaccharide o-antigen of francisella novicida (u112). | francisella novicida (u112), a close relative of the highly virulent bacterium f. tularensis, is known to produce a lipopolysaccharide that is significantly different in biological properties from the lps of f. tularensis. here we present the results of the structural analysis of the f. novicida lps core part, which is found to be similar to that of f. tularensis, differing only by one additional alpha-glc residue:where r is an o-chain, linked via a beta-bacillosamine (2,4-diamino-2,4,6-trideoxy ... | 2004 | 15183739 |
| methods for enhanced culture recovery of francisella tularensis. | francisella tularensis is found in a wide variety of hosts and extrahost environments, making culture recovery a diagnostic challenge. here we demonstrate improved recovery times and good sensitivity (90%) when cultures were inoculated on the site of an investigation using fresh tissues. for contaminated specimens, antibiotic supplementation of enriched cysteine heart agar blood culture medium improved recovery of f. tularensis by 81.1%. for transport of tissues, immediate freezing yielded cultu ... | 2004 | 15184180 |
| phylogenetic analysis of the francisella-like endosymbionts of dermacentor ticks. | bacterial endosymbionts with significant homology to francisella tularensis (gamma-proteobacteria) have been described from at least five species of ticks in three different genera, including two north american dermacentor species [d. andersoni stiles and d. variabilis (say)]. the evolutionary relationships among the francisella-like endosymbionts (fle) from different hosts and between fle and the arthropod-borne pathogen f. tularensis are not known. a 1,169-base fragment of the 16s rdna and a 7 ... | 2004 | 15185926 |
| [multilocus vntr-typing of francisella tularensis strains]. | in the analysis of f. tularensis genome with the use of the specially developed program "dna" a great number of loci containing tandem repeats were found. for analysis, 3 of them were selected and designated as fta, ftb, ftc. the study of dna of 40 f. tularensis strains in the polymerase chain reaction with specific primers to these loci a great variability in the number of repeats was established, the presence of 17 alleles being found in locus fta, 5 alleles in locus ftb and 5 alleles in locus ... | 2004 | 15188553 |
| [experimental study on the possibility of using live tularemia vaccine to increase resistance to heterologous infection disease]. | in experiments on guinea pigs immunized with francisella tularensis 15, or live tularemia vaccine (ltv), the level of heterologous protective effect to dangerous infectious diseases caused by yersinia pestis, burkholderia pseudomallei, b. mallei, mycobacterium tuberculosis was studied. the study revealed that during the first 4 weeks after the subcutaneous immunization with ltv the level of resistance of the immunized animals to heterologous infective agent reliably increased as indicated by the ... | 2004 | 15188557 |
| immunobiology of the tomatine adjuvant. | soluble or sub-unit protein vaccines alone are incapable of generating antigen-specific cellular immune responses. this failure can be attributed to the manner in which the immune system processes antigen; endogenous antigens are cycled through the mhc class i pathway to stimulate cd8+ restricted responses and exogenous antigens are processed through the mhc class ii pathway to generate humoral immunity. traditionally sub-unit vaccines have been formulated with adjuvants to enhance immunogenicit ... | 2004 | 15193398 |
| [francisella tularensis infection transmitted by prairie dog]. | tularemia is a zoonosis caused by francisella tularensis; it mainly affects wild animals and only occasionally affects human beings. uncontrolled trade involving "exotic" animals could become a new route of acquisition. we report the case of a 3-year-old boy who contracted the disease through a bite from a prairie dog. outbreaks of tularemia have recently been described in some of these animals captured in texas (usa) and subsequently sold to other countries. infection due to yersinia pestis has ... | 2004 | 15207172 |
| tularemia: the disease and the weapon. | tularemia is a bacterial infection usually transmitted via arthropod vectors or direct contact with infected animals. naturally occurring cases are relatively rare, and can result in six different clinical syndromes. tularemia is also a potential agent of bioterrorism or biowarfare, and is categorized as a high-level threat. effective antibiotic treatment is available, including potential use of oral antibiotics in a mass casualty situation. an awareness of potential clinical presentations of tu ... | 2004 | 15207312 |
| protection afforded by heat shock protein 60 from francisella tularensis is due to copurified lipopolysaccharide. | heat shock proteins (hsps) have attracted significant attention as protective antigens against a range of diseases caused by bacterial pathogens. however, more recently there have been suggestions that the protective response is due to the presence of peptide components other than hsps. we have shown that mice that had been immunized with purified heat shock protein 60 (hsp60) isolated from francisella tularensis were protected against a subsequent challenge with some strains of the bacterium. h ... | 2004 | 15213156 |
| genome diversity among regional populations of francisella tularensis subspecies tularensis and francisella tularensis subspecies holarctica isolated from the us. | francisella tularensis is a highly infectious facultative intracellular pathogen that is considered a potential agent of bioterrorism. four different f. tularensis subspecies have been identified and they appear to display different ecological and virulence characteristics as well as differences in geographical distribution. one simple explanation for the variation in ecological and virulence characteristics is that they are conferred by differences in genome content. to characterize genome cont ... | 2004 | 15268932 |
| [evolution of serological characteristics in 26 patients with tularemia three years after the outbreak]. | tularemia was an unknown zoonosis in our region until the first quarter of 1998. the outbreak that took place on those dates has made possible to study some scantly known characteristics of the disease, as are the determinants for the persistence of a high antibody titer. | 2004 | 15274779 |
| tularaemia in a captive golden-headed lion tamarin (leontopithecus chrysomelas) in switzerland. | 2004 | 15285287 |