Publications

detection of intra-familial transmission of shigella infection using conventional serotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.	pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge) is commonly used in molecular epidemiology. however, this technique has never been used in studying intra-family spread of enteric diseases in bangladesh. our objective was to evaluate the intra-familial transmission of shigella infection using pfge. children of either sex, less than 10 years old, who were family contacts of shigella-infected index cases were the study population. pfge was applied if the same serotypes/sub-serotypes of shigella were isolat ...	2006	16288683
actin-dependent movement of bacterial pathogens.	listeria, rickettsia, burkholderia, shigella and mycobacterium species subvert cellular actin dynamics to facilitate their movement within the host cytosol and to infect neighbouring cells while evading host immune surveillance and promoting their intracellular survival. 'attaching and effacing' escherichia coli do not enter host cells but attach intimately to the cell surface, inducing motile actin-rich pedestals, the function of which is currently unclear. the molecular basis of actin-based mo ...	2006	16415925
sensitivities of foodborne pathogens to pressure changes.	eight foodborne pathogens were suspended in ultrahigh-temperature whole milk and treated at pressure levels of 0.1 to 690 mpa at 21.5 degrees c for 10 min. there was no clear trend in pressure resistance between gram-negative and gram-positive organisms. the order of the single strains tested, from most to least pressure sensitive, was vibrio parahaemolyticus < yersinia enterocolitica < listeria monocytogenes < salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium < s. enterica serovar enteritidis < escherich ...	2006	16416910
characterization of virulence factors in the newly described salmonella enterica serotype keurmassar emerging in senegal (sub-saharan africa).	from 2000 to 2001, nine strains of salmonella enterica belonging to the new serotype keurmassar have been isolated from human and poultry samples at the senegalese national salmonella and shigella reference laboratory at the pasteur institute, in dakar. all strains carried virulence factors including salmonella pathogenicity islands (spi)-1, -2, -3 and -5 encoded genes. strains did not harbour virulence plasmid. ribotyping analysis revealed a single clone identical to salmonella decatur isolated ...	2006	16420724
foodborne bacterial infection and hospitalization: a registry-based study.	foodborne bacterial gastrointestinal infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and despite successful control programs in some developed countries, these infections continue to have a major impact on public health and economy.	2006	16421794
diarrhea in patients with aids.	diarrhea in patients with aids is a worldwide problem that can have a devastating impact on quality of life for the patient. chronic diarrhea, usually defined as at least 4 weeks' duration, is more common in patients with low cd4-positive t-lymphocyte counts, signaling advanced immunosuppression. some organisms, such as microsporidia, usually cause diarrhea only in the immunosuppressed; others, such as cryptosporidium, salmonella, shigella, and campylobacter, which are capable of causing diarrhe ...	2006	16423311
characterization of functional oligosaccharide mimics of the shigella flexneri serotype 2a o-antigen: implications for the development of a chemically defined glycoconjugate vaccine.	protection against reinfection with noncapsulated gram-negative bacteria, such as shigella, an enteroinvasive bacterium responsible for bacillary dysentery, is mainly achieved by abs specific for the o-ag, the polysaccharide part of the lps, the major bacterial surface ag. the use of chemically defined glycoconjugates encompassing oligosaccharides mimicking the protective determinants carried by the o-ag, thus expected to induce an efficient anti-lps ab response, has been considered an alternati ...	2006	16424198
safety and immunogenicity of escherichia coli o157 o-specific polysaccharide conjugate vaccine in 2-5-year-old children.	escherichia coli o157:h7 causes severe enteritis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome, mostly in young children and older adults. similar to the case with shigella, serum igg against the o-specific polysaccharide of e. coli o157:h7 may confer immunity by lysing the inoculum in the intestine. a phase 1 trial in adults showed that a vaccine of e. coli o157:h7 o-specific polysaccharide conjugated to recombinant exotoxin a of pseudomonas aeruginosa (o157-repa) was safe and immunogenic.	2006	16425130
distribution of a transposon-like element carrying bla(cmy-2) among salmonella and other enterobacteriaceae.	the dissemination of cephamycin resistance in enterobacteriaceae and its correlation with a transposon-like dna element consisting of a specific tnpa-bla(cmy-2)-blc-suge structure were investigated.	2006	16396917
antidiarrhoeal evaluation of aegle marmelos (correa) linn. root extract.	a study was undertaken to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antidiarrhoeal potential of chloroform extract of the root of aegle marmelos (correa) linn. the in vitro activity was determined by agar dilution and disc diffusion techniques. the extract was studied in vivo in rats. of the 35 tested pathogenic diarrhoea causing strains, the extract was found to be mostly active against the strains of vibrio cholerae, followed by escherichia coli and shigella spp. the in vitro activity was found to be ...	2006	16397850
characterization of the interaction of single tryptophan containing mutants of ipac from shigella flexneri with phospholipid membranes.	shigella flexneri causes dysentery after invading the epithelial cells of the human colon. enterocyte invasion is induced by the bacterial effector ipac (invasion plasmid antigen c), which triggers shigella entry into epithelial cells by a rather poorly understood mechanism. ipac is also involved in pathogen escape into the host cell cytoplasm following uptake, and this property may be reflected in its ability to disrupt phospholipid vesicles in vitro. purified recombinant ipac interacts with li ...	2006	16401091
partial characterization of enterocin mr99 from a corn silage isolate of enterococcus faecalis.	to assess the inhibitory activity on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria of several species of enterococci recovered from a natural corn silage.	2006	16405692
clinic-based surveillance for bacterial- and rotavirus-associated diarrhea in egyptian children.	to identify enteropathogens for vaccine development, we implemented clinic-based surveillance for severe pediatric diarrhea in egypt's nile river delta. over 2 years, a physician clinically evaluated and obtained stool samples for microbiology from patients with diarrhea and less than 6 years of age. in the first (n = 714) and second clinic (n = 561), respectively, 36% (n = 254) and 46% (n = 260) of children were infected with rotavirus, enterotoxigenic escherichia coli (etec), campylobacter, or ...	2006	16407360
comparing shigella waterborne outbreaks in four different areas in greece: common features and differences.	in greece the public health surveillance for most infectious diseases, including shigellosis, is not well developed. however, four waterborne outbreaks of shigellosis have been recorded in greece in the last three decades, in different areas of the country, under different environmental and socioeconomic conditions. this study presents the epidemiological characteristics of these four outbreaks in order to examine common points and differences and to investigate their possible association with e ...	2006	16409663
identification of a bacterial type iii effector family with g protein mimicry functions.	many bacterial pathogens use the type iii secretion system to inject "effector" proteins into host cells. here, we report the identification of a 24 member effector protein family found in pathogens including salmonella, shigella, and enteropathogenic e. coli. members of this family subvert host cell function by mimicking the signaling properties of ras-like gtpases. the effector ipgb2 stimulates cellular responses analogous to gtp-active rhoa, whereas ipgb1 and map function as the active forms ...	2006	16413487
yersinia's stratagem: targeting innate and adaptive immune defense.	in contrast to salmonella and shigella, enteropathogenic yersinia species are extracellular multiplying gram-negative bacteria. this life style requires a sophisticated anti-host strategy, which is implemented by the yersinia virulence plasmid. this plasmid encodes the type 3 secretion system (injectisome), at least six microinjected anti-host effector proteins, a trimeric coiled coil outer membrane protein (yersinia adhesin) with cell adhesin and protective functions against complement and defe ...	2006	16413818
molecular characteristics of shigella spp. isolated from patients with diarrhoea in a new industrialized area of thailand.	in this study, we used plasmid profile analysis, xbai macrorestriction with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge), and pcr of the ipah gene, to study the molecular characteristics of 183 shigella spp. isolated during may 2000 to april 2003 from rectal swabs of patients with watery and/or bloody diarrhoea in a new industrialized area of thailand. among the 183 isolates, 167 were s. sonnei and 16 were s. flexneri. for plasmid profile analysis, the 183 isolates revealed 16 different plasmid patte ...	2006	16438746
intracellular survival of shigella.	bacterial invasion of eukaryotic cells and host recognition and killing of the invading bacteria are a key issue in determining the fate of bacterial infection. once inside host cells, pathogenic bacteria often modify the phagosomal compartment or enter the host cytosol to escape from the lytic compartment and gain a replicative niche. cytosolic invaders, however, are monitored by host innate immune systems, such as mediated by nod/card family proteins, which induce inflammatory responses via ac ...	2006	16441429
shiga toxin exposure modulates intestinal brush border membrane functional proteins in rabbit ileum.	the activities of lactase, sucrase and alkaline phosphatase (ap) were studied in intestinal brush border membranes of control and toxin-treated rabbits. purified shiga toxin (stx) exposure to ileal mucosa inhibited activities of brush border enzymes by 50%. kinetic analysis revealed that the observed decrease in bbm enzyme activities was due to reduced v(max) with no change in the affinity constants of the systems. the observed changes in enzyme activities were corroborated by western blot analy ...	2006	16444589
activities of aqueous extracts of mallotus oppositifolium on shigella dysenteriae a1-induced diarrhoea in rats.	1. mallotus oppositifolium is reported to possess medicinal properties and is traditionally used in cameroon for the treatment of diarrhoea. in the present study, we have evaluated the acute toxicity, in vitro antibacterial and in vivo antidiarrhoeal effects of an aqueous extract of these plant leaves. 2. shigella dysenteriae a(1) (sd1)-induced diarrhoeal rats were obtained by oral administration of increasing densities of the sd1 strain isolated from bloody diarrhoea occurring in east cameroon. ...	2006	16445705
fluoroquinolone resistance linked to both gyra and parc mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining region of shigella dysenteriae type 1.	we examined the quinolone resistance-determining region (qrdr) of gyra, gyrb, and parc of recently isolated fluoroquinolone-resistant s. dysenteriae type 1 strains from south asia and compared data with fluoroquinolone-susceptible strains associated with previous epidemics of 1978, 1984, and 1994. in fluoroquinolone-resistant strains, double mutations (ser83-->leu, asp87-->asn or gly) and a single mutation (ser80-->ile) were detected in the qrdrs of gyra and parc, respectively.	2006	16450072
apyrase, the product of the virulence plasmid-encoded phon2 (apy) gene of shigella flexneri, is necessary for proper unipolar icsa localization and for efficient intercellular spread.	the role in virulence of the shigella flexneri ospb-phon2 operon has been evaluated. here we confirm that ospb is an effector and show that apyrase, the product of phon2, may be a virulence factor, since it is required for efficient intercellular spreading. apyrase may be important in a deoxynucleoside triphosphate-hydrolyzing activity-independent manner, suggesting that it may act as an interaction partner in the process of icsa localization.	2006	16452446
class 2 integron-associated antibiotic resistance in shigella sonnei isolates in dakar, senegal.	forty-three shigella sonnei isolates from adult patients with diarrhoea in dakar were analysed for the presence of integrons. isolates were resistant to sulphamethoxazole, trimethoprim, tetracycline, streptomycin and spectinomycin. a high prevalence of class 2 integrons (93%) was found. these integrons showed three distinct structures: a class 2 integron, part of the tn7 family and its derivatives, carrying four cassettes in the order dfra1-sat-aada1-orfx; a truncated class 2 integron, without o ...	2006	16455233
[autophagic host defense mechanism].		2006	16457203
etiology and epidemiology of diarrhea in children in hanoi, vietnam.	this paper provides a preliminary picture of diarrhea with regards to etiology, clinical symptoms, and some related epidemiologic factors in children less than five years of age living in hanoi, vietnam.	2006	16458564
differential gene expression of pathogens inside infected hosts.	dna microarray is a useful technology for studying differential gene expression in the context of microbe-host interactions. this review concentrates on recent findings of the survival strategies of three intracellular pathogens: shigella flexneri, salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium and mycobacterium tuberculosis.	2006	16459132
population-based incidence of infection with selected bacterial enteric pathogens in children younger than five years of age, 1996-1998.	previous studies of bacterial enteric infections have suggested a disproportionate disease burden for children younger than 5 years of age.	2006	16462289
new temperate dna phage bcp15 acts as a drug resistance vector.	this study was designed to determine the role of a new temperate dna phage bcp15 in relation to drug resistance. the multidrug resistant shigella flexneri nk1925 was isolated from a patient of infectious diseases hospital, kolkata, india. this strain contained five plasmids ranging in size from 3 to 212 kb. after curing of five plasmids, this strain became sensitive to antibiotics. a plasmidless multidrug-resistant strain burkholderia cepacia dr11 was isolated during the survey of microorganisms ...	2006	16463125
the use of fluoroquinolones in children.	the fluoroquinolones are an important group of antibiotics widely used in the treatment of various infectious diseases in adults, as a result of an excellent spectrum of activity, good tissue penetration and convenient ways of administration. their use in children is limited as a result of possible fluoroquinolone-induced joint/cartilage toxicity observed mainly in juvenile animal studies.	2006	16470165
bacterial invasin: structure, function, and implication for targeted oral gene delivery.	the mucosal surface of the gastrointestinal (gi) tract is the first line of defense against foreign pathogens and toxins ingested orally. the content of the gi tract is constantly being sampled by the immune system through specialized epithelial cells known as m-cells, which are present in the peyer's patches of the gut, providing a thin covering over lymphoid tissue. in this way, once a harmful entity is found an immune response can be activated to eliminate the threat. many bacterial pathogens ...	2006	16472093
a novel strategy for the identification of genomic islands by comparative analysis of the contents and contexts of trna sites in closely related bacteria.	we devised software tools to systematically investigate the contents and contexts of bacterial trna and tmrna genes, which are known insertion hotspots for genomic islands (gis). the strategy, based on mauve-facilitated multigenome comparisons, was used to examine 87 escherichia coli mg1655 trna and tmrna genes and their orthologues in e.coli edl933, e.coli cft073 and shigella flexneri sf301. our approach identified 49 gis occupying approximately 1.7 mb that mapped to 18 trna genes, missing 2 bu ...	2006	16414954
production, acceptability and microbiological evaluation of weaning food formulations.	weaning food formulations were produced from pearl millet cultivar (sosat c-88), cowpea and groundnut in the ratio of 70:20:10 and 5 per cent malt from six pearl millet cultivars (sosat c-88, zango, ex-borno, icmv is 94206, gwagwa, gb 8735) and one sorghum cultivar (icsv iii) were added to produce seven formulations plus the one without malt. microbiological quality of eight weaning food formulations was evaluated. twenty weaning mothers were used to determine the acceptability of gruels from th ...	2006	16169859
immunogenicity of multivalent shigella-etec candidate vaccine strains in a guinea pig model.	shigella and enterotoxigenic escherichia coli continue to be significant causes of diarrheal disease in infants and young children in developing countries as well as prevalent agents of traveler's diarrhea. a vaccine which provides protection against disease caused by both pathogens would serve common at-risk populations. such a vaccine would require inclusion of multiple shigella strains as well as multiple etec antigens. the use of attenuated strains of shigella as live vectors for the express ...	2006	16169130
waterborne epidemic outbreak of shigella sonnei gastroenteritis in santa maria de palautordera, catalonia, spain.	in august 2002 an outbreak of shigella sonnei infection occurred in a spanish town of 6343 inhabitants. in total, 756 people developed acute gastroenteritis and 181 cases were shigella-confirmed. the peak incidence was during 5-6 august 2002. the estimated primary attack rate was 9.97%; the attack rate for secondary cases was 38%. the <15 years ago group was most affected (16.49%). the town and its surroundings were served by two water systems, a and b. the cases had consumed water provided by s ...	2006	16194288
differences in perception of dysentery and enteric fever and willingness to receive vaccines among rural residents in china.	enteric diseases including dysentery and enteric fever remain significant public health problems in china. while vaccines offer great potential in controlling these diseases, greater understanding of factors influencing acceptance of vaccines is needed to create effective enteric disease control programs in rural china.	2006	16159688
willingness to be vaccinated against shigella and other forms of dysentery: a comparison of three regions in asia.	we conducted a cross sectional survey of 3163 women and men in six asian countries to examine willingness for children and adults to be vaccinated against shigellosis and other forms of dysentery. the six sites were clustered into three regions for ease of comparison. the regions are: northeast asia (china), southeast asia (thailand, vietnam, and indonesia) and south asia (bangladesh and pakistan). we used multiple logistic regression to identify region-specific models for vaccination willingnes ...	2006	16137802
biosafety evaluation of recombinant live oral bacterial vaccines in the context of european regulation.	live bacterial vaccines represent a highly valid preventive strategy in the fight against infectious disease. however, the road from research to market is peppered with hurdles, one of which is the requirement for high biosafety characteristics, which the candidate vaccine has to display. in europe, the european agency for the evaluation of medicinal products (emea) is the relevant authority regulating the licensure of genetically engineered vaccines. for this purpose, the agency may rely on sev ...	2006	16115705
shigella spa33 is an essential c-ring component of type iii secretion machinery.	type iii secretion machinery (ttsm), composed of a needle, a basal body, and a c-ring compartment, delivers a subset of effectors into host cells. here, we show that shigella spa33 is an essential component of the c-ring compartment involved in mediating the transit of various ttsm-associated translocated proteins. electron microscopic analysis and pull-down assay revealed spa33 to be localized beneath the ttsm via interaction with mxig and mxij (basal body components). spa33 is also capable of ...	2006	16246841
the "domino theory" of gene death: gradual and mass gene extinction events in three lineages of obligate symbiotic bacterial pathogens.	during the adaptation of an organism to a parasitic lifestyle, various gene functions may be rendered superfluous due to the fact that the host may supply these needs. as a consequence, obligate symbiotic bacterial pathogens tend to undergo reductive genomic evolution through gene death (nonfunctionalization or pseudogenization) and deletion. here, we examine the evolutionary sequence of gene-death events during the process of genome miniaturization in three bacterial species that have experienc ...	2006	16237210
antibacterial and wound healing properties of methanolic extracts of some nigerian medicinal plants.	this study was conducted to evaluate methanolic extracts of ageratum conyzoides, anthocleista djalonensis, napoleona imperialis, ocimum gratissimum, and psidium guajava for antibacterial and wound healing properties. antibacterial properties of the extracts were studied against eleven wound isolates (staphylococcus aureus (four strains), e. coli (two strains), pseudomonas aeruginosa (one strain), proteus spp. (three strains), and shigella spp. (one strain)) using the well diffusion method. wound ...	2006	16226414
toxic megacolon complicating escherichia coli o157 infection.	toxic megacolon is a well known complication in inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease. the development of toxic megacolon as a complication of infectious colitis is rare. however it is recognised as a complication of enteric infections caused by clostridium difficile, campylobacter jejuni, shigella, salmonella species, cytomegalovirus and amoebae. we describe a case of necrotising haemorrhagic ileo-colitis in a previously fit and healthy young adult female caus ...	2006	16126276
safety and immunogenicity of an oral, inactivated, whole-cell vaccine for shigella sonnei: preclinical studies and a phase i trial.	orally delivered, inactivated whole-cell vaccines are safe methods of inducing local and systemic immunity. to increase surface proteins associated with adherence and invasion, shigella sonnei were grown in bhi broth containing deoxycholate. a whole-cell vaccine (sswc) was then produced by formalin inactivation. in pre-clinical studies, the sswc vaccine was immunogenic and protected against s. sonnei-induced keratoconjunctivitis in the guinea pig model. in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-con ...	2006	16095766
binding of porcine ficolin-alpha to lipopolysaccharides from gram-negative bacteria and lipoteichoic acids from gram-positive bacteria.	protein(s) reactive with n-acetyl-d-glucosamine (glcnac) was isolated from porcine nonimmune serum. the molecular weight of the purified protein was found to be mainly 40 kda on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions. the n-terminal 10 amino acid sequence of the purified protein were found to be identical to that of porcine ficolin-alpha reported previously. in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the purified protein was found to react with lipopolysac ...	2006	15964070
[haemophilus influenzae].	a resurgence in the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (std) has occurred in germany over the past ten years. along with the classical std such as syphilis and gonorrhea, new and as yet atypical organisms such as shigella or hepatitis a virus play a role in high-risk patients. we report a case of urethritis caused by h. influenzae biotype ii in an hiv-positive patient. the prevalence of h. influenzae as a relevant pathogen causing urinary tract infections is underestimated because of a l ...	2006	15912399
in vitro efficacy of bioactive extracts of 15 medicinal plants against esbetal-producing multidrug-resistant enteric bacteria.	alcoholic crude extracts and some fractions from 15 traditionally used indian medicinal plants were investigated for their ability to inhibit the growth of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (esbetal)-producing multidrug-resistant enteric bacteria. the test bacteria eschrichia coli and shigella were resistant to 16-23 antibiotics with intermediate or resistance to beta-lactams (minimum inhibitory concentration (mic) value range 16-1024 microg/ml). the crude plant extracts demonstrated zone of inh ...	2007	16875811
structural relation of the antigenic polysaccharides of escherichia coli o40, shigella dysenteriae type 9, and e. coli k47.	o-polysaccharides were isolated from the lipopolysaccharides of escherichia coli o40 and shigella dysenteriae type 9 and studied by chemical analyses along with (1)h and (13)c nmr spectroscopy. the following new structure of the o-polysaccharide of e. coli o40 was established: -->2)-beta-d-galp-(1-->4)-beta-d-manp-(1-->4)-alpha-d-galp-(1-->3)-beta-d-glcpnac-(1--> theo-polysaccharide structure of s. dysenteriae type 9 established earlier was revised and found to be identical to the reported struc ...	2007	17395169
altered expression of muc2 and muc5ac in response to shigella infection, an in vivo study.	infection of mucosal epithelial cells by shigella species leads to an intense and acute inflammatory bowel disease that is characterized by watery diarrhea and purulent discharge. mucin production is a common defense mechanism to protect the underlying mucosa against pathogens. the molecular mechanism(s) underlying mucin induction is unknown in shigellosis. in this study, we have evaluated the relationship between shigella infection, the expression of muc2 and muc5ac and the participation of sig ...	2007	17395379
detection and identification of bacterial enteropathogens by polymerase chain reaction and conventional techniques in childhood acute gastroenteritis in gaza, palestine.	acute gastroenteritis and diarrhea are common and costly problems that cause significant morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. in palestine, diarrhea is one of the major causes of outpatient visits and hospitalizations.	2007	17398132
[shigellosis or bacillary dysentery].	shigellosis, commonly known as bacillary dysentery, is an enterobacterial disease caused by the shigella genus, which now belongs to the escherichia tribe, because of their genetic and phenotypic similarities. s. sonnei, flexneri, boydii and dysenteriae differ in their epidemiologic and pathogenic characteristics. s. sonnei is predominant in industrialized countries and causes the mildest disease. s. dysentery is especially dangerous because it occurs in outbreaks, sometimes in catastrophic situ ...	2007	17399943
rotavirus disease in young children from hanoi, vietnam.	pathogen prevalences and antimicrobial susceptibilities are essential for the rational development of preventive strategies for diarrheal diseases, but little recent information from vietnam is available. we prospectively studied the prevalence of enteric pathogens in children less than 5 years of age with acute diarrhea and in nondiarrhea controls in a city hospital in hanoi, vietnam for 1 year.	2007	17414396
expression level of heterologous tat genes is crucial for in vivo reconstitution of a functional tat translocase in escherichia coli.	the tat system has the remarkable capacity of exporting proteins in folded conformation across the cytoplasmic membrane. the functional tat translocase from gram-negative bacteria consists of tata, tatb and tatc proteins. to gain information about the species specificity of the tat translocase, we cloned tat genes from gram-negative pathogens shigella flexneri 2a str. 301, vibrio cholerae el tor n16961, pseudomonas aeruginosa pao1, thermophilic sulfolobus solfataricus p2, thermus thermophilus hb ...	2007	17336443
shigella flexneri inhibits staurosporine-induced apoptosis in epithelial cells.	shigella flexneri is a facultative intracellular organism that causes bacillary dysentery. the shigella ipab protein activates caspase 1 in macrophages, which eventually leads to apoptosis. in contrast, epithelial cells infected with shigella undergo a stress response but do not die. therefore, the objective of this study was to determine if shigella has the ability to inhibit apoptosis in epithelial cells. a modified gentamicin protection assay was used to investigate if hela cells infected wit ...	2007	17339354
genetic characterization of the escherichia coli o66 antigen and functional identification of its wzy gene.	escherichia coli is a clonal species, and occurs as both commensal and pathogenic strains, which are normally classified on the basis of their o, h, and k antigens. the o-antigen (o-specific polysaccharide), which consists of a series of oligosaccharide (o-unit) repeats, contributes major antigenic variability to the cell surface. the o-antigen gene cluster of e. coli o66 was sequenced in this study. the genes putatively responsible for the biosynthesis of dtdp-6-deoxy-l-talose and gdp-mannose, ...	2007	17342059
rapid identification of escherichia coli safety and laboratory strain lineages based on multiplex-pcr.	escherichia coli k-12, b, c and w strains are the most frequently used bacterial safety and laboratory strains. lineage-specific dna fragments were detected by microplate subtractive hybridization and utilized to create a fast differentiation method using a single pcr reaction to differentiate clearly the four lineages and separate them from pathogenic variants. the method has been evaluated on a comprehensive selection of widely used laboratory strains and a variety of pathogenic e. coli repres ...	2007	17343689
[shigella flexneri modulates host cell epigenetic information as a strategy to shape the transcriptional response].		2007	17349276
luminex detection of fecal indicators in river samples, marine recreational water, and beach sand.	research to understand and remediate coastal pollution is moving toward a multitiered approach in which traditional enumeration of fecal indicators is accompanied by molecular analysis of a variety of targets. technology that rapidly detects multiple microbial contaminants would benefit from such an approach. the luminex 100 system is a suspension array that assays multiple analytes rapidly in a single well of a microtiter plate. the ability of the system to simultaneously detect multiple fecal ...	2007	17350051
characterization of sulphonamide resistance genes and class 1 integron gene cassettes in enterobacteriaceae, central african republic (car).	the aim of this study was to characterize genes encoding sulphonamide resistance and gene cassettes associated with class 1 integrons in trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole resistant enterobacteriaceae recovered from bangui, central african republic (car).	2007	17350987
[risk of hospitalisation due to foodborne bacterial gastroenteritis--secondary publication].	in a matched cohort study we estimate the risk of hospitalisation due to gastroenteritis, complications and sequelae after infections with zoonotic salmonella, campylobacter spp., yersinia enterocolitica, e. coli and shigella infections. out of 52,783 patients, 7,524 (14.4%) were hospitalized with gastroenteritis, 647 (1.2%) with complications and 865 (1.7%) with long-term sequelae. in denmark in 2005 there were 6,010 registered episodes of infections with bacteria that are usually foodborne, co ...	2007	17355849
campylobacter reactive arthritis: a systematic review.	to review the literature on the epidemiology of campylobacter-associated reactive arthritis (rea).	2007	17360026
shigella sonnei bacteremia: two adult cases and review of the literature.	shigella sonnei bacteremia in adult patients is rare. we present 2 cases from our center, and 7 others from the literature are reviewed in detail. diabetes mellitus and malignancy are frequent predisposing conditions. despite severe illness at presentation, our patients achieved good outcomes with prompt initiation of antimicrobial therapy.	2007	17366038
the type iii secretion system needle tip complex mediates host cell sensing and translocon insertion.	type iii secretion systems (t3sss) are essential virulence determinants of many gram-negative bacterial pathogens. the shigella t3ss consists of a cytoplasmic bulb, a transmembrane region and a hollow 'needle' protruding from the bacterial surface. physical contact with host cells initiates secretion and leads to assembly of a pore, formed by ipab and ipac, in the host cell membrane, through which proteins that facilitate host cell invasion are translocated. as the needle is implicated in host c ...	2007	17367391
elimination by ozone of shigella sonnei in shredded lettuce and water.	several outbreaks of shigellosis have been attributed to the consumption of contaminated fresh-cut vegetables. the minimal processing of these products make it difficult to ensure that fresh produce is safe for consumer. chlorine-based agents have been often used to sanitize produce and reduce microbial populations in water applied during processing operations. however, the limited efficacy of chlorine-based agents and the production of chlorinated organic compounds with potential carcinogenic a ...	2007	17367682
low molecular weight proteins of outer membrane of salmonella typhimurium are immunogenic in salmonella induced reactive arthritis revealed by proteomics.	in patients with reactive arthritis (rea)/undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy (uspa), synovial fluid mononuclear cells (sfmc) show proliferation to bacterial antigens that trigger rea, i.e. chlamydia, yersinia, campylobactor, shigella and salmonella species. we have shown previously that sfmc proliferate significantly to outer membrane proteins of s typhimurium in salmonella induced rea. in the present study we characterized the immunoreactive fractions of outer membrane protein (omp) of s typh ...	2007	17376200
inactivation of foodborne pathogens using a one atmosphere uniform glow discharge plasma.	this study was conducted to determine the efficacy of a one atmosphere uniform glow discharge plasma (oaugdp) for inactivation of foodborne pathogens and to evaluate the influence of growth temperature, ph, and culture age on their inactivation. escherichia coli o157:h7, listeria monocytogenes, staphylococcus aureus, bacillus cereus, salmonella enteritidis, vibrio parahaemolyticus, yersinia enterocolitica, and shigella flexneri were evaluated. three-strain mixtures of each bacterium were inocula ...	2007	17378708
antimicrobial activity of bacillus subtilis and bacillus pumilus during the fermentation of african locust bean (parkia biglobosa) for soumbala production.	to examine predominant isolates of bacillus subtilis and b. pumilus isolated from soumbala for their antimicrobial activity against indicator microorganisms as micrococcus luteus, staphyloccocus aureus, bacillus cereus, enterococus facium, listeria monocytogenes, escherichia coli, salmonella typhimurium, shigella dysenteriae, yersinia enterocolitica, aspergillus ochraceus and penicillium roqueforti.	2007	17381739
l-sorbose utilization by virulent escherichia coli and shigella: different metabolic adaptation of pathotypes.	the frequency of l-sorbose utilization differs significantly between pathotypes of escherichia coli and shigella from 93% to 0%. among 266 strains tested, this frequency increased in the order shigella, enterotoxigenic e. coli (etec), enteroinvasive e. coli (eiec), shiga toxin-producing e. coli (stec), enteroaggregative e. coli, enteropathogenic e. coli (epec), and neonatal bacterial meningitis (nbm) e. coli. this suggests an association of pathomechanism with the capability to degrade l-sorbose ...	2007	17382590
in vitro activity of garenoxacin tested against a worldwide collection of ciprofloxacin-susceptible and ciprofloxacin-resistant enterobacteriaceae strains (1999-2004).	garenoxacin is a novel des-f(6)-quinolone with a chemical structure that lacks the c6 position fluorine and has a unique difluoromethoxy substitution at position c8. this study evaluated the in vitro activity of garenoxacin tested against a large collection of enterobacteriaceae collected worldwide. the bacterial isolates were consecutively collected from more than 70 medical centers from bloodstream, respiratory, urinary tract, and skin and soft tissue infections. the isolates were tested again ...	2007	17383140
small rnas controlling iron metabolism.	iron is one of the most important metals in the metabolism of many organisms, including bacteria, in which it serves as a cofactor in multiple enzymatic reactions. most of the earlier research on iron regulation in bacteria has focused on the transcriptional regulator fur and its effect on the many genes involved in iron uptake. more recent work demonstrates the essential role of a small regulatory rna, ryhb, in iron metabolism. ryhb downregulates a large number of transcripts encoding iron-usin ...	2007	17383226
assessment and interpretation of bacterial viability by using the live/dead baclight kit in combination with flow cytometry.	the commercially available live/dead baclight kit is enjoying increased popularity among researchers in various fields of microbiology. its use in combination with flow cytometry brought up new questions about how to interpret live/dead staining results. intermediate states, normally difficult to detect with epifluorescence microscopy, are a common phenomenon when the assay is used in flow cytometry and still lack rationale. it is shown here that the application of propidium iodide in combinatio ...	2007	17384309
[molecular characterization of the strain causing a shigellosis outbreak in a madrid school].	the aim of this study is to describe a shigella sonnei outbreak in a school.	2007	17386220
characterization of the outer membrane receptor shua from the heme uptake system of shigella dysenteriae. substrate specificity and identification of the heme protein ligands.	shigella dysenteriae, like many bacterial pathogens, has evolved outer membrane receptor-mediated pathways for the uptake and utilization of heme as an iron source. as a first step toward understanding the mechanism of heme uptake we have undertaken a site-directed mutagenesis, spectroscopic, and kinetic analysis of the outer membrane receptor shua of s. dysenteriae. purification of the outer membrane receptor gave a single band of molecular mass 73 kda on sds-page. initial spectroscopic analysi ...	2007	17387178
detecting low concentrations of shigella sonnei in environmental water samples by pcr.	outbreaks of shigella sonnei associated with contaminated water have been reported and methods for the simultaneous detection of shigellae and enteroinvasive escherichia coli in water samples have been developed with detection limits of 10(1)-10(2) cfu ml(-1) of water. because 10(1)-10(2)shigellae can cause disease, a more sensitive detection method as an addition to the existing methods for detection of shigella sonnei in water samples is reported here. initially, 33 shigella sonnei and 72 non- ...	2007	17391373
vitamin a deficiency in patients with diarrhea and hiv infection in ethiopia.	diarrhea, micronutrient deficiencies and hiv/aids are major public health problems in developing countries, especially in sub-saharan africa. this study was aimed to investigate serum levels of vitamin a in diarrheic patients with and without hiv co-infection compared to healthy controls. two hundred eleven diarrheic patients (110 hiv infected), 87 apparently healthy controls and 41 asymptomatic hiv seropositive blood donors who visited the university of gondar hospital, in gondar, ethiopia were ...	2007	17392128
norovirus outbreak in a district general hospital--new strain identified.	media reports about norovirus outbreaks, especially in hospitals and nursing homes, have accumulated in the past years. the reasons for this increasing problem are manifold: resistance against common disinfectants, a high level of contagion (a dose of less than 100 particles may be infective); variability of the virus-genome documented by polymerase chain reaction-studies, as well as further factors concerning modern life-style. the following study describes and analyses a norovirus outbreak in ...	2007	17299671
evaluation of an enzyme immunoassay-based stool antigen test to detect campylobacter jejuni and campylobacter coli.	an enzyme immunoassay-based antigen test (ridascreen campylobacter; r-biopharm, darmstadt, germany) was evaluated for the detection of campylobacter jejuni and campylobacter coli in 1050 clinical stool samples as compared with culture on selective medium. after routine inoculation for salmonella, shigella, yersinia, aeromonas, plesiomonas, and campylobacter, the same swab specimens were used for the antigen test. the positivity rate for campylobacter was 9.3% in culture, and the antigen test gav ...	2007	17300899
the phosphothreonine lyase activity of a bacterial type iii effector family.	pathogenic bacteria use the type iii secretion system to deliver effector proteins into host cells to modulate the host signaling pathways. in this study, the shigella type iii effector ospf was shown to inactivate mitogen-activated protein kinases (mapks) [extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (erk1/2), c-jun n-terminal kinase, and p38]. ospf irreversibly removed phosphate groups from the phosphothreonine but not from the phosphotyrosine residue in the activation loop of mapks. mass sp ...	2007	17303758
yeast functional genomic screens lead to identification of a role for a bacterial effector in innate immunity regulation.	numerous bacterial pathogens manipulate host cell processes to promote infection and ultimately cause disease through the action of proteins that they directly inject into host cells. identification of the targets and molecular mechanisms of action used by these bacterial effector proteins is critical to understanding pathogenesis. we have developed a systems biological approach using the yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae that can expedite the identification of cellular processes targeted by bacter ...	2007	17305427
the role of the vacb gene in the pathogenesis of brucella abortus.	brucella species are important zoonotic pathogens affecting a wide variety of mammals. therefore, the identification of new brucella virulence factors is of great interest in understanding bacterial pathogenesis and immune evasion. in this study, we have identified brucella abortus vacb gene that presents 2343 nucleotides and 781 amino acids and it shows 39% identity with shigella flexneri vacb gene that encodes an exoribonuclease rnase r involved in bacterial virulence. further, we have inactiv ...	2007	17306588
h-ns antagonism in shigella flexneri by virb, a virulence gene transcription regulator that is closely related to plasmid partition factors.	the virb protein of shigella flexneri is a positive regulator of the major virulence operons of this enteroinvasive intracellular pathogen. virb resembles no other transcription factor but is strongly homologous to plasmid partition proteins. we found that the binding of the virb protein to the promoter region of the icsb virulence gene induced hypersensitivity to cleavage by dnase i over a region to which the h-ns repressor protein binds and completely abolished the protection of this sequence ...	2007	17307842
heme inhibits the dna binding properties of the cytoplasmic heme binding protein of shigella dysenteriae (shus).	heme uptake and utilization by pathogenic bacteria are critical for virulence and disease, since heme and heme proteins are a major source of iron within the host. although the role of outer membrane heme receptors in this process has been extensively characterized at the genetic and biochemical level, the role of the cytoplasmic heme binding proteins is not yet clear. the shigella dysenteriae cytoplasmic heme binding protein, shus, has previously been shown to promote utilization of heme as an ...	2007	17323920
conformational stability and differential structural analysis of lcrv, pcrv, bipd, and sipd from type iii secretion systems.	diverse gram-negative bacteria use type iii secretion systems (t3ss) to translocate effector proteins into the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. the type iii secretion apparatus (t3sa) consists of a basal body spanning both bacterial membranes and an external needle. a sensor protein lies at the needle tip to detect environmental signals that trigger type iii secretion. the shigella flexneri t3sa needle tip protein, invasion plasmid antigen d (ipad), possesses two independently folding domains in v ...	2007	17327391
a method for fast and simple detection of major diarrhoeagenic escherichia coli in the routine diagnostic laboratory.	a multiplex pcr was developed for the detection of the following genes characteristic of diarrhoeagenic escherichia coli (dec): verocytotoxins 1 (vtx1) and 2 (vtx2), characteristic of verocytotoxin-producing e. coli (vtec); intimin (eae), found in enteropathogenic e. coli (epec), attaching and effacing e. coli and vtec; heat-stable enterotoxin (esta) and heat-labile enterotoxin (elta), characteristic of enterotoxigenic e. coli (etec); and invasive plasmid antigen (ipah), characteristic of entero ...	2007	17331124
monitoring of pathogenicity of effluents from the uasb based sewage treatment plant.	the microbial profile of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor based sewage treatment plant located at a suburb of delhi, india, and possible risk due to the pathogenicity of the treated wastewater was investigated. frequency of occurrence of salmonella, shigella and vibrio was 100% at all the stages of sewage treatment. however, recovery of vibrio was the highest among all the pathogens. the order of removal of all the pathogens was same at the different stages of the treatment. ratio of c ...	2007	17295111
bile salts stimulate recruitment of ipab to the shigella flexneri surface, where it colocalizes with ipad at the tip of the type iii secretion needle.	shigella flexneri uses its type iii secretion apparatus (ttsa) to deliver invasins into human cells. this ttsa possesses an external needle with ipad at its tip. we now show that deoxycholate promotes the stable recruitment of ipab to the needle tip without inducing a rapid burst of type iii secretion. the maintenance of ipab at the needle tip requires a stable association of ipad with the shigella surface. this is the first demonstration of a translocator protein being stably associated with th ...	2007	17296762
antimicrobial resistance patterns in enterobacteriaceae isolated from an urban wastewater treatment plant.	over 18 months, enterobacteria were isolated from the raw (189 isolates) and treated (156 isolates) wastewater of a municipal treatment plant. the isolates were identified as members of the genera escherichia (76%), shigella (7%), klebsiella (12%) and acinetobacter (4%). antimicrobial susceptibility phenotypes were determined using the agar diffusion method for the antibiotics amoxicillin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, tetracycline and cephalothin, the disinfectants h ...	2007	17250754
shigella's ways of manipulating the host intestinal innate and adaptive immune system: a tool box for survival?	shigella, a gram-negative invasive enteropathogenic bacterium, causes the rupture, invasion and inflammatory destruction of the human colonic epithelium. this complex and aggressive process accounts for the symptoms of bacillary dysentery. the so-called invasive phenotype of shigella is linked to expression of a type iii secretory system (ttss) injecting effector proteins into the epithelial cell membrane and cytoplasm, thereby inducing local but massive changes in the cell cytoskeleton that lea ...	2007	17213832
shigella chromosomal ipah proteins are secreted via the type iii secretion system and act as effectors.	shigella possess 220 kb plasmid, and the major virulence determinants, called effectors, and the type iii secretion system (ttss) are exclusively encoded by the plasmid. the genome sequences of s. flexneri strains indicate that several ipah family genes are located on both the plasmid and the chromosome, but whether their chromosomal ipah cognates can be secreted from shigella remains unknown. here we report that s. flexneri strain, ysh6000 encodes seven ipah cognate genes on the chromosome and ...	2007	17214743
extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing shigella strains in israel, 2000-2004.	routine susceptibility testing of 5,616 shigella isolates at the national shigella reference centre in israel over a 5-year period (2000-2004) revealed resistance to ceftriaxone in one strain of shigella boydii 2 and in two strains each of shigella flexneri 2a, s. flexneri 6, and shigella sonnei. all seven isolates were confirmed as producers of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (esbl) by the combination disk method, the vitek 1 system, and a modification of the double-disk synergy test, which is ...	2007	17265070
epidemiological characterization of resistance and pcr typing of shigella flexneri and shigella sonnei strains isolated from bacillary dysentery cases in southeast brazil.	shigella spp are gram-negative, anaerobic facultative, non-motile, and non-sporulated bacilli of the enterobacteriaceae family responsible for "shigellosis" or bacillary dysentery, an important cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. however, despite this, there are very few epidemiological studies about this bacterium in brazil. we studied the antibiotic resistance profiles and the clonal structure of 60 shigella strains (30 s. flexneri and 30 s. sonnei) isolated from shigellosis cases in d ...	2007	17273662
evaluation of the growth inhibitory activities of triphala against common bacterial isolates from hiv infected patients.	the isolation of microbial agents less susceptible to regular antibiotics and the rising trend in the recovery rates of resistant bacteria highlights the need for newer alternative principles. triphala has been used in traditional medicine practice against certain diseases such as jaundice, fever, cough, eye diseases etc. in the present study phytochemical (phenolic, flavonoid and carotenoid) and antibacterial activities of aqueous and ethanol extracts of triphala and its individual components ( ...	2007	17273983
new animal model of shigellosis in the guinea pig: its usefulness for protective efficacy studies.	it has been difficult to evaluate the protective efficacy of vaccine candidates against shigellosis, a major form of bacillary dysentery caused by shigella spp. infection, because of the lack of suitable animal models. to develop a proper animal model representing human bacillary dysentery, guinea pigs were challenged with virulent shigella flexneri serotype 2a (strains 2457t or ysh6000) or s. flexneri 5a (strain m90t) by the intrarectal (i.r.) route. interestingly, all guinea pigs administered ...	2007	17277155
bioluminescent signal system: bioluminescence immunoassay of pathogenic organisms.	the ca(2+)-regulated photoprotein obelin has been examined as a label for bioluminescence immunoassay of infective agents. the hepatitis b virus (hbsag) and the bacteria escherichia coli and shigella sonnei lipopolysaccharide (lps) were chosen as model antigens. chemically synthesized obelin-corresponding antibody conjugates were used in a solid-phase microplate immunoassay. the sensitivities achieved by the assay were 0.25 ng/ml for s. sonnei lps and 0.375 ng/ml for hbsag. a novel, filter-based ...	2007	17286244
gene expression profiling of the ph response in shigella flexneri 2a.	the ph response of shigella flexneri 2a 301 was identified by gene expression profiling. gene expression profiles of cells grown in ph 4.5 or 8.6 were compared with the profiles of cells grown at ph 7.0. differential expression was observed for 307 genes: 97 were acid up-regulated, 102 were acid down-regulated, 91 were base up-regulated, and 86 were base down-regulated. twenty-seven genes were found to be both acid and base up-regulated, and 29 genes were both acid and base down-regulated. this ...	2007	17286558
o-specific [corrected] polysaccharide conjugate vaccine-induced [corrected] antibodies prevent invasion of shigella into caco-2 cells and may be curative.	the o-specific polysaccharide (o-sp) domain of shigella lps is both an essential virulence factor and a protective antigen for this genus. a critical level of serum igg anti-o-sp was shown to confer immunity to shigellosis, likely by complement-mediated bacteriolysis of the inoculum. conjugate shigella o-sp vaccines were shown to be safe and immunogenic in children, and, in a preliminary study, shigella sonnei vaccine was protective in young adults. characteristic of shigellosis is bacterial inv ...	2007	17287349
capping of actin filaments by vinculin activated by the shigella ipaa carboxyl-terminal domain.	shigella, the causative agent of bacillary dysentery, invades epithelial cells. upon bacterial-cell contact, the type iii bacterial effector ipaa binds to the cytoskeletal protein vinculin to promote actin reorganization required for efficient bacterial uptake. we show that the last 74 c-terminal residues of ipaa (a559) bind to human vinculin (hv) and promotes its association with actin filaments. polymerisation experiments demonstrated that a559 was sufficient to induce hv-dependent partial cap ...	2007	17289036
seasonality in six enterically transmitted diseases and ambient temperature.	we propose an analytical and conceptual framework for a systematic and comprehensive assessment of disease seasonality to detect changes and to quantify and compare temporal patterns. to demonstrate the proposed technique, we examined seasonal patterns of six enterically transmitted reportable diseases (eds) in massachusetts collected over a 10-year period (1992-2001). we quantified the timing and intensity of seasonal peaks of ed incidence and examined the synchronization in timing of these pea ...	2007	17291363
study of polymorphic variable-number of tandem repeats loci in the ecor collection and in a set of pathogenic escherichia coli and shigella isolates for use in a genotyping assay.	the escherichia coli (e. coli) reference collection, ecor, consists of 72 strains that are representative of the genotypic diversity, as indexed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (mlee), in the species as a whole. mlee revealed 4 main phylogenetic groups designated a, b1, b2 and d. we present a study of the relationship between the ecor strains as determined by polymorphisms in seven variable-number of tandem repeats (vntr) loci. seven tandem repeats that were present in more than one of the ...	2007	17291612
an h-ns-like stealth protein aids horizontal dna transmission in bacteria.	the sfh protein is encoded by self-transmissible plasmids involved in human typhoid and is closely related to the global regulator h-ns. we have found that sfh provides a stealth function that allows the plasmids to be transmitted to new bacterial hosts with minimal effects on their fitness. introducing the plasmid without the sfh gene imposes a mild h-ns(-) phenotype and a severe loss of fitness due to titration of the cellular pool of h-ns by the a+t-rich plasmid. this stealth strategy seems t ...	2007	17218529
erosion of interaction networks in reduced and degraded genomes.	unlike eukaryotes, which often recruit duplicated genes into existing protein-protein interaction (ppi) networks, the low levels of gene duplication coupled with the high probability of lateral transfer of novel genes alters the manner in which ppi networks can evolve in bacteria. by inferring the ppis present in the ancestor to contemporary gammaproteobacteria, we were able to trace the changes in gene repertoires, and their consequences on ppi network evolution, in several bacterial lineages t ...	2007	17219366
analysis of strategies to successfully vaccinate infants in developing countries against enterotoxigenic e. coli (etec) disease.	enterotoxigenic escherichia coli (etec) is the most common bacterial cause of diarrhoea in the world, annually affecting up to 400,000,000 children under 5 years of age living in developing countries (dcs). although etec possesses numerous antigens, the relatively conserved colonization factor (cf) antigens and the heat labile enterotoxin (lt) have been associated with protection and most vaccine candidates have exploited these antigens. a safe and effective vaccine against etec is a feasible go ...	2007	17224212