Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| bacterial toxins deliver the goods. | 1996 | 8710839 | |
| fused polycationic peptide mediates delivery of diphtheria toxin a chain to the cytosol in the presence of anthrax protective antigen. | the lethal factor (lf) and edema factor (ef) of anthrax toxin bind by means of their amino-terminal domains to protective antigen (pa) on the surface of toxin-sensitive cells and are translocated to the cytosol, where they act on intracellular targets. genetically fusing the amino-terminal domain of lf (lfn; residues 1-255) to certain heterologous proteins has been shown to potentiate these proteins for pa-dependent delivery to the cytosol. we report here that short tracts of lysine, arginine, o ... | 1996 | 8710889 |
| development of novel vaccines against anthrax in man. | it has been shown that antianthrax immunity induced by the novel vaccine proposed has not only antitoxic, but also antispore character. the whole complex of antigens, namely surface spore antigens, surface antigens of cell wall and toxin components is required for the induction of strong and stable immunity against anthrax. the sti-1 vaccine strain with introduced resistance to several antibiotics seems to be promising for prophylaxis and treatment of anthrax in case of emergency, especially if ... | 1996 | 8717399 |
| protective immunity induced by bacillus anthracis toxin mutant strains. | 1996 | 8718584 | |
| a rapid approach for the detection of dipicolinic acid in bacterial spores using pyrolysis/mass spectrometry. | curie-point pyrolysis/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry and micro-tube furnace pyrolysis/quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry have been used to detect dipicolinic acid (dpa) in sporulated whole bacteria. dpa in whole cells of sporulated bacillus anthracis reacted in situ during pyrolysis with tetramethylammonium hydroxide to form the dimethyl ester derivative of dpa, dimethyl-2,6-dipicolinate (mdpa). the mdpa was identified by its positive-ion electron ionization fragmentation pattern and con ... | 1996 | 8721041 |
| quantitation of polymerase chain reaction-amplified dna fragments by capillary electrophoresis and laser-induced fluorescence detection. | quantitation of dna fragments amplified by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) is needed for the determination of target dna in molecular biology. capillary electrophoresis in entangled polymer solution coupled to laser-induced fluorescence detection was assessed as an alternative technique to conventional slab gel methods to monitor competitive pcr, which consists of amplifying an internal standard fragment under the same conditions as the target fragment. the fluorescence signal was generated eith ... | 1996 | 8740170 |
| evaluation of the anthraxin skin test for diagnosis of acute and past human anthrax. | a skin test for the diagnosis of human anthrax was evaluated as an alternative to bacteriological confirmation of human anthrax, which is possible in 10-40% of cases within the first three weeks of the disease only. the anthraxin skin test, which detects anthrax cell-mediated immunity, was positive in 81.8% of cases in the first three days of the disease, and in 97-99% of cases in the next two to three weeks. the positivity rate was 98.5% in the first 1.5 months of convalescence, 92.8% in the ne ... | 1996 | 8740861 |
| [behavior of heterologous recombinant plasmid pcet in cells of bacillus anthracis]. | recombinant plasmid pcet was constructed in vivo in cells of enteric and hay bacillus, on the basis of plasmids pc194, and pbc16. plasmid pcet inherits marker genes of antibiotic resistance from parental plasmids. anthrax cells were transformed by the recombinant plasmid developed. the behavior of this plasmid was studied in vegetative bacillus anthracis cells, which did not pass through the sporulation stage and were cultivated at temperatures permissive for the replicon of plasmid pe194. under ... | 1996 | 8754064 |
| anthrax in southern india. | 1996 | 8757176 | |
| detection of pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. | the proteins isolated from the whole cells of bacterial pathogens and related non-pathogenic simulants were analyzed directly, with minimal sample preparation by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (maldi) time-of-flight mass spectrometry. inspection of mass spectrometric profiles obtained from direct maldi-ms analysis of the protein extracts revealed specific biomarkers for individual bacterial cells. the observed biomarkers enabled us not only to detect pathogenic bacteria (bacillus an ... | 1996 | 8777320 |
| differentiation of thermolysins and serralysins by monoclonal antibodies. | two monoclonal antibodies (mabs) to a 36-kda extracellular metalloprotease (pscp) from burkholderia (pseudomonas) cepacia were found to react with thermolysin, pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase, alkaline protease (apr) and lasa, serratia marcescens protease (smp), aeromonas hydrophila protease (ahp), and both the lethal factor (lf) and protective antigen (pa) of bacillus anthracis on immunoblots. the mabs were capable of neutralising the proteolytic activity of thermolysin, p. aeruginosa elastase ... | 1996 | 8810950 |
| the plague in penrith, cumbria, 1597/8: its causes, biology and consequences. | using a family reconstitution study the biology of the plague in penrith, cumbria in 1597/8 is described in detail; it was an explosive epidemic that spread rapidly within families and 606 individuals died of the plague, some 40% of the population. the age-specific mortality corresponded with the calculated age structure of the population and infection appeared to be random. the sex ratio of victims was 1.37 females to 1 male. the plague spread from the northeast via richmond and then exploded i ... | 1996 | 8815782 |
| cytotoxic effects of anthrax lethal toxin on macrophage-like cell line j774a.1. | the cytotoxic effects of anthrax lethal toxin purified from an avirulent strain were examined on mouse macrophage-like j774a.1 cells. cell death induced by high concentration of purified lethal toxin had the characteristics of necrosis. at lower concentrations, the toxin caused no morphological change and most of the cells were viable. interestingly, apoptotic cells were observed when the cells were preincubated with a serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin a, and then exposed to a to ... | 1996 | 8824167 |
| [the pathogenesis of bacillus anthracis]. | 1996 | 8840814 | |
| strategies for the prevention of a successful biological warfare aerosol attack. | biological warfare (bw) aerosol attacks are different from chemical attacks in that they may provide no warning/all clear signals that allow the soldier to put on or remove his m17/m40 protective mask. methods are now being perfected to detect a bw aerosol cloud using an airborne (helicopter) pulsed laser system to scan the lower altitudes upwind from a troop concentration of corps size, and to sample and analyze the nature of the aerosol within a brief time interval. this system has certain lim ... | 1996 | 8855053 |
| phi 20, a temperate bacteriophage isolated from bacillus anthracis exists as a plasmidial prophage. | this study describes the isolation of temperate b. anthracis phages, from 4 out of 20 b. anthracis strains screened, by use of the inducing agents mitomycin c and uv light. phage phi 20 isolated from b. anthracis sterne 34f2 (pxo1+ pxo2-) was shown to have double-stranded dna of size 48756 bp and a restriction site map showing nine sites for enzymes bamhi, bglii, and ssti is included. the phi 20 genome was found to exist as a plasmidial prophage and the phage itself to have a polyhedral head of ... | 1996 | 8867457 |
| characterization of lethal factor binding and cell receptor binding domains of protective antigen of bacillus anthracis using monoclonal antibodies. | lethal toxin from bacillus anthracis is composed of protective antigen (pa) and lethal factor (lf). anti-pa mabs that neutralized lethal toxin activity, either in vivo or in vitro, identified three non-overlapping antigenic regions on pa. two distinct antigenic regions were recognized by the four mabs that neutralized lethal toxin activity by inhibiting the binding of 125i-lf to cell-bound pa. mapping showed that one mab, 1g3pa63, recognized an epitope on a 17 kda fragment located between amino ... | 1996 | 8868446 |
| exotoxin a production in pseudomonas aeruginosa requires the iron-regulated pvds gene encoding an alternative sigma factor. | exotoxin a (eta) is secreted by pseudomonas aeruginosa under iron-limiting growth conditions. the eta structural gene, toxa, is regulated at the transcriptional level by the gene products of the regab operon. the expression of both toxa and regab is repressed under iron-replete conditions, suggesting a role for the ferric uptake regulator (fur) in regulation of eta synthesis; however, the fur protein does not interact directly with the toxa or the regab promoters. evidence is presented that the ... | 1996 | 8885271 |
| anthrax toxin-mediated delivery of a cytotoxic t-cell epitope in vivo. | the protective antigen (pa) component of anthrax toxin mediates entry of the toxin's lethal factor (lf) and edema factor into the cytosolic compartment of mammalian cells. the amino-terminal domain of lf (lfn; 255 amino acids) binds lf to pa, and when fused to heterologous proteins, the lfn domain delivers such proteins to the cytoplasm in the presence of pa. in the current study, we fused a 9-amino acid cytotoxic t-lymphocyte (ctl) epitope (llo91-99) from an intracellular pathogen, listeria mon ... | 1996 | 8901616 |
| isolation of a specific chromosomic dna sequence of bacillus anthracis and its possible use in diagnosis. | a 277-bp long dna fragment, ba813, was isolated from an avirulent bacillus anthracis strain 7700 genomic library. two oligonucleotides derived from the ba813 sequence were used as primers in polymerase chain reaction tests on genomic dna from 28 bacillus anthracis and from 33 heterologous bacteria strains. a specific, 152-bp long dna fragment was amplified only when bacillus anthracis dna was used as the target. the amplified product was analysed by non-radioactive sandwich hybridisation in micr ... | 1996 | 8908483 |
| anthraxin skin testing: an alternative method for anthrax vaccine and post-vaccinal immunity assessment. | 1996 | 8921737 | |
| the specter of biological weapons. | 1996 | 8923762 | |
| emerging & re-emerging bacterial pathogens in india. | in spite of major successes against infectious diseases in the 20th century, new infectious diseases have emerged and old ones re-emerged in recent decades in different parts of the world. a brief survey of emerging and re-emerging bacterial diseases of public health importance in india is presented in this paper. plague re-appeared in two outbreaks in maharashtra and gujarat in 1994, indicating a breakdown of the public health measures that had prevented its occurrence for several decades. lept ... | 1996 | 8926026 |
| [delayed hypersensitivity in man after booster anthrax vaccination]. | the purpose of this study was to ascertain the need for boosters after administration of sti anthrax vaccine. postvaccination dynamics was assessed by observing the intradermic reaction of anthraxine. the study included 138 subjects vaccinated 15 months earlier by subcutaneous injection or 128 subjects vaccinated 24 months earlier by aerosol inhalation. subjects were tested using the anthraxine test in separate groups on d2, d7, d15, d90, d180, and d365 after administration of the booster via th ... | 1996 | 8926874 |
| identification and characterization of bacillus anthracis by multiplex pcr analysis of sequences on plasmids pxo1 and pxo2 and chromosomal dna. | bacillus anthracis can be identified on the basis of the detection of virulence factor genes located on two plasmids, pxo1 and pxo2. thus isolates lacking both pxo1 and pxo2 are indistinguishable from closely related b. cereus group bacteria. we developed a multiplex pcr assay for characterization of b. anthracis isolates, and simultaneous confirmation of the species identity independent of plasmid content. the assay amplifies lef, cya, pag (pxo1) and cap (pxo2) genes, and a b. anthracis specifi ... | 1996 | 8931320 |
| anthrax in cattle in southern western australia. | 1996 | 8941423 | |
| secondary structure of anthrax lethal toxin proteins and their interaction with large unilamellar vesicles: a fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy approach. | attenuated total reflection fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has been used to study the secondary structure of anthrax lethal toxin proteins: protective antigen (pa) and lethal factor (lf), as a function of ph in the absence and in the presence of phospholipid vesicles. we first characterized the binding of lf and pa to the lipid membrane and demonstrated the strong ph dependence of the association of pa and lf to the lipid bilayer as well as the effect of ph neutralization on this bindin ... | 1996 | 8942659 |
| differential influence of the two bacillus anthracis plasmids on regulation of virulence gene expression. | fully virulent bacillus anthracis bacilli are encapsulated and toxinogenic. these bacteria contain two plasmids, pxo1 and pxo2, carrying genes coding for toxins (pag, lef, and cya) and for capsule synthetic enzymes (capb, capc, capa, and dep), respectively. a transcriptional fusion between the capb regulatory region and the lacz reporter gene was constructed to study the regulation of capsule synthesis. a single copy of this fusion was inserted into the cap region of pxo2. the influence of envir ... | 1996 | 8945528 |
| assay development for a portable fiberoptic biosensor. | the fiberoptic biosensor with tapered optical probes has been developed to perform rapid and sensitive fluoroimmunoassays. a number of assays for biologic analytes were developed using a laboratory breadboard device that employed a large, 514 nm argon ion laser. these assays, with limits of detection of 5-50 ng/ml for protein antigens, showed promise for clinical use because of their demonstrated lack of matrix effects from plasma, seru, or blood. however, such a large device was impractical for ... | 1996 | 8959266 |
| the cytotoxic activity of bacillus anthracis lethal factor is inhibited by leukotriene a4 hydrolase and metallopeptidase inhibitors. | the lethal factor of bacillus anthracis is central to the pathogenesis of anthrax. its mechanism of action is still unknown. recently, on the basis of sequence similarities, we suggested that lethal factor might act similarly to leukotriene a4 hydrolase (lta4), a bifunctional enzyme also endowed with a metallopeptidase activity. here we show that some inhibitors of the lta4 hydrolase and metallopeptidase activities of lta4 hydrolase also affect the cytotoxicity of the anthrax lethal factor on ma ... | 1996 | 8973585 |
| zoonoses control 1995. | 1996 | 8987421 | |
| thermostabilization of protective antigen--the binding component of anthrax lethal toxin. | protective antigen (pa) is the binding component of anthrax lethal toxin produced by bacillus anthracis, and constitutes a major ingredient of the vaccine against anthrax. pa and lethal factor when added together are cytolytic to mouse macrophages and j774g8 macrophage cell line. this in vitro lethal toxicity assay is very useful in understanding the molecular mechanism of action of lethal toxin. effective utilization of pa is, however, hampered due to its thermolability. on prolonged storage at ... | 1996 | 8987626 |
| immunomagnetic-electrochemiluminescent detection of bacillus anthracis spores in soil matrices. | rapid (<=1.5-h) detection of anthrax spores in soil suspensions was accomplished by an immunomagnetic electrochemiluminescence method. strain-dependent detection limits in the range of 10(sup2) to 10(sup5) spores were achieved in buffer. the rank order of sensitivity for the assay in buffer was sterne > ames > vollum 1b. detection was up to 3 orders of magnitude less sensitive in soil suspensions, and the rank order of sensitivity was altered. | 1996 | 16535408 |
| medical microbiology | bacillus species are aerobic, sporulating, rod-shaped bacteria that are ubiquitous in nature. bacillus anthracis, the agent of anthrax, is the only obligate bacillus pathogen in vertebrates. bacillus larvae, b lentimorbus, b popilliae, b sphaericus, and b thuringiensis are pathogens of specific groups of insects. a number of other species, in particular b cereus, are occasional pathogens of humans and livestock, but the large majority of bacillus species are harmless saprophytes. anthrax has aff ... | 1996 | 21413260 |
| medical microbiology | all bacteria, both pathogenic and saprophytic, are unicellular organisms that reproduce by binary fission. most bacteria are capable of independent metabolic existence and growth, but species of chlamydia and rickettsia are obligately intracellular organisms. bacterial cells are extremely small and are most conveniently measured in microns (10-6 m). they range in size from large cells such as ... | 1996 | 21413343 |
| immunological and functional comparison between clostridium perfringens iota toxin, c. spiroforme toxin, and anthrax toxins. | clostridium perfringens iota and c. spiroforme toxins consist of two separate proteins. one is the binding component and the other the enzymatic component. the two toxins secreted by bacillus anthracis are composed of binary combinations of three proteins: protective antigen, lethal factor, and edema factor. as shown by western blotting and elisa, the binding component of anthrax toxin shares common epitopes with that of iota toxin and c. spiroforme toxin which are closely related immunologicall ... | 1997 | 8997715 |
| extraordinary case report: cutaneous anthrax. | anthrax is a very rare disease in the united kingdom. it is caused by the spore-forming bacterium bacillus anthracis. humans become infected when they come into contact with infected animals or their products. cutaneous anthrax, the most common form of the disease, accounts for 95% of cases, and the disease usually developing on exposed sites. we present a patient who developed cutaneous disease after exposure to untreated leather. owing to the initial clinical information, the biopsy specimen w ... | 1997 | 9056659 |
| recent advances in capillary electrophoresis of dna fragments and pcr products. | 1997 | 9056882 | |
| pyrolysis mass spectrometry studies on bacillus anthracis, bacillus cereus and their close relatives. | pyrolysis mass spectrometry was used to examine strains of b. anthracis, of b. cereus, of b.cereus either proven to cause emetic illness or connected with outbreaks of emetic food poisoning and of b.thuringiensis. analysis of the data-set for all strains allowed differentiation between b.anthracis, the emetic b.cereus and b.thuringiensis but b.cereus strains could not be clearly discriminated. removal of data for the b.thuringiensis and the emetic b.cereus strains, followed by re-analysis, allow ... | 1997 | 9060166 |
| a case of human anthrax in victoria. | a human case of anthrax was identified through surveillance of knackery workers who had been exposed to infected cattle. the outbreak in cattle has affected 38 herds in the stanhope/tatura area of central northern victoria. the human case, a 39 year old male, was treated in hospital and is recovering. surveillance of other knackery workers has now been completed, and no other cases were found. public health measures are in place to prevent further human cases. | 1997 | 9079594 |
| more than one way to make a hole. | 1997 | 9095187 | |
| anthrax pneumonia. | inhalation anthrax is a rare and almost uniformly fatal form of human anthrax caused by the inhalation of spores of bacillus anthracis. a clue to the diagnosis is provided by taking a work history which will disclose patient exposure to contaminated animal products, most often animal hair and wool used in the textile industry. it is an illness with a biphasic course marked by the presence of a widened mediastinum on chest radiograph and often accompanied by hemorrhagic meningitis. the pathogenes ... | 1997 | 9097373 |
| characterization of the variable-number tandem repeats in vrra from different bacillus anthracis isolates. | pcr analysis of 198 bacillus anthracis isolates revealed a variable region of dna sequence differing in length among the isolates. five polymorphisms differed by the presence of two to six copies of the 12-bp tandem repeat 5'-caatatcaacaa-3'. this variable-number tandem repeat (vntr) region is located within a larger sequence containing one complete open reading frame that encodes a putative 30-kda protein. length variation did not change the reading frame of the encoded protein and only changed ... | 1997 | 9097438 |
| molecular characterization of the bacillus anthracis main s-layer component: evidence that it is the major cell-associated antigen. | bacillus anthracis, the aetiological agent of anthrax, is a gram-positive spore-forming bacterium. the cell wall of vegetative cells of b. anthracis is surrounded by an s-layer. an array remained when sap, a gene described as encoding an s-layer component, was deleted. the remaining s-layer component, termed ea1, is chromosomally encoded. the gene encoding ea1 (eag) was obtained on two overlapping fragments in escherichia coli and shown to be continuous to the sap gene. the ea1 amino acid sequen ... | 1997 | 9106206 |
| cross-talk to the genes for bacillus anthracis capsule synthesis by atxa, the gene encoding the trans-activator of anthrax toxin synthesis. | the two major virulence factors of bacillus anthracis are the tripartite toxin and the polyglutamate capsule, which are encoded by genes on the large plasmids, pxo1 and pxo2, respectively. the genes atxa, located on pxo1, and acpa, located on pxo2, encode positive trans-acting proteins that are involved in bicarbonate-mediated regulation of toxin and capsule production, respectively. a derivative strain cured of pxo1 produced less capsular substance than the parent strain harbouring both pxo1 an ... | 1997 | 9106214 |
| anthrax post-vaccinal cell-mediated immunity in humans: kinetics pattern. | seven groups (2596 subjects) were vaccinated with a human live anthrax vaccine (hlav) by three different routes (scarification, subcutaneous and aerosol). the vaccinees were tested for anthrax cell-mediated immunity using the "anthraxin" skin test at 7, 15, 30, 90, 180 and 365 days following vaccination. the kinetic pattern obtained from all groups, shows a significant, five-phased curve: phase i (2-6 days post-vaccination) shows a slow increase in positive anthraxin skin reactions. phase ii (7- ... | 1997 | 9178463 |
| acute abdomen due to anthrax. | 1997 | 9189095 | |
| drainage a factor in anthrax outbreak. | 1997 | 9196812 | |
| regulation of anthrax toxin activator gene (atxa) expression in bacillus anthracis: temperature, not co2/bicarbonate, affects atxa synthesis. | anthrax toxin gene expression in bacillus anthracis is dependent on the presence of atxa, a trans-acting regulatory gene located on the resident 185-kb plasmid pxo1. in atxa+ strains, expression of the toxin genes (pag, lef, and cya) is enhanced by two physiologically significant signals: elevated co2/bicarbonate and temperature. to determine whether increased toxin gene expression in response to these signals is associated with increased atxa expression, we monitored steady-state levels of atxa ... | 1997 | 9199422 |
| the economic impact of a bioterrorist attack: are prevention and postattack intervention programs justifiable? | understanding and quantifying the impact of a bioterrorist attack are essential in developing public health preparedness for such an attack. we constructed a model that compares the impact of three classic agents of biologic warfare (bacillus anthracis, brucella melitensis, and francisella tularensis) when released as aerosols in the suburb of a major city. the model shows that the economic impact of a bioterrorist attack can range from an estimated $477.7 million per 100,000 persons exposed (br ... | 1997 | 9204289 |
| anthrax meningoencephalitis: radiologic findings. | 1997 | 9207572 | |
| [the isolation of the surface antigen from vegetative cells of bacillus anthracis sti-1 and study of its protective properties]. | the method for the extraction of native surface protein antigen with a mol. wt. of 92 kd from vegetative cells of b.anthracis sti-1 and its purification was developed. the antigen was extracted with 3% sodium lauryl sarcosylate at 4 degrees c from bacterial mass previously treated with 0.1 m tris-hcl buffer solution, ph 8.0 purification was carried out by adsorption chromatography on hydroxylapatite. the isolated protein antigen with a mol. wt. of 92 kd was electrophoretically and immunochemical ... | 1997 | 9221667 |
| the anthrax toxin activator gene atxa is associated with co2-enhanced non-toxin gene expression in bacillus anthracis. | the bacillus anthracis toxin genes, cya, lef, and pag, can be viewed as a regulon, in which transcription of all three genes is activated in trans by the same regulatory gene, atxa, in response to the same signal, co2. in atxa+ strains, toxin gene expression is increased 5- to 20-fold in cells grown in 5% co2 relative to cells grown in air. co2-enhanced toxin gene transcription is not observed in atx4-null mutants. here, we used two independent techniques to obtain evidence for additional co2-in ... | 1997 | 9234759 |
| a role for pace4 in the proteolytic activation of anthrax toxin protective antigen. | several bacterial protein toxins require activation by eukaryotic proteases. previous studies have shown that anthrax toxin protective antigen (pa), pseudomonas exotoxin a (pe), and diphtheria toxin (dt) are cleaved by furin c-terminal to the sequences rkkr, rqpr, and rvrr, respectively. because furin-deficient cells retain some sensitivity to pa and dt, it is evident that other cellular proteases can activate these toxins. whereas furin has been shown to require arginine residues at positions - ... | 1997 | 9234799 |
| [necrotic chin lesion in a patient with a meningeal syndrome]. | 1997 | 9235059 | |
| clinical recognition and management of patients exposed to biological warfare agents. | concern regarding the use of biological agents--bacteria, viruses, or toxins--as tools of warfare or terrorism has led to measures to deter their use or, failing that, to deal with the consequences. unlike chemical agents, which typically lead to violent disease syndromes within minutes at the site of exposure, diseases resulting from biological agents have incubation periods of days. therefore, rather than a paramedic, it will likely be a physician who is first faced with evidence of the result ... | 1997 | 9244332 |
| iraq's biological weapons. the past as future? | between 1985 and april 1991, iraq developed anthrax, botulinum toxin, and aflatoxin for biological warfare; 200 bombs and 25 ballistic missiles laden with biological agents were deployed by the time operation desert storm occurred. although cause for concern, if used during the persian gulf war, iraq's biological warfare arsenal probably would have been militarily ineffective for 3 reasons: (1) it was small; (2) payload dispersal mechanisms were inefficient; and (3) coalition forces dominated th ... | 1997 | 9244334 |
| the agents of biological warfare. | 1997 | 9244340 | |
| membrane insertion: the strategies of toxins (review). | protein toxins are soluble molecules secreted by pathogenic bacteria which act at the plasma membrane or in the cytoplasm of target cells. they must therefore interact with a membrane at some point, either to modify its permeability properties or to reach the cytoplasm. as a consequence, toxins have the built-in capacity to adopt two generally incompatible states: water-soluble and transmembrane. irrespective of their origin or function, the membrane interacting domain of most protein toxins see ... | 1997 | 9253764 |
| molecular biology of s-layers. | in this chapter we report on the molecular biology of crystalline surface layers of different bacterial groups. the limited information indicates that there are many variations on a common theme. sequence variety, antigenic diversity, gene expression, rearrangements, influence of environmental factors and applied aspects are addressed. there is considerable variety in the s-layer composition, which was elucidated by sequence analysis of the corresponding genes. in corynebacterium glutamicum one ... | 1997 | 9276928 |
| [molecular mechanisms underlying bacillus anthracis infection at early stages and search for novel vaccines]. | the developmental mechanisms of anthrax immunity were studied. immunization was found to generally generate specific antibodies and lysozyme. collectively, all the factors are responsible for suppressing the development of spores in the body. this proves the fact that the immunity is directed not only towards the exotoxin of b. anthracis, but it affects mainly the formation of vegetative cells. on entering the immuned body, vegetative cells may cause b. anthracis infection because antitoxic anti ... | 1997 | 9289272 |
| [elucidation of functionally active domains in molecules of protective antigen bacillus anthracis's toxin]. | limited proteolysis has established that the protective antigen (pa) molecule consists of four functional-active domains. so, the shielding domain borrows an area in the linear structure of the pa molecule with nh2 of the end up to lys 166 and plays a conducting role in the proteolytic activation of pa. the associative domain, engaging in the area arg 167-met266, plays a key role in the interaction with lf or ef at self-assembly toxic complexes lt or et. the stabilizing domain borrows in the lin ... | 1997 | 9289273 |
| delivery of antigens to the mhc class i pathway using bacterial toxins. | cytotoxic t lymphocytes (ctl) recognize antigens derived from endogenously expressed proteins presented on the cell surface in the context of major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class i molecules. because ctl are effective in antiviral and antitumor responses, the delivery of antigens to the class i pathway has been the focus of numerous efforts. generating ctl by immunization with exogenous proteins is often ineffective because these antigens typically enter the mhc class ii pathway. this re ... | 1997 | 9297531 |
| experimentally assessed public health risks associated with pigs from farms experiencing anthrax. | following an outbreak of anthrax in an intensive pig rearing unit in north wales in 1989 a study was initiated by the ministry of agriculture, fisheries and food to assess public health risks during such an outbreak. of 50 pigs infected by the addition of bacillus anthracis spores to their feed, two died of anthrax six and eight days later. the remainder were observed for 21 days and exhibited only mild and transient clinical signs of disease. as judged by the results of bacteriological culture ... | 1997 | 9308148 |
| diagnosis: cutaneous anthrax. | 1997 | 9314446 | |
| animal health risks associated with the transportation and utilisation of wildlife products. | the animal health risks associated with the movement of wildlife products are infinitely less than those associated with the movement of live animals. very few pathogens are sufficiently robust to survive the significant changes in temperature, ph, moisture content and osmolality which occur post mortem, or which are associated with preservation processes such as pickling, smoking or drying. certain pathogens, however, (e.g. foot and mouth disease, classical swine fever [hog cholera] and african ... | 1997 | 9329110 |
| animal health risks associated with ostrich products. | five diseases recorded in ostriches are regarded as posing a potential animal health threat to meat-importing countries. newcastle disease causes an atypically low mortality in ostriches: infected birds display typical nervous symptoms but no pathognomonic lesions which could be detected during post-mortem inspection. the vaccination of feedlot birds and a thorough ante-mortem examination are regarded as necessary precautions to ensure virus carriers are not among those animals destined for slau ... | 1997 | 9329111 |
| targeting hiv proteins to the major histocompatibility complex class i processing pathway with a novel gp120-anthrax toxin fusion protein. | a challenge for subunit vaccines whose goal is to elicit cd8(+) cytotoxic t lymphocytes (ctls) is to deliver the antigen to the cytosol of the living cell, where it can be processed for presentation by major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class i molecules. several bacterial toxins have evolved to efficiently deliver catalytic protein moieties to the cytosol of eukaryotic cells. anthrax lethal toxin consists of two distinct proteins that combine to form the active toxin. protective antigen (pa ... | 1997 | 9342362 |
| cytotoxicity of anthrax lethal factor microinjected into macrophage cells through sendai virus envelopes. | lethal toxin (lt) secreted by bacillus anthracis consists of two proteins, protective antigen (pa) and lethal factor (lf). lt causes lysis of macrophages and derived cell lines at low concentrations. pa binds to the cell surface receptors and mediates translocation of lf into cytosol of mammalian cells. internalization of lf into cytosol by osmotic lysis of pinocytic vesicles requires high concentration of lf for cell lysis. to examine the possible cell lysis by lf at low concentration, we intro ... | 1997 | 9343949 |
| the "anthrax" of two byzantine emperors: constantine v (741-775) and leo iv (775-780). | 1997 | 9352419 | |
| admission on gulf war vaccines spurs debate on medical records. | 1997 | 9363878 | |
| anthrax as the cause of preseptal cellulitis. | anthrax is an infectious disease caused by bacillus anthracis. it is primarily a disease of domestic animals such as cattle, goats, and sheep; but humans can rarely be infected by contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products. our case is a 4-year-old boy who was initially diagnosed as preseptal cellulitis, but later he showed the characteristic anthrax lesions with a black necrotic eschar. scrapings from the necrotic tissue showed gram positive rods and culture grew bacillus ant ... | 1997 | 9374261 |
| atxa activates the transcription of genes harbored by both bacillus anthracis virulence plasmids. | fully virulent bacillus anthracis bacilli are encapsulated and toxinogenic. these bacteria carry two plasmids, pxo1, and pxo2, encoding toxins and capsule synthetic-enzymes (capb, c, a, dep), respectively. the pxo1 plasmid strongly enhances capsule formation. this influence was studied by analysing the expression of a capb-lacz fusion in various backgrounds. the beta-galactosidase activities were similar in a delta atxa strain and a pxo1 cured strain. moreover, the capb-lacz expression level cou ... | 1997 | 9119194 |
| crystal structure of the anthrax toxin protective antigen. | protective antigen (pa) is the central component of the three-part protein toxin secreted by bacillus anthracis, the organism responsible for anthrax. after proteolytic activation on the host cell surface, pa forms a membrane-inserting heptamer that translocates the toxic enzymes, oedema factor and lethal factor, into the cytosol. pa, which has a relative molecular mass of 83,000 (m(r) 83k), can also translocate heterologous proteins, and is being evaluated for use as a general protein delivery ... | 1997 | 9039918 |
| molecular evolution and diversity in bacillus anthracis as detected by amplified fragment length polymorphism markers. | bacillus anthracis causes anthrax and represents one of the most molecularly monomorphic bacteria known. we have used aflp (amplified fragment length polymorphism) dna markers to analyze 78 b. anthracis isolates and six related bacillus species for molecular variation. aflp markers are extremely sensitive to even small sequence variation, using pcr and high-resolution electrophoresis to examine restriction fragments. using this approach, we examined ca. 6.3% of the bacillus genome for length mut ... | 1997 | 9006038 |
| preparation for emergency relief after biological warfare. | upon invitation by the world health organization during the gulf war, a task force "scorpio" independent from the nations involved in the armed conflict was formed whose task was to determine whether, which and to what extent biological warfare agents had been used. risk assessment concluded that anthrax and clostridium botulinum toxin were the major risks. the 21 civilian experts had rapidly to decide on the doctrine of operation, to assemble material which could be used and to be immunized or ... | 1997 | 9138135 |
| penicillin resistance in bacillus anthracis. | 1997 | 9167471 | |
| a recombinant bacillus anthracis strain producing the clostridium perfringens ib component induces protection against iota toxins. | the bacillus anthracis toxinogenic sterne strain is currently used as a live veterinary vaccine against anthrax. the capacity of a toxin-deficient derivative strain to produce a heterologous antigen by using the strong inducible promoter of the b. anthracis pag gene was investigated. the expression of the foreign gene ibp, encoding the ib component of iota toxin from clostridium perfringens, was analyzed. a pag-ibp fusion was introduced by allelic exchange into a toxin-deficient sterne strain, t ... | 1997 | 9169728 |
| intracytoplasmic delivery of listeriolysin o by a vaccinal strain of bacillus anthracis induces cd8-mediated protection against listeria monocytogenes. | the facultative intracellular pathogen listeria monocytogenes secretes a 58-kda hemolysin, listeriolysin o (llo), that allows bacteria to access the cytoplasm and to multiply inside infected cells. llo is also a protective ag required for the development of specific immunity. we studied the capacity of a new bacterial vector, derived from an attenuated strain of bacillus anthracis, to deliver in vivo llo and to induce protection against l. monocytogenes infection. the hly gene encoding llo was f ... | 1997 | 9379042 |
| [anthrax: a malady of animals and of man which hides in the earth]. | anthrax is an infectious disease of herbivores, especially sheep and cattle, but also of horses, of pigs, of dogs, of wild animals and of humans. bacillus anthracis causes the disease. this bacterium needs plenty of oxygen to procreate and to produce resistant spores, which remains viable in the soil during 3.5 years, at times during 15-20 years. the author tries to follow step by step the evolution of the ideas concerning the origin and the pathology as well as of the veterinarians measures ag ... | 1997 | 11619781 |
| fatal meningoencephalitis due to bacillus anthracis. | we report the first case of fatal anthrax meningoencephalitis in hong kong over the past 60 years. a 13 year-old boy presented with right lower quadrant pain, diarrhoea and progressive headache. lumbar puncture yielded gram positive bacilli initially thought to be bacillus cereus, a contaminant. he was treated with ampicillin and cefotaxime, but died 3 days after hospitalization. the organism isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid was later identified as bacillus anthracis. | 1997 | 9484689 |
| passive protection by polyclonal antibodies against bacillus anthracis infection in guinea pigs. | the protective effects of polyclonal antisera produced by injecting guinea pigs with protective antigen (pa), the chemical anthrax vaccine ava, or sterne spore vaccine, as well as those of toxin-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mabs) produced against pa, lethal factor, and edema factor, were examined in animals infected with bacillus anthracis spores. only the anti-pa polyclonal serum significantly protected the guinea pigs from death, with 67% of infected animals surviving. although none of ... | 1997 | 9393812 |
| structure and interaction of pa63 and ef (edema toxin) of bacillus anthracis with lipid membrane. | the secondary structures of the two components of the bacillus anthracis edema toxin, protective antigen (pa63) and edema factor (ef), as well as the two ef mutants: cya30 (containing the n-terminal pa63-binding domain) and cya62 (containing the c-terminal catalytic domain) were investigated as a function of ph in the absence and in the presence of phospholipid vesicles using attenuated total reflection fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. secondary structures were independent of ph, whereas ... | 1997 | 9398214 |
| [a case of cutaneous anthrax in the lomza district]. | a case of anthrax is reported in 46 year old man. cases of anthrax in animals and human beings are rare in poland and therefore the diagnosis of the disease can be difficult. | 1997 | 9411503 |
| expression of cereolysine ab genes in bacillus anthracis vaccine strain ensures protection against experimental hemolytic anthrax infection. | the cereolysin ab genes from bacillus cereus vkm-b164 have been expressed in bacillus anthracis strains: virulent h-7 (pxo1, pxo2), vaccine sti-1 (pxo1), 221 (without its own plasmids). expression was achieved by cloning the genes in a high copy number plasmid pe194. this construct was integrated with host genomes in amplified form. gold hamsters were vaccinated with parental and recombinant b. anthracis sti-1 and 221 strains and challenged with virulent ones subcutaneously. gold hamsters vaccin ... | 1997 | 9413092 |
| anthrax lethal toxin-induced mitogenic response of human t-cells. | bacillus anthracis lethal toxin (palf) stimulated the proliferation of human peripheral blood t-cells in vitro. activation of t-lymphocytes by palf required the presence of monocytes and did not result from a collaborative effect between t-cells and b-cells. palf acted directly on monocytes and independently of t-cells. the monocytes contributed to the proliferation of t-cells by secretion of mediator(s). the mitogenic activity of the lethal toxin was dependent on its metalloprotease activity. | 1997 | 9435110 |
| site directed mutagenesis of histidine residues in anthrax toxin lethal factor binding domain reduces toxicity. | anthrax lethal toxin is a mixture of protective antigen (pa, 735 aa) and lethal factor (lf, 776 aa). earlier studies have shown that 254 residues of lethal factor are sufficient for pa binding to cause internalization (arora n and leppla sh, j biol chem 268: 3334-3342, 1993). the present study was undertaken to determine residues which are important for binding of lf to pa. lf modification with diethyl pyrocarbonate (depc, modifies histidine residue primarily) results in the loss of binding and ... | 1997 | 9450639 |
| ventricular shunt infection and meningitis due to bacillus cereus. | non-anthrax bacillus species are usually considered to be contaminants if found in clinical specimens. only a few patients with systemic infections due to bacillus cereus are reported. we present the case of a 18-month old boy with a primitive neuroectodermal tumor (pnet) in the brainstem and obstructive hydrocephalus that required an outlying and subsequently a ventriculoperitoneal drain. following contamination at the site of entry of the external drain, shunt infection and meningitis with bac ... | 1997 | 9453032 |
| interaction with a lipid membrane: a key step in bacterial toxins virulence. | bacterial toxins are secreted as soluble proteins. however, they have to interact with a cell lipid membrane either to permeabilize the cells (pore forming toxins) or to enter into the cytosol to express their enzymatic activity (translocation toxins). the aim of this review is to suggest that the strategies developed by toxins to insert in a lipid membrane is mediated by their structure. two categories, which contains both pore forming and translocation toxins, are emerging: alpha helical prote ... | 1997 | 9493052 |
| [current status of anthrax or black fever]. | although anthrax is one of the oldest recognized infectious diseases in the world, it remains widespread particularly in tropical zones such as africa. the impact of this major zoonoses is further enhanced by the fact that the pulmonary form can be used for biological warfare. recently there has been a revival of interest in anthrax and research has benefited greatly from advances in molecular biology. the main factors accounting for the virulence of bacillus anthracis have been elucidated. the ... | 1997 | 9513179 |
| re: multiple vaccination. | 1997 | 9519681 | |
| the public science of louis pasteur: the experiment on anthrax vaccine in the popular press of the time. | the paper focuses on pasteur's public experimentation of the anthrax vaccine (pouilly-le-fort, 1881) as portrayed in the english and french popular press of the time. it is argued that this 'popular' level of representation did not merely provide additional publicity for pasteur's ideas. rather, the nature and meaning of the experiment itself and of the related controversy on immunisation were substantially negotiated and shaped within the public arena. the multifold consequences of this framing ... | 1997 | 9646725 |
| a plague upon your cattle. | 1998 | 9654895 | |
| deadly relic of the great war. | 1998 | 9655389 | |
| how anthrax kills. | 1998 | 9660700 | |
| [cutaneous anthrax in a child]. | 1998 | 9662859 | |
| the expression of the protective antigen of bacillus anthracis in bacillus subtilis. | the expression of bacillus anthracis protective antigen (pa) in b. subtilis from the pag gene in ppa101-1 was explored in different genetic backgrounds in an attempt to identify opportunities to maximize expression. introduction of atxa, which positively regulates pa expression in b. anthracis did not improve expression levels in the protease-deficient strain wb600. plasmid ppa101-1 was found to carry a deletion which created a new fusion point between vector and insert sequence, and which remov ... | 1998 | 9674126 |
| anthrax: a disease from antiquity visits the modern world. | 1998 | 9676107 | |
| thucydides' syndrome. | 1998 | 9679482 | |
| the effectiveness and safety of vaccines against human anthrax: a systematic review. | we report on the results of a systematic review of existing controlled clinical trials undertaken to assess the effectiveness and safety of vaccines against human anthrax in relation to disease incidence and side-effects. two articles retrieved by electronic and hand search fulfilling some of the inclusion criteria underwent a quality assessment by a group of reviewers. data synthesized from the two trials showed that estimates of overall effectiveness and safety favour treatment (overall odds r ... | 1998 | 9682332 |