Publications

intracellular calcium antagonist protects cultured peritoneal macrophages against anthrax lethal toxin-induced cytotoxicity.	the lethal toxin of bacillus anthracis is central to the pathogenesis of anthrax. using primary cultures of mouse peritoneal macrophages, we have demonstrated that intracellular calcium release inhibitors protect against anthrax lethal toxin-induced cytotoxicity. the cytolytic effect of anthrax lethal toxin was markedly reduced by dantrolene, an inhibitor of calcium release from intracellular calcium stores. pretreatment of macrophages with cyclosporin a, which has been shown to be a potent inhi ...	2000	10917569
anthrax toxin-mediated delivery of cholera toxin-a subunit into the cytosol of mammalian cells.	the protective antigen (pa) component of anthrax toxin mediates delivery of either lethal factor (lf) or oedema factor into the cytosol of mammalian cells. the n-terminal domain of lf(1-254) (amino acids 1-254 of lf) binds to pa and, when fused to heterologous proteins, delivers such proteins into the cytosol. in the present study, we fused the catalytic subunit of cholera toxin (ct-a) with lf(1-254) and showed that the fusion protein lf(1-254)-ct-a retains adp-ribosylation activity in solution ...	2000	10918040
[the effect of heterologous bacilli on the infectious process in anthrax in an experiment].	the possibility of the survival of guinea pigs after the simultaneous administration of different doses of bacillus anthracis virulent strain 81/1 in combination with both b. anthracis vaccine strain sti and heterologous bacilli (b. subtilis strain pac) has been experimentally shown. on the basis of the results of these experiments suggestion has been made that the "survival phenomenon" is the process involving the lysosomal systems of polymorphonuclear and mononuclear phagocytes.	2000	10925867
an extended conformation of calmodulin induces interactions between the structural domains of adenylyl cyclase from bacillus anthracis to promote catalysis.	the edema factor exotoxin produced by bacillus anthracis is an adenylyl cyclase that is activated by calmodulin (cam) at resting state calcium concentrations in infected cells. a c-terminal 60-kda fragment corresponding to the catalytic domain of edema factor (ef3) was cloned, overexpressed in escherichia coli, and purified. the n-terminal 43-kda domain (ef3-n) of ef3, the sole domain of edema factor homologous to adenylyl cyclases from bordetella pertussis and pseudomonas aeruginosa, is highly ...	2000	10926933
anthrax vaccine: increasing intervals between the first two doses enhances antibody response in humans.	the influence of dosing interval on the human antibody response to anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava) was evaluated in two retrospective serological studies. in both studies, the interval between the first two doses was 2, 3 or 4 weeks. in the first study, banked sera were selected from 89 at-risk individuals at a mean time of 13 days after the second dose of vaccine. in the second study, banked sera were selected from 51 at-risk individuals at a mean time of 48 days following the first dose of ava. ...	2000	10930675
ostrich diseases.	scientific knowledge of ostrich diseases is incomplete and very fragmented, with specific details on technical aspects of diagnostic and/or screening tests completely absent in most cases. salmonella typhimurium is common in multispecies collections and causes mortality in chicks younger than three months on commercial farms, but is rarely found in chicks older than six months, or slaughter birds of twelve to fourteen months in southern africa. campylobacter jejuni and chlamydia psittaci are occ ...	2000	10935285
anthrax vaccination is based on medical evidence.		2000	10937023
bioterrorism. dod retreats on plan for anthrax vaccine.	anthrax bacterium, once the deadly scourge of goat-hair workers, has become the bane of the u.s. defense establishment. without infecting a single soldier, it has created a logistical headache for the pentagon, as military contractors have fallen far short of supplying a vaccine that will protect all troops and be acceptable to health authorities. last week military officials were forced to beat a hasty retreat in their current efforts, raising the hackles of legislators who already had serious ...	2000	10939944
a pediatrician's view. skin manifestations of bioterrorism.	the physician must be in contact with the local public health infrastructure as soon as a potential biological agent is perceived as possible. most states are now setting up contingency plans and means to address these issues in a systematic way. this involves using local health departments, police departments, fire departments, national guard units, and federal agencies such as the cdc and the fbi. the key component, however, is actually identifying a biological agent in the community and then ...	2000	10941763
anthrax: clinical features, pathogenesis, and potential biological warfare threat.		2000	10943532
characterization of the operon encoding the alternative sigma(b) factor from bacillus anthracis and its role in virulence.	the operon encoding the general stress transcription factor sigma(b) and two proteins of its regulatory network, rsbv and rsbw, was cloned from the gram-positive bacterium bacillus anthracis by pcr amplification of chromosomal dna with degenerate primers, by inverse pcr, and by direct cloning. the gene cluster was very similar to the bacillus subtilis sigb operon both in the primary sequences of the gene products and in the order of its three genes. however, the deduced products of sequences ups ...	2000	10960085
bacterial slh domain proteins are non-covalently anchored to the cell surface via a conserved mechanism involving wall polysaccharide pyruvylation.	several bacterial proteins are non-covalently anchored to the cell surface via an s-layer homology (slh) domain. previous studies have suggested that this cell surface display mechanism involves a non-covalent interaction between the slh domain and peptidoglycan-associated polymers. here we report the characterization of a two-gene operon, csaab, for cell surface anchoring, in bacillus anthracis. its distal open reading frame (csab) is required for the retention of slh-containing proteins on the ...	2000	10970841
taking the terror out of bioterrorism: planning for a bioterrorist event from a local perspective.	there is a growing concern in the public health community over the potential for domestic biological and chemical acts of terrorism. these types of events do not respect city limits, county lines, or other geopolitical borders and pose a unique challenge for local health departments that have a critical role in detecting, preparing for, and responding to such events. because direct support for most public health service, including bioterrorism preparedness, occurs primarily at the local level, t ...	2000	10977608
bioterrorism threats: learning from inappropriate responses.	between april 1997 and june 1999, some 200 mailed or telephoned bioterrorism threats were received at a variety of locations. usually claiming that anthrax had been released, the threats all proved to be hoaxes. in many instances, local emergency responders treated the more than 13,000 potential victims inappropriately, in particular requiring victims to strip and undergo decontamination with bleach solutions. narratives of several incidents indicated that many victims were distressed and embarr ...	2000	10977619
short of vaccine, the pentagon slows anthrax inoculations.		2000	10981901
protective antigen-mediated antibody response against a heterologous protein produced in vivo by bacillus anthracis.	bacillus anthracis secretes a lethal toxin composed of two proteins, the lethal factor (lf) and the protective antigen (pa), which interact within the host or in vitro at the surfaces of eukaryotic cells. immunization with attenuated b. anthracis strains induces an antibody response against pa and lf. the lf-specific response is potentiated by the binding of lf to pa. in this study, we investigated the capacity of pa to increase the antibody response against a foreign antigen. we constructed a c ...	2000	10992478
antibacterial activity of chaff vinegar and its practical application.	since enterohemorrhagic escherichia coli o157, salmonella, etc., sometimes contaminate animal feces and may cause infectious diseases to humans, it is important to remove pathogenic bacteria from domestic animal waste. for the purpose, we examined the antibacterial activity of chaff vinegar. we found that the chaff vinegar inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria immediately in vitro but not efficiently spores and lactic acid bacteria. further, it removes bacteria, especially enterobacteriace ...	2000	10993188
[inhalation anthrax].	the use of bacillus anthracis as a biological weapon has the potential of causing considerable loss of human life compared to other pathogens. inhalational anthrax has a very high mortality and can be induced by spraying an aerosol of anthrax spores. research in recent years has increased our knowledge, especially of pathogenesis and treatment. a short review is presented here.	2000	10994373
the poison center role in biological and chemical terrorism.	nuclear, biological and chemical (nbc) terrorism countermeasures are a major priority with municipalities, healthcare providers, and the federal government. significant resources are being invested to enhance civilian domestic preparedness by conducting education at every response level in anticipation of a nbc terroristic incident. the key to a successful response, in addition to education, is integration of efforts as well as thorough communication and understanding the role that each agency w ...	2000	11003124
anthrax: of bison and bioterrorism.		2000	11006776
anthrax. an old disease returns as a bioterrorism weapon.		2000	11011551
bacillus anthracis diversity in kruger national park.	the kruger national park (knp), south africa, has a recorded history of periodic anthrax epidemics causing widespread disease among wild animals. bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax, a disease primarily affecting ungulate herbivores. worldwide there is little diversity among b. anthracis isolates, but examination of variable-number tandem repeat (vntr) loci has identified six major clones, with the most dissimilar types split into the a and b branches. both the a and b types are ...	2000	11015402
comparison of pcr-rflp, ribotyping and eric-pcr for typing bacillus anthracis and bacillus cereus strains.	pcr-rflp analysis of the vrra gene and cerab gene was used to investigate the genomic diversity in 21 strains of bacillus anthracis and 28 strains of bacillus cereus, and was compared with results obtained by ribotyping and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-pcr (eric-pcr) analysis. vrra-typing divided the b. anthracis into four groups. except for one pasteur vaccine strain, the vrra pcr-rflp profiles of the b. anthracis were separated into three groups, which were different from th ...	2000	11021577
dehydroepiandrosterone and melatonin prevent bacillus anthracis lethal toxin-induced tnf production in macrophages.	the lethal toxin of bacillus anthracis, which is composed of two separate proteinaceous exotoxins, namely protective antigen and lethal factor, is central to the pathogenesis of anthrax. low levels of this toxin are known to induce release of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (tnf-alpha). in the present study we investigated the effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (dhea), melatonin (mlt), or dhea + mlt on production of lethal toxin-induced tnf-alpha in mouse peritoneal macrophages. we f ...	2000	11032360
use of anthrax toxin fusions to stimulate immune responses.		2000	11036663
fears over anthrax vaccination driving away us reservists.		2000	11039953
from the centers for disease control and prevention. human ingestion of bacillus anthracis-contaminated meat--minnesota, august 2000.		2000	11041741
anthrax: the investigation of a deadly outbreak.		2000	11041763
expression, crystallization and preliminary x-ray diffraction studies of recombinant bacillus anthracis lethal factor.	the lethal factor (lf) produced by bacillus anthracis is a zn(2+)-dependent endopeptidase which specifically cleaves the n-terminal tail of several map kinase kinases (mapkks). the recombinant expression, purification and crystallization of lf and of an inactive mutant consisting of a single amino-acid substitution in the conserved catalytic site are reported here. both proteins crystallize in the cubic space group i432.	2000	11053848
pcr amplification on a microarray of gel-immobilized oligonucleotides: detection of bacterial toxin- and drug-resistant genes and their mutations.	pcr amplification on a microarray of gel-immobilized primers (microchip) has been developed. one of a pair of pcr primers was immobilized inside a separate microchip polyacrylamide porous gel pad of 0.1 x 0.1 x 0.02 (or 0.04) micron in size and 0.2 (or 0.4) nl in volume. the amplification was carried out simultaneously both in solution covering the microchip array and inside gel pads. each gel pad contained the immobilized forward primers, while the fluorescently labeled reverse primers, as well ...	2000	11056816
molecular identification by "suicide pcr" of yersinia pestis as the agent of medieval black death.	medieval black death is believed to have killed up to one-third of the western european population during the 14th century. it was identified as plague at this time, but recently the causative organism was debated because no definitive evidence has been obtained to confirm the role of yersinia pestis as the agent of plague. we obtained the teeth of a child and two adults from a 14th century grave in france, disrupted them to obtain the pulp, and applied the new "suicide pcr" protocol in which th ...	2000	11058154
case definitions. anthrax.		2000	11070947
injectional anthrax in a heroin skin-popper.	anthrax is rare in western europe but may arise sporadically in people exposed to animal products from endemic areas. a heroin-injecting drug user presented with a severe soft-tissue infection at the injection site, septic shock, and meningitis. a gram-positive endospore-forming aerobic rod was isolated from the soft tissue and cerebrospinal fluid; confirmation of bacillus anthracis was made by pcr. since contaminated heroin was the probable source of infection, this case is of concern and warra ...	2000	11075776
the flow cytometry of bacillus anthracis spores revisited.	the potential use of bacillus anthracis spores as a weapon of terror has rekindled interest in the rapid detection and identification of the spores of these bacteria. prior efforts to utilize flow cytometry (fcm) for this purpose resulted in tedious and time-consuming protocols. advances in rapid immunoassays suggest a reinvestigation of the use of fcm because this may allow for the development of a rapid and sensitive system for detection and/or identification of spores in suspect samples.	2000	11084608
tumor cell-selective cytotoxicity of matrix metalloproteinase-activated anthrax toxin.	matrix metalloproteinases (mmps) are overexpressed in a variety of tumor tissues and cell lines, and their expression is highly correlated to tumor invasion and metastasis. to exploit these characteristics in the design of tumor cell-selective cytotoxins, we constructed two mutated anthrax toxin protective antigen (pa) proteins in which the furin protease cleavage site is replaced by sequences selectively cleaved by mmps. these mmp-targeted pa proteins were activated rapidly and selectively on t ...	2000	11085528
homoduplex and heteroduplex polymorphisms of the amplified ribosomal 16s-23s internal transcribed spacers describe genetic relationships in the "bacillus cereus group".	bacillus anthracis, bacillus cereus, bacillus mycoides, bacillus pseudomycoides, bacillus thuringiensis, and bacillus weihenstephanensis are closely related in phenotype and genotype, and their genetic relationship is still open to debate. the present work uses amplified 16s-23s internal transcribed spacers (its) to discriminate between the strains and species and to describe the genetic relationships within the "b. cereus group," advantage being taken of homoduplex-heteroduplex polymorphisms (h ...	2000	11097928
anthrax threats: a report of two incidents from salt lake city.	the threat of anthrax as an agent of bioterrorism in the u.s. is very real, with 47 incidents of possible exposure involving 5664 persons documented by the federal bureau of investigation over a 14-month period in 1998 and 1999. the highly visible and potentially devastating effects of these threats require a well-coordinated and well-organized emergency medical services (ems) and emergency department (ed) response to minimize panic and reduce the potential spread of an active and deadly biologi ...	2000	10699528
anthrax: the investigation of a deadly outbreak.		2000	10700213
antimicrobial prophylaxis in adults.	antimicrobial prophylaxis is used by clinicians for the prevention of numerous infections, including sexually transmitted diseases, human immunodeficiency virus infection, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, recurrent cellulitis, meningococcal disease, recurrent uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with cirrhosis, influenza, malaria, infective endocarditis, pertussis, plague, anthrax, early-onset group b streptococcal disease in neonates, and ...	2000	10630764
the threat of biological terrorism: a public health and infection control reality.	bioterrorism is an emerging public health and infection control threat. potential biological agents include smallpox, anthrax, plague, tularemia, botulinum toxin, brucellosis, q fever, viral encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever, and staphylococcal enterotoxin b. an understanding of the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and management of the more likely candidate agents is critical to limiting morbidity and mortality from a biological event. effective response requires an increased index of suspi ...	2000	10656359
[natural biological risks and military biological risks].	the iraqi biological program, the activities of sect aum in japan and the extensive endemicity of plague prove the existence of military, terrorist and natural biological risks. among the agents of natural risk (viruses, bacteria.), plague is induced by modification of the ecosystem. present since 1921 in the high plateau of madagaskar, the disease evolves under two modes, endemic (natural) or epidemic (urban). since the control of endemicity is impossible, the decrease of incidence will be obta ...	2000	10669810
bacterial toxins with intracellular protease activity.	the recent determination of their primary sequence has lead to the discovery of the metallo-proteolytic activity of the bacterial toxins responsible for tetanus, botulism and anthrax. the protease domain of these toxins enters into the cytosol where it displays a zinc-dependent endopeptidase activity of remarkable specificity. tetanus neurotoxin and botulinum neurotoxins type b, d, f and g cleave vamp, an integral protein of the neurotransmitter containing synaptic vesicles. botulinum neurotoxin ...	2000	10675723
anthrax.		2000	10627218
[survival of bacillus anthracis spores in various tannery baths].	the influence of tannery baths: liming, deliming, bating, pickling, tanning, retannage on the survival and on the germination dynamism of b. anthracis spores (sterne strain) was investigated. the periods and the conditions of this influence were established according to technological process of cow hide tannage. practically after every bath some part of the spores remained vital. the most effective killing of spores occurred after pickling, liming and deliming. inversely, the most viable spores ...	2000	11286180
the 1919 anthrax outbreak in louisiana.		2000	11640246
bacillus cereus meningitis complicating cerebrospinal fluid fistula repair and spinal drainage.	non-anthrax bacillus species are rare, but serious causes of bacterial meningitis in those either immunocompromised or treated with csf diversion. although resistant to first-line antibiotics, they usually respond to chloramphenicol. we report a case of fulminant bacillus cereus meningitis that complicated lumbar spinal drainage which proved resistant to all first-line antibiotics including chloramphenicol.	2000	11272043
[study of the virulence of a recombinant strain of bacillus anthracis, obtained as a result of transductive transfer of chromosomal genes from a strain of bacillus cereus].	auxotrophic markers of b. anthracis strains differing them from other bacillus representatives have been determined. chromosome genes from prototrophic b. cereus strain were transduced into auxotrophic b. anthracis strain. the properties of transductants were studied in order to establish common transfer of chromosomal determinants responsible for realization of various signs. transduction mating between species resulted in construction of prototroph b. anthracis strains (px01- px02+), whose der ...	2000	11186451
the bubonic man. lessons from a bioterrorism incident.		2000	11186485
[bioterrorism--a public and health threat].	in recent years the fear of bioterrorism, of secret modernization and dissemination of biological weapons is increasing. facts detected recently in iran, japan and the former soviet union provide evidence that there are countries and dissident groups which have access to modern technology of cultivation of dangerous pathogens as well as motivation for their use in acts of terrorism or war. the menace of biological terrorism is nowadays, as compared with the past, much greater. the most feared ca ...	2000	11188765
[brief review of the history of zoonoses].	by studying the surviving documents describing surveillance and methods of control of zoonoses in the distant past, the history of the fight against these diseases can be retraced. prior to the 20th century, the best known zoonoses were, amongst others, rabies, anthrax, glanders, tuberculosis, plague, yellow fever, influenza, and certain zoonotic parasitic diseases. an analysis of historical events yields a number of lessons as to the positive and negative influences of past theories regarding t ...	2000	11189711
rapid recovery and identification of anthrax bacteria from the environment.	bacillus anthracis has been recognized as a highly likely biological warfare or terrorist agent. we have designed culture techniques to rapidly isolate and identify "live" anthrax from suspected environmental release. a special medium (3at medium) allows for discrimination between closely related bacilli and non-pathogenic strains. nitrate was found to be a primary factor influencing spore formation in bacillus anthracis. nitrate reduction in anthrax is not an adaptation to saprophytic environme ...	2000	11193628
emergency: bioterrorism.		2000	11202782
proteolytic activation of receptor-bound anthrax protective antigen on macrophages promotes its internalization.	immunofluorescence and other methods have been used to probe the self-assembly and internalization of the binary toxin, anthrax lethal toxin (letx), in primary murine macrophages. proteolytic activation of protective antigen (pa; 83 kda, the b moiety of the toxin) by furin was the rate-limiting step in internalization of letx and promoted clearance of pa from the cell surface. a furin-resistant form of pa remained at the cell surface for at least 90 min. oligomerization of receptor-bound pa63, t ...	2000	11207581
translocation of bacillus anthracis lethal and oedema factors across endosome membranes.	the two exotoxins of bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, are the oedema toxin (pa-ef) and the lethal toxin (pa-lf). they exert their catalytic activities within the cytosol. the internalization process requires receptor-mediated endocytosis and passage through acidic vesicles. we investigated the translocation of ef and lf enzymatic moieties across the target cell membrane. by selective permeabilization of the plasma membrane with clostridium perfringens delta-toxin, we observed ...	2000	11207582
early bacillus anthracis-macrophage interactions: intracellular survival survival and escape.	this study describes early intracellular events occurring during the establishment phase of bacillus anthracis infections. anthrax infections are initiated by dormant endospores gaining access to the mammalian host and becoming engulfed by regional macrophages (mphi). during systemic anthrax, late stage events include vegetative growth in the blood to very high titres and the synthesis of the anthrax exotoxin complex, which causes disease symptoms and death. experiments focus on the early events ...	2000	11207600
[personal experience with use of the antimicrobial agent, neloren r, in maxillofacial surgery].	during the treatment of sick as well as injured and operated patients it was used the therapy according to the clinical experience of doctors and possibility of the choice of some antibiotic. it was used the therapy according to antibiogram whenever it was possible. in the study the results of using of neloren-antibiotic, linkomicin, produced in "bosnalijek" sarajevo, were followed up comparing to the other antibiotics. neloren effects on streptococcus pyogenes, streptococcus penumoniae, s. viri ...	2000	11117015
bioterrorism.		2000	11219298
the malaria vaccine: seventy years of the great immune hope.	the cluster of seminal microbiological discoveries at the end of the 19th century through to the first quarter of the 20th century gave rise to the expectation that the control of malaria would be by scientific technology (as opposed to the 'brute force' of bonification/massive engeneering works) and that technology would be immunization by a malaria vaccine. immunology's foundation was in microbiology and the two related disciplines matured concurrently. immunization with dead or inactivated mi ...	2000	11234327
infections and intoxications associated with animal feed and forage which may present a hazard to human health.	animal feed or forage may be the source of a limited number of infections for farm animals that could lead to human illness. likely organisms include salmonella enterica, toxoplasma gondii, trichinella spiralis and possibly the agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. the risk to human health from other infectious agents which may contaminate either feed or forage appear to be either negligible, e.g. bacillus anthracis and mycobacterium bovis, or non-existent, e.g. clostridium botulinum toxin ...	2000	10712800
protecting the health of u.s. military forces: a national obligation.		2000	10716172
microbial metalloproteases and pathogenesis.	zinc metalloproteases produced by human pathogenic microorganisms show a wide variety of pathological actions. in local infections, the proteases cause necrotic or hemorrhagic tissue damage through digestion of structural components of the ground substance, and also form edematous lesions through generation of inflammatory mediators, while in systemic infections, the proteases act as a synergistic virulence factor through disordered proteolysis of many plasma proteins. clostridial neurotoxins, b ...	2000	10717546
role of toxin functional domains in anthrax pathogenesis.	we investigated the role of the functional domains of anthrax toxins during infection. three proteins produced by bacillus anthracis, the protective antigen (pa), the lethal factor (lf), and the edema factor (ef), combine in pairs to produce the lethal (pa+lf) and edema (pa+ef) toxins. a genetic strategy was developed to introduce by allelic exchange specific point mutations or in-frame deletions into b. anthracis toxin genes, thereby impairing either lf metalloprotease or ef adenylate cyclase a ...	2000	10722564
["biological weapons"--the return of epidemics?].		2000	10731764
microbial genomics. culling genes early yields rich harvest.		2000	10733416
optimized production and purification of bacillus anthracis lethal factor.	bacillus anthracis lethal factor (lf) is a 90-kda zinc metalloprotease that plays an important role in the virulence of the organism. lf has previously been purified from escherichia coli and bacillus anthracis. the yields and purities of these preparations were inadequate for crystal structure determination. in this study, the genes encoding wild-type lf and a mutated, inactive lf (lf-e687c) were placed in an e. coli-bacillus shuttle vector so that lf was produced with the protective antigen (p ...	2000	10733882
a specific activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (mek1) is required for golgi fragmentation during mitosis.	incubation of permeabilized cells with mitotic extracts results in extensive fragmentation of the pericentriolarly organized stacks of cisternae. the fragmented golgi membranes are subsequently dispersed from the pericentriolar region. we have shown previously that this process requires the cytosolic protein mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (mek1). extracellular signal-regulated kinase (erk) 1 and erk2, the known downstream targets of mek1, are not required for this fragmentation (achar ...	2000	10769026
[suspected palpebral anthrax in children. (apropos of 3 cases)].	anthrax is an infectious disease caused by bacillus anthracis. it is primarily a disease of domestic animals. human beings can be infected by contact with infected animals, soiled objects, thorns or insect stings. in its cutaneous form, it may produce lesions of the eyelids. the authors report three suspected cases of palpebral anthrax in children. the clinical diagnosis was evident. scraping from the necrotic tissue showed thick gram positive rods in two children. this aspect evokes bacillus. a ...	2000	10774488
death of a president.		2000	10777385
multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis reveals genetic relationships within bacillus anthracis.	bacillus anthracis is one of the most genetically homogeneous pathogens described, making strain discrimination particularly difficult. in this paper, we present a novel molecular typing system based on rapidly evolving variable-number tandem repeat (vntr) loci. multiple-locus vntr analysis (mlva) uses the combined power of multiple alleles at several marker loci. in our system, fluorescently labeled pcr primers are used to produce pcr amplification products from eight vntr regions in the b. ant ...	2000	10781564
discovery of the anthrax toxin: the beginning of in vivo studies on pathogenic bacteria.		2000	10785632
surveillance for adverse events associated with anthrax vaccination--u.s. department of defense, 1998-2000.	concerns about the potential use of anthrax as a biologic weapon prompted the u.s. department of defense (dod) to announce on december 15, 1997, anthrax vaccination of all u.s. military personnel. this effort is coordinated by the anthrax vaccine immunization program (avip). avip plans a phased vaccination process to achieve total force protection against anthrax by 2004. the current phase of implementation includes vaccination of all service members and mission-essential dod civilian employees ...	2000	10817479
bacillus anthracis sepsis in a newborn.		2000	10819356
a quantitative study of the interactions of bacillus anthracis edema factor and lethal factor with activated protective antigen.	bacillus anthracis secretes three proteins, which associate in binary combinations to form toxic complexes at the surface of mammalian cells. receptor-bound protective antigen (pa) is proteolytically activated, yielding a 63 kda fragment (pa(63)). pa(63) oligomerizes into heptamers, which bind edema factor (ef) or lethal factor (lf) to form the toxic complexes. we undertook a quantitative analysis of the interactions of ef with pa(63) by means of surface plasmon resonance (spr) measurements. hep ...	2000	10828989
bacillus anthracis, bacillus cereus, and bacillus thuringiensis--one species on the basis of genetic evidence.	bacillus anthracis, bacillus cereus, and bacillus thuringiensis are members of the bacillus cereus group of bacteria, demonstrating widely different phenotypes and pathological effects. b. anthracis causes the acute fatal disease anthrax and is a potential biological weapon due to its high toxicity. b. thuringiensis produces intracellular protein crystals toxic to a wide number of insect larvae and is the most commonly used biological pesticide worldwide. b. cereus is a probably ubiquitous soil ...	2000	10831447
behind the scenes at usamridd. the united states army medical research institute of infectious diseases.		2000	10835223
from the centers for disease control and prevention. surveillance for adverse effects associated with anthrax vaccination--us department of defense, 1998-2000.		2000	10847805
characterization of bacillus anthracis strains used for vaccination.	three bacillus anthracis strains, formerly used as anti-anthrax vaccine strains in argentina, were characterized from genetic and pathogenic perspectives. southern blotting and pcr with pxo1 and pxo2 probes and primers, as well as pathogenicity and protection tests in guinea pigs and mice, were performed. two of the b. anthracis strains contained both pxo1 and pxo2 plasmids, as did the fully virulent strains, while the third was a sterne-type strain (pxo1+, pxo2-). the three strains were, howeve ...	2000	10792523
vaccines for preventing anthrax.	anthrax is an acute bacterial skin disease which may be fatal. three anthrax vaccines are commercially available but their comparative effectiveness and safety is not clear.	2000	10796564
characterization of a plasmid region involved in bacillus anthracis toxin production and pathogenesis.	the germination of spores within the host is the initial step of anthrax infection. we have shown, using immunofluorescence staining, confocal scanning laser microscopy and image cytometry analysis, that the alveolar macrophage is the primary site of b. anthracis germination in a murine inhalation infection model. b. anthracis germinated inside macrophages, in vesicles derived from the phagosomal compartment. we have demonstrated that the toxin genes and their trans-activator, atxa, are expresse ...	2000	11111904
lethal factor of bacillus anthracis cleaves the n-terminus of mapkks: analysis of the intracellular consequences in macrophages.	the lethal toxin of bacillus anthracis consists of two proteins, pa and lf, which together induce lethal effects in some animal species and cause macrophage lysis. lf is a zinc-binding protein with metalloprotease activity. with a two-hybrid system approach we identified map kinase kinases (mapkks) mekl and mek2 as proteins interacting with lf. lf was shown to cleave mek1 and mek2 and an additional mapkk family member mkk3, within their n-terminal region. we examined macrophage cell lines and pr ...	2000	11111921
design of toxins that can be activated by cell-specific proteases and their potential use in targeted cell killing.	protein toxins designed to eliminate specific cell types, e.g. disease-associated cells, have mainly made by linking the active domain of the toxin to a protein that only binds to certain cells. a different approach for the construction of toxins capable of killing disease-associated cells is suggested here, based on the knowledge that many of these cells express specific proteases that are not expressed in normal tissue. the construction of toxins that become activated through cleavage by the p ...	2000	11111928
susceptibility of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase family members to proteolysis by anthrax lethal factor.	the lethal factor (lf) produced by toxigenic strains of bacillus anthracis is a zn(2+)-endopeptidase that cleaves the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (mapkks) mek1, mek2 and mkk3. using genetic and biochemical approaches, we have extended the study of lf proteolytic specificity to all known mapkk family members and found that lf also cleaves mkk4, mkk6 and mkk7, but not mek5. the peptide bonds hydrolysed by lf within all mapkks were identified. cleavage invariably occurs within the n-te ...	2000	11104681
the role of the clinical laboratory in managing chemical or biological terrorism.	domestic and international acts of terrorism using chemicals and pathogens as weapons have recently attracted much attention because of several hoaxes and real incidents. clinical laboratories, especially those affiliated with major trauma centers, should be prepared to respond rapidly by providing diagnostic tests for the detection and identification of specific agents, so that specific therapy and victim management can be initiated in a timely manner. as first-line responders, clinical laborat ...	2000	11106318
control of zoonoses in cyprus.	the excellent results achieved in the control of animal diseases in cyprus have allowed the veterinary services to take a leading role in the elimination, surveillance and investigation of important zoonoses. the programmes for the control of echinococcosis, brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis, anthrax and taeniasis, and the measures taken to prevent the importation of rabies are described. public awareness of the risks posed by the presence of zoonoses and the efficient and effective intersectoral ...	2000	11107615
anthrax in pondicherry, south india.		2000	11129726
adverse reactions to anthrax immunisation in a military field hospital.	to determine the outcome of anthrax immunisation.	2000	11143687
use of anthrax vaccine in the united states.	these recommendations concern the use of aluminum hydroxide adsorbed cell-free anthrax vaccine (anthrax vaccine adsorbed [ava], bioport corporation, lansing, mi) in the united states for protection against disease caused by bacillus anthracis. in addition, information is included regarding the use of chemoprophylaxis against b. anthracis.	2000	11145529
human anthrax in india: urgent need for effective prevention.	anthrax is a zoonotic illness caused by bacillus anthracis. sporadic cases continue to be reported from many parts of the world. from india, both sporadic cases and outbreaks are being reported regularly. the union territory of pondicherry (a former french colony) lies on the coast of bay of bengal, where the incidence of anthrax is on the rise with 28 cases being detected in the year 1999 and 2000 alone. so far, about 34 human cases have been encountered in this region. recently, an increase in ...	2000	11668934
current status of immunization against anthrax: old vaccines may be here to stay for a while.	anthrax vaccination has become a 'hot' topic. on the one hand, fears that iraq holds secret caches of anthrax-based weaponry, that other countries may be developing or may have developed similar devices, or that hard-line groups may make their own anthrax-based devices for bioterrorist attacks have focused official attention on the need for means of protection, principally, though, for the military. on the other hand, the unsolved issues of the gulf war illnesses have left elements of doubt in t ...	2000	11964777
programming the assembly of two- and three-dimensional architectures with dna and nanoscale inorganic building blocks.	the use of biochemical molecular recognition principles for the assembly of nanoscale inorganic building blocks into macroscopic functional materials constitutes a new frontier in science. this article details efforts pertaining to the use of sequence-specific dna hybridization events and novel inorganic surface coordination chemistry to control the formation of both two- and three-dimensional functional architectures.	2000	12526483
public health: deaths among heroin users present a puzzle.	more than 30 heroin users in scotland and ireland have succumbed to a mysterious malady in the past 6 weeks, leading health officials to suspect anthrax, the notorious biological warfare agent. now, analyses by microbe hunters on both sides of the atlantic offer a somewhat reassuring conclusion: anthrax did not kill the heroin users. it's unclear what did, but a new suspect has emerged.	2000	17835100
preparedness for a bioterrorism event in alaska. part 1: detection and identification of a biologic event.	u.s. military and public health experts are increasingly concerned that the general public is at risk for terrorist attacks. traditional weapons of mass destruction such as explosive and chemical devices remain the most likely forms of terrorism, however the threat of bioterrorism is also present and may be increasing. an intentional biologic event may be covert and if so, will not become apparent for days or even weeks when many ill people present with an unidentified illness. health care provi ...	2000	14593880
canada: soldiers have right to refuse anthrax vaccine.		2000	15586926
bioterrorism: an overview.	how real is the threat of bioterrorism? experts may disagree on the likelihood of use, but the possibility cannot be totally dismissed. complacent ignorance of a low-probability, high-cost risk is dangerous and can result in devastating global consequences. this is a us government work. there are no restrictions on its use.	2001	15129614
[anthrax. basic principles and preventive measures].		2001	14584137
[retrospective analysis of anthrax morbidity in grozny and in the urus-martan region of the chechen republic].	the epizootological and epidemiological situation in grozny and in the urus-martan region of the chechen republic has been analyzed. the settlements most threatened with this disease have been determined. unfavorable epizootic and epidemiological situation in the republic in the near future is predicted.	2001	12718185
the statistical analysis of truncated data: application to the sverdlovsk anthrax outbreak.	an outbreak of anthrax occurred in the city of sverdlovsk in russia in the spring of 1979. the outbreak was due to the inhalation of spores that were accidentally released from a military microbiology facility. in response to the outbreak a public health intervention was mounted that included distribution of antibiotics and vaccine. the objective of this paper is to develop and apply statistical methodology to analyse the sverdlovsk outbreak, and in particular to estimate the incubation period o ...	2001	12933552
bioterrorism in canada: an economic assessment of prevention and postattack response.	the present paper calculates the human and economic consequences of a bioterrorist attack on canadian soil using aerosolized bacillus anthracis and clostridium botulinum. the study assumed that 100,000 people in a canadian suburban neighbourhood were exposed over a 2 h period to an infectious dose of one of the agents. using an epidemic curve based on the epidemiology and management of anthrax and botulinum poisoning, the costs of intervention and treatment after an attack were compared with the ...	2001	18159350
[cloning of parasporal body protein gene resembling to s-layer protein genes from bacillus thuringiensis ctc strain].	bacillus ctc strain was identified as bacillus thuringiensis subsp. finitimus (serotype h2) and pasteur institute confirmed this identification. the parasporal body formed by ctc strain is oval shaped, and consists of 100 kd protein. the determination of the n-terminal amino acid sequence showed this protein shares 93% similarity to that of b. anthracis s-layer proteins. the restriction map covering the related protein gene (ctc) was deduced according to southern hybridization. the dna fragments ...	2001	12549017
anthrax and the voice of reason.		2001	12585054