Publications

isolation and molecular characterization of leptospira borgpetersenii serovar hardjo strain hardjobovis in the urine of naturally infected cattle in brazil.	most epidemiologic studies on bovine leptospirosis are based on serological tests that use antibodies against several serotypes, including the serovar hardjo, which is widespread and considered to be the most adapted to bovine hosts. however, using only serological studies is not sufficient to identify and distinguish species of leptospires. the aim of this study was report the first isolation in brazil of two strains serovar hardjo obtained in urine samples from naturally infected cows in a sma ...	2016	26909976
multilocus sequence typing (mlst) of leptospiral strains isolated from two geographic locations of tamil nadu, india.	here the rodent carrier status for the transmission of human leptospirosis in tiruchirappalli, district, tamil nadu, india was assessed. the predominantly circulating leptospiral sts were recognized by multilocus sequence typing (mlst). a total of 113 rodents were trapped from different provinces of the tiruchirappalli district. the most prevalent rodent was bandicota bengalensis (37.2%), and of the total, 52.2% (n=59) rodents were found to be positive for leptospiral 16s rrna. these results wer ...	2016	26577860
complement evasion by pathogenic leptospira.	leptospirosis is a neglected infectious disease caused by spirochetes from the genus leptospira. pathogenic microorganisms, notably those which reach the blood circulation such as leptospira, have evolved multiple strategies to escape the host complement system, which is important for innate and acquired immunity. leptospira avoid complement-mediated killing through: (i) recruitment of host complement regulators; (ii) acquisition of host proteases that cleave complement proteins on the bacterial ...	2016	28066433
leptospira surface adhesin (lsa21) induces toll like receptor 2 and 4 mediated inflammatory responses in macrophages.	leptospirosis is zoonotic and emerging infectious disease of global importance. little is understood about leptospira pathogenesis and host immune response. in the present work we have investigated how leptospira modulates the host innate immune response mediated by toll-like receptors (tlrs) via surface exposed proteins. we screened leptospira outer membrane/surface proteins for their ability to activate/inhibit tlr2/4 signaling in hek293 cell lines. of these the 21 kda leptospira surface adhes ...	2016	27996041
conservation of coevolving protein interfaces bridges prokaryote-eukaryote homologies in the twilight zone.	protein-protein interactions are fundamental for the proper functioning of the cell. as a result, protein interaction surfaces are subject to strong evolutionary constraints. recent developments have shown that residue coevolution provides accurate predictions of heterodimeric protein interfaces from sequence information. so far these approaches have been limited to the analysis of families of prokaryotic complexes for which large multiple sequence alignments of homologous sequences can be compi ...	2016	27965389
cerebellar ataxia due to leptospirosis- a case report.	leptospirosis involves nervous system in around 10-15% of the cases, the commonest presentation being aseptic meningitis. most of the clinical features of neuroleptospirosis are due to capillary endothelial damage and vasculitis. ataxia is an extremely uncommon manifestation of leptospirosis occuring in <5% of cases.	2016	27955629
emerging infectious disease implications of invasive mammalian species: the greater white-toothed shrew (crocidura russula) is associated with a novel serovar of pathogenic leptospira in ireland.	the greater white-toothed shrew (crocidura russula) is an invasive mammalian species that was first recorded in ireland in 2007. it currently occupies an area of approximately 7,600 km2 on the island. c. russula is normally distributed in northern africa and western europe, and was previously absent from the british isles. whilst invasive species can have dramatic and rapid impacts on faunal and floral communities, they may also be carriers of pathogens facilitating disease transmission in poten ...	2016	27935961
coxiella detection in ticks from wildlife and livestock in malaysia.	recent studies have shown that ticks harbor coxiella-like bacteria, which are potentially tick-specific endosymbionts. we recently described the detection of coxiella-like bacteria and possibly coxiella burnetii in ticks found from rural areas in malaysia. in the present study, we collected ticks, including haemaphysalis bispinosa, haemaphysalis hystricis, dermacentor compactus, dermacentor steini, and amblyomma sp. from wildlife and domesticated goats from four different locations in malaysia. ...	2016	27763821
transcriptional profiling of type ii toxin-antitoxin genes of helicobacter pylori under different environmental conditions: identification of hp0967-hp0968 system.	helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the human gastric mucosa and is responsible for causing peptic ulcers and gastric carcinoma. the expression of virulence factors allows the persistence of h. pylori in the stomach, which results in a chronic, sometimes uncontrolled inflammatory response. type ii toxin-antitoxin (ta) systems have emerged as important virulence factors in many pathogenic bacteria. three type ii ta systems have previously been identified in the genome ...	2016	27920769
comparative genomic analysis of the flagellin glycosylation island of the gram-positive thermophile geobacillus.	protein glycosylation involves the post-translational attachment of sugar chains to target proteins and has been observed in all three domains of life. post-translational glycosylation of flagellin, the main structural protein of the flagellum, is a common characteristic among many gram-negative bacteria and archaea. several distinct functions have been ascribed to flagellin glycosylation, including stabilisation and maintenance of the flagellar filament, motility, surface recognition, adhesion, ...	2016	27842516
cathelicidin insufficiency in patients with fatal leptospirosis.	leptospirosis causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide; however, the role of the host immune response in disease progression and high case fatality (>10-50%) is poorly understood. we conducted a multi-parameter investigation of patients with acute leptospirosis to identify mechanisms associated with case fatality. whole blood transcriptional profiling of 16 hospitalized brazilian patients with acute leptospirosis (13 survivors, 3 deceased) revealed fatal cases had lower expression of ...	2016	27812211
chimeric epitope vaccine against leptospira interrogans infection and induced specific immunity in guinea pigs.	leptospirosis is an important reemerging zoonosis, with more than half a million cases reported annually, and is caused by pathogenic leptospira species. development of a universal vaccine is one of the major strategic goals to overcome the disease burden of leptospirosis. in this study, a chimeric multi-epitope protein-based vaccine was designed and tested for its potency to induce a specific immune response and provide protection against l. interrogans infection.	2016	27737644
immune response in hamsters immunised with a recombinant fragment of liga from leptospira interrogans, associated with carrier molecules.	immunisation with the c-terminal region of leptospiral immunoglobulin-like a protein (ligani) has shown promising results against leptospirosis. we evaluated the humoral immune response and protection induced by ligani associated with carboxyl multi-walled carbon nanotubes (cooh-mwcnts), cpg oligodeoxynucleotides (cpg odns), or alhydrogel. animals immunised with cpg odns were unable to develop a humoral immune response, whereas immunisation with ligani and cooh-mwcnts produced a high level of ig ...	2016	27759768
first observation of leptospira interrogans in the lungs of rattus norvegicus.	we report the first two cases of pulmonary presence of leptospires in apparently healthy rats captured in a city park in lyon (france). only renal carriage of leptospira has been described in the literature. blood serology was performed in parallel with molecular and histological analyses of the kidney and lung samples. we isolated leptospires from the kidneys of two out of three seropositive wild rats. these results were confirmed by specific detection of pathogenic leptospira by real-time pcr. ...	2016	27800495
a 23-year-old man with leptospirosis and acute abdominal pain.	leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by the spirochete leptospira interrogans. most cases of leptospirosis are mild to moderate, and self-limited. the course of disease, however, may be complicated by multiorgan dysfunction such as in weil's disease. we present a case of weil's disease with pancreatitis in a young caucasian man residing in hawai'i. although leptospirosis is common in hawai'i, few patients present with pancreatitis. this report of leptospirosis-induced pancreatitis should help rais ...	2016	27738562
phage display as a promising approach for vaccine development.	bacteriophages are specific antagonists to bacterial hosts. these viral entities have attracted growing interest as optimal vaccine delivery vehicles. phages are well-matched for vaccine design due to being highly stable under harsh environmental conditions, simple and inexpensive large scale production, and potent adjuvant capacities. phage vaccines have efficient immunostimulatory effects and present a high safety profile because these viruses have made a constant relationship with the mammali ...	2016	27680328
hedgehogs and mustelid species: major carriers of pathogenic leptospira, a survey in 28 animal species in france (20122015).	human leptospirosis is a zoonotic and potentially fatal disease that has increasingly been reported in both developing and developed countries, including france. however, our understanding of the basic aspects of the epidemiology of this disease, including the source of leptospira serogroup australis infections in humans and domestic animals, remains incomplete. we investigated the genetic diversity of leptospira in 28 species of wildlife other than rats using variable number tandem repeat (vntr ...	2016	27680672
the membrane protein lasm promotes the culturability of legionella pneumophila in water.	the water-borne pathogen legionella pneumophila (lp) strongly expresses the lpg1659 gene in water. this gene encodes a hypothetical protein predicted to be a membrane protein using in silico analysis. while no conserved domains were identified in lpg1659, similar proteins are found in many legionella species and other aquatic bacteria. rt-qpcr showed that lpg1659 is positively regulated by the alternative sigma factor rpos, which is essential for lp to survive in water. these observations sugges ...	2016	27734007
screening of genes involved in interactions with intestinal epithelial cells in cronobacter sakazakii.	cronobacter sakazakii possesses a significant ability to adhere to and invade epithelial cells in its host. however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are poorly understood. in the current study, the adhesive and invasive capabilities of 56 c. sakazakii strains against human epithelial cells were evaluated, and one of them was selected for construction of a mutant library using the tn5 transposon. in a systematic analysis of the adhesive and invasive capabilities of 1084 mutants, ...	2016	27637944
high leptospira diversity in animals and humans complicates the search for common reservoirs of human disease in rural ecuador.	leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease responsible for high morbidity around the world, especially in tropical and low income countries. rats are thought to be the main vector of human leptospirosis in urban settings. however, differences between urban and low-income rural communities provide additional insights into the epidemiology of the disease.	2016	27622673
the inhibition and resistance mechanisms of actinonin, isolated from marine streptomyces sp. nhf165, against vibrio anguillarum.	vibrio sp. is the most serious pathogen in marine aquaculture, and the development of anti-vibrio agents is urgently needed. however, it is extreme lack of high-throughput screening (hts) model for searching anti-vibrio compounds. here, we established a protein-based hts screening model to identify agents targeting peptide deformylase (pdf) of vibrio anguillarum. to find potential anti-vibrio compounds, crude extracts derived from marine actinomycetes were applied for screening with this model. ...	2016	27679625
the search for herbal antibiotics: an in-silico investigation of antibacterial phytochemicals.	recently, the emergence and spread of pathogenic bacterial resistance to many antibiotics (multidrug-resistant strains) have been increasing throughout the world. this phenomenon is of great concern and there is a need to find alternative chemotherapeutic agents to combat these antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. higher plants may serve as a resource for new antimicrobials to replace or augment current therapeutic options. in this work, we have carried out a molecular docking study of a total o ...	2016	27626453
functional metagenomics of spacecraft assembly cleanrooms: presence of virulence factors associated with human pathogens.	strict planetary protection practices are implemented during spacecraft assembly to prevent inadvertent transfer of earth microorganisms to other planetary bodies. therefore, spacecraft are assembled in cleanrooms, which undergo strict cleaning and decontamination procedures to reduce total microbial bioburden. we wanted to evaluate if these practices selectively favor survival and growth of hardy microorganisms, such as pathogens. three geographically distinct cleanrooms were sampled during the ...	2016	27667984
draft genome sequence of leptospira interrogans serovar bataviae strain lepimr 22 isolated from a rodent in johor, malaysia.	leptospira interrogans serovar bataviae was recently identified as one of the persistent leptospira serovars in malaysia. here, we report the draft genome sequence of the l. interrogans serovar bataviae strain lepimr 22 isolated from kidney of a rodent in johor, malaysia.	2016	27609924
depletion of shine-dalgarno sequences within bacterial coding regions is expression dependent.	efficient and accurate protein synthesis is crucial for organismal survival in competitive environments. translation efficiency-the number of proteins translated from a single mrna in a given time period-is the combined result of differential translation initiation, elongation, and termination rates. previous research identified the shine-dalgarno (sd) sequence as a modulator of translation initiation in bacterial genes, while codon usage biases are frequently implicated as a primary determinant ...	2016	27605518
vapcs of mycobacterium tuberculosis cleave rnas essential for translation.	the major human pathogen mycobacterium tuberculosis can survive in the host organism for decades without causing symptoms. a large cohort of toxin-antitoxin (ta) modules contribute to this persistence. of these, 48 ta modules belong to the vapbc (virulence associated protein) gene family. vapc toxins are pin domain endonucleases that, in enterobacteria, inhibit translation by site-specific cleavage of initiator trna. in contrast, vapc20 of m. tuberculosis inhibits translation by site-specific cl ...	2016	27599842
identification of tenrec ecaudatus, a wild mammal introduced to mayotte island, as a reservoir of the newly identified human pathogenic leptospira mayottensis.	leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonosis of major concern on tropical islands. human populations on western indian ocean islands are strongly affected by the disease although each archipelago shows contrasting epidemiology. for instance, mayotte, part of the comoros archipelago, differs from the other neighbouring islands by a high diversity of leptospira species infecting humans that includes leptospira mayottensis, a species thought to be unique to this island. using bacterial culture, molecular ...	2016	27574792
case report: weil's disease with multiple organ failure in a child living in dengue endemic area.	there were few reports in the literature of weil's disease with multiple organ failures, especially in children living in dengue endemic areas.	2016	27528203
hemodiafiltration decreases serum levels of inflammatory mediators in severe leptospirosis: a prospective study.	leptospirosis is a health problem worldwide. its most severe form is a classic model of sepsis, provoking acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards) and acute kidney injury (aki), with associated mortality that remains unacceptably high. we previously demonstrated that early initiation of sustained low-efficiency dialysis (sled) followed by daily sled significantly decreases mortality. however, the mode of clearance can also affect dialysis patient outcomes. therefore, the objective of this stud ...	2016	27487001
leptospira seroprevalence and risk factors in health centre patients in hoima district, western uganda.	the burden of human leptospirosis in uganda is unknown. we estimated the seroprevalence of leptospira antibodies, probable acute/recent leptospirosis, and risk factors for seropositivity in humans in rural western uganda.	2016	27487398
whole genome sequencing allows better understanding of the evolutionary history of leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo.	the genome of a laboratory-adapted strain of leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo was sequenced and analyzed. comparison of the sequenced genome with that recently published for a field isolate of the same serovar revealed relatively high sequence conservation at the nucleotide level, despite the different biological background of both samples. conversely, comparison of both serovar hardjo genomes with those of l. borgpetersenii serovar hardjo showed extensive differences between the correspond ...	2016	27442015
immunoreactivity of the aaa+ chaperone clpb from leptospira interrogans with sera from leptospira-infected animals.	leptospira interrogans is a spirochaete responsible for leptospirosis in mammals. the molecular mechanisms of the leptospira virulence remain mostly unknown. recently, it has been demonstrated that l. interrogans clpb (clpbli) is essential for bacterial survival under stressful conditions and also during infection. the aim of this study was to provide further insight into the role of clpb in l. interrogans and answer the question whether clpbli as a potential virulence factor may be a target of ...	2016	27421882
comparative genomic analysis of brazilian leptospira kirschneri serogroup pomona serovar mozdok.	leptospira kirschneri is one of the pathogenic species of the leptospira genus. human and animal infection from l. kirschneri gained further attention over the last few decades. here we present the isolation and characterisation of brazilian l. kirschneri serogroup pomona serovar mozdok strain m36/05 and the comparative genomic analysis with brazilian human strain 61h. the m36/05 strain caused pulmonary hemorrhagic lesions in the hamster model, showing high virulence. the studied genomes present ...	2016	27581124
recent developments in detection and enumeration of waterborne bacteria: a retrospective minireview.	waterborne diseases have emerged as global health problems and their rapid and sensitive detection in environmental water samples is of great importance. bacterial identification and enumeration in water samples is significant as it helps to maintain safe drinking water for public consumption. culture-based methods are laborious, time-consuming, and yield false-positive results, whereas viable but nonculturable (vbncs) microorganisms cannot be recovered. hence, numerous methods have been develop ...	2016	27397728
complicated weil disease.		2016	27606150
costs of life - dynamics of the protein inventory of staphylococcus aureus during anaerobiosis.	absolute protein quantification was applied to follow the dynamics of the cytoplasmic proteome of staphylococcus aureus in response to long-term oxygen starvation. for 1,168 proteins, the majority of all expressed proteins, molecule numbers per cell have been determined to monitor the cellular investments in single branches of bacterial life for the first time. in the presence of glucose the anaerobic protein pattern is characterized by increased amounts of glycolytic and fermentative enzymes su ...	2016	27344979
ncbi prokaryotic genome annotation pipeline.	recent technological advances have opened unprecedented opportunities for large-scale sequencing and analysis of populations of pathogenic species in disease outbreaks, as well as for large-scale diversity studies aimed at expanding our knowledge across the whole domain of prokaryotes. to meet the challenge of timely interpretation of structure, function and meaning of this vast genetic information, a comprehensive approach to automatic genome annotation is critically needed. in collaboration wi ...	2016	27342282
real-time pcr reveals rapid dissemination of leptospira interrogans after intraperitoneal and conjunctival inoculation of hamsters.	the pathogen leptospira interrogans is a highly motile spirochete that causes acute and fulminant infections in humans and other accidental hosts. hematogenous dissemination is important for infection by the pathogen but remains poorly understood because few animal model studies have used sensitive tools to quantify the bacteria. we evaluated the kinetics of leptospiral infection in golden syrian hamsters by a sensitive quantitative real-time pcr (taqman) with lipl32 as the target gene. the diss ...	2016	27141082
inhibitory effect of bmap-28 on leptospiral lipopolysaccharide-induced tlr2-dependent immune response in bovine cells.	bovine leptospirosis is a widespread zoonotic disease, leading to serious economic losses in animal production and causing potential hazards to human health. leptospiral lipopolysaccharide (l-lps) plays an important role in leptospirosis pathogenicity.	2016	27635213
coevolution between stop codon usage and release factors in bacterial species.	three stop codons in bacteria represent different translation termination signals, and their usage is expected to depend on their differences in translation termination efficiency, mutation bias, and relative abundance of release factors (rf1 decoding uaa and uag, and rf2 decoding uaa and uga). in 14 bacterial species (covering proteobacteria, firmicutes, cyanobacteria, actinobacteria and spirochetes) with cellular rf1 and rf2 quantified, uaa is consistently over-represented in highly expressed ...	2016	27297468
temperature-responsive in vitro rna structurome of yersinia pseudotuberculosis.	rna structures are fundamentally important for rna function. dynamic, condition-dependent structural changes are able to modulate gene expression as shown for riboswitches and rna thermometers. by parallel analysis of rna structures, we mapped the rna structurome of yersinia pseudotuberculosis at three different temperatures. this human pathogen is exquisitely responsive to host body temperature (37 °c), which induces a major metabolic transition. our analysis profiles the structure of more than ...	2016	27298343
human leptospirosis on reunion island, indian ocean: are rodents the (only) ones to blame?	although leptospirosis is a zoonosis of major concern on tropical islands, the molecular epidemiology of the disease aiming at linking human cases to specific animal reservoirs has been rarely explored within these peculiar ecosystems.	2016	27294677
human leptospirosis in tanzania: sequencing and phylogenetic analysis confirm that pathogenic leptospira species circulate among agro-pastoralists living in katavi-rukwa ecosystem.	leptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease of worldwide public health importance. the disease affects humans, domestic animals and wildlife. however, leptospirosis is challenging in its diagnosis in humans. culture technique, which is time consuming, is not recommended for clinical diagnosis. for these reasons, serological and molecular techniques remain the test of choice. the major objective of this study was to explore the genetic characteristic of leptospira species which are prevalent am ...	2016	27287703
metapalette: a k-mer painting approach for metagenomic taxonomic profiling and quantification of novel strain variation.	metagenomic profiling is challenging in part because of the highly uneven sampling of the tree of life by genome sequencing projects and the limitations imposed by performing phylogenetic inference at fixed taxonomic ranks. we present the algorithm metapalette, which uses long k-mer sizes (k = 30, 50) to fit a k-mer "palette" of a given sample to the k-mer palette of reference organisms. by modeling the k-mer palettes of unknown organisms, the method also gives an indication of the presence, abu ...	2016	27822531
detection of dengue, west nile virus, rickettsiosis and leptospirosis by a new real-time pcr strategy.	dengue virus (denv) infection causes sudden fever along with several nonspecific signs and symptoms and in severe cases, death. denv is transmitted to people by aedes aegypti and ae. albopictus mosquitoes, whose populations increase during rainy season. west nile virus (wnv), rickettsia spp. and leptospira spp. are fever-causing pathogens that share many of the initial symptoms of denv infection and also thrive in the rainy season. outbreaks in some regions may be due to any of these pathogens t ...	2016	27350908
first genome sequence of leptospira interrogans serovar pomona, isolated from a bovine abortion.	leptospirosis is a widespread zoonosis and a re-emergent disease of global distribution with major relevance in veterinary production. here, we report the whole-genome sequence of leptospira interrogans serovar pomona strain akrfb, isolated from a bovine abortion during a leptospirosis outbreak in argentina.	2016	27198013
dual transcriptome profiling of leishmania-infected human macrophages reveals distinct reprogramming signatures.	macrophages are mononuclear phagocytes that constitute a first line of defense against pathogens. while lethal to many microbes, they are the primary host cells of leishmania spp. parasites, the obligate intracellular pathogens that cause leishmaniasis. we conducted transcriptomic profiling of two leishmania species and the human macrophage over the course of intracellular infection by using high-throughput rna sequencing to characterize the global gene expression changes and reprogramming event ...	2016	27165796
metabolic engineering of a synergistic pathway for n-butanol production in saccharomyces cerevisiae.	n-butanol has several favourable properties as an advanced fuel or a platform chemical. bio-based production of n-butanol is becoming increasingly important for sustainable chemical industry. synthesis of n-butanol can be achieved via more than one metabolic pathway. here we report the metabolic engineering of saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce n-butanol through a synergistic pathway: the endogenous threonine pathway and the introduced citramalate pathway. firstly, we characterized and optimize ...	2016	27161023
vaccine design for h5n1 based on b- and t-cell epitope predictions.	from 2003 to 2013, indonesia had the highest number of avian influenza a cases in humans, with 192 cases and 160 fatalities. avian influenza is caused by influenza virus type a, such as subtype h5n1. this virus has two glycoproteins: hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, which will become the primary target to be neutralized by vaccine. vaccine is the most effective immunologic intervention. in this study, we use the epitope-based vaccine design from hemagglutinin and neuraminidase of h5n1 indonesian ...	2016	27147821
whole-genome sequencing reveals genetic variation in the asian house rat.	whole-genome sequencing of wild-derived rat species can provide novel genomic resources, which may help decipher the genetics underlying complex phenotypes. as a notorious pest, reservoir of human pathogens, and colonizer, the asian house rat, rattus tanezumi, is successfully adapted to its habitat. however, little is known regarding genetic variation in this species. in this study, we identified over 41,000,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, plus insertions and deletions, through whole-genome ...	2016	27172215
draft genome of the leptospira interrogans strains, acegua, rca, prea, and capivara, obtained from wildlife maintenance hosts and infected domestic animals.	in the present paper, we announce new draft genomes of four leptospira interrogans strains named acegua, rca, prea, and capivara. these strains were isolated in the state of rio grande do sul, brazil, from cattle, dog, brazilian guinea pig, and capybara, respectively.	2016	27074260
comparison of mucosal, subcutaneous and intraperitoneal routes of rat leptospira infection.	leptospirosis is a zoonosis found worldwide that is caused by a spirochete. the main reservoirs of leptospira, which presents an asymptomatic infection, are wild rodents, including the brown rat (rattus norvegicus). experimental studies of the mechanisms of its renal colonization in rats have previously used an intraperitoneal inoculation route. however, knowledge of rat-rat transmission requires the use of a natural route of inoculation, such as a mucosal or subcutaneous route. we investigated ...	2016	27031867
a cross sectional study of leptospirosis and fetal death in yucatan, mexico.	leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease affecting mainly to low income human population. acute leptospiral infection during pregnancy has been associated with spontaneous abortion and fetal death during the first trimester and the abortion may occur as consequence of systemic failure.	2016	27226658
caprine leptospirosis: hematobiochemical and urinalyses studies.	the present study was designed to evaluate clinicopathological alterations in naturally occurring leptospirosis in goats of south gujarat region, gujarat.	2016	27057122
first molecular evidence of toxoplasma gondii in opossums (didelphis virginiana) from yucatan, mexico.	toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite recognized as a causal agent of toxoplasmosis; zoonotic disease endemic in many countries worldwide, including mexico. different species of animals participate in the wild cycle infection, including opossums of the species didelphis virginiana. thirteen d. virginiana were captured in yucatan, mexico. detection of t. gondii was achieved by polymerase chain reaction, which determined an infection of 76.9% (10/13) in brains. positive amplicons ...	2016	27200271
a two-year ecological study of norway rats (rattus norvegicus) in a brazilian urban slum.	the norway or brown rat (rattus norvegicus) is among the most ubiquitous of rodents. however, the lack of studies describing norway rat populations from tropical areas have limited our understanding regarding their demography and seasonal dynamics. in this study, we describe seasonal pattern in the abundance, reproductive parameters, and morphometrics of norway rat populations in salvador, brazil. rodents were trapped over four seasonal trapping periods (2013-2014) from three valleys. a total of ...	2016	27015422
prevalence and genotype allocation of pathogenic leptospira species in small mammals from various habitat types in germany.	small mammals serve as most important reservoirs for leptospira spp., the causative agents of leptospirosis, which is one of the most neglected and widespread zoonotic diseases worldwide. the knowledge about leptospira spp. occurring in small mammals from germany is scarce. thus, this study's objectives were to investigate the occurrence of leptospira spp. and the inherent sequence types in small mammals from three different study sites: a forest in southern germany (site b1); a national park in ...	2016	27015596
identification of protein secretion systems in bacterial genomes.	bacteria with two cell membranes (diderms) have evolved complex systems for protein secretion. these systems were extensively studied in some model bacteria, but the characterisation of their diversity has lagged behind due to lack of standard annotation tools. we built online and standalone computational tools to accurately predict protein secretion systems and related appendages in bacteria with lps-containing outer membranes. they consist of models describing the systems' components and genet ...	2016	26979785
profiling of leptospira interrogans, l. santarosai, l. meyeri and l. borgpetersenii by se-aflp, pfge and susceptibility testing--a continuous attempt at species and serovar differentiation.	leptospirosis is a widespread systemic zoonosis, considered as reemerging in certain developing countries. although the cross agglutinin absorption test is still considered the standard method for leptospira identification, it presents several disadvantages. the aim of this study was to characterize leptospira spp. isolated from various hosts by genotyping and broth microdilution susceptibility testing in an attempt to differentiate leptospira species, serogroups and serovars. forty-seven isolat ...	2016	26956446
determination of leptospira borgpetersenii serovar javanica and leptospira interrogans serovar bataviae as the persistent leptospira serovars circulating in the urban rat populations in peninsular malaysia.	leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease of global significance, and is endemic in tropical countries, including malaysia. over the last decade, a dramatic increase of human cases was reported; however, information on the primary vector, the rat, and the leptospira serovars circulating among the rat population is limited. therefore, the present study was undertaken to isolate leptospira and characterise the serovars circulating in the urban rat populations from selected main cities in pen ...	2016	26927873
biochemical characterization and complete conversion of coenzyme specificity of isocitrate dehydrogenase from bifidobacterium longum.	bifidobacterium longum is a very important gram-positive non-pathogenic bacterium in the human gastrointestinal tract for keeping the digestive and immune system healthy. isocitrate dehydrogenase (idh) from b. longum (blidh), a novel member in type ii subfamily, was overexpressed, purified and biochemically characterized in detail. the active form of blidh was an 83-kda homodimer. kinetic analysis showed blidh was a nadp⁺-dependent idh (nadp-idh), with a 567- and 193-fold preference for nadp⁺ ov ...	2016	26927087
impacts of climatic variability on vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreaks in taiwan.	this study aimed to investigate and quantify the relationship between climate variation and incidence of vibrio parahaemolyticus in taiwan. specifically, seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (arima) models (including autoregression, seasonality, and a lag-time effect) were employed to predict the role of climatic factors (including temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, ocean temperature and ocean salinity) on the incidence of v. parahaemolyticus in taiwan between 2000 and 2011. ...	2016	26848675
marine mammals harbor unique microbiotas shaped by and yet distinct from the sea.	marine mammals play crucial ecological roles in the oceans, but little is known about their microbiotas. here we study the bacterial communities in 337 samples from 5 body sites in 48 healthy dolphins and 18 healthy sea lions, as well as those of adjacent seawater and other hosts. the bacterial taxonomic compositions are distinct from those of other mammals, dietary fish and seawater, are highly diverse and vary according to body site and host species. dolphins harbour 30 bacterial phyla, with 2 ...	2016	26839246
whole genome sequencing revealed host adaptation-focused genomic plasticity of pathogenic leptospira.	leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic leptospira spp., has recently been recognized as an emerging infectious disease worldwide. despite its severity and global importance, knowledge about the molecular pathogenesis and virulence evolution of leptospira spp. remains limited. here we sequenced and analyzed 102 isolates representing global sources. a high genomic variability were observed among different leptospira species, which was attributed to massive gene gain and loss events allowing for adapt ...	2016	26833181
exposure to viral and bacterial pathogens among soay sheep (ovis aries) of the st kilda archipelago.	we assessed evidence of exposure to viruses and bacteria in an unmanaged and long-isolated population of soay sheep (ovis aries) inhabiting hirta, in the st kilda archipelago, 65 km west of benbecula in the outer hebrides of scotland. the sheep harbour many metazoan and protozoan parasites but their exposure to viral and bacterial pathogens is unknown. we tested for herpes viral dna in leucocytes and found that 21 of 42 tested sheep were infected with ovine herpesvirus 2 (ohv-2). we also tested ...	2016	26829883
risk factors for intensive care unit admission in patients with severe leptospirosis: a comparative study according to patients' severity.	the aim of this study is to investigate predictive factors for intensive care unit (icu) admission among patients with severe leptospirosis.	2016	26830173
risk factors for intensive care unit admission in patients with severe leptospirosis: a comparative study according to patients' severity.	the aim of this study is to investigate predictive factors for intensive care unit (icu) admission among patients with severe leptospirosis.	2016	26830173
toward understanding the catalytic mechanism of human paraoxonase 1: site-specific mutagenesis at position 192.	human paraoxonase 1 (h-pon1) is a serum enzyme that can hydrolyze a variety of substrates. the enzyme exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-atherogenic, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial and organophosphate-hydrolyzing activities. thus, h-pon1 is a strong candidate for the development of therapeutic intervention against a variety conditions in human. however, the crystal structure of h-pon1 is not solved and the molecular details of how the enzyme hydrolyzes different substrates are not c ...	2016	26829396
human leptospirosis infection in fiji: an eco-epidemiological approach to identifying risk factors and environmental drivers for transmission.	leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease in the pacific islands. in fiji, two successive cyclones and severe flooding in 2012 resulted in outbreaks with 576 reported cases and 7% case-fatality. we conducted a cross-sectional seroprevalence study and used an eco-epidemiological approach to characterize risk factors and drivers for human leptospirosis infection in fiji, and aimed to provide an evidence base for improving the effectiveness of public health mitigation and intervention strategi ...	2016	26820752
erratum for eshghi et al., leptospira interrogans lpxd homologue is required for thermal acclimatization and virulence.		2016	26810749
conserved patterns of microbial immune escape: pathogenic microbes of diverse origin target the human terminal complement inhibitor vitronectin via a single common motif.	pathogenicity of many microbes relies on their capacity to resist innate immunity, and to survive and persist in an immunocompetent human host microbes have developed highly efficient and sophisticated complement evasion strategies. here we show that different human pathogens including gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, as well as the fungal pathogen candida albicans, acquire the human terminal complement regulator vitronectin to their surface. by using truncated vitronectin fragments we ...	2016	26808444
an evaluation of the accuracy and speed of metagenome analysis tools.	metagenome studies are becoming increasingly widespread, yielding important insights into microbial communities covering diverse environments from terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to human skin and gut. with the advent of high-throughput sequencing platforms, the use of large scale shotgun sequencing approaches is now commonplace. however, a thorough independent benchmark comparing state-of-the-art metagenome analysis tools is lacking. here, we present a benchmark where the most widely used to ...	2016	26778510
impact of mated female nonproductive days in breeding herd after porcine epidemic diarrhea virus outbreak.	porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (pedv) is an important pathogen that has a significant economic impact on the swine industry by imposing a high rate of mortality in suckling piglets. however, limited information on the productivity values of gilts and sows infected with pedv is available. here, we evaluate the productivity index in gilts and sows during the 1-year period before (19 january 2013 to 18 january 2014) and after (19 january 2014 to 18 january 2015) a pedv outbreak from a 2000-sow bre ...	2016	26771383
analysis of lexa binding sites and transcriptomics in response to genotoxic stress in leptospira interrogans.	we determined the effects of dna damage caused by ultraviolet radiation on gene expression in leptospira interrogans using dna microarrays. these data were integrated with dna binding in vivo of lexa1, a regulator of the dna damage response, assessed by chromatin immunoprecipitation and massively parallel dna sequencing (chip-seq). in response to dna damage, leptospira induced expression of genes involved in dna metabolism, in mobile genetic elements and defective prophages. the dna repair genes ...	2016	26762976
direct and absolute quantification of over 1800 yeast proteins via selected reaction monitoring.	defining intracellular protein concentration is critical in molecular systems biology. although strategies for determining relative protein changes are available, defining robust absolute values in copies per cell has proven significantly more challenging. here we present a reference data set quantifying over 1800saccharomyces cerevisiaeproteins by direct means using protein-specific stable-isotope labeled internal standards and selected reaction monitoring (srm) mass spectrometry, far exceeding ...	2016	26750110
hospital-based surveillance for infectious etiologies among patients with acute febrile illness in georgia, 2008-2011.	information on the infectious causes of undifferentiated acute febrile illness (afi) in georgia is essential for effective treatment and prevention. in may 2008, a hospital-based afi surveillance was initiated at six hospitals in georgia. patients aged ≥ 4 years with fever ≥ 38°c for ≥ 48 hours were eligible for surveillance. blood culture and serologic testing were conducted for leptospira spp., brucella spp., west nile virus (wnv), crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever virus, coxiella burnetii, tick ...	2016	26438032
comparison of leptospira interrogans and leptospira biflexa genomes: analysis of potential leptospiral-host interactions.	leptospirosis, a potentially life-threatening disease, remains the most widespread zoonosis caused by pathogenic species of leptospira. the pathogenic spirochaete, leptospira interrogans, is characterized by its ability to permeate human host tissues rapidly and colonize multiple organs in the host. in spite of the efforts taken to comprehend the pathophysiology of the pathogen and the heterogeneity posed by l. interrogans, the current knowledge on the mechanism of pathogenesis is modest. in an ...	2017	28294222
crystallization of fcpa from leptospira, a novel flagellar protein that is essential for pathogenesis.	the protein fcpa is a unique component of the flagellar filament of spirochete bacteria belonging to the genus leptospira. although it plays an essential role in translational motility and pathogenicity, no structures of fcpa homologues are currently available in the pdb. its three-dimensional structure will unveil the novel motility mechanisms that render pathogenic leptospira particularly efficient at invading and disseminating within their hosts, causing leptospirosis in humans and animals. f ...	2017	28291747
animal models of leptospirosis: of mice and hamsters.	pathogenic leptospira sp. are spirochetal bacteria responsible for leptospirosis, an emerging worldwide zoonosis. these spirochetes are very successful pathogens that infect a wide range of hosts such as fish, reptiles, birds, marsupials, and mammals. transmission occurs when chronically infected animals excrete live bacteria in their urine, contaminating the environment. leptospira sp. enter their hosts through damaged skin and mucosa. chronically infected rats and mice are asymptomatic and are ...	2017	28270811
[epidemiological investigation of two leptospirosis death cases in guizhou province].	objective: to conduct an epidemiological investigation of two leptospirosis death cases reported in guizhou province in 2014. methods: the information of the patients were investigated and analyzed. the serological detection, samples of the two patients was detected using elisa and microscopic agglutination test (mat). leptospira carrier status of murine host animal in the living environment of the two patients was investigated in october and november of 2014. leptospires in the kidney were cult ...	2017	28260339
adipose tissue is the first colonization site of leptospira interrogans in subcutaneously infected hamsters.	leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world, and its most severe form in humans, "weil's disease," may lead to jaundice, hemorrhage, renal failure, pulmonary hemorrhage syndrome, and sometimes,fatal multiple organ failure. although the mechanisms underlying jaundice in leptospirosis have been gradually unraveled, the pathophysiology and distribution of leptospires during the early stage of infection are not well understood. therefore, we investigated the hamster leptospiros ...	2017	28245231
seeking the environmental source of leptospirosis reveals durable bacterial viability in river soils.	leptospirosis is an important re-emerging infectious disease that affects humans worldwide. infection occurs from indirect environment-mediated exposure to pathogenic leptospires through contaminated watered environments. the ability of pathogenic leptospires to persist in the aqueous environment is a key factor in transmission to new hosts. hence, an effort was made to detect pathogenic leptospires in complex environmental samples, to genotype positive samples and to assess leptospiral viabilit ...	2017	28241042
il-10 deficient mice express ifn-γ mrna and clear leptospira interrogans from their kidneys more rapidly than normal c57bl/6 mice.	leptospira interrogans (l. interrogans), the causative agent of leptospirosis, is a widespread zoonotic spirochete that lives a dual lifestyle. l. interrogans infects mice, rats, and wildlife in a persistent and asymptomatic fashion, while also causing productive and acute infections in other mammals such as humans and hamsters. infections in humans can be fatal, accompanied by a cytokine storm and shock-like symptoms. production of il-10 has been noted in both rodent and human infections which ...	2017	28237664
leptospira interrogans serogroup pomona infections in the uk: is there a real threat for farm animals?	current typing of leptospira strains requires a combination of both serological and molecular methods. study of the epidemiology of strains within the pomona serogroup has proved problematic due to the limitations of serological typing methods. this is particularly true of the two main complexes within this group, namely the pomona, monjakov, kennewicki cluster in leptospira interrogans species and the mozdok, tsaratsovo, kunming, altodouro cluster in leptospira kirschneri strains from the south ...	2017	28213528
inhibitory effects of emodin, thymol, and astragalin on leptospira interrogans-induced inflammatory response in the uterine and endometrium epithelial cells of mice.	leptospirosis is a systemic infection that causes, among others, acute kidney injury, acute liver disease, muscle pain, vasculitis, bleeding disorders, and reproductive loss. in an effort to reduce uterine inflammatory responses induced by leptospira, we evaluated the anti-inflammation effects of emodin, thymol, and astragalin in a mouse model. our results showed that treatment with emodin, thymol, and astragalin alleviated uterine inflammation induced by leptospira infection via suppression of ...	2017	28210912
detecting signals of chronic shedding to explain pathogen persistence: leptospira interrogans in california sea lions.	identifying mechanisms driving pathogen persistence is a vital component of wildlife disease ecology and control. asymptomatic, chronically infected individuals are an oft-cited potential reservoir of infection, but demonstrations of the importance of chronic shedding to pathogen persistence at the population-level remain scarce. studying chronic shedding using commonly collected disease data is hampered by numerous challenges, including short-term surveillance that focuses on single epidemics a ...	2017	28207932
distinct antibody responses of patients with mild and severe leptospirosis determined by whole proteome microarray analysis.	leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease worldwide. humans usually present a mild non-specific febrile illness, but a proportion of them develop more severe outcomes, such as multi-organ failure, lung hemorrhage and death. such complications are thought to depend on several factors, including the host immunity. protective immunity is associated with humoral immune response, but little is known about the immune response mounted during naturally-acquired leptospira infection.	2017	28141801
jarisch-herxheimer reaction among patients with leptospirosis: incidence and risk factors.	a jarisch-herxheimer reaction (jhr) may be precipitated after initiation of chemotherapy in spirochetal diseases, including leptospirosis. however, a clear idea of the importance of jhr in this disease is lacking. the incidence of and risk factors for jhr were investigated retrospectively among 262 patients with confirmed leptospirosis who received amoxicillin treatment in new caledonia and futuna. the overall rate of jhr was 21% (12% in new caledonia and 44% in futuna). two risk factors were in ...	2017	28115662
eyedrop inoculation causes sublethal leptospirosis in mice.	leptospirosis is potentially a fatal zoonosis acquired by contact of skin and mucosal surfaces with soil and water contaminated with infected urine. we analyzed the outcome of infection of c3h/hej mice with leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni using an enzootic mode of transmission, the conjunctival route. infection led to weight loss and l. interrogans dissemination from blood to urine, and spirochetes were detected in blood and urine simultaneously. the infectious dose that led to consis ...	2017	28115508
low-dose norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin therapy worsen leptospirosis in hamster.	antibiotics play an important role in the treatment of leptospirosis. many antibiotics at appropriate concentrations improved the survival rate and alleviated tissue injury, while, when dosing strategies fall below subtherapeutic levels, worse therapeutic effects are seen. in the present study, we investigated the efficacy of low-dose norfloxacin (10, 20 and 30 mg/kg) and ciprofloxacin (1, 2 and 5 mg/kg) against leptospirosis in a hamster model using leptospira interrogans serovar icterohaemorrh ...	2017	27894961
the ebpa-rpon regulatory pathway of the pathogen leptospira interrogans is essential for survival in the environment.	leptospira interrogans is the agent of leptospirosis, a reemerging zoonotic disease. it is transmitted to humans through environmental surface waters contaminated by the urine of mammals chronically infected by pathogenic strains able to survive in water for long periods. little is known about the regulatory pathways underlying environmental sensing and host adaptation of l. interrogans during its enzootic cycle. this study identifies the ebpa-rpon regulatory pathway in l. interrogans in this pa ...	2017	27864172
evidence for wild crocodiles as a risk for human leptospirosis, mexico.	sentinel species such as crocodilians are used to monitor the health of ecosystems. however, few studies have documented the presence of zoonotic diseases in wild populations of these reptiles. herein we analyzed 48 serum samples from crocodylus acutus (n = 34) and c. moreletii (n = 14) from different sites in the state of quintana roo (mexico) to detect antibodies to leptospira interrogans by means of a microscopic agglutination test (mat). crocodylus acutus and c. moreletii tested positive to ...	2017	27807634
serology and protein electrophoresis for evidence of exposure to 12 mink pathogens in free-ranging american mink (neovison vison) in argentina.	basic pathologic characteristics for farmed minks were previously reported worldwide. however, its status in the wild has not been studied in detail.	2017	28635524
anti-erythrocyte igg in hamsters with acute experimental infection by leptospira interrogans serovar canicola.	the aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior of erythrocyte and platelet, as immunological markers, as well as evaluate the involvement of these factors in hemolytic and hemorrhagic reactions in hamsters experimentally infected by leptospira interrogans serovar canicola. our experimental design was composed by two randomized groups: infected group (ig) (n = 12) and control group (cg) (n = 6). ninety-six hours after the inoculation, the presence of immunoglobulins (igg and igm) and compleme ...	2017	28648625
development of indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosis of canine leptospirosis.	this study was taken up to develop an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (i-elisa) for screening antibodies against leptospira spp. in canines.	2017	28620258
high-resolution melting curve analysis of the 16s ribosomal gene to detect and identify pathogenic and saprophytic leptospira species in colombian isolates.	abstractit is important to identify the circulating leptospira agent to enhance the performance of serodiagnostic tests by incorporating specific antigens of native species, develop vaccines that take into account the species/serovars circulating in different regions, and optimize prevention and control strategies. the objectives of this study were to develop a polymerase chain reaction (pcr)-high-resolution melting (hrm) assay for differentiating between species of the genus leptospira and to v ...	2017	28500802
evidence of infection with leptospira interrogans and spotted fever group rickettsiae among rodents in an urban area of osaka city, japan.	we examined 33 rodents captured in an urban area of osaka city, japan for igg antibodies against seoul virus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, hepatitis e virus, leptospira interrogans, yersinia pestis, spotted fever, typhus and scrub typhus group rickettsiae. we found that 3 (9.1%) and 1 (3.0%) of the 33 rodents had antibodies against l. interrogans and spotted fever group rickettsiae, respectively. dnas of leptospires were detected from 2 of the 3 seropositive rodents, but dn ...	2017	28529271
survey for selected pathogens in wild pigs (sus scrofa) from guam, marianna islands, usa.	pigs (sus scrofa) were introduced to guam in the 1600's and are now present in high densities throughout the island. wild pigs are reservoirs for pathogens of concern to domestic animals and humans. exposure to porcine parvovirus, transmissible gastroenteritis, and leptospira interrogans has been documented in domestic swine but data from wild pigs are lacking. the close proximity of humans, domestic animals, and wild pigs, combined with the liberal hunting of wild pigs, results in frequent oppo ...	2017	28622856
evidence of leptospirosis in the kidneys and serum of feral swine (sus scrofa) in the united states.	leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonosis in humans worldwide. in the united states, widespread detection of antibodies to leptospirosis have been identified in feral swine (sus scrofa) with the highest detection of serovars, bratislava, icterohaemorrhagiae, and pomona. over the past few years, feral swine populations have expanded their geographical range and distribution in the united states with reports in at least 39 of 50 states. since feral swine serve as reservoirs for serovars that c ...	2017	27697080
characterization of the molecular chaperone clpb from the pathogenic spirochaete leptospira interrogans.	leptospira interrogans is a spirochaete responsible for leptospirosis in mammals. the molecular mechanisms of the leptospira virulence remain mostly unknown. recently, it has been demonstrated that an aaa+ chaperone clpb (a member of the hsp100 family) from l. interrogans (clpbli) is not only essential for survival of leptospira under the thermal and oxidative stresses, but also during infection of a host. the aim of this study was to provide further insight into the role of clpb in the pathogen ...	2017	28700685