Publications

microbial origin of plant-type 2-keto-3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthases, exemplified by the chorismate- and tryptophan-regulated enzyme from xanthomonas campestris.	enzymes performing the initial reaction of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis, 2-keto-3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate (dahp) synthases, exist as two distinct homology classes. the three classic escherichia coli paralogs are aroa(i) proteins, but many members of the bacteria possess the aroa(ii) class of enzyme, sometimes in combination with aroa(i) proteins. aroa(ii) dahp synthases until now have been shown to be specifically dedicated to secondary metabolism (e.g., formation of ansamy ...	2001	11395471
use of continuous culture bioreactors for the study of pathogens such as campylobacter jejuni and escherichia coli o157 in biofilms.		2001	11398452
potential intervention of campylobacter jejuni in the modulation of murine immune response.	campylobacter jejuni has been reported to produce different toxins that may modulate the immune response in both animals and humans. the effect of c. jejuni enterotoxin on the immune response was investigated in two groups of balb/c mice. one of them was inoculated intraperitoneally with 1010 colony forming units (cfu) of an enterotoxigenic strain (ccug 7580), and the second one with a non-enterotoxigenic strain (ccug 7440). the number of polymorphonuclear (pmn) cells from spleen increased in bo ...	2001	11400072
absence of clonality of campylobacter jejuni in serotypes other than hs:19 associated with guillain-barré syndrome and gastroenteritis.	guillain-barré syndrome (gbs) is recognized as a complication that occurs after campylobacter infection. certain penner serotypes, such as hs:19, are linked particularly to gbs in some parts of the world, and there is good evidence for restricted genetic diversity in these isolates. however, gbs also occurs after campylobacter infection due to other serotypes. therefore, we asked whether campylobacter jejuni non-hs:19 serotypes associated with gbs have a clonal structure and differ from strains ...	2001	11400076
molecular population genetic analysis of campylobacter jejuni hs:19 associated with guillain-barré syndrome and gastroenteritis.	infection with campylobacter jejuni serotype hs:19 is associated with the development of guillain-barré syndrome (gbs). to determine whether a particular hs:19 clone is associated with gbs, multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (mlee) was used to analyze a worldwide collection of isolates. there were 34 electropherotypes (ets) in 3 phylogenetic clusters among 83 c. jejuni isolates. cluster i contained all hs:19 strains, and a single et (et4) accounted for most hs:19 strains. hs:19 strains did not oc ...	2001	11400077
motility and the polar flagellum are required for aeromonas caviae adherence to hep-2 cells.	aeromonas caviae is increasingly being recognized as a cause of gastroenteritis, especially among the young. the adherence of aeromonads to human epithelial cells in vitro has been correlated with enteropathogenicity, but the mechanism is far from well understood. initial investigations demonstrated that adherence of a. caviae to hep-2 cells was significantly reduced by either pretreating bacterial cells with an antipolar flagellin antibody or by pretreating hep-2 cells with partially purified f ...	2001	11401962
cdta, cdtb, and cdtc form a tripartite complex that is required for cytolethal distending toxin activity.	campylobacter jejuni encodes a cytolethal distending toxin (cdt) that causes cells to arrest in the g(2)/m transition phase of the cell cycle. highly related toxins are also produced by other important bacterial pathogens. cdt activity requires the function of three genes: cdta, cdtb, and cdtc. recent studies have established that cdtb is the active subunit of cdt, exerting its effect as a nuclease that damages the dna and triggers cell cycle arrest. microinjection of cdtb into target cells led ...	2001	11401974
gastroenteritis-associated guillain-barré syndrome on the caribbean island curaçao.	the number of patients with guillain-barré syndrome (gbs) who have been observed in curaçao, the netherlands antilles, may be increasing.	2001	11402102
survival and death of salmonella typhimurium and campylobacter jejuni in processing water and on chicken skin during poultry scalding and chilling.	salmonella typhimurium and campylobacter jejuni were inoculated in scalding water, in chilled water, and on chicken skins to examine the effects of scalding temperature (50, 55, and 60 degrees c) and the chlorine level in chilled water (0, 10, 30, and 50 ppm), associated with the ages of scalding water (0 and 10 h) and chilled water (0 and 8 h), on bacterial survival or death. after scalding at 50 and 60 degrees c, the reductions of c. jejuni were 1.5 and 6.2 log cfu/ml in water and <1 and >2 lo ...	2001	11403124
antimicrobial susceptibility of intestinal bacteria from swiss poultry flocks before the ban of antimicrobial growth promoters.	from the crop and the caecum of swiss broilers slaughtered between november 1997 and january 1998, escherichia coli, enterococci, staphylococci, lactobacilli and campylobacter species were isolated. after identification to the genus or species level, their minimal inhibitory concentrations (mic's) for several clinically used antimicrobial agents were determined with the e-test stripes and compared to those from studies in other european countries. all strains of enterococcus faecalis (n = 38), e ...	2001	11403390
investigation of infection with campylobacter jejuni in a man with hypogammaglobulinaemia using pcr-single-stranded conformational polymorphism (pcr-sscp) typing.	this study investigated several episodes of infection of campylobacter jejuni in an immunocompromised male with hypogammaglobulinaemia, presenting with diarrhoea and bacteraemia over a 16-month period, by employing three phenotyping and four genotyping schemes, including the single-stranded conformational polymorphism (sscp) technique to establish if infection was reinfection or persistent infection. four isolates from blood culture and two faecal isolates of campylobacter jejuni were obtained f ...	2001	11403407
dna gyrase-mediated natural resistance to fluoroquinolones in ehrlichia spp.	fluoroquinolone susceptibility heterogeneity between various ehrlichia species has been previously demonstrated. in gram-negative bacteria, resistance to fluoroquinolones most often corresponds to specific amino acid variations in a portion of the protein sequence of the a subunit of dna gyrase (gyra), referred to as the quinolone resistance-determining region (qrdr). we suspected a similar mechanism to be responsible for natural resistance in some ehrlichia species. to verify this hypothesis, w ...	2001	11408229
genemarks: a self-training method for prediction of gene starts in microbial genomes. implications for finding sequence motifs in regulatory regions.	improving the accuracy of prediction of gene starts is one of a few remaining open problems in computer prediction of prokaryotic genes. its difficulty is caused by the absence of relatively strong sequence patterns identifying true translation initiation sites. in the current paper we show that the accuracy of gene start prediction can be improved by combining models of protein-coding and non-coding regions and models of regulatory sites near gene start within an iterative hidden markov model b ...	2001	11410670
range of cross reactivity of anti-gm1 igg antibody in guillain-barré syndrome.	the cross reactivity of anti-gm1 igg antibody with various gangliosides and asialo-gm1 in serum samples from 27 patients with guillain-barré syndrome was investigated. an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) absorption study showed that anti-gm1 igg antibody cross reacted with asialo-gm1 in 52% of the patients, gm1b in 41%, gd1b in 22%, and galnac-gd1a in 19%, and that it did not cross react with gm2, gt1b, or gq1b. the antibody that cross reacted with gd1b was associated with a high freque ...	2001	11413278
sodium ion-driven serine/threonine transport in porphyromonas gingivalis.	porphyromonas gingivalis is an asaccharolytic, gram-negative bacterium that relies on the fermentation of amino acids for metabolic energy. when grown in continuous culture in complex medium containing 4 mm (each) free serine, threonine, and arginine, p. gingivalis assimilated mainly glutamate/glutamine, serine, threonine, aspartate/asparagine, and leucine in free and/or peptide form. serine and threonine were assimilated in approximately equal amounts in free and peptide form. we characterized ...	2001	11418553
characterization of an aminoacylase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon pyrococcus furiosus.	aminoacylase was identified in cell extracts of the hyperthermophilic archaeon pyrococcus furiosus by its ability to hydrolyze n-acetyl-l-methionine and was purified by multistep chromatography. the enzyme is a homotetramer (42.06 kda per subunit) and, as purified, contains 1.0 +/- 0.48 g-atoms of zinc per subunit. treatment of the purified enzyme with edta resulted in complete loss of activity. this was restored to 86% of the original value (200 u/mg) by treatment with zncl(2) (and to 74% by th ...	2001	11418567
the physiology and metabolism of campylobacter jejuni and helicobacter pylori.		2001	11422557
post genome analysis of campylobacter jejuni.		2001	11422559
animal models of campylobacter jejuni colonization and disease and the lessons to be learned from similar helicobacter pylori models.		2001	11422561
guillain--barré syndrome and campylobacter jejuni infection.		2001	11422570
serotype and genotype diversity and hatchery transmission of campylobacter jejuni in commercial poultry flocks.	we investigated the genotype and serotype diversity of campylobacter coli and c. jejuni in two parent flocks of adult hens and their offspring over two rotations in order to evaluate the role of hatchery mediated transmission and/or vertical transmission of campylobacters in broiler flocks. in total, 314 c. jejuni and 32 c. coli isolates from parent and broiler flocks and from the surroundings of broiler houses were typed by flagellin gene pcr/rflp (fla-typing), and selected isolates were also t ...	2001	11423205
comparison of genotypes and serotypes of campylobacter jejuni isolated from danish wild mammals and birds and from broiler flocks and humans.	the incidence of human infection with campylobacter jejuni is increasing in most developed countries and the reason for this is largely unknown. although poultry meat is considered to be a major source, it is evident that other reservoirs exist, possibly common to humans and poultry. environmental sources are believed to be important reservoirs of campylobacter infection in broiler chicken flocks. we investigated the potential importance of wildlife as a source of infection in commercial poultry ...	2001	11425730
natural transformation in mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria: identification and characterization of novel, closely related competence genes in acinetobacter sp. strain bd413 and thermus thermophilus hb27.	the mesophile acinetobacter sp. strain bd413 and the extreme thermophile thermus thermophilus hb27 display high frequencies of natural transformation. in this study we identified and characterized a novel competence gene in acinetobacter sp. strain bd413, coma, whose product displays significant similarities to the competence proteins coma and comec in neisseria and bacillus species. transcription of coma correlated with growth phase-dependent transcriptional regulation of the recently identifie ...	2001	11425734
production of bartonella genus-specific monoclonal antibodies.	monoclonal antibodies (mabs) which react with heat-resistant proteins with molecular masses of 32 to 33 kda of 14 different bartonella species were produced. these antibodies did not react with antigens of 26 diverse bacterial strains by microimmunofluorescence assay except mab b3d4, which reacted with chlamydia psittaci and chlamydia trachomatis at low titers. the identification of a common bartonella antigenic protein will make it possible to later produce a diagnostic antigen by cloning and e ...	2001	11427441
evaluation of methods for subtyping campylobacter jejuni during an outbreak involving a food handler.	in october 1998, the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) assisted in an investigation of an outbreak of campylobacteriosis at a school in salina, kansas. twenty-two isolates were submitted from the kansas state public health laboratory to cdc, 9 associated with the outbreak and 13 epidemiologically unrelated sporadic isolates. pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge) using smai and sali was initially used to validate the epidemiologic data. we then tested the ability of other subtypi ...	2001	11427543
helicobacter winghamensis sp. nov., a novel helicobacter sp. isolated from patients with gastroenteritis.	from 1997 to 1999 seven isolates of campylobacter-like organisms from five patients that were exhibiting symptoms of gastroenteritis, including fever, stomach malaise, and diarrhea, were investigated. the organisms were isolated from stool samples and found to exhibit a diverse colony morphology; hence multiple isolates were submitted from one of the patients. all isolates were found to be identical. the organisms were catalase, urease, alkaline phosphatase, and nitrate negative but oxidase and ...	2001	11427547
rpob sequence analysis of cultured tropheryma whippelii.	until recently no isolate of tropheryma whippelii was available, and therefore genetic studies were limited to those based on pcr amplification of conserved genes. in this study we determined the nucleotide sequence of rpob (encoding the beta-subunit of rna polymerase) from a cultured strain of t. whippelii using degenerate consensus pcr and genome walking. the t. whippelii rpob consists of 3,657 bp with a 50.4% gc content and encodes 1,218 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 138 kda ...	2001	11427549
genomic heterogeneity and o-antigenic diversity of campylobacter upsaliensis and campylobacter helveticus strains isolated from dogs and cats in germany.	a serotyping scheme based on heat-stable surface antigens was established for 101 campylobacter upsaliensis and 10 campylobacter helveticus strains isolated from 261 dogs and 46 cats of different ages originating from two geographically distinct regions in germany. the prevalence of c. upsaliensis varied between 27.8% in juvenile dogs (<12 months of age) and 55.4% in adult dogs (p < 0.05). of the cats, 19.6% harbored c. upsaliensis, whereas 21.7% carried c. helveticus. of the c. upsaliensis isol ...	2001	11427567
fluorogenic pcr-based quantitative detection of a murine pathogen, helicobacter hepaticus.	helicobacter hepaticus infection in mice is being used as an animal model for elucidating the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal and biliary diseases in humans. h. hepaticus, which forms a spreading film on selective agar, is not amenable to routine quantitative counts of organisms in tissues using a cfu method. in this study, a fluorogenic pcr-based assay was developed to quantitatively detect h. hepaticus in mouse ceca and feces using the abi prism 7700 sequence detection system. a pair of prime ...	2001	11427576
direct detection of legionella species from bronchoalveolar lavage and open lung biopsy specimens: comparison of lightcycler pcr, in situ hybridization, direct fluorescence antigen detection, and culture.	we developed a rapid thermocycling, real-time detection (also known as real-time pcr) method for the detection of legionella species directly from clinical specimens. this method uses the lightcycler (roche molecular biochemicals, indianapolis, ind.) and requires approximately 1 to 2 h to perform. both a legionella genus pcr assay and legionella pneumophila species-specific pcr assay were designed. a total of 43 archived specimens from 35 patients were evaluated, including 19 bronchoalveolar lav ...	2001	11427579
basis of the superiority of cefoperazone amphotericin teicoplanin for isolating campylobacter upsaliensis from stools.	the optimum method for isolating campylobacter upsaliensis from stools has not been clearly defined. in a preliminary study, cefoperazone amphotericin teicoplanin (cat) selective medium isolated six c. upsaliensis strains which were not detected using modified cefoperazone charcoal deoxycholate (mccda). in order to identify the factors that underlie the superiority of cat over mccda for isolating c. upsaliensis, we examined the effect of incubation time and antibiotic content of culture media on ...	2001	11427603
a campylobacter jejuni gene associated with immune-mediated neuropathy.		2001	11433317
[anti-gq1b antibodies: usefulness of its detection for the diagnosis of miller-fisher syndrome].	to study the presence of anti-gq1b antibodies as a tool for the diagnosis of miller-fisher syndrome (mfs).	2001	11440679
negative selection of t cells by helicobacter pylori as a model for bacterial strain selection by immune evasion.	the majority of humans infected with helicobacter pylori maintain a lifelong infection with strains bearing the cag pathogenicity island (pai). h. pylori inhibits t cell responses and evades immunity so the mechanism by which infection impairs responsiveness was investigated. h. pylori caused apoptotic t cell death, whereas campylobacter jejuni did not. the induction of apoptosis by h. pylori was blocked by an anti-fas ab (zb4) or a caspase 8 inhibitor. in addition, a t cell line with the fas re ...	2001	11441100
screening of patients with complex regional pain syndrome for antecedent infections.	this study was designed to investigate whether complex regional pain syndrome type i (crps i) could be linked to any previous infection.	2001	11444711
contribution of mn-cofactored superoxide dismutase (soda) to the virulence of streptococcus agalactiae.	superoxide dismutases convert superoxide anions to molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, which, in turn, is metabolized by catalases and/or peroxidases. these enzymes constitute one of the major defense mechanisms of cells against oxidative stress and hence play a role in the pathogenesis of certain bacteria. we previously demonstrated that group b streptococci (gbs) possess a single mn-cofactored superoxide dismutase (soda). to analyze the role of this enzyme in the pathogenicity of gbs, we c ...	2001	11447191
identification and analysis of staphylococcus aureus components expressed by a model system of growth in serum.	a model system mimicking staphylococcus aureus bacteremia was developed by growth in serum under microaerobic conditions. eight genes induced by growth in serum were identified, including an antimicrobial peptide biosynthesis locus, amino acid biosynthetic loci, and genes encoding putative surface proteins. nine independent insertions were found in the major lysine biosynthesis operon, which encodes eight genes, is repressed by lysine in vitro, and is expressed in vivo.	2001	11447207
development of a ceue-based multiplex polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assay for direct detection and differentiation of campylobacter jejuni and campylobacter coli in thailand.	a novel ceue-based multiplex pcr system was developed as an efficient diagnostics test to detect and differentiate c. jejuni and c. coli. there is no cross reactivity between c. jejuni and c. coli. in addition, the assay does not produce a positive signal from other enteric bacteria including salmonella, shigella and escherichia coli strains. campylobacter detection sensitivity was determined to be equivalent to previously reported pcr for other enteric bacteria. we also noticed that silicon dio ...	2001	11448558
activity of bms284756 (t-3811) tested against anaerobic bacteria, campylobacter jejuni, helicobacter pylori and legionella spp.	bms284756, a novel des-fluoro (6) quinolone (formerly t-3811), was tested for activity and spectrum using reference agar dilution (ad) and etest (ab biodisk, solna, sweden) methods. the antimicrobial activities of bms284756, ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin, levofloxacin, and trovafloxacin were evaluated against campylobacter jejuni (38 strains), helicobacter pylori (21 strains), legionella spp. (66 strains), and 197 anaerobic isolates. bms284756 (mic(90), 0.008 microg/ml) was four-fold more active t ...	2001	11448563
gt160-246, a toxin binding polymer for treatment of clostridium difficile colitis.	gt160-246, a high-molecular-weight soluble anionic polymer, was tested in vitro and in vivo for neutralization of clostridium difficile toxin a and b activities. five milligrams of gt160-246 per ml neutralized toxin-mediated inhibition of protein synthesis in vero cells induced by 5 ng of toxin a per ml or 1.25 ng of toxin b per ml. in ligated rat ileal loops, 1 mg of gt160-246 neutralized fluid accumulation caused by 5 microg of toxin a. at doses as high as 80 mg/loop, cholestyramine provided i ...	2001	11451694
rad54 protein stimulates the postsynaptic phase of rad51 protein-mediated dna strand exchange.	rad54 and rad51 are important proteins for the repair of double-stranded dna breaks by homologous recombination in eukaryotes. as previously shown, rad51 protein forms nucleoprotein filaments on single-stranded dna, and rad54 protein directly interacts with such filaments to enhance synapsis, the homologous pairing with a double-stranded dna partner. here we demonstrate that saccharomyces cerevisiae rad54 protein has an additional role in the postsynaptic phase of dna strand exchange by stimulat ...	2001	11459988
identification of the carbohydrate moieties and glycosylation motifs in campylobacter jejuni flagellin.	flagellins from three strains of campylobacter jejuni and one strain of campylobacter coli were shown to be extensively modified by glycosyl residues, imparting an approximate 6000-da shift from the molecular mass of the protein predicted from the dna sequence. tryptic peptides from c. jejuni 81-176 flagellin were subjected to capillary liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry with a high/low orifice stepping to identify peptide segments of aberrant masses together with their corresp ...	2001	11461915
more than one way to sense chemicals.		2001	11466269
genome sequence and comparative analysis of the solvent-producing bacterium clostridium acetobutylicum.	the genome sequence of the solvent-producing bacterium clostridium acetobutylicum atcc 824 has been determined by the shotgun approach. the genome consists of a 3.94-mb chromosome and a 192-kb megaplasmid that contains the majority of genes responsible for solvent production. comparison of c. acetobutylicum to bacillus subtilis reveals significant local conservation of gene order, which has not been seen in comparisons of other genomes with similar, or, in some cases closer, phylogenetic proximi ...	2001	11466286
structure-function analysis of bfpb, a secretin-like protein encoded by the bundle-forming-pilus operon of enteropathogenic escherichia coli.	production of type iv bundle-forming pili by enteropathogenic escherichia coli (epec) requires bfpb, an outer-membrane lipoprotein and member of the secretin protein superfamily. bfpb was found to compose a ring-shaped, high-molecular-weight outer-membrane complex that is stable in 4% sodium dodecyl sulfate at temperatures of < or = 65 degrees c. chemical cross-linking and immunoprecipitation experiments disclosed that the bfpb multimeric complex interacts with bfpg, and mutational studies showe ...	2001	11466288
iron-dependent transcription of the frpb gene of helicobacter pylori is controlled by the fur repressor protein.	we have overexpressed and purified the helicobacter pylori fur protein and analyzed its interaction with the intergenic regions of divergent genes involved in iron uptake (frpb and ceue) and oxygen radical detoxification (kata and tsaa). dnase i footprint analysis showed that fur binds specifically to a high-affinity site overlapping the p(frpb) promoter and to low-affinity sites located upstream from promoters within both the frpb-kata and ceue-tsaa intergenic regions. construction of an isogen ...	2001	11466300
[molecular mimicry of bacterial polysaccharides and their role in etiology of infectious and autoimmune diseases].	molecular mimicry is one of the most important pathogenic factor of microorganism and is defined as a structural similarity of microbial molecules to host tissue contributing to the pathogenicity. mimicry can be observed at the molecular, serological and functional level. in the review the infectious diseases have been discussed where the mimicry phenomenon may occur, and also autoimmune disease where due to the molecular mimicry bacterial structures are potent to induce adverse immune reactions ...	2001	11468971
assessment of the genetic diversity among strains of xanthomonas cynarae by randomly amplified polymorphic dna analysis and development of specific characterized amplified regions for the rapid identification of x. cynarae.	the randomly amplified polymorphic dna (rapd) method was used to investigate the genetic diversity in xanthomonas cynarae, which causes bacterial bract spot disease of artichoke. this rapd analysis was also intended to identify molecular markers characteristic of this species, in order to develop pcr-based markers which can be used to detect this pathogenic bacterium in artichoke fields. among the 340 rapd primers tested, 40 were selected on their ability to produce reproducible and reliable fin ...	2001	11472907
the ability of fla-typing schemes to discriminate between strains of campylobacter jejuni.	the aim of this investigation was to compare the usefulness of two previously published flagellin pcr-rflp typing (fla-typing) techniques for the subtyping of campylobacter jejuni strains, in terms of ease of use and discriminatory power.	2001	11473586
campylobacter contamination in french chicken production from farm to consumers. use of a pcr assay for detection and identification of campylobacter jejuni and camp. coli.	campylobacter contamination in french chicken production from the farm to the consumer was determined using a pcr assay for bacteria detection and identification.	2001	11473590
evaluation of methods for detection of toxins in specimens of feces submitted for diagnosis of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.	clostridium difficile is the principal pathogen associated with hospital-acquired acute diarrheal disease. we have evaluated the performances of six approaches for diagnosis of c. difficile-associated diarrhea (cdad). consecutive stool specimens (n = 200) from 133 patients were examined by cytotoxin assay, by culture of c. difficile on cycloserine-cefoxitin-fructose agar, and by toxin detection using four rapid immunoassay systems (oxoid toxin a test, immunocard toxin a test, techlab tox a/b ii ...	2001	11474001
relationship of campylobacter toxigenicity in vitro to the development of postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome.	campylobacter enteritis is associated with a significant risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome, but the mechanism is unknown. this study ascertained bowel symptoms in 93 patients 3 months after campylobacter jejuni enteritis infection. the infecting organisms were cultured, and the effects of culture supernatants on toxin-sensitive epithelial cell monolayers (hep-2, green monkey kidney epithelial [vero], and cho-k1) were investigated. in all, 50, 43, and 41 of the isolates showed toxigenic ...	2001	11474430
antimicrobial susceptibilities of campylobacter strains isolated from food animals in belgium.	campylobacter spp. are a frequent cause of diarrhoea in man, originating mostly from poultry. it has been suggested that the veterinary use of antibiotics is largely responsible for resistance in human isolates, particularly to quinolones. during a 6 month period from june to december 1998, 677 campylobacter isolates were obtained from healthy poultry and pigs. samples were taken at belgian slaughterhouses. species identification was performed by biochemical tests, multiplex pcr and sds-page of ...	2001	11481294
a genomic island in pseudomonas aeruginosa carries the determinants of flagellin glycosylation.	protein glycosylation has been long recognized as an important posttranslational modification process in eukaryotic cells. glycoproteins, predominantly secreted or surface localized, have also been identified in bacteria. we have identified a cluster of 14 genes, encoding the determinants of the flagellin glycosylation machinery in pseudomonas aeruginosa pak, which we called the flagellin glycosylation island. flagellin glycosylation can be detected only in bacteria expressing the a-type flagell ...	2001	11481492
occurrence of campylobacter jejuni in vegetables.	in order to understand the importance of vegetables in the transmission of thermophilic campylobacter, 56 samples of different vegetables were screened. out of these, 2 samples (1 spinach and 1 fenugreek) revealed the presence of campylobacter jejuni biotype i. both the isolates were enteropathogenic in rat ileal loop test.	2001	11482564
three patients with ophthalmoplegia associated with campylobacter jejuni.	cranial polyneuropathy is idiopathic in most patients. idiopathic cranial polyneuropathy is an acute postinfectious syndrome, along with guillain-barré syndrome and miller fisher syndrome, in which the common preceding pathogen is campylobacter jejuni. serum anti-gq1b antibodies are elevated in miller fisher syndrome and guillain-barré syndrome with ophthalmoplegia. three patients with idiopathic cranial polyneuropathy with predominant ocular involvement are presented. c. jejuni isolated from st ...	2001	11483401
identification of the helicobacter pylori anti-sigma28 factor.	flagellar motility is essential for colonization of the human gastric mucosa by helicobacter pylori. the flagellar filament is composed of two subunits, flaa and flab. transcription of the genes encoding these proteins is controlled by the sigma28 and sigma54 factors of rna polymerase respectively. the expression of flagellar genes is regulated, but no sigma28-specific effector was identified. it was also unclear whether h. pylori possessed a checkpoint for flagellar synthesis, and no gene encod ...	2001	11489132
characterizations of highly expressed genes of four fast-growing bacteria.	predicted highly expressed (phx) genes are characterized for the completely sequenced genomes of the four fast-growing bacteria escherichia coli, haemophilus influenzae, vibrio cholerae, and bacillus subtilis. our approach to ascertaining gene expression levels relates to codon usage differences among certain gene classes: the collection of all genes (average gene), the ensemble of ribosomal protein genes, major translation/transcription processing factors, and genes for polypeptides of chaperon ...	2001	11489855
characterization of haemophilus ducreyi cdta, cdtb, and cdtc mutants in in vitro and in vivo systems.	haemophilus ducreyi expresses a soluble cytolethal distending toxin (cdt) that is encoded by the cdtabc gene cluster and can be detected in culture supernatant fluid by its ability to kill hela cells. the cdta, cdtb, and cdtc genes of h. ducreyi were cloned independently into plasmid vectors, and their encoded proteins expressed singly or in various combinations in an escherichia coli background. all three gene products had to be expressed in order for e. coli-derived culture supernatant fluids ...	2001	11500438
cytolethal distending toxin demonstrates genotoxic activity in a yeast model.	cytolethal distending toxins (cdts) are multisubunit proteins produced by a variety of bacterial pathogens that cause enlargement, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis in mammalian cells. while their function remains uncertain, recent studies suggest that they can act as intracellular dnases in mammalian cells. here we establish a novel yeast model for understanding cdt-associated disease. expression of the cdtb subunit in yeast causes a g2/m arrest, as seen in mammalian cells. cdtb toxicity is not ...	2001	11500452
cloning, expression, and catalytic activity of helicobacter hepaticus urease.	helicobacter hepaticus causes disease in the liver and lower intestinal tract of mice. it is strongly urease positive, although it does not live in an acidic environment. the h. hepaticus urease gene cluster was expressed in escherichia coli with and without coexpression of the helicobacter pylori nickel transporter nixa. as for h. pylori, it was difficult to obtain enzymatic activity from recombinant h. hepaticus urease; special conditions including nicl2 supplementation were required. the h. h ...	2001	11500473
demonstration of polysaccharide capsule in campylobacter jejuni using electron microscopy.	recently, we reported that campylobacter jejuni, an important gastrointestinal pathogen, has the genetic determinants to produce a capsular polysaccharide (karlyshev et al., mol. microbiol. 35:529-541, 2000). despite these data, the presence of a capsule in these bacteria has remained controversial. in this study we stain c. jejuni cells with the cationic dye alcian blue and demonstrate for the first time by electron microscopy that c. jejuni cells produce a polysaccharide capsule that is retain ...	2001	11500474
recombinant actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans cytolethal distending toxin proteins are required to interact to inhibit human cell cycle progression and to stimulate human leukocyte cytokine synthesis.	it has recently been discovered that actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, an oral bacterium causing periodontitis, produces cytolethal distending toxin (cdt), a cell cycle-modulating toxin that has three protein subunits: cdta, cdtb, and cdtc. in this study, we have cloned and expressed each toxin gene from a. actinomycetemcomitans in escherichia coli and purified the recombinant cdt proteins to homogeneity. individual cdt proteins failed to induce cell cycle arrest of the human epithelial cell ...	2001	11500475
in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of tak-083, an agent for treatment of helicobacter pylori infection.	the antibacterial activity of tak-083 was tested against 54 clinical isolates of helicobacter pylori and was compared with those of amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and metronidazole. the growth-inhibitory activity of tak-083 was more potent than that of amoxicillin, clarithromycin, or metronidazole (the mics at which 90% of the strains are inhibited were 0.031, 0.125, 64, and 8 microg/ml, respectively). the antibacterial activity of tak-083 was highly selective against h. pylori; there was a >30-fo ...	2001	11502514
an eulerian path approach to dna fragment assembly.	for the last 20 years, fragment assembly in dna sequencing followed the "overlap-layout-consensus" paradigm that is used in all currently available assembly tools. although this approach proved useful in assembling clones, it faces difficulties in genomic shotgun assembly. we abandon the classical "overlap-layout-consensus" approach in favor of a new euler algorithm that, for the first time, resolves the 20-year-old "repeat problem" in fragment assembly. our main result is the reduction of the f ...	2001	11504945
campylobacter jejuni enteritis.	we report the development of campylobacter jejuni enteritis in a patient with preexisting humoral and cellular immune recognition of c. jejuni antigens. this is one of few studies in which the immunologic status of a person with regard to c. jejuni before and after c. jejuni infection is directly compared, and it is the only study of which we are aware that includes measurements of cellular immunity. the findings may be important to campylobacter vaccine development efforts.	2001	11512097
campylobacter jejuni--microtubule-dependent invasion.	campylobacter jejuni is the leading bacterial cause of food-borne illness worldwide and a major cause of guillain-barré paralysis. recent molecular and cellular studies of one well-characterized c. jejuni strain have begun to unravel the details of an unusual microtubule-dependent (actin-filament-independent) gut-invasion mechanism, through which at least some c. jejuni initiate disease. although responsible for causing a human dysenteric syndrome remarkably similar to that triggered by shigella ...	2001	11514222
immunomagnetic separation methods for the isolation of campylobacter jejuni from ground poultry meats.	campylobacter jejuni is now recognized as a leading foodborne pathogen, for which poultry products constitute the main transmission route. two alternative immunomagnetic beads (imb) were tested for direct detection of c. jejuni atcc 35918 in artificially inoculated ground poultry meats and culture suspension. polyclonal anti-campylobacter antibodies were used to coat tosylactivated dynabeads. the same antibodies conjugated with biotin were used to label streptavidin-coated beads. after these bea ...	2001	11516751
investigations of waterborne pathogens in eurasian beaver (castor fiber) from telemark county, southeast norway.		2001	11957376
neck stiffness in two children with guillain-barré syndrome after campylobacter jejuni infection.		2001	12013593
disease reporting from an automated laboratory-based reporting system to a state health department via local county health departments.	the authors assessed the completeness of disease reporting from a managed care organization's automated laboratory-based reporting system to the california department of health services (cdhs) via local public health departments.	2001	12034915
trypanosomal dutpases as potential targets for drug design.	parasites of the trypanosomatidae family are responsible for diseases that afflict several million people worldwide. currently there is an urgent need for new drugs against these diseases and an approach to drug discovery is the study of biochemical and structural properties of a potential target and the subsequent design of specific compounds. trypanosomatid genes coding for enzymes which distinctively hydrolyze dutp have been isolated by genetic complementation in escherichia coli mutants defe ...	2001	12374098
a bacterial toxin that causes dna damage to modulate cellular responses.	campylobacter jejuni constitutes the leading cause of bacterial diarrhea in the u.s. and all around the world. this common bacterium produces a toxin known as cytolethal distending toxin (cdt) which causes intoxicated cells to enlarge and to stop dividing with a double dna content characteristic of g2/m arrest. the effect of the toxin on the cell is so striking that it captivated scientists for a long time. however, its mechanism of action had remained elusive.	2001	12805665
molecular mimicry of host structures by lipooligosaccharides of neisseria meningitidis: characterization of sialylated and nonsialylated lacto-n-neotetraose (galbeta1-4glcnacbeta1-3galbeta1-4glc) structures in lipooligosaccharides using monoclonal antibodies and specific lectins.	neisseria meningitidis lipooligosaccharides (loss) are classified into 12 immunotypes. most loss are heterogeneous in having a few components by sds-page analysis that differ antigenically and chemically. we have utilized a monoclonal antibody that recognizes lacto-n-neotetraose (lnnt) and the lectin, maackia amurensis leukoagglutinin (mal), which is specific for neunacalpha2-3galbeta1-4glcnac trisacchride sequence to characterize the 12 n. meningitidis loss. using the combination of elisa, sds- ...	2001	14533820
acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy associated with active systemic lupus erythematosus and anticardiolipin antibodies.	acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy (amsan) is an axonal variant of guillian-barré syndrome (gbs) that presents with acute ascending quadriparesis. this has generally been described in association with campylobacter jejuni infections or with anti-ganglioside antibodies. known cases have shown a slow recovery and a poor prognosis. we report a case with clinical and electrophysiological evidence of amsan in association with active systemic lupus erythematosus (sle) and anticardiolipin antibodies ...	2001	17039164
bacteriological study of indian cheese (paneer) sold in chandigarh.	a study was conducted to isolate and identify bacterial pathogens/contaminants in paneer samples sold in chandigarh. fifty eight samples of paneer bought at random were cultured on several media. bacterial colony counts were also done. the predominant organisms isolated were staphylococcus species, aerobic spore bearers, klebsiella pneumoniae, campylobacter jejuni, acinetobacter species and streptococcus species. the viable bacterial counts obtained ranged from 3 x 10(2) to 9.7 x 10(10) cfu/ml. ...	2001	17664841
the arabidopsis huellenlos gene, which is essential for normal ovule development, encodes a mitochondrial ribosomal protein.	the huellenlos (hll) gene participates in patterning and growth of the arabidopsis ovule. we have isolated the hll gene and shown that it encodes a protein homologous to the l14 proteins of eubacterial ribosomes. the arabidopsis genome also includes a highly similar gene, huellenlos paralog (hlp), and genes for both cytosolic (l23) and chloroplast ribosome l14 proteins. phylogenetic analysis shows that hll and hlp differ significantly from these other two classes of such proteins. hll and hlp fu ...	2001	11752383
in vitro activity of rifaximin against enteropathogens producing traveler's diarrhea.		2001	11269233
role of the high affinity immunoglobulin e receptor in bacterial translocation and intestinal inflammation.	a role for immunoglobulin e and its high affinity receptor (fc epsilon ri) in the control of bacterial pathogenicity and intestinal inflammation has been suggested, but relevant animal models are lacking. here we compare transgenic mice expressing a humanized fc epsilon ri (hfc epsilon ri), with a cell distribution similar to that in humans, to fc epsilon ri-deficient animals. in hfc epsilon ri transgenic mice, levels of colonic interleukin 4 were higher, the composition of fecal flora was great ...	2001	11136818
hyper-immunoglobulin a in the hyperimmunoglobulinemia d syndrome.	the hyperimmunoglobulinemia d syndrome (hids) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by recurrent febrile attacks with abdominal, articular, and skin manifestations. apart from elevated immunoglobulin d (igd) levels (>100 iu/ml), there are high iga levels in the majority of cases. mutations in the gene encoding mevalonate kinase constitute the molecular defect in hids. the cause of elevated iga concentrations in hids patients remains to be elucidated. we studied the hyper-iga response ...	2001	11139196
srpdb (signal recognition particle database).	signal recognition particle (srp) is a stable cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein complex that serves to translocate secretory proteins across membranes during translation. the srp database (srpdb) provides compilations of srp components, ordered alphabetically and phylogenetically. alignments emphasize phylogenetically-supported base pairs in srp rna and conserved residues in the proteins. data are provided in various formats including a column arrangement for improved access and simplified computati ...	2001	11125080
thermophilic campylobacters in surface water: a potential risk of campylobacteriosis.	campylobacteriosis caused by campylobacter jejuni, campylobacter coli and campylobacter lari is one of the most frequently occurring acute gastroenteritis diseases in humans. an important risk factor is untreated drinking water. thermotolerant campylobacters were isolated from bø river water using 100-ml filtrate samples. campylobacters were isolated from 32 of 60 samples (53.3%). of the 75 strains isolated, 47 (62.7%) were detected using the enrichment procedure and 28 (37.2%) by direct plating ...	2001	11798419
macrolides: a canadian infectious disease society position paper.	since the introduction of erythromycin in 1965, no new compounds from the macrolide antimicrobial class were licensed in canada until the 1990s. clarithromycin and azithromycin, since their introduction, have become important agents for treating a number of common and uncommon infectious diseases. they have become prime agents in the treatment of respiratory tract infections, and have revolutionized the management of both genital chlamydial infections, by the use of single-dose therapy with azit ...	2001	18159344
rrndb: the ribosomal rna operon copy number database.	the ribosomal rna operon copy number database (rrndb) is an internet-accessible database containing annotated information on rrna operon copy number among prokaryotes. gene redundancy is uncommon in prokaryotic genomes, yet the rrna genes can vary from one to as many as 15 copies. despite the widespread use of 16s rrna gene sequences for identification of prokaryotes, information on the number and sequence of individual rrna genes in a genome is not readily accessible. in an attempt to understan ...	2001	11125085
hyperthermophilic enzymes: sources, uses, and molecular mechanisms for thermostability.	enzymes synthesized by hyperthermophiles (bacteria and archaea with optimal growth temperatures of > 80 degrees c), also called hyperthermophilic enzymes, are typically thermostable (i.e., resistant to irreversible inactivation at high temperatures) and are optimally active at high temperatures. these enzymes share the same catalytic mechanisms with their mesophilic counterparts. when cloned and expressed in mesophilic hosts, hyperthermophilic enzymes usually retain their thermal properties, ind ...	2001	11238984
optimality of the genetic code with respect to protein stability and amino-acid frequencies.	the genetic code is known to be efficient in limiting the effect of mistranslation errors. a misread codon often codes for the same amino acid or one with similar biochemical properties, so the structure and function of the coded protein remain relatively unaltered. previous studies have attempted to address this question quantitatively, by estimating the fraction of randomly generated codes that do better than the genetic code in respect of overall robustness. we extended these results by inves ...	2001	11737948
mechanisms for the induction of autoimmunity by infectious agents.		2001	11602615
two c or not two c: recurrent disruption of zn-ribbons, gene duplication, lineage-specific gene loss, and horizontal gene transfer in evolution of bacterial ribosomal proteins.	ribosomal proteins are encoded in all genomes of cellular life forms and are, generally, well conserved during evolution. in prokaryotes, the genes for most ribosomal proteins are clustered in several highly conserved operons, which ensures efficient co-regulation of their expression. duplications of ribosomal-protein genes are infrequent, and given their coordinated expression and functioning, it is generally assumed that ribosomal-protein genes are unlikely to undergo horizontal transfer. howe ...	2001	11574053
evolution of gene order conservation in prokaryotes.	as more complete genomes are sequenced, conservation of gene order between different organisms is emerging as an informative property of the genomes. conservation of gene order has been used for predicting function and functional interactions of proteins, as well as for studying the evolutionary relationships between genomes. the reasons for the maintenance of gene order are still not well understood, as the organization of the prokaryote genome into operons and lateral gene transfer cannot poss ...	2001	11423009
lineage-specific gene expansions in bacterial and archaeal genomes.	gene duplication is an important mechanistic antecedent to the evolution of new genes and novel biochemical functions. in an attempt to assess the contribution of gene duplication to genome evolution in archaea and bacteria, clusters of related genes that appear to have expanded subsequent to the diversification of the major prokaryotic lineages (lineage-specific expansions) were analyzed. analysis of 21 completely sequenced prokaryotic genomes shows that lineage-specific expansions comprise a s ...	2001	11282971
exoribonuclease superfamilies: structural analysis and phylogenetic distribution.	exoribonucleases play an important role in all aspects of rna metabolism. biochemical and genetic analyses in recent years have identified many new rnases and it is now clear that a single cell can contain multiple enzymes of this class. here, we analyze the structure and phylogenetic distribution of the known exoribonucleases. based on extensive sequence analysis and on their catalytic properties, all of the exoribonucleases and their homologs have been grouped into six superfamilies and variou ...	2001	11222749
macrolide resistance conferred by base substitutions in 23s rrna.		2001	11120937
polarity in action: asymmetric protein localization in bacteria.		2001	11344132
impact and management of campylobacter in human medicine--us perspective.	viruses, enteric bacteria and parasites can all produce similar syndromes of acute enteritis, although the pathophysiology and molecular pathogenesis may vary widely. the severity of acute enteritis varies greatly, and only a small fraction of cases undergo medical evaluation. there are over 200 000 000 episodes of acute enteritis annually in the usa, of which approximately 75 000 000 are foodborne. fewer than 20% of estimated cases have a known etiology. nearly half of the more than 4 000 000 c ...	2002	23570172
genetic differentiation of campylobacter jejuni.	genotyping methods have been developed and applied to differentiate campylobacter jejuni isolates over the last two decades. although a wealth of information was generated, the data are disappointingly complex and do not support simple models of transmission. several observations have apparently weakened the value and complicated the interpretation of genotyping methods. for several methods, instability of genotype has been demonstrated, due to recombinations with or without transformation. c. j ...	2002	23570170
the ecology of campylobacter jejuni in avian and human hosts and in the environment.	campylobacter jejuni, and its close relative c. coli, are highly successful bacteria colonizing the intestinal mucosa of a wide range of avian and animal hosts, including humans. in general, this colonization is either as a commensal, as in birds, or is an asymptomatic transient infection, as in livestock and in humans in endemic regions. however, in susceptible human populations, infection causes acute bacterial enteritis. the ecology of the organism for each outcome of colonization is consider ...	2002	23570169
comparative analysis of ribosomal proteins in complete genomes: an example of reductive evolution at the domain scale.	a comprehensive investigation of ribosomal genes in complete genomes from 66 different species allows us to address the distribution of r-proteins between and within the three primary domains. thirty-four r-protein families are represented in all domains but 33 families are specific to archaea and eucarya, providing evidence for specialisation at an early stage of evolution between the bacterial lineage and the lineage leading to archaea and eukaryotes. with only one specific r-protein, the arch ...	2002	12490706
the phage n4 virion rna polymerase catalytic domain is related to single-subunit rna polymerases.	in vitro, bacteriophage n4 virion rna polymerase (vrnap) recognizes in vivo sites of transcription initiation on single-stranded templates. n4 vrnap promoters are comprised of a hairpin structure and conserved sequences. here, we show that vrnap consists of a single 3500 amino acid polypeptide, and we define and characterize a transcriptionally active 1106 amino acid domain (mini-vrnap). biochemical and genetic characterization of this domain indicates that, despite its peculiar promoter specifi ...	2002	12411499
congruent evolution of different classes of non-coding dna in prokaryotic genomes.	prokaryotic genomes are considered to be 'wall-to-wall' genomes, which consist largely of genes for proteins and structural rnas, with only a small fraction of the genomic dna allotted to intergenic regions, which are thought to typically contain regulatory signals. the majority of bacterial and archaeal genomes contain 6-14% non-coding dna. significant positive correlations were detected between the fraction of non-coding dna and inter- and intra-operonic distances, suggesting that different cl ...	2002	12364605
correlations between shine-dalgarno sequences and gene features such as predicted expression levels and operon structures.	this work assesses relationships for 30 complete prokaryotic genomes between the presence of the shine-dalgarno (sd) sequence and other gene features, including expression levels, type of start codon, and distance between successive genes. a significant positive correlation of the presence of an sd sequence and the predicted expression level of a gene based on codon usage biases was ascertained, such that predicted highly expressed genes are more likely to possess a strong sd sequence than avera ...	2002	12270832