Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| an outbreak of type c botulism in herring gulls (larus argentatus) in southeastern sweden. | from 2000 to 2004, over 10,000 seabirds, primarily herring gulls (larus argentatus), died from an undetermined cause in the blekinge archipelago in southeastern sweden. in june 2004, 24 affected herring gulls were examined clinically, killed humanely, and 23 were examined by necropsy. seven and 10 unaffected herring gulls collected from a local landfill site and from iceland, respectively, served as controls. all affected birds showed similar neurologic signs, ranging from mild incoordination an ... | 2007 | 17699071 |
| presence of antibotulinum neurotoxin antibodies in selected wild canids in israel. | serum samples from 35 golden jackals (canis aureus syriacus), eight wolves (canis lupus), and four red foxes (vulpes vulpes) from various regions of israel were collected during the years 2001-04 and tested for antibodies to clostridium botulinum neurotoxin (bont) types c and d. antibodies against bont types c and d were detected in 10 (29%) and in 3 (9%) of 35 golden jackals, respectively, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. this report describes detection of anti bont antibodies in wild c ... | 2007 | 17699099 |
| [botulism and dysphagia]. | botulism is a severe neuroparalytic, of an acute characteristic, afebrile and is caused by the action of a toxin produced by clostridium botulinum. this toxin links itself to the receptors of the axon membrane of the motor neurons, preventing the release of acetylcholine in the neuromuscular junction, causing flaccid paralysis of the cranial nerves and skeleton musculature. | 2007 | 17710348 |
| the rhoa transcriptional program in pre-t cells. | the gtpase rhoa is essential for the development of pre-t cells in the thymus. to investigate the mechanisms used by rhoa to control thymocyte development we have used affymetrix gene profiling to identify rhoa regulated genes in t cell progenitors. the data show that rhoa plays a specific and essential role in pre-t cells because it is required for the expression of transcription factors of the egr-1 and ap-1 families that have critical functions in thymocyte development. loss of rhoa function ... | 2007 | 17716670 |
| [diagnostic difficulties in foodborne botulism--case reports and literature review]. | food borne botulism is a relatively rare clinical syndrome, which symptomatology is generally highly distinctive. the physicians of various specialties should be familiar with the symptoms of botulism because its sings concern the nervous system, the organ of sight and the gastrointestinal system. in older persons with coexisting chronic diseases some symptoms of botulism may be not distinctive or may mimic exacerbation of early existing diseases. the handbook descriptions present the food borne ... | 2007 | 17724910 |
| first case of type e wound botulism diagnosed using real-time pcr. | wound botulism is a growing problem among injecting drug users. the condition is often difficult to diagnose, with laboratory confirmation in only 50% of the cases. here we present a real-time pcr-based method for the diagnosis of wound botulism caused by clostridium botulinum. the assay includes an internal amplification control which is amplified simultaneously with the genes encoding neurotoxin types a, b, and e. this method was used to detect the first case of wound botulism in an injecting ... | 2007 | 17881556 |
| a neuronal cell-based botulinum neurotoxin assay for highly sensitive and specific detection of neutralizing serum antibodies. | clostridium botulinum neurotoxin (bont) serotypes a and b are widely used as pharmaceuticals to treat various neurological disorders and in cosmetic applications. the major adverse effect of these treatments has been resistance to treatment after multiple injections. currently, patients receiving bont therapies and patients enrolled in clinical trials for new applications and/or new formulations of bonts are not routinely monitored for the formation of neutralizing antibodies, since no assay oth ... | 2007 | 17889852 |
| the clostron: a universal gene knock-out system for the genus clostridium. | progress in exploiting clostridial genome information has been severely impeded by a general lack of effective methods for the directed inactivation of specific genes. those few mutants that have been generated have been almost exclusively derived by single crossover integration of a replication-deficient or defective plasmid by homologous recombination. the mutants created are therefore unstable. here we have adapted a mutagenesis system based on the mobile group ii intron from the ltrb gene of ... | 2007 | 17658189 |
| plasmid encoded neurotoxin genes in clostridium botulinum serotype a subtypes. | clostridium botulinum, an important pathogen of humans and animals, produces botulinum neurotoxin (bont), the most poisonous toxin known. we have determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge) and southern hybridizations that the genes encoding bonts in strains loch maree (subtype a3) and 657ba (type b and subtype a4) are located on large (approximately 280 kb) plasmids. this is the first demonstration of plasmid-borne neurotoxin genes in clostridium botulinum serotypes a and b. the findi ... | 2007 | 17658467 |
| development and comparison of two immunoassay formats for rapid detection of botulinum neurotoxin type a. | we have evaluated two formats of immunoassays for the rapid detection of clostridium botulinum neurotoxin type a (bont/a), in assay buffer and various matrices (human serum and nasal swabs, fresh milk, sugar, flour and talcum). the two formats, a vertical-flow strip immunochromatography (ict) and a small disposable immunoaffinity column (iac), were selected because they are both rapid and readily usable in the field without sophisticated equipment. we utilised the same critical reagents to devel ... | 2007 | 17659299 |
| clostridium botulinum type a toxin for the treatment of upper face animation lines: an iranian experience. | the purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment of vertical glabellar frown lines, frontal lines and crow's feet by means of direct injection of dysport (clostridium botulinum type a toxin - hemagglutinin complex) in iranian patients. dysport is one of the commercially available type a subtypes (ipsen ltd, maidenhead berkshire, uk). it is the one used most often in iran. botox, the other form of commercially available botulinum type a toxin, is used most often in the united states and ca ... | 2007 | 17760691 |
| the evolution of botulinum neurotoxin type a for cosmetic applications. | very few pharmaceutical preparations share an evolutionary history as remarkable as that of botulinum neurotoxin (bont). the exotoxin of the organism clostridium botulinum, once feared as a terrible poison, has been reborn as a highly regarded and widely used therapeutic and aesthetic agent. in less than two decades since the report of the success of bont type a (bonta) in reducing glabellar lines, injection of this product has become the most common non-surgical cosmetic procedure performed in ... | 2007 | 17763029 |
| [botulinum toxin and the hospital pharmacy]. | botulinum toxin is a neurotoxic protein synthesized by clostridium botulinum. among approved indications for type a pharmaceutical formulations is the treatment of upper limb spasticity in post-stroke patients. neurologists and rehabilitator physicians have extended their use to treat other types of muscles spasticity. in 2002, most of prescriptions in france were off-label. the activity of the r. poincaré hospital is dedicated to treating handicapped patients. working in close collaboration, pr ... | 2007 | 17982382 |
| uncertainty in thermal process calculations due to variability in first-order and weibull kinetic parameters. | alternatives to first-order model of death kinetics of microorganisms have been proposed as improvements in the calculation of lethality for a thermal process. although such models can potentially improve predictions for many situations, this article tries to answer the question of whether the added complexities of these models are a worthwhile investment once we include the effect of uncertainties in various microbiological and process parameters. monte carlo technique is used to include variab ... | 2007 | 17995767 |
| comparative role of neurotoxin-associated proteins in the structural stability and endopeptidase activity of botulinum neurotoxin complex types a and e. | seven serotypes of botulinum neurotoxins, the most toxic substances known to mankind, are each produced by different strains of clostridium botulinum along with a group of neurotoxin-associated proteins (naps). naps play a critical role in the toxicoinfection process of botulism in addition to their role in protecting the neurotoxin from proteolytic digestion in the gi tract as well as from adverse environmental conditions. in this study we have investigated the effect of temperature on the stru ... | 2007 | 18004882 |
| transdermal delivery of clostridium botulinum toxin type a by pulsed current iontophoresis. | 2007 | 18021859 | |
| enhanced immune responses using plasmid dna replicon vaccine encoding the hc domain of clostridium botulinum neurotoxin serotype a. | in current study, the immunogenicity of a plasmid dna replicon vaccine (pscarshc) encoding the hc domain of clostridium botulinum neurotoxin serotype a (ahc) was investigated and compared with a conventional plasmid dna vaccine (pcdnashc) encoding the same antigen. in vitro, pscarshc incorporating semliki forest virus (sfv) replicon could express ahc protein and induce apoptosis of transfected cells. comparison with the conventional plasmid dna vaccine (pcdnashc) yielded several interesting resu ... | 2007 | 18022294 |
| optimization of polymerase chain reaction for detection of clostridium botulinum type c and d in bovine samples. | botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium clostridium botulinum. the economic, medical and alimentary consequences can be catastrophic in case of an epizooty. a polymerase chain reaction (pcr)-based assay was developed for the detection of c. botulinum toxigenic strains type c and d in bovine samples. this assay has proved to be less expensive, faster and simpler to use than the mouse bioassay, the current reference method for diag ... | 2007 | 17894643 |
| development of a cell transducible rhoa inhibitor tat-c3 transferase and its encapsulation in biocompatible microspheres to promote survival and enhance regeneration of severed neurons. | neurons in post-traumatized mammalian central nervous system show only limited degree of regeneration, which can be attributed to the presence of neurite outgrowth inhibitors in damaged myelin and glial scar, and to the apoptosis of severed central neurons and glial cells during secondary wallerian degeneration. rhoa gtpase has been implicated as the common denominator in these counter-regeneration events, which shows significant and persistent up-regulation for weeks in injured spinal cord and ... | 2007 | 17899323 |
| a unique restriction site in the flaa gene allows rapid differentiation of group i and group ii clostridium botulinum strains by pcr-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. | clostridium botulinum produces the potent botulinum neurotoxin, the causative agent of botulism. based on distinctive physiological traits, strains of c. botulinum can be divided into four groups: however, only groups i and ii are associated with human illness. alignment of the flaa gene sequences from 40 group i and 40 group ii strains identified a single bsrg1 restriction cut site that was present at base pair 283 in all group ii flaa sequences and was not found in any group i sequence. the fl ... | 2007 | 17900093 |
| sequencing the botulinum neurotoxin gene and related genes in clostridium botulinum type e strains reveals orfx3 and a novel type e neurotoxin subtype. | three clostridium botulinum type e strains were sequenced for the botulinum neurotoxin (bont) gene cluster, and 11 type e strains, representing a wide biodiversity, were sequenced for the bont/e gene. the total length of the bont/e gene cluster was 12,908 bp, and a novel gene (partial) designated orfx3, together with the complete orfx2 gene, was identified in the three type e strains for the first time. apart from orfx3, the structure and organization of the neurotoxin gene cluster of the three ... | 2007 | 17905976 |
| preliminary study of mucosal iga in the equine small intestine: specific iga in cases of acute grass sickness and controls. | there is much evidence to suggest that group iii clostridium botulinum (types c and d) are involved in the aetiology of equine grass sickness (egs). antibodies have been detected previously in the blood and high levels associated with resistance to disease. specific mucosal antibodies in the gastrointestinal (gi) tract are likely to be important in protection, and this study was performed to ascertain if such antibodies could be detected and if their levels were related to disease state. | 2007 | 17910272 |
| high-throughput homogeneous immunoassay readily identifies monoclonal antibody to serovariant clostridial neurotoxins. | high-throughput screening can create the potential ability to screen large numbers of monoclonal antibodies (mab) in a short time period. a major bottleneck in the hybridoma method for mab development has historically been the inability to sift through large numbers of hybridoma culture supernatants to identify clones secreting mabs of the desired specificity. herein, we develop a homogeneous fluorometric microvolume assay technology (fmat) and compare it to conventional elisa screening techniqu ... | 2007 | 17936779 |
| sterilization efficiency of a cascaded dielectric barrier discharge. | to investigate the microbial inactivation efficiency of a newly developed cascaded dielectric barrier discharge (cdbd) set-up against various micro-organisms on polyethylene terephthalate (pet) foils. | 2007 | 17953564 |
| [foodborne infections and intoxications in poland in 2005]. | a total of 20,072 bacterial foodborne infections and intoxications were registered in 2005 (incidence 52.6/100 000 population). these illnesses were less incident in 2005, compared to the median 1998-2002 (26 734 cases). unlike bacterial infections, the incidence of viral foodborne infections increased in the recent years (2005--32.8 vs. 2004--27.2, 2003--21.1 and median 1998-2002--10.0). the parasitic foodborne infections did not change much during the recent years. there were 10 deaths related ... | 2007 | 17956040 |
| real-time pcr detection of the nontoxic nonhemagglutinin gene as a rapid screening method for bacterial isolates harboring the botulinum neurotoxin (a-g) gene complex. | botulinum neurotoxin (bont) producing clostridia contain genes encoding a specific neurotoxin serotype (a-g) and nontoxic associated proteins that form the toxin complex. the nontoxic nonhemagglutinin (ntnh) is a conserved component of the toxin complex in all seven toxin types. a real-time pcr assay that utilizes a locked nucleic acid hydrolysis probe to target the ntnh gene was developed to detect bacterial strains harboring the botulinum neurotoxin gene cluster. the specificity of the assay f ... | 2007 | 17961766 |
| development of enrichment semi-nested pcr for clostridium botulinum types a, b, e, and f and its application to korean environmental samples. | an enrichment semi-nested pcr procedure was developed for detection of clostridium botulinum types a, b, e, and f. it was applied to sediment samples to examine the prevalence of c. botulinum in the korean environment. the first pair of primers for the semi-nested pcr was designed using a region shared by the types a, b, e, and f neurotoxin gene sequences, and the second round employed four nested primers complementary to the bont/a, /b, /e, and /f encoding genes for simultaneous detection of th ... | 2007 | 18182847 |
| botulism: cause, effects, diagnosis, clinical and laboratory identification, and treatment modalities. | botulism is a neuroparalytic disease caused by neurotoxins produced by the bacteria clostridium botulinum. botulinum neurotoxins (bonts) are among the most potent naturally occurring toxins and are a category a biological threat agent. the 7 toxin serotypes of bonts (serotypes a-g) have different toxicities, act through 3 different intracellular protein targets, and exhibit different durations of effect. botulism may follow ingestion of food contaminated with bont, from toxin production of c bot ... | 2007 | 18388640 |
| infant botulism: 20 years' experience at a single institution. | admissions from january 1, 1985, to december 31, 2005, with the diagnosis of infant botulism were reviewed to describe the clinical presentation, course, outcome, and changes related to the availability of botulism immune globulin treatment. botulism diagnoses were confirmed by the finding of toxin or clostridium botulinum organisms in stool samples (type a, 14; type b, 25; type not noted, 5). twenty-four patients were admitted from 1985-1994 and 20 from 1995-2004. infants in the two decades wer ... | 2007 | 18174547 |
| evaluation of the effect of acetylsalicylic acid on clostridium botulinum growth and toxin production. | the republic of georgia (rog) has the highest incidence of botulism among all countries in the world, with most cases attributed to home-preserved vegetables. based on epidemiologic data, the occurrence of botulism in rog is lower in areas where aspirin (active ingredient, acetylsalicylic acid [asa]) is added to home-canned vegetables. the objective of this study was to evaluate, with a broth medium, the antibotulinal activity of asa to determine the possible role of asa in preventing botulinum ... | 2007 | 18095444 |
| crystallization and preliminary x-ray analysis of the ha3 component of clostridium botulinum type c progenitor toxin. | ha3, a 70 kda haemagglutinating protein, is a precursor form of ha3a and ha3b, the subcomponents of clostridium botulinum type c 16s progenitor toxin. in this report, recombinant ha3 protein was overexpressed in escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. diffraction data were collected to 2.6 a resolution and the crystal belonged to the hexagonal space group p6(3). matthews coefficient and self-rotation function calculations indicate that there is probably one molecule of ha3 in the asymmetric ... | 2007 | 18084087 |
| statins stimulate in vitro membrane fasl expression and lymphocyte apoptosis through rhoa/rock pathway in murine melanoma cells. | the capacity of fasl molecules expressed on melanoma cells to induce lymphocyte apoptosis contributes to either antitumor immune response or escape depending on their expression level. little is known, however, about the mechanisms regulating fasl protein expression. using the murine b16f10 melanoma model weakly positive for fasl, we demonstrated that in vitro treatment with statins, inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylgutaryl coa reductase, enhances membrane fasl expression. c3 exotoxin and the ger ... | 2007 | 18084615 |
| treatment of the spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. | botulinum toxin is a natural purified protein and one of the strongest biological poisons--neurotoxin. it is produced by the bacterium clostridium botulinum. its medical usage started in usa in 1981 and in europe in 1992. there are seven different immune types of the toxin: a, b, c1, d, e, f and g. toxin types a and b are used to decrease muscular spasticity. botulinum toxin prevents the formation of acetylcholine from cholinergic nerve tissues in muscles, which in the end irreversibly destroys ... | 2007 | 18039197 |
| high-level expression of the hcc domain of clostridium botulinum neurotoxin serotype a in escherichia coli and its immunogenicity as an antigen. | a completely synthetic gene encoding the he domain of clostridium botulinum neurotoxin serotype a (ahc, 1287 bp, 429 aa, -50 kd) was constructed with oligonucleotides. after expressed in escherichia coli, soluble product ahc was gained and verified by sds-page and western blot analysis. the expressive level of recombinant ahc in e. coli was very high (36%-53% of soluble total proteins) and the purified yield was more than 30 mg/l by one-step purification. then, the purified ahc was used to vacci ... | 2007 | 18051857 |
| analysis of the neurotoxin complex genes in clostridium botulinum a1-a4 and b1 strains: bont/a3, /ba4 and /b1 clusters are located within plasmids. | clostridium botulinum and related clostridial species express extremely potent neurotoxins known as botulinum neurotoxins (bonts) that cause long-lasting, potentially fatal intoxications in humans and other mammals. the amino acid variation within the bont is used to categorize the species into seven immunologically distinct bont serotypes (a-g) which are further divided into subtypes. the bonts are located within two generally conserved gene arrangements known as botulinum progenitor complexes ... | 2007 | 18060065 |
| [botulism in the past and today--clinical aspects]. | in this paper we review the most recent approach to clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of botulism. | 2007 | 18069387 |
| [botulism in the past and today--etiological, epidemiological and pathogenic aspects]. | in this paper we review the most recent approach to etiology, epidemiology and pathogenesis of botulism. | 2007 | 18069388 |
| [the structure and mechanism of action of clostridial neurotoxins]. | clostridium botulinum and clostridium tetani produce highly potent neurotoxins, called botulinum toxins and tetanus toxin, respectively. the clostridial neurotoxins specifically bind to neuronal cells and disrupt neurotransmisser release by cleaving proteins involved in specific vesicle membrane fusion. each toxin is synthesized as an inactive approximately 150 kda single-chain protein. the protein is posttranslationally proteolyzed to form the active dichain molecule in which the chains approxi ... | 2007 | 18069389 |
| botulinum neurotoxin vaccines: past, present, and future. | in the early 1930s, a formalin-inactivated toxoid against botulinum neurotoxin was first tested in humans. in 1965, a pentavalent botulinum toxoid (pbt) received investigational new drug (ind) status under the centers for disease control's ind 161 (for at-risk workers), and in 1991 under the united states army's office of the surgeon general ind 3723 (for military deployment). this pbt vaccine has been shown to be safe, with over 20,000 injections given to date, and continues to be used in at-ri ... | 2007 | 18197811 |
| synthesis of soluble multivalent glycoconjugates that target the hc region of botulinum neurotoxin a. | the design, synthesis, and initial inhibitory studies of di- and tetravalent glycoconjugates that target the heavy chain of botulinum neurotoxin a are reported. | 2007 | 17337184 |
| strategies to design inhibitors of clostridium botulinum neurotoxins. | botulinum neurotoxins (bonts), produced by spore-forming anaerobic clostridium botulinum, are the most toxic substances known. they cause the life-threatening disease botulism, characterized by flaccid muscle paralysis. while the natural cases of botulism are rare, due to their extreme toxicity and easy production, bonts have become potential biowarfare agents, and create maximum fear among populations concerned with bioterror agents. the only available antidote against bonts is equine antitoxin ... | 2007 | 17346211 |
| pathobiology and management of laboratory rodents administered cdc category a agents. | the centers for disease control and prevention category a infectious agents include bacillus anthracis (anthrax), clostridium botulinum toxin (botulism), yersinia pestis (plague), variola major virus (smallpox), francisella tularensis (tularemia), and the filoviruses and arenaviruses that induce viral hemorrhagic fevers. these agents are regarded as having the greatest potential for adverse impact on public health and therefore are a focus of renewed attention in infectious disease research. fre ... | 2007 | 17348288 |
| small gtpase rho signaling is involved in beta1 integrin-mediated up-regulation of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappab ligand on osteoblasts and osteoclast maturation. | we assessed the characteristics of human osteoblasts, focusing on small gtpase rho signaling. beta1 integrin were highly expressed on osteoblasts. engagement of beta1 integrins by type i collagen augmented expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (icam-1) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappab ligand (rankl) on osteoblasts. rho was activated by beta1 stimulation in osteoblasts. beta1 integrin-induced up-regulation of icam-1 and rankl was inhibited by transfection with adenoviruse ... | 2007 | 17349971 |
| differential requirement for the translocation of clostridial binary toxins: iota toxin requires a membrane potential gradient. | clostridial binary toxins, such as clostridium perfringens iota and clostridium botulinum c2, are composed of a binding protein (ib and c2-ii, respectively) that recognizes distinct membrane receptors and mediates internalization of a catalytic protein (ia and c2-i, respectively) with adp-ribosyltransferase activity that depolymerizes the actin cytoskeleton. after internalization, it was found that c2 and iota toxins were not routed to the golgi apparatus and exhibited differential sensitivity t ... | 2007 | 17350628 |
| flagellin diversity in clostridium botulinum groups i and ii: a new strategy for strain identification. | strains of clostridium botulinum are traditionally identified by botulinum neurotoxin type; however, identification of an additional target for typing would improve differentiation. isolation of flagellar filaments and analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (sds-page) showed that c. botulinum produced multiple flagellin proteins. nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nlc-ms/ms) analysis of in-gel tryptic digests identified peptides in all flagellin b ... | 2007 | 17351097 |
| rapid geographical clustering of wound botulism in germany after subcutaneous and intramuscular injection of heroin. | wound infections due to clostridium botulinum in germany are rare and occur predominantly in heroin injectors, especially after subcutaneous or intramuscular injection of heroin ("skin popping"), which is contaminated with spores of c. botulinum. we report a rapid geographical clustering of cases in germany in a region between cologne, bonn, and aachen with wound botulism and consecutive systemic c. botulinum intoxication in intravenous drug users (idus) within 6 weeks in october and november 20 ... | 2007 | 17356188 |
| can botulinum toxin put the restless legs syndrome to rest? | the restless legs syndrome (rls), affecting between 3% and 15% of the population, is characterised by an urge to move the legs during wakefulness, associated with a range of unpleasant sensory symptoms, especially when sitting or lying down at night. the symptoms can even be painful, and lead to sleep disturbances and depression. rls is treated with dopaminergic agents, anticonvulsants, opioids, clonidine and benzodiazepines. in a small percentage of cases, rls is refractory to treatment, requir ... | 2007 | 17363179 |
| avian eyelid assay, a new diagnostic method for detecting botulinum neurotoxin serotypes a, b and e. | based upon botulinum neurotoxins' (bont) mechanism of action, a novel, rapid, and sensitive avian eyelid assay was developed to detect clostridium botulinum neurotoxin serotypes a, b and e in assay buffer and mimic samples. it showed that chick was the most optimal model of 20-selected laboratory, non-laboratory animals. the eyelid closure of chick was the indicator symptom for positive results. the detection limits achieved range from 5 to 250 mouse ld(50) for toxin types a, b, and e in a buffe ... | 2007 | 17367833 |
| sybr green real-time pcr method to detect clostridium botulinum type a. | botulinum toxins (bonts) are classically produced by clostridium botulinum but rarely also from neurotoxigenic strains of clostridium baratii and clostridium butyricum. bont type a (bont/a), bont/b, bont/e, and very rarely bont/f are mainly responsible for human botulism. standard microbiological methods take into consideration only the detection of c. botulinum. the presumptive identification of the toxigenic strains together with the typing of bont has to be performed by mouse bioassay. the de ... | 2007 | 17369349 |
| rho mediates calcium-dependent activation of p38alpha and subsequent excitotoxic cell death. | excitotoxic neuronal death contributes to many neurological disorders, and involves calcium influx and stress-activated protein kinases (sapks) such as p38alpha. there is indirect evidence that the small rho-family gtpases rac and cdc42 are involved in neuronal death subsequent to the withdrawal of nerve growth factor (ngf), whereas rho is involved in the inhibition of neurite regeneration and the release of the amyloidogenic abeta(42) peptide. here we show that rho is activated in rat neurons b ... | 2007 | 17369826 |
| quantitative duplex pcr of clostridium botulinum types a and b neurotoxin genes. | a duplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assay for clostridium botulinum types a and b was developed. the sensitivity and specificity of the assay were verified by using 6 strains of type a, 7 strains of type b, and 14 genera of 42 non-c. botulinum types a and b strains, including c. botulinum types c, d, e, f, and g. in pure culture, the detection limit was 10(2) cfu/ ml for type a and 10(3) cfu/ml for type b. in mushroom broth, increases in the amounts of c. botulinum types a and ... | 2007 | 17370613 |
| cellular regulation of basal tone in internal anal sphincter smooth muscle by rhoa/rock. | sustained contractions of smooth muscle cells (smc) maintain basal tone in the internal anal sphincter (ias). to examine the molecular bases for the myogenic tone in the ias, the present studies focused on the role of rhoa/rock in the smc isolated from the ias vs. the adjoining phasic tissues of the rectal smooth muscle (rsm) and anococcygeus smooth muscle (asm) of rat. we also compared cellular distribution of rhoa/rock, levels of rhoa-gtp, rhoa-rho guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor (gd ... | 2007 | 17379756 |
| protection with recombinant clostridium botulinum c1 and d binding domain subunit (hc) vaccines against c and d neurotoxins. | recombinant botulinum hc (rbont hc) vaccines for serotypes c1 and d were produced in the yeast pichia pastoris and used to determine protection against four distinct bont c and d toxin subtypes. mice were vaccinated with rbont/c1 hc, rbont/d hc, or with a combination of both vaccines and challenged with bont c1, d, c/d, or d/c toxin. mice receiving monovalent vaccinations were partially or completely protected against homologous toxin and not protected against heterologous toxin. bivalent vaccin ... | 2007 | 17395341 |
| upregulation of the immediate early gene product rhob by exoenzyme c3 from clostridium limosum and toxin b from clostridium difficile. | adp-ribosylation of rho(a,b,c) by the family of exoenzyme c3-like transferases induces reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton based on inactivation of rhoa. no data are available on the role of rhob in c3-treated cells. in murine fibroblasts treated with the cell-permeable exoenzyme c3 from clostridium limosum (c3), an increase in the level of rhob was observed. this upregulation of rhob was based on transcriptional activation, as it was responsive to inhibition by actinomycin d and accompanie ... | 2007 | 17397186 |
| response surface model for prediction of growth parameters from spores of clostridium sporogenes under different experimental conditions. | clostridium sporogenes is considered to be a non-toxingenic equivalent of proteolytic clostridium botulinum, and it also causes food spoilage. the effects of temperature (16.6-33.4 degrees c), ph value (5.2-6.8) and concentration of sodium chloride (0.6-7.4%) on the growth parameters of c. sporogenes spores were investigated. the growth curves generated within different conditions were fitted using baranyi function. two growth parameters (growth rate, gr; lag-time, lt) of the growth curves under ... | 2007 | 17418314 |
| comparative membrane channel size and activity of botulinum neurotoxins a and e. | in an effort to compare the molecular basis of differential toxic activity of botulinum neurotoxin a (bont/a) and bont/e, we have analyzed their membrane channel activity by measuring calcein release from liposomes. both bont/a and /e showed a same level of membrane channel activity that was specifically blocked by igg specific to the neurotoxins. with the use of fluorescein-labeled dextran, we determined that the size of the channel is at least 24.2 a which is appropriate for the translocation ... | 2007 | 17216364 |
| increased arginase activity and endothelial dysfunction in human inflammatory bowel disease. | nitric oxide (.no) generation from conversion of l-arginine to citrulline by nitric oxide synthase isoforms plays a critical role in vascular homeostasis. loss of .no is linked to vascular pathophysiology and is decreased in chronically inflamed gut blood vessels in inflammatory bowel disease (ibd; crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis). mechanisms underlying decreased .no production in ibd gut microvessels are not fully characterized. loss of .no generation may result from increased arginase ( ... | 2007 | 17218473 |
| cloning, expression, purification, and characterization of biologically active recombinant hemagglutinin-33, type a botulinum neurotoxin associated protein. | botulinum neurotoxin type a, the most toxic substance known to mankind, is produced by clostridiurn botulinum type a as a complex with a group of neurotoxin-associated proteins (naps) through polycistronic expression of a clustered group of genes. hemagglutinin-33 (hn-33) is a 33 kda subcomponent of naps, which is resistant to protease digestion, a feature likely to be involved in the protection of the botulinum neurotoxin from proteolysis. in order to fully understand the function of hn-33, lar ... | 2007 | 17211684 |
| pravastatin induces thrombomodulin expression in tnfalpha-treated human aortic endothelial cells by inhibiting rac1 and cdc42 translocation and activity. | expression of functionally active thrombomodulin (tm) on the luminal surface of endothelial cells is critical for vascular thromboresistance. the 3-hydroxyl-3-methyl coenzyme a reductase inhibitor, pravastatin, can protect the vasculature in a manner that is independent of its lipid-lowering activity. we examined the effect of pravastatin on tm expression by human aortic endothelial cells (haecs) with subsequent tumor necrosis factor alpha (tnfalpha) stimulation and investigated the signaling pa ... | 2007 | 17211835 |
| disassembly of actin filaments by botulinum c2 toxin and actin-filament-disrupting agents induces assembly of microtubules in human leukaemia cell lines. | c(2) toxin produced by clostridium botulinum types c and d adp-ribosylates actin monomers and inactivates their polymerization activities. the disassembly of actin filaments by c(2) toxin induces a polarization of cultured human leukaemia cell lines. | 2007 | 17067287 |
| genomic analysis of the phosphotransferase system in clostridium botulinum. | clostridium botulinum is capable of fermenting carbohydrates, but there have been no detailed studies of the uptake of sugars and related substrates. in bacteria, a common and often predominant system of carbohydrate uptake is the phosphoenolpyruvate (pep)-dependent phosphotransferase system (pts). this multi-protein complex catalyses a group translocation involving both uptake and phosphorylation of carbohydrates, and is also known to play an important role in environmental sensing and metaboli ... | 2007 | 17183209 |
| differential contribution of the residues in c-terminal half of the heavy chain of botulinum neurotoxin type b to its binding to the ganglioside gt1b and the synaptotagmin 2/gt1b complex. | clostridium botulinum type b neurotoxin was effectively bound to synaptotagmin 2 (stg2) associated with ganglioside gt1b, however, the molecular interaction between the neurotoxin and the stg2/gt1b complex has not been identified. previously, we found that infant botulism-related strain 111 generated a low activity of the neurotoxin (111/nt), which differed in some amino acid residues, especially in the carboxyl terminal half of the heavy chain (h(c)), from the original neurotoxin of strain okra ... | 2007 | 17188834 |
| hypertonicity triggers rhoa-dependent assembly of myosin-containing striated polygonal actin networks in endothelial cells. | endothelial cells respond to mechanical stresses of the circulation with cytoskeletal rearrangements such as f-actin stress fiber alignment along the axis of fluid flow. endothelial cells are exposed to hypertonic stress in the renal medulla or during mannitol treatment of cerebral edema. we report here that arterial endothelial cells exposed to hypertonic stress rearranged f-actin into novel actin-myosin ii fibers with regular 0.5-microm striations, in which alpha-actinin colocalizes with actin ... | 2007 | 17192281 |
| binding properties of clostridium botulinum type c progenitor toxin to mucins. | it has been reported that clostridium botulinum type c 16s progenitor toxin (c16s toxin) first binds to the sialic acid on the cell surface of mucin before invading cells [a. nishikawa, n. uotsu, h. arimitsu, j.c. lee, y. miura, y. fujinaga, h. nakada, t. watanabe, t. ohyama, y. sakano, k. oguma, the receptor and transporter for internalization of clostridium botulinum type c progenitor toxin into ht-29 cells, biochem. biophys. res. commun. 319 (2004) 327-333]. in this study we investigated the ... | 2007 | 17196748 |
| effect of nicking the c-terminal region of the clostridium botulinum serotype d neurotoxin heavy chain on its toxicity and molecular properties. | a unique strain of clostridium botulinum serotype d 4947 produces toxin complexes that are composed of un-nicked components, including a neurotoxin (bont) and auxiliary proteins. this bont showed aberrant elution upon superdex gel filtration, indicating a much lower molecular weight, due to hydrophobic interaction with the column. limited trypsin proteolysis of bont produces two nicks; first nick yielded a bont 50 kda light chain disulfide linked to a 100 kda heavy chain (hc), and a second nick ... | 2007 | 17200883 |
| genetic diversity among botulinum neurotoxin-producing clostridial strains. | clostridium botulinum is a taxonomic designation for many diverse anaerobic spore-forming rod-shaped bacteria that have the common property of producing botulinum neurotoxins (bonts). the bonts are exoneurotoxins that can cause severe paralysis and death in humans and other animal species. a collection of 174 c. botulinum strains was examined by amplified fragment length polymorphism (aflp) analysis and by sequencing of the 16s rrna gene and bont genes to examine the genetic diversity within thi ... | 2007 | 17114256 |
| interactive effects of c3, cyclic amp and ciliary neurotrophic factor on adult retinal ganglion cell survival and axonal regeneration. | we tested whether combined therapy involving rho inactivation, elevation of camp and supply of ciliary neurotrophic factor (cntf) (i) increased axotomized adult retinal ganglion cell (rgc) survival and (ii) promoted axonal regeneration into peripheral nerve (pn) autografted onto the cut optic nerve. pn-grafted eyes were injected with combinations of a rho-inactivating enzyme c3 transferase (c3-11), cntf and a cell-permeant analogue of camp (cpt-camp). four weeks after pn transplantation, rgc sur ... | 2007 | 17126028 |
| nitric oxide inhibits depolarization-evoked glutamate release from rat cerebellar granule cells. | nitric oxide (no) modulates the release of various neurotransmitters, some of these are considered to be involved in neuronal plasticity that includes long-term depression in the cerebellum. to date, there have been no reports on the modulation of the exocytotic release of neurotransmitters in the cerebellar granule cells (cgcs) by no. the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of no on the exocytotic release of glutamate from rat cgcs. treatment with no-related reagents revealed that ... | 2007 | 17126044 |
| evaluation of lateral flow assays for the detection of botulinum neurotoxin type a and their application in laboratory diagnosis of botulism. | four lateral flow assays (lfas) were evaluated for the detection of purified botulinum neurotoxin a, toxin complex, and unpurified culture supernatant. they included the biothreat (tetracore, rockville, md), smart (new horizons diagnostics, columbia, md), badd (advnt biotechnologies, phoenix, az), and ramp (response biomedical, burnaby, bc, canada) assays. biothreat and smart did not detect the purified toxin. the best sensitivity was achieved with the ramp test (50 ng ml(-1)). biothreat and sma ... | 2007 | 17141460 |
| tissue factor induction by aggregated ldl depends on ldl receptor-related protein expression (lrp1) and rho a translocation in human vascular smooth muscle cells. | low density lipoprotein (ldl) internalized in the vascular wall and modified by binding to extracellular matrix-proteoglycans (ecm) becomes aggregated (agldl). agldl induces tissue factor (tf) expression and activity in human vascular smooth muscle cells (vsmc). tf expression in vascular cells promotes the prothrombotic transformation of the vascular wall. however, the mechanisms by which agldl induces tf are not known. the aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms involved in tf activ ... | 2007 | 17141748 |
| c3 exoenzymes, novel insights into structure and action of rho-adp-ribosylating toxins. | the family of c3-like exoenzymes comprises seven bacterial adp-ribosyltransferases of different origin. the common hallmark of these exoenzymes is the selective n-adp-ribosylation of the low molecular mass gtp-binding proteins rhoa, b, and c and inhibition of signal pathways controlled by rho gtpases. therefore, c3-like exoenzymes were applied as pharmacological tools for analyses of cellular functions of rho protein in numerous studies. recent structural and functional analyses of c3-like exoen ... | 2007 | 17146673 |
| human milk siga binds to botulinum type b 16s toxin and limits toxin adherence on t84 cells. | botulinum neurotoxin produced by clostridium botulinum type b is in the form of a complex of 12s and 16s toxins. food-borne botulism is caused by these complex toxins which are ingested orally and absorbed from the digestive tract. here, we show that the human milk siga binds to the type b16s toxin. the binding of siga to 16s toxin and ha was inhibited by carbohydrates such as galactose, suggesting that the interaction of carbohydrate side chain of the siga with the ha of the 16s toxin is import ... | 2007 | 17156748 |
| comparison of igg antibody levels to clostridium botulinum antigens between euthanased and surviving cases of chronic grass sickness. | serum from 12 horses suffering from chronic grass sickness (cgs) were assayed for igg antibodies against botulinum neurotoxins c and d (bont/c and bont/d) and to a surface antigen extract of a neurotoxin negative strain of clostridium botulinum type c. collectively, the six surviving cgs cases demonstrated significantly higher initial igg levels (p=0.05) against surface antigens than the six that were subsequently euthanased. the surviving animals also demonstrated higher initial igg levels agai ... | 2007 | 17156804 |
| fine and domain-level epitope mapping of botulinum neurotoxin type a neutralizing antibodies by yeast surface display. | botulinum neurotoxin (bont), the most poisonous substance known, causes naturally occurring human disease (botulism) and is one of the top six biothreat agents. botulism is treated with polyclonal antibodies produced in horses that are associated with a high incidence of systemic reactions. human monoclonal antibodies (mabs) are under development as a safer therapy. identifying neutralizing epitopes on bonts is an important step in generating neutralizing mabs, and has implications for vaccine d ... | 2007 | 17059824 |
| enhanced survival and regeneration of axotomized retinal neurons by repeated delivery of cell-permeable c3-like rho antagonists. | inactivation of rho gtpase with a single intraocular injection of rho antagonists stimulates survival and regeneration of retinal ganglion cells (rgcs) after optic nerve injury. however, this effect is short-lived. here we tested the impact of multiple injections of c3-like rho antagonists on rgc viability and axon regeneration after optic nerve lesion. our data show that both neuronal survival and axon regeneration were enhanced with repeated delivery of cell-permeable c3. we found an approxima ... | 2007 | 17011202 |
| does botox effect neural tube development in early chick embryos? | botulinum toxin (btx) is a potent neurotoxin produced by clostridium botulinum and has wide usage in different areas. the current study aimed to analyze the effects of c. botulinum toxin on the central nerve system in chick embryos. forty fertile hubbard broil eggs, all at stage 8 of development, were divided into four equal groups: group 1 embryos (n=10), the control group, were explanted and grown for 18 h in a nutrient medium (thin albumin). group 2 embryos (n=10) were grown in medium contain ... | 2007 | 16598483 |
| incubation period as a clinical predictor of botulism: analysis of previous izushi-borne outbreaks in hokkaido, japan, from 1951 to 1965. | this study investigated 21 foodborne type-e botulism outbreaks, without antitoxin administration, from 1951 to 1965 in hokkaido, japan, to characterize the descriptive epidemiology and evaluate the relationship between case fatality and incubation period. the median (25-75% quartile) attack rate and case fatality, which were evaluated by outbreak, were 58.3% (38.0-73.2) and 25.7% (0.1-50.0) respectively. individual records of 64 diagnoses, including 31 deaths, were also examined using logistic r ... | 2007 | 16684403 |
| mapping of the regions on the heavy chain of botulinum neurotoxin a (bont/a) recognized by antibodies of cervical dystonia patients with immunoresistance to bont/a. | the purpose of this work was to map the entire recognition profile of the h chain of botulinum neurotoxin a (bont/a) by abs in sera that have protective anti-bont/a abs by the mouse protection assay (mpa) from cervical dystonia (cd) patients who had been treated with botulinum neurotoxin, serotype a (botox). in previous studies we found that human anti-tetanus neurotoxin (tent) abs cross-react with bont/a and bont/b. in the present work we devised an assay procedure for measuring specific anti-b ... | 2007 | 16647121 |
| identification of residues surrounding the active site of type a botulinum neurotoxin important for substrate recognition and catalytic activity. | type a botulinum neurotoxin is one of the most lethal of the seven serotypes and is increasingly used as a therapeutic agent in neuromuscular dysfunctions. its toxic function is related to zinc-endopeptidase activity of the n-terminal light chain (lc) on synaptosome-associated protein-25 kda (snap-25) of the snare complex. to understand the determinants of substrate specificity and assist the development of strategies for effective inhibitors, we used site-directed mutagenesis to investigate the ... | 2008 | 18213512 |
| glutamate uptake and release by astrocytes are enhanced by clostridium botulinum c3 protein. | inhibition of rho activity by clostridium botulinum c3 transferase (c3bot) versatily changes functional properties of neural cells. using cultivated mouse astrocytes, we show here that c3bot increases both uptake and secretion of glutamate. the enhanced glutamate uptake is initiated by an nfkappab-dependent up-regulation of the glial glutamate transporter 1 that is efficaciously sorted to the plasma membrane. the increase in cytosolic glutamate concentration promotes vesicular glutamate storage ... | 2008 | 18234672 |
| identification of the receptor-binding sites in the carboxyl-terminal half of the heavy chain of botulinum neurotoxin types c and d. | botulinum neurotoxin (bont) binds to presynaptic neuronal cells and blocks neurotransmitter release. the carboxyl-terminal half of the heavy chain (h(c)) of the neurotoxin recognizes its specific receptor on the plasma membrane. we have previously demonstrated that bont/c binds to gangliosides gd1b and gt1b under physiological conditions, while bont/d interacts with phosphatidylethanolamine (pe). here we report that the recognition sites for gangliosides and pe are present in the carboxyl-termin ... | 2008 | 18242046 |
| regulation of dopamine-induced na+ current response by small g-protein rhob or c and phospholipase d in aplysia neurons. | a family of gtp-binding proteins, rho, plays critical roles in cell migration, morphological change, cytokinesis, and smooth muscle contraction. furthermore, evidence has recently been accumulating for an involvement in regulation of receptor-operated ionic channels. we previously reported that stimulation of d1-like receptor by dopamine (da) induces a slow na+ current response in the identified neurons of aplysia under voltage-clamp. to further study a regulatory mechanism of the da-induced res ... | 2008 | 18242417 |
| [botulism has not disappeared]. | botulism is a potentially fatal infectious disease induced by a neurotoxin secreted by clostridium botulinum, a sporulated species of obligate anaerobic bacteria. this neurotoxin inhibits the normal release of acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft, inducing presynaptic neuromuscular blockade. the diagnosis is often difficult because of the range and the lack of specificity of the symptoms. | 2008 | 18249520 |
| analysis of epitope information related to bacillus anthracis and clostridium botulinum. | we have reviewed the information about epitopes of immunological interest from clostridium botulinum and bacillus anthracis, by mining the immune epitope database and analysis resource. for both pathogens, the vast majority of epitopes reported to date are derived from a single protein: the protective antigen of b. anthracis and the neurotoxin type a of c. botulinum. a detailed analysis of the data was performed to characterize the function, localization and conservancy of epitopes identified as ... | 2008 | 18251694 |
| binary actin-adp-ribosylating toxins and their use as molecular trojan horses for drug delivery into eukaryotic cells. | binary bacterial toxins are unique ab-type toxins, composed of two non-linked proteins that act as a binding/translocation component and an enzyme component. all known actin-adp-ribosylating toxins from clostridia possess this binary structure. this toxin family is comprised of the prototypical clostridium botulinum c2 toxin, clostridium perfringens iota toxin, clostridium difficile cdt, and clostridium spiroforme toxin. once in the cytosol of host cells, these toxins transfer an adp-ribose moie ... | 2008 | 18289001 |
| effects of carbon dioxide on neurotoxin gene expression in nonproteolytic clostridium botulinum type e. | carbon dioxide is an antimicrobial gas commonly used in modified atmosphere packaging. in the present study, the effects of carbon dioxide on the growth of and neurotoxin production by nonproteolytic clostridium botulinum type e were studied during the growth cycle. quantitative reverse transcription-pcr and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to quantify expression of the type e botulinum neurotoxin gene (cnte) and the formation of type e neurotoxin. the expression levels of cnte wer ... | 2008 | 18310434 |
| the purification, crystallization and preliminary x-ray diffraction analysis of dihydrodipicolinate synthase from clostridium botulinum. | in recent years, dihydrodipicolinate synthase (dhdps; ec 4.2.1.52) has received considerable attention from both mechanistic and structural viewpoints. this enzyme, which is part of the diaminopimelate pathway leading to lysine, couples (s)-aspartate-beta-semialdehyde with pyruvate via a schiff base to a conserved active-site lysine. in this paper, the expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary x-ray diffraction analysis of dhdps from clostridium botulinum, an important bacterial ... | 2008 | 18323610 |
| crystal structure of the clostridium limosum c3 exoenzyme. | c3-like toxins adp-ribosylate and inactivate rho gtpases. seven c3-like adp-ribosyltransferases produced by clostridium botulinum, clostridium limosum, bacillus cereus and staphylococcus aureus were identified and two representatives--c3bot from c. botulinum and c3stau2 from s. aureus--were crystallized. here we present the 1.8a structure of c. limosum c3 transferase c3lim and compare it to the structures of other family members. in contrast to the structure of apo-c3bot, the canonical adp-ribos ... | 2008 | 18325337 |
| analysis of neurotoxin cluster genes in clostridium botulinum strains producing botulinum neurotoxin serotype a subtypes. | neurotoxin cluster gene sequences and arrangements were elucidated for strains of clostridium botulinum encoding botulinum neurotoxin (bont) subtypes a3, a4, and a unique a1-producing strain (ha(-) orfx(+) a1). these sequences were compared to the known neurotoxin cluster sequences of c. botulinum strains that produce bont/a1 and bont/a2 and possess either a hemagglutinin (ha) or an orfx cluster, respectively. the a3 and ha(-) orfx(+) a1 strains demonstrated a neurotoxin cluster arrangement simi ... | 2008 | 18326685 |
| role of small gtpase rho in regulating corneal epithelial wound healing. | to determine the role of small gtpase rho and its relation with epidermal growth factor receptor (egfr) in mediating corneal epithelial wound healing. | 2008 | 18326710 |
| effect of packaging atmosphere on the microbial attributes of pearlspot (etroplus suratensis bloch) stored at 0-2 degrees c. | effect of packaging atmosphere (air and under different modified atmospheres (mas), 40% co2/60% o2, 50%/50% o2, 60% co2/40% o2, 70% co2/30% o2 and 40% co2/30% o2/30% n2) on the microbial and biochemical attributes of fresh pearlspot (etroplus suratensis bloch) stored at 0-2 degrees c was investigated. trimethylamine nitrogen (tma-n) and thiobarbituric acid (tba) values remained lower than the proposed acceptability limits throughout the storage period. results demonstrated that storage of pearls ... | 2008 | 18355677 |
| structural basis for the nad-hydrolysis mechanism and the artt-loop plasticity of c3 exoenzymes. | c3-like exoenzymes are adp-ribosyltransferases that specifically modify some rho gtpase proteins, leading to their sequestration in the cytoplasm, and thus inhibiting their regulatory activity on the actin cytoskeleton. this modification process goes through three sequential steps involving nad-hydrolysis, rho recognition, and binding, leading to rho adp-ribosylation. independently, three distinct residues within the artt loop of the c3 exoenzymes are critical for each of these steps. supporting ... | 2008 | 18369192 |
| analysis of rho-gtpase mimicry by a family of bacterial type iii effector proteins. | microbial pathogens may hijack the actin cytoskeleton machinery to facilitate actin-based motility, cellular invasion, and intracellular trafficking through the endocytic pathway. of particular interest has been a large class of virulence factors collectively termed the type iii "effector" proteins. following contact with a eukaryotic cell, gram-negative bacterial pathogens employ a dedicated protein secretion apparatus termed type iii to translocate effector proteins into the cellular cytoplasm ... | 2008 | 18374161 |
| pcr assay for differentiating between group i (proteolytic) and group ii (nonproteolytic) strains of clostridium botulinum. | groups i (proteolytic) and ii (nonproteolytic) c. botulinum are genetically and physiologically distinct groups of organisms, with both groups being involved with human botulism. due to differences in spore heat resistance and growth characteristics, the two groups possess different types of human health risks through foods, drink, and the environment. the epidemiology of human botulism due to groups i and ii c. botulinum is poorly understood, largely due to insufficient characterization of dise ... | 2008 | 18374440 |
| foodborne zoonoses due to meat: a quantitative approach for a comparative risk assessment applied to pig slaughtering in europe. | foodborne zoonoses have a major health impact in industrialised countries. new european food safety regulations were issued to apply risk analysis to the food chain. the severity of foodborne zoonoses and the exposure of humans to biological hazards transmitted by food must be assessed. for meat, inspection at the slaughterhouse is historically the main means of control to protect consumers. however, the levels of detection of biological hazards during meat inspection have not been established i ... | 2008 | 18073088 |
| clostridium botulinum c2 toxin. identification of the binding site for chloroquine and related compounds and influence of the binding site on properties of the c2ii channel. | clostridium botulinum c2 toxin belongs to the family of binary ab type toxins that are structurally organized into distinct enzyme (a, c2i) and binding (b, c2ii) components. the proteolytically activated 60-kda c2ii binding component is essential for c2i transport into target cells. it oligomerizes into heptamers and forms channels in lipid bilayer membranes. the c2ii channel is cation-selective and can be blocked by chloroquine and related compounds. residues 303-330 of c2ii contain a conserved ... | 2008 | 18077455 |
| differentiation of clostridium botulinum serotype a strains by multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis. | ten variable-number tandem-repeat (vntr) regions identified within the complete genomic sequence of clostridium botulinum strain atcc 3502 were used to characterize 59 c. botulinum strains of the botulism neurotoxin a1 (bont/a1) to bont/a4 (bont/a1-a4) subtypes to determine their ability to discriminate among the serotype a strains. two strains representing each of the c. botulinum serotypes b to g, including five bivalent strains, and two strains of the closely related species clostridium sporo ... | 2008 | 18083878 |
| persistence of category a select agents in the environment. | 2008 | 18065629 | |
| presence of clostridium botulinum spores in matricaria chamomilla (chamomile) and its relationship with infant botulism. | nowadays, infant botulism is the most important form of human botulism in some countries. this illness affects infants younger than 52 weeks of age. the infection occurs in the intestinal tract; therefore, ingestion of clostridium botulinum spores with food is proposed. in some countries, people use chamomile tea as a household remedy for intestinal colics and given this tea to infants. chamomile can be contaminated with c. botulinum and could be a vehicle of its spores. our aim was to study the ... | 2008 | 18068252 |
| exploiting the combined effects of high pressure and moderate heat with nisin on inactivation of clostridium botulinum spores. | in the present work, we studied the combined effects of pressure (300.0-700.0 mpa), temperature (30-70 degrees c) and the presence of nisin (0-333 iu/ml) on the inactivation of clostridium botulinum 33a spores at various pressure holding times (7.5-17.5 min). moreover, response surface methodology (rsm) was employed and a quadratic equation for hpp and nisin-induced inactivation was built with rsm. by analyzing the response surface plots and their corresponding contour plots as well as solving t ... | 2008 | 18068839 |