Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| petrobactin is produced by both pathogenic and non-pathogenic isolates of the bacillus cereus group of bacteria. | petrobactin is the primary siderophore synthesized by bacillus anthracis str sterne and is required for virulence of this organism in a mouse model. the siderophore's biosynthetic machinery was recently defined and gene homologues of this operon exist in several other bacillus strains known to be mammalian pathogens, but are absent in several known to be harmless such as b. subtilis and b. lichenformis. thus, a common hypothesis regarding siderophore production in bacillus species is that petrob ... | 2008 | 18459058 |
| extraction and detection of dna from bacillus anthracis spores and the vegetative cells within 1 min. | the use of a combination of low-cost technologies to both extract and detect anthrax dna from spores and vegetative cells in two steps within 1 min is described. in a cavity, microwave energy is highly focused using thin-film aluminum "bow-tie" structures, to extract dna from whole spores within 20 s. the detection of the released dna, from less than 1000 vegetative cells, without additional preprocessing steps is accomplished in an additional 30 s by employing the microwave-accelerated metal-en ... | 2008 | 18459738 |
| experimental respiratory anthrax infection in the common marmoset (callithrix jacchus). | inhalational anthrax is a rare but potentially fatal infection in man. the common marmoset (callithrix jacchus) was evaluated as a small non-human primate (nhp) model of inhalational anthrax infection, as an alternative to larger nhp species. the marmoset was found to be susceptible to inhalational exposure to bacillus anthracis ames strain. the pathophysiology of infection following inhalational exposure was similar to that previously reported in the rhesus and cynomolgus macaque and humans. th ... | 2008 | 18460069 |
| superficial exudates of neutrophils prevent invasion of bacillus anthracis bacilli into abraded skin of resistant mice. | skin window procedures in humans have shown rapid accumulation of neutrophils into the exuded fluids above abraded skin. the present study was undertaken to determine if similar epicutaneous neutrophil accumulation might explain the extreme resistance of hrs/j mice, both hairless (hr/hr) and haired (hr/+), to experimental cutaneous bacillus anthracis sterne infections on abraded skin. in this study, very early (6 h) biopsies demonstrated a lack of bacilli in skin from the hrs/j hr/hr mice, indic ... | 2008 | 18460070 |
| potentiation of an anthrax dna vaccine with electroporation. | dna vaccines are a promising method of immunization against biothreats and emerging infections because they are relatively easy to design, manufacture, store and distribute. however, immunization with dna vaccines using conventional delivery methods often fails to induce consistent, robust immune responses, especially in species larger than the mouse. intramuscular (i.m.) delivery of a plasmid encoding anthrax toxin protective antigen (pa) using electroporation (ep), a potent dna delivery method ... | 2008 | 18462850 |
| early interactions between fully virulent bacillus anthracis and macrophages that influence the balance between spore clearance and development of a lethal infection. | the role of macrophages in the pathogenesis of anthrax is unresolved. macrophages are believed to support the initiation of infection by bacillus anthracis spores, yet are also sporicidal. furthermore, it is believed that the anthrax toxins suppress normal macrophage function. however, the significance of toxin effects on macrophages has not been addressed in an in vivo infection model. we used mutant derivatives of murine macrophage raw264.7 cells that are toxin receptor-negative (r3d) to test ... | 2008 | 18467145 |
| bacillus anthracis spores influence atp synthase activity in murine macrophages. | anthrax is an infectious disease caused by toxigenic strains of the gram-positive bacterium bacillus anthracis. to identify the mitochondrial proteins that are expressed differently in murine macrophages infected with spores of b. anthracis sterne, proteomic and maldi-tof/ms analyses of uninfected and infected macrophages were conducted. as a result, 13 mitochondrial proteins with different expression patterns were discovered in the infected murine macrophages, and some were identified as atp5b, ... | 2008 | 18467876 |
| cutaneous anthrax in eastern turkey: a review of 85 cases. | anthrax is a zoonotic disease diminishing worldwide. although a very rare disease in developed countries, anthrax is still endemic in developing countries. | 2008 | 18477006 |
| [bacterial spore--a new vaccine vehicle--a review]. | bacterial spores are robust and dormant life forms with formidable resistance properties. spores of the genus bacillus have been used for a long time as probiotics for oral bacteriotherapy both in humans and animals. recently, genetically modified b. subtilis spores and b. anthracis spores have been used as indestructible delivery vehicles for vaccine antigens. they were used as vaccine vehicles or spore vaccine for oral immunization against tetanus and anthrax, and the results were very excitin ... | 2008 | 18479073 |
| immunogenicity of bacillus anthracis protective antigen domains and efficacy of elicited antibody responses depend on host genetic background. | neutralizing antibodies to bacillus anthracis protective antigen (pa), a component of anthrax toxin, mediate protection against anthrax. pa is antigenically complex and can elicit protective and nonprotective antibodies. furthermore, vaccinated individuals demonstrate considerable variability in their antibody responses to pa. to explore the relationship between pa structure and antigenicity, we produced escherichia coli strains expressing full-length pa (pa1-4), domains 2 to 4 (pa2-4), domain 1 ... | 2008 | 18480236 |
| cytotoxicity of the matrix metalloproteinase-activated anthrax lethal toxin is dependent on gelatinase expression and b-raf status in human melanoma cells. | anthrax lethal toxin (letx) shows potent mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway inhibition and apoptosis in melanoma cells that harbor the activating v600e b-raf mutation. letx is composed of two proteins, protective antigen and lethal factor. uptake of the toxin into cells is dependent on proteolytic activation of protective antigen by the ubiquitously expressed furin or furin-like proteases. to circumvent nonspecific letx activation, a substrate preferably cleaved by gelatinases was substitu ... | 2008 | 18483309 |
| occurrence and genetic diversity of bacillus anthracis strains isolated in an active wool-cleaning factory. | culturable microorganisms from various samples taken at an active factory performing wool and goat hair cleaning were isolated and analyzed. bacillus anthracis was found in air filter dust, wastewater, and goat hairs, where it accounted for approximately 1% of the total counts of viable bacteria. consistent with the countries of origin of the processed material (south caucasian and middle eastern), all b. anthracis isolates belonged to the same phylogenetic cluster, as determined by variable-num ... | 2008 | 18487406 |
| a review of management practices for the control of anthrax in animals: the 2005 anthrax epizootic in north dakota--case study. | outbreaks of anthrax have diverse consequences on society. establishing the appropriate control strategies is very important and crucial in reducing the socio-economic impact of the disease. control measures are aimed at breaking the cycle of infection, and their implementation must be adhered to rigorously. the objectives of this paper were: (i) to review the control strategies currently used in management of anthrax in animals and (ii) to describe management strategies used by producers in nor ... | 2008 | 18489538 |
| defensive and simultaneous actions of glycoconjugates during spore decontamination. | an estimated $1 billion was lost in decontaminating areas exposed to anthrax in the 2001 attacks. to counter the threat of biological attacks, an effective 'green' decontaminant is vital to minimize the consequences of such attacks. the objective of our research was to study the ability of glycoconjugate ligands to decontaminate bacillus cereus spores on hard surfaces. polyvalent glycoconjugates (also known as neoglycoconjugates) were tested during decontamination of b. cereus spores. resulting ... | 2008 | 18490004 |
| anthrax lethal toxin enhances tnf-induced endothelial vcam-1 expression via an ifn regulatory factor-1-dependent mechanism. | impaired host defenses and vascular dysfunction are hallmarks of the late, antibiotic-refractory stages of systemic anthrax infection. anthrax lethal toxin (lt), a key virulence factor of bacillus anthracis, was previously shown to enhance vcam-1 expression on primary human endothelial cells suggesting a causative link between dysregulated adhesion molecule expression and the poor immune response and vasculitis associated with anthrax. in this study, we report that lt amplification of tnf-induce ... | 2008 | 18490752 |
| dna microarrays in the clinic: infectious diseases. | we argue that the most-promising area of clinical application of microarrays in the foreseeable future is the diagnostics and monitoring of infectious diseases. microarrays for the detection and characterization of human pathogens have already found their way into clinical practice in some countries. after discussing the persistent, yet often underestimated, importance of infectious diseases for public health, we consider the technologies that are best suited for the detection and clinical inves ... | 2008 | 18536036 |
| detection of agar, by analysis of sugar markers, associated with bacillus anthracis spores, after culture. | detection of small quantities of agar associated with spores of bacillus anthracis could provide key information regarding its source or growth characteristics. agar, widely used in growth of bacteria on solid surfaces, consists primarily of repeating polysaccharide units of 3,6-anhydro-l-galactose (agal) and galactose (gal) with sulfated and o-methylated galactoses present as minor constituents. two variants of the alditol acetate procedure were evaluated for detection of potential agar markers ... | 2008 | 18538426 |
| nosocomial infection of serratia marcescens may induce a protective effect in monkeys exposed to bacillus anthracis. | this study was originally designed to collect data on the natural history of inhalational anthrax in a new nonhuman primate model. an uncontrollable event created a new experimental condition which allowed us to retrospectively evaluate the power of the innate immune system to protect from an aerosol exposure of b. anthracis. five african green monkeys (agms) had intravenous catheters implanted. one catheter was accidentally pulled out, leaving four agms with catheters and one without. all were ... | 2008 | 18538851 |
| synthesis and screening of small molecule inhibitors of anthrax edema factor. | the synthesis and development of a novel class of molecules that inhibit anthrax edema factor, an adenylyl cyclase, is reported. these molecules are derived from the initial discovery that histidine and imidazole adducts of the prostaglandin pge(2) reduce the net secretory response of cholera toxin-challenged mice and act directly on the action of anthrax edema factor, a calmodulin-dependent adenylyl cyclase. the simple enones examined in this letter were prepared by palladium-catalyzed suzuki r ... | 2008 | 18539457 |
| virulence gene expression is independent of resde-regulated respiration control in bacillus anthracis. | the resde two-component system regulates the synthesis of several components of the aerobic and anaerobic respiratory pathways in bacilli. the resd response regulator transcription factor has been implicated in the regulation of virulence factors in a number of gram-positive species, including bacillus anthracis. the precise deletions of resd and rese in b. anthracis that retained the classical respiratory phenotypes did not affect the expression of the gene for the protective antigen of the ant ... | 2008 | 18539743 |
| u.s. military service members' perceptions of the anthrax vaccine immunization program. | this research identifies the perceptions of u.s. military service members regarding the department of defense anthrax vaccine immunization program (avip). the service members' perceptions were addressed in the dimensions of ethics, effectiveness, and safety, as well as the overall perceptions of the avip. the study, conducted in october 2004, randomly selected active duty service members from the uniformed services assigned to a caribbean military base who participated in the avip during the per ... | 2008 | 18543562 |
| a bacillus thuringiensis strain producing a polyglutamate capsule resembling that of bacillus anthracis. | bacillus thuringiensis serovar monterrey strain bgsc 4aj1 produced a microscopically visible capsule that reacted with a fluorescent antibody specific for the poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid (pga) capsule of bacillus anthracis. pga capsule biosynthesis genes with 75%, 81%, 72%, 65% and 63% similarity, respectively, to those of the b. anthracis capbcade cluster were present on a plasmid (paj1-1). strain bgsc 4aj1, together with five strains of bacillus cereus that hybridized to a pga cap gene probe, w ... | 2008 | 18549401 |
| cutaneous anthrax associated with drum making using goat hides from west africa--connecticut, 2007. | on august 29, 2007, the connecticut department of public health was notified by a physician of suspect cutaneous anthrax involving a drum maker and one of his three children. the drum maker had been working with untreated goat hides from guinea in west africa. this report summarizes results of the joint epidemiologic and environmental investigation conducted by public health officials, environmental agencies, and law enforcement authorities. the investigation revealed that the drum maker was exp ... | 2008 | 18551098 |
| progressive and destructive hair follicle infections in a murine cutaneous anthrax model. | hair follicles may allow pathogen entry because they represent potential barrier defects and because there is immunological privilege within actively growing follicles. experimental cutaneous bacillus anthracis infections in mice have previously shown prominent organism invasion and proliferation within hair follicles. for the present study, c57bl/6 mice were inoculated with b. anthracis (sterne) spores onto abraded skin with either anagen (actively growing) or telogen (inactive) hair follicles; ... | 2008 | 18551767 |
| high-throughput, single-cell analysis of macrophage interactions with fluorescently labeled bacillus anthracis spores. | the engulfment of bacillus anthracis spores by macrophages is an important step in the pathogenesis of inhalational anthrax. however, from a quantitative standpoint, the magnitude to which macrophages interact with and engulf spores remains poorly understood, in part due to inherent limitations associated with commonly used assays. to analyze phagocytosis of spores by raw264.7 macrophage-like cells in a high-throughput, nonsubjective manner, we labeled b. anthracis sterne 7702 spores prior to in ... | 2008 | 18552183 |
| evaluation of two selective media for the isolation of bacillus anthracis. | to evaluate two selective media, polymyxin, lysozyme, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, thallium acetate (plet) agar and r&f anthracis chromogenic agar (chra), for the isolation and selection of bacillus anthracis. | 2008 | 18554264 |
| dose-response models for inhalation of bacillus anthracis spores: interspecies comparisons. | because experiments with bacillus anthracis are costly and dangerous, the scientific, public health, and engineering communities are served by thorough collation and analysis of experiments reported in the open literature. this study identifies available dose-response data from the open literature for inhalation exposure to b. anthracis and, via dose-response modeling, characterizes the response of nonhuman animal models to challenges. two studies involving four data sets amenable to dose-respon ... | 2008 | 18554269 |
| modeling the incubation period of inhalational anthrax. | ever since the pioneering work of philip sartwell, the incubation period distribution for infectious diseases is most often modeled using a lognormal distribution. theoretical models based on underlying disease mechanisms in the host are less well developed. this article modifies a theoretical model originally developed by brookmeyer and others for the inhalational anthrax incubation period distribution in humans by using a more accurate distribution to represent the in vivo bacterial growth pha ... | 2008 | 18556642 |
| application of carbohydrate microarray technology for the detection of burkholderia pseudomallei, bacillus anthracis and francisella tularensis antibodies. | we developed a microarray platform by immobilizing bacterial 'signature' carbohydrates onto epoxide modified glass slides. the carbohydrate microarray platform was probed with sera from non-melioidosis and melioidosis (burkholderia pseudomallei) individuals. the platform was also probed with sera from rabbits vaccinated with bacillus anthracis spores and francisella tularensis bacteria. by employing this microarray platform, we were able to detect and differentiate b. pseudomallei, b. anthracis ... | 2008 | 18558401 |
| pyridopyrimidine derivatives as inhibitors of cyclic nucleotide synthesis: application for treatment of diarrhea. | acute secretory diarrhea induced by infection with enterotoxigenic strains of escherichia coli involves binding of stable toxin (sta) to its receptor on the intestinal brush border, guanylyl cyclase type c (gc-c). intracellular cgmp is elevated, inducing increase in chloride efflux and subsequent accumulation of fluid in the intestinal lumen. we have screened a library of compounds and identified a pyridopyrimidine derivatives {5-(3-bromophenyl)-1,3-dimethyl-5,11-dihydro-1h-indeno[2',1':5,6]pyri ... | 2008 | 18559851 |
| saccharides cross-reactive with bacillus anthracis spore glycoprotein as an anthrax vaccine component. | bacillus anthracis is a spore-forming bacterium that causes anthrax in humans and in other mammals. the glycoprotein bcla (bacillus collagen-like protein of anthracis) is a major constituent of the exosporium, the outermost surface of b. anthracis spores. the glycosyl part of bcla is an oligosaccharide composed of 2-o-methyl-4-(3-hydroxy-3-methylbutanamido)-4,6-dideoxy-d-glucose, referred to as anthrose, and three rhamnose residues. a structure similar to anthrose, 4-(3-hydroxy-3-methylbutanamid ... | 2008 | 18562275 |
| interlaboratory comparison of results of an anthrax lethal toxin neutralization assay for assessment of functional antibodies in multiple species. | the anthrax lethal toxin neutralization assay (tna) will likely be used to correlate the protection offered by new anthrax vaccines in animal models to the immunogenicity that will be provided in humans. tna data are being generated in several different laboratories to measure the immune responses in rabbits, nonhuman primates, and humans. in order to compare data among species and laboratories, a collaborative study was conducted in which 108 samples from the three species were analyzed in seve ... | 2008 | 18417668 |
| from soil to gut: bacillus cereus and its food poisoning toxins. | bacillus cereus is widespread in nature and frequently isolated from soil and growing plants, but it is also well adapted for growth in the intestinal tract of insects and mammals. from these habitats it is easily spread to foods, where it may cause an emetic or a diarrhoeal type of food-associated illness that is becoming increasingly important in the industrialized world. the emetic disease is a food intoxication caused by cereulide, a small ring-formed dodecadepsipeptide. similar to the virul ... | 2008 | 18422617 |
| identification of oxidative stress and toll-like receptor 4 signaling as a key pathway of acute lung injury. | multiple lung pathogens such as chemical agents, h5n1 avian flu, or sars cause high lethality due to acute respiratory distress syndrome. here we report that toll-like receptor 4 (tlr4) mutant mice display natural resistance to acid-induced acute lung injury (ali). we show that tlr4-trif-traf6 signaling is a key disease pathway that controls the severity of ali. the oxidized phospholipid (oxpl) oxpapc was identified to induce lung injury and cytokine production by lung macrophages via tlr4-trif. ... | 2008 | 18423196 |
| improvement of an antibody neutralizing the anthrax toxin by simultaneous mutagenesis of its six hypervariable loops. | the enhancement of antibody affinity by mutagenesis targeting only complementarity determining regions has the advantage of respecting the framework regions, which are important for tolerance if clinical use is envisaged. here, starting from a fab (antigen-binding fragment; 35pa(83)) capable of neutralizing the lethal toxin of anthrax and having an affinity of 3.4 nm for its antigen, a phage-displayed library of variants where all six complementarity determining regions (73 positions) were targe ... | 2008 | 18423488 |
| mast cell activators: a new class of highly effective vaccine adjuvants. | mast cells (mcs) have recently received recognition as prominent effectors in the regulation of immune cell migration to draining lymph nodes and lymphocyte activation. however, their role in the development of humoral immune responses is not clear. here, we demonstrate that subcutaneous or nasal administration of small-molecule mc activators with vaccine antigens evokes large increases in antigen-specific serum immunoglobulin g (igg) responses. these responses were mc dependent and correlated w ... | 2008 | 18425129 |
| antiinflammatory camp signaling and cell migration genes co-opted by the anthrax bacillus. | bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent of anthrax, avoids immune surveillance and commandeers host macrophages as a vehicle for lymphatic spreading. here, we show that b. anthracis edema toxin (et), via its adenylyl cyclase activity, dramatically increases the motility of infected macrophages and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor. the transcription factor creb and the syndecan-1 gene, a creb target, play crucial roles in et-induced macrophage migration. these molecular and ce ... | 2008 | 18427110 |
| label-free flow-enhanced specific detection of bacillus anthracis using a piezoelectric microcantilever sensor. | differentiation between species of similar biological structure is of critical importance in biosensing applications. here, we report specific detection of bacillus anthracis (ba) spores from that of close relatives, such as b. thuringiensis (bt), b. cereus (bc), and b. subtilis (bs) by varying the flow speed of the sampling liquid over the surface of a piezoelectric microcantilever sensor (pems). spore binding to the anti-ba spore igg coated pems surface is determined by monitoring the resonanc ... | 2008 | 18427687 |
| selection and optimization of bacillus atrophaeus inoculum medium and its effect on spore yield and thermal resistance. | bacillus atrophaeus's spores are used as biological indicators to monitor sterilization processes and as a bacillus anthracis surrogate in the development and validation of biosafety methods. the regular use of biological indicators to evaluate the efficiency of sterilization processes is a legal requirement for health services. however, its high cost hinders its widespread use. aiming at developing a cost-effective inoculum medium, soybean molasses and nutrient-supplemented vinasse were evaluat ... | 2008 | 18427737 |
| chemical synthesis and immunological properties of oligosaccharides derived from the vegetative cell wall of bacillus anthracis. | 2008 | 18563773 | |
| the effect of salt and phage concentrations on the binding sensitivity of magnetoelastic biosensors for bacillus anthracis detection. | this article presents an investigation of the effect of salt and phage concentrations on the binding affinity of magnetoelastic (me) biosensors. the sensors were fabricated by immobilizing filamentous phage on the me platform surface for the detection of bacillus anthracis spores. in response to the binding of spores to the phage on the me biosensor, a corresponding decrease occurs in resonance frequency. transmission electron microscopy (tem) was used to verify the structure of phage under diff ... | 2008 | 18563848 |
| de novo asymmetric synthesis of anthrax tetrasaccharide and related tetrasaccharide. | a de novo asymmetric approach to the natural product anthrax tetrasaccharide 1 and an analogue 2 with an anomeric hexyl azide group has been developed from acetylfuran. the construction of the tetrasaccharide was achieved by a traditional [3 + 1] glycosylation strategy. an iterative diastereoselective palladium-catalyzed glycosylation, luche reduction, diastereoselective dihydroxylation, and regioselective acylation were employed for the assembly of the l-rhamno-trisaccharide building block. the ... | 2008 | 18563936 |
| domain specificity of the human antibody response to bacillus anthracis protective antigen. | protective antigen (pa) is the cell surface recognition moiety of the bacillus anthracis a-b toxin system, and the active immunogenic component in the currently licensed human anthrax vaccine (biothrax, or ava). the serum antibody response to the pa protein is polyclonal and complex both in terms of the antibody combining sites utilized to bind pa and the pa-associated epitopes recognized. we have cloned, sequenced, and expressed a large panel of pa-specific human monoclonal antibodies from seve ... | 2008 | 18565627 |
| multiplex pathogen detection based on spatially addressable microarrays of barcoded resins. | suspension microsphere immunoassays are rapidly gaining recognition in antigen identification and infectious disease biodetection due to their simplicity, versatility and high-throughput multiplex screening. we demonstrate a multiplex assay based on antibody-functionalized barcoded resins (bcrs) to identify pathogen antigens in complex biological fluids. the binding event of a particular antibody on given bead (fluorescence) and the identification of the specific pathogen agent (vibrational fing ... | 2008 | 18566958 |
| groel as a molecular scaffold for structural analysis of the anthrax toxin pore. | we analyzed the 440-kda transmembrane pore formed by the protective antigen (pa) moiety of anthrax toxin in the presence of groel by negative-stain electron microscopy. groel binds both the heptameric pa prepore and the pa pore. the latter interaction retards aggregation of the pore, prolonging its insertion-competent state. two populations of unaggregated pores were visible: groel-bound pores and unbound pores. this allowed two virtually identical structures to be reconstructed, at 25-a and 28- ... | 2008 | 18568038 |
| properties and applications of antimicrobial peptides in biodefense against biological warfare threat agents. | recent advances in knowledge of the properties of antimicrobial peptides (amps) are reviewed. amps are typically small, positively charged, amphipathic peptides that interact electrostatically and non-stereospecifically with the bacterial cell membrane, resulting in its permeabilization and cell death. classes of amps, their mechanisms of action, hemolytic activity, and cytotoxicity towards host cells are discussed. a particular focus is amps with potential for use in defense against biological ... | 2008 | 18568863 |
| analysis of suspicious powders following the post 9/11 anthrax scare. | following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, set environmental, inc., a chicago-based environmental and hazardous materials management company received a large number of suspicious powders for analysis. | 2008 | 18570168 |
| mass spectrometry for rapid characterization of microorganisms. | advances in instrumentation, proteomics, and bioinformatics have contributed to the successful applications of mass spectrometry (ms) for detection, identification, and classification of microorganisms. these ms applications are based on the detection of organism-specific biomarker molecules, which allow differentiation between organisms to be made. intact proteins, their proteolytic peptides, and nonribosomal peptides have been successfully utilized as biomarkers. sequence-specific fragments fo ... | 2008 | 20636075 |
| two-photon luminescence imaging of bacillus spores using peptide-functionalized gold nanorods. | bacillus subtilis spores (a simulant of bacillus anthracis) have been imaged by two-photon luminescence (tpl) microscopy, using gold nanorods (gnrs) functionalized with a cysteine-terminated homing peptide. control experiments using a peptide with a scrambled amino acid sequence confirmed that the gnr targeting was highly selective for the spore surfaces. the high sensitivity of tpl combined with the high affinity of the peptide labels enables spores to be detected with high fidelity using gnrs ... | 2008 | 20098661 |
| the danger of lime use in agricultural anthrax disinfection procedures: the potential role of calcium in the preservation of anthrax spores. | previously, lime (calcium oxide) was recommended by the canadian food inspection agency (cfia) as an anthrax disinfectant. however, a recent scientific review of the subject has found evidence to suggest that exposure of anthrax spores to calcium may aid in their survival and viability. for this reason, the cfia no longer recommends the use of lime for agricultural anthrax disinfection. | 2008 | 19252713 |
| aptamer selection express: a novel method for rapid single-step selection and sensing of aptamers. | here we describe a new dna capture element (dce) sensing system, based on the quenching and dequenching of a double-stranded aptamer. this system shows very good sensitivity and thermal stability. while quenching, dequenching, and separating the dce systems made from different aptamers (all selected by selex), an alternative method to rapidly select aptamers was developed-the aptamer selection express (asexp). this process has been used to select aptamers against different types of targets (baci ... | 2008 | 19183794 |
| preparative optical chromatography with external collection and analysis. | optical chromatography, used for particle separation, involves loosely focusing a laser into a fluid flowing opposite the direction of laser propagation. when microscopic particles in the flow path encounter this beam they are trapped axially along the beam and are pushed upstream from the laser focal point to rest at a point where the optical and fluid forces on the particle balance. because optical and fluid forces are sensitive to differences in the physical and chemical properties of a parti ... | 2008 | 19581966 |
| synthesis of homopolymers and copolymers containing an active ester of acrylic acid by raft: scaffolds for controlling polyvalent ligand display. | we describe the synthesis of activated homopolymers and copolymers of controlled molecular weight based on the controlled radical polymerization of n-acryloyloxysuccinimide (nas) by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (raft). we synthesized activated homopolymers in a range of molecular weights with polydispersities between 1 and 1.2. the attachment of an inhibitory peptide to the activated polymer backbone yielded a potent controlled molecular weight polyvalent inhibitor of anthrax ... | 2008 | 19855852 |
| clinical and pathologic features of cynomolgus macaques (macaca fascicularis) infected with aerosolized yersinia pestis. | since the anthrax attacks of 2001, the emphasis on developing animal models of aerosolized select agent pathogens has increased. many scientists believe that nonhuman primate models are the most appropriate to evaluate pulmonary response to, vaccines for, and treatments for select agents such as yersinia pestis (y. pestis), the causative agent of plague. a recent symposium concluded that the cynomolgus macaque (macaca fascicularis) plague model should be characterized more fully. to date, a well ... | 2008 | 19793459 |
| induction of natural competence in bacillus cereus atcc14579. | natural competence is the ability of certain microbes to take up exogenous dna from the environment and integrate it in their genome. competence development has been described for a variety of bacteria, but has so far not been shown to occur in bacillus cereus. however, orthologues of most proteins involved in natural dna uptake in bacillus subtilis could be identified in b. cereus. here, we report that b. cereus atcc14579 can become naturally competent. when expressing the b. subtilis comk prot ... | 2008 | 21261842 |
| dispensing medical countermeasures for public health emergencies: workshop summary | with the threat of an anthrax attack as the case study, on march 3–4, 2008, the institute of medicine (iom) forum on medical and public health preparedness for catastrophic events hosted a workshop titled “medical countermeasures dispensing.” the workshop was organized by an independent planning committee. the following is a summary of the presentations and discussion that transpired during the workshop. any opinions, conclusions, or recommendation ... | 2008 | 20669413 |
| anthrax lethal factor investigated by molecular simulations. | the anthrax disease is caused by the lethal toxin secreted by the bacterium bacillus anthracis. the toxin is a protein aggregate which contains a zn-based hydrolase called anthrax lethal factor (lf). in this work, we investigate the structure of its michaelis complex with an optimized mapkk-like substrate using several computational methods including density functional theory, molecular dynamics, and coarse grained techniques. our calculations suggest that (i) the presence of second-shell ligand ... | 2008 | 26620178 |
| a modeled structure for amidase-03 from bacillus anthracis. | homology models of amidase-03 from bacillus anthracis were constructed using modeller (9v2). modeller constructs protein models using an automated approach for comparative protein structure modeling by the satisfaction of spatial restraints. a template structure of listeria monocytogenes bacteriophage psa endolysin plypsa (pdb id: 1xov) was selected from protein databank (pdb) using blastp with blosum62 sequence alignment scoring matrix. we generated five models using the modeller default routin ... | 2009 | 20975917 |
| investigation of antimicrobial and protease-inhibitory activity from cultured cyanobacteria. | a culture collection of cyanobacteria has been established at the university of illinois at chicago. this collection includes marine, terrestrial, and freshwater strains and contains representatives of the five orders of cyanobacteria: chroococcales, pleurocapsales, oscillatoriales, nostocales, and stigonematales. in this study, extracts from a subset of 61 strains, 16 marine and 45 freshwater/terrestrial, were evaluated against three current protease targets, i.e. 20s proteasome and two sars vi ... | 2009 | 21430788 |
| behavioural factors associated with cutaneous anthrax in musadzi area of gokwe north, zimbabwe. | to determine behaviour factors for contracting human cutaneous anthrax among residents of musadzi area. | 2009 | 21977844 |
| suspected outbreak of cutaneous anthrax in kasese district, the investigation and response, april to may 2007. | a report of suspected anthrax was submitted by the kasese district health office to the epidemiology surveillance division of ministry of health. a joint team comprising officers from moh, iph and mph officers proceeded to the district to investigate the reported threat of anthrax. the investigations were conducted in bwera hsd, bukonjo west county, in communities bordering queen elizabeth national park. | 2009 | 20803911 |
| reclassifying bioterrorism risk: are we preparing for the proper pathogens? | existing classifications of potential biological weapons, acknowledge only limited important parameters of biological weapon potential. certain pathogen factors would further influence the outcome of a potential attack in context with social and political aspects of the time and space of the attack. the importance of these factors was investigated through various attack scenarios that have been developed by the authors, and an individual score for each of these factors was calculated, based on t ... | 2009 | 20701862 |
| an investigation of the quality of meat sold in lesotho. | since the closure of the lesotho abattoir in 2003, only imported meat can be legally sold. however, it was estimated in 2007 that 80% of the meat sold at butcheries comes from informal slaughter. the aim of this study was to investigate the situation. the number and location of informal butcheries in lesotho (n = 143) were recorded and mapped using geographical information systems. observations (photographs) of informal slaughter indicated a lack of hygiene, unskilled slaughtermen and illegal di ... | 2009 | 20458865 |
| clpx contributes to innate defense peptide resistance and virulence phenotypes of bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis is a national institute of allergy and infectious diseases category a priority pathogen and the causative agent of the deadly disease anthrax. we applied a transposon mutagenesis system to screen for novel chromosomally encoded b. anthracis virulence factors. this approach identified clpx, the regulatory atpase subunit of the clpxp protease, as essential for both the hemolytic and proteolytic phenotypes surrounding colonies of b. anthracis grown on blood or casein agar media, ... | 2009 | 20375606 |
| decontamination of bacillus anthracis spores: evaluation of various disinfectants. | the present study compares the efficacy of various disinfectants against bacillus anthracis spores. while bleach rite(®) and 10% bleach reduce spore numbers by 90% within 10 minutes, a long contact time is required for complete disinfection. by contrast, although sporgon(®) did not initially reduce the number of spores as quickly as bleach rite or 10% bleach, shorter contact times were required for complete eradication of viable spores. | 2009 | 20967138 |
| bioshock: biotechnology and bioterrorism. | in the recent past, the threat of a global bioterrorist attack has increased dramatically. in addition to the already existing microorganisms and techniques, the recent explosion in biotechnology has considerably added to the arsenal of the bioterrorist. molecular technologies are now available which can be used by committed bioterrorist groups to manipulate and modify microorganisms so as to make them increasingly infectious, virulent or treatment resistant for causing maximum casualties. infec ... | 2009 | 27408292 |
| development of antibodies against anthrose tetrasaccharide for specific detection of bacillus anthracis spores. | methods for the immunological detection of bacillus anthracis in various environmental samples and the discrimination of b. anthracis from other members of the b. cereus group are not yet well established. to generate specific discriminating antibodies, we immunized rabbits, mice, and chickens with inactivated b. anthracis spores and, additionally, immunized rabbits and mice with the tetrasaccharide beta-ant-(1-->3)-alpha-l-rhap-(1-->3)-alpha-l-rhap-(1-->2)-l-rhap. it is a constituent of the exo ... | 2009 | 19793896 |
| unanswered questions and ethical issues concerning us biodefence research. | unanswered questions and ethical issues associated with us biodefence medical research over the past five decades are discussed. objective scientific standards are essential for making policy decisions that can stand the test of time. for decades, scholars have reported that the human anthrax vaccine field trials conducted in the 1950s by brachman and his colleagues were single-blind rather than double-blind. nevertheless, in march 2005, dr philip s brachman reported in a letter to the us food a ... | 2009 | 19793937 |
| booming biosafety labs probed. | 2009 | 19794463 | |
| web-based training on weapons of mass destruction response for emergency medical services personnel. | to develop, implement, and assess a web-based simulation training program for emergency medical services (ems) personnel on recognition and treatment of ocular injuries resulting from weapons of mass destruction (wmd) attacks. | 2009 | 19739458 |
| aluminum hydroxide injections lead to motor deficits and motor neuron degeneration. | gulf war syndrome is a multi-system disorder afflicting many veterans of western armies in the 1990-1991 gulf war. a number of those afflicted may show neurological deficits including various cognitive dysfunctions and motor neuron disease, the latter expression virtually indistinguishable from classical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (als) except for the age of onset. this als "cluster" represents the second such als cluster described in the literature to date. possible causes of gws include sev ... | 2009 | 19740540 |
| gene expression profiling of human alveolar macrophages infected by b. anthracis spores demonstrates tnf-alpha and nf-kappab are key components of the innate immune response to the pathogen. | bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent of anthrax, has recently been used as an agent of bioterrorism. the innate immune system initially appears to contain the pathogen at the site of entry. because the human alveolar macrophage (ham) plays a key role in lung innate immune responses, studying the ham response to b. anthracis is important in understanding the pathogenesis of the pulmonary form of this disease. | 2009 | 19744333 |
| endogenous nitric oxide protects bacteria against a wide spectrum of antibiotics. | bacterial nitric oxide synthases (bnos) are present in many gram-positive species and have been demonstrated to synthesize no from arginine in vitro and in vivo. however, the physiological role of bnos remains largely unknown. we show that no generated by bnos increases the resistance of bacteria to a broad spectrum of antibiotics, enabling the bacteria to survive and share habitats with antibiotic-producing microorganisms. no-mediated resistance is achieved through both the chemical modificatio ... | 2009 | 19745150 |
| identification of the udp-n-acetylglucosamine 4-epimerase involved in exosporium protein glycosylation in bacillus anthracis. | spores of bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, are enclosed by a loosely fitting exosporium composed of a basal layer and an external hair-like nap. the filaments of the nap are formed by trimers of the collagen-like glycoprotein bcla. the side chains of bcla include multiple copies of two linear rhamnose-containing oligosaccharides, a trisaccharide and a pentasaccharide. the pentasaccharide terminates with the unusual deoxyamino sugar anthrose. both oligosaccharide side chains ar ... | 2009 | 19749053 |
| perturbation of mouse retinal vascular morphogenesis by anthrax lethal toxin. | lethal factor, the enzymatic moiety of anthrax lethal toxin (letx) is a protease that inactivates mitogen activated protein kinase kinases (mek or mkk). in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate letx targets endothelial cells. however, the effects of letx on endothelial cells are incompletely characterized. to gain insight into this process we used a developmental model of vascularization in the murine retina. we hypothesized that application of letx would disrupt normal retinal vascularization, ... | 2009 | 19750016 |
| uncertainty and operational considerations in mass prophylaxis workforce planning. | the public health response to an influenza pandemic or other large-scale health emergency may include mass prophylaxis using multiple points of dispensing (pods) to deliver countermeasures rapidly to affected populations. computer models created to date to determine "optimal" staffing levels at pods typically assume stable patient demand for service. the authors investigated pod function under dynamic and uncertain operational environments. | 2009 | 19797960 |
| characteristics of cutaneous anthrax in turkey. | incidence of anthrax is diminishing in developed countries; however, it remains a public health problem in developing countries, especially those whose main source of income is farming. | 2009 | 19801802 |
| a heterologous helper t-cell epitope enhances the immunogenicity of a multiple-antigenic-peptide vaccine targeting the cryptic loop-neutralizing determinant of bacillus anthracis protective antigen. | we previously showed that a multiple antigenic peptide (map) displaying amino acids (aa) 305 to 319 from the 2beta2-2beta3 loop of protective antigen (pa) can elicit high-titered antibody that neutralizes lethal toxin (letx) in vitro and that this loop-neutralizing determinant (lnd) specificity is absent in pa-immune rabbits. some immune rabbits were, however, nonresponders to the map. we hypothesized that the immunogen elicited suboptimal major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class ii-restrict ... | 2009 | 19805525 |
| improvement of a selective media for the isolation of b. anthracis from soils. | to prove linkage between an environmental sample and an anthrax case, there must be isolates obtained from both that can be compared. although bacillus anthracis is easily isolated from powder samples, isolating it from soil is difficult because of the high bacterial count in it. formulations of plet were prepared, inoculated with b. anthracis, b. cereus and b. thuringiensis and examined for growth. two hundred eighty-three isolates including 23 b. anthracis were placed onto one formulation whil ... | 2009 | 19808058 |
| staphylococcus aureus synthesizes adenosine to escape host immune responses. | staphylococcus aureus infects hospitalized or healthy individuals and represents the most frequent cause of bacteremia, treatment of which is complicated by the emergence of methicillin-resistant s. aureus. we examined the ability of s. aureus to escape phagocytic clearance in blood and identified adenosine synthase a (adsa), a cell wall-anchored enzyme that converts adenosine monophosphate to adenosine, as a critical virulence factor. staphylococcal synthesis of adenosine in blood, escape from ... | 2009 | 19808256 |
| resistance of human alveolar macrophages to bacillus anthracis lethal toxin. | the etiologic agent of inhalational anthrax, bacillus anthracis, produces virulence toxins that are important in the disease pathogenesis. current studies suggest that mouse and human macrophages are susceptible to immunosuppressive effects of one of the virulence toxins, lethal toxin (lt). thus a paradigm has emerged that holds that the alveolar macrophage (am) does not play a significant role in the innate immune response to b. anthracis or defend against the pathogen as it is disabled by lt. ... | 2009 | 19812208 |
| hospital staff goes into overdrive during anthrax scare. | 2009 | 19813584 | |
| a semi-synthetic ion channel platform for detection of phosphatase and protease activity. | sensitive methods to probe the activity of enzymes are important for clinical assays and for elucidating the role of these proteins in complex biochemical networks. this paper describes a semi-synthetic ion channel platform for detecting the activity of two different classes of enzymes with high sensitivity. in the first case, this method uses single ion channel conductance measurements to follow the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of a phosphate group attached to the c-terminus of gramicidin a (ga, ... | 2009 | 19860382 |
| immunologic response of unvaccinated workers exposed to anthrax, belgium. | to determine immunologic reactivity to bacillus anthrax antigens, we conducted serologic testing of workers in a factory that performed scouring of wool and goat hair. of 66 workers, approximately 10% had circulating antibodies or t lymphocytes that reacted with anthrax protective antigen. individual immunity varied from undetectable to high. | 2009 | 19861061 |
| direct interaction between anthrax toxin receptor 1 and the actin cytoskeleton. | the protective antigen component of anthrax toxin binds the i domain of the anthrax toxin receptors, antxr1 and antxr2, in a manner akin to how integrins bind their ligands. the i domains of integrins and antxr1 both have high- and low-affinity conformations, and the cytosolic tails of these receptors associate with the actin cytoskeleton. the association of antxr1 with the cytoskeleton correlates with weakened binding to pa, although a mechanistic explanation for this observation is lacking. he ... | 2009 | 19817382 |
| penetration of the blood-brain barrier by bacillus anthracis requires the pxo1-encoded bsla protein. | anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the gram-positive spore-forming bacterium bacillus anthracis. human infection occurs after the ingestion, inhalation, or cutaneous inoculation of b. anthracis spores. the subsequent progression of the disease is largely mediated by two native virulence plasmids, pxo1 and pxo2, and is characterized by septicemia, toxemia, and meningitis. in order to produce meningitis, blood-borne bacteria must interact with and breach the blood-brain barrier (bbb) that is ... | 2009 | 19820089 |
| humans and evolutionary and ecological forces shaped the phylogeography of recently emerged diseases. | the development of human civilizations and global commerce has led to the emergence and worldwide circulation of many infectious diseases. anthrax, plague and tularaemia are three zoonotic diseases that have been intensely studied through genome characterization of the causative species and phylogeographical analyses. a few highly fit genotypes in each species represent the causative agents for most of the observed disease cases. together, mutational and selective forces create highly adapted pa ... | 2009 | 19820723 |
| proteomic studies of bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis is a gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium representing the etiological cause of anthrax, a rare lethal disease of animals and humans. development of anthrax countermeasures has gained increasing attention owing to the potential use of b. anthracis spores as a bioterror weapon. the various forms of infection by b. anthracis are characterized both by toxemia and septicemia, both of which are the result of spore entry into the host followed by their germination into rapidly mul ... | 2009 | 19824790 |
| bacillus anthracis, francisella tularensis and yersinia pestis. the most important bacterial warfare agents - review. | there are three most important bacterial causative agents of serious infections that could be misused for warfare purposes: bacillus anthracis (the causative agent of anthrax) is the most frequently mentioned one; however, fracisella tularensis (causing tularemia) and yersinia pestis (the causative agent of plague) are further bacterial agents enlisted by centers for disease control and prevention into the category a of potential biological weapons. this review intends to summarize basic informa ... | 2009 | 19826916 |
| [the time course of changes in cell immunological parameters during administration of live dry plague vaccine]. | the study of the time course of changes in cell immunological parameters by a magnetic separation technique in human beings during the administration of plague vaccine in relation to the immunological load revealed the higher blood levels of all t lymphocyte subpopulations on day 14 after vaccination. these changes are most typical of a primary vaccinated cohort. the increased frequency of plague vaccine administration and multiple immunizations with live plague, anthrax, and tularemia vaccines ... | 2009 | 19827193 |
| cross-sectional survey of anthrax vaccine coverage and kap among deployed us military. | the recently refocused effort on anthrax (ava) vaccination has been the source of much ethical and legal deliberation. however, the factors affecting one's decision to receive any or all of the vaccine doses are poorly understood. using a self-administered questionnaire, we sought to evaluate ava coverage among a cross-section of deployed active duty us military personnel and identify factors associated with receipt of the vaccine. a questionnaire was distributed to u.s. military personnel deplo ... | 2009 | 19829070 |
| identification of the channel-forming domain of clostridium perfringens epsilon-toxin (etx). | epsilon-toxin (etx) is a potent toxin produced by clostridium perfringens strains b and d. the bacteria are important pathogens in domestic animals and cause edema mediated by etx. this toxin acts most likely by heptamer formation and rapid permeabilization of target cell membranes for monovalent anions and cations followed by a later entry of calcium. in this study, we compared the primary structure of etx with that of the channel-forming stretches of a variety of binding components of a-b-type ... | 2009 | 19835840 |
| advances in the development of next-generation anthrax vaccines. | anthrax, a disease of herbivores, only rarely infects humans. however, the threat of using bacillus anthracis, the causative agent, to intentionally produce disease has been the impetus for development of next-generation vaccines. two licensed vaccines have been available for human use for several decades. these are composed of acellular culture supernatants containing the protective antigen (pa) component of the anthrax toxins. in this review we summarize the various approaches used to develop ... | 2009 | 19837282 |
| roles of the bacillus anthracis spore protein exsk in exosporium maturation and germination. | the bacillus anthracis spore is the causative agent of the disease anthrax. the outermost structure of the b. anthracis spore, the exosporium, is a shell composed of approximately 20 proteins. the function of the exosporium remains poorly understood and is an area of active investigation. in this study, we analyzed the previously identified but uncharacterized exosporium protein exsk. we found that, in contrast to other exosporium proteins, exsk is present in at least two distinct locations, i.e ... | 2009 | 19837802 |
| liver abscess and sepsis with bacillus pantothenticus in an immunocompetent patient: a first case report. | bacillus species are aerobic, gram-positive, spore forming rods that are usually found in the soil, dust, streams, and other environmental sources. except for bacillus. anthracis (b. anthracis), most species display low virulence, and only rarely cause infections in hosts with weak or damaged immune systems. there are two case reports of b. cereus as a potentially serious bacterial pathogen causing a liver abscess in an immunologically competent patient. we herein report a case of liver abscess ... | 2009 | 19908347 |
| three related cases of cutaneous anthrax in france: clinical and laboratory aspects. | anthrax is an acute bacterial infection caused by bacillus anthracis. the infection is cutaneous in about 95% of human cases and respiratory in about 5%. approximately 2000 cases of cutaneous anthrax are reported annually worldwide. this disease became exceptional in europe thanks to strict veterinarian monitoring. the last human cases of anthrax indicated in france were in 1997. we report 3 new related cases of naturally acquired cutaneous anthrax that occurred in france in 2008. the unique fea ... | 2009 | 19910752 |
| selective interactions of sugar-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes with bacillus spores. | it was reported previously that monosaccharide-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (swnts) could interact with bacillus anthracis (sterne) spores with the mediation of a divalent cation such as ca(2+) to result in significant spore aggregation and reduction in colony forming units. in this work a more systematic investigation was performed on interactions of the swnts functionalized with individual mannose and galactose moieties and their various dendritic configurations with b. anthra ... | 2009 | 19911831 |
| differential staining of bacteria: endospore stain. | endospore production is a very important characteristic of some bacteria, allowing them to resist adverse environmental conditions such as desiccation, chemical exposure, extreme heat, radiation, etc. the identification of endospores is also very important for the clinical microbiologist who is analyzing a patient's body fluid or tissue-there are not that many spore-forming genera. in fact, there are two major pathogenic spore-forming genera, bacillus and clostridium, together causing a number o ... | 2009 | 19885937 |
| an antimicrobial guanidine-bearing sesterterpene from the cultured cyanobacterium scytonema sp. | scytoscalarol (1), a antimicrobial sesterterpene bearing a guanidino group, was isolated from the cultured cyanobacterium scytonema sp. (utex 1163) by bioassay-guided fractionation. the chemical structure was determined by spectroscopic analysis including ms and 1d and 2d nmr. scytoscalarol (1) showed antimicrobial activities against bacillus anthracis, staphylococcus aureus, escherichia coli, candida albicans, and mycobacterium tuberculosis with mic values in the range from 2 to 110 microm. | 2009 | 19888742 |
| onsite infectious agents and toxins monitoring in 12 may sichuan earthquake affected areas. | at 14:28 on 12 may 2008, sichuan province of china suffered a devastating earthquake measuring 8.0 on the richter scale with more than 80 000 human lives lost and millions displaced. with inadequate shelter, poor access to health services, and disrupted ecology, the survivors were at enormous risk of infectious disease outbreaks. this work, believed to be unprecedented, was carried out to contain a possible outbreak through onsite monitoring of airborne biological agents in the high-risk areas. ... | 2009 | 19890556 |