Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted descending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| bacteriophage t4 as a nanoparticle platform to display and deliver pathogen antigens: construction of an effective anthrax vaccine. | protein-based subunit vaccines represent a safer alternative to the whole pathogen in vaccine development. however, limitations of physiological instability and low immunogenicity of such vaccines demand an efficient delivery system to stimulate robust immune responses. the bacteriophage t4 capsid-based antigen delivery system can robustly elicit both humoral and cellular immune responses without any adjuvant. therefore, it offers a strong promise as a novel antigen delivery system. currently ba ... | 2017 | 28374254 |
| what is the predictive value of animal models for vaccine efficacy in humans? the importance of bridging studies and species-independent correlates of protection. | animal models have played a pivotal role in all stages of vaccine development. their predictive value for vaccine effectiveness depends on the pathogen, the robustness of the animal challenge model, and the correlates of protection (if known). this article will cover key questions regarding bridging animal studies to efficacy trials in humans. examples include human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccine in which animal protection after vaccination with heterologous prototype virus-like particles (vlps) p ... | 2017 | 28348035 |
| sublingual targeting of sting with 3'3'-cgamp promotes systemic and mucosal immunity against anthrax toxins. | anthrax is caused by bacillus anthracis, a zoonotic bacterial pathogen affecting humans and livestock worldwide. the current human anthrax vaccine, anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava), is an injected vaccine with a cumbersome administration schedule and fails to promote mucosal immunity. bacterial enterotoxins, which stimulate production of the cyclic nucleotide camp are effective experimental mucosal vaccine adjuvants, but their inherent toxicity has precluded their use in humans. we investigated wh ... | 2017 | 28343781 |
| a novel live attenuated anthrax spore vaccine based on an acapsular bacillus anthracis sterne strain with mutations in the htra, lef and cya genes. | we recently reported the development of a novel, next-generation, live attenuated anthrax spore vaccine based on disruption of the htra (high temperature requirement a) gene in the bacillus anthracis sterne veterinary vaccine strain. this vaccine exhibited a highly significant decrease in virulence in murine, guinea pig and rabbit animal models yet preserved the protective value of the parental sterne strain. here, we report the evaluation of additional mutations in the lef and cya genes, encodi ... | 2017 | 28342664 |
| digital triplex dna assay based on plasmonic nanocrystals. | a new analytical method has been developed to detect three kinds of dna simultaneously based on magnetic beads and color-encoded plasmonic nanocrystals. magnetic beads modified with capture dna are employed to collect the specific target dna, and color-encoded plasmonic nanocrystals are applied to signal the target through dna hybridization. as a proof of concept, three types of representative metal nanocrystals of gold nanoparticle (aunp), gold nanorod (aunr), and gold/silver nanoparticle (au/a ... | 2017 | 28331957 |
| penicillin-susceptible, oxidase-negative, nonhemolytic, nonmotile bacillus megaterium in disguise of bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis is a bacterial pathogen of major concern. the spores of this bacteria can survive harsh environmental conditions for extended periods and are well recognized as a potential bioterror weapon with significant implications. accurate and timely identification of this bacillus species in the diagnostic laboratory is essential for disease and public health management. biosafety level 3 measures and ciprofloxacin treatment were instituted when b. anthracis was suspected from a patien ... | 2017 | 28331641 |
| the berkeleylactones, antibiotic macrolides from fungal coculture. | a carefully timed coculture fermentation of penicillium fuscum and p. camembertii/clavigerum yielded eight new 16-membered-ring macrolides, berkeleylactones a-h (1, 4, 6-9, 12, 13), as well as the known antibiotic macrolide a26771b (5), patulin, and citrinin. there was no evidence of the production of the berkeleylactones or a26771b (5) by either fungus when grown as axenic cultures. the structures were deduced from analyses of spectral data, and the absolute configurations of compounds 1 and 9 ... | 2017 | 28326781 |
| dual lanthanide-doped complexes: the development of a time-resolved ratiometric fluorescent probe for anthrax biomarker and a paper-based visual sensor. | in this work, a novel time-resolved ratiometric fluorescent probe based on dual lanthanide (tb: terbium, and eu: europium)-doped complexes (tb/dpa@sio2-eu/gmp) has been designed for detecting anthrax biomarker (dipicolinic acid, dpa), a unique and major component of anthrax spores. in such complexes-based probe, tb/dpa@sio2 can serve as a stable reference signal with green fluorescence and eu/gmp act as a sensitive response signal with red fluorescence for ratiometric fluorescent sensing dpa. ad ... | 2017 | 28324858 |
| combined virtual screening, mmpbsa, molecular docking and dynamics studies against deadly anthrax: an in silico effort to inhibit bacillus anthracis nucleoside hydrolase. | anthrax is a deadly disease caused by bacillus anthracis, a dangerous biological warfare agent employed for both military and terrorist purposes. a critical selective target for chemotherapy against this disease is nucleoside hydrolase (nh), an enzyme still not found in mammals. in the current study, we have performed molecular docking and dynamics studies, aiming to propose the new potent inhibitors of b. anthracis nh among national cancer institute (nci) diversity set. we also analyzed the pri ... | 2017 | 28300596 |
| poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) fuels the tricarboxylic acid cycle and de novo lipid biosynthesis during bacillus anthracis sporulation. | numerous bacteria accumulate poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (phb) as an intracellular reservoir of carbon and energy in response to imbalanced nutritional conditions. in bacillus spp., where phb biosynthesis precedes the formation of the dormant cell type called the spore (sporulation), the direct link between phb accumulation and efficiency of sporulation was observed in multiple studies. although the idea of phb as an intracellular carbon and energy source fueling sporulation was proposed several dec ... | 2017 | 28299860 |
| modeling and simulation in dose determination for biodefense products approved under the fda animal rule. | development of effective medical countermeasures for biodefense is vital to united states biopreparedness and response in the age of terrorism, both foreign and domestic. a traditional drug development pathway toward approval is not possible for most biodefense-related indications, creating the need for alternative development pathways such as the fda's animal rule. under this unique regulatory mechanism, fda-approval is based on adequate and well-controlled animal studies when it is neither eth ... | 2017 | 28299529 |
| relevance of the alternate conductance states of anthrax toxin channel. | 2017 | 28298532 | |
| reply to yamini and nestorovich: alternate clamped states of the anthrax toxin protective antigen channel. | 2017 | 28298531 | |
| a four-gene operon in bacillus cereus produces two rare spore-decorating sugars. | bacterial glycan structures on cell surfaces are critical for cell-cell recognition and adhesion and in host-pathogen interactions. accordingly, unraveling the sugar composition of bacterial cell surfaces can shed light on bacterial growth and pathogenesis. here, we found that two rare sugars with a 3-c-methyl-6-deoxy-hexose structure were linked to spore glycan in bacillus cereus atcc 14579 and atcc 10876. moreover, we identified a four-gene operon in b. cereus atcc 14579 that encodes proteins ... | 2017 | 28298443 |
| time to worry about anthrax again. | 2017 | 28296844 | |
| the detection and quantification of bacillus thuringiensis spores from soil and swabs using quantitative pcr as a model system for routine diagnostics of bacillus anthracis. | to optimize the dna isolation for the routine detection and quantification of bacillary spores in soil and swabs. the procedure is primarily intended for diagnostics of bacillus anthracis spores, but due to its high pathogenicity b. thuringiensis served as its surrogate organism. | 2017 | 28294483 |
| in vivo characterization of an hfq protein encoded by the bacillus anthracis virulence plasmid pxo1. | bacterial hfq proteins post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression, primarily by mediating the interaction between srnas (small rnas) and their target mrnas. the role of hfq-based regulation has been well defined in gram-negative bacteria, but comparatively less is known about the impact of hfq proteins in gram-positive species. the gram-positive pathogen bacillus anthracis (causative agent of anthrax) is distinct in that it expresses three homologs of hfq: hfq1 and hfq2 from the chromosome, ... | 2017 | 28288571 |
| a biologically-based computational approach to drug repurposing for anthrax infection. | developing drugs to treat the toxic effects of lethal toxin (lt) and edema toxin (et) produced by b. anthracis is of global interest. we utilized a computational approach to score 474 drugs/compounds for their ability to reverse the toxic effects of anthrax toxins. for each toxin or drug/compound, we constructed an activity network by using its differentially expressed genes, molecular targets, and protein interactions. gene expression profiles of drugs were obtained from the connectivity map an ... | 2017 | 28287432 |
| self-defense against bacillus anthracis toxins: is p-selectin the key? | 2017 | 28281892 | |
| genome sequence of historical bacillus anthracis strain tyrol 4675 isolated from a bovine anthrax case in austria. | in 1988, an outbreak of anthrax occurred among cattle in the austrian state of tyrol. since then, austria has been declared anthrax-free. here, we report the draft genome sequence of one of these last outbreak strains, bacillus anthracis tyrol 4675, isolated from a diseased cow. | 2017 | 28280006 |
| heroin-associated anthrax with minimal morbidity. | in 2010, during an outbreak of anthrax affecting people who inject drugs, a heroin user aged 37 years presented with soft tissue infection. he subsequently was found to have anthrax. we describe his management and the difficulty in distinguishing anthrax from non-anthrax lesions. his full recovery, despite an overall mortality of 30% for injectional anthrax, demonstrates that some heroin-related anthrax cases can be managed predominately with oral antibiotics and minimal surgical intervention. | 2017 | 28275017 |
| systematic substitutions at blip position 50 result in changes in binding specificity for class a β-lactamases. | the production of β-lactamases by bacteria is the most common mechanism of resistance to the widely prescribed β-lactam antibiotics. β-lactamase inhibitory protein (blip) competitively inhibits class a β-lactamases via two binding loops that occlude the active site. it has been shown that blip tyr50 is a specificity determinant in that substitutions at this position result in large differential changes in the relative affinity of blip for class a β-lactamases. | 2017 | 28264645 |
| construction of bacillus thuringiensis simulant strains suitable for environmental release. | for a surrogate bacterium to be used in outdoor studies, it is important to consider environmental and human safety, and ease of detection. recently, bacillus thuringiensis, a popular bioinsecticide bacterium, is gaining attention as a surrogate bacterium for its use in biodefense. in this study, we constructed simulant strains of b. thuringiensis with enhanced characteristics for environmental studies. through transposon mutagenesis, pigment genes were inserted into the chromosome, producing ye ... | 2017 | 28258144 |
| re-aerosolization of bacillus thuringiensis spores from concrete and turf. | spores of bacillus anthracis deposited on surfaces can become airborne again as a result of air currents and mechanical forces. as such they are a potential source of infection by inhalation. spores of bacillus thuringiensis were used to quantify this phenomenon in a simulation of outdoor conditions. concrete and turf surfaces were inoculated by aerosol to produce high spore densities (greater than 1 x 10(9) cfu m(-2) ) which were then subjected to the passage of air at 10 ms(-1) with and withou ... | 2017 | 28256003 |
| development of antibacterial conjugates using sulfamethoxazole with monocyclic terpenes: a systematic medicinal chemistry based computational approach. | to develop 6 conjugate agents of the moribund antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (smz) joined to 6 individual monoterpenes, followed by protocols of medicinal chemistry as potent antibacterials, against multidrug resistant (mdr) human gruesome pathogenic bacteria. | 2017 | 28254074 |
| the epidemiological investigation and control of an anthrax outbreak in a village in central anatolia, turkey. | 2017 | 28245722 | |
| the poly-γ-d-glutamic acid capsule surrogate of bacillus anthracis capsule induces interferon-gamma production in nk cells through interactions with macrophages. | the poly-γ-d-glutamic acid (pga) capsule, a major virulence factor of bacillus anthracis, provides protection of the bacillus from phagocytosis and allows its unimpeded growth in the host. we investigated crosstalk between murine nk cells and macrophages stimulated with pga capsule of bacillus licheniformis, a surrogate of b. anthracis capsule. pga induced interferon-gamma (ifn-γ) production from nk cells cultured with macrophages. this effect was dependent on macrophage-derived il-12 and cell-c ... | 2017 | 28237999 |
| ultrastructural characterization of bacillus anthracis spores: the existence of two spores subpopulations? | 2017 | 28230516 | |
| in vitro and in vivo activity of omadacycline against two biothreat pathogens: bacillus anthracis and yersinia pestis. | introduction: the in vitro activity and in vivo efficacy of omadacycline (omc) were evaluated against the causative pathogens of anthrax and plague, bacillus anthracis and yersinia pestis, respectively.methods: minimum inhibitory concentrations (mics) of omc were determined by microbroth dilution according to clsi guidelines for 30 isolates each of y. pestis and b. anthracis the in vivo efficacy of omadacycline was studied at a range of dosages in both a post exposure prophylaxis (pep) murine mo ... | 2017 | 28223382 |
| dynamics of bacterial class bacilli in the deepest valley lake of kashmir-the manasbal lake. | in recognition of the importance of bacteria as ecological indicators of the aquatic systems a comprehensive and systematic analysis was carried out on manasbal lake, the deepest spring fed valley lake of kashmir. the main objective envisaged was to analyze bacterial community composition (bcc) and for this purpose systematic and regular sampling of waters from ten different sampling stations, predetermined in the lake according to differences in degree of human interference and also as zones of ... | 2017 | 28087491 |
| comparisons of the humoral and cellular immunity induced by live a16r attenuated spore and ava-like anthrax vaccine in mice. | the live attenuated anthrax vaccine and anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava) are two main types of anthrax vaccines currently used in human. however, the immunoprotective mechanisms are not fully understood. in this study, we compared humoral and cellular immunity induced by live a16r spore vaccine and a16r strain derived ava-like vaccine in mice peripheral blood, spleen and bone marrow. both a16r spores and ava-like vaccines induced a sustained igg antibody response with igg1/igg2b subtype dominance. ... | 2017 | 28215694 |
| molecular tiling on the surface of a bacterial spore - the exosporium of the bacillus anthracis/cereus/thuringiensis group. | bacteria of the genera bacillus and clostridium form highly resistant spores, which in the case of some pathogens act as the infectious agents. an exosporium forms the outermost layer of some spores; it plays roles in protection, adhesion, dissemination, host targeting in pathogens and germination control. the exosporium of the bacillus cereus group, including the anthrax pathogen, contains a 2d-crystalline basal layer, overlaid by a hairy nap. bcla and related proteins form the hairy nap, and r ... | 2017 | 28214340 |
| gene expression control by bacillus anthracis purine riboswitches. | in all kingdoms of life, cellular replication relies on the presence of nucleosides and nucleotides, the building blocks of nucleic acids and the main source of energy. in bacteria, the availability of metabolites sometimes directly regulates the expression of enzymes and proteins involved in purine salvage, biosynthesis and uptake through riboswitches. riboswitches are located in bacterial mrnas and can control gene expression by conformational changes in response to ligand binding. we have est ... | 2017 | 28209633 |
| corrigendum: in vivo dynamics of active edema and lethal factors during anthrax. | 2017 | 28198803 | |
| dynamic phenylalanine clamp interactions define single-channel polypeptide translocation through the anthrax toxin protective antigen channel. | anthrax toxin is an intracellularly acting toxin where sufficient detail is known about the structure of its channel, allowing for molecular investigations of translocation. the toxin is composed of three proteins, protective antigen (pa), lethal factor (lf), and edema factor (ef). the toxin's translocon, pa, translocates the large enzymes, lf and ef, across the endosomal membrane into the host cell's cytosol. polypeptide clamps located throughout the pa channel catalyze the translocation of lf ... | 2017 | 28192089 |
| evaluation of immunoassays and general biological indicator tests for field screening of bacillus anthracis and ricin. | there is little published data on the performance of biological indicator tests and immunoassays that could be used by first responders to determine if a suspicious powder contains a potential biothreat agent. we evaluated a range of biological indicator tests, including 3 protein tests, 2 atp tests, 1 dna test, and 1 ftir spectroscopy instrument for their ability to screen suspicious powders for bacillus anthracis (b. anthracis) spores and ricin. we also evaluated 12 immunoassays (mostly latera ... | 2017 | 28192054 |
| evaluation of pcr systems for field screening of bacillus anthracis. | there is little published data on the performance of hand-portable polymerase chain reaction (pcr) systems that can be used by first responders to determine if a suspicious powder contains a potential biothreat agent. we evaluated 5 commercially available hand-portable pcr instruments for detection of bacillus anthracis. we used a cost-effective, statistically based test plan to evaluate systems at performance levels ranging from 0.85-0.95 lower confidence bound (lcb) of the probability of detec ... | 2017 | 28192050 |
| comparison of sampling methods to recover germinated bacillus anthracis and bacillus thuringiensis endospores from surface coupons. | in an attempt to devise decontamination methods that are both effective and minimally detrimental to the environment, we evaluated germination induction as an enhancement to strategies for bacillus anthracis spore decontamination. to determine an optimal method for the recovery of germinating spores from different matrices, it was critical to ensure that the sampling procedures did not negatively impact the viability of the germinating spores possibly confounding the results and downstream analy ... | 2017 | 28191745 |
| full sequence amino acid scanning of θ-defensin rtd-1 yields a potent anthrax lethal factor protease inhibitor. | θ-defensin rtd-1 is a noncompetitive inhibitor of anthrax lethal factor (lf) protease (ic50 = 390 ± 20 nm, ki = 365 ± 20 nm) and a weak inhibitor of other mammalian metalloproteases such as tnfα converting enzyme (tace) (ki = 4.45 ± 0.48 μm). using full sequence amino acid scanning in combination with a highly efficient "one-pot" cyclization-folding approach, we obtained an rtd-1-based peptide that was around 10 times more active than wild-type rtd-1 in inhibiting lf protease (ic50 = 43 ± 3 nm, ... | 2017 | 28151653 |
| bacterial virulence factors: secreted for survival. | virulence is described as an ability of an organism to infect the host and cause a disease. virulence factors are the molecules that assist the bacterium colonize the host at the cellular level. these factors are either secretory, membrane associated or cytosolic in nature. the cytosolic factors facilitate the bacterium to undergo quick adaptive-metabolic, physiological and morphological shifts. the membrane associated virulence factors aid the bacterium in adhesion and evasion of the host cell. ... | 2017 | 28148975 |
| systemic granulomatous and haemorrhagic syndrome in new zealand dairy cattle. | cases were obtained through passive surveillance reporting by veterinary pathologists, via the ministry for primary industries exotic pest and disease hotline. they included ill or dead cows that had evidence of frank haemorrhage, petechial haemorrhages on mucous membranes, wasting or dermatitis of unknown cause, and were reported between 2009-2014. affected cows (n=16) were from nine seasonally calving dairy farms, aged ≥3 years, and were predominantly in their mid-to-late non-lactating period. ... | 2017 | 28147208 |
| cdc's evolving approach to emergency response. | the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) transformed its approach to preparing for and responding to public health emergencies following the anthrax attacks of 2001. the office of public health preparedness and response, an organizational home for emergency response at cdc, was established, and 4 programs were created or greatly expanded after the anthrax attacks: (1) an emergency management program, including an emergency operations center; (2) increased support of state and local h ... | 2017 | 28146366 |
| model systems for pulmonary infectious diseases: paradigms of anthrax and tuberculosis. | robert koch utilized animal model systems to put forward his postulates while discovering the etiological agents of anthrax and tuberculosis, bacillus anthracis and mycobacterium tuberculosis, respectively. after more than 130 years, we have achieved limited success towards understanding these two pestilences, which have propagated as scourge against humans. b. anthracis and m. tuberculosis are diverse organisms, which share a common evolutionary path in tropics. they adapt unique strategies to ... | 2017 | 28137237 |
| targeted delivery of an adp-ribosylating bacterial toxin into cancer cells. | the actin cytoskeleton is an attractive target for bacterial toxins. the adp-ribosyltransferase tccc3 from the insect bacterial pathogen photorhabdus luminescence modifies actin to force its aggregation. we intended to transport the catalytic part of this toxin preferentially into cancer cells using a toxin transporter (protective antigen, pa) which was redirected to epidermal growth factor receptors (egfr) or to human egf receptors 2 (her2), which are overexpressed in several cancer cells. prot ... | 2017 | 28128281 |
| modeling rabbit responses to single and multiple aerosol exposures of bacillus anthracis spores. | survival models are developed to predict response and time-to-response for mortality in rabbits following exposures to single or multiple aerosol doses of bacillus anthracis spores. hazard function models were developed for a multiple-dose data set to predict the probability of death through specifying functions of dose response and the time between exposure and the time-to-death (ttd). among the models developed, the best-fitting survival model (baseline model) is an exponential dose-response m ... | 2017 | 28121020 |
| stability and pre-formulation development of a plant-produced anthrax vaccine candidate. | second generation anthrax vaccines focus on the use of recombinant protective antigen (rpa) to elicit a strong, toxin neutralizing antibody responses in immunized subjects. the main difference between the rpa vaccines compared to the current licensed vaccine, anthrax vaccine absorbed (ava), is the rpa vaccines are highly purified preparations of only rpa. these second generation rpa vaccines strive to elicit strong immune responses with substantially fewer doses than ava while provoking less sid ... | 2017 | 28117174 |
| resuspension of biological particles from indoor surfaces: effects of humidity and air swirl. | human exposure to airborne particles can lead to adverse health outcomes such as respiratory and allergic symptoms. understanding the transport mechanism of respirable particles in occupied spaces is a first step towards assessing inhalation exposure. several studies have contributed to the current knowledge of particle resuspension from indoor surfaces; however, few published studies are available on resuspension of biological particles from indoor surfaces. the objective of this study is to in ... | 2017 | 28117152 |
| modeling the ecological niche of bacillus anthracis to map anthrax risk in kyrgyzstan. | anthrax, caused by the environmental bacterium bacillus anthracis, is an important zoonosis nearly worldwide. in central asia, anthrax represents a major veterinary and public health concern. in the republic of kyrgyzstan, ongoing anthrax outbreaks have been reported in humans associated with handling infected livestock and contaminated animal by-products such as meat or hides. the current anthrax situation has prompted calls for improved insights into the epidemiology, ecology, and spatial dist ... | 2017 | 28115677 |
| secondary structure preferences of the anthrax toxin protective antigen translocase. | in order for many proteins to move across hydrophobic membrane bilayers, they must be unfolded and translocated by a membrane-embedded channel. these translocase channels interact with the substrate proteins they translocate via hydrophobic pore loops and cleft structures called clamps. the molecular basis for how clamps facilitate unfolding and translocation is poorly understood. anthrax toxin is composed of three proteins, a translocase channel-forming subunit, called protective antigen (pa), ... | 2017 | 28115202 |
| isolation, characterization and antimicrobial activities of polyacetylene glycosides from coreopsis tinctoria nutt. | polyacetylene glycosides, (6z, 12e)-tetradecadiene-8,10-diyne-1-ol-3(r)-o-β-d-glucopyranoside (trivially named coreoside e) and (6z, 12e)-tetradecadiene-8,10-diyne-1-ol-3(r)-o-β-l-arabinopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-d-glucopyranoside (trivially named coreoside f), were isolated from buds of coreopsis tinctoria nutt., together with one known compound, coreoside b. their chemical structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and on the basis of their chemical reactivities. coreoside e exhi ... | 2017 | 28104231 |
| diagnosis implications of the whole genome sequencing in a large lebanese family with hyaline fibromatosis syndrome. | hyaline fibromatosis syndrome (hfs) is a recently introduced alternative term for two disorders that were previously known as juvenile hyaline fibromatosis (jhf) and infantile systemic hyalinosis (ish). these two variants are secondary to mutations in the anthrax toxin receptor 2 gene (antxr2) located on chromosome 4q21. the main clinical features of both entities include papular and/or nodular skin lesions, gingival hyperplasia, joint contractures and osteolytic bone lesions that appear in the ... | 2017 | 28103792 |
| soluble p-selectin rescues mice from anthrax lethal toxin-induced mortality through psgl-1 pathway-mediated correction of hemostasis. | as one of the virulence factors of bacillus anthracis, lethal toxin (lt) induces various pathogenic responses including the suppression of the coagulation system. in this study, we observed that lt markedly increased the circulating soluble p-selectin (sp-sel) levels and microparticle (mp) count in wild-type but not p-selectin (p-sel, selp(-/-)) or p-sel ligand-1 (psgl-1, selplg(-/-)) knockout mice. because sp-sel induces a hypercoagulable state through psgl-1 pathway to generate tissue factor-p ... | 2017 | 28102766 |
| a single black ulcer in a child with acute lymphocytic leukemia. | ecthyma gangrenosum is an uncommon dermatological manifestation characterized by round, indurated ulcers with a central necrotic black eschar and surrounding erythema. this report describes the case of a 5-year-old girl, affected by acute lymphocytic leukemia, presenting with a black eschar on her right thigh. such lesions should always be correctly identified to avoid potentially fatal bacteraemia. furthermore, because of its similar clinical presentation, cutaneous anthrax must be ruled out. | 2017 | 28099607 |
| genetic source tracking of an anthrax outbreak in shaanxi province, china. | anthrax is an acute zoonotic infectious disease caused by the bacterium known as bacillus anthracis. from 26 july to 8 august 2015, an outbreak with 20 suspected cutaneous anthrax cases was reported in ganquan county, shaanxi province in china. the genetic source tracking analysis of the anthrax outbreak was performed by molecular epidemiological methods in this study. | 2017 | 28093076 |
| antxr2 knock-out does not result in the development of hypertension in rats. | our recent genetic study as well as robust evidences reported by previous genome-wide association studies (gwass) have indicated that the single nucleotide polymorphism rs16998073, located near gene anthrax toxin receptor 2 (antxr2), was significantly associated with hypertension in asians and europeans. the aim of the present study was to determine whether antxr2 is the causal gene of hypertension at the 4q21 locus using an antxr2 knock-out model. | 2017 | 28077422 |
| a serious case of anthrax associated with compartment syndrome. | compartment syndrome linked to skin anthrax is a rare complication that may develop and it should be noted that the disease may progress in spite of medical drug treatment. our case was a farmer who was exposed after slaughtering a dead animal, a time delay for treatment hided this history and then developed compartment syndrome. in anthrax cases with delayed treatment and aggressive progression, circulation in the extremities should be carefully noted. we believe that the cases with compartment ... | 2017 | 28076996 |
| evaluation of clinical and serological findings for diagnosis of cutaneous anthrax infection after an outbreak. | anthrax, caused by the bacterium bacillus anthracis, is one of the oldest documented infectious diseases in both livestock and humans. we aimed to evaluate clinical findings and risk factors of patients with cutaneous anthrax infection and report anti-lethal factor (lf) igg and anti-protective antigen (pa) igg titers in the serologic diagnosis of disease. | 2017 | 28076993 |
| notes from the field: compliance with postexposure prophylaxis for exposure to bacillus anthracis among u.s. military personnel - south korea, may 2015. | 2017 | 28056004 | |
| expression, purification, and biophysical characterization of a secreted anthrax decoy fusion protein in nicotiana benthamiana. | anthrax toxin receptor-mediated drug development for blocking anthrax toxin action has received much attention in recent decades. in this study, we produced a secreted anthrax decoy fusion protein comprised of a portion of the human capillary morphogenesis gene-2 (cmg2) protein fused via a linker to the fragment crystallizable (fc) domain of human immunoglobulin g1 in nicotiana benthamiana plants using a transient expression system. using the cauliflower mosaic virus (camv) 35s promoter and co-e ... | 2017 | 28054967 |
| optical screening for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing and for observation of phenotypic diversity among strains of the genetically clonal species bacillus anthracis. | during high-impact events involving bacillus anthracis, such as the amerithrax incident of 2001 or the anthrax outbreaks in russia and sweden in 2016, critical decisions to reduce morbidity and mortality include rapid selection and distribution of effective antimicrobial agents for treatment and postexposure prophylaxis. detection of antimicrobial resistance currently relies on a conventional broth microdilution method that requires a 16- to 20-h incubation time for b. anthracis advances in high ... | 2017 | 28053211 |
| influence of ppcps on the performance of intermittently operated slow sand filters for household water purification. | removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (ppcps) from drinking water is usually enhanced by advanced oxidation which is not affordable in low income countries. slow sand filtration has been found to be capable of removing anti-inflammatory compounds, and its low maintenance costs and easy operation make it an attractive technology for treating drinking water in many parts of the world. in addition, slow sand filters can be used at both large and household scales. the biofilm (i.e. s ... | 2017 | 28041695 |
| transcriptional classification and functional characterization of human airway macrophage and dendritic cell subsets. | the respiratory system is a complex network of many cell types, including subsets of macrophages and dendritic cells that work together to maintain steady-state respiration. owing to limitations in acquiring cells from healthy human lung, these subsets remain poorly characterized transcriptionally and phenotypically. we set out to systematically identify these subsets in human airways by developing a schema of isolating large numbers of cells by whole-lung bronchoalveolar lavage. six subsets of ... | 2017 | 28031342 |
| characterization of yersinia species by protein profiling using automated microfluidic capillary electrophoresis. | yersinia pestis is a biological agent of high risk to national security due to its ability to be easily disseminated and transmitted among humans. if y. pestis was to be utilized in a deliberate disease outbreak it would be essential to rapidly and accurately identify the agent. current identification methods for yersinia species are limited by their reliance on cultivation, the time taken to achieve results and/or the use of protocols that are not amenable for field use. faster identification m ... | 2017 | 28019002 |
| deletion of a putative nlpc/p60 endopeptidase bas1812 affects germination, long-term survival and endospore formation in bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis, an aetiologic agent of the zoonotic disease anthrax, encodes a putative nlpc/p60 endopeptidase bas1812. it harbours a signal peptide, three bacterial sh3 domains and an nlpc/p60 family domain. previous studies showed that bas1812 is immunogenic in infected hosts and is a potential biomarker for anthrax treatment. to date, however, little information is known about its function and involvement in anthrax pathogenesis. here we describe the phenotypic effect of bas1812 deletion ... | 2017 | 28008818 |
| role of the recognition helix of response regulator walr from bacillus anthracis in dna binding and specificity. | walrk two-component system of bacillus anthracis potentially regulates multiple genes spanning diverse cellular functions. its constituent response regulator (rr), walr belongs to the ompr/phob family which possesses a winged helix-turn-helix motif for dna binding. an in silico knowledge based model of walr c-terminal dna binding domain in complex with its ftse promoter region binding motif was used to identify specific residues of the recognition helix important for dna binding. the model was v ... | 2017 | 27988294 |
| modeling tool for decision support during early days of an anthrax event. | health officials lack field-implementable tools for forecasting the effects that a large-scale release of bacillus anthracis spores would have on public health and hospitals. we created a modeling tool (combining inhalational anthrax caseload projections based on initial case reports, effects of variable postexposure prophylaxis campaigns, and healthcare facility surge capacity requirements) to project hospitalizations and casualties from a newly detected inhalation anthrax event, and we examine ... | 2017 | 27983505 |
| analysis of anthrax immune globulin intravenous with antimicrobial treatment in injection drug users, scotland, 2009-2010. | we studied anthrax immune globulin intravenous (aig-iv) use from a 2009-2010 outbreak of bacillus anthracis soft tissue infection in injection drug users in scotland, uk, and we compared findings from 15 aig-iv recipients with findings from 28 nonrecipients. death rates did not differ significantly between recipients and nonrecipients (33% vs. 21%). however, whereas only 8 (27%) of 30 patients at low risk for death (admission sequential organ failure assessment score of 0-5) received aig-iv, 7 ( ... | 2017 | 27983504 |
| epidemiology of human anthrax in china, 1955-2014. | using national surveillance data for 120,111 human anthrax cases recorded during 1955-2014, we analyzed the temporal, seasonal, geographic, and demographic distribution of this disease in china. after 1978, incidence decreased until 2013, when it reached a low of 0.014 cases/100,000 population. the case-fatality rate, cumulatively 3.6% during the study period, has also decreased since 1990. cases occurred throughout the year, peaking in august. geographic distribution decreased overall from west ... | 2017 | 27983489 |
| a mathematical model of anthrax transmission in animal populations. | a general mathematical model of anthrax (caused by bacillus anthracis) transmission is formulated that includes live animals, infected carcasses and spores in the environment. the basic reproduction number [formula: see text] is calculated, and existence of a unique endemic equilibrium is established for [formula: see text] above the threshold value 1. using data from the literature, elasticity indices for [formula: see text] and type reproduction numbers are computed to quantify anthrax control ... | 2017 | 28035484 |
| histopathology of vaccine-preventable diseases. | the widespread use of vaccines has been one of the most important medical advances in the last century, saving trillions of dollars and millions of lives. despite local eradication of some infections, travellers returning from affected areas may cause outbreaks through reintroduction of pathogens to individuals who are unable to receive vaccines for medical reasons or who have declined vaccination for non-medical reasons. infections that would otherwise be uncommonly encountered by anatomical pa ... | 2017 | 27960239 |
| identification of a substrate-selective exosite within the metalloproteinase anthrax lethal factor. | the metalloproteinase anthrax lethal factor (lf) is secreted by bacillus anthracis to promote disease virulence through disruption of host signaling pathways. lf is a highly specific protease, exclusively cleaving mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (mkks) and rodent nlrp1b (nacht leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing protein 1b). how lf achieves such restricted substrate specificity is not understood. previous studies have suggested the existence of an exosite interaction between ... | 2017 | 27909054 |
| animal-to-human dose translation of obiltoxaximab for treatment of inhalational anthrax under the us fda animal rule. | obiltoxaximab, a monoclonal antibody against protective antigen (pa), is approved for treatment of inhalational anthrax under the us food and drug administration's (fda) animal rule. the human dose was selected and justified by comparing observed obiltoxaximab exposures in healthy and infected new zealand white rabbits and cynomolgus macaques to observed exposures in healthy humans, to simulated exposures in healthy and infected humans, and to serum pa levels in infected animals. in humans, at 1 ... | 2017 | 27925405 |
| recombinant anthrax protective antigen: observation of aggregation phenomena by tem reveals specific effects of sterols. | negatively stained transmission electron microscope images are presented that depict the aggregation of recombinant anthrax protective antigen (rpa83 monomer and the pa63 prepore oligomer) under varying in vitro biochemical conditions. heat treatment (50°c) of rpa83 produced clumped fibrils, but following heating the pa63 prepore formed disordered aggregates. freeze-thaw treatment of the pa63 prepore generated linear flexuous aggregates of the heptameric oligomers. aqueous suspensions of cholest ... | 2017 | 27883989 |
| bletilla striata: medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities. | bletilla striata (thunb.) reichb. f. (orchidaceae), also known as hyacinth orchid and baiji (simplified chinese: ), not only has been widely used for the treatment of hematemesis, hemoptysis, and traumatic bleeding due to the efficacy of arresting bleeding with astringent action, but also has been applied topically to overcome ulcers, sores, swellings, and chapped skin due to the efficacy of dispersing swelling and promoting tissue regeneration. additional medical applications include the treatm ... | 2017 | 27865796 |
| tid: standalone software for mining putative drug targets from bacterial proteome. | tid is a standalone application, which relies on basic assumption that a protein must be essential for pathogens survival and non-homologous with host to qualify as putative target. with an input bacterial proteome, tid removes paralogous proteins, picks essential ones, and excludes proteins homologous with host organisms. the targets illustrate non-homology with at least 40 out of 84 gut microbes, considered safe for human. tid classifies proposed targets as known, novel and virulent. users can ... | 2017 | 27856224 |
| stability of domain 4 of the anthrax toxin protective antigen and the effect of the vwa domain of cmg2 on stability. | the major immunogenic component of the current anthrax vaccine, anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava) is protective antigen (pa). we have shown recently that the thermodynamic stability of pa can be significantly improved by binding to the von-willebrand factor a (vwa) domain of capillary morphogenesis protein 2 (cmg2), and improvements in thermodynamic stability may improve storage and long-term stability of pa for use as a vaccine. in order to understand the origin of this increase in stability, we h ... | 2017 | 27874231 |
| a "dock and lock" approach to preparation of targeted liposomes. | we developed a strategy for covalent coupling of targeting proteins to liposomes decorated with a standard adapter protein. this strategy is based on "dock and lock" interactions between two mutated fragments of human rnase i, a 1-15 aa fragment with the r4c amino acid substitution (cys-tag), and a 21-127-aa fragment with the v118c substitution, (ad-c). upon binding to each other, cys-tag and ad-c spontaneously form a disulfide bond between the complementary 4c and 118c residues. therefore, any ... | 2017 | 27837532 |
| avoiding pandemic fears in the subway and conquering the platypus. | metagenomics is increasingly used not just to show patterns of microbial diversity but also as a culture-independent method to detect individual organisms of intense clinical, epidemiological, conservation, forensic, or regulatory interest. a widely reported metagenomic study of the new york subway suggested that the pathogens yersinia pestis and bacillus anthracis were part of the "normal subway microbiome." in their article in msystems, hsu and collaborators (msystems 1(3):e00018-16, 2016, htt ... | 2017 | 27832215 |
| genes required for bacillus anthracis secondary cell wall polysaccharide synthesis. | the secondary cell wall polysaccharide (scwp) is thought to be essential for vegetative growth and surface (s)-layer assembly in bacillus anthracis; however, the genetic determinants for the assembly of its trisaccharide repeat structure are not known. here, we report that wpaa (bas0847) and wpab (bas5274) share features with membrane proteins involved in the assembly of o-antigen lipopolysaccharide in gram-negative bacteria and propose that wpaa and wpab contribute to the assembly of the scwp i ... | 2017 | 27795328 |
| antibody-based immunotherapy to treat and prevent infection with hypervirulent klebsiella pneumoniae. | hypervirulent klebsiella pneumoniae (hvkp) strains are predicted to become a major threat in asia if antibiotic resistance continues to spread. anticapsular antibodies (abs) were developed because disseminated infections caused by hvkp are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, even with antibiotic-sensitive strains. k1-serotype polysaccharide capsules (k1-cps) are expressed by the majority of hvkp strains. in this study, k1-cps-specific igg abs were generated by conjugation of k1- ... | 2017 | 27795303 |
| rapid snp detection and genotyping of bacterial pathogens by pyrosequencing. | bacterial identification and typing are fixtures of microbiology laboratories and are vital aspects of our response mechanisms in the event of foodborne outbreaks and bioterrorist events. whole genome sequencing (wgs) is leading the way in terms of expanding our ability to identify and characterize bacteria through the identification of subtle differences between genomes (e.g. single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) and insertions/deletions). modern high-throughput technologies such as pyrosequen ... | 2017 | 27822867 |
| validation of high throughput screening of human sera for detection of anti-pa igg by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) as an emergency response to an anthrax incident. | to improve surge testing capability for a response to a release of bacillus anthracis, the cdc anti-protective antigen (pa) igg enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) was re-designed into a high throughput screening format. the following assay performance parameters were evaluated: goodness of fit (measured as the mean reference standard r(2)), accuracy (measured as percent error), precision (measured as coefficient of variance (cv)), lower limit of detection (llod), lower limit of quantifica ... | 2017 | 27814939 |
| in vitro evaluation of the effect of linezolid and levofloxacin on bacillus anthracis toxin production, spore formation and cell growth. | owing to its ability to form spores and toxins, bacillus anthracis is considered a bioterror agent. although current therapeutic strategies can be effective, treatment does not prevent sporulation and toxin production. | 2017 | 27798209 |
| a dual purpose universal influenza vaccine candidate confers protective immunity against anthrax. | preventive influenza vaccines must be reformulated annually because of antigen shift and drift of circulating influenza viral strains. however, seasonal vaccines do not always match the circulating strains, and there is the ever-present threat that avian influenza viruses may adapt to humans. hence, a universal influenza vaccine is needed to provide protective immunity against a broad range of influenza viruses. we designed an influenza antigen consisting of three tandem m2e repeats plus ha2, in ... | 2017 | 27775159 |
| functional characterization of phopr two component system and its implication in regulating phosphate homeostasis in bacillus anthracis. | recent report on importance of phosphate starvation (ps) in bacillus anthracis (ba) pathogenesis warrants further investigation of the underlying regulatory mechanism. potential role of phopr two component system (tcs) in phosphate homeostasis and virulence of several pathogens necessitates the study of annotated phopr in ba. | 2017 | 27667172 |
| s-nitrosylation of peroxiredoxin 1 contributes to viability of lung epithelial cells during bacillus anthracis infection. | using bacillus anthracis as a model gram-positive bacterium, we investigated the effects of host protein s-nitrosylation during bacterial infection. b. anthracis possesses a bacterial nitric oxide synthase (bnos) that is important for its virulence and survival. however, the role of s-nitrosylation of host cell proteins during b. anthracis infection has not been determined. | 2017 | 27612662 |
| detection probability models for bacteria, and how to obtain them from heterogeneous spiking data. an application to bacillus anthracis. | efficient and correct evaluation of sampling results with respect to hypotheses about the concentration or distribution of bacteria generally requires knowledge about the performance of the detection method. to assess the sensitivity of the detection method an experiment is usually performed where the target matrix is spiked (i.e. artificially contaminated) with different concentrations of the bacteria, followed by analyses of the samples using the pre-enrichment method and the analytical detect ... | 2017 | 27764712 |
| genotypic heterogeneity of emetic toxin producing bacillus cereus isolates from china. | emetic toxin-producing bacillus cereus (emetic b. cereus) is the third member of b. cereus group whose toxins are encoded by megaplasmids, beside anthrax and insecticidal toxins of b. anthracis and b. thuringiensis, respectively. a total of 18 emetic isolates collected from food poisoning events, clinical and non-random food samples in zhejiang province of china, were analyzed by plasmid screening, pulse field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing, and toxic gene identification to inve ... | 2017 | 27744366 |
| cutaneous anthrax. | 2017 | 27742398 | |
| plant-based vaccines against respiratory diseases: current status and future prospects. | respiratory infections have an enormous, worldwide epidemiologic impact on humans and animals. among the prophylactic measures, vaccination has the potential to neutralize this impact. new technologies for vaccine production and delivery are of importance in this field since they offer the potential to develop new immunization approaches overriding the current limitations that comprise high cost, safety issues, and limited efficacy. areas covered: in the present review, the state of the art in d ... | 2017 | 27599605 |
| protein catalyzed capture agents with tailored performance for in vitro and in vivo applications. | we report on peptide-based ligands matured through the protein catalyzed capture (pcc) agent method to tailor molecular binders for in vitro sensing/diagnostics and in vivo pharmacokinetics parameters. a vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) binding peptide and a peptide against the protective antigen (pa) protein of bacillus anthracis discovered through phage and bacterial display panning technologies, respectively, were modified with click handles and subjected to iterative in situ click c ... | 2017 | 27539157 |
| virulence plasmid stability in environmentally occurring bacillus anthracis from north east turkey. | the bacillus anthracis virulence plasmid pxo2, which encodes for a polypeptide capsule, can be lost during long term laboratory storage. to determine if pxo2 is lost in nature we screened b. anthracis isolates obtained from b. anthracis spores from contaminated animal burial sites in turkey for their ability to express a capsule upon primary culture. a total of 672 b. anthracis colonies were examined of which ten produced a mixed mucoid (capsule +ve)/non-mucoid (capsule -ve) phenotype and a furt ... | 2017 | 27646562 |
| development of an acid-resistant salmonella typhi ty21a attenuated vector for improved oral vaccine delivery. | the licensed oral, live-attenuated bacterial vaccine for typhoid fever, salmonella enterica serovar typhi strain ty21a, has also been utilized as a vaccine delivery platform for expression of diverse foreign antigens that stimulate protection against shigellosis, anthrax, plague, or human papilloma virus. however, ty21a is acid-labile and, for effective oral immunization, stomach acidity has to be either neutralized with buffer or by-passed with ty21a in an enteric-coated capsule (ecc). several ... | 2017 | 27673328 |
| killing the spores of bacillus species by molecular iodine. | to determine the responses of spores of bacillus subtilis and bacillus anthracis surrogate bacillus thuringiensis al hakam to i2 treatment. | 2017 | 27696602 |
| facile ratiometric fluorapatite nanoprobes for rapid and sensitive bacterial spore biomarker detection. | since bacterial spores, such as bacillus anthracis spores, are extremely hazardous to human beings and animals, efforts have focused on the development of bacterial spore detector with rapid response and high selectivity and sensitivity. therefore, we reported a facile one-step chelating-reagent-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of lanthanide-doped fluorapatite (fa) nanoprobes for detecting the biomarker of bacterial spores. in fa synthesis, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (edta) can serve not onl ... | 2017 | 27686603 |
| identical twins with infantile systemic hyalinosis: case study and review of literature. | infantile systemic hyalinosis (ish) is a rare and fatal genetic disorder with mutations in capillary morphogenesis gene-2 cmg2 / human anthrax toxin receptor gene-2 antxr2 resulting in spindle cell proliferation, altered collagen metabolism with extensive deposition of amorphous eosinophilic pas positive hyaline material in the connective tissues of various organs. the common presenting features would be progressive stiffness of multiple joints, skin lesions, multiple episodes of protracted infe ... | 2017 | 27299133 |
| chloroquine derivatives block the translocation pores and inhibit cellular entry of clostridium botulinum c2 toxin and bacillus anthracis lethal toxin. | the pathogenic bacteria clostridium botulinum and bacillus anthracis produce the binary protein toxins c2 and lethal toxin (lt), respectively. these toxins consist of a binding/transport (b7) component that delivers the separate enzyme (a) component into the cytosol of target cells where it modifies its specific substrate and causes cell death. the b7 components of c2 toxin and lt, c2iia and pa63, respectively, are ring-shaped heptamers that bind to their cellular receptors and form complexes wi ... | 2017 | 27106023 |
| cationic host defense peptides; novel antimicrobial therapeutics against category a pathogens and emerging infections. | cationic host defense peptides (hdp, also known as antimicrobial peptides) are crucial components of the innate immune system and possess broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activities. they can contribute to the rapid clearance of biological agents through direct killing of the organisms, inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators such as lipopolysaccharide, and by modulating the inflammatory response to infection. category a biological agents and materials, as classifie ... | 2017 | 27315342 |
| considerations for estimating microbial environmental data concentrations collected from a field setting. | in the event of an indoor release of an environmentally persistent microbial pathogen such as bacillus anthracis, the potential for human exposure will be considered when remedial decisions are made. microbial site characterization and clearance sampling data collected in the field might be used to estimate exposure. however, there are many challenges associated with estimating environmental concentrations of b. anthracis or other spore-forming organisms after such an event before being able to ... | 2017 | 26883476 |
| outbreak of anthrax in adults and adolescents: a review of nine cases in a regional teaching hospital in east hungary. | 2017 | 26794029 |