Publications

treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue displays pathogenic properties different from those of t. pallidum subsp. pallidum.	the present study described the susceptibility of c4d guinea pigs to cutaneous infection with treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue haiti b strain. the general manifestations of the disease in adults and neonates differ, to a certain degree, from those induced by t. pallidum subsp. pallidum nichols strain. noticeable differences between the infections were reflected in the character of the skin lesions, their onset and persistence, and the kinetics of the humoral response. the incidence and dissemi ...	2000	10816466
recombinant chimeric borrelia proteins for diagnosis of lyme disease.	current serologic lyme disease tests use whole borrelia cells as the source of antigen. these assays are difficult to standardize and to optimize for sensitivity and specificity. to help solve these problems, we constructed a library of recombinant chimeric proteins composed of portions of key antigens of borrelia burgdorferi. these proteins were then used to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. we compared our assay with the most sensitive of three whole-cell borrelia assays. we found ...	2000	10878038
cloning and dna sequence analysis of an immunogenic glucose-galactose mglb lipoprotein homologue from brachyspira pilosicoli, the agent of colonic spirochetosis.	colonic spirochetosis (cs) is a newly emerging infectious disease of humans and animals caused by the pathogenic spirochete brachyspira (formerly serpulina) pilosicoli. the purpose of this study was to characterize an antigen that was recognized by antibodies present in sera of challenge-exposed pigs. the gene encoding the antigen was identified by screening a plasmid library of human b. pilosicoli strain sp16 (atcc 49776) genomic dna with hyperimmune and convalescent swine sera. the predicted a ...	2000	10899855
borrelia burgdorferi periplasmic flagella have both skeletal and motility functions.	bacterial shape usually is dictated by the peptidoglycan layer of the cell wall. in this paper, we show that the morphology of the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi is the result of a complex interaction between the cell cylinder and the internal periplasmic flagella. b. burgdorferi has a bundle of 7-11 helically shaped periplasmic flagella attached at each end of the cell cylinder and has a flat-wave cell morphology. backward moving, propagating waves enable these bacteria to swim in ...	2000	10995478
the spirochete flaa periplasmic flagellar sheath protein impacts flagellar helicity.	spirochete periplasmic flagella (pfs), including those from brachyspira (serpulina), spirochaeta, treponema, and leptospira spp., have a unique structure. in most spirochete species, the periplasmic flagellar filaments consist of a core of at least three proteins (flab1, flab2, and flab3) and a sheath protein (flaa). each of these proteins is encoded by a separate gene. using brachyspira hyodysenteriae as a model system for analyzing pf function by allelic exchange mutagenesis, we analyzed purif ...	2000	11073915
comparative evaluation of nine different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for determination of antibodies against treponema pallidum in patients with primary syphilis.	nine different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisas) with a sonicate or recombinant proteins of treponema pallidum as antigen have been evaluated comparatively by testing 52 highly selected sera from patients with primary syphilis, all negative in the microhemagglutination test for t. pallidum (mha-tp). eight tests exhibited greater sensitivity (48.5 to 76.9%) than the commonly used venereal disease research laboratory test (44.2%). higher sensitivity could be related to (i) the volume and ...	2000	10699042
adherence to and penetration through endothelial cells by oral treponemes.	oral spirochetes were co-incubated with monolayers of endothelial cells seeded into multiwell plates or onto filters mounted in plastic chambers. attachment was assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and scanning electron microscopy. invasiveness was determined by monitoring media beneath filters within chambers for spirochetes using darkfield microscopy. transmission electron microscopy was used to estimate intercellular and intracellular passage of spirochetes through monolayers. ...	1999	10895695
identification of seven treponema species in health- and disease-associated dental plaque by nested pcr.	species-specific nested pcr was used to detect treponema amylovorum, treponema denticola, treponema maltophilum, treponema medium, treponema pectinovorum, treponema socranskii, and treponema vincentii in dental plaque. subjects with periodontitis harbored all species, but t. pectinovorum and t. vincentii were not found in plaque from disease-free subjects.	1999	9986879
restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis of 16s ribosomal rna genes amplified by polymerase chain reaction for rapid identification of cultivable oral treponemes.	although oral treponemes are among the most frequently found bacteria in periodontal pockets, identification of these organisms can be difficult. in this study, restriction fragment-length polymorphism (rflp) analysis of polymerase chain reaction (pcr)-amplified 16s ribosomal rna genes (16s rrna gene pcr-rflp) was used to generate restriction profiles of reference strains of oral treponemes including treponema denticola, treponema socranskii, treponema vincentii. treponema pectinovorum and trepo ...	1999	10219171
advantage of recombinant borrelial proteins for serodiagnosis of neuroborreliosis.	two enzyme immunoassay (eia) systems were compared for their ability to detect borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato specific igg and igm antibodies and to differentiate between symptomatic (83 patients with neuroborreliosis) and asymptomatic seropositive subjects (80 healthy controls). antibody concentrations were determined by eia; the antigens used were either a sonicate of b. burgdorferi or three recombinant borrelial proteins: the 14-kda flagellin fragment, the outer surface protein c (22 kda) an ...	1999	9920119
the borrelia burgdorferi 37-kilodalton immunoblot band (p37) used in serodiagnosis of early lyme disease is the flaa gene product.	the 37-kda protein (p37) of borrelia burgdorferi is an antigen that elicits an early immunoglobulin m (igm) antibody response in lyme disease patients. the p37 gene was cloned from a b. burgdorferi genomic library by screening with antibody from a lyme disease patient who had developed a prominent humoral response to the p37 antigen. dna sequence analysis of this clone revealed the identity of p37 to be flaa, an outer sheath protein of the periplasmic flagella. recombinant p37 expression was acc ...	1999	9986810
insertional inactivation of treponema denticola tap1 results in a nonmotile mutant with elongated flagellar hooks.	the treponemal fla operon is comprised of numerous motility-related genes; however, the initial gene of this operon, tap1, has no known function. a recently developed system to generate specific mutants in treponema denticola was utilized to determine if tap1 was essential for motility. t. denticola tap1 and flanking dna were identified, cloned, and sequenced, and a suicide plasmid that contained tap1 interrupted with an erythromycin resistance cassette (ermf and ermam) was constructed. because ...	1999	10368149
use of recombinant flagellin protein as a tracer antigen in a fluorescence polarization assay for diagnosis of leptospirosis.	the objective of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of a recombinant flagellar protein, flab, of leptospira interrogans serovar pomona in the serodiagnosis of leptospirosis by the fluorescence polarization assay (fpa). the recombinant protein flab was purified to homogeneity by a combination of nickel-nitriloacetic acid agarose chromatography, electrophoresis, and electroelution. purified flab was labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (fitc). western blotting was performed by ...	1999	10391870
genetic and structural analyses of cytoplasmic filaments of wild-type treponema phagedenis and a flagellar filament-deficient mutant.	unique cytoplasmic filaments are found in the treponeme genus of spirochete bacteria. their function is unknown, but their location underneath the periplasmic flagellar filaments (pff) suggests a role in motility and/or cell structure. to better understand these unique structures, the gene coding for the cytoplasmic filaments, cfpa, was identified in various treponemal species. treponema phagedenis cfpa was 2,037 nucleotides long, and the encoded polypeptide showed 78 to 100% amino acid sequence ...	1999	10542176
variation in flagellin genes and proteins of burkholderia cepacia.	the majority of isolates of burkholderia cepacia, an important opportunistic pathogen associated with cystic fibrosis, can be classified into two types on the basis of flagellin protein size. electron microscopic analysis indicates that the flagella of strains with the larger flagellin type (type i) are wider in diameter. flagellin genes representative of both types were cloned and sequenced to design oligonucleotide primers for pcr amplification of the central variable domain of b. cepacia flag ...	1998	9495748
characterization of leptospiral outer membrane lipoprotein lipl36: downregulation associated with late-log-phase growth and mammalian infection.	we report the cloning of the gene encoding a 36-kda leptospiral outer membrane lipoprotein, designated lipl36. we obtained the n-terminal amino acid sequence of a staphylococcal v8 proteolytic-digest fragment in order to design an oligonucleotide probe. a lambda-zap ii library containing ecori fragments of leptospira kirschneri dna was screened, and a 2.3-kb dna fragment which contained the entire structural lipl36 gene was identified. several lines of evidence indicate that lipl36 is lipid modi ...	1998	9529084
coiling phagocytosis discriminates between different spirochetes and is enhanced by phorbol myristate acetate and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor.	the mechanisms involved in coiling phagocytosis are not yet known, and it is not even clear whether this phenomenon is either an incidental event or a specific response. therefore, the phagocytic uptake of borrelia burgdorferi and other spirochetes by human monocytes in vitro was used to investigate the involvement of both sides--microbes and phagocytes--in coiling phagocytosis. as seen with electron microscopy, morphologically similar borrelia, leptospira and treponema strains induced markedly ...	1998	9453619
structure and expression of the flaa periplasmic flagellar protein of borrelia burgdorferi.	the spirochete which causes lyme disease, borrelia burgdorferi, has many features common to other spirochete species. outermost is a membrane sheath, and within this sheath are the cell cylinder and periplasmic flagella (pfs). the pfs are subterminally attached to the cell cylinder and overlap in the center of the cell. most descriptions of the b. burgdorferi flagellar filaments indicate that these organelles consist of only one flagellin protein (flab). in contrast, the pfs from other spirochet ...	1998	9573194
the central, surface-exposed region of the flagellar hook protein flge of campylobacter jejuni shows hypervariability among strains.	in a previous study, we observed that monoclonal antibodies raised against the hook protein flge of campylobacter jejuni lio 36, isolate 5226, bound exclusively to this strain. the aim of this study was to elucidate the molecular basis for these binding specificities. the hook protein-encoding gene flge of c. jejuni was cloned in escherichia coli and sequenced. the flge genes of four additional c. jejuni strains were amplified by pcr and also sequenced. comparison of the deduced amino acid seque ...	1998	9658019
flagellins, but not endoflagellar sheath proteins, of treponema pallidum and of pathogen-related oral spirochetes are glycosylated.	glycosylation of the flagellar core proteins (flabs) was detected in treponema pallidum nichols and in the type or reference strains of seven oral treponema species. in several nonmotile strains of oral treponemes, the flabs were undetectable by both antibody and glycan staining. in contrast, a spontaneous low-motility variant of t. vincenti poundi-related strain ritza, omz 305a, lacked the flagellar sheath protein (flaa) and the two glycan-staining flab bands of the wild type, but antibody labe ...	1998	9826350
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using recombinant ospc and the internal 14-kda flagellin fragment for serodiagnosis of early lyme disease.	the outer surface protein c (ospc) and the internal 14-kda flagellin fragment of strain geho of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto were expressed as recombinant proteins in escherichia coli and were purified for use in an immunoglobulin m (igm) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ospc-14-kda antigen elisa). no hint at disturbing protein-protein interferences, which might influence the availability of immunoreactive epitopes, was found when the recombinant antigens were combined in the elisa. the ...	1998	9542898
function of protonatable residues in the flagellar motor of escherichia coli: a critical role for asp 32 of motb.	rotation of the bacterial flagellar motor is powered by a transmembrane gradient of protons or, in some species, sodium ions. the molecular mechanism of coupling between ion flow and motor rotation is not understood. the proteins most closely involved in motor rotation are mota, motb, and flig. mota and motb are transmembrane proteins that function in transmembrane proton conduction and that are believed to form the stator. flig is a soluble protein located on the cytoplasmic face of the rotor. ...	1998	9573160
diagnostic value of proteins of three borrelia species (borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato) and implications for development and use of recombinant antigens for serodiagnosis of lyme borreliosis in europe.	more and more assays for the serodiagnosis of lyme borreliosis (lb) are based on recombinant antigens. however, so far, there is no consensus as to which are the most specific and sensitive proteins and how they should be used in combination to obtain tests with the best discrimination abilities. the present study was preceded by a detailed analysis of western blots (wb) using whole-cell lysates of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto strain pka2, b. afzelii pko, and b. garinii pbi (u. hauser, g. ...	1998	9665948
impact of strain heterogeneity on lyme disease serology in europe: comparison of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using different species of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato.	for the standardization of serological tests for lyme borreliosis (lb) in europe, the influence of the heterogeneity of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato must be assessed in detail. for this study four immunoglobulin m (igm) and igg enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisas) with octyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside extracts of strains pko (borrelia afzelii), pbi (borrelia garinii), and pka2 and b31 (both b. burgdorferi sensu stricto) were compared. strains pko, pbi, and pka2 at the passages used for ant ...	1998	9466753
design and evaluation of useful bacterium-specific pcr primers that amplify genes coding for bacterial 16s rrna.	we report the design and evaluation of pcr primers 63f and 1387r for amplification of 16s rrna genes from bacteria. their specificity and efficacy were tested systematically with a bacterial species and environmental samples. they were found to be more useful for 16s rrna gene amplification in ecological and systematic studies than pcr amplimers that are currently more generally used.	1998	9464425
genetic characterization of an oral treponeme isolated from human subgingival plaque.	we examined the genetic characteristics of a human oral treponeme isolated from subgingival plaque of a patient with periodontal disease that could not be assigned to any of the previously described oral treponema species. the guanine-plus-cytosine content of its dna was 51 mole%. the levels of dna-dna relatedness of the organism to other treponema species, including treponema denticola, treponema vincentii, treponema socranskii, treponema pallidum and treponema phagedenis, were less than 30%. t ...	1997	9467407
differential attachment of oral treponemes to monolayers of epithelial cells.	this in vitro study describes the attachment properties of several oral treponemes to monolayers of epithelial cells and the effect of epithelial cell confluence on treponeme attachment. four serotypes of treponema denticola, treponema scoliodontum, three subspecies of treponema socranskii, and treponema vincentii were tested with monolayers of epithelial cells of human and canine origin. attachment of oral treponemes were compared to attachment by t. pallidum subsp. pallidum, and by the non-pat ...	1997	9358369
relationship of treponema denticola periplasmic flagella to irregular cell morphology.	treponema denticola is an anaerobic, motile, oral spirochete associated with periodontal disease. we found that the periplasmic flagella (pfs), which are located between the outer membrane sheath and cell cylinder, influence its morphology in a unique manner. in addition, the protein composition of the pfs was found to be quite complex and similar to those of other spirochetes. dark-field microscopy revealed that most wild-type cells had an irregular twisted morphology, with both planar and heli ...	1997	9045823
treponema medium sp. nov., isolated from human subgingival dental plaque.	a new treponema species, for which we propose the name treponema medium, was isolated from subgingival plaque from an adult with periodontal disease. the morphological characteristics, differential biochemical characteristics, and protein profiles on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels of this organism are described. the guanine-plus-cytosine content of the dna of t. medium is 51 mol%. the levels of dna-dna relatedness of the new species to other treponema species, inc ...	1997	8995804
the flge gene of campylobacter coli is under the control of the alternative sigma factor sigma54.	the flge gene encoding the flagellar hook protein of campylobacter coli vc167-t1 was cloned by immunoscreening of a genomic library constructed in lambdazap express. the flge dna sequence was 2,553 bp in length and encoded a protein with a deduced molecular mass of 90,639 da. the sequence had significant homology to the 5' and 3' sequences of the flge genes of helicobacter pylori, treponema phagedenis, and salmonella typhimurium. primer extension analysis indicated that the vc167 flge gene is co ...	1997	9244248
organization, transcription, and expression of the 5' region of the fla operon of treponema phagedenis and treponema pallidum.	a locus encoding polypeptides associated with flagellar structure and function was identified, sequenced, and characterized in treponema phagedenis and treponema pallidum. this locus includes homologs of the flgd, flge, mota, mob, flil, and flim polypeptides found in salmonella typhimurium and bacillus subtilis. these polypeptides are extensively conserved between the two treponemes. several additional polypeptides or unknown function, including tapl, located upstream of flgd, and orf4, located ...	1996	8755894
[research on the recombinant plasmid pdjh2 of l. interrogans serovar lai: sequencing and alignment with other known bacterial omp sequence].	the leptospira whole cell vaccine (lwcv) currently used in china is safe and effective, out the immunity following vaccination with two doses of the fluid medium vaccine is of low order. the duration of immunity conferred by this vaccine is rather short, six months or at most one year. therefore, it is necessary to develop new generation vaccines against leptospirosis for the developing world. in this paper we report the sequencing of the insert fragment of pdjh2 from genomic dna of l. interroga ...	1996	9389001
the hook protein of borrelia burgdorferi, encoded by the flge gene, is serologically recognized in lyme disease.	the periplasmic flagellum of borrelia burgdorferi consists of a unipeptide flagellar filament, a hook, and a basal body. here, we report the cloning and expression of the hook gene, flge, of b. burgdorferi n40. the flge gene is 1,119 nucleotides long and is located on the 950-kb linear chromosome of b. burgdorferi. the primary protein sequence of flge shows 73% similarity to the flge protein of treponema phagedenis and approximately 50% similarity to the flgg proteins of both gram-positive and g ...	1995	8548542
comparative study of the enzyme activities of borrelia burgdorferi and other non-intestinal and intestinal spirochaetes.	comparative analysis of the enzymatic profiles of 58 spirochaetal isolates clearly differentiated borrelias from leptospires, serpulinas and a treponeme. strains of both borrelia burgdorferi and borrelia hermsii characteristically produced significant amounts of leucine arylamidase. this enzyme activity was not unique to borrelias but was also detected amongst pathogenic and non-pathogenic leptospira serovars. this fact, however, did not hamper a correct differentiation of borrelias from these s ...	1995	7760753
intrathecal immune response in neuroborreliosis: importance of cross-reactive antibodies.	the intrathecal igg response to borrelia burgdorferi was evaluated in 35 patients with neuroborreliosis (nb). samples were tested with and without preabsorption with treponema phagedenis. specific antibody concentrations in the csf and serum were determined by elisa. the antibody index (aibb = qbb/qigg) was calculated from the ratio between the csf/serum quotients for specific antibodies (qbb) and total igg (qigg). intrathecal synthesis of b. burgdorferi antibodies was demonstrated in 31 samples ...	1995	7549163
physical map of the treponema denticola circular chromosome.	a physical map of the treponema denticola atcc 33520 genome was constructed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and dna hybridization. the organism possesses a single, circular chromosome of approximately 3.0 mbp and a 2.6-kbp circular plasmid, ptd1. the physical map of the a+t-rich genome was constructed with the rare-cutting restriction enzymes asci, noti, and srfi, which have 8-bp g+c-rich recognition sites. the genes flge, tdpa, and prtb encoding the flagellar hook protein, a 53-kda immunoge ...	1995	7896704
virulent treponema pallidum promotes adhesion of leukocytes to human vascular endothelial cells.	perivasculitis and endothelial cell abnormalities are characteristic histopathologic features of syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease caused by treponema pallidum. to extend earlier studies demonstrating that t. pallidum activates endothelial cells, we now show that virulent t. pallidum, but not heat-killed t. pallidum or nonpathogenic treponema phagedenis, promotes increased adherence of lymphocytes and monocytes to human umbilical vein endothelial cells. lymphocytes and monocytes are the t ...	1994	7927729
treponema pallidum rare outer membrane proteins: analysis of mobility by freeze-fracture electron microscopy.	freeze-fracture and deep-etch electron microscopy were used to investigate the molecular architecture of the treponema pallidum outer membrane (om). freeze-fracture electron microscopy of treponemes freshly harvested from rabbit testes revealed that the intramembranous particles (imps) in both the concave and convex om leaflets were distributed into alternating areas of relatively high and low particle density; in many om fractures, imps formed rows that ran either parallel to or obliquely acros ...	1994	8132453
non-motile mutants of helicobacter pylori and helicobacter mustelae defective in flagellar hook production.	flagellar hooks were purified from helicobacter pylori and helicobacter mustelae. the 70 x 16 nm h. pylori hook was composed of flge subunits of 78kda, while the 72 x 16 nm h. mustelae hook was composed of 87 kda subunits. n-terminal sequence was obtained for the flge proteins of both species, and for an internal h. mustelae flge peptide. degenerate oligonucleotide primers allowed amplification of a 1.2 kb fragment from the h. mustelae chromosome, which carried part of the flge gene. the corresp ...	1994	7891557
similarity between the 38-kilodalton lipoprotein of treponema pallidum and the glucose/galactose-binding (mglb) protein of escherichia coli.	the recent discovery that abundant and immunogenic lipoproteins constitute the integral membrane proteins of treponema pallidum has prompted efforts to investigate their importance in the physiology and ultrastructure of the organism and in immune responses during infection. earlier studies identified a 38-kda lipoprotein of t. pallidum believed to be specific to the pathogen. in the present study, monoclonal antibodies generated against the 38-kda lipoprotein of t. pallidum reacted with cognate ...	1994	8132345
genetic and biochemical analysis of the flagellar hook of treponema phagedenis.	the periplasmic flagellum of treponema phagedenis consists of the flagellar filament and hook-basal body. we report here a characterization of the hook gene and flagellar hook of t. phagedenis, and in the process of this analysis we found evidence that the hook polypeptide is likely cross-linked in situ. a t. phagedenis genomic library was screened with a treponema pallidum antiserum, and the dna segments from several positive plaques were subcloned and sequenced. dna sequencing of two overlappi ...	1994	8206841
intrathecal antibody synthesis in lyme neuroborreliosis: use of recombinant p41 and a 14-kda flagellin fragment in elisa.	the intrathecal synthesis of igm and igg antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi sonicate, to recombinant flagellin (41 kda) and to a tryptic peptide of the flagellin (14-kda fragment) was determined by elisa in paired cerebrospinal fluid (csf) and serum samples from 35 patients with lyme neuroborreliosis (lnb) and in 10 patients with neurosyphilis. the antibody index (ai = qbb/qig) was calculated from the ratio between csf/serum quotients for specific antibodies (qbb) and total immunoglobulins (qig) ...	1993	8411090
opsonization of treponema pallidum is mediated by immunoglobulin g antibodies induced only by pathogenic treponemes.	rabbit antisera to leptospira interrogans, borrelia hermsii, and treponema phagedenis biotype reiter, reactive to shared spirochetal antigens, failed to enhance phagocytosis of treponema pallidum by macrophages, while immunoglobulin g to treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue and treponema paraluiscuniculi promoted phagocytosis. opsonic antibodies are directed to pathogen-restricted, not shared spirochetal, antigens.	1993	8423106
identification of species-specific, non-cross-reactive proteins of borrelia burgdorferi.	the low specificity of diagnostic tests for lyme disease is due to the fact that borrelia burgdorferi possesses many antigenic proteins that are cross-reactive with other spirochetes and bacteria. the low sensitivity is a result of high (> or = 1:100) dilutions used for patient sera during testing to eliminate non-specific cross-reactivity. the present study was conducted to identify species-specific non-cross-reactive protein(s) of b. burgdorferi that might be used as antigen(s) in serologic te ...	1993	8425377
molecular analysis of a flagellar core protein gene of serpulina (treponema) hyodysenteriae.	the flab2 gene encoding a protein located in the core of the periplasmic flagella of serpulina hyodysenteriae was cloned and sequenced. the flab2 protein consists of 285 amino acids and has a calculated molecular mass of 31.1 kda. southern blot analysis indicated that at least one, and possibly two genes related to flab2 are present in the genome of s. hyodysenteriae. comparison of the amino acid sequence of flab2 to sequences present in data banks showed significant similarity with the core fla ...	1993	8409912
borrelia burgdorferi and other related spirochetes bind to galactocerebroside.	spirochetes are agents of neurologic disease that may utilize specific neural cell surface molecules for adhesion. borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of lyme disease, bound to galactocerebroside (galcer) in numbers that were two- to threefold greater than to ceramide and glucocerebroside, and four- to fivefold greater than to sphingosine, psychosine, sulfatide, cholesterol, and three membrane phospholipids. the adherence was greater to galcer and ceramide with a higher content of alpha-hy ...	1992	1620344
spirochete chemotaxis, motility, and the structure of the spirochetal periplasmic flagella.	spirochetes have a unique motility system that is characterized by flagellar filaments contained within the outer membrane sheath. direct evidence using video microscopy has recently been obtained which indicates that these periplasmic flagella (pf) rotate in several spirochetal species. this rotation generates thrust. as shown for one spirochete, spirochaeta aurantia, motility is driven by a proton motive force. spirochete chemotaxis has been most thoroughly studied in s. aurantia. this spiroch ...	1992	1475520
morphology and dynamics of protruding spirochete periplasmic flagella.	we recently characterized the three-dimensional shape of treponema phagedenis periplasmic flagella (pfs). in the course of these studies, we observed protrusions on swimming cells that resembled pfs. here we present a detailed characterization of the shape, structure, and motion of these protrusions. although protrusion formation occurred primarily in wild-type cells during the stationary phase, a large fraction of exponential-phase cells of cell cylinder helicity mutants (greater than 90% of mu ...	1992	1732217
organization of the ribosomal rna genes in treponema phagedenis and treponema pallidum.	the genomic dna fragment which contains ribosomal rna (rrna) genes for treponema phagedenis was cloned into bacteriophage vector lambda embl3. a restriction map of the fragment was constructed and the organization of the rrna genes was determined. the fragment contained at least one copy of the 16s, 23s and 5s sequences and the genes are arranged in the order 16s-23s-5s. southern hybridization using radiolabeled rrna gene probes to genomic dna from t. phagedenis strain reiter and t. pallidum str ...	1992	1374831
molecular genetic analysis of a class b periplasmic-flagellum gene of treponema phagedenis.	treponema phagedenis is a host-associated spirochete with multiple polypeptides making up its periplasmic flagella (pfs). each pf has a 39-kda polypeptide making up the sheath (class a pf polypeptide) and two to four antigenically similar 33- to 34-kda polypeptide species making up the core (class b pf polypeptides). a genetic analysis of the pf-deficient mutants t-40 and t-55 has shown that the pfs are involved in motility. to better understand the synthesis and assembly of these complex organe ...	1992	1400192
cross-reactive proteins of borrelia burgdorferi.	the specificity of serological tests for lyme borreliosis is impaired by cross-reacting antibodies. in order to select antigens for more specific tests, specific and cross-reactive proteins of borrelia burgdorferi must be identified. therefore, to analyze cross reactions of borrelia burgdorferi with other bacteria, rabbit immune sera against heterologous bacteria (borrelia hermsii, treponema pallidum, treponema phagedenis, leptospira interrogans (serogroup grippotyphosa), neisseria meningitidis, ...	1992	1597198
phylogenetic analysis of the spirochetes.	the 16s rrna sequences were determined for species of spirochaeta, treponema, borrelia, leptospira, leptonema, and serpula, using a modified sanger method of direct rna sequencing. analysis of aligned 16s rrna sequences indicated that the spirochetes form a coherent taxon composed of six major clusters or groups. the first group, termed the treponemes, was divided into two subgroups. the first treponeme subgroup consisted of treponema pallidum, treponema phagedenis, treponema denticola, a thermo ...	1991	1917844
a sonicate of reiter treponemes used as sorbing agent in the fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorption (fta-abs) test.	a sonicate of treponema phagedenis biotype reiter (reiter treponemes) was used as sorbing agent in parallel with sorbent in the fta-abs test. by diluting the reiter treponemal antigens in approximately 0.5 m nacl, the reiter sonicate could be produced in sufficient quantities for its use in routine fta-abs. in crossed immunoelectrophoresis against a rabbit anti-reiter immunoglobulin, 40 reiter antigens were detectable in the sonicate and only one in the sorbent. the diluted sonicate and the sorb ...	1991	2026057
t cell proliferation induced by borrelia burgdorferi in patients with lyme borreliosis. autologous serum required for optimum stimulation.	the cellular immune response to borrelia burgdorferi was studied in 24 patients with seropositive and seronegative lyme borreliosis, 30 patients with arthritides of different origin (non-lyme arthritides), and 20 normal blood donors. by far, the strongest t cell stimulation was induced by incubation with autologous serum; there was a significantly lower response or no response after incubation with allogeneic or heterologous sera. in patients with lyme borreliosis, including seronegative patient ...	1991	2012626
treponema phagedenis encodes and expresses homologs of the treponema pallidum tmpa and tmpb proteins.	we cloned and sequenced the genes from treponema phagedenis kazan 5 encoding proteins homologous to the tmpa and tmpb proteins of treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum nichols (hereafter referred to as t. pallidum). although previous reports suggested that the tmpa and tmpb proteins were specific for t. pallidum, we found that homologs for both were expressed in t. phagedenis kazan 5 and reiter. the tmpa protein from t. phagedenis contained the consensus sequence that bacterial lipoproteins require ...	1991	1894368
the bent-end morphology of treponema phagedenis is associated with short, left-handed, periplasmic flagella.	treponema phagedenis kazan 5 is a spirochete with multiple periplasmic flagella attached near each end of the cell cylinder. dark-field microscopy revealed that most of the cell is right-handed (helix diameter, 0.23 micron; helix pitch, 1.74 microns), and the ends appear bent. these ends could move and gyrate while the central part of the cell remained stationary. the present study examines the basis for the bent-end characteristic. motility mutants deficient in periplasmic flagella were found t ...	1991	1856175
adsorption and biotin-streptavidin amplification in serologic tests for diagnosis of lyme borreliosis.	serum samples from persons with lyme borreliosis, periodontitis, or acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis were analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) with and without adsorption and amplification procedures. when biotin and streptavidin reagents were used as an amplification procedure in elisa without the use of commercially prepared sorbent (treponema phagedenis biotype reiter), sensitivity increased. of the 85 serum samples collected from persons with erythema migrans but n ...	1991	1774293
specific immunofluorescence staining of treponema pallidum in smears and tissues.	to date, tissue sections prepared from formalin-fixed tissues have not been successfully stained with treponema pallidum subspecies-specific antibody in a direct fluorescent-antibody assay. while current methods stain t. pallidum, they do not distinguish t. pallidum from other spirochetes such as borrelia burgdorferi (e. f. hunter, p. w. greer, b. l. swisher, a. r. simons, c. e. farshy, j. a. crawford, and k. r. sulzer, arch. pathol. lab. med. 108:878-880, 1984). because trypsin pretreatment of ...	1991	1709944
[the borrelia titer in ent diseases].	in 139 patients with facial paralysis, sudden hearing loss, vertigo, and lymphadenitis of the head and neck, the prevalence of borrelia burgdorferi serum antibodies was examined with the help of immunofluorescence assays for igg- and igm-antibodies, immunofluorescence assays after absorption of cross-reacting antibodies with treponema phagedenis, elisa, and western blot. six out of 22 patients with facial paralysis, 11 out of 72 with hearing loss, eight out of 45 with vertigo, and five out of 25 ...	1990	2322358
antigenic cross-reactivity between borrelia burgdorferi, borrelia recurrentis, treponema pallidum, and treponema phagedenis.	the antigenic cross-reactivity between different borrelia and treponema species was determined by the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test and sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblotting. the protein profiles of borrelia burgdorferi, borrelia recurrentis, treponema pallidum, and treponema phagedenis revealed essential differences. using immunoblotting, rabbit immune sera to b. burgdorferi and b. recurrentis exhibited strong cross-reactivities to het ...	1990	2085371
cross-reactivity of nonspecific treponemal antibody in serologic tests for lyme disease.	serum samples obtained from 59 persons who had acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, periodontitis, syphilis, or lyme disease were tested against treponema phagedenis biotype reiter, treponema denticola, treponema vincentii, and treponema scoliodontum by indirect fluorescent-antibody staining methods. although there were positive reactions for sera representing each of these study groups and for 20 (13%) of 156 samples collected from the general population (premarital screening for syphilis), ...	1990	2380356
cloning and sequence analysis of flaa, a gene encoding a spirochaeta aurantia flagellar filament surface antigen.	spirochaeta aurantia dna that coded for an antigenic determinant of the flagellin associated with the filament surface of the periplasmic flagella was isolated. when expressed in escherichia coli, the antigenic polypeptide had an apparent molecular weight of 37,000. sequence analysis of the antigen-encoding dna revealed the presence of an open reading frame that determined a polypeptide with a predicted molecular weight of 31,241. this polypeptide showed a region of identity with the n-amino-ter ...	1989	2921247
demonstration of antigen-specific t cells and histopathological alterations in mice experimentally inoculated with borrelia burgdorferi.	antigen-specific t-cell responses and histopathological changes were studied in mice experimentally inoculated with borrelia burgdorferi b31. inbred mice with different h-2 haplotypes and/or different genetic backgrounds were inoculated with b. burgdorferi organisms and tested for antigen-specific t-cell responses in vivo (delayed-type hypersensitivity [dth]) and in vitro (t-cell proliferation). comparable dth responses were found after inoculation with either inactivated (in the presence of adj ...	1989	2462540
[lymphadenosis benigna cutis of the mammary areola: lyme borreliosis?].	this lesion began two months after a tick bite on the left breast, occurring during a trip in karst (highland behind the city of trieste). this area represents an ecological shell for ixodes ricinus, hard tick often infested with borrelia burgdorferi, the aetiological agent of lyme disease. some days after tick-bite, the patient developed a typical ecm of the left breast; this lesion resolved in two months. shortly after, an erythematous, infiltrated nodule appeared on the left areola; ist size ...	1989	2620924
demonstration of rare protein in the outer membrane of treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum by freeze-fracture analysis.	the surface of treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (t. pallidum), the etiologic agent of syphilis, appears antigenically inert and lacks detectable protein, as judged by immunocytochemical and biochemical techniques commonly used to identify the outer membrane (om) constituents of gram-negative bacteria. we examined t. pallidum by freeze-fracture electron microscopy to visualize the architecture of its om. treponema phagedenis biotype reiter (t. phagedenis reiter), a nonpathogenic host-associated ...	1989	2670902
n-terminal amino acid sequence of the borrelia burgdorferi flagellin.	the 41 kda flagellar protein of borrelia burgdorferi appears to be an immunodominant antigen producing an early and strong response in most, if not all, individuals during infection in humans. it would represent a very good antigen for serodiagnosis of lyme disease, if its crossreactivity with flagella of other bacteria was low. to gain information on this point we isolated the b. burgdorferi flagellin by preparative two-dimensional electrophoresis for n-terminal amino acid analysis. by comparin ...	1989	2676703
molecular cloning and characterization of the 15-kilodalton major immunogen of treponema pallidum.	pathogen-specific membrane immunogens of treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (t. pallidum) have been identified previously by phase partitioning with the nonionic detergent triton x-114. one of these antigens, a 15-kilodalton (kda) polypeptide, is expressed in relatively small quantities in t. pallidum but is highly immunogenic in both human and experimental syphilis. the native t. pallidum antigen was purified to homogeneity from the mixture of triton x-114 detergent-phase proteins by chromatofo ...	1989	2680978
isolation and characterization of cytoplasmic fibrils from treponemes.	electron microscopy of triton x-100-treated whole cells of an oral treponeme, treponema sp. strain e-21, revealed that six cytoplasmic fibrils (cfs) helically wound as a bundle in the cytoplasm. the cfs were isolated and purified by disruption and solubilization of the cells followed by cscl density gradient centrifugation. the purified cf preparation contained mostly fibrils of about 9 nm in width and very small amounts of thinner strands of about 3 nm in diameter. the cfs were apparently seen ...	1989	2779470
synthesis and secretion of phospholipase c by oral spirochetes.	four strains of oral treponemes and treponema phagedenis reiter synthesize and secrete phospholipase c (plc), which was detected by the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylphosphorylcholine. plc was detected in gingival crevicular fluid from diseased but not from healthy sulci. the initiation and progression of periodontal lesions may begin with the hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids by plc.	1989	2715327
optimizing the solid-phase immunofiltration assay. a rapid alternative to immunoassays.	the technical variables of the solid-phase immunofiltration assay (spia) for the detection of antibodies bound to antigens on a solid-phase filter have been investigated. the binding to solid-phase filters of 125i-labelled axial filament proteins derived from treponema phagedenis and the optimal conditions for blocking non-specific protein binding were analysed. axial filament was applied to nitrocellulose, hybond nylon and zeta probe. after extensive rinsing, the highest amount (68%) of axial f ...	1989	2708827
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for detection of immunoglobulin m to nontreponemal and treponemal antigens for the diagnosis of congenital syphilis.	sera from newborn infants born of mothers with a high risk of syphilis were examined for immunoglobulin m (igm) antibodies in two different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisas), using either purified flagella from treponema phagedenis biotype reiter or the venereal disease research laboratory (vdrl) antigen as the antigen. all sera were also examined by the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (fta-abs) test for igm. three different groups of patients were studied. group 1 consisted ...	1989	2671033
immunogenicity of three recombinant treponema pallidum antigens examined in guinea pigs.	the immunogenicity of recombinant treponemal antigens tmpa, tmpb and tmpc incorporated in ribi adjuvant and injected into inbred strain 2 guinea pigs has been examined. the immune status of these animals has been challenged by infection with treponema pallidum, nichols. the immune response evaluated by the fluorescent-antibody test, microhemagglutination test and elisa demonstrated high titers of antibodies to the t. pallidum antigens. the immunoblot analysis proved that the antibodies were dire ...	1989	2668197
outer membrane ultrastructure explains the limited antigenicity of virulent treponema pallidum.	freeze fracture and deep etching were used to investigate the ultrastructural basis for the observation that anti-treponemal antibodies bind poorly to the surface of virulent treponema pallidum. fractures of t. pallidum outer membranes contained scarce, uniformly sized intramembranous particles (imps). imps on the convex faces often appeared to form linear arrays that wound in spirals about the organism. in contrast to the outer membrane, imps of the cytoplasmic membrane were randomly distribute ...	1989	2648388
in vitro model of treponema pallidum invasiveness.	the purpose of this investigation was to develop an in vitro model with which invasion of tissues by pathogenic treponema pallidum could be studied. double-sided culture chambers were created by mounting abdominal walls excised from mice between two halves of small dialysis cells. the integrity of tissue barriers was confirmed by dye exclusion. t. pallidum subsp. pallidum, including intrinsically radiolabeled organisms, was introduced into one side of each chamber, and fractions from the other s ...	1989	2526098
[serodiagnosis of lyme borreliosis].	there are various serodiagnostic tests available for the detection of antibodies against borrelia burgdorferi. an indirect hemagglutination assay, which can detect both igm and igg antibodies, was developed for antibody screening. regarding the confirmation and differentiation of igm and igg, we use the indirect immunofluorescence assay (most specific when performed with sera previously absorbed with treponema phagedenis) as well as the elisa test. the detection of significantly elevated antibod ...	1988	3043955
treponema pallidum invades intercellular junctions of endothelial cell monolayers.	the pathogenesis of syphilis reflects invasive properties of treponema pallidum, but the actual mode of tissue invasion is unknown. we have found two in vitro parallels of treponemal invasiveness. we tested whether motile t. pallidum could invade host cells by determining the fate of radiolabeled motile organisms added to a hela cell monolayer; 26% of treponemes associated with the monolayer in a trypsin-resistant niche, presumably between the monolayer and the surface to which it adhered, but d ...	1988	3285346
antigenic relatedness and n-terminal sequence homology define two classes of periplasmic flagellar proteins of treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum and treponema phagedenis.	the periplasmic flagella of many spirochetes contain multiple proteins. in this study, two-dimensional electrophoresis, western blotting (immunoblotting), immunoperoxidase staining, and n-terminal amino acid sequence analysis were used to characterize the individual periplasmic flagellar proteins of treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (nichols strain) and t. phagedenis kazan 5. purified t. pallidum periplasmic flagella contained six proteins (mrs = 37,000, 34,500, 33,000, 30,000, 29,000, and 27,0 ...	1988	3045083
ultrastructural and electrophoretic analysis of treponema hyodysenteriae axial filaments.	axial filaments of treponema hyodysenteriae were purified and examined by transmission electron microscopy. the size and fine structure of the filaments were similar to those of treponema zuelzerae and treponema phagedenis biotype reiterii. filaments were dissociated by heat and 2-mercaptoethanol and examined by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. six protein bands were evident, with approximate molecular weights of 39,000, 29,000, 27,000, 22,000, 21,000, and 18,500 daltons. all the proteins rea ...	1988	3400914
antigenic and structural characterization of treponema pallidum (nichols strain) endoflagella.	purified endoflagella from treponema pallidum, nichols strain, were characterized both structurally and antigenically. structural analysis showed t. pallidum endoflagella are composed of 35- and 33-kilodalton (kda) subunits which lack cysteine and do not share n-terminal amino acid sequence homology (20 residues). intact endoflagella were dissociated into the composite subunits by incubation, which disrupts noncovalent bonds. antiserum raised against purified t. pallidum endoflagella identified ...	1988	2447018
isolation and characterization of recombinant escherichia coli clones secreting a 24-kilodalton antigen of treponema pallidum.	escherichia coli clones containing treponema pallidum dna in the puc8 vector and secreting a 24-kilodalton antigen of t. pallidum have been isolated. both syphilitic human and syphilis-immune rabbit sera reacted with the recombinant p24 antigen, indicating that an equivalent protein in t. pallidum is capable of eliciting antibody responses during natural infections. the p24 antigen of t. pallidum was identified by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting with monospecific ant ...	1988	2833442
analysis of sheath and core structures of the axial filament of treponema pallidum.	electron microscopy and sds-page have been used to analyse the polypeptide and antigenic composition of the sheath and core components of the axial filament of treponema pallidum. the sheath contains a major 37 kda polypeptide which was solubilized by a combination of trypsin and urea treatments with concurrent loss of binding of anti-37 kda monoclonal antibody. these studies also indicated some antigenic heterogeneity within the axial filament population. trypsin treatment alone removed a numbe ...	1987	3312473
antibodies against borrelia burgdorferi in bavarian forest workers.	the sera of 496 forest workers (fw), 44 customs officials and 20 other persons in outdoor professions from different areas of bavaria were tested for antibodies against borrelia burgdorferi (strain b 31) by indirect immunofluorescence. in sera previously absorbed with treponema phagedenis ultrasonicate, significantly elevated igg antibody titers were found in 69 cases, in 68 fw (13.7%) and 1 custom agent. in accordance with previous observations the distribution of positive results showed a dist ...	1987	3296565
changes in the cell surface properties of treponema pallidum that occur during in vitro incubation of freshly extracted organisms.	we previously reported that a number of treponema pallidum membrane proteins appear to reside on the cell surface, since intact treponemes radiolabeled by overnight incubation in medium containing [35s]methionine bind immunoglobulin g (igg) antibodies directed against these proteins. in the present study, it was found that freshly extracted organisms radiolabeled in vitro for only 2 h inefficiently bound igg antibodies directed against just two proteins of molecular weights 40,000 and 34,000. an ...	1987	3305368
electron microscopy studies of human intestinal spirochetes.	the ultrastructure of twenty human intestinal spirochetes was analyzed using the electron microscope. negatively stained cells were generally found to be loosely and irregularly waved. the isolates had cell dimensions ranging from 0.18-0.35 micron in width and from 3.9-14.2 micron in length. twin bundles of flagella were present in the space between the cytoplasmic membrane and the outer membrane. the majority of isolates had five flagella inserted sub-terminally at each cell end. human intestin ...	1987	3609249
counter current line deflection immunoelectrophoresis. a technique for the quantification of antibodies.	combining the electrophoretic principles of counter current immunoelectrophoresis and deflection of line precipitates in line immunoelectrophoresis provides a new technique for quantitative determination of antibodies against specific antigens (ccld electrophoresis), even if no purified antigen or monospecific antibodies are available for construction of the detection system. we have used the method for quantitative determination of antibodies against the flagellum of treponema phagedenis biotyp ...	1986	3711672
antiserum to the 33,000-dalton periplasmic-flagellum protein of "treponema phagedenis" reacts with other treponemes and spirochaeta aurantia.	"treponema phagedenis" periplasmic flagella (pf) have two major protein bands at molecular weights of 33,000 and 39,800 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (r. j. limberger and n. w. charon, j. bacteriol. 166:105-112, 1986). by use of western blotting and a polyclonal antiserum directed toward the 33,000-molecular-weight pf protein, cell lysates of 12 species of spirochetes were surveyed for reactivity. eight species of treponema as well as spirochaeta aura ...	1986	2430936
antigenic interrelationship between endoflagella of treponema phagedenis biotype reiter and treponema pallidum (nichols): molecular characterization of endoflagellar proteins.	purified endoflagella from nonpathogenic treponema phagedenis biotype reiter were characterized biochemically and compared antigenically with the endoflagellar proteins of treponema pallidum. t. phagedenis biotype reiter endoflagella were dissociated into constituent polypeptides by incubation under conditions which disrupt noncovalent bonds. chymotrypsin peptide maps of t. phagedenis biotype reiter endoflagellar proteins revealed that the 37- and 33-kilodalton (kda) major components shared sign ...	1986	2430886
isolation and characterization of antigens from treponema phagedenis biotype reiter cross-reacting with treponema pallidum.	the specific aims of the studies reviewed here were to design a rational purification strategy for reiter treponeme antigens using combinations of different chromatographic principles, to isolate and characterize the reiter treponemal antigens, especially the antigens labelled tr-b, tr-c, tr-dl, tr-d2, and tr-e cross-reacting with antigens in treponema pallidum, to develop and evaluate the use of these purified antigens in syphilis diagnostic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisa), to invest ...	1986	3536339
serospecificity of a cloned protease-resistant treponema pallidum--specific antigen expressed in escherichia coli.	we evaluated the serological reactivity of a protease-resistant antigen designated 4d which was encoded by treponema pallidum dna and was expressed in escherichia coli from recombinant plasmid paw329. this 19,000-molecular-weight antigen was purified in its native, non-protease-treated form from e. coli sonic extracts by molecular sieving and ion-exchange chromatography. antibody binding to antigen 4d was detected by a radioimmunoassay. antigen 4d-specific antibody was detected in 95% of the ser ...	1986	3514656
kinetics of antibody response to polypeptides of pathogenic and nonpathogenic treponemes in experimental syphilis.	antigenic cross-reactivity between treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum (tp) and nonpathogenic treponema phagedenis biotype reiter (tr), treponema refringens strain noguchi (tn), and treponema vincentii (tv) was examined by the western immunoblotting technique in pooled sera from five rabbits infected intratesticularly with t. pallidum. sera were obtained before infection and on days 6, 12, 20, 30, 60, and 120 after infection. the pooled preinfection sera reacted with nine polypeptides of tv, ...	1986	3544258
enzyme linked immunosorbent assays with treponema pallidum or axial filament of t phagedenis biotype reiter as antigen: evaluation as screening tests for syphilis.	enzyme linked immunosorbent assays with an ultrasonicate of treponema pallidum (tp-elisa) or axial filament of treponema phagedenis biotype reiter (af-elisa) were developed to detect treponemal antibody. tp-elisa and af-elisa were compared with the t pallidum haemagglutination assay (tpha), the fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorbed (fta-abs) test, and the venereal disease research laboratory (vdrl) test for sensitivity and specificity of serodiagnosis of syphilis. a total of 1423 serum sample ...	1986	3546079
the antigenic interrelationship between the endoflagella of treponema phagedenis biotype reiter and treponema pallidum nichols strain. i. treponemicidal activity of cross-reactive endoflagellar antibodies against t. pallidum.	treponemicidal activity against treponema pallidum, nichols strain, by anti-endoflagellar antibodies and the presence of antigenic interrelationships between the endoflagella of treponema phagedenis biotype reiter (tpr) and t. pallidum have been demonstrated. sds-page profiles of purified endoflagella from both organisms were similar, identifying five polypeptide bands for tpr (37,000, 33,000 doublet, 30,000, and 27,000 daltons) and five polypeptide bands for t. pallidum (35,000, 33,000 doublet, ...	1986	3531343
correlation of treponemicidal activity in normal human serum with the presence of igg antibody directed against polypeptides of treponema phagedenis biotype reiter and treponema pallidum, nichols strain.	normal human serum (nhs) was shown to have complement-dependent treponemicidal activity against both treponema pallidum and treponema phagedenis biotype reiter (tpr) by employing in vitro-in vivo neutralization and tpr plaque assays, respectively. the molecular basis of nhs treponemicidal activity was studied by immunoblot analysis in conjunction with treponemicidal assays. five major t. pallidum polypeptide bands (47kda, 35kda, 33kda doublet, and 30 kda) and three major tpr polypeptide bands (4 ...	1986	3528292
surface properties of treponema pallidum in relation to phagocytosis by human polymorphonuclear leucocytes in vitro.	surface charge and hydrophobicity of treponema pallidum have been investigated in relation to phagocytosis by human polymorphonuclear leucocytes (pmns) in vitro. the treponemal surface was relatively hydrophobic and negatively charged but despite these properties, phagocytosis, as assessed by luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence, was minimal in the absence of serum. preopsonization of bacteria with serum reduced surface hydrophobicity but promoted phagocytosis, suggesting that specific immune mech ...	1986	3519850
treponema phagedenis has at least two proteins residing together on its periplasmic flagella.	treponema phagedenis is an anaerobic, motile spirochete with several periplasmic flagella (pfs) at each cell end. this study provides the first genetic evidence that multiple protein species are associated with the pfs. in addition, these proteins were found to reside together on a given pf. nonmotile mutants which lacked the pfs were isolated, and spontaneous revertants to motility regained the pfs. these results suggest that the pfs are involved in the motility of t. phagedenis. isolated pfs h ...	1986	3957864
electron microscopic demonstration of connective fibrils between outer sheath and wall-membrane complex in treponema phagedenis.		1986	3713560
isolation, and structural and chemical characterization of outer sheath carrying a polygonal array from treponema phagedenis biotype reiter.	an outer sheath was isolated from treponema phagedenis biotype reiter by our previously developed method (masuda, k., and kawata, t. 1982. j. bacteriol. 150: 1405-1413). the isolated outer sheath was observed as a triple-layered, closed vesicle carrying a polygonal array by electron microscopy. the outer sheath was mainly composed of protein (41.0%), phospholipid (38.7%), and carbohydrate (11.0%). sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (sds-page) of the isolated outer sheath in ...	1986	3747862
lymphocyte transformation in inbred guinea pigs infected with treponema pallidum nichols.	t lymphocytes were purified from peritoneal exudates from young male, inbred strain 2 guinea pigs infected with 8 x 10(7) treponema pallidum nichols and from control animals injected with normal rabbit testes extract. groups of animals were sacrificed after 15, 30, 60, and 90 days of infection, and the cells were analyzed for their proliferative response to concanavalin a and phytohemagglutinin and to sonicated t. pallidum, treponema phagedenis biotype reiter, and normal rabbit testes extract. n ...	1985	3882572
purified flagella from treponema phagedenis biotype reiter does not induce protective immunity against experimental syphilis in rabbits.	thirteen rabbits were immunized three times at weekly intervals with 50 micrograms of flagella purified from treponema phagedenis biotype reiter. fourteen rabbits were inoculated in the same way with a placebo preparation. rabbits immunized with the flagella developed an immune response to the flagella but showed no statistically significant prolongation of incubation time or diminution of lesion severity when challenged intradermally with 4 x 10(3) treponema pallidum organisms.	1985	3898419
radioimmunoassays for the detection of antibodies to treponemal polypeptide antigens in serum.	cross-reacting treponemal antigens are potentially important candidates for serodiagnostic assays in syphilitic infections. based on the idea that the organelles for locomotion in virulent and avirulent treponemes might be composed of similar subunits, we attempted to purify the flagellar antigens of treponema phagedenis biotype reiter and treponema refringens for use in radioimmunoassays. with a combination of physical and chemical methods, the major protein subunit of purified flagellar prepar ...	1985	4008623