Publications

TitleAbstractYear(sorted descending)
Filter
PMID
Filter
hedgehogs and mustelid species: major carriers of pathogenic leptospira, a survey in 28 animal species in france (20122015).human leptospirosis is a zoonotic and potentially fatal disease that has increasingly been reported in both developing and developed countries, including france. however, our understanding of the basic aspects of the epidemiology of this disease, including the source of leptospira serogroup australis infections in humans and domestic animals, remains incomplete. we investigated the genetic diversity of leptospira in 28 species of wildlife other than rats using variable number tandem repeat (vntr ...201627680672
the membrane protein lasm promotes the culturability of legionella pneumophila in water.the water-borne pathogen legionella pneumophila (lp) strongly expresses the lpg1659 gene in water. this gene encodes a hypothetical protein predicted to be a membrane protein using in silico analysis. while no conserved domains were identified in lpg1659, similar proteins are found in many legionella species and other aquatic bacteria. rt-qpcr showed that lpg1659 is positively regulated by the alternative sigma factor rpos, which is essential for lp to survive in water. these observations sugges ...201627734007
screening of genes involved in interactions with intestinal epithelial cells in cronobacter sakazakii.cronobacter sakazakii possesses a significant ability to adhere to and invade epithelial cells in its host. however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are poorly understood. in the current study, the adhesive and invasive capabilities of 56 c. sakazakii strains against human epithelial cells were evaluated, and one of them was selected for construction of a mutant library using the tn5 transposon. in a systematic analysis of the adhesive and invasive capabilities of 1084 mutants, ...201627637944
high leptospira diversity in animals and humans complicates the search for common reservoirs of human disease in rural ecuador.leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease responsible for high morbidity around the world, especially in tropical and low income countries. rats are thought to be the main vector of human leptospirosis in urban settings. however, differences between urban and low-income rural communities provide additional insights into the epidemiology of the disease.201627622673
the inhibition and resistance mechanisms of actinonin, isolated from marine streptomyces sp. nhf165, against vibrio anguillarum.vibrio sp. is the most serious pathogen in marine aquaculture, and the development of anti-vibrio agents is urgently needed. however, it is extreme lack of high-throughput screening (hts) model for searching anti-vibrio compounds. here, we established a protein-based hts screening model to identify agents targeting peptide deformylase (pdf) of vibrio anguillarum. to find potential anti-vibrio compounds, crude extracts derived from marine actinomycetes were applied for screening with this model. ...201627679625
the search for herbal antibiotics: an in-silico investigation of antibacterial phytochemicals.recently, the emergence and spread of pathogenic bacterial resistance to many antibiotics (multidrug-resistant strains) have been increasing throughout the world. this phenomenon is of great concern and there is a need to find alternative chemotherapeutic agents to combat these antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. higher plants may serve as a resource for new antimicrobials to replace or augment current therapeutic options. in this work, we have carried out a molecular docking study of a total o ...201627626453
functional metagenomics of spacecraft assembly cleanrooms: presence of virulence factors associated with human pathogens.strict planetary protection practices are implemented during spacecraft assembly to prevent inadvertent transfer of earth microorganisms to other planetary bodies. therefore, spacecraft are assembled in cleanrooms, which undergo strict cleaning and decontamination procedures to reduce total microbial bioburden. we wanted to evaluate if these practices selectively favor survival and growth of hardy microorganisms, such as pathogens. three geographically distinct cleanrooms were sampled during the ...201627667984
draft genome sequence of leptospira interrogans serovar bataviae strain lepimr 22 isolated from a rodent in johor, malaysia.leptospira interrogans serovar bataviae was recently identified as one of the persistent leptospira serovars in malaysia. here, we report the draft genome sequence of the l. interrogans serovar bataviae strain lepimr 22 isolated from kidney of a rodent in johor, malaysia.201627609924
depletion of shine-dalgarno sequences within bacterial coding regions is expression dependent.efficient and accurate protein synthesis is crucial for organismal survival in competitive environments. translation efficiency-the number of proteins translated from a single mrna in a given time period-is the combined result of differential translation initiation, elongation, and termination rates. previous research identified the shine-dalgarno (sd) sequence as a modulator of translation initiation in bacterial genes, while codon usage biases are frequently implicated as a primary determinant ...201627605518
vapcs of mycobacterium tuberculosis cleave rnas essential for translation.the major human pathogen mycobacterium tuberculosis can survive in the host organism for decades without causing symptoms. a large cohort of toxin-antitoxin (ta) modules contribute to this persistence. of these, 48 ta modules belong to the vapbc (virulence associated protein) gene family. vapc toxins are pin domain endonucleases that, in enterobacteria, inhibit translation by site-specific cleavage of initiator trna. in contrast, vapc20 of m. tuberculosis inhibits translation by site-specific cl ...201627599842
identification of tenrec ecaudatus, a wild mammal introduced to mayotte island, as a reservoir of the newly identified human pathogenic leptospira mayottensis.leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonosis of major concern on tropical islands. human populations on western indian ocean islands are strongly affected by the disease although each archipelago shows contrasting epidemiology. for instance, mayotte, part of the comoros archipelago, differs from the other neighbouring islands by a high diversity of leptospira species infecting humans that includes leptospira mayottensis, a species thought to be unique to this island. using bacterial culture, molecular ...201627574792
case report: weil's disease with multiple organ failure in a child living in dengue endemic area.there were few reports in the literature of weil's disease with multiple organ failures, especially in children living in dengue endemic areas.201627528203
hemodiafiltration decreases serum levels of inflammatory mediators in severe leptospirosis: a prospective study.leptospirosis is a health problem worldwide. its most severe form is a classic model of sepsis, provoking acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards) and acute kidney injury (aki), with associated mortality that remains unacceptably high. we previously demonstrated that early initiation of sustained low-efficiency dialysis (sled) followed by daily sled significantly decreases mortality. however, the mode of clearance can also affect dialysis patient outcomes. therefore, the objective of this stud ...201627487001
leptospira seroprevalence and risk factors in health centre patients in hoima district, western uganda.the burden of human leptospirosis in uganda is unknown. we estimated the seroprevalence of leptospira antibodies, probable acute/recent leptospirosis, and risk factors for seropositivity in humans in rural western uganda.201627487398
whole genome sequencing allows better understanding of the evolutionary history of leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo.the genome of a laboratory-adapted strain of leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo was sequenced and analyzed. comparison of the sequenced genome with that recently published for a field isolate of the same serovar revealed relatively high sequence conservation at the nucleotide level, despite the different biological background of both samples. conversely, comparison of both serovar hardjo genomes with those of l. borgpetersenii serovar hardjo showed extensive differences between the correspond ...201627442015
immunoreactivity of the aaa+ chaperone clpb from leptospira interrogans with sera from leptospira-infected animals.leptospira interrogans is a spirochaete responsible for leptospirosis in mammals. the molecular mechanisms of the leptospira virulence remain mostly unknown. recently, it has been demonstrated that l. interrogans clpb (clpbli) is essential for bacterial survival under stressful conditions and also during infection. the aim of this study was to provide further insight into the role of clpb in l. interrogans and answer the question whether clpbli as a potential virulence factor may be a target of ...201627421882
comparative genomic analysis of brazilian leptospira kirschneri serogroup pomona serovar mozdok.leptospira kirschneri is one of the pathogenic species of the leptospira genus. human and animal infection from l. kirschneri gained further attention over the last few decades. here we present the isolation and characterisation of brazilian l. kirschneri serogroup pomona serovar mozdok strain m36/05 and the comparative genomic analysis with brazilian human strain 61h. the m36/05 strain caused pulmonary hemorrhagic lesions in the hamster model, showing high virulence. the studied genomes present ...201627581124
recent developments in detection and enumeration of waterborne bacteria: a retrospective minireview.waterborne diseases have emerged as global health problems and their rapid and sensitive detection in environmental water samples is of great importance. bacterial identification and enumeration in water samples is significant as it helps to maintain safe drinking water for public consumption. culture-based methods are laborious, time-consuming, and yield false-positive results, whereas viable but nonculturable (vbncs) microorganisms cannot be recovered. hence, numerous methods have been develop ...201627397728
complicated weil disease. 201627606150
costs of life - dynamics of the protein inventory of staphylococcus aureus during anaerobiosis.absolute protein quantification was applied to follow the dynamics of the cytoplasmic proteome of staphylococcus aureus in response to long-term oxygen starvation. for 1,168 proteins, the majority of all expressed proteins, molecule numbers per cell have been determined to monitor the cellular investments in single branches of bacterial life for the first time. in the presence of glucose the anaerobic protein pattern is characterized by increased amounts of glycolytic and fermentative enzymes su ...201627344979
ncbi prokaryotic genome annotation pipeline.recent technological advances have opened unprecedented opportunities for large-scale sequencing and analysis of populations of pathogenic species in disease outbreaks, as well as for large-scale diversity studies aimed at expanding our knowledge across the whole domain of prokaryotes. to meet the challenge of timely interpretation of structure, function and meaning of this vast genetic information, a comprehensive approach to automatic genome annotation is critically needed. in collaboration wi ...201627342282
real-time pcr reveals rapid dissemination of leptospira interrogans after intraperitoneal and conjunctival inoculation of hamsters.the pathogen leptospira interrogans is a highly motile spirochete that causes acute and fulminant infections in humans and other accidental hosts. hematogenous dissemination is important for infection by the pathogen but remains poorly understood because few animal model studies have used sensitive tools to quantify the bacteria. we evaluated the kinetics of leptospiral infection in golden syrian hamsters by a sensitive quantitative real-time pcr (taqman) with lipl32 as the target gene. the diss ...201627141082
inhibitory effect of bmap-28 on leptospiral lipopolysaccharide-induced tlr2-dependent immune response in bovine cells.bovine leptospirosis is a widespread zoonotic disease, leading to serious economic losses in animal production and causing potential hazards to human health. leptospiral lipopolysaccharide (l-lps) plays an important role in leptospirosis pathogenicity.201627635213
coevolution between stop codon usage and release factors in bacterial species.three stop codons in bacteria represent different translation termination signals, and their usage is expected to depend on their differences in translation termination efficiency, mutation bias, and relative abundance of release factors (rf1 decoding uaa and uag, and rf2 decoding uaa and uga). in 14 bacterial species (covering proteobacteria, firmicutes, cyanobacteria, actinobacteria and spirochetes) with cellular rf1 and rf2 quantified, uaa is consistently over-represented in highly expressed ...201627297468
temperature-responsive in vitro rna structurome of yersinia pseudotuberculosis.rna structures are fundamentally important for rna function. dynamic, condition-dependent structural changes are able to modulate gene expression as shown for riboswitches and rna thermometers. by parallel analysis of rna structures, we mapped the rna structurome of yersinia pseudotuberculosis at three different temperatures. this human pathogen is exquisitely responsive to host body temperature (37 °c), which induces a major metabolic transition. our analysis profiles the structure of more than ...201627298343
human leptospirosis on reunion island, indian ocean: are rodents the (only) ones to blame?although leptospirosis is a zoonosis of major concern on tropical islands, the molecular epidemiology of the disease aiming at linking human cases to specific animal reservoirs has been rarely explored within these peculiar ecosystems.201627294677
human leptospirosis in tanzania: sequencing and phylogenetic analysis confirm that pathogenic leptospira species circulate among agro-pastoralists living in katavi-rukwa ecosystem.leptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease of worldwide public health importance. the disease affects humans, domestic animals and wildlife. however, leptospirosis is challenging in its diagnosis in humans. culture technique, which is time consuming, is not recommended for clinical diagnosis. for these reasons, serological and molecular techniques remain the test of choice. the major objective of this study was to explore the genetic characteristic of leptospira species which are prevalent am ...201627287703
metapalette: a k-mer painting approach for metagenomic taxonomic profiling and quantification of novel strain variation.metagenomic profiling is challenging in part because of the highly uneven sampling of the tree of life by genome sequencing projects and the limitations imposed by performing phylogenetic inference at fixed taxonomic ranks. we present the algorithm metapalette, which uses long k-mer sizes (k = 30, 50) to fit a k-mer "palette" of a given sample to the k-mer palette of reference organisms. by modeling the k-mer palettes of unknown organisms, the method also gives an indication of the presence, abu ...201627822531
detection of dengue, west nile virus, rickettsiosis and leptospirosis by a new real-time pcr strategy.dengue virus (denv) infection causes sudden fever along with several nonspecific signs and symptoms and in severe cases, death. denv is transmitted to people by aedes aegypti and ae. albopictus mosquitoes, whose populations increase during rainy season. west nile virus (wnv), rickettsia spp. and leptospira spp. are fever-causing pathogens that share many of the initial symptoms of denv infection and also thrive in the rainy season. outbreaks in some regions may be due to any of these pathogens t ...201627350908
first genome sequence of leptospira interrogans serovar pomona, isolated from a bovine abortion.leptospirosis is a widespread zoonosis and a re-emergent disease of global distribution with major relevance in veterinary production. here, we report the whole-genome sequence of leptospira interrogans serovar pomona strain akrfb, isolated from a bovine abortion during a leptospirosis outbreak in argentina.201627198013
dual transcriptome profiling of leishmania-infected human macrophages reveals distinct reprogramming signatures.macrophages are mononuclear phagocytes that constitute a first line of defense against pathogens. while lethal to many microbes, they are the primary host cells of leishmania spp. parasites, the obligate intracellular pathogens that cause leishmaniasis. we conducted transcriptomic profiling of two leishmania species and the human macrophage over the course of intracellular infection by using high-throughput rna sequencing to characterize the global gene expression changes and reprogramming event ...201627165796
metabolic engineering of a synergistic pathway for n-butanol production in saccharomyces cerevisiae.n-butanol has several favourable properties as an advanced fuel or a platform chemical. bio-based production of n-butanol is becoming increasingly important for sustainable chemical industry. synthesis of n-butanol can be achieved via more than one metabolic pathway. here we report the metabolic engineering of saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce n-butanol through a synergistic pathway: the endogenous threonine pathway and the introduced citramalate pathway. firstly, we characterized and optimize ...201627161023
vaccine design for h5n1 based on b- and t-cell epitope predictions.from 2003 to 2013, indonesia had the highest number of avian influenza a cases in humans, with 192 cases and 160 fatalities. avian influenza is caused by influenza virus type a, such as subtype h5n1. this virus has two glycoproteins: hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, which will become the primary target to be neutralized by vaccine. vaccine is the most effective immunologic intervention. in this study, we use the epitope-based vaccine design from hemagglutinin and neuraminidase of h5n1 indonesian ...201627147821
whole-genome sequencing reveals genetic variation in the asian house rat.whole-genome sequencing of wild-derived rat species can provide novel genomic resources, which may help decipher the genetics underlying complex phenotypes. as a notorious pest, reservoir of human pathogens, and colonizer, the asian house rat, rattus tanezumi, is successfully adapted to its habitat. however, little is known regarding genetic variation in this species. in this study, we identified over 41,000,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, plus insertions and deletions, through whole-genome ...201627172215
draft genome of the leptospira interrogans strains, acegua, rca, prea, and capivara, obtained from wildlife maintenance hosts and infected domestic animals.in the present paper, we announce new draft genomes of four leptospira interrogans strains named acegua, rca, prea, and capivara. these strains were isolated in the state of rio grande do sul, brazil, from cattle, dog, brazilian guinea pig, and capybara, respectively.201627074260
comparison of mucosal, subcutaneous and intraperitoneal routes of rat leptospira infection.leptospirosis is a zoonosis found worldwide that is caused by a spirochete. the main reservoirs of leptospira, which presents an asymptomatic infection, are wild rodents, including the brown rat (rattus norvegicus). experimental studies of the mechanisms of its renal colonization in rats have previously used an intraperitoneal inoculation route. however, knowledge of rat-rat transmission requires the use of a natural route of inoculation, such as a mucosal or subcutaneous route. we investigated ...201627031867
a cross sectional study of leptospirosis and fetal death in yucatan, mexico.leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease affecting mainly to low income human population. acute leptospiral infection during pregnancy has been associated with spontaneous abortion and fetal death during the first trimester and the abortion may occur as consequence of systemic failure.201627226658
caprine leptospirosis: hematobiochemical and urinalyses studies.the present study was designed to evaluate clinicopathological alterations in naturally occurring leptospirosis in goats of south gujarat region, gujarat.201627057122
first molecular evidence of toxoplasma gondii in opossums (didelphis virginiana) from yucatan, mexico.toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite recognized as a causal agent of toxoplasmosis; zoonotic disease endemic in many countries worldwide, including mexico. different species of animals participate in the wild cycle infection, including opossums of the species didelphis virginiana. thirteen d. virginiana were captured in yucatan, mexico. detection of t. gondii was achieved by polymerase chain reaction, which determined an infection of 76.9% (10/13) in brains. positive amplicons ...201627200271
a two-year ecological study of norway rats (rattus norvegicus) in a brazilian urban slum.the norway or brown rat (rattus norvegicus) is among the most ubiquitous of rodents. however, the lack of studies describing norway rat populations from tropical areas have limited our understanding regarding their demography and seasonal dynamics. in this study, we describe seasonal pattern in the abundance, reproductive parameters, and morphometrics of norway rat populations in salvador, brazil. rodents were trapped over four seasonal trapping periods (2013-2014) from three valleys. a total of ...201627015422
prevalence and genotype allocation of pathogenic leptospira species in small mammals from various habitat types in germany.small mammals serve as most important reservoirs for leptospira spp., the causative agents of leptospirosis, which is one of the most neglected and widespread zoonotic diseases worldwide. the knowledge about leptospira spp. occurring in small mammals from germany is scarce. thus, this study's objectives were to investigate the occurrence of leptospira spp. and the inherent sequence types in small mammals from three different study sites: a forest in southern germany (site b1); a national park in ...201627015596
identification of protein secretion systems in bacterial genomes.bacteria with two cell membranes (diderms) have evolved complex systems for protein secretion. these systems were extensively studied in some model bacteria, but the characterisation of their diversity has lagged behind due to lack of standard annotation tools. we built online and standalone computational tools to accurately predict protein secretion systems and related appendages in bacteria with lps-containing outer membranes. they consist of models describing the systems' components and genet ...201626979785
profiling of leptospira interrogans, l. santarosai, l. meyeri and l. borgpetersenii by se-aflp, pfge and susceptibility testing--a continuous attempt at species and serovar differentiation.leptospirosis is a widespread systemic zoonosis, considered as reemerging in certain developing countries. although the cross agglutinin absorption test is still considered the standard method for leptospira identification, it presents several disadvantages. the aim of this study was to characterize leptospira spp. isolated from various hosts by genotyping and broth microdilution susceptibility testing in an attempt to differentiate leptospira species, serogroups and serovars. forty-seven isolat ...201626956446
determination of leptospira borgpetersenii serovar javanica and leptospira interrogans serovar bataviae as the persistent leptospira serovars circulating in the urban rat populations in peninsular malaysia.leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease of global significance, and is endemic in tropical countries, including malaysia. over the last decade, a dramatic increase of human cases was reported; however, information on the primary vector, the rat, and the leptospira serovars circulating among the rat population is limited. therefore, the present study was undertaken to isolate leptospira and characterise the serovars circulating in the urban rat populations from selected main cities in pen ...201626927873
biochemical characterization and complete conversion of coenzyme specificity of isocitrate dehydrogenase from bifidobacterium longum.bifidobacterium longum is a very important gram-positive non-pathogenic bacterium in the human gastrointestinal tract for keeping the digestive and immune system healthy. isocitrate dehydrogenase (idh) from b. longum (blidh), a novel member in type ii subfamily, was overexpressed, purified and biochemically characterized in detail. the active form of blidh was an 83-kda homodimer. kinetic analysis showed blidh was a nadp⁺-dependent idh (nadp-idh), with a 567- and 193-fold preference for nadp⁺ ov ...201626927087
impacts of climatic variability on vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreaks in taiwan.this study aimed to investigate and quantify the relationship between climate variation and incidence of vibrio parahaemolyticus in taiwan. specifically, seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (arima) models (including autoregression, seasonality, and a lag-time effect) were employed to predict the role of climatic factors (including temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, ocean temperature and ocean salinity) on the incidence of v. parahaemolyticus in taiwan between 2000 and 2011. ...201626848675
marine mammals harbor unique microbiotas shaped by and yet distinct from the sea.marine mammals play crucial ecological roles in the oceans, but little is known about their microbiotas. here we study the bacterial communities in 337 samples from 5 body sites in 48 healthy dolphins and 18 healthy sea lions, as well as those of adjacent seawater and other hosts. the bacterial taxonomic compositions are distinct from those of other mammals, dietary fish and seawater, are highly diverse and vary according to body site and host species. dolphins harbour 30 bacterial phyla, with 2 ...201626839246
whole genome sequencing revealed host adaptation-focused genomic plasticity of pathogenic leptospira.leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic leptospira spp., has recently been recognized as an emerging infectious disease worldwide. despite its severity and global importance, knowledge about the molecular pathogenesis and virulence evolution of leptospira spp. remains limited. here we sequenced and analyzed 102 isolates representing global sources. a high genomic variability were observed among different leptospira species, which was attributed to massive gene gain and loss events allowing for adapt ...201626833181
exposure to viral and bacterial pathogens among soay sheep (ovis aries) of the st kilda archipelago.we assessed evidence of exposure to viruses and bacteria in an unmanaged and long-isolated population of soay sheep (ovis aries) inhabiting hirta, in the st kilda archipelago, 65 km west of benbecula in the outer hebrides of scotland. the sheep harbour many metazoan and protozoan parasites but their exposure to viral and bacterial pathogens is unknown. we tested for herpes viral dna in leucocytes and found that 21 of 42 tested sheep were infected with ovine herpesvirus 2 (ohv-2). we also tested ...201626829883
risk factors for intensive care unit admission in patients with severe leptospirosis: a comparative study according to patients' severity.the aim of this study is to investigate predictive factors for intensive care unit (icu) admission among patients with severe leptospirosis.201626830173
risk factors for intensive care unit admission in patients with severe leptospirosis: a comparative study according to patients' severity.the aim of this study is to investigate predictive factors for intensive care unit (icu) admission among patients with severe leptospirosis.201626830173
toward understanding the catalytic mechanism of human paraoxonase 1: site-specific mutagenesis at position 192.human paraoxonase 1 (h-pon1) is a serum enzyme that can hydrolyze a variety of substrates. the enzyme exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-atherogenic, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial and organophosphate-hydrolyzing activities. thus, h-pon1 is a strong candidate for the development of therapeutic intervention against a variety conditions in human. however, the crystal structure of h-pon1 is not solved and the molecular details of how the enzyme hydrolyzes different substrates are not c ...201626829396
human leptospirosis infection in fiji: an eco-epidemiological approach to identifying risk factors and environmental drivers for transmission.leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease in the pacific islands. in fiji, two successive cyclones and severe flooding in 2012 resulted in outbreaks with 576 reported cases and 7% case-fatality. we conducted a cross-sectional seroprevalence study and used an eco-epidemiological approach to characterize risk factors and drivers for human leptospirosis infection in fiji, and aimed to provide an evidence base for improving the effectiveness of public health mitigation and intervention strategi ...201626820752
erratum for eshghi et al., leptospira interrogans lpxd homologue is required for thermal acclimatization and virulence. 201626810749
conserved patterns of microbial immune escape: pathogenic microbes of diverse origin target the human terminal complement inhibitor vitronectin via a single common motif.pathogenicity of many microbes relies on their capacity to resist innate immunity, and to survive and persist in an immunocompetent human host microbes have developed highly efficient and sophisticated complement evasion strategies. here we show that different human pathogens including gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, as well as the fungal pathogen candida albicans, acquire the human terminal complement regulator vitronectin to their surface. by using truncated vitronectin fragments we ...201626808444
an evaluation of the accuracy and speed of metagenome analysis tools.metagenome studies are becoming increasingly widespread, yielding important insights into microbial communities covering diverse environments from terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to human skin and gut. with the advent of high-throughput sequencing platforms, the use of large scale shotgun sequencing approaches is now commonplace. however, a thorough independent benchmark comparing state-of-the-art metagenome analysis tools is lacking. here, we present a benchmark where the most widely used to ...201626778510
impact of mated female nonproductive days in breeding herd after porcine epidemic diarrhea virus outbreak.porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (pedv) is an important pathogen that has a significant economic impact on the swine industry by imposing a high rate of mortality in suckling piglets. however, limited information on the productivity values of gilts and sows infected with pedv is available. here, we evaluate the productivity index in gilts and sows during the 1-year period before (19 january 2013 to 18 january 2014) and after (19 january 2014 to 18 january 2015) a pedv outbreak from a 2000-sow bre ...201626771383
analysis of lexa binding sites and transcriptomics in response to genotoxic stress in leptospira interrogans.we determined the effects of dna damage caused by ultraviolet radiation on gene expression in leptospira interrogans using dna microarrays. these data were integrated with dna binding in vivo of lexa1, a regulator of the dna damage response, assessed by chromatin immunoprecipitation and massively parallel dna sequencing (chip-seq). in response to dna damage, leptospira induced expression of genes involved in dna metabolism, in mobile genetic elements and defective prophages. the dna repair genes ...201626762976
direct and absolute quantification of over 1800 yeast proteins via selected reaction monitoring.defining intracellular protein concentration is critical in molecular systems biology. although strategies for determining relative protein changes are available, defining robust absolute values in copies per cell has proven significantly more challenging. here we present a reference data set quantifying over 1800saccharomyces cerevisiaeproteins by direct means using protein-specific stable-isotope labeled internal standards and selected reaction monitoring (srm) mass spectrometry, far exceeding ...201626750110
hospital-based surveillance for infectious etiologies among patients with acute febrile illness in georgia, 2008-2011.information on the infectious causes of undifferentiated acute febrile illness (afi) in georgia is essential for effective treatment and prevention. in may 2008, a hospital-based afi surveillance was initiated at six hospitals in georgia. patients aged ≥ 4 years with fever ≥ 38°c for ≥ 48 hours were eligible for surveillance. blood culture and serologic testing were conducted for leptospira spp., brucella spp., west nile virus (wnv), crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever virus, coxiella burnetii, tick ...201626438032
evaluation of the illumigene malaria lamp: a robust molecular diagnostic tool for malaria parasites.isothermal nucleic acid amplification assays such as the loop mediated isothermal amplification (lamp), are well suited for field use as they do not require thermal cyclers to amplify the dna. to further facilitate the use of lamp assays in remote settings, simpler sample preparation methods and lyophilized reagents are required. the performance of a commercial malaria lamp assay (illumigene malaria lamp) was evaluated using two sample preparation workflows (simple filtration prep (sfp)) and gra ...201627827432
high-throughput parallel sequencing to measure fitness of leptospira interrogans transposon insertion mutants during acute infection.pathogenic species of leptospira are the causative agents of leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease that causes mortality and morbidity worldwide. the understanding of the virulence mechanisms of leptospira spp is still at an early stage due to the limited number of genetic tools available for this microorganism. the development of random transposon mutagenesis in pathogenic strains a decade ago has contributed to the identification of several virulence factors. in this study, we used the transposon ...201627824878
multifunctional and redundant roles of borrelia burgdorferi outer surface proteins in tissue adhesion, colonization, and complement evasion.borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of lyme disease in the u.s., with at least 25,000 cases reported to the cdc each year. b. burgdorferi is thought to enter and exit the bloodstream to achieve rapid dissemination to distal tissue sites during infection. travel through the bloodstream requires evasion of immune surveillance and pathogen clearance in the host, a process at which b. burgdorferi is adept. b. burgdorferi encodes greater than 19 adhesive outer surface proteins many of which h ...201627818662
motility and ultrastructure of spirochaeta thermophila.we analyze here for the first time the swimming behavior of a thermophilic, strictly anaerobic spirochete, namely spirochaeta thermophila using high temperature light microscopy. our data show that s. thermophila very rapidly can change its morphology during swimming, resulting in cells appearing nearly linear, in cells possessing three different spiral forms, and in cells being linear at one end and spiral at the other end. in addition cells can rapidly bend by up to 180°, with their ends comin ...201627790206
stored canine whole blood units: what is the real risk of bacterial contamination?bacterial contamination of whole blood (wb) units can result in transfusion-transmitted infection, but the extent of the risk has not been established and may be underestimated in veterinary medicine.201627734567
how rheumatoid arthritis can result from provocation of the immune system by microorganisms and viruses.the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (ra), similar to development of a majority of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, is largely due to an inappropriate or inadequate immune response to environmental challenges. among these challenges, infectious agents are the undisputed leaders. since the 1870s, an impressive list of microorganisms suspected of provoking ra has formed, and the list is still growing. although a definite causative link between a specific infectious agent and the disease ...201627582741
interaction of bovine peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells and leptospira species; innate responses in the natural bovine reservoir host.cattle are the reservoir hosts of leptospira borgpetersenii serovar hardjo, and can also be reservoir hosts of other leptospira species such as l. kirschneri, and leptospira interrogans. as a reservoir host, cattle shed leptospira, infecting other animals, including humans. previous studies with human and murine neutrophils have shown activation of neutrophil extracellular trap or net formation, and upregulation of inflammatory mediators by neutrophils in the presence of leptospira. humans, comp ...201627486445
exploring the secretomes of microbes and microbial communities using filamentous phage display.microbial surface and secreted proteins (the secretome) contain a large number of proteins that interact with other microbes, host and/or environment. these proteins are exported by the coordinated activities of the protein secretion machinery present in the cell. a group of bacteriophage, called filamentous phage, have the ability to hijack bacterial protein secretion machinery in order to amplify and assemble via a secretion-like process. this ability has been harnessed in the use of filamento ...201627092113
analysis of a spontaneous non-motile and avirulent mutant shows that flim is required for full endoflagella assembly in leptospira interrogans.pathogenic leptospira strains are responsible for leptospirosis, a worldwide emerging zoonotic disease. these spirochetes are unique amongst bacteria because of their corkscrew-like cell morphology and their periplasmic flagella. motility is reported as an important virulence determinant, probably favoring entry and dissemination of pathogenic leptospira in the host. however, proteins constituting the periplasmic flagella and their role in cell shape, motility and virulence remain poorly describ ...201627044038
what makes a bacterial species pathogenic?:comparative genomic analysis of the genus leptospira.leptospirosis, caused by spirochetes of the genus leptospira, is a globally widespread, neglected and emerging zoonotic disease. while whole genome analysis of individual pathogenic, intermediately pathogenic and saprophytic leptospira species has been reported, comprehensive cross-species genomic comparison of all known species of infectious and non-infectious leptospira, with the goal of identifying genes related to pathogenesis and mammalian host adaptation, remains a key gap in the field. in ...201626890609
multiple posttranslational modifications of leptospira biflexa proteins as revealed by proteomic analysis.the saprophyte leptospira biflexa is an excellent model for studying the physiology of the medically important leptospira genus, the pathogenic members of which are more recalcitrant to genetic manipulation and have significantly slower in vitro growth. however, relatively little is known regarding the proteome of l. biflexa, limiting its utility as a model for some studies. therefore, we have generated a proteomic map of both soluble and membrane-associated proteins of l. biflexa during exponen ...201626655756
pyrf as a counterselectable marker for unmarked genetic manipulations in treponema denticola.the pathophysiology of treponema denticola, an oral pathogen associated with both periodontal and endodontic infections, is poorly understood due to its fastidious growth and recalcitrance to genetic manipulations. counterselectable markers are instrumental in constructing clean and unmarked mutations in bacteria. here, we demonstrate that pyrf, a gene encoding orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase, can be used as a counterselectable marker in t. denticola to construct marker-free mutants. t. ...201626682856
micronutrients and leptospirosis: a review of the current evidence.leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses and represents a major threat to human health. due to the high burden of disease, limitations in diagnostics, and limited coverage and availability of effective human and veterinary vaccines, leptospirosis remains an important neglected zoonotic disease. improved surveillance and identification of modifiable risk factors for leptospirosis are urgently needed to inform preventive interventions and reduce the risk and severity of leptospira infe ...201627387046
phylogeny reconstruction with alignment-free method that corrects for horizontal gene transfer.advances in sequencing have generated a large number of complete genomes. traditionally, phylogenetic analysis relies on alignments of orthologs, but defining orthologs and separating them from paralogs is a complex task that may not always be suited to the large datasets of the future. an alternative to traditional, alignment-based approaches are whole-genome, alignment-free methods. these methods are scalable and require minimal manual intervention. we developed slopetree, a new alignment-free ...201627336403
first isolates of leptospira spp., from rodents captured in angola.rodents play an important role in the transmission of pathogenic leptospira spp. however, in angola, neither the natural reservoirs of these spirochetes nor leptospirosis diagnosis has been considered. regarding this gap, we captured rodents in luanda and huambo provinces to identify circulating leptospira spp. rodent kidney tissue was cultured and dna amplified and sequenced. culture isolates were evaluated for pathogenic status and typing with rabbit antisera; polymerase chain reaction (pcr) a ...201626928840
transcriptome sequencing reveals wide expression reprogramming of basal and unknown genes in leptospira biflexa biofilms.the genus leptospira is composed of pathogenic and saprophytic spirochetes. pathogenic leptospira is the etiological agent of leptospirosis, a globally spread neglected disease. a key ecological feature of some pathogenic species is their ability to survive both within and outside the host. for most leptospires, the ability to persist outside the host is associated with biofilm formation, a most important bacterial strategy to face and overcome hostile environmental conditions. the architecture ...201627303713
whole genome shotgun sequencing shows selection on leptospira regulatory proteins during in vitro culture attenuation.leptospirosis is the most common zoonotic disease worldwide with an estimated 500,000 severe cases reported annually, and case fatality rates of 12-25%, due primarily to acute kidney and lung injuries. despite its prevalence, the molecular mechanisms underlying leptospirosis pathogenesis remain poorly understood. to identify virulence-related genes in leptospira interrogans, we delineated cumulative genome changes that occurred during serial in vitro passage of a highly virulent strain of l. int ...201626711524
clinical evaluation of rapid diagnostic test kit using the polysaccharide as a genus-specific diagnostic antigen for leptospirosis in korea, bulgaria, and argentina.leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease that is caused by many serovars which are more than 200 in the world, is an emerging worldwide disease. accurate and rapid diagnostic tests for leptospirosis are a critical step to diagnose the disease. there are some commercial kits available for diagnosis of leptospirosis, but the obscurity of a species- or genus-specific antigen of pathogenic leptospira interrogans causes the reduced sensitivity and specificity. in this study, the polysaccharide derived from ...201626839470
in vivo-expressed proteins of virulent leptospira interrogans serovar autumnalis n2 elicit strong igm responses of value in conclusive diagnosis.leptospirosis is a serious zoonosis that is underdiagnosed because of limited access to laboratory facilities in southeast asia, central and south america, and oceania. timely diagnosis of locally distributed serovars of high virulence is crucial for successful care and outbreak management. using pooled patient sera, an expression gene library of a virulent leptospira interrogans serovar autumnalis strain n2 isolated in south india was screened. the identified genes were characterized, and the p ...201626607308
role of sph2 gene regulation in hemolytic and sphingomyelinase activities produced by leptospira interrogans.pathogenic members of the genus leptospira are the causative agents of leptospirosis, a neglected disease of public and veterinary health concern. leptospirosis is a systemic disease that in its severest forms leads to renal insufficiency, hepatic dysfunction, and pulmonary failure. many strains of leptospira produce hemolytic and sphingomyelinase activities, and a number of candidate leptospiral hemolysins have been identified based on sequence similarity to well-characterized bacterial hemolys ...201526274394
comparative genomic analyses of transport proteins encoded within the genomes of leptospira species.select species of the bacterial genus leptospira are causative agents of leptospirosis, an emerging global zoonosis affecting nearly one million people worldwide annually. we examined two leptospira pathogens, leptospira interrogans serovar lai str. 56601 and leptospira borgpetersenii serovar hardjo-bovis str. l550, as well as the free-living leptospiral saprophyte, leptospira biflexa serovar patoc str. 'patoc 1 (ames)'. the transport proteins of these leptospires were identified and compared us ...201526247102
neutrophil extracellular traps are involved in the innate immune response to infection with leptospira.netosis is a process by which neutrophils extrude their dna together with bactericidal proteins that trap and/or kill pathogens. in the present study, we evaluated the ability of leptospira spp. to induce netosis using human ex vivo and murine in vivo models. microscopy and fluorometric studies showed that incubation of human neutrophils with leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni strain fiocruz l1-130 (lic) resulted in the release of dna extracellular traps (nets). the bacteria number, path ...201526161745
molecular characterisation and disease severity of leptospirosis in sri lanka.leptospirosis is a re-emerging zoonotic disease all over the world, important in tropical and subtropical areas. a majority of leptospirosis infected patients present as subclinical or mild disease while 5-10% may develop severe infection requiring hospitalisation and critical care. it is possible that several factors, such as the infecting serovar, level of leptospiraemia, host genetic factors and host immune response, may be important in predisposition towards severe disease. different leptosp ...201526061234
pathogenic leptospira interrogans exoproteins are primarily involved in heterotrophic processes.leptospirosis is a life-threatening and emerging zoonotic disease with a worldwide annual occurrence of more than 1 million cases. leptospirosis is caused by spirochetes belonging to the genus leptospira. the mechanisms of disease manifestation in the host remain elusive, and the roles of leptospiral exoproteins in these processes have yet to be determined. our aim in this study was to assess the composition and quantity of exoproteins of pathogenic leptospira interrogans and to construe how the ...201525987703
a multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis assay provides high discrimination for genotyping leptospira santarosai strains.considering the prevalence of leptospira santarosai infections in the americas and the scarce information about the species, we aimed to apply a multilocus variable number tandem repeat (vntr) analysis (mlva) for the molecular typing of l. santarosai isolates from various sources. amplification of three vntr loci selected from l. santarosai genome sequences resulted in a wide range of sizes for the amplified products amongst the 21 l. santarosai strains analysed. this suggested a variation in ta ...201525721051
has madagascar lost its exceptional leptospirosis free-like status?leptospirosis is a widespread but underreported cause of morbidity and mortality. it has rarely been reported in either humans or animals in madagascar.201525874381
features of two new proteins with ompa-like domains identified in the genome sequences of leptospira interrogans.leptospirosis is an acute febrile disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus leptospira. it is considered an important re-emerging infectious disease that affects humans worldwide. the knowledge about the mechanisms by which pathogenic leptospires invade and colonize the host remains limited since very few virulence factors contributing to the pathogenesis of the disease have been identified. here, we report the identification and characterization of two new leptospiral proteins with ...201525849456
development of a new real-time pcr system for simultaneous detection of bacteria and fungi in pathological samples.a novel system for simultaneous detection of pathogenic bacteria and fungi in pathological samples was developed using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (pcr) system. this system, designated the "multi-microbial real-time pcr", has the potential to simultaneously detect 68 bacterial and 9 fungal species in a 96-well plate format. all probe-primer sets were designed to produce amplicons smaller than 210 bp using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples as input. the specificity and sensitivit ...201526823918
unexploited opportunities for phage therapy. 201526441644
tickborne relapsing fever, bitterroot valley, montana, usa.in july 2013, a resident of the bitterroot valley in western montana, usa, contracted tickborne relapsing fever caused by an infection with the spirochete borrelia hermsii. the patient's travel history and activities before onset of illness indicated a possible exposure on his residential property on the eastern side of the valley. an onsite investigation of the potential exposure site found the vector, ornithodoros hermsi ticks, and 1 chipmunk infected with spirochetes, which on the basis of mu ...201525625502
the leptospiral outer membrane.the outer membrane (om) is the front line of leptospiral interactions with their environment and the mammalian host. unlike most invasive spirochetes, pathogenic leptospires must be able to survive in both free-living and host-adapted states. as organisms move from one set of environmental conditions to another, the om must cope with a series of conflicting challenges. for example, the om must be porous enough to allow nutrient uptake, yet robust enough to defend the cell against noxious substan ...201525388136
transcriptomics in the tropics: total rna-based profiling of costa rican bromeliad-associated communities.rna-seq was used to examine the microbial, eukaryotic, and viral communities in water catchments ('tanks') formed by tropical bromeliads from costa rica. in total, transcripts with taxonomic affiliation to a wide array of bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, were observed, as well as rna-viruses that appeared related to the specific presence of eukaryotes. bacteria from 25 phyla appeared to comprise the majority of transcripts in one tank (wg24), compared to only 14 phyla in the other (wg25). conv ...201525755850
transcriptomics in the tropics: total rna-based profiling of costa rican bromeliad-associated communities.rna-seq was used to examine the microbial, eukaryotic, and viral communities in water catchments ('tanks') formed by tropical bromeliads from costa rica. in total, transcripts with taxonomic affiliation to a wide array of bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, were observed, as well as rna-viruses that appeared related to the specific presence of eukaryotes. bacteria from 25 phyla appeared to comprise the majority of transcripts in one tank (wg24), compared to only 14 phyla in the other (wg25). conv ...201525755850
evaluation of the leptospira interrogans outer membrane protein ompl37 as a vaccine candidate.the identification of potential vaccine candidates against leptospirosis remains a challenge. however, one such candidate is ompl37, a potentially surface-exposed antigen that has the highest elastin-binding ability described to date, suggesting that it plays an important role in host colonization. in order to evaluate ompl37's ability to induce a protective immune response, prime-boost, dna and subunit vaccine strategies were tested in the hamster model of lethal leptospirosis. the humoral immu ...201526588685
intestinal spirochaetes (genus brachyspira) colonise wild birds in the southern atlantic region and antarctica.the genus brachyspira contains well-known enteric pathogens of veterinary significance, suggested agents of colonic disease in humans, and one potentially zoonotic agent. there are recent studies showing that brachyspira are more widespread in the wildlife community than previously thought. there are no records of this genus in wildlife from the southern atlantic region and antarctica. our aim was therefore, to determine whether intestinal spirochaetes of genus brachyspira colonise marine and co ...201526584828
control of gene expression in leptospira spp. by transcription activator-like effectors demonstrates a potential role for liga and ligb in leptospira interrogans virulence.leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that affects ∼1 million people annually, with a mortality rate of >10%. currently, there is an absence of effective genetic manipulation tools for targeted mutagenesis in pathogenic leptospires. transcription activator-like effectors (tales) are a recently described group of repressors that modify transcriptional activity in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells by directly binding to a targeted sequence within the host genome. to determine the applicability of tal ...201526341206
flagellar motility of the pathogenic spirochetes.bacterial pathogens are often classified by their toxicity and invasiveness. the invasiveness of a given bacterium is determined by how capable the bacterium is at invading a broad range of tissues in its host. of mammalian pathogens, some of the most invasive come from a group of bacteria known as the spirochetes, which cause diseases, such as syphilis, lyme disease, relapsing fever and leptospirosis. most of the spirochetes are characterized by their distinct shapes and unique motility. they a ...201526481969
a systems biology approach for diagnostic and vaccine antigen discovery in tropical infectious diseases.there is a need for improved diagnosis and for more rapidly assessing the presence, prevalence, and spread of newly emerging or reemerging infectious diseases. an approach to the pathogen-detection strategy is based on analyzing host immune response to the infection. this review focuses on a protein microarray approach for this purpose.201526237545
communicable diseases prioritized according to their public health relevance, sweden, 2013.to establish strategic priorities for the public health agency of sweden we prioritized pathogens according to their public health relevance in sweden in order to guide resource allocation. we then compared the outcome to ongoing surveillance. we used a modified prioritization method developed at the robert koch institute in germany. in a delphi process experts scored pathogens according to ten variables. we ranked the pathogens according to the total score and divided them into four priority gr ...201526397699
borrelia burgdorferi elongation factor ef-tu is an immunogenic protein during lyme borreliosis.borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of lyme disease, does not produce lipopolysaccharide but expresses a large number of lipoproteins on its cell surface. these outer membrane lipoproteins are highly immunogenic and have been used for serodiagnosis of lyme disease. recent studies have shown that highly conserved cytosolic proteins such as enolase and elongation factor tu (ef-tu) unexpectedly localized on the surface of bacteria including b. burgdorferi, and surface-localized enolase has ...201526954993
Refresh
firstprev
12345678910...
nextlast
Displaying items 101 - 200 of 2728