Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted descending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| combining anthrax vaccine and therapy: a dominant-negative inhibitor of anthrax toxin is also a potent and safe immunogen for vaccines. | anthrax is caused by the unimpeded growth of bacillus anthracis in the host and the secretion of toxins. the currently available vaccine is based on protective antigen (pa), a central component of anthrax toxin. vaccination with pa raises no direct immune response against the bacilli and, being a natural toxin component, pa might be hazardous when used immediately following exposure to b. anthracis. thus, we have sought to develop a vaccine or therapeutic agent that is safe and eliminates both s ... | 2005 | 15908368 |
| comparative secretome analyses of three bacillus anthracis strains with variant plasmid contents. | bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, secretes numerous proteins into the extracellular environment during infection. a comparative proteomic approach was employed to elucidate the differences among the extracellular proteomes (secretomes) of three isogenic strains of b. anthracis that differed solely in their plasmid contents. the strains utilized were the wild-type virulent b. anthracis ra3 (pxo1(+) pxo2(+)) and its two nonpathogenic derivative strains: the toxigenic, nonencapsul ... | 2005 | 15908394 |
| anthrax, what you should know. | 2005 | 15909698 | |
| anthrax lethal factor inhibition. | the primary virulence factor of bacillus anthracis is a secreted zinc-dependent metalloprotease toxin known as lethal factor (lf) that is lethal to the host through disruption of signaling pathways, cell destruction, and circulatory shock. inhibition of this proteolytic-based lf toxemia could be expected to provide therapeutic value in combination with an antibiotic during and immediately after an active anthrax infection. herein is shown the crystal structure of an intimate complex between a hy ... | 2005 | 15911756 |
| sensitivity and specificity of metal surface-immobilized "molecular beacon" biosensors. | the separate developments of microarray patterning of dna oligonucleotides, and of dna hairpins as sensitive probes for oligonucleotide identification in solution, have had a tremendous impact on basic biological research and clinical applications. we have combined these two approaches to develop arrayable and label-free biological sensors based on fluorescence unquenching of dna hairpins immobilized on metal surfaces. the thermodynamic and kinetic response of these sensors, and the factors impo ... | 2005 | 15913384 |
| teaching resources. proteases and signaling. | this teaching resource provides lecture notes and slides for a class covering proteases and signaling and is part of the course "cell signaling systems: a course for graduate students." the lecture begins with a discussion of protease-activated receptors and the ubiquitin-proteasome system and then proceeds to describe some of the ways that proteolysis can function in signal transduction. | 2005 | 15914727 |
| history of u.s. military contributions to the study of bacterial zoonoses. | bacterial zoonoses have afflicted campaigns throughout military history, at times playing an important role in determining their outcomes. in addition, zoonotic bacteria are among the leading biological warfare threats. the u.s. military medical services have been at the forefront of research to define the basic microbiology, ecology, epidemiology, and clinical aspects of these diseases. this historical review discusses the military significance of plague, q fever, anthrax, leptospirosis, barton ... | 2005 | 15916282 |
| anthrax lethal toxin induces endothelial barrier dysfunction. | hemorrhage and pleural effusion are prominent pathological features of systemic anthrax infection. we examined the effect of anthrax lethal toxin (lt), a major virulence factor of bacillus anthracis, on the barrier function of primary human lung microvascular endothelial cells. we also examined the distribution patterns of cytoskeletal actin and vascular endothelial-cadherin (ve-cadherin), both of which are involved in barrier function regulation. endothelial monolayers cultured on porous membra ... | 2005 | 15920171 |
| studies toward a conjugate vaccine for anthrax. synthesis and characterization of anthrose [4,6-dideoxy-4-(3-hydroxy-3-methylbutanamido)-2-o-methyl-d-glucopyranose] and its methyl glycosides. | the key step in the first chemical synthesis of anthrose (16) and its methyl alpha- (6) and beta-glycoside (22) was inversion of configuration at c-2 in triflates 10, 2, and 18, respectively, obtained from the common intermediate, methyl 4-azido-3-o-benzyl-4,6-dideoxy-alpha-d-mannopyranoside (1). to prepare methyl alpha-anthroside (6), methylation at o-2 of the gluco product 3, obtained from 2, was followed by hydrogenation/hydrogenolysis of the formed 2-methyl ether 4, to simultaneously remove ... | 2005 | 15922317 |
| lessons learned from the cdc's post-exposure prophylaxis program following the anthrax attacks of 2001. | 2005 | 15924332 | |
| the detection of protective antigen (pa) associated with spores of bacillus anthracis and the effects of anti-pa antibodies on spore germination and macrophage interactions. | the protective antigen (pa) component of the anthrax toxins is an essential virulence factor of bacillus anthracis and is the major protective immunogen. the kinetics of pa production during growth of b. anthracis, and the roles of anti-pa antibody in host immunity are not clearly defined. production of pa by the vegetative organisms peaks during the shift from exponential to stationary phase of growth. recently, pa was also found to be associated with spores. in our study, pa-specific mrna was ... | 2005 | 15925272 |
| performance of a rapid dermatology referral system during the anthrax outbreak. | the bioterrorism-related anthrax outbreak generated unanticipated demand for dermatologic services. in this study we sought to perform rapid, efficient, cost-effective evaluation of patients suspected of having cutaneous anthrax. during the outbreak, we developed an anthrax evaluation system featuring clinical field examination by nondermatologist physicians, followed by rapid referral of selected high-risk patients to a centralized dermatology center. we excluded anthrax in 29 previously screen ... | 2005 | 15928632 |
| generation of mouse polyclonal and human monoclonal antibodies against bacillus anthracis toxin. | high titer antisera against the protective antigen (pa) from bacillus anthracis were generated immunizing balb/c mice two times intraperitoneally with pa in combination with lipopeptide adjuvant p3csk4. the sera were able to protect the mouse macrophage cell line j774a.1 from an anthrax toxin challenge. we also tested the blood of anthrax vaccine-immunized persons for pa- and lethal factor (lf)-specific antibodies. an increased titer was found after three immunizations, and the sera were also ab ... | 2005 | 15929604 |
| simultaneous measurement of specific serum igg responses to five select agents. | select agents are defined by cdc and the usda animal and plant health inspection service (aphis) as biological agents or toxins deemed a threat to public, animal, or plant health, or to animal or plant products. they are classified on the basis of their ease of dissemination, mortality/morbidity rate, and potential for social disruption. a subset of these agents includes bacillus anthracis, yersinia pestis, francisella tularensis, ricin toxin (rt), and staphylococcal enterotoxin b (seb). infecti ... | 2005 | 15931499 |
| membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (mt1-mmp) protects malignant cells from tumoricidal activity of re-engineered anthrax lethal toxin. | protective antigen (pa) and lethal factor (lf) are the two components of anthrax lethal toxin. pa is responsible for interacting with cell receptors and for the subsequent translocation of lf inside the cell compartment. a re-engineered toxin comprised of pa and a fusion chimera lf/pseudomonas exotoxin (fp59) is a promising choice for tumor cell surface targeting. we demonstrated, however, that in vitro in cell-free system and in cultured human colon carcinoma lovo, fibrosarcoma ht1080 and gliom ... | 2005 | 15381157 |
| new advances in the dna damage response network of fanconi anemia and brca proteins. faap95 replaces brca2 as the true fancb protein. | fanconi anemia (fa) proteins function in a dna damage response pathway that appears to be part of the network including breast cancer susceptibility gene products, brca1 and brca2. in response to dna damage or replication signals, a nuclear fa core complex of at least 6 fa proteins (fanca, fancc, fance, fancf, fancg and fancl) is activated and leads to monoubiquitination of the downstream fa protein, fancd2. one puzzling question for this pathway is the role of brca2. a previous study has propos ... | 2005 | 15611632 |
| a fractal analysis of pathogen detection by biosensors. | a fractal analysis is presented for the detection of pathogens such as franscisela tularensis, yersinia pestis (the bacterium that causes plague), bacillus anthracis, venezuelan equine encephalitis (vee) virus, vavcinia virus, and escherichia coli using a cellular analysis and notification of antigens risks and yields (canary) biosensor [t.h. rider, m.s. petrovic, f.e. nargi, j.d harper, e.d. schwoebel, r.h. mathews, d.j. blanchard, l.t bortolin, a.m. young, j. chen, m.a. hollis, a cell-based se ... | 2005 | 15617812 |
| autonomous detection of aerosolized biological agents by multiplexed immunoassay with polymerase chain reaction confirmation. | the autonomous pathogen detection system (apds) is an automated, podium-sized instrument that continuously monitors the air for biological threat agents (bacteria, viruses, and toxins). the system has been developed to warn of a biological attack in critical or high-traffic facilities and at special events. the apds performs continuous aerosol collection, sample preparation, and detection using multiplexed immunoassay followed by confirmatory pcr using real-time taqman assays. we have integrated ... | 2005 | 15623307 |
| dual effect of synthetic aminoglycosides: antibacterial activity against bacillus anthracis and inhibition of anthrax lethal factor. | 2005 | 15624157 | |
| patients' request for and emergency physicians' prescription of antimicrobial prophylaxis for anthrax during the 2001 bioterrorism-related outbreak. | inappropriate use of antibiotics by individuals worried about biological agent exposures during bioterrorism events is an important public health concern. however, little is documented about the extent to which individuals with self-identified risk of anthrax exposure approached physicians for antimicrobial prophylaxis during the 2001 bioterrorism attacks in the united states. | 2005 | 15634353 |
| online bioterrorism continuing medical education: development and preliminary testing. | education to achieve awareness and competency in responding to incidents of bioterrorism is important for health care professionals, especially emergency physicians and nurses, who are likely first points of medical contact. the authors describe the development of a computer-based approach to initial education, incorporating a screensaver to promote awareness and a web-based approach to provide initial content competency in the areas of smallpox and anthrax. | 2005 | 15635137 |
| chlorine inactivation of bacterial bioterrorism agents. | seven species of bacterial select agents were tested for susceptibility to free available chlorine (fac). under test conditions, the fac routinely maintained in potable water would be sufficient to reduce six species by 2 orders of magnitude within 10 min. water contaminated with spores of bacillus anthracis spores would require further treatment. | 2005 | 15640238 |
| purified bacillus anthracis lethal toxin complex formed in vitro and during infection exhibits functional and biological activity. | anthrax protective antigen (pa, 83 kda), a pore-forming protein, upon protease activation to 63 kda (pa(63)), translocates lethal factor (lf) and edema factor (ef) from endosomes into the cytosol of the cell. the relatively small size of the heptameric pa(63) pore (approximately 12 angstroms) raises questions as to how large molecules such as lf and ef can move through the pore. in addition, the reported high binding affinity between pa and ef/lf suggests that ef/lf may not dissociate but remain ... | 2005 | 15644338 |
| demand for nonhuman primate resources in the age of biodefense. | the demand for nonhuman primates will undoubtedly increase to meet biomedical needs in this current age of biodefense. the availability of funding has increased the research on select agents and has created a requirement to validate results in relevant primate models. this review provides a description of current and potential biological threats that are likely to require nonhuman primates for the development of vaccines and therapeutics. primates have been an invaluable resource in the dissecti ... | 2005 | 15644560 |
| differential susceptibility of macrophage cell lines to bacillus anthracis-vollum 1b. | bacillus anthracis (ba) is a spore forming bacterium and the causative agent of anthrax disease. macrophages (mphis) play a central role in anthrax disease. an important step in disease progression is the ability of ba to secrete lethal toxin (letx) that kills mphis. letx is a heterodimer composed of protective antigen (pa) and lethal factor (lf). researchers have shown that mphi cell lines demonstrate differential susceptibility to purified letx; for example raw264.7 and j774a.1 mphis are sensi ... | 2005 | 15649636 |
| clinical predictors of bioterrorism-related inhalational anthrax. | 2005 | 15652599 | |
| clinical predictors of bioterrorism-related inhalational anthrax. | 2005 | 15652600 | |
| interaction of the 20 kda and 63 kda fragments of anthrax protective antigen: kinetics and thermodynamics. | the action of anthrax toxin begins when the protective antigen (pa(83), 83 kda) moiety binds to a mammalian cell-surface receptor and is cleaved by a furin-family protease into two fragments: pa(20) (20 kda) and pa(63) (63 kda). after pa(20) dissociates, receptor-bound pa(63) spontaneously oligomerizes to form a heptameric species, which is able to bind the two enzymatic components of the toxin and transport them to the cytosol. treatment of pa(83) with trypsin yielded pa(63) and a form of pa(20 ... | 2005 | 15654761 |
| application of nmr methods to identify detection reagents for use in development of robust nanosensors. | nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) spectroscopy is a powerful technique for studying bimolecular interactions at the atomic scale. our nmr laboratory is involved in the identification of small molecules, or ligands, that bind to target protein receptors such as tetanus neurotoxin (tent) and botulinum neurotoxin, anthrax proteins, and hla-dr10 receptors on non-hodgkin lymphoma cancer cells. once low-affinity binders are identified, they can be linked together to produce multidentate synthetic high- ... | 2005 | 15657483 |
| differentiation of human monocytic cell lines confers susceptibility to bacillus anthracis lethal toxin. | anthrax lethal toxin (lt) is comprised of protective antigen and lethal factor. lethal factor enters mammalian cells in a protective antigen-dependent process and cleaves mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases. although lt has no observable effect on many cell types, it causes necrosis in macrophages derived from certain mouse strains and apoptosis in activated mouse macrophages. in this study, we observed that lt treatment of three different human monocytic cell lines u-937, hl-60 and thp-1 d ... | 2005 | 15659071 |
| a high-affinity monoclonal antibody to anthrax protective antigen passively protects rabbits before and after aerosolized bacillus anthracis spore challenge. | we have developed a therapeutic for the treatment of anthrax using an affinity-enhanced monoclonal antibody (eti-204) to protective antigen (pa), which is the central cell-binding component of the anthrax exotoxins. eti-204 administered preexposure by a single intravenous injection of a dose of between 2.5 and 10 mg per animal significantly protected rabbits from a lethal aerosolized anthrax spore challenge ( approximately 60 to 450 times the 50% lethal dose of bacillus anthracis ames). against ... | 2005 | 15664918 |
| cpg oligodeoxynucleotides adsorbed onto polylactide-co-glycolide microparticles improve the immunogenicity and protective activity of the licensed anthrax vaccine. | to reduce the biothreat posed by anthrax, efforts are under way to improve the protection afforded by vaccination. this work examines the ability of immunostimulatory cpg oligodeoxynucleotides (odn) adsorbed onto cationic polylactide-co-glycolide (plg) microparticles (cpg odn-plg) to accelerate and boost the protective immunity elicited by anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava, the licensed human anthrax vaccine). the results indicate that coadministering cpg odn-plg with ava induces a stronger and fast ... | 2005 | 15664922 |
| murine macrophage transcriptional responses to bacillus anthracis infection and intoxication. | interactions between bacillus anthracis and host macrophages represent critical early events in anthrax pathogenesis, but their details are not clearly understood. here we report the first genomewide characterization of the transcriptional changes within macrophages infected with b. anthracis and the identification of several hundred host genes that were differentially expressed during this intracellular stage of infection. these loci included both genes that are known to be regulated differenti ... | 2005 | 15664951 |
| construction of a rhamnose mutation in bacillus anthracis affects adherence to macrophages but not virulence in guinea pigs. | carbohydrate analyses of whole-spore extracts have confirmed the presence of rhamnose in the spore of the fully virulent ames strain of bacillus anthracis. a gene cluster containing loci with high homology to the rhamnose biosynthetic genes, rmlacbd, was identified within the b. anthracis chromosome. the first gene of this cluster, rmla, was inactivated by forming a merodiploid cointegrate using an internal fragment of the gene within the ames strain of b. anthracis to construct the mutant strai ... | 2005 | 15652290 |
| passive immunotherapy for anthrax toxin mediated by an adenovirus expressing an anti-protective antigen single-chain antibody. | in the 2001 u.s. bioterror attacks, 33,000 individuals required postexposure prophylaxis, 18 subjects contracted anthrax (11 inhalation, 7 cutaneous), and despite optimal medical therapy, 5 deaths resulted. rapid protection against anthrax is required in a bioterrorism scenario; this study describes an in vivo gene transfer-based therapy that uses a human adenovirus (ad)-based vector (adalphapascab) encoding a single-chain antibody directed against protective antigen (pa), a critical component o ... | 2005 | 15668135 |
| anthrax and the art of war (against ascertainment bias). | 2005 | 15674386 | |
| anthrax toxin: the long and winding road that leads to the kill. | the past five years have led to a tremendous increase in our molecular understanding of the mode of action of the anthrax toxin, one of the two main virulence factors produced by bacillus anthracis. the structures of each of the three components of the toxin--lethal factor (lf), edema factor (ef) and protective antigen (pa)--have been solved not only in their monomeric forms but, depending on the subunit, in a heptameric form, bound to their substrate, co-factor or receptor. the endocytic route ... | 2005 | 15680766 |
| rapid genotypic detection of bacillus anthracis and the bacillus cereus group by multiplex real-time pcr melting curve analysis. | bacillus anthracis has four plasmid possible virulence genotypes: pxo1+/pxo2+, pxo1+/pxo2-, pxo1-/pxo2+ or pxo1-/pxo2-. due to the lack of a specific chromosomal marker for b. anthracis, differentiation of the pxo1-/pxo2- form of b. anthracis from closely related bacillus cereus group species is difficult. in this study, we evaluate the ability of sspe, pxo1 and pxo2 primers to discriminate individual b. anthracis and the b. cereus group genotypes using multiplex real-time pcr and melting curve ... | 2005 | 15681162 |
| potentiometric sensor for dipicolinic acid. | a potentiometric chemosensor for selective determination of dipicolinic acid (2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid, dpa) was developed based on the surface imprinting technique coupled with a nanoscale transducer: an indium tin oxide (ito)-coated glass plate. the sensor fabrication conditions, optimal recognition condition, as well as selectivity, sensitivity, and stability of the dpa sensor have been investigated. the dpa sensor could recognize dpa from 3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid. potentiometric me ... | 2005 | 15681204 |
| modelling the incubation period of anthrax. | models of the incubation period of anthrax are important to public health planners because they can be used to predict the delay before outbreaks are detected, the size of an outbreak and the duration of time that persons should remain on antibiotics to prevent disease. the difficulty is that there is little direct data about the incubation period in humans. the objective of this paper is to develop and apply models for the incubation period of anthrax. mechanistic models that account for the bi ... | 2005 | 15678407 |
| [emerging or re-emerging infections that can be used for bioterrorism]. | used for warfare: bioterrorism is a perfectly foreseeable eventuality. it is defined by the international use, or menace of use, of living organisms whatever their nature, or of substances derived from these organisms, aimed at provoking a disease or the death of human beings, animals or plants. updated counteracting strategies: more than 180 infectious agents could be used for terrorist ends. the recent events in the dawn of this twenty-first century have reactivated and notably updated the str ... | 2005 | 15687965 |
| [dermatological aspects in the risk of biological warfare]. | the possible cutaneous manifestations of infectious biological warfare are multiple and vary depending on the agent used. an ulcerous and/or necrotic syndrome and/or regional lymphadenitis syndrome are possible with anthrax, tularaemia, bubonic plague and emission of trichotecene mycotoxins. a vesiculo-pustular syndrome with fever is provoked by smallpox, melioidosis and glanders. a purpural and/or haemorrhagic syndrome is seen during haemorrhagic fever viruses and septicaemic plague. these cuta ... | 2005 | 15687970 |
| bacterial toxins and the immune system: show me the in vivo targets. | microorganisms that cause persistent infection often exhibit specific adaptations that allow them to avoid the adaptive immune response. recently, several bacterial toxins have been shown in vitro to disrupt immune cell functions. however, it remains to be established whether these activities are relevant during infection and whether these toxins have specifically evolved to disrupt the adaptive immune system. | 2005 | 15699067 |
| anthrax toxins suppress t lymphocyte activation by disrupting antigen receptor signaling. | anthrax is an infection caused by pathogenic strains of bacillus anthracis, which secretes a three-component toxic complex consisting of protective antigen (pa), edema factor (ef), and lethal factor (lf). pa forms binary complexes with either lf or ef and mediates their entry into host cells. although the initial phases of bacterial growth occur in the lymph node, the host fails to mount an effective immune response. here, we show that lt and et are potent suppressors of human t cell activation ... | 2005 | 15699068 |
| fatal bacillus cereus endocarditis masquerading as an anthrax-like infection in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: case report. | a 38-year-old male farm worker with relapsing acute lymphoblastic leukemia spontaneously developed an ulcerating ulcer on his anterior thigh which was surrounded by a non-tender area of erythema. bacillus cereus was isolated from the ulcer and blood, and the patient received intravenous penicillin and vancomycin for one week. when sensitivity studies were returned he was treated with gatifloxacin orally. after two weeks of combined antimicrobial therapy and negative blood cultures, the patient r ... | 2005 | 15700434 |
| a novel method for accurate operon predictions in all sequenced prokaryotes. | we combine comparative genomic measures and the distance separating adjacent genes to predict operons in 124 completely sequenced prokaryotic genomes. our method automatically tailors itself to each genome using sequence information alone, and thus can be applied to any prokaryote. for escherichia coli k12 and bacillus subtilis, our method is 85 and 83% accurate, respectively, which is similar to the accuracy of methods that use the same features but are trained on experimentally characterized t ... | 2005 | 15701760 |
| molecular dynamics simulations of complexes between wild-type and mutant anthrax protective antigen variants and a model anthrax toxin receptor. | bacillus anthracis, a spore-forming infectious bacterium, produces a toxin consisting of three proteins: lethal factor (lf), edema factor (ef), and protective antigen (pa). lf and ef possess intracellular enzymatic functions, the net effect of which is to severely compromise host innate immunity. during an anthrax infection pa plays the critical role of facilitating entry of both ef and lf toxins into host cell cytoplasm. crystal structures of all three of the anthrax toxins have been determined ... | 2005 | 15702923 |
| demand for prophylaxis after bioterrorism-related anthrax cases, 2001. | media reports suggested increased public demand for anthrax prophylaxis after the intentional anthrax cases in 2001, but the magnitude of anthrax-related prescribing in unaffected regions was not assessed. we surveyed a random sample of 400 primary care clinicians in minnesota and wisconsin to assess requests for and provision of anthrax-related antimicrobial agents. the survey was returned by 239 (60%) of clinicians, including 210 in outpatient practice. fifty-eight (28%) of those in outpatient ... | 2005 | 15705321 |
| hepa/vaccine plan for indoor anthrax remediation. | we developed a mathematical model to compare 2 indoor remediation strategies in the aftermath of an outdoor release of 1.5 kg of anthrax spores in lower manhattan. the 2 strategies are the fumigation approach used after the 2001 postal anthrax attack and a hepa/vaccine plan, which relies on hepa vacuuming, hepa air cleaners, and vaccination of reoccupants. the hepa/vaccine approach leads to few anthrax cases among reoccupants if applied to all but the most heavily contaminated buildings, and rec ... | 2005 | 15705325 |
| anthrax vaccine does not affect semen parameters, embryo quality, or pregnancy outcome in couples with a vaccinated male military service member. | anthrax vaccination has been used in an effort to prevent infection should anthrax be used as a biological weapon, and widespread use has been considered in the event of another anthrax attack on american soil, but the long-term impact of anthrax vaccination on reproductive outcome is unknown. we found that exposure to the anthrax vaccine by males who were undergoing assisted reproduction did not negatively impact semen parameters, fertilization rate, embryo quality, or clinical pregnancy rates. | 2005 | 15705399 |
| protective efficacy of a recombinant plague vaccine when co-administered with another sub-unit or live attenuated vaccine. | vaccines against bioterrorism agents offer the prospect of providing high levels of protection against airborne pathogens. however, the diversity of the bioterrorism threat means that it may be necessary to use several vaccines simultaneously. in this study we have investigated whether there are changes to the protective immune response to a recombinant sub-unit plague vaccine when it is co-administered with other sub-unit or live attenuated vaccines. our results indicate that the co-administrat ... | 2005 | 15708318 |
| an overview of adverse events reported by participants in cdc's anthrax vaccine and antimicrobial availability program. | the cdc's anthrax vaccine and antibiotic availability program was implemented under an investigational new drug (ind) application to provide additional post-exposure prophylaxis for individuals potentially exposed to bacillus anthracis in the fall of 2001. participants were provided with two options: (1) 40 additional days of antimicrobial prophylaxis (i.e., ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, or amoxicillin); or (2) 40 additional days of antimicrobial prophylaxis plus three doses of anthrax vaccine ads ... | 2005 | 15717323 |
| calcium-independent calmodulin binding and two-metal-ion catalytic mechanism of anthrax edema factor. | edema factor (ef), a key anthrax exotoxin, has an anthrax protective antigen-binding domain (pabd) and a calmodulin (cam)-activated adenylyl cyclase domain. here, we report the crystal structures of cam-bound ef, revealing the architecture of ef pabd. cam has n- and c-terminal domains and each domain can bind two calcium ions. calcium binding induces the conformational change of cam from closed to open. structures of the ef-cam complex show how ef locks the n-terminal domain of cam into a closed ... | 2005 | 15719022 |
| identification of strain specific markers in bacillus anthracis by random amplification of polymorphic dna. | classification and differentiation of bacillus anthracis isolates by genetic markers play an important role in anthrax research. we used a pcr based method--random amplification of polymorphic dna (rapd)--to identify genetic markers in b. anthracis strains. twenty-five differential genetic markers were identified which divided the strains into five different groups. three selected rapd-markers were cloned and sequenced. the five rapd-derived genotypes could be defined by integration of these thr ... | 2005 | 15727841 |
| bioterrorism preparedness funds well used at the local level. | 2005 | 15727958 | |
| in their own words: lessons learned from those exposed to anthrax. | we evaluated perceptions of workers at the us postal service brentwood processing and distribution center and us senate employees regarding public health responses to the anthrax mailings of october 2001. we generated recommendations for improving responses to bioterrorism on the basis of the perceptions we recorded. | 2005 | 15727982 |
| cutaneous anthrax in lima, peru: retrospective analysis of 71 cases, including four with a meningoencephalic complication. | anthrax is a zoonosis produced by bacillus anthracis, and as an human infection is endemic in several areas in the world, including peru. more than 95% of the reported naturally acquired infections are cutaneous, and approximately 5% of them can progress to meningoencephalitis. in this study we review the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the patients with diagnosis of cutaneous anthrax evaluated between 1969 and 2002 at the hospital nacional cayetano heredia (hnch) and the institu ... | 2005 | 15729471 |
| impact assessment of a community-based animal health project in dollo ado and dollo bay districts, southern ethiopia. | participatory methods were used to assess the impact of a community-based animal health worker (cahw) project in two remote pastoralist districts of ethiopia. the cahw project had been operating for 3 years at the time of the assessment. participatory methods were standardized and repeated with 10 groups of informants in the project area. the assessment showed significant reductions in disease impact for diseases handled by cahws compared with diseases not handled by cahws. in camels, there was ... | 2005 | 15729896 |
| genechip analyses of global transcriptional responses of murine macrophages to the lethal toxin of bacillus anthracis. | we performed genechip analyses on rna from bacillus anthracis lethal toxin (letx)-treated raw 264.7 murine macrophages to investigate global effects of anthrax toxin on host cell gene expression. stringent analysis of data revealed that the expression of several mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-regulatory genes was affected within 1.5 h post-exposure to letx. by 3.0 h, the expression of 103 genes was altered, including those involved in intracellular signaling, energy production, and prot ... | 2005 | 15731093 |
| anthrax attacks, hurricanes and flu shot shortage test agwunobi's skills. | 2005 | 15732813 | |
| immunogenicity in mice of anthrax recombinant protective antigen in the presence of aluminum adjuvants. | the only us-licensed anthrax vaccine for human use, as well as several experimental vaccines containing solely purified recombinant protective antigen (rpa), are formulated using aluminum hydroxide (al(oh)3) as an adjuvant. it has been suggested that effective adjuvanticity of aluminum salts for protein antigens depends, at least partially, on the degree of adsorption of the antigen to the adjuvant. on the other hand, the ease of antigen desorption from the adjuvant in a quantitative fashion may ... | 2005 | 15734073 |
| the use of high halide-ion concentrations and automated phasing procedures for the structural analysis of bcla, the major component of the exosporium of bacillus anthracis spores. | the structure determination of the recombinant form of bcla, the major protein component of bacillus anthracis exosporium, involved soaking in a high concentration of potassium iodide as the means of obtaining a good-quality heavy-atom derivative. the data to 2 angstroms resolution collected on a laboratory source were of sufficient quality to allow successful phasing and chain tracing by automated methods. | 2005 | 15735346 |
| membrane-based on-line optical analysis system for rapid detection of bacteria and spores. | we report here the adaptation of our electronic microchip technology towards the development of a new method for detecting and enumerating bacterial cells and spores. this new approach is based on the immuno-localization of bacterial spores captured on a membrane filter microchip placed within a flow cell. a combination of microfluidic, optical, and software components enables the integration of staining of the bacterial species with fully automated assays. the quantitation of the analyte signal ... | 2005 | 15741078 |
| meningitis due to bacillus anthracis. | the first case of haemorrhagic meningitis due to bacillus anthracis in the european part of turkey is reported here. b. anthracis, sensitive to penicillin, was isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid and blood cultures. although appropriate therapy was administered, the patient died two days after hospitalization. | 2005 | 15744820 |
| natural dissemination of bacillus anthracis spores in northern canada. | soil samples were collected from around fresh and year-old bison carcasses and areas not associated with known carcasses in wood buffalo national park during an active anthrax outbreak in the summer of 2001. sample selection with a grid provided the most complete coverage of a site. soil samples were screened for viable bacillus anthracis spores via selective culture, phenotypic analysis, and pcr. bacillus anthracis spores were isolated from 28.4% of the samples. the highest concentrations of b. ... | 2005 | 15746366 |
| human-derived, plant-produced monoclonal antibody for the treatment of anthrax. | the unpredictable nature of bio-terrorism compels us to develop medical countermeasures that will enable authorities to treat individuals exposed to agents such as anthrax. we report the feasibility of producing a protective, human-derived, monoclonal antibody directed against the protective antigen (pa) of bacillus anthracis in plants. this was achieved by transient expression using agroinfiltration of nicotiana benthamiana plants. the resulting antibody was able to neutralize toxin activity in ... | 2005 | 15755575 |
| neurobiological weapons. | biological warfare is a potential threat on the battlefield and in daily life. it is vital for neurologists and other health care practitioners to be familiar with biological and toxic agents that target the nervous system. most illnesses caused by biological warfare agents are not commonly considered neurologic disease, however. many of these agents (such as anthrax) may present with headache, meningitis, or mental status changes in addition to fever and other symptoms and signs (tables 2 and 3 ... | 2005 | 15757799 |
| identification of genomic signatures for the design of assays for the detection and monitoring of anthrax threats. | sequences that are present in a given species or strain while absent from or different in any other organisms can be used to distinguish the target organism from other related or un-related species. such dna signatures are particularly important for the identification of genetic source of drug resistance of a strain or for the detection of organisms that can be used as biological agents in warfare or terrorism. most approaches used to find dna signatures are laboratory based, require a great dea ... | 2005 | 15759631 |
| evaluation study protocols and acceptance criteria for hand held assays intended for detection of bacillus anthracis. | 2005 | 15759717 | |
| validation of methods for confirmatory identification of presumptive isolates of bacillus anthracis. | 2005 | 15759739 | |
| identification of bacillus anthracis from culture using gas chromatographic analysis of fatty acid methyl esters. | 2005 | 15759740 | |
| ramp anthrax test cartridge. | 2005 | 15759742 | |
| efficacy testing of disinfectants. | the u.s. environmental protection agency's (epa) office of pesticide programs (opp) has the responsibility for regulating antimicrobial products, including sporicides, used to treat and decontaminate inanimate surfaces. in response to the anthrax (bacillus anthracis) attacks of 2001 and the associated need for verifying the performance of chemicals for building decontamination, the epa initiated research in late 2003 to evaluate and improve efficacy test methods for sporicides. the opp microbiol ... | 2005 | 15759761 |
| is japan sufficiently prepared to deal with bioterrorism? | 2005 | 15759967 | |
| proteomic analysis of bacillus anthracis sterne vegetative cells. | mass spectrometry and proteomics have found increasing use as tools for the rapid detection of pathogenic bacteria, even when they are in a mixture of non-pathogenic relatives. the success of this technique is greatly augmented by the availability of publicly accessible proteomic databases for specific pathogenic bacteria. to aid proteomic detection analyses for the causative agent of anthrax, we have constructed a comprehensive proteomic catalogue of vegetative bacillus anthracis sterne cells u ... | 2005 | 15769596 |
| autofluorescence as a viability marker for detection of bacterial spores. | recent biological terrorism events have indicated that bacterial spores such as bacillus anthracis are real threat agents. real time detection of biological agents is possible with the use of an ultraviolet fluorescent aerodynamic particle sizer (flaps) that measures particles' intrinsic fluorescence. it is important to know whether intrinsic fluorescence could be used to estimate agents' viability. two categories of bacillus spore populations can be differentiated by the intensity of intrinsic ... | 2005 | 15769654 |
| bacillus cereus food poisoning and its toxins. | the genus bacillus includes members that demonstrate a wide range of diversity from physiology and ecological niche to dna sequence and gene regulation. the species of most interest tend to be known for their pathogenicity and are closely linked genetically. bacillus anthracis causes anthrax, and bacillus thuringiensis is widely used for its insecticidal properties but has also been associated with foodborne disease. bacillus cereus causes two types of food poisoning, the emetic and diarrheal sy ... | 2005 | 15771198 |
| human alpha-defensins neutralize anthrax lethal toxin and protect against its fatal consequences. | anthrax caused by bacillus anthracis represents a major bioterroristic threat. b. anthracis produces lethal toxin (letx), a combination of lethal factor (lf) and protective antigen that plays a major role in anthrax pathogenesis. we demonstrate that human neutrophil alpha-defensins are potent inhibitors of lf. the inhibition of lf by human neutrophil protein (hnp-1) was noncompetitive. hnp-1 inhibited cleavage of a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase and restored impaired mitogen-activated p ... | 2005 | 15772169 |
| insights on evolution of virulence and resistance from the complete genome analysis of an early methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus strain and a biofilm-producing methicillin-resistant staphylococcus epidermidis strain. | staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen and the major causative agent of numerous hospital- and community-acquired infections. staphylococcus epidermidis has emerged as a causative agent of infections often associated with implanted medical devices. we have sequenced the approximately 2.8-mb genome of s. aureus col, an early methicillin-resistant isolate, and the approximately 2.6-mb genome of s. epidermidis rp62a, a methicillin-resistant biofilm isolate. comparative analysis of these ... | 2005 | 15774886 |
| immunoassay for b. globigii spores as a model for detecting b. anthracis spores in finished water. | the 2001 anthrax alarm in the us raised concerns about the nation's preparedness to the threat of bioterrorism, and the demand for early warning systems that might be used in the case of a biological attack continues to grow. here we develop an ultra-sensitive rapid detection method for b. globigii(bg) spores, the simulant of b. anthracis(ba) spores. bg spores were detected by a bead-based sandwich immunoassay with fluorescence detection. paramagnetic dynal beads were used as a solid support, pr ... | 2005 | 15776158 |
| quantitative surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy of dipicolinic acid--towards rapid anthrax endospore detection. | dipicolinic acid (dpa) is an excellent marker compound for bacterial spores, including those of bacillus anthracis (anthrax). surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy (sers) potentially has the sensitivity and discrimination needed for trace dpa analysis, but mixing dpa solutions with citrate-reduced silver colloid only yielded measurable sers spectra at much higher (>80 ppm) concentrations than would be desirable for anthrax detection. aggregation of the colloid with halide salts eliminated even the ... | 2005 | 15776166 |
| diversity and function of adaptive immune receptors in a jawless vertebrate. | instead of the immunoglobulin-type antigen receptors of jawed vertebrates, jawless fish have variable lymphocyte receptors (vlrs), which consist of leucine-rich repeat (lrr) modules. somatic diversification of the vlr gene is shown here to occur through a multistep assembly of lrr modules randomly selected from a large bank of flanking cassettes. the predicted concave surface of the vlr is lined with hypervariable positively selected residues, and computational analysis suggests a repertoire of ... | 2005 | 16373579 |
| robert koch, the nobel prize, and the ongoing threat of tuberculosis. | 2005 | 16339091 | |
| human and animal health: strengthening the link: politics and economics inhibited control of anthrax last century. | 2005 | 16339257 | |
| efficient growth inhibition of bacillus anthracis by knocking out the ribonucleotide reductase tyrosyl radical. | bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is a worldwide problem because of the need for effective treatment of respiratory infections shortly after exposure. one potential key enzyme of b. anthracis to be targeted by antiproliferative drugs is ribonucleotide reductase. it provides deoxyribonucleotides for dna synthesis needed for spore germination and growth of the pathogen. we have cloned, purified, and characterized the tyrosyl radical-carrying nrdf component of b. anthracis class i ... | 2005 | 16322104 |
| severe bacterial infections of the skin: uncommon presentations. | although most bacterial infections of the skin prove to be minor in nature, a few such dermatologic entities are significant, to the point of even being fatal. their course can be extremely rapid and can lead to dreadful complications. the mortality rate is usually up to 30% to 50% and depends upon the type of infection, underlying disease, and immune status. patients suffering them usually need to be hospitalized, sometimes in intensive care or burn units. they should be treated systemically wi ... | 2005 | 16325071 |
| effects of long-term storage on plasmid stability in bacillus anthracis. | the plasmid profiles of 619 cultures of bacillus anthracis which had been isolated and stored between 1954 and 1989 were analyzed using the laboratory response network real-time pcr assay targeting a chromosomal marker and both virulence plasmids (pxo1 and pxo2). the cultures were stored at ambient temperature on tryptic soy agar slants overlaid with mineral oil. when data were stratified by decade, there was a decreasing linear trend in the proportion of strains containing both plasmids with in ... | 2005 | 16332750 |
| [anthrax: early steps of the intracellular stage of infection development]. | it was shown that spore germination of different bacillus anthracis strains in macrophage-like cells j774a.1 depended on the genotype of the strains. the virulent b. anthracis strains contain plasmids pxo1 and px02 responsible for the synthesis of a toxin and a capsule, respectively. the loss of one of the plasmids results in the reduction of strain virulence. it was shown that effective survival of germinating spores in macrophages occurred in the presence of plasmid pxo1 only. the spores of th ... | 2005 | 16334217 |
| appropriation and commercialization of the pasteur anthrax vaccine. | whereas pasteur patented the biotechnological processes that he invented between 1857 and 1873 in the agro-food domain, he did not file any patents on the artificial vaccine preparation processes that he subsequently developed. this absence of patents can probably be explained by the 1844 patent law in france that established the non-patentable status of pharmaceutical preparations and remedies, including those for use in veterinary medicine. despite the absence of patents, the commercial exploi ... | 2005 | 16337558 |
| pyrosequencing bacillus anthracis. | pyrosequencing technology is a sequencing method that screens dna nucleotide incorporation in real time. a set of coupled enzymatic reactions, together with bioluminescence, detects incorporated nucleotides in the form of light pulses, which produces a profile of characteristic peaks in a pyrogram. we used this technology to identify the warfare agent bacillus anthracis by sequencing 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) in the rpob gene as chromosomal markers for b. anthracis. in addition, 1 ... | 2005 | 16318691 |
| capitol hill staff workers' experiences of bioterrorism: qualitative findings from focus groups. | little systematic information is available on mental health issues related to bioterrorism. five focus groups were conducted with capitol hill office staff (n = 28 total participants) to learn about their experience of the anthrax incident on october 15, 2001. more than 2,000 verbal passages were coded into categories and themes by using qualitative analysis software. issues emerging from the discussions included difficulties utilizing customary social supports, concerns over potential long-term ... | 2005 | 16281199 |
| filtration methods for recovery of bacillus anthracis spores spiked into source and finished water. | spores of bacillus anthracis sterne strain were recovered from 100ml and 1l volumes of tap and source waters using filtration through a 0.45um filter, followed by overnight culture on agar plates. in a set of experiments comparing sheep red blood cell (srbc) plates with a chromogenic agar formulation designed by r & f laboratories, with a spiking dose of 47 plate-enumerated spores in 100 ml tap water, the mean spore recoveries were 34.0 and 30.8 spores, respectively. when a spiking dose of 100 f ... | 2005 | 16290183 |
| characterization of bacillus anthracis germinant receptors in vitro. | bacillus anthracis begins its infectious cycle as a metabolically dormant cell type, the endospore. upon entry into a host, endospores rapidly differentiate into vegetative bacilli through the process of germination, thus initiating anthrax. elucidation of the signals that trigger germination and the receptors that recognize them is critical to understanding the pathogenesis of b. anthracis. individual mutants deficient in each of the seven putative germinant receptor-encoding loci were construc ... | 2005 | 16291679 |
| human neutrophils kill bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis spores cause natural infections and are used as biological weapons. inhalation infection with b. anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax, is almost always lethal, yet cutaneous infections usually remain localized and resolve spontaneously. neutrophils are typically recruited to cutaneous but seldom to other forms of anthrax infections, raising the possibility that neutrophils kill b. anthracis. in this study we infected human neutrophils with either spores or vegetative ba ... | 2005 | 16292357 |
| a defensive strategy. | 2005 | 16283702 | |
| [expression of atr-fc fusion protein in cho cells]. | atr-fc is a fusion protein consisting of extracellular domain of human anthrax toxin receptor (atr) and a fragment (hinge, ch2, and ch3 domains) of the fc of human igg1. the aim of atr-fc expression is to get an antibody-like molecule binding to protective antigen (pa), a component of anthrax toxins, this fusion protein may compete with cell surface receptor for pa binding, and block the transport of lethal factor (lf) and edema factor (ef) into cells, thereby act as an antitoxin to prevent and ... | 2005 | 16285529 |
| robert koch: the grandfather of cloning? | this year marks the centenary of robert koch's nobel prize for discovering the cause of tuberculosis. koch was also the first scientist to isolate the anthrax and cholera microbes. yet perhaps one of his greatest contributions to biology is the least appreciated: his method for propagating individual colonies of bacteria on plates, a technique that came to be called cloning. | 2005 | 16286000 |
| comparison of clarithromycin and ciprofloxacin therapy for bacillus anthracis sterne infection in mice with or without (60)co gamma-photon irradiation. | biological agents and ionizing radiation lead to more severe clinical outcomes than either insult alone. this study investigated the survival of non-irradiated and (60)co-gamma-irradiated mice given therapy for inhalation anthrax with ciprofloxacin (cip) or a clinically relevant mixture of clarithromycin (clr) and its major human microbiologically important metabolite 14-hydroxy clarithromycin (14-oh clr). all b6d2f1/j 10-week-old female mice were inoculated intratracheally with 3 x 10(8) c.f.u. ... | 2005 | 16278429 |
| in vivo protective role of human group iia phospholipase a2 against experimental anthrax. | anthrax is an acute disease caused by bacillus anthracis. some animal species are relatively resistant to anthrax infection. this trait has been correlated to the extent of the local inflammatory reaction, suggesting innate immunity to be the first line of defense against b. anthracis infection in nonimmunized hosts. group iia secreted phospholipase a2 (spla2-iia) is produced in particular by macrophages and possesses potent antibacterial activity especially against gram-positive bacteria. we ha ... | 2005 | 16272335 |
| 2-d reference map of bacillus anthracis vaccine strain a16r proteins. | bacillus anthracis has always been an important pathogen because it can cause lethal inhalational anthrax, and may be used as a bioweapon or by bioterrorists. in this study, a 2-de reference map and database of b. anthracis a16r was constructed. in total, 534 spots were processed, and 406 spots representing 299 proteins were identified. gel-estimated pis and molecular masses mostly matched well with their theoretical predictions, but some discrepancies also existed. spot and protein correspondin ... | 2005 | 16294314 |