Publications

[collective immunity to diphtheria in the children and adolescents of vladivostok during a mass immunization against this infection].	the state of collective immunity to diphtheria in children and adolescents of vladivostok was studied. adsorbed dpt vaccine was shown to have higher immunological effectiveness in comparison with adsorbed dt toxoid with reduced antigen content. as revealed in this study, as early as in 2 years a part of the children lost their immunity, irrespective of the preparation used for vaccination, and enlarged the reserve of initially seronegative children and adolescents, capable of maintaining the epi ...	1997	9432857
fatal respiratory tract diphtheria apparently caused by nontoxigenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae.	a major diphtheria epidemic affecting the whole population of st. petersburg started in 1990. during the period of 1991 to 1995, 4600 patients with clinical respiratory tract diphtheria were treated in botkin's hospital. from 112 (2.4%) of these patients only a nontoxigenic strain of corynebacterium diphtheriae was isolated. three patients with this strain who were suffering from clinical disease consistent with classical toxic diphtheria died. all had myocarditis, two had asphyxia due to membra ...	1997	9447903
[susceptibility of corynebacteria isolated in st petersburg to antibacterial drugs].	susceptibility of 150 corynebacterium isolates (91 strains of c.pseudodiphtheriticum and 59 strains of the anf group corynebacteria) to 21 antibacterial drugs was determined by the method of serial dilutions in a solid medium. it was shown that the mic of the drugs for the diphtheroids was within the ranges of < 0.015 to > 32.0 micrograms/ml. 66 per cent of the corynebacterium strains circulating in st. petersburg was resistant at least to 1 antibacterial drug. the corynebacterium isolates with ...	1997	9480648
genetic identification of members of the genus corynebacterium at genus and species levels with 16s rdna-targeted probes.	16s rrna gene-targeted probes were designed for the identification of corynebacteria at the genus and species levels. the genus-specific probe hybridized all clinically important members of the genus corynebacterium and could distinguish them from other coryneform bacteria and phylogenetically related high g+c% gram-positive bacteria, including actinomyces, rhodococcus, gordona, nocardia, streptomyces, brevibacterium and mycobacterium. the species-specific probes for c. jeikeium and c. diphtheri ...	1997	9251056
[unusual diphtheromorphic gram-positive bacilli in clinical samples: current taxonomic status and clinical significance].		1997	9312280
serological survey on the immunity to diphtheria of the northern greek population.	the recent outbreak of diphtheria in the newly independent states (nis) of the former ussr and the immigration from these high risk areas to greece prompted us to determine the diphtheria antitoxin levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisa) in 509 healthy individuals (307 males and 202 females) from northern greece. the population under study was divided in ten age groups from 1 day to > 60 years old. diphtheria antitoxin levels of > or = 0.1 iu/ml were considered as protective ones. 4 ...	1997	9258565
[the antidiphtheria immunity of the eligible donor population].	antidiphtheritic antibodies were studied in the blood serum of kiev and kiev region population capable of blood donation (984 persons). it has been found out that antidiphtheritic antibodies were present in men's and women's blood serum of different blood groups (by abo system) during a year. antidiphtheritic antibodies with high titers > 1.80 were most often found in autumn, winter and spring in people having a (ii), b (iii) and ab (iv) blood groups.	1997	9221110
a trna(2arg) gene of corynebacterium diphtheriae is the chromosomal integration site for toxinogenic bacteriophages.		1997	9350874
transcription of the corynebacterium diphtheriae hmuo gene is regulated by iron and heme.	the hmuo gene is required for the utilization of heme and hemoglobin as iron sources by corynebacterium diphtheriae. the product of hmuo has homology to eukaryotic heme oxygenases which are involved in the degradation of heme and the release of iron. to investigate the mechanism of hmuo regulation, a promoterless lacz gene present on the promoter-probe vector pcm502 was placed under transcriptional control of the hmuo promoter. in c. diphtheriae c7, optimal expression from the hmuo promoter was ...	1997	9353044
diphtheria acquired during a cruise in the baltic sea: update.		1997	9210797
[diphtheria booster immunization for adults].	nearly 50% of adults in germany have no measurable antibody protection against diphtheria, even though most of them will have been vaccinated against it in their childhood. we investigated how vaccination should be performed in this situation to provide lasting protection.	1997	9102270
fever, cardiac failure and arteritis in a child with rheumatic carditis.		1997	9109144
corynebacterium imitans sp. nov. isolated from patients with suspected diphtheria.	a 5-month-old boy of a romanian family traveling via ukraine to poland developed a respiratory disease that resembled and that was initially diagnosed as pharyngeal diphtheria. the child recovered after treatment with antidiphtheria antitoxin. a coryneform bacterium had been isolated from a nasopharyngeal specimen from the child and was initially identified as an atypical corynebacterium diphtheriae strain. seven adults who had contact with either the child or an adult contact person also develo ...	1997	9230366
misdiagnosis of diphtheria: laboratory errors due to toxigenic control strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae.		1997	9057340
exudative pharyngitis possibly due to corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum, a new challenge in the differential diagnosis of diphtheria.	corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum has rarely been reported to cause disease in humans, despite its common presence in the flora of the upper respiratory tract. we report here a case of exudative pharyngitis with pseudomembrane possibly caused by c. pseudodiphtheriticum in a 4-year-old girl. the case initially triggered clinical and laboratory suspicion of diphtheria. because c. pseudodiphtheriticum can be easily confused with corynebacterium diphtheriae in gram stain, clarification of its rol ...	1997	9126447
comparison of high-resolution structures of the diphtheria toxin repressor in complex with cobalt and zinc at the cation-anion binding site.	the diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxr) from corynebacterium diphtheriae is a divalent-metal activated repressor of chromosomal genes responsible for siderophore-mediated iron-uptake and of a gene on several corynebacteriophages that encodes diphtheria toxin. even though dtxr is the best characterized iron-dependent repressor to date, numerous key properties of the protein still remain to be explained. one is the role of the cation-anion pair discovered in its first metal-binding site. a second is ...	1997	9144784
development of a direct pcr assay for detection of the diphtheria toxin gene.	pcr has proved to be a reliable tool for the detection of the diphtheria toxin gene, tox, and its use has allowed for the rapid differentiation between toxigenic and nontoxigenic strains. in this study, this pcr was further developed, evaluated, and standardized to detect this gene directly from clinical specimens. optimal conditions for collection, transport, and storage of the clinical specimens and isolation and purification of dna from the clinical specimens were defined. with two sets of pr ...	1997	9196167
bacterial tracheitis caused by corynebacterium diphtheriae.	diphtheria has become a rare disease in germany. we report on an unimmunized 3.5-year-old german girl with a 7-day history of respiratory distress and fever, presenting a clinical picture mimicking typical bacterial tracheitis without pharyngeal and laryngeal manifestation. diagnosis of diphtheria was not made until culture of tracheal secretions yielded growth of a toxigenic strain of corynebacterium diphtheriae. the patient died from toxic cardiac failure despite treatment with diphtheria anti ...	1997	9083761
[the toxin-containing filtrates from the culture broths of clinical strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae].	composition as well as toxicity and antigenicity of toxin-including filtrates of 6 circulating strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae, isolated in 1992-1994 in the city of kharkiv have been studied as compared with production strain pw-8. it is shown that toxicity of filtrates of circulating strains was analogous of toxicity of the strain pw-8 (100 dlm) or lower (45 dlm). antigenicity of four strains which was expressed in if units proved to be higher than that of the production strains and it w ...	1997	9172866
characterization of bacteriophages from tox-containing, non-toxigenic isolates of corynebacterium diphtheriae.	non-toxigenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae continue to cause disease within immunized populations. a subset of these corynebacteria carry the diphtheria toxin gene but in a cryptic form. to determine whether such strains might contribute to the re-emergence of functional toxin genes, the phages and tox mutations within three clone types were examined. tox-containing, beta-related phages were isolated from two of the strain types. the third isolate appeared to harbour a defective propha ...	1997	9188089
safety and immunogenicity of chiron/biocine recombinant acellular pertussis-diphtheria-tetanus vaccine in infants and toddlers.	to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the recombinant acellular pertussis-diphtheria-tetanus (apdt) vaccine (c-apdt, chiron/biocine).	1997	9002102
toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae--northern plains indian community, august-october 1996.		1997	9194403
diphtheria acquired during a cruise in the baltic sea.		1997	9198300
infections with corynebacterium diphtheriae--changing epidemiology and clinical manifestations. report of the third international meeting of the european laboratory working group on diphtheria (elwgd), institute pasteur, paris 7-8 june 1996.	a widespread epidemic of diphtheria began in 1990 in the former soviet union, in the context of falling immunisation rates and social disruption. control was impeded by limited diagnostic resources in affected countries (mainly russia) and there was a risk of spread to neighbouring countries. the european laboratory working group on diphtheria (elwgd) was formed to assist in control of the epidemic. the elwgd is convened by the public health laboratory service in the united kingdom and includes ...	1997	9198302
diphtheria--the australian perspective.		1997	9198303
phage typing, an accessible and useful method in the epidemiological surveillance of diphtheria.	within the framework of the measures for diphtheria prevention and control, phage typing of isolates is useful for epidemiological investigations in a disease focus and in general population. the identification of asymptomatic carriers of toxigenic c.diphtheriae and its eradication decrease the transmission rate of the disease. the study of the circulating phage types (6058) enabled us to demonstrate the frequency and distribution of the different phage types, toxigenic and nontoxigenic in roman ...	1997	9745326
characterization of lipoprotein irp1 from corynebacterium diphtheriae, which is regulated by the diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxr) and iron.	the corynebacterium diphtheriae irp1 gene is negatively regulated by dtxr and iron. the nucleotide sequence of irp1 revealed that it has homology with genes involved in iron acquisition. expression of the irp1 gene showed that it encodes a lipoprotein (irp1) with a predicted size of 38 kda. northern blot experiments indicated that transcription from the irp1 promoter is repressed in high-iron medium and suggested that irp1 is part of an iron-regulated operon.	1997	9393842
oligomerization of a 45 kilodalton fragment of diphtheria toxin at ph 5.0 to a molecule of 20-24 subunits.	diphtheria toxin (dt) is a 58 kda protein, secreted by lysogenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae, that causes the disease diphtheria in humans. the catalytic (c) domain of dt kills host cells by gaining entry into the cytoplasm and inhibiting protein synthesis. the translocation of the c domain across the endosomal membrane and into the cytoplasm of a host cell is mediated by the translocation (t) domain of dt. this process is triggered by acidification from ph approximately 7 to ph appro ...	1997	9398247
reversed passive latex agglutination assay for detection of toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae.	a reversed passive latex agglutination (rpla) assay for determining the toxigenicity of corynebacterium diphtheriae is presented. rabbit antitoxin antiserum was raised by using commercially available diphtheria toxoid. this antiserum reacted with the diphtheria toxin when the culture supernatant was assayed by western blotting, and it did not cross-react with other extracellular antigens. affinity-purified antibodies for latex sensitization were obtained by using a hi trap n-hydroxysuccinimide-a ...	1997	9399510
analysis of heterogeneity of corynebacterium diphtheriae toxin gene, tox, and its regulatory element, dtxr, by direct sequencing.	the largest diphtheria outbreak in the developed world since the 1960s is in progress in the russian federation. seventy-two corynebacterium diphtheriae strains from throughout russia and the ukraine, selected for temporal and geographic diversity, and 6 reference and control strains were assayed by dna direct sequencing, and dna sequences of their diphtheria toxin gene, tox, and the regulatory dtxr gene, were compared to those of the park-williams no. 8 strain (pw8). twenty-eight c. diphtheriae ...	1997	9404504
[the characteristics of the lymphocyte subpopulation composition and its clinical significance in bacterial carriers of toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae].	in 43 carriers of toxigenic c. diphtheriae the antigenic picture of lymphocyte membranes was studied by the method of flow cytofluorometry. the study revealed that at the time of the hospitalization of the carriers a decrease in the number of cd21+ and hdl-dr+ lymphocytes was a prognostically important criterion for the formation of carrier state, while a decrease in the content of natural killers (cd16+) was characteristic of prolonged forms of carrier state. the necessity of the study of cellu ...	1997	9460869
[commercial preparations of immunoglobulin from donor blood as a means of treating patients with severe forms of diphtheria].	content of antidiphtheritic antibodies in commercial preparations of donor immunoglobulin endowed with antistaphylococcal activity and of normal immunoglobulin (150 specimens) was studied. high titres of antidiphtheritic antibodies (1:80 to > or 1:5120) were revealed in 70% of series. the above preparations also have antidiphtheritic activity, which fact permits these to be employed as a specific treatment option for diphtheria patients instead of antidiphtheritic horse serum.	1997	9471346
identification and characterization of three new promoter/operators from corynebacterium diphtheriae that are regulated by the diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxr) and iron.	dtxr is a dimeric, sequence-specific, dna-binding protein that functions as an iron-dependent, negative global regulator in corynebacterium diphtheriae. under high-iron conditions, dtxr represses the synthesis of diphtheria toxin, corynebacterial siderophore, and other components of the high-affinity iron uptake system. three dtxr-regulated promoter/operators designated tox, irp1, and irp2 were reported previously. in this study, we identified and characterized three additional dtxr-regulated pr ...	1997	9317037
comparison of traditional and molecular methods for typing nontoxigenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae.	thirty-eight nontoxigenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae isolated between 1987 and 1992 from clinical specimens of french patients were typed by biotyping, antibiograms, bacteriophage typing, ribotyping, and restriction analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge). excellent correlation occurred between the genotypes defined by pfge sfii profiles or by ribotype bsteii profiles. genotyping revealed seven genotype patterns among the 26 biotype mitis isolates, five among the nine bio ...	1997	9323477
[culture medium for isolation of causative agent of diphtheria].		1997	9340094
long-term antibody persistence after booster vaccination with combined tetravalent diphtheria tetanus, whole-cell bordetella pertussis and hepatitis b vaccine in healthy infants.	combining hb vaccine with routine paediatric vaccines has been recognized as the best means of universal vaccination against hepatitis b. our objective was to evaluate the long-term antibody persistence of such a combined vaccine in an area of high hepatitis b endemicity. we have shown that a dtpw-hb vaccine was safe and immunogenic when given as a booster dose at 18 months of age. one month after the booster dose of dtpw-hb vaccine, at least 97.8% of subjects had seroprotective anti-hbsag level ...	1997	9578788
nasopharyngeal flora in hiv seropositive men who have sex with men.	to assess, in men who were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) and who identified themselves as having had sex with men; the nasopharyngeal prevalence of neisseria gonorrhoeae, n meningitidis, corynebacterium diphtheriae, and candida species; oral sexual behaviour; the relation between oral flora and oral sexual behavior.	1997	9582465
response to diphtheria and tetanus booster vaccination in pediatric renal transplant recipients.	although inactivated vaccines are recommended for immunocompromized patients, efficacy and safety of diphtheria and tetanus immunization in renal transplant recipients have received little attention so far. the aim of the study was to investigate the response to a standard diphtheria and tetanus booster vaccination in pediatric renal transplant recipients.	1997	9256180
crystal structure of the complex of diphtheria toxin with an extracellular fragment of its receptor.	we describe the crystal structure at 2.65 a resolution of diphtheria toxin (dt) complexed 1:1 with a fragment of its cell-surface receptor, the precursor of heparin-binding epidermal-growth-factor-like growth factor (hbegf). hbegf in the complex has the typical egf-like fold and packs its principal beta hairpin against the face of a beta sheet in the receptor-binding domain of dt. the interface has a predominantly hydrophobic core, and polar interactions are formed at the periphery. the structur ...	1997	9659904
clinical and molecular study of corynebacterium diphtheriae systemic infections in france. coryne study group.	diphtheria is a disease with a long history that almost completely disappeared from developed countries. in addition, until 1987, systemic infections involving corynebacterium diphtheriae were rare. however, in 1990, an epidemic occurred in russia. these two circumstances have provided the stimulus to gain insight into the situation in france. in fact, between 1987 and 1993, a total of 59 c. diphtheriae strains were isolated. epidemiological data were collected for patients from whom 40 strains ...	1997	9003612
a modified elek test for detection of toxigenic corynebacteria in the diagnostic laboratory.	the detection of toxigenicity among corynebacterium diphtheriae and corynebacterium ulcerans strains is the most important test for the microbiological diagnosis of diphtheria. difficulties with current methods, in particular the elek test, are well documented. we therefore describe a modified elek test which provides an accurate result after only 16 h of incubation, in contrast to 48 h for the conventional test.	1997	9003626
construction of an epitope vector utilising the diphtheria toxin b-subunit.	an immunogenic loop within the diphtheria toxin has been deleted from the b-subunit by a modification of the inverse polymerase chain reaction (ipcr) and replaced by a unique restriction endonuclease site. an oligonucleotide encoding an identified epitope sequence from the major outer membrane protein of neisseria meningitidis of similar size and structure to that deleted has been introduced into the restriction site. expression of the resulting chimeric b-subunit from escherichia coli yielded a ...	1997	8997711
utilization of host iron sources by corynebacterium diphtheriae: identification of a gene whose product is homologous to eukaryotic heme oxygenases and is required for acquisition of iron from heme and hemoglobin.	corynebacterium diphtheriae was examined for the ability to utilize various host compounds as iron sources. c. diphtheriae c7(-) acquired iron from heme, hemoglobin, and transferrin. a siderophore uptake mutant of strain c7 was unable to utilize transferrin but was unaffected in acquisition of iron from heme and hemoglobin, which suggests that c. diphtheriae possesses a novel mechanism for utilizing heme and hemoglobin as iron sources. mutants of c. diphtheriae and corynebacterium ulcerans that ...	1997	9006041
plasmid pga1 from corynebacterium glutamicum codes for a gene product that positively influences plasmid copy number.	the complete nucleotide sequence (4,826 bp) of the cryptic plasmid pga1 from corynebacterium glutamicum was determined. dna sequence analysis revealed four putative coding regions (open reading frame a [orfa], orfa2, orfb, and orfc). orfc was identified as a rep gene coding for an initiator of plasmid replication (rep) according to the high level of homology of its deduced amino acid sequence with the rep proteins of plasmids psr1 (from c. glutamicum) and png2 (from corynebacterium diphtheriae). ...	1997	9045809
the gale gene encoding the udp-galactose 4-epimerase of brevibacterium lactofermentum is coupled transcriptionally to the dmdr gene.	the gale gene of brevibacterium lactofermentum, encoding udp-galactose 4-epimerase (ec 5.1.3.2), has been identified by dna sequencing downstream from the orf1-sigb-dmdr region. the arrangement of the sigb-dtxr-gale cluster is also conserved in corynebacterium diphtheriae. the deduced gale product was a protein of 329 aa residues (35.4 kda) that shared a high degree of identity to known udp-galactose 4-epimerase proteins from gram-positive microorganisms (streptomyces lividans and streptococcus ...	1996	8921853
[isolation of corynebacterium diphtheriae subsp. belfanti from a cow with chronic active dermatitis].	diphtheria is an acute communicable disease of man caused by c. diphtheriae. pharyngeal and cutaneous forms are described, where from both toxigenic and nontoxigenic strains can be isolated. the occurrence of c. diphtheriae in dairy cattle has already been reported in the past. the pathogens were isolated from ulcerated teats and from the milk of cows with mastitis as well. these animals were considered to play a role in the transmission of the disease to man. this paper describes the isolation ...	1996	9045292
the new threats of gram positive pathogens: re-emergence of things past.		1996	8763254
extended host range of a beta-related corynebacteriophage.	unlike most beta-related phages isolated from corynebacterium diphtheriae, phage 782 readily plaqued on strains of c. ulcerans and c. pseudotuberculosis. the extended host range of phage 782 was not, however, due to a greater ability of the phage to absorb to bacterial surfaces. using chemical mutagenesis, a number of phage mutants were isolated which had diminished capacities to infect c. ulcerans, suggesting the existence of a locus (ehr) for extended host range. pre-lysogenization of c. ulcer ...	1996	8764484
exacerbation of tracheobronchitis due to nontoxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae.		1996	8894741
identification of is1356, a new insertion sequence, and its association with is402 in epidemic strains of burkholderia cepacia infecting cystic fibrosis patients.	burkholderia cepacia is now recognized as an important opportunistic pathogen in cystic fibrosis (cf) and other compromised patients. epidemicity among cf patients has been attributed to at least one particularly infectious strain (strain et12), and both genetic evidence and anecdotal evidence suggest that this strain, currently endemic in ontario, and those causing an epidemic in the united kingdom, are indeed the same. our study was conducted to determine whether there was any association betw ...	1996	8784555
misidentification of corynebacterium diphtheriae.		1996	8940489
molecular epidemiology of diphtheria in russia, 1985-1994.	the largest diphtheria outbreak in the developed world since the 1960s began in the russian federation in 1990. one hundred fifty-six corynebacterium diphtheriae strains from throughout russia, selected for temporal and geographic diversity, were assayed by ribotyping and multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (mee). these tests showed significant genetic diversity within the c. diphtheriae species, and ribotyping and mee data generally correlated well with epidemiologic data. a distinct clonal group ...	1996	8896510
simultaneous quantitation of diphtheria and tetanus antibodies by double antigen, time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay.	a dual, double antigen, time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (delfia) for the simultaneous detection and quantitation of diphtheria (d) and tetanus (t) antibodies in sera has been developed. in the double antigen format one arm of the antibody binds to antigen coated microtitre wells and the other arm binds to labelled antigen to provide a fluorescent signal. this assay was found to be functionally specific for igg antibodies and showed a good correlation with established toxin neutralization ...	1996	8621952
heterogeneity of diphtheria toxin gene, tox, and its regulatory element, dtxr, in corynebacterium diphtheriae strains causing epidemic diphtheria in russia and ukraine.	diphtheria toxin (tox) and its regulatory element (dtxr) from 72 corynebacterium diphtheriae strains isolated in russia and ukraine before and during the current diphtheria epidemic were studied by pcr-single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis (pcr-sscp). twelve sets of primers were constructed (eight for tox and four for dtxr), and three regions within tox and all four regions of dtxr showed significant variations in the number and/or sizes of the amplicons. two to four different sscp pa ...	1996	8784575
screening tests for the presumptive identification of corynebacterium diphtheriae in a diagnostic laboratory.		1996	8940488
misidentification of toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae as a corynebacterium species with low virulence in a child with endocarditis.	a 6-year-old boy presented to a university hospital in malaysia with infective endocarditis complicating cyanotic congenital heart disease. blood cultures showed a gram-positive, aerobic, coryneform-like bacillus identified by the hospital laboratory as corynebacterium xerosis, but a reference laboratory identified the organism as a toxigenic strain of corynebacterium diphtheriae. the two laboratories concurred on all biochemical test results except for sucrose fermentation.	1996	8727917
cutaneous and pharyngeal diphtheria imported from the indian subcontinent.	we report the case of a 32-year-old woman who presented upon returning from india with cutaneous ulcers on the feet and pharyngitis. microbiological testing showed the causative organism to be a toxigenic strain of corynebacterium diphtheriae. she was treated successfully with penicillin and diphtheria antitoxin. this case emphasises the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for such rare but significant infectious diseases.	1996	8977947
crystal structure of diphtheria toxin bound to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.	diphtheria toxin (dt), a 58 kda protein secreted by lysogenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae, causes the disease diphtheria in humans by gaining entry into the cytoplasm of cells and inhibiting protein synthesis. specifically, the catalytic (c) domain of dt transfers the adp-ribose group of nad to elongation factor-2 (ef-2), rendering ef-2 inactive. in order to investigate how the c-domain of dt binds nad and catalyzes the adp-ribosylation of ef-2, the crystal structure of dt in complex ...	1996	8573568
reactogenicity and immunogenicity of a protein-conjugated pneumococcal oligosaccharide vaccine in older adults.	healthy adults > or = 50 years old were immunized with either pentavalent corynebacterium diphtheriae c7 (beta197) cross-reactive material (crm197) protein-conjugated pneumococcal vaccine (cv) containing 10 microgram each of capsular oligosaccharides from serotypes 6b, 14, 18c, 19f, and 23f or with licensed (23-valent, 25 microgram/serotype) pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (pv). adverse reactions, predominantly local in nature, occurred in 20 of 23 cv recipients versus 13 of 23 pv recipients ...	1996	8603942
toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae acquired in england.		1996	8754453
loss of protective immunity to polio, diphtheria and haemophilus influenzae type b after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.	immunity to poliovirus, diphtheria and haemophilus influenzae type b (hib) was studied in 16 adult recipients of a bone marrow transplant from an hla-identical sibling donor in order to evaluate the need for revaccinations. t-cell depletion was not done in any case. the donors and patients were studied before bone marrow transplantation (bmt) and the patients 1, 3, 6, and 12 months later. prior to the bmt 10 of 11 patients were immune (titre > or = 4) to all vaccine poliovirus types by a standar ...	1996	8703445
[the polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of bacterial infections].		1996	8775783
diphtheria outbreak--saraburi province, thailand, 1994.	following the introduction of diphtheria toxoid in thailand in 1978 and the acceleration of vaccination efforts by the expanded program on immunization (epi), the incidence of diphtheria in thailand decreased substantially. a total of 1021 diphtheria cases were reported nationwide in 1984, compared with 25 cases in 1993. however, on july 19, 1994, a cluster of cases of diphtheria was reported in saraburi province (1994 population: 565,067) to the division of epidemiology (doe), thailand ministry ...	1996	8596528
passive haemagglutination tests using purified antigens covalently coupled to turkey erythrocytes.	passive haemagglutination tests have been developed by covalent coupling purified antigens to turkey red blood cells. circulating antibodies can be assessed in 20 minutes using one drop of blood. false positive reactions are avoided by using highly purified antigens; sensitized erythrocytes are stable in the absence of freeze-drying and blood samples can be preserved on paper discs. this method, applied to the determination of circulating tetanus (t) and diphtheria (d) antibodies and titres comp ...	1996	8785953
species identities and antimicrobial susceptibilities of corynebacteria isolated from various clinical sources.	over a 14-month period, 415 clinical isolates of coryneform gram-positive rods were recovered from various sources and identified to the species level according to recent identification schemes. corynebacterium urealyticum, corynebacterium striatum, corynebacterium amycolatum, and corynebacterium jeikeium predominated, accounting for 63% of all isolates. corynebacterium accolens, corynebacterium striatum, corynebacterium argentoratense, corynebacterium propinquum and corynebacterium pseudodiphth ...	1996	8894575
[the immunogenicity of vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio administered orally on the vaccinal calendar at the age of 2, 4 and 6 months and their coadministration with a hepatitis b vaccine at 0, 2 and 6 months].	the immunogenicity of oral diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, (dpt) and polio vaccines was examined. six hundred seventy-seven children (group i) were given hepatitis b vaccine at 0, 2, and 6 months of age and the oral dpt-polio vaccines were administered at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. a control group of 731 children (group ii) received only oral dpt-polio vaccines. in both groups the vaccine efficacy against poliomyelitis was 96% for serotype i and 100% for serotype ii. for serotype iii, the vaccine ...	1996	8849056
ukraine's diphtheria campaign.		1996	8898058
identification of the primary metal ion-activation sites of the diphtheria tox repressor by x-ray crystallography and site-directed mutational analysis.	the diphtheria tox repressor, dtxr, is a 226 amino acid transition metal ion-activated regulatory protein that controls the expression of diphtheria toxin in toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae. the previously solved three-dimensional dtxr structures have identified two potential metal ion binding sites which may play a role in the activation of dna binding by the repressor. we have used both x-ray crystallographic and site-directed mutational analysis of dtxr(c102d)-ni2+ complexes and dtxr to ...	1996	8599765
enhanced surveillance of non-toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae infections.		1996	8821021
multiple sigma factor genes in brevibacterium lactofermentum: characterization of siga and sigb.	four rpod hybridizing signals have been identified in the chromosome of brevibacterium lactofermentum. two rpod-like genes, siga and sigb, have been cloned and sequenced, and they encode principal sigma factors of the rna polymerase. the deduced amino acid sequences of siga and sigb showed very high similarities to those of mycobacterium smegmatis mysa and mysb proteins, respectively, and also to those of hrdb proteins from different streptomyces species. siga and sigb maintain the conserved mot ...	1996	8550480
non-toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae biovar gravis: evidence for an invasive clone in a south-eastern australian community.	to determine the prevalence and clonality of non-toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae biovar gravis in a community with two cases of endocarditis caused by this organism.	1996	8569575
[seroepidemiological survey on diphtheria and tetanus immunization coverage in adolescents in calabria].		1996	9235011
experimental study on estimating the immunogenic potency of diphtheria and/or tetanus toxoids in monovaccines and associated vaccines.	the results obtained using the "classical" active immunoprotection tests on guinea pigs, biometrically interpreted by the regression analysis in "probit" systems revealed that the biopreparations of the cantacuzino institute meet the validity conditions related to the parallelism of the "slopes" enabling the calculation of ed50 and of the relative potencies against the reference preparations. the results also showed that the relative potencies of the biopreparations tested by the two methodologi ...	1996	9253238
diphtheria: are we ready for it?		1996	9014615
[a rare combination of enteric diphtheria and dysentery].		1996	9036218
high-resolution structure of the diphtheria toxin repressor complexed with cobalt and manganese reveals an sh3-like third domain and suggests a possible role of phosphate as co-corepressor.	the crystal structure of diphtheria toxin repressor (dtxr) in complex with the corepressor co2+ has been determined at 2.0 a resolution and in complex with mn2+ at 2.2 a resolution. the structure of the flexible third domain could be determined at this high resolution. it appears to contain five antiparallel strands exhibiting a fold very similar to the sh3 domain. a superposition of 46 equivalent c alpha atoms of dtxr and alpha-spectrin sh3 resulted in an rms deviation of 3.0 a. the sequence id ...	1996	8823163
a cellular pertussis vaccine (infanrix-dtpa; sb-3). a review of its immunogenicity, protective efficacy and tolerability in the prevention of bordetella pertussis infection.	sb-3 (infanrix-dtpa) is one of a new generation of vaccines for immunisation against pertussis (whooping cough), diphtheria and tetanus. it is a 3-component (pertussis toxin, filamentous haemagglutinin and pertactin) chemically inactivated acellular pertussis pertussis-diphtheria-tetanus toxoid (dtap) vaccine, and it differs from conventional whole-cell pertussis-diphtheria-tetanus toxoid (dtwp) vaccines in that it comprises inactivated purified bordetella pertussis antigens rather than whole ce ...	1996	8841742
[the genetic typing of corynebacterium diphtheriae strains by the polymerase chain reaction with universal primers].	the use of polymerase chain reaction (up-pcr with universal primers for the genetic typing of 85 c. diphtheriae strains, isolated from patients and carriers at the period of the epidemic, has shown that a single natural clone of biovar gravis seems to prevail in north western russia. up-pcr is an effective too for the rapid intraspecific typing of strains on the molecular-genetic level and for the study of the circulation of c.diphtheriae epidemic clones.	1996	9082736
[an experimental study of the effect of immunomodulators on the immune response to the anatoxin components of adsorbed dpt vaccine against a background of poisoning].	an experiment of rabbits subjected to artificial lead intoxication revealed that after the immunization of the animals with adsorbed dpt vaccine myelopid and thymoptin exhibited practically the same immunomodulating activity with respect to antibody response to diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, exceeding that of rabbits without intoxication. still the immunomodulators used in this experiment did not completely compensate the negative effect of intoxication on antibody response to the toxoids. for ...	1996	9082731
an ider mutant of mycobacterium smegmatis has derepressed siderophore production and an altered oxidative-stress response.	the mycobacterial ider protein is a homologue of the diphtheria-toxin repressor dtxr. we have previously demonstrated that mycobacterium tuberculosis ider, like dtxr, represses transcription of corynebacterium diphtheriae iron-regulated promoters in vivo and binds to c. diphtheriae operators in a metal-dependent manner in vitro. we show here that ider mutants of m. smegmatis, constructed by allelic replacement, were defective in their ability to repress siderophore biosynthesis in the presence o ...	1996	8939436
diphtheria outbreak in st. petersburg: clinical characteristics of 1860 adult patients.	an epidemic of respiratory tract diphtheria began in russia in 1989. in 1994 more than 2,500 cases occurred in st. petersburg alone. we describe clinical findings in the 1,860 adult patients treated in botkin's hospital. the study is based on a retrospective review of patient records. in 98% of the patients the diagnosis was confirmed by a positive throat culture growing a toxin producing strain of corynebacterium diphtheriae. a catarrhal disease without membranes was present in 1,256 (67.5%) pa ...	1996	9122631
[immunity to diphtheria in the croatian population in 1994].	the large outbreak of diphtheria in the former sssr countries, which has been linked, among others, to low herd immunity, has led us to determine the level of this immunity in the croatian population in view to undertake, if necessary, extra prophylactic measures (vaccination). for the purpose, c. diphtheriae serum antibody levels were determined in persons aged from 20 to above 60 years and coming from four major croatian towns (zagreb, rijeka, osijek and split). a commercial elisa test and neu ...	1996	9132520
[the morphological characteristics of diphtheria in adults under current conditions].	clinico-anatomical analysis of 112 lethal cases of diphtheria in adults showed a grave course of the disease in chronic alcoholics at the age of 40-49 years. the morphological changes were characterized by a complex of typical changes at the primary focus, intracanalicular and hematogenous dissemination with high bacteremia. the morphology of pneumonia caused by corynebacterium diphtheria is described for the first time. at the early stages of the disease infectious-toxic degeneration of the myo ...	1996	9139589
incidence of non-toxigenic corynebacteria diphtheria in british military personnel in germany.		1996	8890005
[a tropical ulcer; cutaneous diphtheria].	a 43-year-old woman, born in the netherlands, developed ulcers on her left foot during a holiday in gambia and senegal. she had been bitten bij insects. the ulcers were caused by corynebacterium diphtheriae. the patient was treated with antibiotics and recovered fully. a grey pseudomembrane covering the ulcer is a characteristic feature of cutaneous diphtheria. the treatment is with antibiotics and, after toxin tests have indicated that the bacterium is toxigenic, with antitoxin. in some cases s ...	1996	8984415
immunity to diphtheria in women of childbearing age in delhi in 1994: evidence of continued corynebacterium diphtheriae circulation.	blood samples from 171 full-term pregnant women (aged 18-38 years) of middle socioeconomic status from delhi were tested for diphtheria antitoxins by indirect hemagglutination (iha) test. history of primary immunization/clinical diphtheria during childhood was not ascertainable, but none had been revaccinated against diphtheria at any time. about 94% women had very high antitoxin titers (> or = 0.125 iu/ ml); none had antitoxin titer less than 0.015 iu/ml, the minimum protective level. the titer ...	1996	9279989
[interest of typing methods to study corynebacterium diphtheriae strains.].	corynebacterium diphtheriae is the causative agent of diphtheria. this bacteria circulates throughout the world. recently, two outbreaks occurred in new independent states (russia, ukraine...) and algeria. routine technics permit to study the strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae : biotype, antibiotype, toxin gene detection. however, molecular biological tests (ribotyping, and pulsed field gel electrophoresis) are necessary to characterize these strains in the space and the time. the studies wi ...	1996	17292306
genetic detoxification of bacterial toxins.	several pathogens, such as corynebacterium diphtheriae, clostridium tetani, bordetella pertussis, vibrio cholerae, enterotoxigenic escherichia co1i (1), and even some emerging pathogens, such as helicobacter pylori (2), produce potent toxins that are responsible for the pathology caused by the bacterium. in most cases the disease, and often even the infection, can be prevented by a vaccine that induces immunity against the toxin. in order to be used in vaccines, the dangerous toxins need to be d ...	1996	21359697
medical microbiology	diphtheria is a paradigm of the toxigenic infectious diseases. in 1883, klebs demonstrated that corynebacterium diphtheriae was the agent of diphtheria. one year later, loeffler found that the organism could only be cultured from the nasopharyngeal cavity, and postulated that the damage to internal organs resulted from a soluble toxin. by 1888, roux and yersin showed that animals injected with sterile filtrates of c ...	1996	21413281
the corynebacterium xerosis composite transposon tn5432 consists of two identical insertion sequences, designated is1249, flanking the erythromycin resistance gene ermcx.	analysis of the 50-kb r-plasmid ptp10 from the clinical isolate corynebacterium xerosis m82b revealed that the erythromycin resistance gene, ermcx, is located on a 4524-bp composite transposable element, tn5432. the ends of tn5432 are identical, direct repeats of an insertion sequence, designated is1249, encoding a putative transposase of the is256 family. is1249 consists of 1385 bp with 45/42 imperfect terminal inverted repeats. the nucleotide sequence of the 1754-bp tn5432 central region is 99 ...	1995	8559800
an atypical case of corynebacterium diphtheriae endocarditis and subsequent outbreak control measures.	an atypical case of corynebacterium diphtheriae endocarditis with severe rhabdomyolysis and cerebral emboli is presented. the patient underwent successful mitral and aortic valve replacements and is only the third reported case with a successful outcome following surgery. outbreak control measures were complicated by an equivocal result from guinea pig toxin tests.	1995	8522837
[the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of diphtheria in adults].	diphtheria morbidity among adult population of moscow is growing. the tests of different modes and schemes of heterogeneous antidiphtheria serum administration have found out that the highest efficacy of serotherapy was achieved with a single intravenous dose. another treatment of diphtheria is hemosorption. widely used in present-day clinical practice hemosorbents provide adequate elimination of the toxin from plasma. the authors analyse the present situation in clinical symptoms, complications ...	1995	8571240
effect of neonatal immunization with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids on antibody responses to haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccines.	we randomly assigned 150 newborn infants to receive diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (dt) or hib oligosaccharide conjugate (hboc) at birth to determine whether exposure to the haemophilus influenzae type b (hib) conjugate vaccines' carrier proteins would enhance immune responses to subsequent administrations of hboc or prp-tetanus toxoid conjugate (prp-t) at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. their antibody responses were compared with those of 100 children immunized with hboc or prp-t beginning at 2 mont ...	1995	7844665
are we ready for diphtheria? a report from the diphtheria diagnostic workshop, atlanta, 11 and 12 july 1994.		1995	7706801
cloning and sequence analysis of the corynebacterium diphtheriae dtxr homologue from streptomyces lividans and s. pilosus encoding a putative iron repressor protein.	the iron-regulated promoter involved in desferrioxamine b synthesis of streptomyces pilosus contains a region homologous to the iron repressor (dtxr)-binding site of the diphtheria toxin gene promoter in corynebacterium diphtheriae [günter et al., j. bacteriol. 175 (1993) 3295-3302]. here, we report the cloning and sequencing of the putative streptomyces iron repressor gene, homologous to dtxr of c. diphtheriae. the n-terminal 139 amino acids of the deduced protein are 73% identical to dtxr.	1995	8529874
application of pcr for detection of toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae strains isolated during the russian diphtheria epidemic, 1990 through 1994.	a total of 250 corynebacterium diphtheriae isolates from clinical cases and carriers in russia were assayed by pcr directed at the a subunit of the diphtheria toxin gene to distinguish toxigenic from nontoxigenic strains; 170 strains were positive as indicated by the presence of the 248-bp amplicon. the results of this pcr assay were in complete concordance with those of the standard immunoprecipitation assay (elek), and the pcr assay is a useful tool for rapid identification in clinical laborat ...	1995	8576378
[a diphtheria outbreak at a burn center].		1995	8553723
[the epidemiological and immunological efficacy of revaccination against diphtheria].		1995	8553753
antibiotic susceptibilities of 38 non-toxigenic strains of corynebacterium diphtheriae.		1995	8821618
epidemiology and molecular characterisation of toxigenic corynebacterium diphtheriae var mitis from a case of cutaneous diphtheria in manchester.	diphtheria is now an uncommon disease in britain. we describe an imported case of cutaneous diphtheria in a previously immunised adult cause by c. diphtheriae var mitis. the control measures adopted to deal with the index case and two secondary cases so as to limit further spread among household and school contacts are outlined. molecular typing was used to study the mode of spread of the organism among contacts.	1995	8666848