Publications

foreign-body osteoarticular infection by brucella melitensis: a report of three cases.		2006	16391267
prevention of laboratory-acquired brucellosis: significant side effects of prophylaxis.		2006	16392095
brucellosis in all patients with febrile neutropenia.		2006	16753892
protean clinical manifestations and diagnostic challenges of human brucellosis in adults: 16 years' experience in an endemic area.	a prospective study was carried out to elucidate the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory features of human brucellosis. a total of 26 948 blood samples (from adults aged 15 years and above) were screened for serological evidence of brucellosis over a period of 16 years. the slide agglutination/rose bengal plate agglutination test gave positive results in 517 patients, of which 509 had detectable titres by the standard tube agglutination test (sat). the diagnosis of brucellosis was documente ...	2006	16772417
characterization of biological activities of brucella melitensis lipopolysaccharide.	biological activities of lipopolysaccharide (lps) from brucella melitensis 16m were characterized in comparison with lps from escherichia coli o55. lps extracted from b. melitensis was smooth type by electrophoretic analysis with silver staining. the endotoxin-specific limulus activity of b. melitensis lps was lower than that of e. coli lps. there was no significant production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and nitric oxide in raw 264.7 macrophage cells stimulated with b. melitensis lps, althoug ...	2006	16785713
deletion of znua virulence factor attenuates brucella abortus and confers protection against wild-type challenge.	znua is known to be an important factor for survival and normal growth under low zn(2+) concentrations for escherichia coli, haemophilus spp., neisseria gonorrhoeae, and pasteurella multocida. we hypothesized that the znua gene present in brucella melitensis 16 m would be similar to znua in b. abortus and questioned whether it may also be an important factor for growth and virulence of brucella abortus. using the b. melitensis 16 m genome sequence, primers were designed to construct a b. abortus ...	2006	16790759
evaluation of protection afforded by brucella abortus and brucella melitensis unmarked deletion mutants exhibiting different rates of clearance in balb/c mice.	research for novel brucella vaccines has focused upon the development of live vaccine strains, which have proven more efficacious than killed or subunit vaccines. in an effort to develop improved vaccines, signature-tagged mutant banks were screened to identify mutants attenuated for survival. mutants selected from these screens exhibited various degrees of attenuation characterized by the rate of clearance, ranging from a failure to grow in macrophages after 24 h of infection to a failure to pe ...	2006	16790778
intracellular killing of brucella melitensis in human macrophages with microsphere-encapsulated gentamicin.	treatment of human brucellosis demands antibiotic targeting into the mononuclear-phagocytic system. the aim of this work was to prepare and characterize particulate carriers containing gentamicin and to study their interactions with phagocytic cells and bactericidal activity against intracellular brucella melitensis.	2006	16799160
the stringent response mediator rsh is required for brucella melitensis and brucella suis virulence, and for expression of the type iv secretion system virb.	physiological adaptation of intracellular bacteria is critical for timely interaction with eukaryotic host cells. one mechanism of adaptation, the stringent response, is induced by nutrient stress via its effector molecule (p)ppgpp, synthesized by the action of rela/spot homologues. the intracellular pathogen brucella spp., causative agent of brucellosis, possesses a gene homologous to rela/spot, named rsh, encoding a (p)ppgpp synthetase as confirmed by heterologous complementation of a rela mut ...	2006	16803581
evaluation of oxidative stress and inflammation in long term brucella melitensis infection.	the brucella genus is able to cause chronic infection in a wide range of mammals including humans. oxidative events, lipid peroxidation and inflammatory response against brucella infection have not yet been well elucidated in vivo. we have investigated oxidative/antioxidative status and nitric oxide production in plasma, brain, liver and spleen during a 60 day period of b. melitensis infection in a rat model. in addition, inducible nitric oxide synthase (inos), il-10, il-12, ifn-gamma and tnf-al ...	2006	16810561
the brucella abortus cyclic beta-1,2-glucan virulence factor is substituted with o-ester-linked succinyl residues.	brucella periplasmic cyclic beta-1,2-glucan plays an important role during bacterium-host interaction. nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry analysis, thin-layer chromatography, and deae-sephadex chromatography were used to characterize brucella abortus cyclic glucan. in the present study, we report that a fraction of b. abortus cyclic beta-1,2-glucan is substituted with succinyl residues, which confer anionic character on the cyclic beta-1,2-glucan. the oligosaccharide backbone is substituted ...	2006	16816173
comparative proteome analysis of laboratory grown brucella abortus 2308 and brucella melitensis 16m.	brucella species are pathogenic agents that cause brucellosis, a debilitating zoonotic disease that affects a large variety of domesticated animals and humans. brucella melitensis and brucella abortus are considered major health threats because of their highly infectious nature and worldwide occurrence. the availability of the annotated genomes for these two species has allowed a comparative proteomics study of laboratory grown b. melitensis 16m and b. abortus 2308 by two-dimensional (2-d) gel e ...	2006	16823981
microbial drug efflux proteins of the major facilitator superfamily.	drug efflux proteins are widespread amongst microorganisms, including pathogens. they can contribute to both natural insensitivity to antibiotics and to emerging antibiotic resistance and so are potential targets for the development of new antibacterial drugs. the design of such drugs would be greatly facilitated by knowledge of the structures of these transport proteins, which are poorly understood, because of the difficulties of obtaining crystals of quality. we describe a structural genomics ...	2006	16842212
efficacy of several antibiotic combinations against brucella melitensis rev 1 experimental infection in balb/c mice.	the objective of the present study was to compare the efficacy of gentamicin given alone or combined with doxycycline with that of standard combination therapies in balb/c mice experimentally infected with the brucella melitensis vaccine strain rev 1.	2006	16849379
abducens nerve palsy and optic neuritis as initial manifestation in brucellosis.	cranial nerve involvement in brucellosis is rare. we present a case of brucellosis presenting with optic neuritis and abducens nerve palsy on the left side. cerebrospinal fluid findings indicated brucella meningitis with high protein count, low sugar level and pleocystosis. in addition, brucella agglutination test (wright test) was found to be 1/128 in cerebrospinal fluid. serum agglutination test for brucella was also positive at 1/1280. this case was diagnosed as brucellosis involving optic an ...	2006	16857626
a footprint of brucella infection: enormous saccular aneurysm of the ascending aorta.		2006	16908703
evaluation of the clinical presentations in neurobrucellosis.	brucellosis is a multisystem disease that may present with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations and complications. neurobrucellosis is one of the complications.	2006	16914346
brucella melitensis triggers time-dependent modulation of apoptosis and down-regulation of mitochondrion-associated gene expression in mouse macrophages.	brucella spp. are facultative intracellular bacteria that cause brucellosis in humans and other animals. brucella spp. are taken up by macrophages, and the outcome of the macrophage-brucella interaction is a basis for establishment of a chronic brucella infection. microarrays were used to analyze the transcriptional response of the murine macrophage-like j774.a1 cell line to infection with virulent brucella melitensis strain 16m. it was found that most significant changes in macrophage gene tran ...	2006	16926395
identification of protein candidates for developing bacterial ghost vaccines against brucella.		2006	16929687
an rpoh-like heat shock sigma factor is involved in stress response and virulence in brucella melitensis 16m.	b. melitensis 16m genome analysis revealed the presence of six putative sigma factor-encoding genes: rpod, rpoh1, rpoh2, rpoe1, rpoe2, and rpon. we mutated all these genes except rpod. phenotypic analysis of the mutants reveals that a strain carrying an rpoh2 null mutation (deltarpoh2) is impaired for growth at 21 and 42 degrees c and shows increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide. compared to the wild-type strain, the deltarpoh2 mutant is attenuated in all virulence models tested. three other ...	2006	16936018
the hmuq and hmud genes from bradyrhizobium japonicum encode heme-degrading enzymes.	utilization of heme by bacteria as a nutritional iron source involves the transport of exogenous heme, followed by cleavage of the heme macrocycle to release iron. bradyrhizobium japonicum can use heme as an iron source, but no heme-degrading oxygenase has been described. here, bioinformatics analyses of the b. japonicum genome identified two paralogous genes renamed hmuq (bll7075) and hmud (bll7423) that encode proteins with weak similarity to the heme-degrading monooxygenase isdg from staphylo ...	2006	16952937
identification of smooth and rough forms in cultures of brucella melitensis strains by flow cytometry.	brucella melitensis strains may occur as either smooth or rough variants depending on the expression of o-polysaccharides (ops) as a component of the bacterial outer membrane lipopolysaccharide (lps). the wboa gene, which codes for the enzyme glycosyl transferase, is essential for the assembly of o-chain in brucella. deletion of wboa in smooth virulent b. melitensis 16m results in a rough mutant designated wrr51. we developed a flow cytometric method to determine the proportion of b. melitensis ...	2006	16965789
evaluation of immunomagnetic separation-polymerase chain reaction in direct detection of brucella abortus and brucella melitensis from cheese samples.	the current study was carried out to assess the use of immunomagnetic separation-polymerase chain reaction (ims-pcr) in direct detection of brucella abortus and b. melitensis from soft cheese and to examine a relatively small number of field samples for the presence of these species. two methodologies, one with ims and the other without ims, were employed for recovery of the brucella species from cheese samples. ims in conjunction with the pcr assay was determined to detect as low as 3x10(2) bac ...	2006	16972772
comparison of protective efficacy of subcutaneous versus intranasal immunization of mice with a brucella melitensis lipopolysaccharide subunit vaccine.	groups of mice were immunized either subcutaneously or intranasally with purified brucella melitensis lipopolysaccharide (lps) or with lps as a noncovalent complex with neisseria meningitidis group b outer membrane protein (lps-gbomp). control mice were inoculated with sterile saline. two doses of vaccine were given 4 weeks apart. mice were challenged intranasally with virulent b. melitensis strain 16m 4 weeks after the second dose of vaccine. sera, spleens, lungs, and livers of mice were harves ...	2006	16988260
[a case of brucellosis presenting with urinary tract infection].	in this report an acute brucellosis case presenting with the symptoms of urinary tract infection (uti) has been discussed. a 29 years old male patient was admitted to the emergency service of our hospital with the complaints of acute uti. his complaints were persisting for five days before admission. his physical examination was normal but there were fever (39 degrees c) and costovertebral angle tenderness. his medical history revealed that multiple stones in the lower pole of the right kidney a ...	2006	17001859
crystal structures of two bacterial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coa lyases suggest a common catalytic mechanism among a family of tim barrel metalloenzymes cleaving carbon-carbon bonds.	the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme a (hmg-coa) lyase catalyzes the terminal steps in ketone body generation and leucine degradation. mutations in this enzyme cause a human autosomal recessive disorder called primary metabolic aciduria, which typically kills victims because of an inability to tolerate hypoglycemia. here we present crystal structures of the hmg-coa lyases from bacillus subtilis and brucella melitensis at 2.7 and 2.3 a resolution, respectively. these enzymes share great ...	2006	16330546
brucella outer membrane complex-loaded microparticles as a vaccine against brucella ovis in rams.	due to the important drawbacks of the brucella melitensis rev 1 vaccine, a safer vaccine based on an outer membrane complex from brucella ovis encapsulated in poly-epsilon-caprolactone (pec) microparticles (mp) was developed and tested in rams. homogeneous batches of microparticles were prepared by a new double emulsion solvent evaporation method called "total recirculation one-machine system" (troms). such microparticles presented a mean diameter of 2 microm and displayed an antigen loading of ...	2006	16337315
a complication of brucellosis: epididymoorchitis.	epididymoorchitis is the most frequent genitourinary complication of brucellosis.	2006	16360332
evaluation of the bactec microbial detection system for culturing miscellaneous sterile body fluids.	this study sought to evaluate the efficacy of the bactec blood culture system for culturing sterile body fluids, in comparison with traditional culture methods. a total of 906 specimens were cultured using both conventional media and the bactec detection system. differences in numbers of isolates determined by each system were compared. clinically significant microorganisms were isolated from 15.3% (139) of 906 specimens by both the bactec system and conventional culture, whereas for 8.8% (80) o ...	2006	16364602
acute pancreatitis associated with brucellosis.	acute pancreatitis can be caused by a variety of infectious agents but it is regarded as an extremely rare complication of brucellosis.	2006	16407621
isolation of brucella melitensis from a patient with hearing loss.		2006	16418830
nnra is required for full virulence and regulates several brucella melitensis denitrification genes.	we identified two regulators of denitrification genes in brucella melitensis 16m: narr, which regulates the nitrate reductase (nar) operon, and nnra, which is involved in the expression of the last three reductases of the denitrification pathway (nirk, norb, and nosz). nnra is required for virulence in mice and for intracellular resistance to nitric oxide.	2006	16452445
fiber-optic microsphere-based arrays for multiplexed biological warfare agent detection.	we report a multiplexed high-density dna array capable of rapid, sensitive, and reliable identification of potential biological warfare agents. an optical fiber bundle containing 6000 individual 3.1-mum-diameter fibers was chemically etched to yield microwells and used as the substrate for the array. eighteen different 50-mer single-stranded dna probes were covalently attached to 3.1-mum microspheres. probe sequences were designed for bacillus anthracis, yersinia pestis, francisella tularensis, ...	2006	16478092
experiments on a sub-unit vaccine encapsulated in microparticles and its efficacy against brucella melitensis in mice.	the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the excipients used to facilitate the encapsulation of high hydrophobic antigenic complex extracted from brucella ovis (hs) on the physico-chemical properties of the resulting microparticles. poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (pec) microparticles containing hs were prepared by the solvent extraction/evaporation method using total recirculation one-machine system (troms). different excipients, beta-cyclodextrin (beta-cd), pluronic f68, tween 20 or twee ...	2006	16481077
clinical and laboratory features of brucellosis in two university hospitals in southeast turkey.	this prospective study was carried out in two university hospitals between january 2000 and december 2002. the diagnosis of brucellosis was made with compatible clinical findings, positive brucella agglutination > or =1/160 titres, and/or the isolation of brucella species. the patients were followed up without intervention. one hundred and thirty-eight patients with active brucellosis were evaluated. of the participants, 79 (57.2%) cases were acute, 23 (16.7%) sub-acute and 36 (26.1%) chronic. b ...	2006	16483439
utility of an immunocapture-agglutination test and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test against cytosolic proteins from brucella melitensis b115 in the diagnosis and follow-up of human acute brucellosis.	the utility of an immunocapture-agglutination (brucellacapt, vircell sl, granada, spain) test and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay igg, iga, and igm (elisa-igg, elisa-iga, elisa-igm) against cytosolic proteins from brucella melitensis b115 (r) was compared with elisa-igg, elisa-iga, and elisa-igm against smooth lipopolysaccharide (s-lps) from b. melitensis 16m (s), serum agglutination test (sat), and coombs test in the diagnosis and follow-up for 10 months of 51 patients with acute brucellos ...	2006	16500069
[psoas abcess and brucellosis].		2006	16500734
brucella outer membrane protein omp31 is a haemin-binding protein.	the expression of haemin-binding proteins (hbps) in the outer membrane is one of the strategies used by gram-negative bacteria to obtain iron from the host. no hbp has been described in brucella spp. we investigated whether omp31, an outer membrane protein from brucella with homology to hbps from bartonella quintana, is an hbp. soluble recombinant omp31 bound specifically to haemin-agarose, while an unrelated brucella protein (sura) did not. a similar experiment showed that native omp31 found in ...	2006	16517201
residual virulence and immunogenicity of cgv26 and cgv2631 b. melitensis rev. 1 deletion mutant strains in sheep after subcutaneous or conjunctival vaccination.	the cgv26 and cgv2631 strains are novel engineered brucella melitensis rev.1 mutant strains deleted for the bp26 gene or for both bp26 and omp31 genes, respectively, coding for proteins of diagnostic significance. the residual virulence and immunogenicity of both mutants were compared to the parental rev.1 strain in sheep after subcutaneous or conjunctival vaccination. the deletion of the bp26 gene or both bp26 and omp31 genes had no significant effect on the intracellular survival of the rev.1 ...	2006	16519974
brucella melitensis: review of the human infection case.	during the last several years, brucellosis has become an important public-health problem on a large territory part of bosnia and herzegovina. the disease belongs to the zoonosis group, and can be caused by several bacterium species from brucella genus. for human and veterinarian medicine, b. abortus, b. melitensis, b. suis and b. canis from brucella genus are important, while other brucella species are found only in animals. the results of laboratory process of isolating brucella melitensis, as ...	2006	16533173
use of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to monitor the evolution of brucella melitensis dna load during therapy and post-therapy follow-up in patients with brucellosis.	we performed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-pcr) to monitor the evolution of brucella melitensis dna load from initial diagnosis through post-therapy follow-up in patients with brucellosis.	2006	16586386
multiplex pcr assay for the identification and differentiation of all brucella species and the vaccine strains brucella abortus s19 and rb51 and brucella melitensis rev1.		2006	16595839
total hip arthroplasty infected by brucella: a report of two cases.	infection caused by brucella following total joint arthroplasty is very rare. we present 2 cases of brucellar infection following total hip arthroplasty (tha). a 66-year-old woman who had prolonged contact with cattle presented with pain at the thigh and groin areas. the patient had undergone an uncemented tha for a hip fracture 3 years previously. cultures of articular liquid were positive for brucella abortus. the implant was loosened and was managed with a 2-stage re-implantation. a 71-year-o ...	2006	16598098
attenuated bioluminescent brucella melitensis mutants gr019 (virb4), gr024 (gale), and gr026 (bmei1090-bmei1091) confer protection in mice.	in vivo bioluminescence imaging is a persuasive approach to investigate a number of issues in microbial pathogenesis. previously, we have applied bioluminescence imaging to gain greater insight into brucella melitensis pathogenesis. endowing brucella with bioluminescence allowed direct visualization of bacterial dissemination, pattern of tissue localization, and the contribution of brucella genes to virulence. in this report, we describe the pathogenicity of three attenuated bioluminescent b. me ...	2006	16622231
a simple and rapid protein array based method for the simultaneous detection of biowarfare agents.	a protein chip has been developed that allows the simultaneous detection of a multitude of different biowarfare agents. the chip was developed for the arraytube platform providing a cheap and easy to handle technology solution that combines a microtube-integrated protein chip with the classical procedure of a sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and signal amplification by streptavidin-poly-horseradish peroxidase. specific immunoassays for staphylococcus enterotoxin b, ricin, venezuelan eq ...	2006	16622830
isolated brucella peritonitis in a capd patient.	peritonitis is the most common complication in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (capd). brucellosis is a rare cause of bacterial peritonitis. only 1 case was reported of a patient with brucella peritonitis during capd therapy. in that case, capd peritonitis was accompanied by acute brucellosis. we present the case of a patient with isolated brucella peritonitis receiving capd therapy without systemic manifestations of brucellosis who works as a farmer. results of a s ...	2006	16632008
cghscan: finding variable regions using high-density microarray comparative genomic hybridization data.	comparative genomic hybridization can rapidly identify chromosomal regions that vary between organisms and tissues. this technique has been applied to detecting differences between normal and cancerous tissues in eukaryotes as well as genomic variability in microbial strains and species. the density of oligonucleotide probes available on current microarray platforms is particularly well-suited for comparisons of organisms with smaller genomes like bacteria and yeast where an entire genome can be ...	2006	16638145
evaluation of novel brucella melitensis unmarked deletion mutants for safety and efficacy in the goat model of brucellosis.	pregnant goats were employed to assess unmarked deletion mutant vaccine candidates bmdeltaasp24, bmdeltacydba, and bmdeltavirb2, as the target host species naturally infected with brucella melitensis. goats were assessed for the degree of pathology associated with the vaccine strains as well as the protective immunity afforded by each strain against abortion and infection after challenge with wild-type brucella melitensis 16m. both bmdeltaasp24 and bmdeltavirb2 were considered safe vaccine candi ...	2006	16697090
a new variant of brucella melitensis.	brucella melitensis is highly pathogenic and constitutes a serious risk to public health. in argentina, biovar 1 has been isolated from infected animals, but the rev.1 strain vaccine is not authorised for use. this report describes nine atypical b. melitensis isolates obtained from humans. these isolates grew slowly, produced small colonies and were susceptible to penicillin and dyes, similar to the b. melitensis rev.1 vaccine strain, but were inhibited by streptomycin 2.5 mg/l. the isolation of ...	2006	16700714
probable transmission of brucellosis by breast milk.	brucellosis is a zoonosis transmittable to humans. the transmission is mainly by consumption of unpasteurized milk or its products. cases in the first year are very uncommon and other modes of transmission are responsible at this age. we report two children with brucellosis diagnosed at 7 and 2 months old where the probable way of transmission is the breast milk.	2006	16735362
live nativity and brucellosis, sicily.		2006	17354346
chemical and biological factors in the control of brucella and brucellosis.	brucellosis is a highly contagious bacterial zoonosis that affects millions of people worldwide. brucella is highly infectious, especially when aerosolized. the infection induces severe protracted diseases, which are both debilitating and incapacitating, hence, brucella melitensis has been considered a potential biological warfare agent. in the battle against brucella, it is crucial to know its chemical-structure and biochemistry-metabolic characteristics. it is well known that brucella, as well ...	2006	17076637
identification of brucella melitensis 16m genes required for bacterial survival in the caprine host.	brucella species are gram-negative bacteria which belong to alpha-proteobacteria family. these organisms are zoonotic pathogens that induce abortion and sterility in domestic mammals and chronic infections in humans known as malta fever. the virulence of brucella is dependent upon its ability to enter and colonize the cells in which it multiplies. the genetic basis of this aspect is poorly understood. signature-tagged mutagenesis (stm) was used to identify potential brucella virulence factors. p ...	2006	17090391
mariner mutagenesis of brucella melitensis reveals genes with previously uncharacterized roles in virulence and survival.	random gene inactivation used to identify cellular functions associated with virulence and survival of brucella spp has relied heavily upon the use of the transposon tn5 that integrates at g/c base pairs. transposons of the mariner family do not require species-specific host factors for efficient transposition, integrate nonspecifically at t/a base pairs, and, at a minimum, provide an alternative approach for gene discovery. in this study, plasmid vector psc189, containing both the hyperactive t ...	2006	17176467
[brucellosis: clinical presentation, diagnosis, complications and therapeutic options].	brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that causes systemic symptoms and can involve many organs and tissues. the major sources of infection are consumption of unpasteurized diary products and occupational contact. brucella is a small, gram-negative coccobacillus that grows slowly in vitro. there are four species of brucella that are pathogenic for humans; in israel brucella melitensis is still the most frequent organism. there are several methods to identified the organism and make the diagnosis (1) ...	2006	17183958
infective endocarditis due to brucella.	one of the complications of brucellosis is infective endocarditis, which carries a high mortality rate if undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. we report a case of brucella infective endocarditis, which was diagnosed serologically and by polymerase chain reaction. after brucella specific treatment, patient showed dramatic improvement clinically, as evident by echocardiogram findings and other investigations.	2006	17185849
comparison of fluorescence polarization assay with card and complement fixation tests for the diagnosis of goat brucellosis in a high-prevalence area.	an evaluation of fluorescence polarization assay (fpa) to detect antibodies against brucella melitensis according to the mexican official norm (nom) was performed. in this study, a total of 2582 goat serum samples from a high-prevalence area in northeast mexico where vaccination is applied, were used. of these, 1094 were classified as nom negatives (card test (ct) negatives or ct positives/complement fixation test (cft) negatives) and 1488 as nom positives (ct and cft positives). the receiver op ...	2006	16242780
a rare case of brucella melitensis infection in an obstetrician during the delivery of a transplacentally infected infant.	we report a case of brucella melitensis infection in an obstetrician who was infected during the delivery of an infant suffering from congenital brucellosis. the obstetrician was treated with doxycycline and rifampin and fully recovered. this is the first reported case of brucella infection transmitted through infectious secretions at the delivery of a transplacentally infected newborn and emphasizes that, especially in endemic areas educational and technical measures are needed in order the obs ...	2006	16249034
brucella melitensis in blood cultures of two newborns due to exchange transfusion.	brucellosis is a zoonotic infection, transmitted to humans primarily by consumption of unpasteurized milk and milk products. transmission by blood transfusion is possible but very unusual. herewith we present two newborns with positive blood cultures for brucella melitensis after exchange transfusions. however, the standard tube agglutination titers against brucella were not elevated and the newborns did not develop brucellosis. it is suggested that, in areas endemic for brucellosis, blood donor ...	2005	16250315
spontaneous bacterial peritonitis due to brucella melitensis in a cirrhotic patient.	spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is a well-known entity, with a reported incidence of 15-20% in advanced cirrhotic patients. escherichia coli and klebsiella pneumoniae are the most common causes of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis; brucella is extremely rare. we aimed to present one case of such a rare condition in a cirrhotic patient who also had hepatocellular carcinoma. routine laboratory tests, abdominal ultrasonography and peritoneal fluid examinations were studied in a cirrhotic patient ...	2005	16252187
imported brucellosis associated with plasmodium falciparum malaria in a traveler returning from the tropics.	we report a microbiologically confirmed case of brucella melitensis and plasmodium falciparum malaria coinfection in a febrile traveler returning from chad, africa. the patient had been doing veterinary research in rural chad; during that time she took no antimalarial chemoprophylaxis. our report highlights the importance of blood cultures as well as malaria smears in febrile travelers returning from the tropics.	2005	16256053
evaluation of culture, tube agglutination, and pcr methods for the diagnosis of brucellosis in humans.	brucellosis is prevalent in saudi arabia and brucela melitensis is a leading cause of zoonosis worldwide. therefore, accurate diagnosis of brucellosis is a key to its treatment and control.	2005	16258407
relapsing brucellosis related to pacemaker infection.	infection is a serious complication following pacemaker implantation. usually it results from normal flora of the skin or from enterobacteriaceae, pseudomonas aeruginosa, streptococcus spp., enterococcus spp. we report here a case suggesting that brucella melitensis is able to persist around pacemaker device being a cause of relapsing brucellosis.	2005	16274028
combined brucella melitensis and staphylococcus aureus endocarditis in a patient with a prosthetic aortic valve with fatal outcome.		2005	16275556
validation of fluorescence polarization assay (fpa) and comparison with other tests used for diagnosis of b. melitensis infection in sheep.	fluorescence polarization assay (fpa) is a new test for the serological diagnosis of brucella spp. infection in animals. the fpa is validated for the diagnosis of b. melitensis infection in sheep. for this purpose, 166 sera originated from natural infected sheep (verified by culture) and 851 sera originated from healthy animals (reared in areas where b. melitensis was never been isolated) were tested. the optimum cut-off value that offers the highest diagnostic sensitivity (dsn) and diagnostic s ...	2005	16278056
the persistence of brucella melitensis in experimentally infected ewes through three reproductive cycles.	the authors studied the persistence of infection in 46 ewes experimentally infected with brucella melitensis biovar 3 and monitored through three subsequent reproductive cycles. the entire experimental period lasted for 151 weeks. infection of ewes and elimination of brucella in milk, or its presence in vaginal discharges, persisted throughout the duration of the trial, as demonstrated by recurrent elimination of brucella in milk and vaginal discharges. brucella melitensis was recovered from the ...	2005	16283920
intravenous gamma globulin is effective as an urgent treatment in brucella-induced severe thrombocytopenic purpura.	severe thrombocytopenia is a rare hematologic manifestation of brucellosis, which can occasionally be associated with bleeding into the skin and from mucosal sites. prompt recognition of this brucellosis complication and aggressive therapy is vital because the mortality rate associated with bleeding into the central nervous system is high. we report a case of a patient infected with brucella melitensis who was admitted with a severe case of thrombocytopenic purpura. the patient responded well to ...	2005	16247741
severe thrombotic microangiopathy associated with brucellosis: successful treatment with plasmapheresis.	brucellosis is a disease that may lead to changes in hematologic parameters such as anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia; however, thrombotic microangiopathy (tma) is a rare finding. severe tma may be associated with life-threatening hematologic, renal, and neurologic disorders. to prevent this mortality caused by brucellosis, prompt recognition of this complication and prompt therapy are essential. a patient with tma associated with brucella melitensis is presented who initially presented ...	2005	15678281
modulation of phospholipase a2 activity in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons.	in neurons, phospholipase a2 (pla2) plays a central role in the regulation of membrane phospholipid metabolism. we have addressed the pharmacological modulation of pla2 in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons. inhibition curves were obtained in 4 day-in-culture neurons treated for 30 minutes with either the dual pla2 inhibitor methyl arachidonyl fluorophosphonate (mafp), or the ipla2 inhibitor bromoenol lactone (bel). full inhibition was achieved with 100 and 250 microm of mafp, or 10 and 20 ...	2005	15682269
[brucellosis at the dawn of the 21st century].	human brucellosis is now a rare disease in countries where eradication programs (especially vaccination) against brucellosis in cattle, sheep, and goats have been successfully implemented. in france, fewer than 50 brucellosis cases are annually notified to the national institute for infection surveillance. human brucellosis, however, remains endemic in the mediterranean basin, middle east, western asia, africa, and south america. shortcomings of standard diagnostic methods for brucellosis (varia ...	2005	15695027
indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of brucella melitensis-specific antibodies in goat milk.	brucella melitensis is the cause of brucellosis in sheep and goats, which often results in abortion. few cases of b. melitensis infection in goats have occurred in the united states over the last 25 years. however, vigilance must be maintained, as it is for the bovine milk industry, to ensure that brucellosis is not introduced into the u.s. goat population. the objective of this study was to develop a sensitive and specific indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ielisa) for the detection of ...	2005	15695670
18fdg-pet for monitoring disease activity in an hiv-1 positive patient with disseminated chronic osteomyelitic brucellosis due to brucella melitensis.		2005	15549294
characteristics of b. melitensis versus b. abortus bacteraemias.	to determine the epidemiological and the clinical characteristics of bacteremic brucellosis.	2005	15603839
synergy tests by e test and checkerboard methods of antimicrobial combinations against brucella melitensis.	two different synergy testing methods, the checkerboard and the e test methods, were used to compare the in vitro efficacies of various antimicrobial combinations against 16 brucella melitensis strains isolated from blood cultures. the rate of agreement of the e test and checkerboard methods was found to be 55%. the most concordant results were found for the streptomycin-doxycycline combination in 12 (75%) tests, in which four strains showed synergistic activity by e test and antagonistic activi ...	2005	15634962
recurrent rhabdomyolysis and mild acute renal failure associated with acute brucella infection.		2005	15716295
the effect of the doxycycline-rifampicin and levamisole combination on lymphocyte subgroups and functions of phagocytic cells in patients with chronic brucellosis.	brucellosis is one of the important health problems for both humans and animals in turkey since agriculture and stock raising appears to be the most important means of subsistence. investigations on the pathogenesis of brucellosis reveal that the etiologic agent can survive in phagocytic cells, and cell-mediated immunity plays an important role in immunity against bacteria.	2005	15722630
immunogenicity of major cell surface protein(s) of brucella melitensis rev 1.	brucella melitensis rev 1 organisms were salt-extracted and the cell surface proteins (bcsps) were found to be mainly 39-42 kda (group 2 porin proteins) in addition to 31.6, 32.5, 58.5 and 14.7 kda proteins. deae-sephadex anion-exchange column chromatography of bcsps yielded fraction 1, which contained one major protein (39.8-42.0 kda) and a minor protein (31.6 kda). all these proteins were found to be immunogenic by western blotting. fraction 1 along with monophosphoryl lipid a and trehalose di ...	2005	15736854
the use of homologous antigen in the serological diagnosis of brucellosis caused by brucella melitensis.	in the european union the serological diagnosis of brucellosis caused by brucella melitensis is performed using the heterologous antigen of b. abortus s99. the possible higher sensitivity or ability of an early detection of antibodies by a homologous antigen may prove very useful in the final phases of an eradication programme. results obtained in sheep experimentally infected by b. melitensis biovar 3 were compared using b. abortus s99, b. melitensis m1, m2 and m3 antigens in the rose bengal pl ...	2005	15752266
bacterial zoonoses and infective endocarditis, algeria.	blood culture-negative endocarditis is common in algeria. we describe the etiology of infective endocarditis in this country. samples from 110 cases in 108 patients were collected in algiers. blood cultures were performed in algeria. serologic and molecular analysis of valves was performed in france. infective endocarditis was classified as definite in 77 cases and possible in 33. causative agents were detected by blood cultures in 48 cases. all 62 blood culture-negative endocarditis cases were ...	2005	15752438
[non infectious endocarditis: retrospective study (6 cases)].	if there is cardiac valve vegetation and the blood cultures are negatives we need to look for slow growing bacteria, fungi, legionella pneumophilia, bartonella henselae and quintana, brucella melitensis and abortus, coxiella burneti, chlamydiae pneumoniae by serologic tests. the diagnosis of non- infectious endocarditis could be considered only if these results were negative. the main purpose of this study was to describe the clinical and echocardiographic signs of non-infectious endocarditis ca ...	2005	15777581
abdominal aortic aneurysm due to brucella melitensis.		2005	15790211
interferon-gamma associated cytokines and chemokines produced by spleen cells from brucella-immune mice.	it is known that interferon (ifn)-gamma plays a critical role in protection against brucellosis. in this study we have investigated several cytokines and chemokines that are associated with ifn-gamma for potential in vitro correlates of protection. we cultured spleen cells in vitro from mice immunized orally with a live, attenuated brucella melitensis vaccine candidate (wr201) and stimulated these cells with a lysate of b. melitensis. differential gene expression of several cytokines and chemoki ...	2005	15804600
completion of the genome sequence of brucella abortus and comparison to the highly similar genomes of brucella melitensis and brucella suis.	brucellosis is a worldwide disease of humans and livestock that is caused by a number of very closely related classical brucella species in the alpha-2 subdivision of the proteobacteria. we report the complete genome sequence of brucella abortus field isolate 9-941 and compare it to those of brucella suis 1330 and brucella melitensis 16 m. the genomes of these brucella species are strikingly similar, with nearly identical genetic content and gene organization. however, a number of insertion-dele ...	2005	15805518
the sheathed flagellum of brucella melitensis is involved in persistence in a murine model of infection.	persistence infection is the keystone of the ruminant and human diseases called brucellosis and malta fever, respectively, and is linked to the intracellular tropism of brucella spp. while described as non-motile, brucella spp. have all the genes except the chemotactic system, necessary to assemble a functional flagellum. we undertook to determine whether these genes are expressed and are playing a role in some step of the disease process. we demonstrated that in the early log phase of a growth ...	2005	15839898
from the discovery of the malta fever's agent to the discovery of a marine mammal reservoir, brucellosis has continuously been a re-emerging zoonosis.	brucellosis is not a sustainable disease in humans. the source of human infection always resides in domestic or wild animal reservoirs. the routes of infection are multiple: food-borne, occupational or recreational, linked to travel and even to bioterrorism. new brucella strains or species may emerge and existing brucella species adapt to changing social, cultural, travel and agricultural environment. brucella melitensis is the most important zoonotic agent, followed by brucella abortus and bruc ...	2005	15845228
genomic subtraction followed by dot blot screening of streptococcus pneumoniae clinical and carriage isolates identifies genetic differences associated with strains that cause otitis media.	streptococcus pneumoniae strains are the leading cause of bacterial otitis media, yet little is known about specific bacterial factors important for this disease. we utilized a molecular epidemiological approach involving genomic subtraction of the s. pneumoniae serogroup 19 middle ear strain 5093 against the laboratory strain r6. resulting subtraction pcr (spcr) products were used to screen a panel of 93 middle ear, 90 blood, 35 carriage, and 58 cerebrospinal fluid isolates from young children ...	2005	15845484
in vitro susceptibility of clinical isolates of brucella melitensis to fucidic acid.	brucella species are facultative intracellular bacteria, and therefore a limited number of antibiotics are effective against these organisms. the side effects of drug combination schemes, and the incidences of relapses and therapeutic failures, have led to investigations of new drugs to treat brucellosis. the purpose of this study was to test the in vitro susceptibility of 50 brucella melitensis isolates to fucidic acid, which has not previously been used for the treatment of brucellosis. the mi ...	2005	15856380
primary brucellar psoas abscess: presentation of a rare case of psoas abscess caused by brucella melitensis without any osteoarticular involvement.	the psoas abscess is an entity, sometimes forgotten in our daily practice, because of infrequency and difficulties in diagnosis. primary psoas abscess is very rare and gram-positive micro-organisms account for more than 80% of the cases. our case, a 62-year-old man was admitted with a 5-year history of back pain and fever. physical examination was normal, except a palpable hepatomegaly with a mild tenderness over his lower right abdominal quadrant. the brucella agglutination test was strongly po ...	2005	15875628
brucellosis in san diego: epidemiology and species-related differences in acute clinical presentations.	although aggressive public health measures have greatly reduced the number of brucellosis cases in the united states, there is a resurgence of interest in this worldwide zoonosis because of its potential as a bioweapon and its 8-fold higher incidence in california, texas, and the other borderlands between the united states and mexico compared with the national rate. accordingly, we reviewed the clinical records of 28 patients diagnosed at a university hospital in san diego, ca, between 1979 and ...	2005	15879907
correlation of antigenic expression with progress in antibiotic therapy of acute human brucellosis.	human brucellosis is a zoonotic disease which is endemic in saudi arabia. the aim of this study was to investigate the humoral immune responses and identify the target antigens that persist at different stages in human brucellosis during antibiotic therapy. to do this, an acute case of accidental nosocomial infection was studied experimentally. blood was collected from the patient at the time of diagnosis, and at weekly intervals during therapy until remission. igg and igm immunoblotting was use ...	2005	15888460
a model of animal-human brucellosis transmission in mongolia.	we developed a dynamic model of livestock-to-human brucellosis transmission in mongolia. the compartmental model considers transmission within sheep and cattle populations and the transmission to humans as additive components. the model was fitted to demographic and seroprevalence data (rose bengal test) from livestock and annually reported new human brucellosis cases in mongolia for 1991-1999 prior to the onset of a mass livestock-vaccination campaign (s19 brucella abortus for cattle and rev 1 ...	2005	15899298
brucellosis.		2005	15930423
comparison of milk-elisa and serum-elisa for the diagnosis of brucella melitensis infection in sheep.	milk and blood samples from 704 lactating ewes were examined for the diagnosis of brucella melitensis infection by milk-elisa, serum-elisa, rbpt, sat and culture of milk. of these ewes, 209 were from brucellosis free sheep flock, 443 from brucellosis infected sheep flock and 52 were from private sheep flocks of which status for brucellosis was not known. all the 209 ewes belonging to uninfected sheep flock were found negative in all the tests and of the remaining 495 ewes 105 were positive in se ...	2005	15939556
mixed cryoglobulinemia with renal failure, cutaneous vasculitis and peritonitis due to brucella melitensis.	cryoglobulinemia has been described in infectious diseases, but in only three patients with brucellosis. we report a 59-year-old male with brucella peritonitis with cutaneous vasculitis and renal failure that could be related to mixed cryoglobulinemia. as in cryoglobulinemia associated with other infections, resolution of the disease was obtained with specific antimicrobial therapy.	2005	15951018
human brucellosis in a nonendemic country: a report from germany, 2002 and 2003.	human brucellosis has become a rare disease in germany since the eradication of bovine and ovine/caprine brucellosis in this country. therefore, most physicians are unfamiliar with the illnesses clinical presentation, diagnostic tools, and therapeutic strategies. this retrospective study was carried out to evaluate the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory features of human brucellosis in germany in the years 2002 and 2003. thirty-one bacterial isolates from 30 patients sent to the german na ...	2005	15959815
protective properties of rifampin-resistant rough mutants of brucella melitensis.	vaccination against brucella infections in animals is usually performed by administration of live attenuated smooth b. abortus strain s19 and b. melitensis strain rev1. they are proven effective vaccines against b. abortus in cattle and against b. melitensis and b. ovis in sheep and goats, respectively. however, both vaccines have the main drawback of inducing o-polysaccharide-specific antibodies that interfere with serologic diagnosis of disease. in addition, they retain residual virulence, bei ...	2005	15972510
citrate synthase mutants of agrobacterium are attenuated in virulence and display reduced vir gene induction.	a citrate synthase (cs) deletion mutant of agrobacterium tumefaciens c58 is highly attenuated in virulence. the identity of the mutant was initially determined from its amino acid sequence, which is 68% identical to escherichia coli and 77% identical to brucella melitensis. the mutant lost all cs enzymatic activity, and a cloned cs gene complemented a cs mutation in sinorhizobium. the cs mutation resulted in a 10-fold reduction in vir gene expression, which likely accounts for the attenuated vir ...	2005	15995199
[occupational brucellosis in slaughtering of sheep and goats: study of five cases from a municipal abattoir in south-eastern sicily].	brucellosis is a world-wild zoonosis of bacterial origin. in italy, where reporting of the disease is mandatory, the incidence is 2.1 cases every 100,000 inhabitants, but tends to be higher in southern regions. however, the incidence decreased from 1999 to 2002.	2005	16001513
a quorum-sensing regulator controls expression of both the type iv secretion system and the flagellar apparatus of brucella melitensis.	both a type iv secretion system and a flagellum have been described in brucella melitensis. these two multimolecular surface appendages share several features. their expression in bacteriological medium is growth curve dependent, both are induced intracellularly and are required for full virulence in a mouse model of infection. here we report the identification of vjbr, a quorum sensing-related transcriptional regulator. a vjbr mutant has a downregulated expression of both virb operon and flagel ...	2005	16008582
adaptor long-range pcr procedure for clone-specific characterization and chromosomal localization.	an efficient adaptor long-range pcr (alr-pcr) procedure was developed to detect genomic rearrangements in high-plasticity genomic regions between closely related strains of bacteria. the method was precisely optimized using a combination of high-speed experimental steps for the chromosomal localization and elucidation of deletions, inversions, duplications, or inserted sequences within a clone-specific flanking region. the advantages of this strategy are: (i) ready-to-use polymerase mixtures and ...	2005	16018549