| field evaluation of a human anthrax vaccine. | | 1962 | 18017912 |
| selection and characterization of human antibodies neutralizing bacillus anthracis toxin. | a less than adequate therapeutic plan for the treatment of anthrax in the 2001 bioterrorism attacks has highlighted the importance of developing alternative or complementary therapeutic approaches for biothreat agents. in these regards passive immunization possesses several important advantages over active vaccination and the use of antibiotics, as it can provide immediate protection against bacillus anthracis. herein, we report the selection and characterization of several human monoclonal neut ... | 2008 | 18023190 |
| v-atpase functions in normal and disease processes. | eukaryotic cells have evolved a family of atp-dependent proton pumps known as the vacuolar (h(+))-atpases (or v-atpases) to regulate the ph of intracellular compartments, the extracellular space, and the cytoplasm. v-atpases present within intracellular compartments are important for such normal cellular processes as receptor-mediated endocytosis and intracellular membrane traffic, protein processing and degradation and coupled transport of small molecules and ions. they also facilitate the entr ... | 2009 | 18026982 |
| a novel immunogenic spore coat-associated protein in bacillus anthracis: characterization via proteomics approaches and a vector-based vaccine system. | new generation anthrax vaccines have been actively explored with the aim of enhancing efficacies and decreasing undesirable side effects that could be caused by licensed vaccines. targeting novel antigens and/or eliminating the requirements for multiple needle injections and adjuvants are major objectives in the development of new anthrax vaccines. using proteomics approaches, we identified a spore coat-associated protein (scap) in bacillus anthracis. an escherichia coli vector-based vaccine sys ... | 2008 | 18029197 |
| neutralizing activity of vaccine-induced antibodies to two bacillus anthracis toxin components, lethal factor and edema factor. | anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava; biothrax), the current fda-licensed human anthrax vaccine, contains various amounts of the three anthrax toxin components, protective antigen (pa), lethal factor (lf), and edema factor (ef). while antibody to pa is sufficient to mediate protection against anthrax in animal models, it is not known if antibodies to lf or ef contribute to protection in humans. toxin-neutralizing activity was evaluated in sera from ava-vaccinated volunteers, all of whom had antibody re ... | 2008 | 18032590 |
| transcriptional profiling of murine organ genes in response to infection with bacillus anthracis ames spores. | bacillus anthracis is the gram-positive, spore-forming etiological agent of anthrax, an affliction studied because of its importance as a potential bioweapon. although in vitro transcriptional responses of macrophages to either spore or anthrax toxins have been previously reported, little is known regarding the impact of infection on gene expression in host tissues. we infected swiss-webster mice intranasally with 5 ld(50) of b. anthracis-virulent ames spores and observed the global transcriptio ... | 2008 | 18037264 |
| [assessment of immunity and allergy after vaccination with dry combined anthrax vaccine]. | study of humoral immune response and allergy in recipients of dry combined anthrax vaccine was performed. immune response was assessed by antibody titers to protective antigen and by index of preventive properties of blood serum (pps) of recipients. relation of index of pps and antibody titers in blood serum of the donors was established. distribution of erythrocyte antigens in recipients of live dry and combined anthraxvaccines depending on blood group, rh-factor, and age was studied. it has be ... | 2007 | 18038547 |
| effect of 2-fluorohistidine labeling of the anthrax protective antigen on stability, pore formation, and translocation. | the action of anthrax toxin relies in part upon the ability of the protective antigen (pa) moiety to form a heptameric pore in the endosomal membrane, providing a portal for entry of the enzymic moieties of the toxin into the cytosol. pore formation is dependent on a conformational change in the heptameric prepore that occurs in the neutral to mildly acidic ph range, and it has been hypothesized that protonation of one or more histidine residues triggers this transition. to test this hypothesis, ... | 2007 | 18044973 |
| the stringent response of bacillus anthracis contributes to sporulation but not to virulence. | the gram-positive, spore-forming pathogen bacillus anthracis is the aetiological agent of anthrax. its main virulence factors are two toxins and an anti-phagocytic capsule. when b. anthracis is grown in laboratory culture, the highest expression of the anthrax toxin genes occurs during entry into stationary phase, suggesting that nutrient limitation is an environmental cue which induces toxin production. a common bacterial response to starvation is the so-called stringent response, in which the ... | 2007 | 18048936 |
| generation of a specific marker to discriminate gacillus anthracis from other bacteria of the bacillus cereus group. | bacillus anthracis is a soil pathogen capable of causing anthrax that is closely related to several environmental species, including b. cereus, b. mycoides, and b. thuringiensis. dna homology studies showed that b. anthracis, b. cereus, b. mycoides, and b. thuringiensis are closely related, with a high sequence homology. to establish a method to specifically detect b. anthracis in situations such as environmental contamination, we initially performed rapd-pcr with a 10-mer random primer and conf ... | 2007 | 18051303 |
| simultaneous detection and identification of bacillus cereus group bacteria using multiplex pcr. | bacillus cereus group bacteria share a significant degree of genetic similarity. thus, to differentiate and identify the bacillus cereus group efficiently, a multiplex pcr method using the gyrb and groel genes as diagnostic markers is suggested for simultaneous detection. the assay yielded a 400 bp amplicon for the groel gene from all the b. cereus group bacteria, and a 253 bp amplicon from b. anthracis, 475 bp amplicon from b. cereus, 299 bp amplicon from b. thuringiensis, and 604 bp amplicon f ... | 2007 | 18051330 |
| cutaneous anthrax involving the genital area. | a 5-year-old girl was admitted with a lesion of the labia majora which was found to be owing to anthrax. she had been licked on the hand by a sick cow (which subsequently died) 5 days prior to admission to a health clinic and 8 days before admission to hospital. | 2007 | 18053349 |
| inhibiting dihydrodipicolinate synthase across species: towards specificity for pathogens? | dihydrodipicolinate synthase (dhdps) is a key enzyme in lysine biosynthesis and an important antibiotic target. the specificity of a range of heterocyclic product analogues against dhdps from three pathogenic species, bacillus anthracis, mycobacterium tuberculosis and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, and the evolutionarily related n-acetylneuraminate lyase, has been determined. the results suggest that the development of species-specific inhibitors of dhdps as potential antibacterial ... | 2008 | 18054225 |
| rapid/sustained anti-anthrax passive immunity mediated by co-administration of ad/aav. | achieving both immediate and sustained protection against diseases caused by bacterial toxins and extracellular pathogens is a challenge in developing biodefense therapeutics. we hypothesized that a single co-administration of an adenovirus (ad) vector and an adeno-associated virus (aav) vector, both expressing a pathogen-specific monoclonal antibody, would provide rapid, persistent passive immunotherapy against the pathogen. in order to test this strategy, we used the lethal toxin of bacillus a ... | 2008 | 18059375 |
| glyconanobiotics: novel carbohydrated nanoparticle antibiotics for mrsa and bacillus anthracis. | this report describes the synthesis and evaluation of glycosylated polyacrylate nanoparticles that have covalently-bound antibiotics within their framework. the requisite glycosylated drug monomers were prepared from one of three known antibiotics, an n-sec-butylthio beta-lactam, ciprofloxacin, and a penicillin, by acylation with 3-o-acryloyl-1,2-o-isopropylidene-5,6 bis((chlorosuccinyl)oxy)-d-glucofuranose (7) or 6-o-acetyl-3-o-acryloyl-1,2-o-isopropylidene-5-(chlorosuccinyl)oxy-alpha-d-glucofu ... | 2008 | 18063370 |
| persistence of category a select agents in the environment. | | 2008 | 18065629 |
| potential dissemination of bacillus anthracis utilizing human lung epithelial cells. | dissemination of bacillus anthracis spores from the lung is a critical early event in the establishment of inhalational anthrax. we recently reported that b. anthracis could adhere to and be internalized by cultured intestinal epithelial and fibroblast cells. here, using gentamicin protection assays and/or electron microscopy, we found that sterne strain 7702 spores were able to adhere to and subsequently be internalized by polarized a549 cells and primary human small airway epithelial cells. we ... | 2008 | 18067609 |
| [practical strategies against bioterrorism]. | bioterrorism is terrorism by intentional release of viruses, bacteria, toxins or other agents to cause illness or death in people. especially, anthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers are important illness due to biological agents with a high potential for adverse public health impact. these biological agents can be spread through the air, through water, or in food and may cause disasters in the society. furthermore, difficulties in detection and identificatio ... | 2007 | 18069284 |
| [bioterrorism: ideas of first resource medicine]. | | 2007 | 18069408 |
| edema toxin impairs anthracidal phospholipase a2 expression by alveolar macrophages. | bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax, is a spore-forming gram-positive bacterium. infection with this pathogen results in multisystem dysfunction and death. the pathogenicity of b. anthracis is due to the production of virulence factors, including edema toxin (et). recently, we established the protective role of type-iia secreted phospholipase a2 (spla2-iia) against b. anthracis. a component of innate immunity produced by alveolar macrophages (ams), spla2-iia is found in human an ... | 2007 | 18069891 |
| high-throughput sequence alignment using graphics processing units. | the recent availability of new, less expensive high-throughput dna sequencing technologies has yielded a dramatic increase in the volume of sequence data that must be analyzed. these data are being generated for several purposes, including genotyping, genome resequencing, metagenomics, and de novo genome assembly projects. sequence alignment programs such as mummer have proven essential for analysis of these data, but researchers will need ever faster, high-throughput alignment tools running on ... | 2007 | 18070356 |
| bacillus spores in the mail: "ironing" out the anthrax problem. | following a terrorist release of bacillus anthracis spores through the u.s. postal service, it was suggested that decontamination of spores in mail envelopes could be accomplished at home by utilizing the steam heat from a household iron. this study investigated the use of a standard household iron, in a dry heat mode, for sterilizing mail envelopes laced with bacterial spores. | 2006 | 18072116 |
| clostridium botulinum c2 toxin. identification of the binding site for chloroquine and related compounds and influence of the binding site on properties of the c2ii channel. | clostridium botulinum c2 toxin belongs to the family of binary ab type toxins that are structurally organized into distinct enzyme (a, c2i) and binding (b, c2ii) components. the proteolytically activated 60-kda c2ii binding component is essential for c2i transport into target cells. it oligomerizes into heptamers and forms channels in lipid bilayer membranes. the c2ii channel is cation-selective and can be blocked by chloroquine and related compounds. residues 303-330 of c2ii contain a conserved ... | 2008 | 18077455 |
| casting a wider net for countermeasure r&d funding decisions. | among potential bioweapons attacks, endemic infectious diseases (that is, those naturally occurring diseases that afflict us every year), and a potential influenza pandemic, how should we apportion funding and resources for basic research and countermeasure development? to address this question, i argue for a "combined risk assessment" that considers bioweapons attacks with natural pandemics and endemic infectious disease. at present, risk assessments for bioweapons attacks are carried out separ ... | 2007 | 18081491 |
| behavior of bacillus anthracis strains sterne and ames k0610 in sterile raw ground beef. | the behavior of bacillus anthracis sterne spores in sterile raw ground beef was measured at storage temperatures of 2 to 70 degrees c, encompassing both bacterial growth and death. b. anthracis sterne was weakly inactivated (-0.003 to -0.014 log10 cfu/h) at storage temperatures of 2 to 16 degrees c and at temperatures greater than and equal to 45 degrees c. growth was observed from 17 to 44 degrees c. at these intermediate temperatures, b. anthracis sterne displayed growth patterns with lag, gro ... | 2008 | 18083866 |
| identification by quantitative carrier test of surrogate spore-forming bacteria to assess sporicidal chemicals for use against bacillus anthracis. | the spores of six strains of bacillus anthracis (four virulent and two avirulent) were compared with those of four other types of spore-forming bacteria for their resistance to four liquid chemical sporicides (sodium hypochlorite at 5,000 ppm available chlorine, 70,000 ppm accelerated h2o2, 1,000 ppm chlorine dioxide, and 3,000 ppm peracetic acid). all test bacteria were grown in a 1:10 dilution of columbia broth (with manganese) incubated at 37 degrees c for 72 h. the spore suspensions, heat tr ... | 2008 | 18083869 |
| purification, crystallization and preliminary structural analysis of nucleoside diphosphate kinase from bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis nucleoside diphosphate kinase (bandk) is an enzyme whose primary function is to maintain deoxynucleotide triphosphate (dntp) pools by converting deoxynucleotide diphosphates to triphosphates using atp as the major phosphate donor. although the structures of ndks from a variety of organisms have been elucidated, the enzyme from sporulating bacteria has not been structurally characterized to date. crystals of the b. anthracis enzyme were grown using the vapour-diffusion method f ... | 2007 | 18084101 |
| the changing world of biocontainment and biosecurity. | since the 1980s, a number of key events have significantly altered our ideas on biosecurity and the role of biocontainment laboratories, such as the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (bse) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (sars) outbreaks and the anthrax episode of 2001 in the usa. this has resulted in the development of plans to build "high containment" facilities around the world and an array of new regulations at both national and international levels regarding the management of pathogens ... | 2007 | 18084927 |
| biothreat agents and pathology laboratories. | pathologists and laboratory staff are likely to be among the first health care workers to be aware that a potential bioterrorism attack has occurred. to prepare for such an event, it is necessary to be familiar with 1) the characteristics of bioterrorism attacks versus natural disease outbreaks, 2) which pathogens are potential bioterrorism agents; 3) the types of lesions that each causes; 4) the microbiological characteristics of each agent; 5) the laboratory response network and reporting requ ... | 2007 | 18085061 |
| antigen delivered by anthrax lethal toxin induces the development of memory cd8+ t cells that can be rapidly boosted and display effector functions. | memory cd8+ t cells are essential for protective immunity against many intracellular pathogens; therefore, stimulation of this population of cells is an important goal of vaccination. we have previously shown that a detoxified derivative of bacillus anthracis anthrax lethal toxin (lt) can deliver heterologous cd8+ t-cell epitopes to the major histocompatibility complex class i processing and presentation pathway of murine host cells and that immunization of mice with these lt-antigen fusion prot ... | 2008 | 18086810 |
| expression of functional bacillus spoiisab toxin-antitoxin modules in escherichia coli. | spoiisa and spoiisb proteins from bacillus subtilis belong to a recently described bacterial programmed-cell death system. the current work demonstrates that the toxin-antitoxin module is also functional in escherichia coli cells, where the expression of spoiisa toxin leads to transient growth arrest coupled with cell lysis, and spoiisa-induced death can be prevented by coexpression of its cognate antitoxin, spoiisb. escherichia coli cells appear to be able to escape the spoiisa killing by activ ... | 2008 | 18096016 |
| anthrax in a laboratory worker, with observations on the possible source infection. | | 1948 | 18099662 |
| the relationship between ph tolerance, virulence, and proteolytic enzymes in bacteria; bacillus anthracis. | | 1948 | 18105405 |
| studies on infection with bacillus anthracis; the production of an immunizing antigen in vitro. | | 1949 | 18109257 |
| the relationship between ph tolerance, virulence, and proteolytic enzymes in bacteria; bacillus anthracis. | | 1949 | 18109886 |
| isolation of a bacillus anthracis-like organism from a periapical abscess. | | 1949 | 18110516 |
| [not available]. | | 1949 | 18117786 |
| [not available]. | | 1949 | 18118099 |
| submission of specimens for anthrax diagnosis. | | 1948 | 18119136 |
| [not available]. | | 1949 | 18120549 |
| anthrax in livestock during 1948. | | 1949 | 18121336 |
| cutaneous anthrax. | | 1948 | 18121467 |
| anthrax of the eye. | | 1949 | 18122918 |
| [not available]. | | 1949 | 18124857 |
| some factors governing the formation of spores in bacillus anthracis. | | 1949 | 18126525 |
| some aspects of sulphur metabolism in soils. | | 1949 | 18126527 |
| a case of anthrax in a dog. | | 1949 | 18127390 |
| [not available]. | | 1949 | 18128808 |
| [not available]. | | 1949 | 18133231 |
| [not available]. | | 1949 | 18136436 |
| diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous anthrax. | | 1949 | 18148091 |
| [not available]. | | 1949 | 18150493 |
| [not available]. | | 1949 | 18152318 |
| synthesis of an anthrose derivative and production of polyclonal antibodies for the detection of anthrax spores. | a straightforward synthesis of a derivative of anthrose, the non-reducing terminal fragment of the antigenic tetrasaccharide from bacillus anthracis, was achieved starting from d-galactose. this hapten is able to induce a highly specific and sensitive immune response in rabbit when attached to a carrier protein. | 2008 | 18155682 |
| a mathematical simulation of the inflammatory response to anthrax infection. | bacillus anthracis (anthrax) can trigger an acute inflammatory response that results in multisystem organ failure and death. previously, we developed a mathematical model of acute inflammation after gram-negative infection that had been matched qualitatively to literature data. we modified the properties of the invading bacteria in that model to those specific to b. anthracis and simulated the host response to anthrax infection. we simulated treatment strategies against anthrax in a genetically ... | 2008 | 18157069 |
| bioterrorism in canada: an economic assessment of prevention and postattack response. | the present paper calculates the human and economic consequences of a bioterrorist attack on canadian soil using aerosolized bacillus anthracis and clostridium botulinum. the study assumed that 100,000 people in a canadian suburban neighbourhood were exposed over a 2 h period to an infectious dose of one of the agents. using an epidemic curve based on the epidemiology and management of anthrax and botulinum poisoning, the costs of intervention and treatment after an attack were compared with the ... | 2001 | 18159350 |
| treatment of experimental anthrax with recombinant capsule depolymerase. | bacillus anthracis produces an antiphagocytic gamma-linked poly-d-glutamic acid capsule that is required for virulence. capsule depolymerase (capd) is a membrane-associated poly-gamma-glutamate-specific depolymerase encoded on the b. anthracis capsule plasmid, px02, that is reported to contribute to virulence by anchoring the capsule to the peptidoglycan and partially degrading high-molecular-weight capsule from the bacterial surface. we previously demonstrated that treatment with capd effective ... | 2008 | 18160516 |
| modeling the geographic distribution of bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax disease, for the contiguous united states using predictive ecological [corrected] niche modeling. | the ecology and distribution of bacillus anthracis is poorly understood despite continued anthrax outbreaks in wildlife and livestock throughout the united states. little work is available to define the potential environments that may lead to prolonged spore survival and subsequent outbreaks. this study used the genetic algorithm for rule-set prediction modeling system to model the ecological niche for b. anthracis in the contiguous united states using wildlife and livestock outbreaks and severa ... | 2007 | 18165531 |
| plasmid-based vaccination with candidate anthrax vaccine antigens induces durable type 1 and type 2 t-helper immune responses. | the current anthrax vaccine imparts protective immunity by generating a humoral immune response against a single antigen, the pa exotoxin subunit. while this response neutralizes the two anthrax exotoxins and protects the recipient from toxin-related mortality, the recipient is not protected from spore germination, infection, and/or bacteremia. moreover, protective immunity against pa must be generated via a lengthy injection schedule and maintained by a yearly booster. in an effort to improve u ... | 2008 | 18166249 |
| vaccines: countering anthrax: vaccines and immunoglobulins. | anthrax spores rank as the leading threat among bioweapons. this article reviews the accumulated evidence for immunization, either active or passive, to counter the malicious release of anthrax spores. the key protective factor in current anthrax vaccines for humans is a protein called protective antigen, which allows ingress of toxins into cells. the us vaccine is licensed to prevent anthrax, regardless of the route of exposure. its dosing schedule is cumbersome and somewhat painful (shortcomin ... | 2008 | 18171228 |
| inhibition of mapk kinase signaling pathways suppressed renal cell carcinoma growth and angiogenesis in vivo. | the mitogen-activated protein kinase (mapk) signaling pathways play essential roles in cell proliferation and differentiation. recent studies also show the activation of mapk signaling pathways in tumorigenesis, metastasis, and angiogenesis of multiple human malignancies, including renal cell carcinoma (rcc). to assess the role of this pathway in regulating the proliferation and survival of rcc cells, we first examined the expression of mapk kinase (mkk) and mapk in clear cell rcc and confirmed ... | 2008 | 18172299 |
| severe febrile respiratory illnesses as a cause of mass critical care. | febrile respiratory illnesses with respiratory failure are one of the most common reasons for admission to the intensive care unit. most causes of febrile respiratory illness are bacterial and viral agents of community-acquired pneumonia. however, a small number of rare and highly contagious agents can initially present as febrile respiratory illnesses, which can lead to an epidemic that can greatly impact the health care system. this impact includes sustained mass critical care, with potential ... | 2008 | 18173859 |
| the conformational plasticity of calmodulin upon calcium complexation gives a model of its interaction with the oedema factor of bacillus anthracis. | we analyzed the conformational plasticity of calmodulin (cam) when it is bound to the oedema factor (ef) of bacillus anthracis and its response to calcium complexation with molecular dynamics (md) simulations. the ef-cam complex was simulated during 15 ns for three different levels of calcium bound to cam. they were respectively no calcium ion (ef-(apo-cam)), two calcium ions bound to the c-terminal domain of cam (ef-(2ca-cam)), and four calcium ions bound to cam (ef-(4ca-cam)). calculations wer ... | 2008 | 18175311 |
| gtp-dependent polymerization of the tubulin-like repx replication protein encoded by the pxo1 plasmid of bacillus anthracis. | repx protein encoded by the pxo1 plasmid of bacillus anthracis is required for plasmid replication. repx harbours the tubulin signature motif and contains limited amino acid sequence homology to the bacterial cell division protein ftsz. although replication proteins are not known to polymerize, here we show by electron microscopy that repx undergoes gtp-dependent polymerization into long filaments. repx filaments assembled in the presence of gtpgammas were more stable than those assembled in the ... | 2008 | 18179418 |
| mechanisms of pathogenesis and the evolution of parasite virulence. | when studying how much a parasite harms its host, evolutionary biologists turn to the evolutionary theory of virulence. that theory has been successful in predicting how parasite virulence evolves in response to changes in epidemiological conditions of parasite transmission or to perturbations induced by drug treatments. the evolutionary theory of virulence is, however, nearly silent about the expected differences in virulence between different species of parasite. why, for example, is anthrax s ... | 2008 | 18179516 |
| detection of large plasmids from the bacillus cereus group. | the members of the bacillus cereus group, bacillus anthracis, bacillus thuringiensis, and b. cereus senso stricto, are largely defined by their content of large plasmids, which encode major virulence factors. here we offer an easy, fast, and reliable protocol for the isolation and detection of large plasmids up to the size of at least 350kb. furthermore, using this method, we report that bacillus mycoides contain large plasmids. | 2008 | 18179822 |
| inhibition of anthrax lethal toxin-induced cytolysis of raw264.7 cells by celastrol. | bacillus anthracis is the bacterium responsible for causing anthrax. the ability of b. anthracis to cause disease is dependent on a secreted virulence factor, lethal toxin, that promotes survival of the bacteria in the host by impairing the immune response. a well-studied effect of lethal toxin is the killing of macrophages, although the molecular mechanisms involved have not been fully characterized. | 2008 | 18183301 |
| single-shot detection of bacterial endospores via coherent raman spectroscopy. | recent advances in coherent raman spectroscopy hold exciting promise for many potential applications. for example, a technique, mitigating the nonresonant four-wave-mixing noise while maximizing the raman-resonant signal, has been developed and applied to the problem of real-time detection of bacterial endospores. after a brief review of the technique essentials, we show how extensions of our earlier experimental work [pestov d, et al. (2007) science 316:265-268] yield single-shot identification ... | 2008 | 18184801 |
| a structural basis for the allosteric regulation of non-hydrolysing udp-glcnac 2-epimerases. | the non-hydrolysing bacterial udp-n-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase (udp-glcnac 2-epimerase) catalyses the conversion of udp-glcnac into udp-n-acetylmannosamine, an intermediate in the biosynthesis of several cell-surface polysaccharides. this enzyme is allosterically regulated by its substrate udp-glcnac. the structure of the ternary complex between the bacillus anthracis udp-glcnac 2-epimerase, its substrate udp-glcnac and the reaction intermediate udp, showed direct interactions between udp and ... | 2008 | 18188181 |
| spo0b of bacillus anthracis - a protein with pleiotropic functions. | spo0b is an important component of the phosphorelay signal transduction pathway, the pathway involved in the initiation of sporulation in bacillus subtilis. bioinformatic, phylogenetic and biochemical studies showed that spo0b of bacillus anthracis has evolved from citrate/malate kinases. during the course of evolution, spo0b has retained the characteristic histidine kinase boxes h, n, f, g(1) and g(2), and has acquired nucleotide-binding domains, walker a and walker b, of atpases. owing to the ... | 2008 | 18190531 |
| selection and evaluation of the immunogenicity of protective antigen mutants as anthrax vaccine candidates. | protective antigen (pa) is a central component of anthrax toxin and a major antigen in anthrax vaccines. however, the use of native pa as a vaccine is not optimal. if administered to people who have been freshly exposed to anthrax, pa may actually aid in anthrax toxin formation and thus may pose a serious safety concern for postexposure vaccination applications. a non-functional pa mutant may be a much safer alternative. to identify an improved anthrax vaccine antigen, we examined four non-funct ... | 2008 | 18192092 |
| bacillus anthracis spore suspensions: determination of stability and comparison of enumeration techniques. | to determine the stability and variability in concentration of spore suspensions of bacillus anthracis (ba) spore suspensions by comparing different methods of enumeration and to detect changes, if any, under different storage conditions. | 2008 | 18194254 |
| nasal immunization with the mixture of pa63, lf, and a pga conjugate induced strong antibody responses against all three antigens. | a new generation anthrax vaccine is expected to target not only the anthrax protective antigen (pa) protein, but also other virulent factors of bacillus anthracis. it is also expected to be amenable for rapid mass immunization of a large number of people. this study aimed to address these needs by designing a prototypic triantigen nasal anthrax vaccine candidate that contained a truncated pa (rpa63), the anthrax lethal factor (lf), and the capsular poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid (gammadpga) as the a ... | 2008 | 18194342 |
| maturation modulates caspase-1-independent responses of dendritic cells to anthrax lethal toxin. | anthrax lethal toxin (lt) contributes to the immune evasion strategy of bacillus anthracis by impairing the function of cells of the immune system, such as macrophages and dendritic cells (dcs). macrophages from certain inbred mice strains undergo rapid death upon lt treatment mediated by caspase-1 activation dependent on nalp1b, an inflammasome component. rapid lt-induced death is however, not observed in macrophages from human and many mouse strains. here, we focused on the responses of variou ... | 2008 | 18194483 |
| estimating the joint disease outbreak-detection time when an automated biosurveillance system is augmenting traditional clinical case finding. | the goals of automated biosurveillance systems are to detect disease outbreaks early, while exhibiting few false positives. evaluation measures currently exist to estimate the expected detection time of biosurveillance systems. researchers also have developed models that estimate clinician detection of cases of outbreak diseases, which is a process known as clinical case finding. however, little research has been done on estimating how well biosurveillance systems augment traditional outbreak de ... | 2008 | 18194876 |
| detection of bacillus anthracis spore germination in vivo by bioluminescence imaging. | we sought to visualize the site of bacillus anthracis spore germination in vivo. for that purpose, we constructed a reporter plasmid with the lux operon under control of the spore small acid-soluble protein b (sspb) promoter. in b. subtilis, sspb-driven synthesis of luciferase during sporulation results in incorporation of the enzyme in spores. we observed that b. anthracis sterne transformed with our sspbp::lux plasmid was only luminescent during germination. in contrast, sterne transformed wit ... | 2008 | 18195028 |
| in vivo fate and distribution of poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid, the capsular antigen from bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis is surrounded by an antiphagocytic capsule composed of poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid (gammadpga). bacterial and fungal capsular polysaccharides are shed into body fluids in large amounts during infection. the goal of our study was to examine the in vivo fate and distribution of the gammadpga capsular polypeptide. mice were injected via the intravenous route with various amounts of purified gammadpga. blood, urine, and various organs were harvested at different times after treatme ... | 2008 | 18195035 |
| preattack vaccination against anthrax may be cost-effective in certain populations. | | 2008 | 18195210 |
| rapid clearance of bacteria and their toxins: development of therapeutic proteins. | the emergence of pathogens and toxins with resistance against conventional drugs, vaccines, and host defense peptides and proteins warrants novel countermeasures that can efficiently capture and rapidly clear them. this article examines the utility of chimeric proteins with capture and clearance domains as a novel countermeasure against pathogens and their toxins. the capture and clearance domains are chosen from the large repertoire of host defense peptides and proteins. although individual cap ... | 2007 | 18197819 |
| in vitro assembly studies of ftsz/tubulin-like proteins (tubz) from bacillus plasmids: evidence for a capping mechanism. | proteins with a weak sequence similarity to tubulin and ftsz are expressed from large plasmids of bacillus anthracis and bacillus thuringiensis and are probably involved in plasmid segregation. previously designated repx and tubz, we designate them here as tubz-ba and tubz-bt. we have expressed and purified the proteins for in vitro studies. tubz-ba and tubz-bt share only 21% amino acid identity, but they have remarkably similar biochemical properties. they both assemble into two-stranded filame ... | 2008 | 18198178 |
| analysis of bacillus globigii spores by ce. | it is imperative in today's world that harmful airborne or solution-based microbes can be detected quickly and efficiently. bacillus globigii (bg) spores are used as a simulant for bacillus anthracis (ba) due to their similar shape, size, and cellular makeup. the utility of ce to separate and detect low levels of bg spore concentrations will be evaluated. to differentiate spores from background particulates, several dyes, including fluorescamine, c-10, nn-127, red-1c, and indocyanine green (icg) ... | 2008 | 18203249 |
| serum igg antibody response to the protective antigen (pa) of bacillus anthracis induced by anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava) among u.s. military personnel. | the seroconversion rates and geometric mean concentrations (gmc) of igg anti-pa for stored sera from u.s. military personnel immunized 3, 4, and 6 times with the u.s. licensed anthrax vaccine adsorbed were studied. anti-pa igg concentrations were measured by elisa. all 246 vaccinees had low but detectable pre-immunization anti-pa igg (gmc 1.83 microg/ml). three doses elicited a gmc of 59.92 microg/ml and a seroconversion rate of 85.3%, four doses elicited a gmc of 157.44 microg/ml and 67.9% and ... | 2008 | 18206278 |
| anthrax in red deer (cervus elaphus), italy. | | 2007 | 18214198 |
| adverse events associated with prolonged antibiotic use. | the infectious diseases society of america and us cdc recommend 60 days of ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, or amoxicillin for anthrax prophylaxis. it is not possible to determine severe adverse drug event (ade) risks from the few people thus far exposed to anthrax prophylaxis. this study's objective was to estimate risks of severe ades associated with long-term ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, and amoxicillin exposure using three large databases: one electronic medical record (general practice research d ... | 2008 | 18215001 |
| plant-pathogenic streptomyces species produce nitric oxide synthase-derived nitric oxide in response to host signals. | nitric oxide (no) is a potent intercellular signal for defense, development, and metabolism in animals and plants. in mammals, highly regulated nitric oxide synthases (noss) generate no. nos homologs exist in some prokaryotes, but direct evidence for no production by these proteins has been lacking. here, we demonstrate that a nos in plant-pathogenic streptomyces species produces diffusible no. nos-dependent no production increased in response to cellobiose, a plant cell wall component, and occu ... | 2008 | 18215772 |
| bacillus anthracis-derived nitric oxide is essential for pathogen virulence and survival in macrophages. | phagocytes generate nitric oxide (no) and other reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in large quantities to combat infecting bacteria. here, we report the surprising observation that in vivo survival of a notorious pathogen-bacillus anthracis-critically depends on its own no-synthase (bnos) activity. anthrax spores (sterne strain) deficient in bnos lose their virulence in an a/j mouse model of systemic infection and exhibit severely compromised survival when germinating within macrophages. the m ... | 2008 | 18215992 |
| the integrin mac-1 (cr3) mediates internalization and directs bacillus anthracis spores into professional phagocytes. | anthrax, a disease caused by bacillus anthracis, affects animals and humans. because the inert spore is the infectious form of the organism that first contacts the potential host, the interaction between the host and spore exosporium is vital to the initiation of disease. here, we demonstrate that the integrin mac-1 is essential for the recognition of the major exosporium protein bcla by phagocytic cells. expression of mac-1, but not p150/95, in cho cells markedly enhanced infection with sterne ... | 2008 | 18216258 |
| [occupational infectious respiratory diseases]. | occupational infectious respiratory diseases are underestimate pathology because of an asymptomatic infection or the general, unspecific symptoms. | 2007 | 18216753 |
| petrobactin-mediated iron transport in pathogenic bacteria: coordination chemistry of an unusual 3,4-catecholate/citrate siderophore. | | 2008 | 18220393 |
| rhodanine derivatives as selective protease inhibitors against bacterial toxins. | in this study, we analyzed a series of rhodanine derivatives, as potential inhibitors of bacterial toxins, namely the proteases anthrax lethal factor and the botulinum neurotoxin type a. conducting an extensive structure-activity relationship study on rhodanine derivatives, we profiled their selectivity against the two bacterial toxins and two related human metalloproteases using in vitro assays. in addition, we examined initial in vitro adme-tox properties of selected compounds and their abilit ... | 2008 | 18221310 |
| anthrax toxin-induced shock in rats is associated with pulmonary edema and hemorrhage. | bacillus anthracis infections are frequently associated with severe and often irreversible hypotensive shock despite appropriate antibiotics and aggressive hemodynamic and pulmonary support. based on the observations that the anthrax secreted proteins-protective antigen (pa), lethal factor (lf), and edema factor (ef) also produce shock and mortality in animal models, we chose to characterize further the clinical chemistries and microscopic pathology of toxin treated rats. groups of three male sp ... | 2008 | 18222626 |
| intensified biochip system using chemiluminescence for the detection of bacillus globigii spores. | this paper reports the first intensified biochip system for chemiluminescence detection and the feasibility of using this system for the analysis of biological warfare agents is demonstrated. an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay targeting bacillus globigii spores, a surrogate species for bacillus anthracis, using a chemiluminescent alkaline phosphatase substrate is combined with a compact intensified biochip detection system. the enzymatic amplification was found to be an attractive method for d ... | 2008 | 18224472 |
| toxicity of disintegrated bacillus anthracis. | | 1949 | 18225040 |
| [not available]. | | 1948 | 18225145 |
| [indication of extremely dangerous infectious pathogens using immunochromatography and digital video analysis]. | the use of immunochromatographic indicatory elements based on antibody conjugates and colloidal gold was suggested to detect cells and the antigens of extremely dangerous infectious pathogens. the specificity and specific activity (sensitivity) of the mentioned elements were studied on vaccinal strains of plague, anthrax, and tularemia pathogens. the researchers studied a possibility to increase the sensitivity of immunochromatographic analysis using computed scanning and reflecom, a specialized ... | 2007 | 18225501 |
| [the development of peroxosolvate-based composites and the evaluation of their effectiveness against extremely dangerous infective pathogens]. | the article contains the results of the test of pfk-m composition bactericidal activity against a range of extremely dangerous infective pathogens. the preparation proved to be highly effective for the disinfection of surfaces, sanitary and technical equipment, linen, dishes, and medical utensils contaminated by plague, cholera, and anthrax pathogens. the study found that the antimicrobial activity of the preparation increased after heating and lowered when the object to be disinfected was conta ... | 2007 | 18225504 |
| [a research into the possibility of the application of new peroxosolvate-based compounds as chemical disinfectants]. | a newly synthesized peroxosolvate, ammonium sulphate peroxosolvate, can be used in disinfectology and other areas along with other hard forms of hydrogen. optimal conditions for ammonium sulphate peroxosolvate synthesis were determined by this study. it was established that (nh4)2so4 . h2o2 stabilized with carboxylic acids did not lose active oxygen when stored in dry atmosphere. the sporocidal activity of the compound against the suspension of b. cereus var. anthracoides 250 was studied. the re ... | 2007 | 18225505 |
| [important issues of biological safety]. | the problem of biological security raises alarm due to the real growth of biological threats. biological security includes a wide scope of problems, the solution of which becomes a part of national security as a necessary condition for the constant development of the country. a number of pathogens, such as human immunodeficiency virus, exotic ebola and lassa viruses causing hemorrhagic fever,rotaviruses causing acute intestinal diseases, etc. were first discovered in the last century. terrorist ... | 2007 | 18225506 |
| synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 1,3,5-triazine derivatives as antimicrobial agents. | numerous studies have contributed to the development of natural and synthetic antimicrobial peptides as a prospective source of antibiotic agents. based on the concept that cationic charge, bulk, and lipophilicity are major factors determining antibacterial activity in these peptides, we designed and screened several combinatorial libraries based on 1,3,5-triazine as a template. a set of compounds were identified to show potent antimicrobial activity together with low hemolytic activity. | 2008 | 18226902 |
| analysis of a novel spore antigen in bacillus anthracis that contributes to spore opsonization. | the significance of bacillus anthracis as an agent of bioterrorism has been well established. an understanding of both the pathogenesis and the host response is required to elucidate approaches to more rapidly detect and effectively prevent or treat anthrax. current vaccine strategies are focused primarily on production of antibodies against the protective antigen components of the anthrax toxins, which are secreted by the bacilli. a better understanding of the dynamic morphology of the dormant ... | 2008 | 18227265 |