| prevention of pertussis through adult vaccination. | pertussis is a vaccine preventable respiratory infection. young infants are at high risk of developing severe complications from infection. despite high rates of pediatric vaccine uptake, there continues to be increases in pertussis cases, likely due to waning immunity from childhood vaccine and increased transmission through adults. currently, pertussis booster vaccine (tdap) is recommended for unimmunized adults and for women in the third trimester of each pregnancy; yet adult tdap coverage re ... | 2015 | 25912733 |
| murj and a novel lipid ii flippase are required for cell wall biogenesis in bacillus subtilis. | bacterial surface polysaccharides are synthesized from lipid-linked precursors at the inner surface of the cytoplasmic membrane before being translocated across the bilayer for envelope assembly. transport of the cell wall precursor lipid ii in escherichia coli requires the broadly conserved and essential multidrug/oligosaccharidyl-lipid/polysaccharide (mop) exporter superfamily member murj. here, we show that bacillus subtilis cells lacking all 10 mop superfamily members are viable with only mi ... | 2015 | 25918422 |
| serum procalcitonin measurement and viral testing to guide antibiotic use for respiratory infections in hospitalized adults: a randomized controlled trial. | viral lower respiratory tract illness (lrti) frequently causes adult hospitalization and is linked to antibiotic overuse. european studies suggest that the serum procalcitonin (pct) level may be used to guide antibiotic therapy. we conducted a trial assessing the feasibility of using pct algorithms with viral testing to guide antibiotic use in a us hospital. | 2015 | 25910632 |
| spatio-temporal remodeling of functional membrane microdomains organizes the signaling networks of a bacterium. | lipid rafts are membrane microdomains specialized in the regulation of numerous cellular processes related to membrane organization, as diverse as signal transduction, protein sorting, membrane trafficking or pathogen invasion. it has been proposed that this functional diversity would require a heterogeneous population of raft domains with varying compositions. however, a mechanism for such diversification is not known. we recently discovered that bacterial membranes organize their signal transd ... | 2015 | 25909364 |
| genetic analysis, structural modeling, and direct coupling analysis suggest a mechanism for phosphate signaling in escherichia coli. | proper phosphate signaling is essential for robust growth of escherichia coli and many other bacteria. the phosphate signal is mediated by a classic two component signal system composed of phor and phob. the phor histidine kinase is responsible for phosphorylating/dephosphorylating the response regulator, phob, which controls the expression of genes that aid growth in low phosphate conditions. the mechanism by which phor receives a signal of environmental phosphate levels has remained elusive. a ... | 2015 | 25953406 |
| a change in vaccine efficacy and duration of protection explains recent rises in pertussis incidence in the united states. | over the past ten years the incidence of pertussis in the united states (u.s.) has risen steadily, with 2012 seeing the highest case number since 1955. there has also been a shift over the same time period in the age group reporting the largest number of cases (aside from infants), from adolescents to 7-11 year olds. we use epidemiological modelling and a large case incidence dataset to explain the upsurge. we investigate several hypotheses for the upsurge in pertussis cases by fitting a suite o ... | 2015 | 25906150 |
| transcriptomic analysis of yersinia enterocolitica biovar 1b infecting murine macrophages reveals new mechanisms of extracellular and intracellular survival. | yersinia enterocolitica is typically considered an extracellular pathogen; however, during the course of an infection, a significant number of bacteria are stably maintained within host cell vacuoles. little is known about this population and the role it plays during an infection. to address this question and to elucidate the spatially and temporally dynamic gene expression patterns of y. enterocolitica biovar 1b through the course of an in vitro infection, transcriptome sequencing and different ... | 2015 | 25895974 |
| altered β1-3-adrenoceptor influence on α2-adrenoceptor-mediated control of catecholamine release and vascular tension in hypertensive rats. | α2- and β-adrenoceptors (ar) reciprocally control catecholamine release and vascular tension. disorders in these functions are present in spontaneously hypertensive rats (shr). the present study tested if α2ar dysfunctions resulted from altered α2ar/βar interaction. blood pressure (bp) was recorded through a femoral artery catheter and cardiac output by an ascending aorta flow probe. total peripheral vascular resistance (tpr) was calculated. norepinephrine release was stimulated by a 15-min tyra ... | 2015 | 25941491 |
| experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis development is aggravated by candida albicans infection. | multiple sclerosis (ms) is an inflammatory/autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (cns) mainly mediated by myelin specific t cells. it is widely believed that environmental factors, including fungal infections, contribute to disease induction or evolution. even though candida infection among ms patients has been described, the participation of this fungus in this pathology is not clear. the purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of a candida albicans infection on experimental ... | 2015 | 25969836 |
| combination vaccines against diarrheal diseases. | diarrheal diseases remain a leading cause of global childhood mortality and morbidity. several recent epidemiological studies highlight the rate of diarrheal diseases in different parts of the world and draw attention to the impact on childhood growth and survival. despite the well-documented global burden of diarrheal diseases, currently there are no combination diarrheal vaccines, only licensed vaccines for rotavirus and cholera, and salmonella typhi-based vaccines for typhoid fever. the recog ... | 2015 | 25891647 |
| the mechanisms of action of vaccines containing aluminum adjuvants: an in vitro vs in vivo paradigm. | adjuvants such as the aluminum compounds (alum) have been dominantly used in many vaccines due to their immunopotentiation and safety records since 1920s. however, how these mineral agents influence the immune response to vaccination remains elusive. many hypotheses exist as to the mode of action of these adjuvants, such as depot formation, antigen (ag) targeting, and the induction of inflammation. these hypotheses are based on many in vitro and few in vivo studies. understanding how cells inter ... | 2015 | 25932368 |
| pertussis prevalence and its determinants among children with persistent cough in urban uganda. | we determined prevalence of pertussis infection and its associated host and environmental factors to generate information that would guide strategies for disease control. | 2015 | 25874411 |
| engineered nanoparticles mimicking cell membranes for toxin neutralization. | protein toxins secreted from pathogenic bacteria and venomous animals rely on multiple mechanisms to overcome the cell membrane barrier to inflict their virulence effect. a promising therapeutic concept toward developing a broadly applicable anti-toxin platform is to administer cell membrane mimics as decoys to sequester these virulence factors. as such, lipid membrane-based nanoparticulates are an ideal candidate given their structural similarity to cellular membranes. this article reviews the ... | 2015 | 25868452 |
| real-time sequence-validated loop-mediated isothermal amplification assays for detection of middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (mers-cov). | the middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (mers-cov), an emerging human coronavirus, causes severe acute respiratory illness with a 35% mortality rate. in light of the recent surge in reported infections we have developed asymmetric five-primer reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (rt-lamp) assays for detection of mers-cov. isothermal amplification assays will facilitate the development of portable point-of-care diagnostics that are crucial for management of emergi ... | 2015 | 25856093 |
| a gateway-based system for fast evaluation of protein-protein interactions in bacteria. | protein-protein interactions are important layers of regulation in all kingdoms of life. identification and characterization of these interactions is one challenging task of the post-genomic era and crucial for understanding of molecular processes within a cell. several methods have been successfully employed during the past decades to identify protein-protein interactions in bacteria, but most of them include tedious and time-consuming manipulations of dna. in contrast, the multisite gateway sy ... | 2015 | 25856398 |
| impaired nk cell responses to pertussis and h1n1 influenza vaccine antigens in human cytomegalovirus-infected individuals. | nk cells contribute to postvaccination immune responses after activation by il-2 from ag-specific memory t cells or by cross-linking of the low-affinity igg receptor, cd16, by ag-ab immune complexes. sensitivity of nk cells to these signals from the adaptive immune system is heterogeneous and influenced by their stage of differentiation. cd56(dim)cd57(+) nk cells are less responsive to il-2 and produce less ifn-γ in response to t cell-mediated activation than do cd56(bright) or cd56(dim)cd57(-) ... | 2015 | 25855356 |
| development and validation of a broad scheme for prediction of hla class ii restricted t cell epitopes. | computational prediction of hla class ii restricted t cell epitopes has great significance in many immunological studies including vaccine discovery. in recent years, prediction of hla class ii binding has improved significantly but a strategy to globally predict the most dominant epitopes has not been rigorously defined. using human immunogenicity data associated with sets of 15-mer peptides overlapping by 10 residues spanning over 30 different allergens and bacterial antigens, and hla class ii ... | 2015 | 25862607 |
| structure of cards toxin, a unique adp-ribosylating and vacuolating cytotoxin from mycoplasma pneumoniae. | mycoplasma pneumoniae (mp) infections cause tracheobronchitis and "walking" pneumonia, and are linked to asthma and other reactive airway diseases. as part of the infectious process, the bacterium expresses a 591-aa virulence factor with both mono-adp ribosyltransferase (mart) and vacuolating activities known as community-acquired respiratory distress syndrome toxin (cards tx). cards tx binds to human surfactant protein a and annexin a2 on airway epithelial cells and is internalized, leading to ... | 2015 | 25848012 |
| bordetella pertussis lipid a recognition by toll-like receptor 4 and md-2 is dependent on distinct charged and uncharged interfaces. | lipid a in lps activates innate immunity through the toll-like receptor 4 (tlr4)-md-2 complex on host cells. variation in lipid a has significant consequences for tlr4 activation and thus may be a means by which gram-negative bacteria modulate host immunity. however, although even minor changes in lipid a structure have been shown to affect downstream immune responses, the mechanism by which the tlr4-md-2 receptor complex recognizes these changes is not well understood. we previously showed that ... | 2015 | 25837248 |
| integrin engagement by the helical rgd motif of the helicobacter pylori cagl protein is regulated by ph-induced displacement of a neighboring helix. | arginine-aspartate-glycine (rgd) motifs are recognized by integrins to bridge cells to one another and the extracellular matrix. rgd motifs typically reside in exposed loop conformations. x-ray crystal structures of the helicobacter pylori protein cagl revealed that rgd motifs can also exist in helical regions of proteins. interactions between cagl and host gastric epithelial cell via integrins are required for the translocation of the bacterial oncoprotein caga. here, we have investigated the m ... | 2015 | 25837254 |
| systematic mutagenesis of genes encoding predicted autotransported proteins of burkholderia pseudomallei identifies factors mediating virulence in mice, net intracellular replication and a novel protein conferring serum resistance. | burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of the severe tropical disease melioidosis, which commonly presents as sepsis. the b. pseudomallei k96243 genome encodes eleven predicted autotransporters, a diverse family of secreted and outer membrane proteins often associated with virulence. in a systematic study of these autotransporters, we constructed insertion mutants in each gene predicted to encode an autotransporter and assessed them for three pathogenesis-associated phenotypes: virulen ... | 2015 | 25830295 |
| distinct roles of the repeat-containing regions and effector domains of the vibrio vulnificus multifunctional-autoprocessing repeats-in-toxin (martx) toxin. | vibrio vulnificus is a seafood-borne pathogen that destroys the intestinal epithelium, leading to rapid bacterial dissemination and death. the most important virulence factor is the multifunctional-autoprocessing repeats-in-toxin (martx) toxin comprised of effector domains in the center region flanked by long repeat-containing regions which are well conserved among martx toxins and predicted to translocate effector domains. here, we examined the role of the repeat-containing regions using a modi ... | 2015 | 25827415 |
| b-cell very late antigen-4 deficiency reduces leukocyte recruitment and susceptibility to central nervous system autoimmunity. | natalizumab, which binds very late antigen-4 (vla-4), is a potent therapy for multiple sclerosis (ms). studies have focused primarily upon its capacity to interfere with t-cell migration into the central nervous system (cns). b cells are important in ms pathogenesis and express high levels of vla-4. here, we report that the selective inhibition of vla-4 expression on b cells impedes cns accumulation of b cells, and recruitment of th17 cells and macrophages, and reduces susceptibility to experime ... | 2015 | 25712734 |
| evaluation of level of agreement in bordetella species identification in three u.s. laboratories during a period of increased pertussis. | while pcr is the most common method used for detecting bordetella pertussis in the united states, most laboratories use insertion sequence 481 (is481), which is not specific for b. pertussis; therefore, the relative contribution of other bordetella species is not understood. the objectives of this study were to evaluate the proportion of other bordetella species misidentified as b. pertussis during a period of increased pertussis incidence, determine the level of agreement in bordetella species ... | 2015 | 25809969 |
| the effect of daily co-trimoxazole prophylaxis on natural development of antibody-mediated immunity against p. falciparum malaria infection in hiv-exposed uninfected malawian children. | co-trimoxazole prophylaxis, currently recommended in hiv-exposed, uninfected (heu) children as protection against opportunistic infections, also has some anti-malarial efficacy. we determined whether daily co-trimoxazole prophylaxis affects the natural development of antibody-mediated immunity to blood-stage plasmodium falciparum malaria infection. | 2015 | 25807475 |
| seroprevalence of pertussis in the gambia: evidence for continued circulation of bordetella pertussis despite high vaccination rates. | bordetella pertussis can cause severe respiratory disease and death in children. in recent years, large outbreaks have occurred in high-income countries; however, little is known about pertussis incidence in sub-saharan africa. | 2015 | 25764094 |
| signatures of adaptation in human invasive salmonella typhimurium st313 populations from sub-saharan africa. | two lineages of salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium (s. typhimurium) of multi-locus sequence type st313 have been linked with the emergence of invasive salmonella disease across sub-saharan africa. the expansion of these lineages has a temporal association with the hiv pandemic and antibiotic usage. we analysed the whole genome sequence of 129 st313 isolates representative of the two lineages and found evidence of lineage-specific genome degradation, with some similarities to that observed i ... | 2015 | 25803844 |
| assessment of antibody level and avidity against bordetella pertussis in a cohort of egyptian individuals aged 1-18 years. | pertussis specific antibodies were studied with respect to quality and quantity in a cohort of apparently healthy egyptian children and adolescents, with their age range between 1 and 18 years, in an attempt to get a close and clear insight into the current humoral immunization status in this specified group and to try find a relation between the antibody levels and their avidities in eradication of this devastating infectious disease. our results showed that avidity increase was most marked in ... | 2015 | 26843976 |
| assessment of antibody level and avidity against bordetella pertussis in a cohort of egyptian individuals aged 1-18 years. | pertussis specific antibodies were studied with respect to quality and quantity in a cohort of apparently healthy egyptian children and adolescents, with their age range between 1 and 18 years, in an attempt to get a close and clear insight into the current humoral immunization status in this specified group and to try find a relation between the antibody levels and their avidities in eradication of this devastating infectious disease. our results showed that avidity increase was most marked in ... | 2015 | 26843976 |
| can we translate vitamin d immunomodulating effect on innate and adaptive immunity to vaccine response? | vitamin d (vitd), which is well known for its classic role in the maintenance of bone mineral density, has now become increasingly studied for its extra-skeletal roles. it has an important influence on the body's immune system and modulates both innate and adaptive immunity and regulates the inflammatory cascade. in this review our aim was to describe how vitd might influence immune responsiveness and its potential modulating role in vaccine immunogenicity. in the first instance, we consider the ... | 2015 | 25803545 |
| standardization of the experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (eamg) model by immunization of rats with torpedo californica acetylcholine receptors--recommendations for methods and experimental designs. | myasthenia gravis (mg) with antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (achr) is characterized by a chronic, fatigable weakness of voluntary muscles. the production of autoantibodies involves the dysregulation of t cells which provide the environment for the development of autoreactive b cells. the symptoms are caused by destruction of the postsynaptic membrane and degradation of the achr by igg autoantibodies, predominantly of the g1 and g3 subclasses. active immunization of animals with ach ... | 2015 | 25796590 |
| the primate autoimmune encephalomyelitis model; a bridge between mouse and man. | multiple sclerosis (ms) is an enigmatic autoimmune-driven inflammatory/demyelinating disease of the human central nervous system (cns), affecting brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. the cause of the disease is not known and the number of effective treatments is limited. despite some clear successes, translation of immunological discoveries in the mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (eae) model into effective therapies for ms patients has been difficult. this translation gap between ... | 2015 | 26000330 |
| local hopping mobile dna implicated in pseudogene formation and reductive evolution in an obligate cyanobacteria-plant symbiosis. | insertion sequences (iss) are approximately 1 kbp long "jumping" genes found in prokaryotes. iss encode the protein transposase, which facilitates the excision and reinsertion of iss in genomes, making these sequences a type of class i ("cut-and-paste") mobile genetic elements. iss are proposed to be involved in the reductive evolution of symbiotic prokaryotes. our previous sequencing of the genome of the cyanobacterium 'nostoc azollae' 0708, living in a tight perpetual symbiotic association wit ... | 2015 | 25885210 |
| structural determinants of the interaction between the tpsa and tpsb proteins in the haemophilus influenzae hmw1 two-partner secretion system. | the two-partner secretion (tps) pathway in gram-negative bacteria consists of a tpsa exoprotein and a cognate tpsb outer membrane pore-forming translocator protein. previous work has demonstrated that the tpsa protein contains an n-terminal tps domain that plays an important role in targeting the tpsb protein and is required for secretion. the nontypeable haemophilus influenzae hmw1 and hmw2 adhesins are homologous proteins that are prototype tpsa proteins and are secreted by the hmw1b and hmw2b ... | 2015 | 25777673 |
| fasciola hepatica fatty acid binding protein inhibits tlr4 activation and suppresses the inflammatory cytokines induced by lipopolysaccharide in vitro and in vivo. | tlr4, the innate immunity receptor for bacterial endotoxins, plays a pivotal role in the induction of inflammatory responses. there is a need to develop molecules that block either activation through tlr4 or the downstream signaling pathways to inhibit the storm of inflammation typically elicited by bacterial lps, which is a major cause of the high mortality associated with bacterial sepsis. we report in this article that a single i.p. injection of 15 μg fatty acid binding protein from fasciola ... | 2015 | 25780044 |
| immunization with an autotransporter protein of orientia tsutsugamushi provides protective immunity against scrub typhus. | scrub typhus is an acute febrile disease caused by orientia tsutsugamushi infection. recently, the rapid increase of scrub typhus incidence in several countries within the endemic region has become a serious public health issue. despite the wide range of preventative approaches that have been attempted in the past 70 years, all have failed to develop an effective prophylactic vaccine. currently, the selection of the proper antigens is one of the critical barriers to generating cross-protective i ... | 2015 | 25768004 |
| genome sequence of the urethral catheter isolate pseudomonas aeruginosa mh19. | pseudomonas aeruginosa is a frequent agent of complicated catheter-associated urinary tract infections (cautis). here, we present the improved 7.1-mb draft genome sequence of p. aeruginosa mh19, which was isolated from a patient with an acute hospital-acquired cauti. it includes unique genes not represented in other p. aeruginosa genomes. | 2015 | 25767242 |
| g protein-coupled receptor 35: an emerging target in inflammatory and cardiovascular disease. | g protein-coupled receptor 35 (gpr35) is an orphan receptor, discovered in 1998, that has garnered interest as a potential therapeutic target through its association with a range of diseases. however, a lack of pharmacological tools and the absence of convincingly defined endogenous ligands have hampered the understanding of function necessary to exploit it therapeutically. although several endogenous molecules can activate gpr35 none has yet been confirmed as the key endogenous ligand due to re ... | 2015 | 25805994 |
| transient intermediates in enzymology, 1964-2008. | | 2015 | 25752608 |
| pertussis post-exposure prophylaxis among household contacts: a cost-utility analysis. | recent pertussis outbreaks have prompted re-examination of post-exposure prophylaxis (pep) strategies, when immunization is not immediately protective. chemoprophylaxis is recommended to household contacts; however there are concerns of clinical failure and significant adverse events, especially with erythromycin among infants who have the highest disease burden. newer macrolides offer fewer side effects at higher drug costs. we sought to determine the cost-effectiveness of pep strategies from t ... | 2015 | 25747269 |
| demographic buffering: titrating the effects of birth rate and imperfect immunity on epidemic dynamics. | host demography can alter the dynamics of infectious disease. in the case of perfectly immunizing infections, observations of strong sensitivity to demographic variation have been mechanistically explained through analysis of the susceptible-infected-recovered (sir) model that assumes lifelong immunity following recovery from infection. when imperfect immunity is incorporated into this framework via the susceptible-infected-recovered-susceptible (sirs) model, with individuals regaining full susc ... | 2015 | 25589567 |
| choice and design of adjuvants for parenteral and mucosal vaccines. | the existence of pathogens that escape recognition by specific vaccines, the need to improve existing vaccines and the increased availability of therapeutic (non-infectious disease) vaccines necessitate the rational development of novel vaccine concepts based on the induction of protective cell-mediated immune responses. for naive t-cell activation, several signals resulting from innate and adaptive interactions need to be integrated, and adjuvants may interfere with some or all of these signals ... | 2015 | 26344951 |
| exploring the risk factors for sudden infant deaths and their role in inflammatory responses to infection. | the risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome (sids) parallel those associated with susceptibility to or severity of infectious diseases. there is no evidence that a single infectious agent is associated with sids; the common thread appears to be induction of inflammatory responses to infections. in this review, interactions between genetic and environmental risk factors for sids are assessed in relation to the hypothesis that many infant deaths result from dysregulation of inflammatory resp ... | 2015 | 25798137 |
| evidence that biosynthesis of the second and third sugars of the archaellin tetrasaccharide in the archaeon methanococcus maripaludis occurs by the same pathway used by pseudomonas aeruginosa to make a di-n-acetylated sugar. | methanococcus maripaludis has two surface appendages, archaella and type iv pili, which are composed of glycoprotein subunits. archaellins are modified with an n-linked tetrasaccharide with the structure sug-1,4-β-mannac3nama6thr-1,4-β-glcnac3naca-1,3-β-galnac, where sug is (5s)-2-acetamido-2,4-dideoxy-5-o-methyl-α-l-erythro-hexos-5-ulo-1,5-pyranose. the pilin glycan has an additional hexose attached to galnac. in this study, genes located in two adjacent, divergently transcribed operons (mmp035 ... | 2015 | 25733616 |
| virulence factors variation among bordetella pertussis isolates in iran. | | 2015 | 26261803 |
| il-17a expression in hiv-specific cd8 t cells is regulated by il-4/il-13 following hiv-1 prime-boost immunization. | although th1 and th2 cytokines can inhibit interleukin (il)-17-secreting t cells, how these cells are regulated under different infectious conditions is still debated. our previous studies have shown that vaccination of il-4 and il-13 gene knockout (ko) mice can induce high-avidity hiv k(d)gag197-205-specific cd8 t cells with better protective efficacy. in this study, when il-13, il-4, stat6 ko, and wild-type balb/c mice were prime-boost immunized with an hiv poxviral modality, elevated numbers ... | 2015 | 25493691 |
| an immunization update for hiv-infected adults in the united states: review of the literature. | | 2015 | 25665888 |
| discrete and structurally unique proteins (tāpirins) mediate attachment of extremely thermophilic caldicellulosiruptor species to cellulose. | a variety of catalytic and noncatalytic protein domains are deployed by select microorganisms to deconstruct lignocellulose. these extracellular proteins are used to attach to, modify, and hydrolyze the complex polysaccharides present in plant cell walls. cellulolytic enzymes, often containing carbohydrate-binding modules, are key to this process; however, these enzymes are not solely responsible for attachment. few mechanisms of attachment have been discovered among bacteria that do not form la ... | 2015 | 25720489 |
| factors affecting uptake of recommended immunizations among health care workers in south australia. | despite the benefits of vaccination for health care workers (hcws), uptake of recommended vaccinations is low, particularly for seasonal influenza and pertussis. in addition, there is variation in uptake within hospitals. while all vaccinations recommended for hcws are important, vaccination against influenza and pertussis are particularly imperative, given hcws are at risk of occupationally acquired influenza and pertussis, and may be asymptomatic, acting as a reservoir to vulnerable patients i ... | 2015 | 25715003 |
| pertussis models to inform vaccine policy. | pertussis remains a challenging public health problem with many aspects of infection, disease and immunity poorly understood. initially controlled by mass vaccination, pertussis resurgence has occurred in some countries with well-established vaccination programs, particularly among adolescents and young adults. several studies have used mathematical models to investigate drivers of pertussis epidemiology and predict the likely impact of different vaccination strategies. we reviewed a number of t ... | 2015 | 25714499 |
| retina-specific t regulatory cells bring about resolution and maintain remission of autoimmune uveitis. | experimental autoimmune uveitis (eau) induced in mice by immunization with the retinal ag interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (irbp) is a model of human autoimmune uveitis. we examined whether t regulatory cells (tregs) found in uveitic eyes are irbp specific, functionally suppressive, and play a role in natural resolution of disease and in maintenance of remission. progressive increase of foxp3(+) treg to t effector cell (teff) ratio in uveitic eyes correlated with resolution of disease ... | 2015 | 25716996 |
| inhibition of pasteurella multocida adhesion to rabbit respiratory epithelium using lectins. | this study aimed to evaluate the ability of a panel of lectins to inhibit the ability of pasteurella multocida to adhere to and affect the rabbit respiratory epithelium. nasal septa from rabbit fetuses were cultured with various lectins before the addition of p. multocida. the percentage of bacteria adhering to the epithelium was evaluated semiquantitatively by indirect immunoperoxidase (iip) staining. the goblet cells (gcs) were counted in semithin sections stained with toluidine blue and serve ... | 2015 | 25810949 |
| dose-response models for selected respiratory infectious agents: bordetella pertussis, group a streptococcus, rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus. | dose-response assessment is one step in quantitative microbial risk assessment (qmra). four infectious microbes capable of causing respiratory diseases important to public health, and for which dose-response functions have not been available are: bordetella pertussis (whooping cough), group a streptococcus (pharyngitis), rhinovirus (common cold) and respiratory syncytial virus (common cold). the objective of this study was to fit dose-response functions for these microbes to published experiment ... | 2015 | 25880210 |
| nuclear export inhibitors avert progression in preclinical models of inflammatory demyelination. | axonal damage has been associated with aberrant protein trafficking. we examined a newly characterized class of compounds that target nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling by binding to the catalytic groove of the nuclear export protein xpo1 (also known as crm1, chromosome region maintenance protein 1). oral administration of reversible crm1 inhibitors in preclinical murine models of demyelination significantly attenuated disease progression, even when started after the onset of paralysis. clinical effic ... | 2015 | 25706475 |
| role of exopolysaccharide in aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans-induced bone resorption in a rat model for periodontal disease. | aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans a causative agent of periodontal disease in humans, forms biofilm on biotic and abiotic surfaces. a. actinomycetemcomitans biofilm is heterogeneous in nature and is composed of proteins, extracellular dna and exopolysaccharide. to explore the role played by the exopolysaccharide in the colonization and disease progression, we employed genetic reduction approach using our rat model of a. actinomycetemcomitans-induced periodontitis. to this end, a genetically ... | 2015 | 25706999 |
| sudden infant death syndrome and the genetics of inflammation. | several studies report signs of slight infection prior to death in cases of sudden infant death syndrome (sids). based on this, a hypothesis of an altered immunological homeostasis has been postulated. the cytokines are important cellular mediators that are crucial for infant health by regulating cell activity during the inflammatory process. the pro-inflammatory cytokines favor inflammation; the most important of these are il-1α, il-1β, il-6, il-8, il-12, il-18, tnf-α, and ifn-γ. these cytokine ... | 2015 | 25750641 |
| whole-genome sequence of a bordetella pertussis brazilian vaccine strain. | despite the reduction in incidence after vaccination, pertussis disease is still considered a public health problem worldwide, mainly due to recent and potential new outbreaks. we report here the complete genome of the bordetella pertussis butantan strain used in the brazilian national immunization program as a whole-cell pertussis antigen to compose vaccines such as dtwp (diphtheria, tetanus, and whole-cell pertussis). | 2015 | 25700409 |
| β-hydroxybutyric sodium salt inhibition of growth hormone and prolactin secretion via the camp/pka/creb and ampk signaling pathways in dairy cow anterior pituitary cells. | β-hydroxybutyric acid (bhba) regulates the synthesis and secretion of growth hormone (gh) and prolactin (prl), but its mechanism is unknown. in this study, we detected the effects of bhba on the activities of g protein signaling pathways, ampk-α activity, gh, and prl gene transcription, and gh and prl secretion in dairy cow anterior pituitary cells (dcapcs). the results showed that bhba decreased intracellular camp levels and a subsequent reduction in protein kinase a (pka) activity. inhibition ... | 2015 | 25690038 |
| vaccination in children with allergy to non active vaccine components. | childhood immunisation is one of the greatest public health successes of the last century. vaccines contain an active component (the antigen) which induces the immune response. they may also contain additional components such as preservatives, additives, adjuvants and traces of other substances. this review provides information about risks of hypersensitivity reactions to components of vaccines. furthermore, recommendations to avoid or reduce reactions to vaccine components have been detailed. | 2015 | 25852819 |
| transcriptional profiling of bordetella pertussis reveals requirement of rna chaperone hfq for type iii secretion system functionality. | bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of human whooping cough (pertussis) produces a complex array of virulence factors in order to establish efficient infection in the host. the rna chaperone hfq and small regulatory rnas are key players in posttranscriptional regulation in bacteria and have been shown to play an essential role in virulence of a broad spectrum of bacterial pathogens. this study represents the first attempt to characterize the hfq regulon of the human pathogen b. pertussis u ... | 2015 | 25674816 |
| biographical feature: raymond c. bartlett, m.d. | | 2015 | 25673787 |
| characterization of interactions between inclusion membrane proteins from chlamydia trachomatis. | chlamydiae are obligate intracellular pathogens of eukaryotes. the bacteria grow in an intracellular vesicle called an inclusion, the membrane of which is heavily modified by chlamydial proteins called incs (inclusion membrane proteins). incs represent 7-10% of the genomes of chlamydia and, given their localization at the interface between the host and the pathogen, likely play a key role in the development and pathogenesis of the bacterium. however, their functions remain largely unknown. here, ... | 2015 | 25717440 |
| multiple driving forces required for efficient secretion of autotransporter virulence proteins. | autotransporter (at) proteins are a broad class of virulence proteins from gram-negative bacterial pathogens that require their own c-terminal transmembrane domain to translocate their n-terminal passenger across the bacterial outer membrane (om). but given the unavailability of atp or a proton gradient across the om, it is unknown what energy source(s) drives this process. here we used a combination of computational and experimental approaches to quantitatively compare proposed at om translocat ... | 2015 | 25670852 |
| high-affinity σ1 protein agonist reduces clinical and pathological signs of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. | selective agonists of the sigma-1 receptor (σ1 protein) are generally reported to protect against neuronal damage and modulate oligodendrocyte differentiation. human and rodent lymphocytes possess saturable, high-affinity binding sites for compounds binding to the σ1 protein and potential immunomodulatory properties have been described for σ1 protein ligands. experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (eae) is recognized as a valuable model of the inflammatory aspects of multiple sclerosis (ms). ... | 2015 | 25521311 |
| dna recognition by escherichia coli cbpa protein requires a conserved arginine-minor-groove interaction. | curved dna binding protein a (cbpa) is a co-chaperone and nucleoid associated dna binding protein conserved in most γ-proteobacteria. best studied in escherichia coli, cbpa accumulates to >2500 copies per cell during periods of starvation and forms aggregates with dna. however, the molecular basis for dna binding is unknown; cbpa lacks motifs found in other bacterial dna binding proteins. here, we have used a combination of genetics and biochemistry to elucidate the mechanism of dna recognition ... | 2015 | 25670677 |
| identification and functional characterization of the novel edwardsiella tarda effector esej. | edwardsiella tarda is a gram-negative enteric pathogen that causes hemorrhagic septicemia in fish and gastro- and extraintestinal infections in humans. the type iii secretion system (t3ss) of e. tarda has been identified as a key virulence factor that contributes to pathogenesis in fish. however, little is known about the associated effectors translocated by this t3ss. in this study, by comparing the profile of secreted proteins of the wild-type ppd130/91 and its t3ss atpase δesan mutant, we ide ... | 2015 | 25667268 |
| retrospective study of the clinical epidemiological characteristics of pertussis in infants prior to their first vaccination in the russian federation. | the coverage of pediatric pertussis vaccination in the russian federation is high, generally using a diphtheria, tetanus, and whole-cell pertussis vaccine in a 3-, 4.5-, and 6-month primary series and with a booster at 18 months of age. however, with no registered pertussis vaccines for adults, unvaccinated adolescents and adults can be a major source of infection of infants under 3 months of age. | 2015 | 25663041 |
| pertussis outbreak in university students and evaluation of acellular pertussis vaccine effectiveness in japan. | recent studies worldwide have reported increasing numbers of adults diagnosed with bordetella pertussis despite receiving childhood vaccinations. this study describes a pertussis outbreak at a university medical faculty campus and examines the effectiveness of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (dtap) vaccination completed during infancy in japan. | 2015 | 25656486 |
| ifn-β treatment requires b cells for efficacy in neuroautoimmunity. | ifn-β remains the most widely prescribed treatment for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. despite widespread use of ifn-β, the therapeutic mechanism is still partially understood. particularly, the clinical relevance of increased b cell activity during ifn-β treatment is unclear. in this article, we show that ifn-β pushes some b cells into a transitional, regulatory population that is a critical mechanism for therapy. ifn-β treatment increases the absolute number of regulatory cd19(+)cd24(+ ... | 2015 | 25646307 |
| research on bacterial virulence in the developing countries. | | 2015 | 25713813 |
| n-terminal and c-terminal domains of calmodulin mediate fadd and tradd interaction. | fadd (fas-associated death domain) and tradd (tumor necrosis factor receptor 1-associated death domain) proteins are important regulators of cell fate in mammalian cells. they are both involved in death receptors mediated signaling pathways and have been linked to the toll-like receptor family and innate immunity. here we identify and characterize by database search analysis, mutagenesis and calmodulin (cam) pull-down assays a calcium-dependent cam binding site in the α-helices 1-2 of tradd deat ... | 2015 | 25643035 |
| detection of impaired igg antibody formation facilitates the decision on early immunoglobulin replacement in hypogammaglobulinemic patients. | hypogammaglobulinemia (serum igg lower than 2 sd below the age-matched mean) and clinical symptoms such as increased susceptibility to infection, autoimmune manifestations, granulomatous disease, and unexplained polyclonal lymphoproliferation are considered to be diagnostic hallmarks in patients with common variable immunodeficiency (cvid), the most frequent clinically severe primary immunodeficiency syndrome. in the present study, we investigated patients with hypogammaglobulinemia and no clini ... | 2015 | 25699049 |
| preliminary study on the immunogenicity of a newly developed gcc tdap vaccine and its protection efficacy against bordetella pertussis in a murine intranasal challenge model. | active reduced dose tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (tdap) vaccination for adolescents and adults is necessary because waning immunity after primary diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccination is related to the recent emergence of pertussis. this study was conducted to compare the immunogenicity and protection efficacy against bordetella pertussis between a new gcc tdap vaccine and a commercially available tdap vaccine in a murine model. | 2015 | 25649262 |
| association between sudden infant death syndrome and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis immunisation: an ecological study. | sudden infant death syndrome (sids) continues to be one of the main causes of infant mortality in the united states. the objective of this study was to analyse the association between diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dtp) immunisation and sids over time. | 2015 | 25626628 |
| sustained macrophage infiltration upon multiple intra-articular injections: an improved rat model of rheumatoid arthritis for pet guided therapy evaluation. | to widen the therapeutic window for pet guided evaluation of novel anti-ra agents, modifications were made in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis (ra). arthritis was induced in the right knee of wistar rats with repeated boosting to prolong articular inflammation. the contralateral knee served as control. after immunization with methylated bovine serum albumin (mbsa) in complete freund's adjuvant and custom bordetella pertussis antigen, one or more intra-articular (i.a.) mbsa injections were giv ... | 2015 | 25695087 |
| bordetella pertussis fim3 gene regulation by bvga: phosphorylation controls the formation of inactive vs. active transcription complexes. | two-component systems [sensor kinase/response regulator (rr)] are major tools used by microorganisms to adapt to environmental conditions. rr phosphorylation is typically required for gene activation, but few studies have addressed how and if phosphorylation affects specific steps during transcription initiation. we characterized transcription complexes made with rna polymerase and the bordetella pertussis rr, bvga, in its nonphosphorylated or phosphorylated (bvga∼p) state at p(fim3), the promot ... | 2015 | 25624471 |
| mycoplasma pneumoniae detection causes excess antibiotic use in norwegian general practice: a retrospective case-control study. | the 2011 mycoplasma pneumoniae epidemic in norway resulted in many gp consultations and significantly increased the prescription of macrolide antibiotics. | 2015 | 25624311 |
| clinical presentation and microbiological diagnosis in paediatric respiratory tract infection: a systematic review. | antibiotic prescribing decisions for respiratory tract infection (rti) in primary care could be improved if clinicians could target bacterial infections. however, there are currently no evidence-based diagnostic rules to identify microbial aetiology in children presenting with acute rtis. | 2015 | 25624310 |
| characterization of co-purified acellular pertussis vaccines. | whole-cell pertussis vaccines (wpvs) have been completely replaced by the co-purified acellular vaccines (apvs) in china. to date few laboratory studies were reported for co-purified apvs in terms of their antigenic composition and protective immune responses. to further understand the antigenic composition in co-purified apvs, in the present study 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis-based proteomic technology was used to analyze the composition of co-purified apvs. the results showed that besides ... | 2015 | 25610957 |
| combating pertussis resurgence: one booster vaccination schedule does not fit all. | pertussis has reemerged as a major public health concern in many countries where it was once considered well controlled. although the mechanisms responsible for continued pertussis circulation and resurgence remain elusive and contentious, many countries have nevertheless recommended booster vaccinations, the timing and number of which vary widely. here, using a stochastic, age-stratified transmission model, we searched for cost-effective booster vaccination strategies using a genetic algorithm. ... | 2015 | 25605878 |
| neutrophil-related factors as biomarkers in eae and ms. | a major function of t helper (th) 17 cells is to induce the production of factors that activate and mobilize neutrophils. although th17 cells have been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (ms) and the animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (eae), little attention has been focused on the role of granulocytes in those disorders. we show that neutrophils, as well as monocytes, expand in the bone marrow and accumulate in the circulation before the clinical onset of e ... | 2015 | 25559893 |
| fap2 of fusobacterium nucleatum is a galactose-inhibitable adhesin involved in coaggregation, cell adhesion, and preterm birth. | fusobacterium nucleatum is a common oral anaerobe involved in periodontitis that is known to translocate and cause intrauterine infections. in the oral environment, f. nucleatum adheres to a large diversity of species, facilitating their colonization and creating biological bridges that stabilize the multispecies dental biofilm. many of these interactions (called coadherences or coaggregations) are galactose sensitive. galactose-sensitive interactions are also involved in the binding of f. nucle ... | 2015 | 25561710 |
| approach to a child with recurrent pneumonia. | pneumonia, or inflammation of the lungs parenchyma associated with consolidation of alveolar spaces, is a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood particularly among children below 5 years of age. it is one of the common causes of admission to the paediatric ward. the aim of this article is to provide a guide to a systemic approach for diagnosis and treatment of children with recurrent pneumonia while not over investigating those with common but usually unrecognised conditions s ... | 2015 | 27493439 |
| high seroprevalence of bordetella pertussis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a case-control study. | bordetella pertussis has been suggested to take part in the acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd). the aim of this study was to investigate the association between b. pertussis and copd. | 2015 | 26858762 |
| infantile apparent life-threatening events, an educational review. | many physicians have received a frantic call from anxious parents stating that their child had stopped breathing, become limp, or turned blue but then had recovered quickly. an apparent life-threatening event (alte) is defined as "an episode that is frightening to the observer, and is characterized by some combination of apnea, color change, marked change in muscle tone, choking, gagging, or coughing". the incidence of alte is reported to be 0.05% to 6%. the knowledge about the most common cause ... | 2015 | 26512363 |
| loss of nrf2 exacerbates the visual deficits and optic neuritis elicited by experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. | optic neuritis, inflammation of the optic nerve, is experienced by most patients with multiple sclerosis (ms) and is typically characterized by episodes of acute, monocular vision loss. these episodes of inflammation can lead to damage or degeneration of the retinal ganglion cells (rgcs), the axons of which comprise the optic nerve. experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (eae) is a well-established model of ms in which mice are immunized to produce a neuroautoimmunity that recapitulates the c ... | 2016 | 28050123 |
| mucosal vaccine development based on liposome technology. | immune protection against infectious diseases is most effective if located at the portal of entry of the pathogen. hence, there is an increasing demand for vaccine formulations that can induce strong protective immunity following oral, respiratory, or genital tract administration. at present, only few mucosal vaccines are found on the market, but recent technological advancements and a better understanding of the principles that govern priming of mucosal immune responses have contributed to a mo ... | 2016 | 28127567 |
| minimizing proteome redundancy in the uniprot knowledgebase. | advances in high-throughput sequencing have led to an unprecedented growth in genome sequences being submitted to biological databases. in particular, the sequencing of large numbers of nearly identical bacterial genomes during infection outbreaks and for other large-scale studies has resulted in a high level of redundancy in nucleotide databases and consequently in the uniprot knowledgebase (uniprotkb). redundancy negatively impacts on database searches by causing slower searches, an increase i ... | 2016 | 28025334 |
| identification of dietzia spp. from cardiac tissue by 16s rrna pcr in a patient with culture-negative device-associated endocarditis: a case report and review of the literature. | the genus dietzia was recently distinguished from other actinomycetes such as rhodococcus. while these organisms are known to be distributed widely in the environment, over the past decade several novel species have been described and isolated from human clinical specimens. here we describe the identification of dietzia natronolimnaea/d. cercidiphylli by pcr amplification and sequencing of the 16s rrna encoding gene from cardiac tissue in a patient with culture-negative device-associated endocar ... | 2016 | 28101387 |
| complete genome sequences of four bordetella pertussis vaccine reference strains from serum institute of india. | serum institute of india is among the world's largest vaccine producers. here, we report the complete genome sequences for four bordetella pertussis strains used by serum institute of india in the production of whole-cell pertussis vaccines. | 2016 | 28007855 |
| impact and influence of the natural vibrio-squid symbiosis in understanding bacterial-animal interactions. | animals are colonized by bacteria, and in many cases partners have co-evolved to perform mutually beneficial functions. an exciting and ongoing legacy of the past decade has been an expansion of technology to enable study of natural associations in situ/in vivo. as a result, more symbioses are being examined, and additional details are being revealed for well-studied systems with a focus on the interactions between partners in the native context. with this framing, we review recent literature fr ... | 2016 | 28018314 |
| interaction with adenylate cyclase toxin from bordetella pertussis affects the metal binding properties of calmodulin. | adenylate cyclase toxin domain (cyaa-acd) is a calmodulin (cam)-dependent adenylate cyclase involved in bordetella pertussis pathogenesis. calcium (ca(2+)) and magnesium (mg(2+)) concentrations impact cam-dependent cyaa-acd activation, but the structural mechanisms remain unclear. in this study, nmr, dynamic light scattering, and native page were used to probe mg(2+)-induced transitions in cam's conformation in the presence of cyaa-acd. mg(2+) binding was localized to sites i and ii, while sites ... | 2016 | 28097085 |
| interaction with adenylate cyclase toxin from bordetella pertussis affects the metal binding properties of calmodulin. | adenylate cyclase toxin domain (cyaa-acd) is a calmodulin (cam)-dependent adenylate cyclase involved in bordetella pertussis pathogenesis. calcium (ca(2+)) and magnesium (mg(2+)) concentrations impact cam-dependent cyaa-acd activation, but the structural mechanisms remain unclear. in this study, nmr, dynamic light scattering, and native page were used to probe mg(2+)-induced transitions in cam's conformation in the presence of cyaa-acd. mg(2+) binding was localized to sites i and ii, while sites ... | 2016 | 28097085 |
| tolerance checkpoint bypass permits emergence of pathogenic t cells to neuromyelitis optica autoantigen aquaporin-4. | aquaporin-4 (aqp4)-specific t cells are expanded in neuromyelitis optica (nmo) patients and exhibit th17 polarization. however, their pathogenic role in cns autoimmune inflammatory disease is unclear. although multiple aqp4 t-cell epitopes have been identified in wt c57bl/6 mice, we observed that neither immunization with those determinants nor transfer of donor t cells targeting them caused cns autoimmune disease in recipient mice. in contrast, robust proliferation was observed following immuni ... | 2016 | 27940915 |
| actin activates pseudomonas aeruginosa exoy nucleotidyl cyclase toxin and exoy-like effector domains from martx toxins. | the nucleotidyl cyclase toxin exoy is one of the virulence factors injected by the pseudomonas aeruginosa type iii secretion system into host cells. inside cells, it is activated by an unknown eukaryotic cofactor to synthesize various cyclic nucleotide monophosphates. exoy-like adenylate cyclases are also found in multifunctional-autoprocessing repeats-in-toxin (martx) toxins produced by various gram-negative pathogens. here we demonstrate that filamentous actin (f-actin) is the hitherto unknown ... | 2016 | 27917880 |
| seroprevalence of bordetella pertussis specific immunoglobulin g antibody levels among asymptomatic individuals aged 4 to 24 years: a descriptive cross sectional study from sri lanka. | in sri lanka pertussis continues to circulate in the community and cases among adolescents and adults have been reported despite 95% coverage of the four dose pertussis vaccination during early childhood. waning of immunity following natural infection or immunization may contribute to the persistent circulation. an adolescent booster dose is not included in the national immunization schedule of sri lanka, although this is routine practice in many countries. therefore information on immunity to p ... | 2016 | 27905894 |
| crystal structure of chitinase chiw from paenibacillus sp. str. fpu-7 reveals a novel type of bacterial cell-surface-expressed multi-modular enzyme machinery. | the gram-positive bacterium paenibacillus sp. str. fpu-7 effectively hydrolyzes chitin by using a number of chitinases. a unique chitinase with two catalytic domains, chiw, is expressed on the cell surface of this bacterium and has high activity towards various chitins, even crystalline chitin. here, the crystal structure of chiw at 2.1 å resolution is presented and describes how the enzyme degrades chitin on the bacterial cell surface. the crystal structure revealed a unique multi-modular archi ... | 2016 | 27907169 |
| bordetella pertussis outer membrane vesicle vaccine confers equal efficacy in mice with milder inflammatory responses compared to a whole-cell vaccine. | the demand for improved pertussis vaccines is urgent due to the resurgence of whooping cough. a deeper understanding of the mode of action of pertussis vaccines is required to achieve this improvement. the vaccine-induced effects of a candidate outer membrane vesicle vaccine (omvpv) and a classical protective but reactogenic whole cell vaccine (wpv) were comprehensively compared in mice. the comparison revealed essential qualitative and quantitative differences with respect to immunogenicity and ... | 2016 | 27905535 |
| cysteine-mediated gene expression and characterization of the cmbr regulon in streptococcus pneumoniae. | in this study, we investigated the transcriptomic response of streptococcus pneumoniae d39 to cysteine. transcriptome comparison of the d39 wild-type grown at a restricted concentration of cysteine (0.03 mm) to one grown at a high concentration of cysteine (50 mm) in chemically-defined medium (cdm) revealed elevated expression of various genes/operons, i.e., spd-0150, metq, spd-0431, metef, gsht, spd-0618, fhs, tcyb, metb-csd, meta, spd-1898, yvde, and cysk, likely to be involved in the transpor ... | 2016 | 27990139 |
| fulminant ecchymosis as the initial manifestation of antiphospholipid syndrome (aps) triggered by respiratory syncytial virus (rsv) infection: a case report and review of the literature. | we present a unique and informative instance of respiratory syncytial virus (rsv) infection associated with antiphospholipid syndrome (aps), and discuss this case in the context of the literature addressing the immunopathogenesis of aps associated with diverse infections. we describe the case of a 43-year-old man with no significant past medical history who presented with the acute onset of fever, hemoptysis, and extensive bullous, ecchymotic lesions in both lower extremities. punch biopsy of th ... | 2016 | 27920986 |