| the urokinase receptor can be induced by borrelia burgdorferi through receptors of the innate immune system. | monocytic cells exposed to borrelia burgdorferi, through unknown receptors, overexpress the urokinase receptor (upar), a key mediator of the plasminogen activation system. we show that combined blockade of cd14 and tlr2 causes a significant inhibition of b. burgdorferi-induced upar in mono mac 6 (mm6) cells. other pattern recognition receptors tested (cd11b/cd18, the mannose receptor, and the n-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine receptor) did not have demonstrated roles in b. burgdorferi-medi ... | 2003 | 14500474 |
| seroprevalence of and risk factors for leptospiral antibodies among cattle in the state of yucatan, mexico. | sera obtained from cattle in the state of yucatan, mexico, were screened using the microscopic agglutination test against 13 serovars of leptospira interrogans. a total of 62.8% (461/734) cows were positive for one or more serovars. this seroprevalence probably reflects infection because vaccination against leptospirosis has not been practised in yucatan. the most common antibodies detected were those against antigens of serovars hardjo (54.1%) and tarassovi (53.3%). region was the only risk fac ... | 2003 | 14509536 |
| hantavirus infection in humans and rodents, northwestern argentina. | we initiated a study to elucidate the ecology and epidemiology of hantavirus infections in northern argentina. the northwestern hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (hps)-endemic area of argentina comprises salta and jujuy provinces. between 1997 and 2000, 30 hps cases were diagnosed in jujuy province (population 512,329). most patients had a mild clinical course, and the death rate (13.3%) was low. we performed a serologic and epidemiologic survey in residents of the area, in conjunction with a serolo ... | 2003 | 14519242 |
| prevalence of leptospira and brucella antibodies in wild boars (sus scrofa) in tuscany, italy. | five hundred sixty-two blood samples were collected from wild boars (sus scrofa) shot in six districts of tuscany, central italy, between 1997 and 2000. sera were examined for antibodies specific for leptospira interrogans by microagglutination test and brucella spp. by the rose bengal test and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. thirty-four (6.0%) samples tested positive for anti-leptospira antibodies, 29 (5.1%) sera were positive for anti-l. interrogans serovar bratislava antibodies (t ... | 2003 | 14567237 |
| humoral immune response to infectious agents in aborted bovine fetuses in argentina. | the purpose of this study was to characterize the exposure of bovine aborted fetuses from beef and dairy herds of the humid pampas of argentina to different infectious agents by the evaluation of fetal fluid antibodies. presence of fetal antibodies to bovine viral diarrhea virus genotype 1 (bvdv-1), bovine herpes virus type 1 (bhv-1), leptospira interrogans, brucella abortus, and neospora caninum was determined. of the 95 fetuses processed, 66 came from 49 beef herds and 29 from 12 dairy herds. ... | 2003 | 14587376 |
| two paralogous families of a two-gene subtilisin operon are widely distributed in oral treponemes. | certain oral treponemes express a highly proteolytic phenotype and have been associated with periodontal diseases. the periodontal pathogen treponema denticola produces dentilisin, a serine protease of the subtilisin family. the two-gene operon prca-prtp is required for expression of active dentilisin (prtp), a putative lipoprotein attached to the treponeme's outer membrane or sheath. the purpose of this study was to examine the diversity and structure of treponemal subtilisin-like proteases in ... | 2003 | 14617650 |
| products transcribed from rearranged rrn genes of escherichia coli can assemble to form functional ribosomes. | to examine the flexibility of rrna operons with respect to fundamental organization, transcription, processing, and assembly of ribosomes, operon variations were introduced by a plasmid into an escherichia coli strain that has deletions of all chromosomal copies of rrna genes. in the reconstructed operons, a salmonella intervening sequence (ivs) from 23s helix 45 was introduced into the e. coli 23s gene at the same position. three different constructs of the e. coli 16s gene were then placed who ... | 2003 | 14617656 |
| leptospirosis: a zoonotic disease of global importance. | in the past decade, leptospirosis has emerged as a globally important infectious disease. it occurs in urban environments of industrialised and developing countries, as well as in rural regions worldwide. mortality remains significant, related both to delays in diagnosis due to lack of infrastructure and adequate clinical suspicion, and to other poorly understood reasons that may include inherent pathogenicity of some leptospiral strains or genetically determined host immunopathological response ... | 2003 | 14652202 |
| new connections in the prokaryotic toxin-antitoxin network: relationship with the eukaryotic nonsense-mediated rna decay system. | several prokaryotic plasmids maintain themselves in their hosts by means of diverse post-segregational cell killing systems. recent findings suggest that chromosomally encoded copies of toxins and antitoxins of post-segregational cell killing systems - such as the rele system - might function as regulatory switches under stress conditions. the rele toxin cleaves ribosome-associated transcripts, whereas another post-segregational cell killing toxin, pare, functions as a gyrase inhibitor. | 2003 | 14659018 |
| metabolic reconstruction of sulfur assimilation in the extremophile acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans based on genome analysis. | acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is a gamma-proteobacterium that lives at ph2 and obtains energy by the oxidation of sulfur and iron. it is used in the biomining industry for the recovery of metals and is one of the causative agents of acid mine drainage. effective tools for the study of its genetics and physiology are not in widespread use and, despite considerable effort, an understanding of its unusual physiology remains at a rudimentary level. nearly complete genome sequences of a. ferrooxidan ... | 2003 | 14675496 |
| the spirochetal chpk-chromosomal toxin-antitoxin locus induces growth inhibition of yeast and mycobacteria. | toxin-antitoxin systems encoded by bacterial plasmids and chromosomes typically consist of a toxin that inhibits growth of the host cell and a specific antitoxin. in this report, the chpk gene from the chromosomal toxin-antitoxin locus of the spirochete leptospira interrogans was studied in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. cloning of the the spirochetal chpk gene into a mycobacterial expressing vector led to dramatic reductions of transformation efficiency in both mycobacterium smegmatis ... | 2003 | 14680711 |
| co-crystallization of leptospira interrogans peptide deformylase with a potent inhibitor and molecular-replacement schemes with eight subunits in an asymmetric unit. | translation initiation in eubacteria involves a formylmethionine at the n-terminus of newly synthesized polypeptides. this n-formyl group is removed by peptide deformylase (pdf) during the post-translation process. such a formylation/deformylation cycle is essential for the cell survival of eubacteria, but is not utilized in eukaryotic cytosolic protein biosynthesis. in view of the absence of deformylase activity in mammalian cells, this is an attractive target for the design of novel antibiotic ... | 2004 | 14684909 |
| neisseria meningitidis lipooligosaccharide structure-dependent activation of the macrophage cd14/toll-like receptor 4 pathway. | meningococcal lipopoly(oligo)saccharide (los) is a major inflammatory mediator of fulminant meningococcal sepsis and meningitis. highly purified wild-type meningococcal los and los from genetically defined mutants of neisseria meningitidis that contained specific mutations in los biosynthesis pathways were used to confirm that meningococcal los activation of macrophages was cd14/toll-like receptor 4 (tlr4)-md-2 dependent and to elucidate the los structural requirement for tlr4 activation. expres ... | 2004 | 14688118 |
| host-inducible immunogenic sphingomyelinase-like protein, lk73.5, of leptospira interrogans. | leptospira interrogans causes a variety of clinical syndromes in animals and humans. although much information has accumulated on the importance of leptospiral lipopolysaccharide in protective antibody responses, relatively little is known about proteins that participate in immune responses. identification of those proteins induced only in the host is particularly difficult. using a novel double-antibody screen designed to identify clones in a gene library of l. interrogans serovar pomona expres ... | 2004 | 14742516 |
| [a case of acute pancreatitis due to weil's disease]. | leptospirosis, the most common vasculitic zoonosis in the world, is characterized with jaundice and acute renal failure. however, pancreatitis is an uncommon complication of leptospirosis. in this report, an acute pancreatitis case due to weil's disease has been presented. a 31-year-old female patient with high levels of glucose, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, creatine kinase, bilirubin, amylase and lipase, has been diagnosed to have leptospirosis by the high positive result (1/800) of microsc ... | 2003 | 14748267 |
| [distribution of virulence associated genes among strains of leptospira]. | to analyze factors related to the virulence associated genes of leptospires. | 2003 | 14761630 |
| proteomic analysis of the sarcosine-insoluble outer membrane fraction of helicobacter pylori strain 26695. | helicobacter pylori causes gastroduodenal disease, which is mediated in part by its outer membrane proteins (omps). to identify omps of h. pylori strain 26695, we performed a proteomic analysis. a sarcosine-insoluble outer membrane fraction was resolved by two-dimensional electrophoresis with immobilized ph gradient strips. most of the protein spots, with molecular masses of 10 to 100 kda, were visible on the gel in the alkaline pi regions (6.0 to 10.0). the proteome of the omps was analyzed by ... | 2004 | 14761989 |
| aneruptive fever associated with antibodies to rickettsia helvetica in europe and thailand. | we report that eight patients from france, italy, and thailand had serological evidence of rickettsia helvetica infection. the infection presented as a mild disease in the warm season and was associated with fever, headache, and myalgia but not with a cutaneous rash. r. helvetica should be suspected in patients with unexplained fever, especially following a bite from an ixodes sp. tick. | 2004 | 14766859 |
| markedly prolonged jaundice from simultaneous infection with hepatitis e virus and leptospira. | we treated a patient simultaneously infected with hepatitis e virus and leptospira interrogans, both acquired in china. severe hyperbilirubinemia required nearly 200 days to resolve, transminase elevation showed a fluctuating course, and liver biopsy specimens showed fibrosis unusual for hepatitis e. leptospirosis appeared to have altered the course of hepatitis e virus infection in this patient, even though infection with leptospira was cleared with antibiotics by 50 days after the onset of the ... | 2003 | 14768480 |
| an indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of bovine antibodies to multiple leptospira serovars. | an indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was developed for the detection of bovine antibodies to multiple pathogenic leptospira serovars, including canicola, copenhageni (represents icterohaemorrhagiae), grippotyphosa, hardjobovis, pomona, and sejroe. the antigen utilized in this assay was a sonicated mixture of equal parts of killed whole cells of each of the 6 serovars named above. a mouse monoclonal antibody against bovine immunoglobulin (ig)g1 that was conjugated with horseradish peroxi ... | 2004 | 14979428 |
| alveolar septal deposition of immunoglobulin and complement parallels pulmonary hemorrhage in a guinea pig model of severe pulmonary leptospirosis. | human patients suffering from leptospirosis present with a diverse array of clinical manifestations, including the more severe and often fatal pulmonary form of the disease. the etiology of pulmonary hemorrhage is unclear. isolates of leptospira acquired from patients suffering from pulmonary hemorrhage were used to develop a guinea pig model of pulmonary hemorrhage. gross findings post-infection confirmed extensive hemorrhage in the lungs and on peritoneal surfaces as the likely cause of death. ... | 2004 | 14982864 |
| determination of the genus-specific antigens in outer membrane proteins from the strains of leptospira interrogans and leptospira biflexa with different virulence. | to determine the existence of genus-specific antigens in outer membrane proteins (omps) of leptospira with different virulence. | 2004 | 14994438 |
| phosphatidylethanolamine is not essential for growth of sinorhizobium meliloti on complex culture media. | in addition to phosphatidylglycerol (pg), cardiolipin (cl), and phosphatidylethanolamine (pe), sinorhizobium meliloti also possesses phosphatidylcholine (pc) as a major membrane lipid. the biosynthesis of pc in s. meliloti can occur via two different routes, either via the phospholipid n-methylation pathway, in which pe is methylated three times in order to obtain pc, or via the phosphatidylcholine synthase (pcs) pathway, in which choline is condensed with cdp-diacylglycerol to obtain pc directl ... | 2004 | 14996797 |
| visualization of the phylogenetic content of five genomes using dekapentagonal maps. | the methods presented here summarize phylogenetic relationships of genomes in visually appealing and informative figures. dekapentagonal maps depict phylogenetic information for orthologous genes present in five genomes, and provide a pre-screen for putatively horizontally transferred genes. if the majority of individual gene phylogenies are unresolved, bipartition histograms provide a means of uncovering and analyzing the plurality consensus. analyses of genomes representing five photosynthetic ... | 2004 | 15003123 |
| comparative genomics of two leptospira interrogans serovars reveals novel insights into physiology and pathogenesis. | leptospira species colonize a significant proportion of rodent populations worldwide and produce life-threatening infections in accidental hosts, including humans. complete genome sequencing of leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni and comparative analysis with the available leptospira interrogans serovar lai genome reveal that despite overall genetic similarity there are significant structural differences, including a large chromosomal inversion and extensive variation in the number and di ... | 2004 | 15028702 |
| effect of bovine viral diarrhea virus infection on fertility of dairy heifers. | a prospective field study in heifers from birth to first breeding was undertaken on two commercial dairies to assess the effect of bovine viral diarrhea virus (bvdv) congenital and post-natal infection (pni) on fertility. a high bvdv type 2 antibody titer (1:4096) at 10 months of age was associated with 32 more days to conceive, compared with a low titer (1:128). conversely, infection with bvdv by 5-6 months of age and high bvdv type 2 titers 1 month before conception or breeding was associated ... | 2004 | 15036997 |
| production of tumor necrosis factor alpha by treponema pallidum, borrelia burgdorferi s.l., and leptospira interrogans in isolated rat kupffer cells. | stimulation of isolated rat kupffer cells by viable leptospira interrogans, treponema pallidum and borrelia garinii elicited cellular responses resulting in the release of different tumor necrosis factor alpha (tnf-alpha) levels, depending on the spirochetes. l. interrogans induced tnf-alpha levels higher than those achieved with b. garinii and t. pallidum (in this order), but lower than the levels achieved with lipopolysaccharide (lps). in contrast to l. interrogans, pretreatment of borreliae a ... | 2004 | 15039093 |
| a methylated phosphate group and four amide-linked acyl chains in leptospira interrogans lipid a. the membrane anchor of an unusual lipopolysaccharide that activates tlr2. | leptospira interrogans differs from other spirochetes in that it contains homologs of all the escherichia coli lpx genes required for the biosynthesis of the lipid a anchor of lipopolysaccharide (lps). lps from l. interrogans cells is unusual in that it activates tlr2 rather than tlr4. the structure of l. interrogans lipid a has now been determined by a combination of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, nmr spectroscopy, and biochemical studies. lipid a ... | 2004 | 15044492 |
| enzymatic synthesis of lipid a molecules with four amide-linked acyl chains. lpxa acyltransferases selective for an analog of udp-n-acetylglucosamine in which an amine replaces the 3"-hydroxyl group. | lpxa of escherichia coli catalyzes the acylation of the glucosamine 3-oh group of udp-glcnac, using r-3-hydroxymyristoyl-acyl carrier protein (acp) as the donor substrate. we now demonstrate that lpxa in cell extracts of mesorhizobium loti and leptospira interrogans, which synthesize lipid a molecules containing 2,3-diamino-2,3-dideoxy-d-glucopyranose (glcn3n) units in place of glucosamine, do not acylate udp-glcnac. instead, these lpxa acyltransferases require a udp-glc-nac derivative (designat ... | 2004 | 15044493 |
| oxidation and transamination of the 3"-position of udp-n-acetylglucosamine by enzymes from acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. role in the formation of lipid a molecules with four amide-linked acyl chains. | lipid a, a major component of the outer membranes of escherichia coli and other gram-negative bacteria, is usually constructed around a beta-1',6-linked glucosamine disaccharide backbone. however, in organisms like acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, leptospira interrogans, mesorhizobium loti, and legionella pneumophila, one or both glucosamine residues are replaced with the sugar 2,3-diamino-2,3-dideoxy-d-glucopyranose. we now report the identification of two proteins, designated gnna and gnnb, inv ... | 2004 | 15044494 |
| development of a polymerase chain reaction test to confirm mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in culture. | a polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assay for confirmation of mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis was developed using the primer set derived from ismav2. the pcr product was 494 base pairs (bp) and could be digested with clai, which produced 311- and 183-bp fragments. no amplification of 494-bp dna fragment was detected from dna of other mycobacterium spp., including mycobacterium avium complex, other bacteria, including escherichia coli, pseudomonas aeruginosa, actinobacillus pleuropneumo ... | 2004 | 15053361 |
| comparative genomics of gene-family size in closely related bacteria. | the wealth of genomic data in bacteria is helping microbiologists understand the factors involved in gene innovation. among these, the expansion and reduction of gene families appears to have a fundamental role in this, but the factors influencing gene family size are unclear. | 2004 | 15059260 |
| transgenic expression of reca of the spirochetes borrelia burgdorferi and borrelia hermsii in escherichia coli revealed differences in dna repair and recombination phenotypes. | after unsuccessful attempts to recover a viable reca-deficient mutant of the lyme borreliosis agent borrelia burgdorferi, we characterized the functional activities of reca of b. burgdorferi, as well as reca of the relapsing fever spirochete borrelia hermsii and the free-living spirochete leptospira biflexa, in a reca mutant of escherichia coli. as a control, e. coli reca was expressed from the same plasmid vector. dna damage repair activity was assessed after exposure of the transgenic cells to ... | 2004 | 15060027 |
| fundamental structural units of the escherichia coli nucleoid revealed by atomic force microscopy. | a small container of several to a few hundred microm3 (i.e. bacterial cells and eukaryotic nuclei) contains extremely long genomic dna (i.e. mm and m long, respectively) in a highly organized fashion. to understand how such genomic architecture could be achieved, escherichia coli nucleoids were subjected to structural analyses under atomic force microscopy, and found to change their structure dynamically during cell growth, i.e. the nucleoid structure in the stationary phase was more tightly com ... | 2004 | 15060178 |
| a cluster of leptospirosis cases in canoeists following a competition on the river liffey. | on 6 november 2001, a possible case of leptospirosis was notified in a canoeist following a white-water event on the river liffey. it emerged that a second race participant was also a possible case. an outbreak control team coordinated the epidemiological investigation, laboratory investigation, environmental assessment, communication and control measures. a cluster of six laboratory-confirmed cases of leptospirosis, serologically leptospira interrogans serogroup icterohaemorrhagiae was found. t ... | 2004 | 15061493 |
| leptospiral immunoglobulin-like proteins elicit protective immunity. | the identification of new vaccine candidates for leptospirosis is of great interest. this paper describes the identification of two homologous immunogenic proteins, liga-m and ligb-m, of leptospira interrogans serovar manilae strain up-mmc-niid, which show strong similarity with liga found recently in l. interrogans serovar pomona. southern blot analysis indicated the conservation of the lig genes among pathogenic leptospires. liga-m protein was shown to be a surface-exposed lipoprotein expresse ... | 2004 | 15063580 |
| comparison of the genome of the oral pathogen treponema denticola with other spirochete genomes. | we present the complete 2,843,201-bp genome sequence of treponema denticola (atcc 35405) an oral spirochete associated with periodontal disease. analysis of the t. denticola genome reveals factors mediating coaggregation, cell signaling, stress protection, and other competitive and cooperative measures, consistent with its pathogenic nature and lifestyle within the mixed-species environment of subgingival dental plaque. comparisons with previously sequenced spirochete genomes revealed specific f ... | 2004 | 15064399 |
| genome features of leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni. | we report novel features of the genome sequence of leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni, a highly invasive spirochete. leptospira species colonize a significant proportion of rodent populations worldwide and produce life-threatening infections in mammals. genomic sequence analysis reveals the presence of a competent transport system with 13 families of genes encoding for major transporters including a three-member component efflux system compatible with the long-term survival of this organ ... | 2004 | 15064809 |
| evolutionary and functional relationships within the dj1 superfamily. | inferences about protein function are often made based on sequence homology to other gene products of known activities. this approach is valuable for small families of conserved proteins but can be difficult to apply to large superfamilies of proteins with diverse function. in this study we looked at sequence homology between members of the dj-1/thij/pfpi superfamily, which includes a human protein of unclear function, dj-1, associated with inherited parkinson's disease. | 2004 | 15070401 |
| new approach for serological testing for leptospirosis by using detection of leptospira agglutination by flow cytometry light scatter analysis. | leptospirosis is considered an important reemerging infectious disease worldwide. the standard and most widespread method for the diagnosis of leptospirosis is the microscopic agglutination test (mat). this test is laborious and time-consuming, and the interpretation of the results is subjective. in the present work we describe an application of flow cytometry (fcm) as a tool for the serological diagnosis of leptospirosis. the analysis is based on the sensitivity of fcm to the size and shape of ... | 2004 | 15071025 |
| cryptosporidium parvum mitochondrial-type hsp70 targets homologous and heterologous mitochondria. | a mitochondrial hsp70 gene (cp-mthsp70) is described for the apicomplexan cryptosporidium parvum, an agent of diarrhea in humans and animals. mitochondrial hsp70 is known to have been acquired from the proto-mitochondrial endosymbiont. the amino acid sequence of cp-mthsp70 shares common domains with mitochondrial and proteobacterial homologues, including 34 amino acids of an nh2-terminal mitochondrion-like targeting presequence. phylogenetic reconstruction places cp-mthsp70 within the mitochondr ... | 2004 | 15075277 |
| the pros and cons of vaccinating the dog population against canine coronavirus and one of the serovars of leptospira interrogans. | | 2003 | 15086088 |
| divergence and redundancy of 16s rrna sequences in genomes with multiple rrn operons. | the level of sequence heterogeneity among rrn operons within genomes determines the accuracy of diversity estimation by 16s rrna-based methods. furthermore, the occurrence of widespread horizontal gene transfer (hgt) between distantly related rrn operons casts doubt on reconstructions of phylogenetic relationships. for this study, patterns of distribution of rrn copy numbers, interoperonic divergence, and redundancy of 16s rrna sequences were evaluated. bacterial genomes display up to 15 operons ... | 2004 | 15090503 |
| molecular evolution and mosaicism of leptospiral outer membrane proteins involves horizontal dna transfer. | leptospires belong to a genus of parasitic bacterial spirochetes that have adapted to a broad range of mammalian hosts. mechanisms of leptospiral molecular evolution were explored by sequence analysis of four genes shared by 38 strains belonging to the core group of pathogenic leptospira species: l. interrogans, l. kirschneri, l. noguchii, l. borgpetersenii, l. santarosai, and l. weilii. the 16s rrna and lipl32 genes were highly conserved, and the lipl41 and ompl1 genes were significantly more v ... | 2004 | 15090524 |
| bacterial variations on the methionine salvage pathway. | the thiomethyl group of s-adenosylmethionine is often recycled as methionine from methylthioadenosine. the corresponding pathway has been unravelled in bacillus subtilis. however methylthioadenosine is subjected to alternative degradative pathways depending on the organism. | 2004 | 15102328 |
| partial analysis of the genomes of two nontypeable haemophilus influenzae otitis media isolates. | in 1995, the institute for genomic research completed the genomic sequence of a rough derivative of haemophilus influenzae serotype d, strain kw20. this sequence, though extremely useful in understanding the basic biology of h. influenzae, has yet to provide significant insight into our understanding of disease caused by nontypeable h. influenzae (nthi), because serotype d strains are not generally pathogens. in contrast, nthi strains are frequently mucosal pathogens and are the primary pathogen ... | 2004 | 15102813 |
| broth microdilution susceptibility testing for leptospira spp. | leptospirosis in humans has traditionally been treated with penicillin or doxycycline. the choice of therapy offered at the time of initial patient presentation is often empirical, as definitive diagnosis can take weeks. determining the activity of numerous antimicrobial agents against a wide range of leptospira serovars may broaden empirical therapeutic options. various antimicrobials have been shown to be active against a limited number of serovars in in vitro studies, chiefly by the use of br ... | 2004 | 15105104 |
| reemerging leptospirosis, california. | leptospirosis is a reemerging infectious disease in california. leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonosis throughout the world, though it is infrequently diagnosed in the continental united states. from 1982 to 2001, most reported california cases occurred in previously healthy young adult white men after recreational exposures to contaminated freshwater. we report five recent cases of human leptospirosis acquired in california, including the first documented common-source outbreak of human ... | 2004 | 15109405 |
| leptospirosis in northern india: a clinical and serological study. | a total of 400 serum samples collected from patients, clinically suspected of leptospirosis, were evaluated for antibodies by lepto dipstick and microscopic agglutination test (mat). twenty of these patients (5%) had serological evidence of leptospirosis. leptospira interrogans serovars autumnalis and icterohaemorrhagiae, canicola and javanica were serogroups recorded serologically. fever and jaundice were the most common clinical presentations. male preponderance was seen in the leptospirosis c ... | 2003 | 15115094 |
| identification of the first archaeal type 1 rnase h gene from halobacterium sp. nrc-1: archaeal rnase hi can cleave an rna-dna junction. | all the archaeal genomes sequenced to date contain a single type 2 rnase h gene. we found that the genome of a halophilic archaeon, halobacterium sp. nrc-1, contains an open reading frame with similarity to type 1 rnase h. the protein encoded by the vng0255c gene, possessed amino acid sequence identities of 33% with escherichia coli rnase hi and 34% with a bacillus subtilis rnase hi homologue. the b. subtilis rnase hi homologue, however, lacks amino acid sequences corresponding to a basic protru ... | 2004 | 15115438 |
| unique structural characteristics of peptide deformylase from pathogenic bacterium leptospira interrogans. | peptide deformylase (pdf), which is essential for normal growth of bacteria but not for higher organisms, is explored as an attractive target for developing novel antibiotics. here, we present the crystal structure of leptospira interrogans pdf (lipdf) at 2.2a resolution. to our knowledge, this is the first crystal structure of pdf associating in a stable dimer. the key loop (named the cd-loop: amino acid residues 66-76) near the active-site pocket adopts "closed" or "open" conformations in the ... | 2004 | 15123432 |
| exposure to feline and canine pathogens in bobcats and gray foxes in urban and rural zones of a national park in california. | exposure of bobcats (lynx rufus) and gray foxes (urocyon cinereoargenteus) to a range of common canine and feline pathogens was assessed in urban and rural zones of golden gate national recreation area, a national park in the san francisco bay area, (california, usa) from 1992 to 1995. testing included serology for canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus (cpv), canine adenovirus, leptospira interrogans, feline calicivirus (fcv), feline panleukopenia virus, feline herpesvirus, feline enteric co ... | 2004 | 15137484 |
| disease survey of free-ranging grey brocket deer (mazama gouazoubira) in the gran chaco, bolivia. | samples from 17 free-ranging hunter-killed grey brocket deer (mazama gouazoubira) in the gran chaco, bolivia, were collected during june-august 1999. all 17 deer appeared to be in good condition at the time of death. gross necropsies were performed, serum was collected for serologic evaluation of selected infectious disease agents, and feces and ectoparasites were collected for evaluation of internal and external parasites. serologic tests were positive for antibodies against bovine respiratory ... | 2004 | 15137493 |
| 2f3 monoclonal antibody recognizes the o26 o-antigen moiety of the lipopolysaccharide of enterohemorrhagic escherichia coli strain 4276. | enterohemorrhagic escherichia coli (ehec) and enteropathogenic e. coli (epec) organisms are groups of pathogenic strains whose infections are characterized by a typical lesion of enterocyte attachment and effacement. they are involved in enteric diseases both in humans and in animals, and ehec strains can be responsible for hemolytic uremic syndrome in humans. previously, it was shown that the 2f3 monoclonal antibody (mab) is specific for the o26 ehec and epec strains (p. kerr, h. ball, b. china ... | 2004 | 15138178 |
| bacterial signal transduction network in a genomic perspective. | bacterial signalling network includes an array of numerous interacting components that monitor environmental and intracellular parameters and effect cellular response to changes in these parameters. the complexity of bacterial signalling systems makes comparative genome analysis a particularly valuable tool for their studies. comparative studies revealed certain general trends in the organization of diverse signalling systems. these include (i) modular structure of signalling proteins; (ii) comm ... | 2004 | 15142243 |
| cell aggregation: a mechanism of pathogenic leptospira to survive in fresh water. | transmission of leptospirosis is facilitated by the survival of pathogenic leptospires in moist environments outside their mammalian host. in the present study, the survival mechanisms of leptospira interrogans serovar canicola in aqueous conditions and lack of nutrients were investigated. in distilled water, leptospires were able to remain motile for 110 days (ph 7.2). however, when incubated in a semi-solid medium composed of distilled water and 0.5% purified agarose (ph 7.2), they survived 34 ... | 2004 | 15179605 |
| diversity in chemotaxis mechanisms among the bacteria and archaea. | the study of chemotaxis describes the cellular processes that control the movement of organisms toward favorable environments. in bacteria and archaea, motility is controlled by a two-component system involving a histidine kinase that senses the environment and a response regulator, a very common type of signal transduction in prokaryotes. most insights into the processes involved have come from studies of escherichia coli over the last three decades. however, in the last 10 years, with the sequ ... | 2004 | 15187186 |
| comparative genomics of the methionine metabolism in gram-positive bacteria: a variety of regulatory systems. | regulation of the methionine biosynthesis and transport genes in bacteria is rather diverse and involves two rna-level regulatory systems and at least three dna-level systems. in particular, the methionine metabolism in gram-positive bacteria was known to be controlled by the s-box and t-box mechanisms, both acting on the level of premature termination of transcription. using comparative analysis of genes, operons and regulatory elements, we described the methionine metabolic pathway and the met ... | 2004 | 15215334 |
| characterization of a novel toxin-antitoxin module, vapbc, encoded by leptospira interrogans chromosome. | comparative genomic analysis of the coding sequences (cdss) of leptospira interrogans revealed a pair of closely linked genes homologous to the vapbc loci of many other bacteria with respect to both deduced amino acid sequences and operon organizations. expression of single vapc gene in escherichia coli resulted in inhibition of bacterial growth, whereas co-expression of vapbc restored the growth effectively. this phenotype is typical for three other characterized toxin-antitoxin systems of bact ... | 2004 | 15225414 |
| evidence that the algi/algj gene cassette, required for o acetylation of pseudomonas aeruginosa alginate, evolved by lateral gene transfer. | pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, isolated from chronically infected patients with cystic fibrosis, produce the o-acetylated extracellular polysaccharide, alginate, giving these strains a mucoid phenotype. o acetylation of alginate plays an important role in the ability of mucoid p. aeruginosa to form biofilms and to resist complement-mediated phagocytosis. the o-acetylation process is complex, requiring a protein with seven transmembrane domains (algi), a type ii membrane protein (algj), and a pe ... | 2004 | 15231808 |
| identification of a bifunctional enzyme mnmc involved in the biosynthesis of a hypermodified uridine in the wobble position of trna. | the gene encoding the bifunctional enzyme mnmc that catalyzes the two last steps in the biosynthesis of 5-methylaminomethyl-2-thiouridine (mnm5s2u) in trna has been previously mapped at about 50 min on the escherichia coli k12 chromosome, but to date the identity of the corresponding enzyme has not been correlated with any of the known open reading frames (orfs). using the protein fold-recognition approach, we predicted that the 74-kda product of the yfck orf located at 52.6 min and annotated as ... | 2004 | 15247431 |
| lipopolysaccharides of bacteroides fragilis, chlamydia trachomatis and pseudomonas aeruginosa signal via toll-like receptor 2. | recognition of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (lps) is critical in the host defence against gram-negative infection. while enterobacterial lps signals via toll-like receptor 4 (tlr4), it has recently been reported that the lps of leptospira interrogans, legionella pneumophila, rhizobium species sin-1 and at least one strain of porphyromonas gingivalis are capable of signalling via tlr2. using a tlr transfection assay and measurement of an nf-kappab-sensitive promoter region, the results show that ... | 2004 | 15272059 |
| identification and characterization of a nontypeable haemophilus influenzae putative toxin-antitoxin locus. | certain strains of an obligate parasite of the human upper respiratory tract, nontypeable haemophilus influenzae (nthi), can cause invasive diseases such as septicemia and meningitis, as well as chronic mucosal infections such as otitis media. to do this, the organism must invade and survive within both epithelial and endothelial cells. we have identified a facilitator of nthi survival inside human cells, virulence-associated protein d (vapdhi, encoded by gene hi0450). both vapdhi and a flanking ... | 2004 | 15274747 |
| a case of leptospirosis simulating colon cancer with liver metastases. | we report a case of a 61-year-old man who presented with fatigue, abdominal pain and hepatomegaly. computed tomography (ct) of the abdomen showed hepatomegaly and multiple hepatic lesions highly suggestive of metastatic diseases. due to the endoscopic finding of colon ulcer, colon cancer with liver metastases was suspected. biochemically a slight increase of transaminases, alkaline phosphatase and gammaglutamyl transpeptidase were present; alpha-fetoprotein, carcinoembryogenic antigen and carboh ... | 2004 | 15285043 |
| in different organisms, the mode of interaction between two signaling proteins is not necessarily conserved. | although interfaces mediating protein-protein interactions are thought to be under strong evolutionary constraints, binding of the chemotaxis histidine kinase chea to its phosphorylation target chey suggests otherwise. the structure of thermotoga maritima chea domain p2 in complex with chey reveals a different association than that observed for the same escherichia coli proteins. similar regions of chey bind chea p2 in the two systems, but the chea p2 domains differ by an approximately 90 degree ... | 2004 | 15289606 |
| isoleucine biosynthesis in leptospira interrogans serotype lai strain 56601 proceeds via a threonine-independent pathway. | three leua-like protein-coding sequences were identified in leptospira interrogans. one of these, the cima gene, was shown to encode citramalate synthase (ec 4.1.3.-). the other two encoded alpha-isopropylmalate synthase (ec 4.1.3.12). expressed in escherichia coli, the citramalate synthase was purified and characterized. although its activity was relatively low, it was strictly specific for pyruvate as the keto acid substrate. unlike the citramalate synthase of the thermophile methanococcus jan ... | 2004 | 15292141 |
| use of fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism for molecular epidemiology of leptospirosis in india. | nineteen isolates of leptospires recovered from patients during three epidemics that occurred at different places and different times in the andaman islands and eight isolates from sporadic cases were characterized using serological and molecular genetic techniques. group sera and monoclonal antibodies were used for antigenic characterization, whereas fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (faflp) was used for genotyping. of the 27 isolates, 19 were identified as belonging to serogro ... | 2004 | 15297500 |
| conservation of functional domain structure in bicarbonate-regulated "soluble" adenylyl cyclases in bacteria and eukaryotes. | soluble adenylyl cyclase (sac) is an evolutionarily conserved bicarbonate sensor. in mammals, it is responsible for bicarbonate-induced, camp-dependent processes in sperm required for fertilization and postulated to be involved in other bicarbonate- and carbon dioxide-dependent functions throughout the body. among eukaryotes, sac-like cyclases have been detected in mammals and in the fungi dictyostelium; these enzymes display extensive similarity extending through two cyclase catalytic domains a ... | 2004 | 15322879 |
| in search of rnase p rna from microbial genomes. | a simple procedure has been developed to quickly retrieve and validate the dna sequence encoding the rna subunit of ribonuclease p (rnase p rna) from microbial genomes. rnase p rna sequences were identified from 94% of bacterial and archaeal complete genomes where previously no rnase p rna was annotated. a sequence was found in camelpox virus, highly conserved in all orthopoxviruses (including smallpox virus), which could fold into a putative rnase p rna in terms of conserved primary features an ... | 2004 | 15337843 |
| expression of leptospiral immunoglobulin-like protein by leptospira interrogans and evaluation of its diagnostic potential in a kinetic elisa. | the search for novel antigens suitable for improved vaccines and diagnostic reagents against leptospirosis led to the identification of liga and ligb. liga and ligb expression were not detectable at the translation level but were detectable at the transcription level in leptospires grown in vitro. lig genes were present in pathogenic serovars of leptospira, but not in non-pathogenic leptospira biflexa. the conserved and variable regions of liga and ligb (con, vara and varb) were cloned, expresse ... | 2004 | 15358819 |
| a comparison of serologic tests for the detection of serum antibodies to whole-cell and recombinant borrelia burgdorferi antigens in cattle. | serum samples from healthy dairy and beef cattle, living in tick-infested areas of connecticut, usa, were analyzed by polyvalent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisa), indirect fluorescent antibody (ifa) staining methods, or western blot procedures to detect antibodies to tick-borne agents. of the 80 sera tested by elisa with whole-cell or 10 separate recombinant antigens (fusion proteins) of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, 57 (71%) were positive to 1 or more antigens, while 36 (45%) re ... | 2004 | 15368740 |
| outer membrane proteins of pathogenic spirochetes. | pathogenic spirochetes are the causative agents of several important diseases including syphilis, lyme disease, leptospirosis, swine dysentery, periodontal disease and some forms of relapsing fever. spirochetal bacteria possess two membranes and the proteins present in the outer membrane are at the site of interaction with host tissue and the immune system. this review describes the current knowledge in the field of spirochetal outer membrane protein (omp) biology. what is known concerning bioge ... | 2004 | 15449605 |
| differential expression of interferon-gamma and interferon-gamma-inducing cytokines in thai patients with scrub typhus or leptospirosis. | interferon (ifn)-gamma plays an important role in the induction of a type 1 immune response against intracellular pathogens. we compared the plasma levels of ifn-gamma and ifn-gamma-inducing cytokines in adult thai patients with scrub typhus, caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium orientia tsutsugamushi, and leptospirosis, caused by extracellular leptospira interrogans. ifn-gamma, interleukin (il)-18, and il-15 levels were elevated only in patients with scrub typhus, whereas il-12p40 and ... | 2004 | 15451469 |
| is autoinducer-2 a universal signal for interspecies communication: a comparative genomic and phylogenetic analysis of the synthesis and signal transduction pathways. | quorum sensing is a process of bacterial cell-to-cell communication involving the production and detection of extracellular signaling molecules called autoinducers. recently, it has been proposed that autoinducer-2 (ai-2), a furanosyl borate diester derived from the recycling of s-adenosyl-homocysteine (sah) to homocysteine, serves as a universal signal for interspecies communication. | 2004 | 15456522 |
| the crystal structure of the reduced, zn2+-bound form of the b. subtilis hsp33 chaperone and its implications for the activation mechanism. | the bacterial heat shock protein hsp33 is a redox-regulated chaperone activated by oxidative stress. in response to oxidation, four cysteines within a zn2+ binding c-terminal domain form two disulfide bonds with concomitant release of the metal. this leads to the formation of the biologically active hsp33 dimer. the crystal structure of the n-terminal domain of the e. coli protein has been reported, but neither the structure of the zn2+ binding motif nor the nature of its regulatory interaction ... | 2004 | 15458638 |
| treponema pallidum fibronectin-binding proteins. | putative adhesins were predicted by computer analysis of the treponema pallidum genome. two treponemal proteins, tp0155 and tp0483, demonstrated specific attachment to fibronectin, blocked bacterial adherence to fibronectin-coated slides, and supported attachment of fibronectin-producing mammalian cells. these results suggest tp0155 and tp0483 are fibronectin-binding proteins mediating t. pallidum-host interactions. | 2004 | 15466055 |
| genome-wide transposon mutagenesis of borrelia burgdorferi for identification of phenotypic mutants. | the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of lyme disease, the leading vector-borne illness in the united states. many of the genetic factors affecting spirochete morphology and physiology are unknown due to the limited genetic tools available and the large number of open reading frames with unknown functions. by adapting a mariner transposon to function in b. burgdorferi, we have developed a random mutagenesis system that tags the mutated locus for rapid identification. transpo ... | 2004 | 15466540 |
| branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase and methionine formation in mycobacterium tuberculosis. | tuberculosis remains a major world-wide health threat which demands the discovery and characterisation of new drug targets in order to develop future antimycobacterials. the regeneration of methionine consumed during polyamine biosynthesis is an important pathway present in many microorganisms. the final step of this pathway, the conversion of ketomethiobutyrate to methionine, can be performed by aspartate, tyrosine, or branched-chain amino acid aminotransferases depending on the particular spec ... | 2004 | 15471546 |
| human mitochondrial peptide deformylase, a new anticancer target of actinonin-based antibiotics. | peptide deformylase activity was thought to be limited to ribosomal protein synthesis in prokaryotes, where new peptides are initiated with an n-formylated methionine. we describe here a new human peptide deformylase (homo sapiens pdf, or hspdf) that is localized to the mitochondria. hspdf is capable of removing formyl groups from n-terminal methionines of newly synthesized mitochondrial proteins, an activity previously not thought to be necessary in mammalian cells. we show that actinonin, a pe ... | 2004 | 15489958 |
| [screening for antibodies against zoonotic agents among employees of the zoological garden of vienna, schönbrunn, austria]. | the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of antibodies against zoonotic agents in employees of the zoological garden of vienna, schönbrunn, austria. sixty out of 120 employees participated in the study. in 97% of them antibodies to at least one zoonotic agent were identified. only two participants were free of antibodies to the zoonotic agents tested. the following seroprevalences (in brackets) were obtained: viral zoonotic (and potentially zoonotic) agents: influenzavirus a/h1n1 ... | 2004 | 15495931 |
| characterization of phylogenetically distant members of the adenylate cyclase family from mycobacteria: rv1647 from mycobacterium tuberculosis and its orthologue ml1399 from m. leprae. | analysis of the genome sequence of mycobacterium tuberculosis h37rv has identified 16 genes that are similar to the mammalian adenylate and guanylate cyclases. rv1647 was predicted to be an active adenylate cyclase but its position in a phylogenetically distant branch from the other enzymes characterized so far from m. tuberculosis makes it an interestingly divergent nucleotide cyclase to study. in agreement with its divergence at the sequence level from other nucleotide cyclases, the cloning, e ... | 2005 | 15500449 |
| extracellular secretion of the borrelia burgdorferi oms28 porin and bgp, a glycosaminoglycan binding protein. | borrelia burgdorferi, the lyme disease pathogen, cycles between its ixodes tick vector and vertebrate hosts, adapting to vastly different biochemical environments. spirochete gene expression as a function of temperature, ph, growth phase, and host milieu is well studied, and recent work suggests that regulatory networks are involved. here, we examine the release of borrelia burgdorferi strain b31 proteins into conditioned medium. spirochetes intrinsically radiolabeled at concentrations ranging f ... | 2004 | 15501754 |
| human leptospirosis in erode, south india: serology, isolation, and characterization of the isolates by randomly amplified polymorphic dna (rapd) fingerprinting. | the study describes the first attempt to record leptospirosis in erode by isolation and serological tests such as the microscopic agglutination test and igm-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. twenty-nine clinically suspected cases showing fever, headache, body ache associated with jaundice, decreased urine output, and conjunctival suffusion were included. the age of the patients ranged between 10-71 years and most of them were agricultural workers. paired sera were possible among 12 cases. ... | 2004 | 15507774 |
| [sero-epidemiological studies of zoonotic infections in hunters--comparative analysis with veterinarians, farmers, and abattoir workers]. | the aim of this study was to investigate seroprevalences to zoonotic pathogens in hunters, to compare the results with other predisposed occupational groups already investigated and to propose preventive measures. blood samples were taken from 146 male and 3 female hunters from the provinces of styria and burgenland in the south-east of austria and anamnestic data were obtained using a questionnaire. the serological investigations included the following bacterial, viral and parasitic zoonotic ag ... | 2003 | 15508783 |
| cleavage of double-stranded rna by rnase hi from a thermoacidophilic archaeon, sulfolobus tokodaii 7. | st0753, the orthologous gene of type 1 rnase h found in a thermoacidophilic archaeon, sulfolobus tokodaii, was analyzed. the recombinant st0753 protein exhibited rnase h activity in both in vivo and in vitro assays. the protein expressed in an rnase h-deficient mutant escherichia coli strain functioned to suppress the temperature-sensitive phenotype associated with the lack of rnase h. the in vitro characteristics of the gene's rnase h activity were similar to those of halobacterium rnase hi, th ... | 2004 | 15520465 |
| utility of schistosoma bovis adult worm antigens for diagnosis of human schistosomiasis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and electroimmunotransfer blot techniques. | immunodiagnostic methods based on the detection of antibodies continue to be the most effective and practical methods for the diagnosis of imported schistosomiasis. schistosoma bovis is a species whose final natural hosts are bovines, ovines, caprines, and small wild ruminants. different studies have demonstrated the analogies existing between s. bovis and other schistosoma species which affect humans. the objective of this work was to evaluate the utility of s. bovis adult worm antigens (awa) f ... | 2004 | 15539523 |
| proposal to list atcc 43642 as the type strain of leptospira interrogans in the approved lists of bacterial names. request for an opinion. | atcc 23581(t) has been cited as the type strain of leptospira interrogans since 1980. in 1986, the centers for disease control informed the atcc that this strain was leptospira interrogans serovar budapest, not serovar icterohaemorrhagiae as deposited originally. an authentic culture of the leptospira interrogans serovar icterohaemorrhagiae rga(t) strain was then submitted and assigned atcc 43642, which was designated as the type strain of leptospira interrogans in an article by yasuda et al. [y ... | 2004 | 15545494 |
| comparative analysis of the borrelia garinii genome. | three members of the genus borrelia (b.burgdorferi, b.garinii, b.afzelii) cause tick-borne borreliosis. depending on the borrelia species involved, the borreliosis differs in its clinical symptoms. comparative genomics opens up a way to elucidate the underlying differences in borrelia species. we analysed a low redundancy whole-genome shotgun (wgs) assembly of a b.garinii strain isolated from a patient with neuroborreliosis in comparison to the b.burgdorferi genome. this analysis reveals that mo ... | 2004 | 15547252 |
| a 22-mer primer enhances discriminatory power of ap-pcr fingerprinting technique in characterization of leptospires. | to evaluate the discriminatory power and usefulness of arbitrarily primed-polymerase chain reaction (ap-pcr) characterization of leptospires with m16 primer. | 2004 | 15548317 |
| evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and indirect hemagglutination assay for detection of leptospiral antibody by using three different antigens. | evaluation of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) and indirect hemagglutination assay (iha) for detection of leptospiral antibody were performed using three different soluble antigens extracted from leptospira interrogans serovar bataviae including heat extracted antigen (hea), sonicated antigen (sa) and deoxycholate extracted antigen (dea). one hundred seventy-eight sera from 85 confirmed leptospirosis cases and 202 non-leptospirosis cases were examined sa-iha showed the highest sensitivi ... | 2004 | 15560701 |
| new insights into type ii nad(p)h:quinone oxidoreductases. | type ii nad(p)h:quinone oxidoreductases (ndh-2) catalyze the two-electron transfer from nad(p)h to quinones, without any energy-transducing site. ndh-2 accomplish the turnover of nad(p)h, regenerating the nad(p)(+) pool, and may contribute to the generation of a membrane potential through complexes iii and iv. these enzymes are usually constituted by a nontransmembrane polypeptide chain of approximately 50 kda, containing a flavin moiety. there are a few compounds that can prevent their activity ... | 2004 | 15590775 |
| identification and analysis of genes present in leptospira interrogans serovar lai but absent in l. biflexa serovar monvalerio. | genes present in virulent bacterial strains but absent in avirulent close relatives can be of great biologic and clinical interest. this project aimed to identify strain specific dna sequences of leptospira interrogans serovar lai, which is absent in the saprophytic l. biflexa serovar monvalerio, via suppression subtractive hybridization with the former as the tester while the latter as the driver. the mixture of pcr amplified dna fragments from two subtractive hybridization experiments were clo ... | 2004 | 15592651 |
| toll-like receptor 2 (tlr2) is pivotal for recognition of s. aureus peptidoglycan but not intact bacteria by microglia. | toll-like receptor 2 (tlr2) is a pattern recognition receptor that plays an important role in enabling cells of the innate immune system to recognize conserved structural motifs on a wide array of pathogens including gram-positive bacteria. although microglia have recently been shown to express tlr2, the functional significance of this receptor in mediating microglial activation remains unknown. to ascertain the importance of tlr2 in microglial responses to s. aureus and its cell wall product pe ... | 2005 | 15593098 |
| identification of a sulp-type bicarbonate transporter in marine cyanobacteria. | cyanobacteria possess a highly effective co(2)-concentrating mechanism that elevates co(2) concentrations around the primary carboxylase, rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase). this co(2)-concentrating mechanism incorporates light-dependent, active uptake systems for co(2) and hco(-)(3). through mutant studies in a coastal marine cyanobacterium, synechococcus sp. strain pcc7002, we identified bica as a gene that encodes a class of hco(-)(3) transporter with relatively low tra ... | 2004 | 15596724 |
| [latex agglutination system for the rapid diagnosis of leptospirosis in cuba]. | to assess the sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility, and stability of five latex agglutination systems for detecting antibodies against leptospira in human and animal sera, by using the leptospira serotypes that are most widely prevalent in cuba. | 2004 | 15615600 |
| genetic determinant of intrinsic quinolone resistance in fusobacterium canifelinum. | fourteen fluoroquinolone-resistant fusobacterial strains, originating from cats or dogs, were characterized by sequencing of the 16s-23s and 16s rrna genes and dna-dna hybridization and were described as a new species, fusobacterium canifelinum. all of the strains are intrinsically resistant (mic, >4 g/ml) to levofloxacin and other fluoroquinolones. compared to the quinolone resistance-determining region (gyra) of the susceptible relative f. nucleatum, we found that ser79 was replaced with leuci ... | 2005 | 15616329 |
| investigation of zinc-containing peptide deformylase from leptospira interrogans by x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy. | peptide deformylase (pdf, ec 3.5.1.27) is essential for the normal growth of eubacterium but not for mammalians. recently, pdf has been studied as a target for new antibiotics. its activity is strongly dependent on the bound metal ion. the crystallographic studies did not show any significant structural difference upon various bound metal ions. in this paper, x-ray absorption spectroscopy was employed to determine the local structure around the zinc ion of pdf from leptospira interrogans in dry ... | 2004 | 15616374 |
| osmolarity, a key environmental signal controlling expression of leptospiral proteins liga and ligb and the extracellular release of liga. | the high-molecular-weight leptospiral immunoglobulin-like repeat (lig) proteins are expressed only by virulent low-passage forms of pathogenic leptospira species. we examined the effects of growth phase and environmental signals on the expression, surface exposure, and extracellular release of liga and ligb. liga was lost from stationary-phase cells, while ligb expression was maintained. the loss of cell-associated liga correlated with selective release of a lower-molecular-weight form of liga i ... | 2005 | 15618142 |
| serologic survey for selected disease agents in wolves (canis lupus) from alaska and the yukon territory, 1984-2000. | wolves (canis lupus) were captured in several geographic areas of alaska (usa) and the yukon territory (canada) during 1984-2000. blood was collected from 1,122 animals. sera were tested for antibodies against infectious canine hepatitis virus (ich), canine distemper virus (cdv), canine parvovirus (cpv), francisella tularensis, and serovars of leptospira interrogans. antibody prevalence for ich was >84% for all areas. area-specific prevalences of antibodies ranged from 12% to 70% for cpv, from 0 ... | 2004 | 15650081 |
| leptospirosis presenting with fever and pulmonary hemorrhage. | reports of leptospirosis have recently been increasing in taiwan. we report a case of leptospirosis with the unusual initial manifestation of pulmonary hemorrhage. the patient presented with cough for 1 week and was admitted. after admission, fever, hemoptysis and severe dyspnea developed suddenly. chest radiograph showed bilateral diffuse pulmonary infiltrates and he was transferred to the emergency room of our hospital. oxygen saturation was 86% under room air and respiratory rate was 30 per m ... | 2005 | 15660179 |