| the bartonella henselae sucb gene encodes a dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase protein reactive with sera from patients with cat-scratch disease. | bartonella henselae is a recently recognized pathogenic bacterium associated with cat-scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis and bacillary peliosis. a recombinant clone expressing an immunoreactive antigen of b. henselae was isolated by screening a genomic dna cosmid library by western blotting with sera pooled from patients positive for b. henselae igg antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence (ifa). the deduced amino acid sequence of the 43.7 kda encoded protein was found to be 76.3 % identic ... | 2004 | 15585501 |
| variable presentation of the cause of lymphadenopathy in two children. | | 2004 | 15602207 |
| [bite wound infections]. | the lifetime risk of experiencing a bite wound, human or animal, is approximately 50%, and bite wounds account for approximately 1% of all visits to emergency departments. the majority of bite wounds are inflicted by dogs and cats. | 2004 | 15608763 |
| [tularemia from a cat bite]. | we report the first case in norway of a man who developed ulceroglandular tularaemia following a cat bite. if after feline contact, patients develop skin and soft-tissue infections that fail to respond to therapy with penicillin, physicians should consider the possibility of tularaemia. our patient was successfully treated with ciprofloxacin, which is effective against francisella tularensis and most pathogens associated with feline infections. a greater awareness of infections following a cat b ... | 2004 | 15608764 |
| concomitant or consecutive infection with coxiella burnetii and tickborne diseases. | q fever is a worldwide zoonosis caused by coxiella burnetii, which can be isolated from ticks. reports of people with both q fever and other tickborne diseases are rare. in this study, we describe 6 patients with q fever who were infected with 1 of the following tickborne pathogens: rickettsia conorii (2 patients), rickettsia slovaca (2), rickettsia africae (1), and francisella tularensis (1). | 2004 | 15614696 |
| toll-like receptor 4 (tlr4) plays a relatively minor role in murine defense against primary intradermal infection with francisella tularensis lvs. | | 2005 | 15626487 |
| tularemia associated with a hamster bite--colorado, 2004. | in april 2004, the colorado department of public health and environment (cdphe) was notified about a boy aged 3 years with diagnosed tularemia associated with a hamster bite. tularemia has not been associated previously with pet hamsters. cdphe conducted an investigation to determine whether other owners of hamsters were at risk. clinicians and public health officials should be aware that pet hamsters are a potential source of tularemia. | 2005 | 15635290 |
| the development of tools for diagnosis of tularemia and typing of francisella tularensis. | rapid development of molecular techniques for the diagnosis of infections and typing of microbes has been seen during the last 10 years. the present review exemplifies this development by presenting the work of the authors and others regarding techniques for the diagnosis of tularemia and typing of francisella tularensis. the lack of rapid and safe methods for the laboratory diagnosis of tularemia was the rationale behind the development of methods for the direct detection of f. tularensis in cl ... | 2004 | 15638842 |
| the complete genome sequence of francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia. | francisella tularensis is one of the most infectious human pathogens known. in the past, both the former soviet union and the us had programs to develop weapons containing the bacterium. we report the complete genome sequence of a highly virulent isolate of f. tularensis (1,892,819 bp). the sequence uncovers previously uncharacterized genes encoding type iv pili, a surface polysaccharide and iron-acquisition systems. several virulence-associated genes were located in a putative pathogenicity isl ... | 2005 | 15640799 |
| 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 |
| serologic survey for canine infectious diseases among sympatric swift foxes (vulpes velox) and coyotes (canis latrans) in southeastern colorado. | swift foxes (vulpes velox) and coyotes (canis latrans) are sympatric canids distributed throughout many regions of the great plains of north america. the prevalence of canid diseases among these two species where they occur sympatrically is presently unknown. from january 1997 to january 2001, we collected blood samples from 89 swift foxes and 122 coyotes on the us army piñon canyon maneuver site, las animas county, se colorado (usa). seroprevalence of antibodies against canine parvovirus (cpv) ... | 2004 | 15650093 |
| francisella tularensis peritonitis in stomach cancer patient. | tularemia with peritonitis developed in a 50-year-old man soon after diagnosis of stomach cancer with metastasis. the ascites grew francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica, which was identified by sequencing analysis of the 16s rdna. the infection resolved with antimicrobial treatment. antibodies detected 4 weeks after onset disappeared after chemotherapy-associated lymphopenia. | 2004 | 15663872 |
| discrimination of francisella tularensis subspecies using surface enhanced laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry and multivariate data analysis. | francisella tularensis causes the zoonotic disease tularemia, and is considered a potential bioterrorist agent due to its extremely low infection dose and potential for airborne transmission. presently, f. tularensis is divided into four subspecies; tularensis, holarctica, mediasiatica and novicida. phenotypic discrimination of the closely related subspecies with traditional methods is difficult and tedious. furthermore, the results may be vague and they often need to be complemented with virule ... | 2005 | 15668033 |
| infection scare inflames fight against biodefence network. | | 2005 | 15674255 |
| bichat guidelines for the clinical management of tularaemia and bioterrorism-related tularaemia. | francisella tularensis is one of the most infectious pathogenic bacteria known, requiring inoculation or inhalation of as few as 10 organisms to initiate human infection. inhalational tularaemia following intentional release of a virulent strain of f. tularensis would have great impact and cause high morbidity and mortality. another route of contamination in a deliberate release could be contamination of water. seven clinical forms, according to route of inoculation (skin, mucous membranes, gast ... | 2004 | 15677845 |
| a multiplexed pcr-coupled liquid bead array for the simultaneous detection of four biothreat agents. | we have developed a 10-plexed pcr assay coupled to a 12-plexed liquid bead array to rapidly screen environmental samples for b. anthracis, y. pestis, f. tularensis, and b. melitensis. highly validated species-specific primer sets were used to simultaneously amplify multiple diagnostic regions unique to each individual pathogen. resolution of the mix of amplified products was achieved by pcr product hybridization to corresponding probe sequences, attached to unique sets of fluorescent beads. the ... | 2004 | 15680215 |
| biodefense labs. boston university under fire for pathogen mishap. | | 2005 | 15681355 |
| oligo-chip based detection of tick-borne bacteria. | we have developed an oligonucleotide-chip based assay for detection of 16s ribosomal pcr products from tick-borne bacteria. this chip contains 14 specific probes, which target variable regions of 16s rdna of tick-borne bacteria including borrellia spp., rickettsia spp., anaplasma spp., coxiella burnetii and francisella tularensis. the specificity of these probes was tested by hybridization of the chip with fluorescently labeled pcr products amplified from the genomic dna of selected tick-borne b ... | 2005 | 15686852 |
| tularemia transmitted by insect bites--wyoming, 2001-2003. | tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by francisella tularensis, a fastidious, gram-negative coccobacillus that infects vertebrates, especially rabbits and rodents. in humans, tularemia is classified into six major syndromes: ulceroglandular (the most common form), glandular, typhoidal, oculoglandular, oropharyngeal, and pneumonic. the case-fatality rate among humans can reach 30%-60% in untreated typhoidal cases. although bites from ticks and handling infected animals are considered the most c ... | 2005 | 15729218 |
| [francisella tularensis infection, or how to outsmart the certain death]. | francisella tularensis is an intracellular bacterial pathogen and is the causative agent of tularemia. human become infected when manipulating with infected animals (usually rodents) or via arthropod vectors. in spite of the high virulence of the microbe still very little is known about its overall interaction with host cells and virulence factors identified to date show properties different from other bacterial species. | 2004 | 15745053 |
| aerosol-, but not intradermal-immunization with the live vaccine strain of francisella tularensis protects mice against subsequent aerosol challenge with a highly virulent type a strain of the pathogen by an alphabeta t cell- and interferon gamma- dependent mechanism. | francisella tularensis is an extremely virulent facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen of many mammalian species including mice and humans in which it causes a spectrum of disease collectively called tularemia. in humans, intradermal or inhaled inocula of 10cfu or less of the most virulent strains of the pathogen are sufficient to cause severe infection and possible death; in mice similar inocula are routinely lethal. an attenuated live vaccine strain, f. tularensis lvs, was developed almo ... | 2005 | 15752834 |
| the live vaccine strain of francisella tularensis replicates in human and murine macrophages but induces only the human cells to secrete proinflammatory cytokines. | francisella tularensis is the highly infectious agent of tularemia, a disease that can prove fatal in humans. an attenuated live vaccine strain (lvs) of this bacterium is avirulent in man but produces lethal illness in mice. as a step toward understanding the species specificity of the lvs, we compared its interactions with murine and human leukocytes. the bacterium replicated within murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (mubmdm), human monocyte-derived macrophages (humdm), and freshly isolated ... | 2005 | 15758077 |
| tularaemia outbreak in bulgaria. | during the last 40 y, 2 large tularaemia outbreaks occurred in bulgaria. we report the second outbreak, in 1998--2003, including a total of 262 laboratory confirmed cases. the majority of the patients presented with oropharyngeal tularaemia (89.7%). less common were the glandular, pulmonary and oculoglandular forms. the diagnosis of tularaemia was confirmed serologically. in 5 cases, f. tularensis was detected by immunofluorescent assay in lymph node biopsies. by pcr, all 5 samples yielded succe ... | 2004 | 15764161 |
| [pathogenicity of francisella]. | the data of literature and the results of the author's research on the pathogenicity of the causative agent of tularemia and other francisella organisms are reviewed. the solution of the problem of their pathogenicity is based, as stated by the author, on the level of our knowledge of the genetics of francisella. the conclusion has been made that scientific achievements in the field of the genetics of francisella, obtained during the last 15 years, make it possible to find out the pathogenicity ... | 2005 | 15773415 |
| [tularemia acquired in denmark by an eight-year-old child]. | | 2005 | 15779266 |
| efficacy of the live attenuated francisella tularensis vaccine (lvs) in a murine model of disease. | a live attenuated vaccine francisella tularensis live vaccine strain (lvs), that confers protection against tularemia infection in a number of animal models including man was developed during the 1960s in the us. in this study, we have established the median lethal dose (mld) after intraperitoneal (i.p.) or intravenous (i.v.) delivery of ndbr lot 4 f. tularensis lvs to be 4 cfu and 2.24 x 10(4) cfu, respectively, in balb/c mice and less than 1 cfu and 1.29 x 10(4) cfu, respectively, in c57bl/6 m ... | 2005 | 15780452 |
| intranasal interleukin-12 treatment for protection against respiratory infection with the francisella tularensis live vaccine strain. | francisella tularensis is a gram-negative intracellular bacterium that can induce lethal respiratory infection in humans and rodents. however, little is known about the role of innate or adaptive immunity in protection from respiratory tularemia. in the present study, the role of interleukin-12 (il-12) in inducing protective immunity in the lungs against intranasal infection of mice with the live vaccine strain (lvs) of f. tularensis was investigated. it was found that gamma interferon (ifn-gamm ... | 2005 | 15784575 |
| the contribution of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species to the killing of francisella tularensis lvs by murine macrophages. | intracellular killing of francisella tularensis by macrophages depends on interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma)-induced activation of the cells. the importance of inducible nitric oxide synthase (inos) or nadph phagocyte oxidase (phox) for the cidal activity was studied. murine ifn-gamma-activated peritoneal exudate cells (pec) produced nitric oxide (no), measured as nitrite plus nitrate, and superoxide. when pec were infected with the live vaccine strain, lvs, of f. tularensis, the number of viable bact ... | 2005 | 15788155 |
| the role of mapk signal pathways during francisella tularensis lvs infection-induced apoptosis in murine macrophages. | francisella tularensis is a highly virulent intracellular pathogen responsible for tularemia. this bacterium is capable of infecting many mammalian species and various cell types, but little is known about the mechanisms of survival and interactions with host cells. we examined the number of infected host cells, cytotoxicity and the role of apoptosis or necrosis in infection-induced cell death. our results demonstrate that f. tularensis lvs induces apoptosis of infected macrophages within 10 h. ... | 2005 | 15820149 |
| epizootiologic investigations of selected infectious disease agents in free-ranging eurasian lynx from sweden. | serum samples from 106 eurasian lynx (lynx lynx) from across sweden, found dead or shot by hunters in 1993-99, were investigated for presence of antibodies to feline parvovirus (fpv), feline coronavirus, feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus, feline immunodeficiency virus, francisella tularensis, and anaplasma phagocytophila, and for feline leukemia virus antigen. in addition, tissue samples from 22 lynx submitted in 1999 were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (pcr) to detect nucl ... | 2005 | 15827211 |
| tularemia: emergence/re-emergence. | francisella tularensis is a gram-negative coccobacillus and the etiologic agent of the zoonotic disease tularemia. first described in 1911 in tulare county, california, it has since been reported throughout the northern hemisphere, with natural infections reported among an unusually wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates. in recent years, tularemia has emerged in new geographic locations, populations, and settings. this review will serve to highlight mechanisms contributing to the recent em ... | 2005 | 15845234 |
| intranasal vaccination induces protective immunity against intranasal infection with virulent francisella tularensis biovar a. | the inhalation of francisella tularensis biovar a causes pneumonic tularemia associated with high morbidity and mortality rates in humans. exposure to f. tularensis usually occurs by accident, but there is increasing awareness that f. tularensis may be deliberately released in an act of bioterrorism or war. the development of a vaccine against pneumonic tularemia has been limited by a lack of information regarding the mechanisms required to protect against this disease. vaccine models for f. tul ... | 2005 | 15845466 |
| lipopolysaccharide microarrays for the detection of antibodies. | lipopolysaccharide (lps) is the major component of gram-negative bacterial outer membrane. lps are immunogenic and show species/strain specificity. the demonstration of anti-lps antibodies in clinical samples is of diagnostic value in certain gram-negative bacterial infections. in the present study we explored the possibility of immobilizing lps isolated from different bacteria in a microarray format for the detection of anti-lps antibodies. lps was successfully immobilized on nitrocellulose-coa ... | 2005 | 15847798 |
| tularemia in a kidney transplant recipient: an unsuspected case and literature review. | tularemia is a zoonotic infection that has rarely been reported in transplant recipients. the authors present a case of unsuspected tularemia in a kidney transplant patient that was diagnosed by isolation of francisella tularensis in the blood. the patient was treated successfully with antibiotics. during diagnostic workup, a laboratory technician was exposed to tularemia by inhalation of the culture plate and received postexposure prophylaxis. this report emphasizes the importance of exposure h ... | 2005 | 15861359 |
| insights into the oxidative stress response in francisella tularensis lvs and its mutant deltaiglc1+2 by proteomics analysis. | francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular pathogen. its capacity to induce disease depends on the ability to invade and multiply within a wide range of eukaryotic cells, such as professional phagocytes. the comparative disinterest in tularemia in the past relative to other human bacterial pathogens is reflected in the paucity of information concerning the mechanisms of pathogenesis. only a few genes and gene products associated with francisella virulence are known to date. the aim of ... | 2005 | 15869961 |
| [tularemia. the disease and its epidemiology in france]. | this study had for aim to determine whether the epidemiologic features of animal and human tularemia observed in france could explain its re-emergence since 1993. | 2005 | 15878815 |
| [cross-reacting antigens of pathogenic burkholderia and some dangerous causative agents of infectious diseases]. | cross-reacting antigens in b. mallei, b. pseudomallei, b. thailandensis, francisella tularensis, yersinia pestis and mycobacterium tuberculosis were studied with the use of immuno- and electrophoretic techniques. the set of antigens was shown to be almost identical in the causative agents of glanders, melioidosis, as well as in b. thailandensis, though in the latter organism 200-kd glycoprotein was absent. the analysis of immuno- and proteinograms demonstrated the presence of cross-reactions in ... | 2005 | 15881932 |
| [investigation on mixed natural foci of zoonotic infections]. | | 2005 | 15881957 |
| proteomic analysis of anti-francisella tularensis lvs antibody response in murine model of tularemia. | francisella tularensis live vaccine strain infection of mice has been established as an experimental model of tularemia that is suitable for studies of immune mechanisms against the intracellular pathogen. in this study, the model was used to explore immunogenic repertoire of f. tularensis with the aim of identifying new molecules able to activate the host immune system, potential bacterial markers with vaccine, and diagnostic applications. immunoproteomic approach based on the combination of tw ... | 2005 | 15892173 |
| host-pathogen interactions: a proteomic view. | host-pathogen interactions reflect the balance of host defenses and pathogen virulence mechanisms. advances in proteomic technologies now afford opportunities to compare protein content between complex biologic systems ranging from cells to animals and clinical samples. thus, it is now possible to characterize host-pathogen interactions from a global proteomic view. most reports to date focus on cataloging protein content of pathogens and identifying virulence-associated proteins or proteomic al ... | 2005 | 15892564 |
| [case report: a case of tularemia with delayed diagnosis]. | tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by francisella tularensis. in this report, a tularemia case who was living in a non-endemic area, has been presented. a 24 years old female patient with multiple cervical lymphadenitis has been admitted to the outpatient clinic of ankara training and research hospital, turkey. her complaints started two months ago as signs and symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection. as she had received non-specific treatment (amoxycillin clavulanate; 2x 1g/day) in ... | 2005 | 15900842 |
| evolution of subspecies of francisella tularensis. | analysis of unidirectional genomic deletion events and single nucleotide variations suggested that the four subspecies of francisella tularensis have evolved by vertical descent. the analysis indicated an evolutionary scenario where the highly virulent f. tularensis subsp. tularensis (type a) appeared before the less virulent f. tularensis subsp. holarctica (type b). compared to their virulent progenitors, attenuated strains of f. tularensis exhibited specific unidirectional gene losses. | 2005 | 15901721 |
| vaccination strategies for francisella tularensis. | francisella tularensis is the etiologic agent of tularemia, a severe debilitating disease of humans and animals. the low infectious dose of f. tularensis in humans and the relative ease of culture are probably the properties which originally attracted interest in this bacterium as a bioweapon. even today, f. tularensis is ranked as one of the pathogens most likely to be used as a biological warfare or bioterrorism agent. a live attenuated vaccine (lvs) has been available for over 50 years, but t ... | 2005 | 15919131 |
| early activation of nk cells after lung infection with the intracellular bacterium, francisella tularensis lvs. | francisella tularensis is a gram-negative intracellular bacterium that has been classified as a category a biothreat because of its ability to induce deadly pneumonic tularemia when inhaled. in the present study, an experimental model of f. tularensis lvs intranasal infection was used to study the immune cells involved in cytokine secretion in the lungs after infection. dramatic increases in the numbers of cells secreting ifn-gamma were observed 72 h after intranasal infection of balb/c and c57b ... | 2004 | 15922718 |
| francisella tularensis lvs initially activates but subsequently down-regulates intracellular signaling and cytokine secretion in mouse monocytic and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. | monocytic cells constitute an important defense mechanism against invading pathogens by recognizing conserved pathogens components. the recognition leads to activation of intracellular pathways involving nuclear factor kappa b (nf-kappab) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (mapk), such as the c-jun nh2-terminal kinase (jnk), and p38. we show that in vitro infection with francisella tularensis results in activation of nf-kappab, phosphorylation of p38 and c-jun, and secretion of tnf-alpha in a ... | 2005 | 15925273 |
| tularemia vaccine: past, present and future. | francisella tularensis is a gram negative intracellular pathogen that causes the highly debilitating or fatal disease tularemia. f. tularensis can infect a wide range of animals and can be transmitted to humans in a variety of ways, the most common being by the bite of an infected insect or arthropod vector. the attenuated f. tularensis live vaccine strain (lvs) has been used previously under investigational new drug status to vaccinate at-risk individuals. however the history of the strain and ... | 2005 | 15928980 |
| simultaneous measurement of specific serum igg responses to five select agents. | select agents are defined by cdc and the usda animal and plant health inspection service (aphis) as biological agents or toxins deemed a threat to public, animal, or plant health, or to animal or plant products. they are classified on the basis of their ease of dissemination, mortality/morbidity rate, and potential for social disruption. a subset of these agents includes bacillus anthracis, yersinia pestis, francisella tularensis, ricin toxin (rt), and staphylococcal enterotoxin b (seb). infecti ... | 2005 | 15931499 |
| crystallization of acpa, a respiratory burst-inhibiting acid phosphatase from francisella tularensis. | francisella tularensis is a highly infectious bacterial pathogen that is classified as a category a pathogen by the centers for disease control and prevention. here, we report crystallization of a recombinant form of f. tularensis acpa, a unique and highly expressed acid phosphatase that is thought to play a role in intracellular survival by inhibiting the host respiratory burst. three crystal forms have been obtained, with form iii being the most suitable for high-resolution structure determina ... | 2005 | 15935744 |
| francisella tularensis live vaccine strain: proteomic analysis of membrane proteins enriched fraction. | proteome analysis of gram-negative facultative intracellular pathogen francisella tularensis (f. tularensis) live vaccine strain has been performed only on whole-cell extracts so far. this is the first study dealing with the analysis of the membrane subproteome of this microorganism. a fraction enriched in membrane proteins obtained by carbonate extraction was separated using two-dimensional electrophoresis and all visualized spots were identified by mass spectrometry. the reference map is the b ... | 2005 | 15937965 |
| structural analysis of the o-antigen of francisella tularensis subspecies tularensis strain osu 10. | | 2005 | 15947437 |
| multiplexed detection of pathogen dna with dna-based fluorescence nanobarcodes. | rapid, multiplexed, sensitive and specific molecular detection is of great demand in gene profiling, drug screening, clinical diagnostics and environmental analysis. one of the major challenges in multiplexed analysis is to identify each specific reaction with a distinct label or 'code'. two encoding strategies are currently used: positional encoding, in which every potential reaction is preassigned a particular position on a solid-phase support such as a dna microarray, and reaction encoding, w ... | 2005 | 15951805 |
| modulation of biogenesis of the francisella tularensis subsp. novicida-containing phagosome in quiescent human macrophages and its maturation into a phagolysosome upon activation by ifn-gamma. | francisella tularensis is a highly virulent facultative intracellular pathogen that has been categorized as a class a bioterrorism agent, and is classified into four subsp, tularensis, holarctica, mediasiatica and novicida. although the ability of f. tularensis subsp. novicida to cause tularemia in mice is similar to the virulent subsp. tularensis and holarctica, it is attenuated in humans. it is not known whether attenuation of f. tularensis subsp. novicida in humans is resulting from a differe ... | 2005 | 15953028 |
| the francisella tularensis pathogenicity island protein iglc and its regulator mgla are essential for modulating phagosome biogenesis and subsequent bacterial escape into the cytoplasm. | the francisella tularensis subsp. novicida-containing phagosome (fcp) matures into a late endosome-like stage that acquires the late endosomal marker lamp-2 but does not fuse to lysosomes, for the first few hours after bacterial entry. this modulation in phagosome biogenesis is followed by disruption of the phagosome and bacterial escape into the cytoplasm where they replicate. here we examined the role of the francisella pathogenicity island (fpi) protein iglc and its regulator mgla in the intr ... | 2005 | 15953029 |
| [possible mechanisms of implementation of toxic potential of lipopolysaccharides of pathogenic bacteria]. | the significance of variability of biological properties of lipopolysaccharides (lps) is discussed in the paper within the pathogenesis of infectious process. on the basis of an analysis of published data and of results of independent research of two microorganisms (yersinia pestis and francisella tularensis) a conclusion is made on that a biologically inert lps form (with a weak cytokine-inducing ability, apirogenicity and non-toxicity etc.) is typical of highly pathogenic bacteria. it is sugge ... | 2005 | 15954469 |
| chips and snps, bugs and thugs: a molecular sleuthing perspective. | recent events both here and abroad have focused attention on the need for ensuring a safe and secure food supply. although much has been written about the potential of particular select agents in bioterrorism, we must consider seriously the more mundane pathogens, especially those that have been implicated previously in foodborne outbreaks of human disease, as possible agents of bioterrorism. given their evolutionary history, the enteric pathogens are more diverse than agents such as bacillus an ... | 2005 | 15954721 |
| a new francisella (beggiatiales: francisellaceae) inquiline within dermacentor variabilis say (acari: ixodidae). | while estimating the prevalence of the dermacentor variabilis (say) symbiont (dvs) in dog ticks on martha's vineyard, ma, we identified dna that may represent a heretofore unrecognized francisella sp. polymerase chain reaction targeting a portion of the 16s rdna specific for dvs yielded an amplicon that was only 96.6% similar to that of dvs accessioned in genbank. phylogenetic analysis of the 16s and 23s rdna genes suggests the presence of a distinct bacterium closely related to the other endosy ... | 2005 | 15962806 |
| characterization of recombinant francisella tularensis acid phosphatase a. | francisella tularensis is the etiologic agent of the potentially fatal human disease tularemia and is capable of survival and multiplication within professional phagocytes of the host. while the mechanisms that allow intracellular survival of the bacterium are only now beginning to be elucidated at the molecular level, previous work demonstrated that f. tularensis produces copious levels of an acid phosphatase which in crude and purified form affected the dose-dependent abrogation of the respira ... | 2006 | 15964202 |
| the phagosomal transporter a couples threonine acquisition to differentiation and replication of legionella pneumophila in macrophages. | differentiation in response to environmental cues is integral to the success of many intracellular pathogens. by characterizing a legionella pneumophila mutant defective for differentiation in broth and replication in macrophages, we identified a subfamily of major facilitator superfamily transporters, here named pht (phagosomal transporter), that also is conserved in two other vacuolar pathogens, coxiella burnetii and francisella tularensis. biolog phenotype microarray analysis indicated that p ... | 2005 | 15998735 |
| cd4-cd8- t cells control intracellular bacterial infections both in vitro and in vivo. | memory t cells, including the well-known cd4(+) and cd8(+) t cells, are central components of the acquired immune system and are the basis for successful vaccination. after infection, cd4(+) and cd8(+) t cells expand into effector cells, and then differentiate into long-lived memory cells. we show that a rare population of cd4(-)cd8(-)cd3(+)alphabeta(+)gammadelta(-)nk1.1(-) t cells has similar functions. these cells potently and specifically inhibit the growth of the intracellular bacteria mycob ... | 2005 | 16027239 |
| [influence of cycloferon on the biological properties of bacterial intracellular pathogens]. | the influence of cycloferon on some biological properties of pathogenic (shigella spp., salmonella spp., francisella tularensis, brucella spp.) and opportunistic (escherichia coli, staphylococcus spp.) microorganisms has been experimentally determined in vitro. as revealed in these experiments, the preparation used at concentrations under study considerably suppresses the antilysozyme and anticomplementary activity of gram-negative intracellular parasites (shigellae, salmonellae, f. tularensis, ... | 2005 | 16028504 |
| prevalence of infection with francisella tularensis, borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and anaplasma phagocytophilum in rodents from an endemic focus of tularemia in bulgaria. | the prevalence of francisella tularensis, borrelia burgdorferi and anaplasma phagocytophilum in rodents is a determinant for their role in maintaining pathogens in the environment. a total of 169 rodents, trapped in an endemic focus of tularemia, were examined by pcr to asses the frequency of infection with the etiological agents of tularemia, lyme borreliosis and human granulocytic anaplasmosis. the overall prevalence of f. tularensis was 22 %. in 6 % of the black rats, f. tularensis was identi ... | 2005 | 16028881 |
| a novel screening elisa and a confirmatory western blot useful for diagnosis and epidemiological studies of tularemia. | a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) and a confirmatory western blot (wb) to detect human antibodies against francisella tularensis were evaluated. the elisa was based on partially purified lipopolysaccharide (lps), the wb on whole antigen of f. tularensis. positive wb showed a typical lps ladder. sensitivity and specificity of the elisa, as assessed in 104 positive sera and 1149 'normal' sera from healthy young adults, were 99.0% and 97.1% respectively. sensitivity of the wb was cl ... | 2005 | 16050523 |
| enteric fever-like illness caused by infection with citrobacter amalonaticus. | 'enteric fever' is a potentially fatal, severe systemic disease, which is encountered worldwide. traditionally, enteric fever refers to a bacteremic illness caused by members of certain salmonella serotypes, notably: salmonella typhi, a gram-negative bacterium, and to a lesser extent, salmonella paratyphi a, b and c. in addition, other non-salmonella organisms may produce a syndrome clinically indistinguishable from "enteric fever". brucella sp., campylobacter sp., edwardsiella tarda, enterobact ... | 2005 | 16083226 |
| massive attack. | | 2005 | 16094740 |
| dna assays for detection, identification, and individualization of select agent microorganisms. | the purpose of this article is to review the status of dna assays used for the detection, identification, and individualization of bacillus anthracis, yersinia pestis, francisella tularensis, burkholderia mallei, and brucella abortus. these select agent microorganisms are historically significant as they have either been used or experimented with as a bioweapon or as a terrorist agent and are the subject of intense research in the areas of biodefense and bioforensics. if the presence of a biolog ... | 2005 | 16100754 |
| [diagnostic tests: tularemia]. | | 2005 | 16111241 |
| francisella tularensis enters macrophages via a novel process involving pseudopod loops. | intracellular bacterial pathogens employ a variety of strategies to invade their eukaryotic host cells. from an ultrastructural standpoint, the processes that bacteria employ to invade their host cells include conventional phagocytosis, coiling phagocytosis, and ruffling/triggered macropinocytosis. in this paper, we describe a novel process by which francisella tularensis, the agent of tularemia, enters host macrophages. f. tularensis is a remarkably infectious facultative intracellular bacteria ... | 2005 | 16113308 |
| antimicrobial susceptibilities of austrian francisella tularensis holarctica biovar ii strains. | the antibiotic susceptibilities of 50 francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica biovar ii strains isolated from hares and human patients from the eastern part of austria were examined. minimum inhibitory concentrations (mics) of 24 antimicrobial agents were determined using eteststrade mark on cysteine heart agar plates supplemented with 10% sheep blood. all isolates were sensitive to tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, quinolones, chloramphenicol and rifampicin. resistance was observed in all isolat ... | 2005 | 16143497 |
| [phase variations of francisella tularensis lipopolysaccharide in human infection and immunization]. | the comparative study of the specificity of antibodies in human sera after tularemia infection and immunization with live tularemia infection was carried out with the use of passive hemagglutination and immunoblotting techniques. the sera of tularemia patients contained two different types of immunoglobulins: strictly specific to the antigenic epitopes of f. tularensis iipopolysaccharide (lps) and strictly specific to f. tularensis subsp. novicida lps. such phenomenon may be due to phase variati ... | 2005 | 16146218 |
| detection of diverse new francisella-like bacteria in environmental samples. | following detection of putative francisella species in aerosol samples from houston, texas, we surveyed soil and water samples from the area for the agent of tularemia, francisella tularensis, and related species. the initial survey used 16s rrna gene primers to detect francisella species and related organisms by pcr amplification of dna extracts from environmental samples. this analysis indicated that sequences related to francisella were present in one water and seven soil samples. this is the ... | 2005 | 16151142 |
| outbreak of tularaemia in golcuk, turkey in 2005: report of 5 cases and an overview of the literature from turkey. | tularaemia was diagnosed by taqman rt-pcr and microagglutination tests in 5 patients, all from a new settlement constructed after the earthquake of 1999. during the follow-up, 129 more cases were found in this settlement (data from the local health care authority). in this study, clinical features of 5 cases are presented briefly, and the turkish literature on past outbreaks of tularaemia is reviewed. | 2005 | 16191887 |
| use of shell-vial cell culture assay for isolation of bacteria from clinical specimens: 13 years of experience. | the shell-vial culture assay is performed routinely in our laboratory. recently we revisited our experience of using the shell-vial culture assay for the isolation of microorganisms from various clinical samples. over a 13-year period, we have isolated 580 bacterial strains (5%) from 11,083 clinical samples tested. over the same period, 285 isolates of rickettsiae, bartonellae, or coxiella burnetii were cultured from a total of 7,102 samples tested. these isolates include 55 rickettsia sp. isola ... | 2005 | 16207953 |
| tularemia in denmark: identification of a francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica strain by real-time pcr and high-resolution typing by multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis. | we report ulceroglandular tularemia affecting an 8-year-old boy and the first recovery of francisella tularensis in denmark. a novel real-time pcr assay was used to identify the strain as f. tularensis subsp. holarctica (type b). multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis demonstrated a close genetic relationship to strains from norway. | 2005 | 16208017 |
| [tularemia]. | | 2005 | 16209241 |
| francisella tularensis proteome: low levels of asb-14 facilitate the visualization of membrane proteins in total protein extracts. | proteomic analysis of bacterial pathogens isolated from in vivo sources, such as infected tissues, provides many challenges not the least of which is the limited quantity of sample available for analysis. it is, therefore, highly desirable to develop a one-step cellular lysis and protein solubilization method that minimizes protein losses and allows the maximum possible coverage of the proteome. here, we have used standard sample buffer constituents including urea, thiourea and dtt, but varied t ... | 2005 | 16212441 |
| diagnostic procedures in tularaemia with special focus on molecular and immunological techniques. | tularaemia is a severe bacterial zoonosis caused by the highly infectious agent francisella tularensis. it is endemic in countries of the northern hemisphere ranging from north america to europe, asia and japan. very recently, francisella-like strains causing disease in humans were described from tropical northern australia. in the last decade, efforts have been made to develop sensitive and specific immunological and molecular techniques for the laboratory diagnosis of tularaemia and also for t ... | 2005 | 16219088 |
| in vivo efficacy of fluoroquinolones against systemic tularaemia infection in mice. | the in vivo efficacy of ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin were assessed in an experimental francisella tularensis schu s4 infection in the balb/c mouse model. | 2005 | 16223941 |
| innate immunity against francisella tularensis is dependent on the asc/caspase-1 axis. | francisella tularensis is a highly infectious gram-negative coccobacillus that causes the zoonosis tularemia. this bacterial pathogen causes a plague-like disease in humans after exposure to as few as 10 cells. many of the mechanisms by which the innate immune system fights francisella are unknown. here we show that wild-type francisella, which reach the cytosol, but not francisella mutants that remain localized to the vacuole, induced a host defense response in macrophages, which is dependent o ... | 2005 | 16230474 |
| a multiplex polymerase chain reaction microarray assay to detect bioterror pathogens in blood. | heightened concern about the dangers of bioterrorism requires that measures be developed to ensure the safety of the blood supply. multiplex detection of such agents using a blood-screening dna microarray is a sensitive and specific method to screen simultaneously for a number of suspected agents. we have developed and optimized a multiplex polymerase chain reaction microarray assay to screen blood for three potential bioterror bacterial pathogens and a human ribosomal rna gene internal control. ... | 2005 | 16237218 |
| intracellular survival mechanisms of francisella tularensis, a stealth pathogen. | research on the highly virulent and contagious, facultative intracellular bacterium francisella tularensis has come into the limelight recently, but still little is known regarding its virulence mechanisms. this review summarizes recent studies on its intramacrophage survival mechanisms, some of which appear to be novel. | 2006 | 16239121 |
| [the interaction of dynamic speckles with suspensions of gram-negative cells]. | the role of temporal coherence at photodynamic action of light on living cells was investigated. a mathematical model describing the interaction of low-coherent speckles with bacterial cells was suggested and its parameters were determined based on experimental data. the interrelation between the life time of dynamic optical speckles and the degree of photodestruction of illuminated cells was established by computer simulations. the conditions were determined under which the photoinactivation of ... | 2005 | 16248164 |
| grey variants of the live vaccine strain of francisella tularensis lack lipopolysaccharide o-antigen, show reduced ability to survive in macrophages and do not induce protective immunity in mice. | francisella tularensis live vaccine strain (lvs) produces two colony types when grown on solid media, often referred to as blue variants (bv) and grey variants (gv). whereas blue variant bacteria possessed a lipopolysaccharide o-side chain, grey variant bacteria lacked o-side chains. grey variant bacteria appeared in stationary phase bacterial cultures and could be identified using a novel facs-based assay. compared to blue variant bacteria, grey variants showed a reduced ability to infect and s ... | 2006 | 16257097 |
| low dose aerosol infection of mice with virulent type a francisella tularensis induces severe thymus atrophy and cd4+cd8+ thymocyte depletion. | francisella tularensis is a gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of tularemia. two subspecies (type a and b strains) of the pathogen exist, the former being much more virulent than the latter for humans and other higher mammals. in this study, we examined the effect of virulent strains of f. tularensis infection on the thymus and thymocytes and the potential mechanisms involved. low-dose aerosol exposure of c57bl/6 mice with type a, but not type b, f. tularen ... | 2005 | 16257504 |
| discrimination between francisella tularensis and francisella-like endosymbionts when screening ticks by pcr. | the presence of francisella-like endosymbionts in tick species known to transmit tularemia poses a potential diagnostic problem for laboratories that screen tick samples by pcr for francisella tularensis. tick samples initially considered positive for f. tularensis based on standard 16s rrna gene pcr were found to be positive only for francisella-like endosymbionts using a multitarget f. tularensis taqman assay (isftu2, tul4, and iglc) and 16s rrna gene sequencing. specificity of pcr-based diagn ... | 2005 | 16269811 |
| francisella tularensis induces aberrant activation of pulmonary dendritic cells. | francisella tularensis is an obligate intracellular bacterium that induces severe, acute, often fatal disease when acquired by the respiratory route. despite the seriousness of this pathogen, very little is understood about its interaction with key target cells in the airways and lungs (alveolar macrophages and airway dendritic cells (dc)) after inhalation. in this study we demonstrate replication of f. tularensis in primary dc. early after infection, f. tularensis induced increased expression o ... | 2005 | 16272336 |
| [rodents as the vectors of infective agents in the natural foci of infections in the moscow megapolis]. | this work deals with the results of 40-year observations on the circulation of infective agents in the natural foci of infections (tularemia, leptospirosis, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome) among rodents and other small mammals in the territory of the moscow. the monitoring of their frequency and the infection rates remains the main effective measure for the prophylaxis of dangerous infections among the population of the megapolis. | 2005 | 16279545 |
| [bioterrorism]. | biological terrorism is intentionally to use infectious substances for developing diseases or death in animals or humans, leading to disaster and panic in our community. bioterrorism-associated diseases are mostly rare or eradicated infectious diseases, and recently, we do not have experience to make a clinical and laboratory diagnosis. in particular, these infectious diseases have incubation periods from infection to development of the disease. the staff working at public health institutions, i ... | 2005 | 16296383 |
| a 12-case outbreak of pharyngeal plague following the consumption of camel meat, in north-eastern jordan. | between late january and early february 1997, an outbreak of plague, associated with cervical lymphadenopathy and fever, occurred in the jordanian village of azraq ad-druze, which lies about 50 km west of the border with saudi arabia. the 12 cases who presented at hospital were initially assumed to have tularaemia, and all were successfully treated with gentamicin. when, however, their sera were tested for evidence of yersinia pestis or francisella tularensis infection (using haemagglutination, ... | 2005 | 16297292 |
| a mutant of francisella tularensis strain schu s4 lacking the ability to express a 58-kilodalton protein is attenuated for virulence and is an effective live vaccine. | francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis (type a) strain schu s4 is a prototypic strain of the pathogen that is highly virulent for humans and other mammals. its intradermal (i.d.) 50% lethal dose (ld50) for mice is <10 cfu. we discovered a spontaneous mutant, designated fsc043, of schu s4 with an i.d. ld50 of >10(8) cfu. fsc043 effectively vaccinated mice against challenge with a highly virulent type a strain, and the protective efficacy was at least as good as that of f. tularensis lvs, an emp ... | 2005 | 16299332 |
| clinical use of a diagnostic pcr for francisella tularensis in patients with suspected ulceroglandular tularaemia. | a retrospective analysis to evaluate the clinical use of a diagnostic pcr for francisella tularensis in patients with suspected ulceroglandular tularaemia was performed. 154 samples, 129 from patients with definitive tularaemia and 25 from patients where tularaemia could be ruled out, were analysed. the diagnostic pcr had a specificity of 96%, a sensitivity of 78.3%, and a positive predictive value of 99%. especially samples from encrusted lesions, even up to 4 weeks old, in patients with tulara ... | 2005 | 16308216 |
| francisella tularensis travels a novel, twisted road within macrophages. | francisella tularensis is a highly infectious intracellular bacterium that causes fulminating disease and is a potential bioweapon. although entry of the bacteria into macrophages is mediated by novel asymmetric, spacious pseudopod loops, the nascent phagosome becomes tight fitting within seconds of formation. biogenesis of the francisella-containing phagosome (fcp) is arrested for 2-4h at a unique stage within the endosomal-lysosomal degradation pathway, followed by gradual bacterial escape int ... | 2006 | 16356719 |
| seroprevalence of brucellosis, tularemia, and yersiniosis in wild boars (sus scrofa) from north-eastern germany. | brucellosis and tularemia are classical zoonotic diseases transmitted from an animal reservoir to humans. both, wildlife and domestic animals, contribute to the spreading of these zoonoses. the surveillance of the animal health status is strictly regulated for domestic animals, whereas systematic disease monitoring in wildlife does not exist. the aim of the present study was to provide data on the prevalence of anti-brucella, anti-francisella and anti-yersinia antibodies in wild boars from north ... | 2005 | 16364020 |
| internalization and phagosome escape required for francisella to induce human monocyte il-1beta processing and release. | macrophage responses to francisella infection have been characterized previously by subdued proinflammatory responses; however, these studies have generally focused on macrophage cell lines or monocyte-derived macrophages. therefore, we studied the ability of fresh human blood monocytes to engulf and respond to francisella by using the live vaccine strain variant and francisella novicida. because francisella organisms have been reported to escape from the phagolysosome into the cytosol, we hypot ... | 2006 | 16373510 |
| natural killer and cd8 t cells dominate the response by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to inactivated francisella tularensis live vaccine strain. | francisella tularensis is a category a biothreat agent, and as a result, it has recently generated much research interest. f. tularensis live vaccine strain (lvs) is an attenuated form of the virulent f. tularensis organism and has previously been used as a vaccine. however, because of safety concerns, it is no longer approved for this purpose. thus, the use of inactivated organisms is preferable for vaccine purposes. although many studies have been performed that examine human peripheral blood ... | 2005 | 16386645 |
| detection of biological threat agents by real-time pcr: comparison of assay performance on the r.a.p.i.d., the lightcycler, and the smart cycler platforms. | rapid detection of biological threat agents is critical for timely therapeutic administration. fluorogenic pcr provides a rapid, sensitive, and specific tool for molecular identification of these agents. we compared the performance of assays for 7 biological threat agents on the idaho technology, inc. r.a.p.i.d., the roche lightcycler, and the cepheid smart cycler. | 2006 | 16391330 |
| [incidence of zoonoses in petting zoos and evaluation of hygiene measures to prevent the transmission to humans]. | in summer 2003, a study was performed in thirty swiss petting zoos with the objective to determine the prevalence of zoonotic agents, and to describe hygiene measures implemented to reduce the risk of human infection. fecal samples from different animal species were collected from the floor of pens to determine the prevalence of salmonella spp., campylobacter spp., verocytotoxin producing e. coli/ vtec and francisella tularensis. a questionnaire on hygiene measures, number of animals per species ... | 2005 | 16398191 |
| h2bc: a new technique for nmr analysis of complex carbohydrates. | it is demonstrated that the h2bc nmr pulse sequence (j. am. chem. soc.2005, 127, 6154, magn. reson. chem.2005, 43, 971-974) offers unambiguous assignments and significant simplification of nmr spectra of large and complex carbohydrates compared to other techniques for the establishment of correlations over more than one bond. h2bc almost exclusively correlates protons and proton-bearing carbon spins separated by two covalent bonds and is independent of occasionally vanishing (2)j(ch) coupling co ... | 2006 | 16406276 |
| cryopyrin activates the inflammasome in response to toxins and atp. | a crucial part of the innate immune response is the assembly of the inflammasome, a cytosolic complex of proteins that activates caspase-1 to process the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (il)-1beta and il-18. the adaptor protein asc is essential for inflammasome function, binding directly to caspase-1 (refs 3, 4), but the triggers of this interaction are less clear. asc also interacts with the adaptor cryopyrin (also known as nalp3 or cias1). activating mutations in cryopyrin are associated ... | 2006 | 16407890 |
| bacterial cell microarrays for the detection and characterization of antibodies against surface antigens. | bacterial cell surface antigens interact with the host immune system resulting in the production of antibodies. detection of antibodies against surface antigens has applications in diagnosis of many bacterial infections, assessment of immune status and epidemiological studies. we developed a microarray platform, for antibody detection, by printing gram-negative and gram-positive whole bacterial cells on nitrocellulose coated glass substrates. antibody binding was detected using fluorophore label ... | 2006 | 16423364 |
| [rickettsia helvetica: an emerging tick-borne pathogen in hungary and europe]. | rickettsia helvetica belonging to spotted fever group rickettsiae was recently detected by polymerase chain reaction followed by sequencing in european sheep ticks (ixodes ricinus) from hungary. current knowledge on these rickettsiae and the clinical and diagnostic aspects of r. helvetica infection is summarized. in acute cases, r. helvetica is generally responsible for flu-like symptoms. nevertheless, recent data indicate that in chronic cases, these rickettsiae can be responsible for perimyoca ... | 2005 | 16440500 |