| Computational electrophysiology: the molecular dynamics of ion channel permeation and selectivity in atomistic detail. | | 2011 | 21843464 |
| Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Treponema pallidum: evolution, therapeutic challenges and the need to strengthen global surveillance. | | 2011 | 22110154 |
| the iron-repressed, arac-like regulator mper activates expression of feta in neisseria gonorrhoeae. | neisseria gonorrhoeae is an obligate human pathogen that causes the common sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. gonococcal infections cause significant morbidity, particularly among women, as the organism ascends to the upper reproductive tract, resulting in pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. in the last few years, antibiotic resistance rates have risen dramatically, leading to severe restriction of treatment options for gonococcal disease. gonococcal infection ... | 2011 | 21947770 |
| Trends in antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated from Korean patients from 2000 to 2006. | The recent emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae has compromised treatment and control of gonorrhea. We determined recent trends in antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates, analyzed recent use of antigonococcal agents, and investigated the relationship between fluoroquinolone nonsusceptibility and amino acid substitutions within the fluoroquinolone resistance-determining regions in Korea. | 2011 | 21992988 |
| genital and extra-genital screening for gonorrhoea using the bd probetec et system with an in-house pcr method targeting the pora pseudogene as confirmatory test. | diagnosing gonorrhoea from extra-genital as well as genital sites is important in managing this sexually transmitted disease. in this study we evaluated a screening procedure for neisseria gonorrhoeae (gc) from all sample sites in a low-prevalence setting. a total of 69,252 specimens submitted for chlamydia trachomatis testing were also examined for gc on the bd viper™ platform using the bd probetec et system. in order to avoid false-positive results all gc bd reactive samples were re-tested usi ... | 2011 | 22002460 |
| Repeating Low-Positive Nucleic Acid Amplification Test Results for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Assessment of Current Practice in Selected California Public and Private-Sector Laboratories. | Routine repeat testing of specimens with a low-positive result for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) by nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) is not recommended (5) because 1) the majority of positive specimens that are negative on confirmatory testing are true positives, and 2) infected patients will go untreated.… | 2011 | 22116148 |
| eculizumab: a review of its use in paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria. | eculizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody indicated for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (pnh). it binds specifically and with high affinity to the complement protein c5, thereby preventing the formation of the terminal complement complex c5b-9, which mediates cell lysis. in patients with pnh, eculizumab inhibits terminal complement mediated intravascular haemolysis. in clinical trials of pnh patients, eculizumab reduced intravascular haemolysis compared with baseline an ... | 2011 | 22085388 |
| cefixime and ceftriaxone susceptibility of neisseria gonorrhoeae in italy from 2006 to 2010. | clin microbiol infect abstract: neisseria gonorrhoeae resistance to cephalosporins, the currently recommended treatment, and treatment failures with cefixime have been reported worldwide. the purposes of the present study were (i) to examine the susceptibility of n. gonorrhoeae isolates isolated in italy from 2006 through 2010 to cefixime (n = 293) taking into account both european committee on antimicrobial susceptibility testing (eucast) and clinical and laboratory standards institute (clsi) c ... | 2011 | 21966997 |
| Outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis C in workers at a large food-processing plant in Brazil: challenges of controlling disease spread to the larger community. | SUMMARYAn outbreak of meningococcal disease (MD) with severe morbidity and mortality was investigated in midwestern Brazil in order to identify control measures. A MD case was defined as isolation of Neisseria meningitidis, or detection of polysaccharide antigen in a sterile site, or presence of clinical purpura fulminans, or an epidemiological link with a laboratory-confirmed case-patient, between June and August 2008. In 8 out of 16 MD cases studied, serogroup C ST103 complex was identified. F ... | 2011 | 21875453 |
| human lipooligosaccharide igg that prevents endemic meningococcal disease recognizes an internal lacto-n-neotetraose structure. | antibodies that initiate complement-mediated killing of neisseria meningitidis as they enter the bloodstream from the oropharynx protect against disseminated disease. human iggs that bind the neisserial l7 lipooligosaccharide (los) are bactericidal for l3,7 and l2,4 meningococci in the presence of human complement. these strains share a lacto-n-neotetraose (nlc4) los α chain. we used a set of mutants that have successive saccharide deletions from the nlc4 α chain to characterize further the bind ... | 2011 | 22027827 |
| Development of a Multiplex PCR Assay for Detection and Genogrouping of Neisseria meningitidis. | Neisseria meningitidis is a leading pathogen of epidemic bacterial meningitis and fulminant sepsis worldwide. Twelve different N. meningitidis serogroups have been identified to date based on antigenic differences in the capsular polysaccharide. However, more than 90% of human cases of N. meningitidis meningitis are the result of infection with just five serogroups, A, B, C, W135, and Y. Efficient methods of detection and genogrouping of N. meningitidis isolates are needed, therefore, in order t ... | 2012 | 22090406 |
| Analysis of the immune response to Neisseria meningitidis using a proteomics approach. | The availability of Neisseria genome sequences together with improvements in proteomic technologies provide the opportunity to study at high resolution the immune response to Neisseria meningitidis. In this chapter, we describe a protocol that combines two-dimensional (2D) SDS-PAGE of meningococcal outer membranes with western blotting of human antisera to identify proteins associated with the development of protective antibody responses. This methodology can identify putative vaccine candidates ... | 2012 | 21993655 |
| TLR2 Activation Enhances HIV Nuclear Import and Infection through T Cell Activation-Independent and -Dependent Pathways. | TLR2 activation plays a crucial role in Neisseria gonorrheae-mediated enhancement of HIV infection of resting CD4(+) T cells. We examined signaling pathways involved in the HIV enhancing effect of TLR2. TLR2 but not IL-2 signals promoted HIV nuclear import; however, both signals were required for the maximal enhancing effect. Although TLR2 signaling could not activate T cells, it increased IL-2-induced T cell activation. Cyclosporin A and IkBa inhibitor blocked TLR2-mediated enhancement of HIV i ... | 2011 | 22210918 |
| Population structure in the Neisseria, and the biological significance of fuzzy species. | Phenotypic and genetic variation in bacteria can take bewilderingly complex forms even within a single genus. One of the most intriguing examples of this is the genus Neisseria, which comprises both pathogens and commensals colonizing a variety of body sites and host species, and causing a range of disease. Complex relatedness among both named species and previously identified lineages of Neisseria makes it challenging to study their evolution. Using the largest publicly available collection of ... | 2011 | 22072450 |
| microbiological findings in endometrial specimen: our experience. | purpose: collection of an endometrial specimen for investigating infectious agents in the endometrial cavity is an invasive technique that is at times difficult and painful. in order to avoid the need for endometrial sampling in the cases of suspected or evident endometrial pathology, the aim of this study is to investigate the reliability of cervical cultures for detecting infectious agents present at the endometrial level, comparing the results between cervical cultures a ... | 2011 | 22113463 |
| periodic presumptive treatment of curable sexually transmitted infections among sex workers: recent experience with implementation. | curable sexually transmitted infections (stis) are common occupational hazards for female sex workers in low-income and middle-income countries. yet, most infections are asymptomatic and sensitive screening tests are rarely affordable or feasible. periodic presumptive treatment (ppt) has been used as a component of sti control interventions to rapidly reduce sti prevalence. | 2012 | 22156895 |
| antigen dose escalation study of a vegf-based therapeutic cancer vaccine in non human primates. | cigb-247 is a cancer therapeutic, based on recombinant modified human vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) as antigen, in combination with the oil free adjuvant vssp (very small sized proteoliposomes of neisseria meningitidis outer membrane). our previous experimental studies in mice with cigb-247 have shown that the vaccine has both anti-tumoral and anti-metastatic activity, and produces both antibodies that block vegf-vegf receptor interaction, and a specific t-cell cytotoxic response aga ... | 2012 | 22075086 |
| Interrogation of global mutagenesis data with a genome scale model of Neisseria meningitidis to assess gene fitness in vitro and in sera. | ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Neisseria meningitidis is an important human commensal and pathogen that causes several thousand deaths each year, mostly in young children. How the pathogen replicates and causes disease in the host is largely unknown, particularly the role of metabolism in colonization and disease. Completed genome sequences are available for several strains but our understanding of how these data relate to phenotype remains limited. RESULTS: To investigate the metabolism of N. meningit ... | 2011 | 22208880 |
| The prevalence and clinical significance of urethritis and cervicitis in asymptomatic people by use of multiplex polymerase chain reaction. | Our purpose was to conduct a screening test for urethritis or cervicitis as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) by using multiplex polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, and Trichomonas vaginalis in asymptomatic people. | 2011 | 22087366 |
| pathogenic neisseria hitchhike on the uropod of human neutrophils. | polymorphonuclear neutrophils (pmns) are important components of the human innate immune system and are rapidly recruited at the site of bacterial infection. despite the effective phagocytic activity of pmns, neisseria gonorrhoeae infections are characterized by high survival within pmns. we reveal a novel type iv pilus-mediated adherence of pathogenic neisseria to the uropod (the rear) of polarized pmns. the direct pilus-uropod interaction was visualized by scanning electron microscopy and tota ... | 2011 | 21949708 |
| Development of a liposome microbicide formulation for vaginal delivery of octylglycerol for HIV prevention. | The feasibility of using a liposome drug delivery system to formulate octylglycerol (OG) as a vaginal microbicide product was explored. A liposome formulation was developed containing 1% OG and phosphatidyl choline in a ratio that demonstrated in vitro activity against Neisseria gonorrhoeae, HSV-1, HSV-2 and HIV-1 while sparing the innate vaginal flora, Lactobacillus. Two conventional gel formulations were prepared for comparison. The OG liposome formulation with the appropriate OG/lipid ratio a ... | 2011 | 22149387 |
| Capsular polysaccharide vaccine for Group B Neisseria meningitidis, Escherichia coli K1, and Pasteurella haemolytica A2. | We reviewed the literature that is the basis for our proposal that (2?8)-a-Neu5Ac conjugates will be safe and effective vaccines for Group B meningococci (GBMs), Escherichia coli K1, and Pasteurella haemolytica A2. Although (2?8)-a-Neu5Ac is a virulence factor and a protective antigen of these three pathogens, it is also a component of normal tissues (neural cell adhesion molecule). Natural, anti-(2?8)-a-Neu5Ac present in most adults, vaccine-induced antibodies, and even high levels of spontaneo ... | 2011 | 22025709 |
| detection of neisseria meningitidis in cerebrospinal fluid using a multiplex pcr and the luminex detection technology. | rapid clinical and laboratory diagnoses are the foundation for a successful management of serious infections with neisseria meningitidis. a species-specific multiplex polymerase chain reaction (pcr) coupled with fluidic microarrays using microbeads (the luminex xmap™ technology) can detect pathogens most frequently found in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients. the luminex suspension array system uniquely combines flow cytometry, microspheres, laser technology, digital signal processing, and trad ... | 2012 | 21993638 |
| prevalence of genital mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas in men younger than 40 years-of-age with acute epididymitis. | objectives: acute epididymitis is often associated with urethritis. mycoplasma genitalium and ureaplasma urealyticum have been considered as pathogens of urethritis. the aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of these microorganisms in men with acute epididymitis. method: a total of 56 men younger than 40 years-of-age with acute epididymitis were enrolled in the present study between january 2006 and june 2010. first-void urine specimens were subjected to culture of aerobic b ... | 2011 | 22142497 |
| Detecting genomic regions associated with a disease using variability functions and Adjusted Rand Index. | BACKGROUND: The identification of functional regions contained in a given multiple sequence alignment constitutes one of the major challenges of comparative genomics. Several studies have focused on the identification of conserved regions and motifs. However, most of existing methods ignore the relationship between the functional genomic regions and the external evidence associated with the considered group of species (e.g., carcinogenicity of Human Papilloma Virus). In the past, we have propose ... | 2011 | 22151279 |
| Early microbial succession in redeveloping dental biofilms in periodontal health and disease. | Teles FR, Teles RP, Uzel NG, Song XQ, Torresyap G, Socransky SS, Haffajee AD. Early microbial succession in redeveloping dental biofilms in periodontal health and disease. J Periodont Res 2011; doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0765.2011.01409.x. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S Background and Objective: The development of dental biofilms after professional plaque removal is very rapid. However, it is not clear whether most bacterial species return at similar rates in periodontally healthy and periodontitis subj ... | 2011 | 21895662 |
| european efforts to harmonize typing of meningococci. | neisseria meningitidis causes life-threatening disease in infants, toddlers, and adolescents. besides representative case notification, public health management of the disease requires bacterial typing information. european reference laboratories and state epidemiologists in collaboration with european institutions have driven forward the harmonization of typing by rigorously adopting dna sequence typing and using common reference databases. external quality assessment has been provided by supra ... | 2011 | 21992745 |
| An insight into the drug resistance profile & mechanism of drug resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. | Among the aetiological agents of treatable sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), Neissseria gonorrhoeae is considered to be most important because of emerging antibiotic resistant strains that compromise the effectiveness of treatment of the disease - gonorrhoea. In most of the developing countries, treatment of gonorrhoea relies mainly on syndromic management rather than the aetiological based therapy. Gonococcal infections are usually treated with single-dose therapy with an agent found to cur ... | 2011 | 22089602 |
| [Male urethral duplication infection: experience with 9 cases]. | To study the clinical characteristics of male urethral duplication infection and offer some guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. | 2011 | 21898997 |
| gonorrhoea surveillance, laboratory diagnosis and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of neisseria gonorrhoeae in 11 countries of the eastern part of the who european region. | quality-assured worldwide surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (amr) in neisseria gonorrhoeae is crucial for public health purposes. in the countries of the eastern part of the who european region the knowledge regarding gonococcal amr is limited, and antimicrobials of many different types, sources and quality are used for gonorrhoea treatment. this study surveyed gonorrhoea incidence, laboratory diagnosis and gonococcal amr testing in 11 independent countries of the former soviet union. the ... | 2011 | 21851423 |
| Extensive Genomic Variation within Clonal Complexes of Neisseria meningitidis. | Meningococcal disease is a widely distributed complex disease affecting all age categories. It can cause severe meningitis and septicemia, especially in unvaccinated infants and young children. The causative agent, Neisseria meningitidis (Nm), can be phenotypically and genetically differentiated into serogroups and sequence types (STs) and has a highly dynamic population structure. To obtain a deeper understanding of the epidemiology of Nm, we sequenced seven Nm genomes. Large-scale genomic anal ... | 2011 | 22084315 |
| A Burkholderia pseudomallei macrophage infectivity potentiator-like protein has rapamycin-inhibitable peptidylprolyl isomerase activity and pleiotropic effects on virulence. | Macrophage infectivity potentiators (Mips) are a group of virulence factors encoded by pathogenic bacteria such as Legionella, Chlamydia, and Neisseria species. Mips are part of the FK506-binding protein (FKBP) family, whose members typically exhibit peptidylprolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) activity which is inhibitable by the immunosuppressants FK506 and rapamycin. Here we describe the identification and characterization of BPSS1823, a Mip-like protein in the intracellular pathogen Burkholde ... | 2011 | 21859853 |
| The European gonococcal antimicrobial surveillance programme, 2009. | Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial susceptibility is monitored in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) by the European gonococcal antimicrobial surveillance programme (Euro-GASP). Results from 17 EU/EEA Member States in 2009 showed that 5% of isolates had decreased susceptibility to cefixime, an upward trend in the minimum inhibitory concentrations of ceftriaxone and a high prevalence of resistance to ciprofloxacin (63%)and azithromycin (13%). These results are of public ... | 2011 | 22027378 |
| Communicable diseases prioritized for surveillance and epidemiological research: results of a standardized prioritization procedure in Germany, 2011. | To establish strategic priorities for the German national public health institute (RKI) and guide the institute's mid-term strategic decisions, we prioritized infectious pathogens in accordance with their importance for national surveillance and epidemiological research. | 2011 | 21991334 |
| Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of the carriage and invasive disease isolates of Neisseria meningitidis in Finland. | The relationship between carriage and the development of invasive meningococcal disease is not fully understood. We investigated here the changes in meningococcal carriage in 892 military recruits in Finland during a non-epidemic period from July 2004 to January 2006 and characterized all the oropharyngeal meningococcal isolates obtained (n=215) by phenotypic (serogrouping, serotyping) and genotypic (porA typing and multilocus sequence typing) methods. For comparison, 84 invasive meningococcal d ... | 2011 | 22135261 |
| the effects of injectable hormonal contraceptives on hiv seroconversion and on sexually transmitted infections. | : to investigate the association between hormonal contraceptives and risk of hiv-1 seroconversion and prevalence of other sexually transmitted infections. | 2011 | 22156970 |
| Disseminated gonococcal infection in Japan: a case report and literature review. | Disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) is quite a rare condition, especially in the Japanese population; only 10 cases have been reported in case notes and minutes. We describe a man in which Neisseria gonorrhoeae was suspected to have infected the patient through his pharynx. He developed chills, fever, tonsillitis, papules, tenosynovitis and migratory polyarthralgia without genitourinary symptoms. After conducting a literature review, we suggest that being male is a possible risk factor and t ... | 2011 | 21921393 |
| meningococcal surface fibril (msf) binds to activated vitronectin and inhibits the terminal complement pathway to increase serum resistance. | complement evasion is an important survival strategy of neisseria meningitidis (nm) during colonization and infection. previously, we have shown that nm opc binds to serum vitronectin to inhibit complement-mediated killing. in this study, we demonstrate meningococcal interactions with vitronectin via a novel adhesin, msf (meningococcal surface fibril, previously nhha or hsf). as with opc, msf binds preferentially to activated vitronectin (avn), engaging at its n-terminal region but the c-termina ... | 2011 | 22050461 |
| Characterization of low molecular weight antimicrobial peptide from human female reproductive tract. | Background & objectives: The mechanisms that protect female upper genital tract from ascending infection by microbes present in vagina are only partially understood. It is expected that epithelial cells in mucosal surfaces and their secretions directly interfere with microbial colonization and invasion. This study was aimed to demonstrate the expression of 2 kDa antimicrobial peptide which was identified and purified from female genital tract tissues using chromatographic techniques. Methods: L ... | 2011 | 22199108 |
| expression, purification, and crystallization of neisserial outer membrane proteins. | integral outer membrane proteins (omps) play key roles in solute transport, adhesion, and other processes. in neisseria, they can also function as major protective antigens. structural, biophysical, and immunological studies of neisserial omps require their isolation in milligram quantities. purification of any omp directly from neisseria would require the growth of large quantities of cell mass, with attendant concerns about safety and convenience. as a result, many investigators have developed ... | 2012 | 21993641 |
| testing men who have sex with men for urethral infection with chlamydia trachomatis and neisseria gonorrhoeae is only half the job, and we need the right tools. | | 2011 | 21934566 |
| emergence of multidrug-resistant neisseria gonorrhoeae strains circulating worldwide. | | 2011 | 22168311 |
| Age-related immunity to meningococcal serogroup C vaccination: an increase in the persistence of IgG2 correlates with a decrease in the avidity of IgG. | All children and adolescents between 1 and 19 years of age in The Netherlands received a single meningococcal serogroup C conjugate (MenCC) vaccine in 2002. During follow-up 4-5 years later, the persistence of MenC polysaccharide-specific IgG was found to be dependent on age of vaccination with higher IgG levels in the oldest immunized age categories. | 2011 | 21887261 |
| three-dimensional obstacles for bacterial surface motility. | twitching motility enables bacteria to move over surfaces using type iv pili as grappling hooks. here it is shown that the motility of the round neisseria gonorrhoeae as well as of rod-shaped myxococcus xanthus is guided by elevations with dimension and depth corresponding to the size of the bacteria. | 2011 | 22183854 |
| a laminar-flow chamber assay for measuring bacterial adhesion under shear stress. | shear stress levels generated by circulating blood have a strong impact on biological processes taking place in the vasculature. it is therefore important to take them into account when studying infectious agents targeting the endothelium. here we describe a protocol using disposable laminar-flow chambers and video microcopy to study bacterial infections in an environment that mimics the bloodstream. we initially focused on the interaction of neisseria meningitidis with human endothelial cells a ... | 2012 | 21993647 |
| evaluation and management of sexually transmitted infections in adolescent males presenting to a pediatric emergency department: is the chief complaint diagnostic? | the objectives of the study were to (1) describe evaluation and treatment patterns for adolescent males presenting with a concern for sexually transmitted infection (sti) in a pediatric emergency department, (2) assess the rates of stis in symptomatic males, and (3) determine the utility of urinalysis alone in predicting stis in adolescent males. | 2011 | 22068065 |
| Structural characterisation, stability and antibody recognition of chimeric NHBA-GNA1030: An investigational vaccine component against Neisseria meningitidis. | A new generation multi-component vaccine, principally directed against serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis (4CMenB), has recently been developed. One of its components, identified through reverse vaccinology, is the neisserial heparin-binding antigen (NHBA) which is included in the formulation as a novel NHBA-GNA1030 fusion protein (NHBA-FP). We describe here the biophysical characteristics of this vaccine antigen to understand better its structural properties in solution and concurrent immunogen ... | 2011 | 22210226 |
| Neisseria gonorrhoeae induced disruption of cell junction complexes in epithelial cells of the human genital tract. | Pathogenic microorganisms, such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, have developed mechanisms to alter epithelial barriers in order to reach subepithelial tissues for host colonization. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of gonococci on cell junction complexes of genital epithelial cells of women. Polarized Ishikawa cells, a cell line derived from endometrial epithelium, were used for experimental infection. Infected cells displayed a spindle-like shape with an irregular distribution, indica ... | 2011 | 22146107 |
| Processing and Maturation of the Pilin of the Type IV Secretion System Encoded within the Gonococcal Genetic Island. | The type IV secretion system (T4SS) encoded within the gonococcal genetic island (GGI) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae has homology to the T4SS encoded on the F plasmid. The GGI encodes the putative pilin protein TraA and a serine protease TrbI, which is homologous to the TraF protein of the RP4 plasmid involved in circularization of pilin subunits of P-type pili. TraA was processed to a 68-amino acid long circular peptide by leader peptidase and TrbI. Processing occurred after co-translational membran ... | 2011 | 22006923 |
| the international circumpolar surveillance interlaboratory quality control program for serotyping haemophilus influenzae and serogrouping neisseria meningitidis, 2005 - 2009. | the international circumpolar surveillance (ics) program was initiated in 1999 to conduct population-based surveillance for invasive pneumococcal disease in select regions of the arctic. the program expanded to include surveillance of invasive diseases caused by n. meningitidis and h. influenzae. an interlaboratory quality control (qc) program to monitor laboratory proficiencies in the serogrouping of n. meningitidis and serotyping of h. influenzae was co-developed by the arctic investigations p ... | 2011 | 22170933 |
| role of stochastic processes in maintaining discrete strain structure in antigenically diverse pathogen populations. | many highly diverse pathogen populations appear to exist stably as discrete antigenic types despite evidence of genetic exchange. it has been shown that this may arise as a consequence of immune selection on pathogen populations, causing them to segregate permanently into discrete nonoverlapping subsets of antigenic variants to minimize competition for available hosts. however, discrete antigenic strain structure tends to break down under conditions where there are unequal numbers of allelic var ... | 2011 | 21876129 |
| three-year history of transcription-mediated amplification-based trichomonas vaginalis analyte-specific reagent testing in a subacute care patient population. | a total of 7,899 specimens submitted for live clinical trichomonas vaginalis analyte-specific reagent (asr) screening from 2008 to 2010 were audited on the basis of patient gender, specimen source, molecular neisseria gonorrhoeae and chlamydia trachomatis results, and relative light unit (rlu) data yielded by t. vaginalis asr. only 1.4% of the screening was ordered by emergency department clinicians. the screening volume in 2010 was 126% higher than that in 2008. the proportions of annual female ... | 2011 | 21998416 |
| Evaluation of self-collected versus clinician-collected swabs for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae pharyngeal infection among men who have sex with men. | We evaluated self-sampling to detect pharyngeal Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infection among men who have sex with men attending a San Francisco STD clinic. The prevalence of pharyngeal NG and CT infection was 6.7% (32/480) and 1.3% (6/480), respectively. The percent agreement between self-collected and clinician-collected NG and CT specimens using nucleic acid amplification testing was 96.6% with a ? of 0.766 (95% confidence interval: 0.653-0.879) and 99.4% with a ? ... | 2011 | 21992980 |
| routine confirmation of positive nucleic acid amplification test results for neisseria gonorrhoeae is not necessary. | | 2012 | 22203751 |
| Deletion of one nucleotide within the homonucleotide tract present in the hsdS gene alters the DNA sequence specificity of type I restriction-modification system NgoAV. | As a result of a frameshift mutation, the hsdS locus of the NgoAV type IC restriction and modification (RM) system comprises two genes, hsdS(NgoAV1) and hsdS(NgoAV2). The specificity subunit, HsdS(NgoAV), the product of the hsdS(NgoAV1) gene, is a naturally truncated form of an archetypal specificity subunit (208 N-terminal amino acids instead of 410). The presence of a homonucleotide tract of seven guanines (poly[G]) at the 3' end of the hsdS(NgoAV1) gene makes the NgoAV system a strong candida ... | 2011 | 21984785 |
| Hydrogen-deuterium exchange coupled to mass spectrometry to investigate ligand-receptor interactions. | A method for exploring protein-protein interactions using hydrogen/deuterium exchange coupled to mass spectrometry is described. The method monitors the exchange of backbone (amide) hydrogens in solutions of deuterated water that primarily occur on portions of the protein exposed to solvent. In the presence of a protein binding partner, regions that experience reduced exchange are either part of the protein-protein interaction interface or undergo conformational changes to reduce accessibility t ... | 2012 | 21993650 |
| [Nationwide antimicrobial susceptibility survey of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in Japan]. | In a nationwide antimicrobial susceptibility survey of 494 Nesseria gonorrhoeae isolates collected from February 2008 to December 2009 in 3 regions of Japan, 112 (22.7%) were collected from western Japan (Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu), 277 (56.1%) from mid-eastern Japan (Kanto), and 105 (21.1%) from eastern Japan (Tokai, Hokuriku, Koushinetsu, Tohoku, and Hokkaido). Resistance to ciprofloxacin (CPFX) was 72.8%, to penicillin G (PCG) 19.8%, and to tetracycline (TC) 18.2%. Intermediate resi ... | 2011 | 21861439 |
| Antimicrobial resistance in sexually transmitted infections in the developed world: implications for rational treatment. | Public health control of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is dependent on the delivery of effective therapy and so will be compromised by the emergence of resistance. The scope of the problem and the implications for treatment that follow are discussed in this review. | 2012 | 22143116 |
| Vaccines of the future. | Vaccines of the future can be divided into three broad groups, namely those of the near future (<10 years); the medium-term future (10-19 years); and the long-term future (20-50 years). For the near future, there is some "low hanging fruit" which is clearly on the horizon, such as a Vi-conjugate vaccine for typhoid or a protein-based vaccine for Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B. Just slightly more distant will be vaccines for shigellosis and a common protein vaccine for Streptococcus pneumonia ... | 2011 | 22185835 |
| Neisseria gonorrhoeae NspA induces specific bactericidal and opsonic antibodies in mice. | Neisseria gonorrhoeae surface protein A (NspA) is a highly conserved gonococcal antigen. To explore the potential of NspA in vaccine development against gonorrhea, BALB/c mice were immunized with pcNspA containing the NspA gene from N. gonorrhoeae strain WHO-A via intramuscular (i.m.) injection, intranasal (i.n.) immunization, or intravaginal (i.vag.) immunization. Following the last DNA immunization, mice were boosted with recombinant NspA (rNspA). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in ... | 2011 | 21918113 |
| the use of the pan-neisseria microarray and experimental design for transcriptomics studies of neisseria. | the pan-neisseria microarray was the first bacterial microarray to address multiple strains and species, and is a tool specifically developed for the performance of comparative studies within and between species. to achieve this, its design was based upon a detailed comparison of multiple genomes, prior to probe selection, and serial triage to optimize sensitivity and specificity. while this tool can be used for transcriptional comparisons of the same species, such as isogenic mutants, or strain ... | 2012 | 21993653 |
| antigen identification starting from the genome: a "reverse vaccinology" approach applied to menb. | most of the vaccines available today, albeit very effective, have been developed using traditional "old-style" methodologies. technologies developed in recent years have opened up new perspectives in the field of vaccinology and novel strategies are now being used to design improved or new vaccines against infections for which preventive measures do not exist. the reverse vaccinology (rv) approach is one of the most powerful examples of biotechnology applied to the field of vaccinology for ident ... | 2012 | 21993656 |
| high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in hiv-infected men during routine outpatient visits in the netherlands. | in the netherlands, no guidelines exist for routine sexually transmitted infection (sti) screening of human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)-infected men having sex with men (msm). we assessed prevalence and factors associated with asymptomatic sti. | 2012 | 22183837 |
| chlamydia trachomatis prevalence and risk behaviors in parturient women aged 15 to 24 in brazil. | chlamydia trachomatis (ct) is a sexually transmitted infection having repercussions on reproductive health and impact on the foetus. our goal was to estimate the prevalence of and risk factors for ct in young parturient women in brazil. | 2011 | 21934572 |
| Universal protein vaccines against Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B, Streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza. | Traditional vaccines can only be really effective when the antigenic diversity or variability of the micro-organisms in the same bacterial species or viral family is no more than marginally different, and when protection is mainly dependent from antibody-mediated immunity. One solution is to identify the antigens common to all of the strains in a species or family that are significantly capable of eliciting inactivating antibodies. A number of attempts have recently been made to develop vaccines ... | 2011 | 21865879 |
| comparative long-term adverse effects elicited by invasive group b and c meningococcal infections. | given the identity between neisseria meningitidis serogroup b (menb) capsular polysaccharide (polysialic acid; psa) and psa found on neural cell adhesion molecules, it has been proposed that infection with menb or vaccination with psa may be associated with subsequent autoimmune or neurological disease. | 2011 | 21946191 |
| Invasive bacterial infections following influenza: a time-series analysis in Montréal, Canada, 1996-2008. | Please cite this paper as: Allard et al. (2011) Invasive bacterial infections following influenza: a time-series analysis in Montréal, Canada, 1996-2008. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-2659.2011.00297.x. Background Shared seasonal patterns, such as between influenza and some respiratory bacterial infections, can create associations between phenomena not causally related. Objectives To estimate the association of influenza with subsequent bacterial infections after ... | 2011 | 21985083 |
| clinical validation of multiplex real-time pcr assays for detection of bacterial meningitis pathogens. | neisseria meningitidis (nm), haemophilus influenzae (hi), and streptococcus pneumoniae (sp) are important causes of meningitis and other infections, and rapid, sensitive, and specific laboratory assays are critical for effective public health interventions. singleplex real-time pcr assays have been developed to detect nm ctra, hi hpd and sp lyta, and serogroup-specific genes in the cap locus for nm serogroups a, b, c, w135, x and y. however, the assay sensitivity for serogroups b, w135 and y is ... | 2011 | 22170919 |
| introducing shear stress in the study of bacterial adhesion. | during bacterial infections a sequence of interactions occur between the pathogen and its host. bacterial adhesion to the host cell surface is often the initial and determining step of the pathogenesis. although experimentally adhesion is mostly studied in static conditions adhesion actually takes place in the presence of flowing liquid. first encounters between bacteria and their host often occur at the mucosal level, mouth, lung, gut, eye, etc. where mucus flows along the surface of epithelial ... | 2011 | 21912368 |
| structural investigation of the thermostability and product specificity of amylosucrase from the bacterium deinococcus geothermalis. | amylosucrases are sucrose-utilizing α-transglucosidases that naturally catalyze the synthesis of α-glucans, linked exclusively through α-1,4 linkages. side-products and in particular sucrose isomers such as turanose and trehalulose are also produced by these enzymes. here, we report the first structural and biophysical characterization of the most thermostable amylosucrase identified so far, the amylosucrase from deinoccocus geothermalis (dgas). the 3d-structure revealed a homodimeric quaterna ... | 2011 | 22210773 |
| Structure and mechanism of the lipooligosaccharide sialyltransferase from Neisseria meningitidis. | The first x-ray crystallographic structure of a CAZY family-52 glycosyltransferase, that of the membrane associated a2,3/a2,6 lipooligosaccharide sialyltransferase from Neisseria meningitidis serotype L1 (NST), has been solved to 1.95 Å resolution. The structure of NST adopts a GT-B-fold common with other glycosyltransferase (GT) families but exhibits a novel domain swap of the N-terminal 130 residues to create a functional homodimeric form not observed in any other class to date. The domain swa ... | 2011 | 21880735 |
| Trends in antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in Canada: 2000-2009. | Canada conducts surveillance of penicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, spectinomycin, ciprofloxacin, cefixime, and ceftriaxone susceptibilities in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates to support development of national treatment guidelines for sexually transmitted infections. | 2011 | 21934558 |
| Neisseria meningitidis induces platelet inhibition and increases vascular endothelial permeability via nitric oxide regulated pathways. | Despite antibiotic therapy, infections with Neisseria meningitidis still demonstrate a high rate of morbidity and mortality even in developed countries. The fulminant septicaemic course, named Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, with massive haemorrhage into the adrenal glands and widespread petechial bleeding suggest pathophysiological inhibition of platelet function. Our data show that N. meningitidis produces the important physiological platelet inhibitor and cardiovascular signalling molec ... | 2011 | 22072136 |
| correlation between serum bactericidal activity against neisseria meningitidis serogroups a, c, w-135 and y measured using human versus rabbit serum as the complement source. | the surrogate of protection against invasive meningococcal disease is the presence of serum bactericidal activity (sba) at a titer ≥4 in an assay using human serum as the complement source (hsba). however, for various practical and logistical reasons, many meningococcal vaccines in use today were licensed based on a modified sba assay that used baby rabbit serum as the complement source (rsba). to assess the strength of correlation between the two assay systems for serogroups a, c, w-135 and y, ... | 2011 | 22075087 |
| the first simultaneous study of the prevalence of neisseria gonorrhoeae and chlamydia trachomatis infections by polymerase chain reaction and standard methods. | neisseria gonorrhoeae and chlamydia trachomatis are important sexually transmissible pathogens. the aim of the present study was to determine their prevalence in symptomatic and asymptomatic people. | 2011 | 21851790 |
| [penicillinase production by neisseria gonorrhoeae strains isolated from the patients of dermatology and wenerology clinic, warsaw medical university in 2006 - 2009]. | in recent years the resistance of neisseria gonorrhoeae to antibiotics is increasing in many countries. the aim of the study was to investigate penicillinase production by neisseria gonorrhoeae strains isolated from the patients of clinic of dermatology and wenerology wum in a period between 2006 - 2009. we cultured the bacteria on roiron medium and we used the iodometric test or bbl cefinase discs to detect penicillinase. the enzyme was produced by 1,1% of 183, 0,9% of 111, 1,1% of 94 and 0% of ... | 2011 | 22184905 |
| generating knock-out and complementation strains of neisseria meningitidis. | the human-restricted pathogens neisseria meningitidis and neisseria gonorrhoeae are naturally competent for dna uptake. this trait has been exploited extensively for genetic manipulation of these bacteria in the laboratory. most transformation protocols were developed for n. gonorrhoeae, but appear to work also for n. meningitidis. in this chapter, we describe a number of protocols for genetic manipulation of n. meningitidis. specifically, we describe how to (1) obtain knock-out mutants containi ... | 2012 | 21993639 |
| neisseria meningitidis: biology, microbiology, and epidemiology. | neisseria meningitidis (the meningococcus) causes significant morbidity and mortality in children and young adults worldwide through epidemic or sporadic meningitis and/or septicemia. in this review, we describe the biology, microbiology, and epidemiology of this exclusive human pathogen. n.meningitidis is a fastidious, encapsulated, aerobic gram-negative diplococcus. colonies are positive by the oxidase test and most strains utilize maltose. the phenotypic classification of meningococci, based ... | 2012 | 21993636 |
| applications of pcr (real-time and masstag) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in diagnosis of respiratory infections and diarrheal illness among deployed u.s. military personnel during exercise balikatan 2009, philippines. | laboratory-based surveillance for diarrheal and respiratory illness was conducted at the 2009 republic of the philippines-united states balikatan exercise to determine the presence of specific pathogens endemic in the locations where the military exercises were conducted. ten stool and 6 respiratory specimens were obtained from individuals meeting case definitions for diarrhea or respiratory illness. stool specimens were frozen in dry ice and remotely tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent ass ... | 2011 | 22128641 |
| [anti-cytokine activity of microorganisms]. | development of a method of determination of anti-cytokine activity (aca) of microorganisms, study of the prevalence and intensity of aca to pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria. | 2011 | 21913393 |
| estimating the prevalence of gonococcal resistance to antimicrobials in england and wales. | gonorrhoea can rapidly develop resistance to antimicrobials and treatment options are becoming depleted. treatment guidelines require robust estimates of the prevalence of resistance but sentinel surveillance systems may not be representative nationally. | 2011 | 21917698 |
| influence of conserved and hypervariable genetic markers on genotyping circulating strains of neisseria gonorrhoeae. | presently there is no vaccine against neisseria gonorrhoeae and therefore accurate information on gonococcal transmission plays a crucial role for interventions designed to limit the spread of infections caused by this microorganism. we evaluated the impact of two different categories of genetic markers, (i) concatenated sequences of 10 housekeeping genes and (ii) hypervariable porb dna sequences, on the genetic relatedness and subsequently on genotyping analysis of this human pathogen. eighty g ... | 2011 | 22163288 |
| increasing trend of resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolone resistance in neisseria gonorrhoeae from pakistan (1992-2009). | emergence and spread of drug resistant neisseria gonorrhoeae is global concern. we evaluated trends of antimicrobial resistance in neisseria gonorrhoeae over years 1992-2009 in pakistan. resistance rates were compared between years (2007-2009) and (1992-2006). antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed and interpreted according to clinical laboratory standards institute (clsi) criteria using the disk diffusion methodology against penicillin, ceftriaxone, tetracycline and ofloxacin. addit ... | 2011 | 21941568 |
| structural bioinformatics of neisseria meningitidis ld-carboxypeptidase: implications for substrate binding and specificity. | neisseria meningitidis, a gram negative bacterium, is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis and severe sepsis. neisseria meningitidis genome contains 2,160 predicted coding regions including 1,000 hypothetical genes. re-annotation of n. meningitidis hypothetical proteins identified nine putative peptidases. among them, the nmb1620 protein was annotated as ld-carboxypeptidase involved in peptidoglycan recycling. structural bioinformatics studies of nmb1620 protein using homology modeling and ... | 2011 | 21983752 |
| in the nadr regulon, adhesins and diverse meningococcal functions are regulated in response to signals in human saliva. | the neisseria meningitidis regulator nadr was shown to repress expression of the nada adhesin and play a major role in nada phase-variable expression. in this study, we identified through microarray analysis over 30 genes coregulated with nada in the nadr mutant and defined members of the nadr regulon through in vitro dna-binding assays. two distinct types of promoter architectures (i and ii) were identified for nadr targets, differing in both the number and position of nadr-binding sites. all n ... | 2012 | 22081399 |
| response to 'comparative performance of culture using swabs transported in amies medium and the aptima combo 2 nucleic acid amplification test in detection of neisseria gonorrhoeae from genital and extra-genital sites: a retrospective study' | | 2011 | 22194583 |
| penicillin binding proteins as danger signals: meningococcal penicillin binding protein 2 activates dendritic cells through toll-like receptor 4. | neisseria meningitidis is a human pathogen responsible for life-threatening inflammatory diseases. meningococcal penicillin-binding proteins (pbps) and particularly pbp2 are involved in bacterial resistance to β-lactams. here we describe a novel function for pbp2 that activates human and mouse dendritic cells (dc) in a time and dose-dependent manner. pbp2 induces mhc ii (logec50 = 4.7 µg/ml ± 0.1), cd80 (logec50 = 4.88 µg/ml ± 0.15) and cd86 (logec50 = 5.36 µg/ml ± 0.1). this effect was abolishe ... | 2011 | 22046231 |
| first neisseria gonorrhoeae strain with resistance to cefixime causing gonorrhoea treatment failure in austria, 2011. | we describe the first cefixime-resistant neisseria gonorrhoeae strain in austria that caused treatment failure.it follows the first five cases in europe of cefixime treatment failure, reported in norway in 2010 and the united kingdom in 2011. effective treatment of gonorrhoea is crucial for public health control and, at present, requires substantially enhanced awareness, more frequent test-of-cure, interaction with experts after therapeutic failure, tracing and therapy of contacts, and surveilla ... | 2011 | 22085601 |
| interventions to prevent sexually transmitted infections, including hiv infection. | the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) sexually transmitted disease (std) treatment guidelines were last updated in 2006. to update the "clinical guide to prevention services" section of the 2010 cdc std treatment guidelines, we reviewed the recent science with reference to interventions designed to prevent acquisition of stds, including human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection. major interval developments include (1) licensure and uptake of immunization against genital human p ... | 2011 | 22080271 |
| patterns of chlamydia/gonorrhea positivity among voluntarily screened new york city public high school students. | chlamydia trachomatis (ct) and neisseria gonorrhoeae (gc) are common sexually transmitted infections that disproportionately affect adolescents. annual screening for ct for sexually active female adolescents is recommended. in 2006, new york city began conducting ct/gc education, screening, and treatment in public high schools. we examine 3-year programmatic outcomes and the relationship between sexual activity, screening, and ct/gc positivity. | 2011 | 21856516 |
| Evaluation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis, N. gonorrhoeae Multiantigen Sequence Typing, and Full-Length porB Gene Sequence Analysis for Molecular Epidemiological Typing. | The performance characteristics of Neisseria gonorrhoeae multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis were evaluated, by comparison with N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing and full-length porB sequence typing. Assessment of the relatedness of intra- and interpatient isolates showed that all three genotyping techniques display a high resolution and typeability. | 2012 | 22075591 |
| acute bacterial meningitis in infants and children: epidemiology and management. | acute bacterial meningitis (abm) continues to be associated with high mortality and morbidity, despite advances in antimicrobial therapy. the causative organism varies with age, immune function, immunization status, and geographic region, and empiric therapy for meningitis is based on these factors. haemophilus influenzae type b (hib), streptococcus pneumoniae, and neisseria meningitidis cause the majority of cases of abm.disease epidemiology is changing rapidly due to immunization practices and ... | 2011 | 21960054 |
| evaluation of the siemens versant® ct/gc dna 1.0 assay (kpcr) for detection of chlamydia trachomatis and neisseria gonorrhoeae. | the siemens versant kpcr system is an automated system which combines extraction of nucleic acids from 96 samples with subsequent real-time pcr. the versant ct/gc dna 1.0 (kpcr) assay detects chlamydia trachomatis (ct) and neisseria gonorrhoeae (gc) in a multiplex real-time pcr on this system. we compared this assay with the bd probete™ et system (pt) and the roche cobas amplicor (ca). three different sets of samples were tested in the kpcr: pt pre-treated samples, prospectively collected urine ... | 2011 | 21925547 |
| vascular colonization by neisseria meningitidis. | bacterial infection of human vasculature can lead to unregulated systemic activation of coagulation and innate immunity and rapidly becomes life threatening. neisseria meningitidis is a vascular pathogen that causes fatal sepsis and meningitis. post-mortem histological analysis of tissues from individuals infected with n. meningitidis show large bacterial aggregates in close association with the vascular wall of small vessels. the ability of this bacterium to colonize blood vessel endothelium is ... | 2011 | 22185907 |
| the slippery slope: lubricant use and rectal sexually transmitted infections: a newly identified risk. | use of lubricant products is extremely common during receptive anal intercourse (rai) yet has not been assessed as a risk for acquisition of sexually transmitted infections (stis). | 2012 | 22183849 |
| enhanced bacteremia in human factor h transgenic rats infected by neisseria meningitidis. | neisseria meningitidis binds the complement down-regulating protein, factor h (fh), which enables the organism to evade host defenses. two fh ligands, fhbp and nspa, are known to bind specifically to human fh. we developed a human fh transgenic infant rat model to investigate the effect of human fh on meningococcal bacteremia. 18 hours after ip challenge with 560 cfu of group b strain h44/76, all 19 human fh-positive rats had positive blood cultures compared with 0 of 7 human fh-negative control ... | 2011 | 22104107 |
| neisserial correia repeat-enclosed elements do not influence the transcription of pil genes in neisseria gonorrhoeae and neisseria meningitidis. | two human-specific neisserial pathogens, neisseria gonorrhoeae and neisseria meningitidis, require the expression of type iv pili (tfp) for initial attachment to the host during infection. however, the mechanisms controlling the assembly and functionality of tfp are poorly understood. it is known that the gonococcal pile gene, encoding the major subunit, is positively regulated by ihf, a multifunctional dna binding protein. a neisserial specific repetitive dna sequence, termed the correia repeat ... | 2011 | 21856854 |
| nonhuman primate models used to study pelvic inflammatory disease caused by chlamydia trachomatis. | pelvic inflammatory disease (pid) is a global health concern that is associated with significant morbidity and is a major cause of infertility. throughout history animals have been used for anatomical studies and later as models of human disease. in particular, nonhuman primates (nhps) have permitted investigations of human disease in a biologically, physiologically, and anatomically similar system. the use of nhps as human pid models has led to a greater understanding of the primary microorgani ... | 2011 | 21869858 |
| epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease in austria 2010. | neisseria meningitidis is a leading cause of meningitis and sepsis worldwide. thus, monitoring the epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease (imd) is an important public health measure. the national reference centre for meningococci at the austrian agency for health and food safety is operating the laboratory-based surveillance database. | 2011 | 21935643 |
| immediate outcomes of bacterial meningitis in childhood may benefit from slow initial β-lactam infusion and oral paracetamol. | evaluation of: pelkonen t, roine i, cruzeiro ml, pitkaranta a, kataja m, peltola h. slow initial β-lactam infusion and oral paracetamol to treat childhood bacterial meningitis: a randomised, controlled trial. lancet infect. dis. 11(8), 613-621 (2011). acute bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency that requires prompt management. despite effective antibiotic and adjunctive therapies, mortality is still unacceptably high in acute bacterial meningitis in children as this mortality did not subst ... | 2011 | 22004030 |