bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Expression of Cytolethal Distending Toxin and Hemolysin Is Not Required for Pustule Formation by
Haemophilus ducreyi
in Human Volunteers
Authors: Young Royden S. , Fortney Kate R. , Gelfanova Valentina , Phillips Carrie L. , Katz Barry P. , Hood Antoinette F. , Latimer Jo L. , Munson Robert S. , Hansen Eric J. , Spinola Stanley M. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

Haemophilus ducreyi
makes cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) and hemolysin. In a previous human challenge trial, an isogenic hemolysin-deficient mutant caused pustules with a rate similar to that of its parent. To test whether CDT was required for pustule formation, six human subjects were inoculated with a CDT mutant and parent at multiple sites. The pustule formation rates were similar at both parent and mutant sites. A CDT and hemolysin double mutant was constructed and tested in five additional subjects. The pustule formation rates were similar for the parent and double mutant. These results indicate that neither the expression of CDT, nor that of hemolysin, nor both are required for pustule formation by
H. ducreyi
in humans.
Plesiomonas shigelloides
Enters Polarized Human Intestinal Caco-2 Cells in an In Vitro Model System
Authors: Theodoropoulos Christina , Wong Toh Hee , O'Brien Mark , Stenzel Deborah 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

This study provides the first definitive evidence that the gram-negative bacterium
Plesiomonas shigelloides
adheres to and enters eukaryotic intestinal host cells in vitro.
P. shigelloides
is increasingly regarded as an emerging enteric pathogen and has been implicated in intestinal and extraintestinal infections in humans. However, the establishment of its true role in enteric disease has been hindered by inadequacies in experimental design, deficiencies in clinical diagnosis, and the lack of an appropriate animal model. In this investigation, an in vitro system was used to evaluate plesiomonad pathogenesis. Differentiated epithelium-derived Caco-2 cell monolayers inoculated apically with 12 isolates of
P. shigelloides
from clinical (intestinal) origins were examined at high resolution using transmission electron microscopy. Bacterial cells were observed adhering to intact microvilli and to the plasma membrane on both the apical and the basal surfaces of the monolayer. The bacteria entered the Caco-2 cells and were observed enclosed in single and multiple membrane-bound vacuoles within the host cell cytoplasm. This observation suggests that initial uptake may occur through a phagocytic-like process, as has been documented for many other enteropathogens.
P. shigelloides
also was noted free in the cytosol of Caco-2 cells, suggesting escape from cytoplasmic vacuoles. Differences in invasion phenotypes were revealed, suggesting the possibility that, like
Escherichia coli, P. shigelloides
comprises different pathogenic phenotypes.
Differential Interleukin-10 and Gamma Interferon mRNA Expression in Lungs of Cilium-Associated Respiratory Bacillus-Infected Mice
Authors: Kendall Lon V. , Riley Lela K. , Hook Reuel R. , Besch-Williford Cynthia L. , Franklin Craig L. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTThe cilium-associated respiratory (CAR) bacillus is a gram-negative, extracellular bacterium that causes persistent respiratory tract infections in rodents. We have previously demonstrated that BALB/c mice are more susceptible to CAR bacillus-induced disease than resistant C57BL/6 mice, with elevations in pulmonary gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin (IL)-4. IL-10 is a type 2 cytokine that can increase host susceptibility to bacterial diseases through its anti-inflammatory effects, including suppression of macrophage function. The purpose of this study was to further describe the cytokine profiles associated with histologic lesions in CAR bacillus-infected mice and to assess the effects of cytokine depletion on the pathogenesis of disease. Six-week-old female BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice and mice with targeted mutations in IFN-γ and IL-4 were inoculated intratracheally with 105CAR bacillus organisms, and samples were collected at 6 to 7 weeks postinoculation. Lung samples were collected for histopathologic examination and analysis of cytokine mRNA. IFN-γ, IL-10, and IL-4 mRNA levels in the lungs of infected mice were semiquantitatively measured using a reverse transcriptase-mediated PCR assay and compared to those in uninfected control animals of each strain. BALB/c mice infected with CAR bacillus had a median lung lesion score of 6 and IL-10 and IL-4 mRNA levels were significantly elevated. The majority of C57BL/6 mice were resistant to disease characterized by lung lesions scores of 2 or less and a dominant IFN-γ mRNA cytokine profile. A few C57BL/6 mice with lesions scores of 5 or greater had elevations in all three cytokines and were susceptible to disease. C57BL/6 IFN-γ knockout mice had increased disease with elevations in IL-10 and IL-4 mRNA, while BALB/c IL-4 knockout mice infected with CAR bacillus had a mild decrease in lesion severity and an attenuated IL-10 mRNA expression compared to wild-type BALB/c mice. These data indicate that IL-10 and IL-4 predominate in CAR bacillus-induced histologic lesions in mice, while IFN-γ may play a role in resistance to disease.
Legionella pneumophilaReplication in Macrophages Inhibited by Selective Immunomodulatory Effects on Cytokine Formation by Epigallocatechin Gallate, a Major Form of Tea Catechins
Authors: Matsunaga Kazuto , Klein Thomas W. , Friedman Herman , Yamamoto Yoshimasa 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTEpigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) is a major form of tea catechin and has a variety of biological activities, including antitumor as well as antimicrobial activity against some pathogens. Although the biological activities of EGCg have been extensively studied, its immunological effects are not well known. In the present study, the ability of EGCg to modulate macrophage immune functions in an in vitroLegionella pneumophilainfection model of macrophages was examined. The study showed that EGCg inhibited the growth ofL. pneumophilain macrophages at a concentration as low as 0.5 μg/ml without any direct antibacterial effect on the organisms. The EGCg selectively upregulated the production of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and downregulated IL-10 production of macrophages induced byL. pneumophilainfection in a dose-dependent manner, but did not alter IL-6 production even at a high dose. The upregulation of the levels of macrophage gamma interferon (IFN-γ) mRNA by EGCg was also demonstrated. Treatment of macrophage cultures with anti-TNF-α and anti-IFN-γ monoclonal antibodies markedly abolished the anti-L. pneumophilaactivity of macrophages induced by the EGCg treatment. These results indicate that EGCg selectively alters the immune responses of macrophages toL. pneumophilaand leads to an enhanced anti-L. pneumophilaactivity of macrophages mediated by enhanced production of both TNF-α and IFN-γ. However, the enhancement of in vitro anti-L. pneumophilaactivity by EGCg may not be directly mediated by IL-10 and IL-12 production modulation. Thus, the results of this study revealed the immunomodulatory effect of EGCg on macrophages, which have a critical role in infections.
Contribution of Choline-Binding Proteins to Cell Surface Properties of
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Swiatlo Edwin , Champlin Franklin R. , Holman Steven C. , Wilson W. William , Watt James M. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

Nonspecific interactions related to physicochemical properties of bacterial cell surfaces, such as hydrophobicity and electrostatic charge, are known to have important roles in bacterium-host cell encounters.
Streptococcus pneumoniae
(pneumococcus) expresses multiple, surface-exposed, choline-binding proteins (CBPs) which have been associated with adhesion and virulence. The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of CBPs to the surface characteristics of pneumococci and, consequently, to learn how CBPs may affect nonspecific interactions with host cells. Pneumococcal strains lacking CBPs were derived by adapting bacteria to a defined medium that substituted ethanolamine for choline. Such strains do not anchor CBPs to their surface. Cell surface hydrophobicity was tested for the wild-type and adapted strains by using a biphasic hydrocarbon adherence assay, and electrostatic charge was determined by zeta potential measurement. Adherence of pneumococci to human-derived cells was assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. Strains lacking both capsule and CBPs were significantly more hydrophobic than nonencapsulated strains with a normal complement of CBPs. The effect of CBPs on hydrophobicity was attenuated in the presence of capsule. Removal of CBPs conferred a greater electronegative net surface charge than that which cells with CBPs possessed, regardless of the presence of capsule. Strains that lack CBPs were poorly adherent to human monocyte-like cells when compared with wild-type bacteria with a full complement of CBPs. These results suggest that CBPs contribute significantly to the hydrophobic and electrostatic surface characteristics of pneumococci and may facilitate adherence to host cells partially through nonspecific, physicochemical interactions.
Chemokine and Chemokine Receptor Dynamics during Genital Chlamydial Infection
Authors: Belay Tesfaye , Eko Francis O. , Ananaba Godwin A. , Bowers Samera , Moore Terri , Lyn Deborah , Igietseme Joseph U. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTCurrent design strategies for vaccines against certain microbial pathogens, includingChlamydia trachomatis, require the induction and targeting of specific immune effectors to the local sites of infection known as the mucosal effector sites. Chemokines and their receptors are important mediators of leukocyte trafficking and of the controlled recruitment of specific leukocyte clonotypes during host defense against infections and during inflammation. We analyzed the dynamics of chemokine and chemokine receptor expression in genital mucosae during genital chlamydial infection in a murine model to determine how these molecular entities influence the development of immunity and the clearance of infection. A time course study revealed an increase of up to threefold in the levels of expression of RANTES, monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), gamma-interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α), and intercellular adhesion molecule type 1 (ICAM-1) after genital infection with theC. trachomatisagent of mouse pneumonitis. Peak levels of expression of RANTES, MCP-1, and MIP-1α occurred by day 7 after primary infection, while those of IP-10 and ICAM-1 peaked by day 21. Expression levels of these molecules decreased by day 42 after primary infection, by which time all animals had resolved the infection, suggesting an infection-driven regulation of expression. A rapid upregulation of expression of these molecules was observed after secondary infection. The presence of cells bearing the chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR3, known to be preferentially expressed on Th1 and dendritic cells, was also synchronous with the kinetics of immune induction in the genital tract and clearance of infection. Results demonstrated that genital chlamydial infection is associated with a significant induction of chemokines and chemokine receptors that are involved in the recruitment of Th1 cells into the site of infection. Future studies will focus on how selective modulation of chemokines and their receptors can be used to optimize long-term immunity againstChlamydia.
Retrieving Biological Activity from LukF-PV Mutants Combined with Different S Components Implies Compatibility between the Stem Domains of These Staphylococcal Bicomponent Leucotoxins
Authors: Werner S. , Colin D. A. , Coraiola M. , Menestrina G. , Monteil H. , Prévost G. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

Bicomponent leucotoxins, such as Panton-Valentine leucocidin, are composed of two classes of proteins, a class S protein such as LukS-PV, which bears the cell membrane binding function, and a class F protein such as LukF-PV, which interacts to form a bipartite hexameric pore. These leucotoxins induce cell activation, linked to a Ca
2+
influx, and pore formation as two consecutive and independently inhibitable events. Knowledge of the LukF-PV monomer structure has indicated that the stem domain is folded into three antiparallel β-strands in the water-soluble form and has to refold into a transmembrane β-hairpin during pore formation. To investigate the requirements for the cooperative assembly of the stems of the S and F components to produce biological activity, we introduced multiple deletions or single point mutations into the stem domains of LukF-PV and HlgB. While the binding of the mutated proteins was weakly dependent on these changes, Ca
2+
influx and pore formation were affected differently, confirming that they are independent events. Ca
2+
entry into human polymorphonuclear cells requires oligomerization and may follow the formation of a prepore. The activity of some of the LukF-PV mutants, carrying the shorter deletions, was actually improved. This demonstrated that a crucial event in the action of these toxins is the transition of the prefolded stem into the extended β-hairpins and that this step may be facilitated by small deletions that remove some of the interactions stabilizing the folded structure.
Intranasal Immunization with Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines with LT-K63, a Nontoxic Mutant of Heat-Labile Enterotoxin, as Adjuvant Rapidly Induces Protective Immunity against Lethal Pneumococcal Infections in Neonatal Mice
Authors: Jakobsen Håvard , Bjarnarson Stefania , Del Giudice Giuseppe , Moreau Monique , Siegrist Claire-Anne , Jonsdottir Ingileif 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTImmunization with pneumococcal polysaccharides (PPS) conjugated to tetanus toxoid (TT) (Pnc-TT) elicits protective immunity in an adult murine pneumococcal infection model. To assess immunogenicity and protective immunity in early life, neonatal (1 week old) and infant (3 weeks old) mice were immunized intranasally (i.n.) or subcutaneously (s.c.) with Pnc-TT of serotype 1 (Pnc1-TT). Anti-PPS-1 and anti-TT immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies were measured in serum and saliva, and vaccine-induced protection was evaluated by i.n. challenge with serotype 1 pneumococci. Pnc1-TT was immunogenic in neonatal and infant mice when administered s.c. without adjuvant: a majority of the young mice were protected from bacteremia and a reduction of pneumococcal density in the lungs was observed, although antibody responses and protective efficacy remained lower than in adults. The addition of LT-K63, a nontoxic mutant of heat-labile enterotoxin, as adjuvant significantly enhanced PPS-1-specific IgG responses and protective efficacy following either s.c. or i.n. Pnc1-TT immunization. Mucosal immunization was particularly efficient in neonates, as a single i.n. dose of Pnc1-TT and LT-K63 induced significantly higher PPS-1-specific IgG responses than s.c. immunization and was sufficient to protect neonatal mice against pneumococcal infections, whereas two s.c. doses were required to induce complete protection. In addition, i.n. immunization with Pnc1-TT and LT-K63 induced a vigorous salivary IgA response. This suggests that mucosal immunization with pneumococcal conjugate vaccines and LT-K63 may be able to circumvent some of the limitations of neonatal antibody responses, which are required for protective immunity in early life.
Mucosal or Parenteral Administration of Microsphere-Associated
Bacillus anthracis
Protective Antigen Protects against Anthrax Infection in Mice
Authors: Flick-Smith Helen C. , Eyles Jim E. , Hebdon Richard , Waters Emma L. , Beedham Richard J. , Stagg Tony J. , Miller Julie , Alpar H. Oya , Baillie Les W. J. , Williamson E. Diane 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

Existing licensed anthrax vaccines are administered parenterally and require multiple doses to induce protective immunity. This requires trained personnel and is not the optimum route for stimulating a mucosal immune response. Microencapsulation of vaccine antigens offers a number of advantages over traditional vaccine formulations, including stability without refrigeration and the potential for utilizing less invasive routes of administration. Recombinant protective antigen (rPA), the dominant antigen for protection against anthrax infection, was encapsulated in poly-
l
-lactide 100-kDa microspheres. Alternatively, rPA was loosely attached to the surfaces of microspheres by lyophilization. All of the microspheric formulations were administered to A/J mice with a two-dose schedule by either the intramuscular route, the intranasal route, or a combination of these two routes, and immunogenicity and protective efficacy were assessed. An intramuscular priming immunization followed by either an intramuscular or intranasal boost gave optimum anti-rPA immunoglobulin G titers. Despite differences in rPA-specific antibody titers, all immunized mice survived an injected challenge consisting of 10
3
median lethal doses of
Bacillus anthracis
STI spores. Immunization with microencapsulated and microsphere-associated formulations of rPA also protected against aerosol challenge with 30 median lethal doses of STI spores. These results show that rPA can be encapsulated and surface bound to polymeric microspheres without impairing its immunogenicity and also that mucosal or parenteral administration of microspheric formulations of rPA efficiently protects mice against both injected and aerosol challenges with
B. anthracis
spores. Microspheric formulations of rPA could represent the next generation of anthrax vaccines, which could require fewer doses because they are more potent, are less reactogenic than currently available human anthrax vaccines, and could be self-administered without injection.
Early Enhanced Th1 Response afterLeishmania amazonensisInfection of C57BL/6 Interleukin-10-Deficient Mice Does Not Lead to Resolution of Infection
Authors: Jones Douglas E. , Ackermann Mark R. , Wille Ulrike , Hunter Christopher A. , Scott Phillip 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTC3H and C57BL/6 mice are resistant toLeishmania majorbut develop chronic lesions with persistent parasite loads when they are infected withLeishmania amazonensis. These lesions develop in the absence of interleukin-4 (IL-4), indicating that susceptibility to this parasite is not a result of development of a Th2 response. Expression of the cytokine IL-10 during infection could account for the lack of IL-12 expression and poor cell-mediated immunity towards the parasite. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that IL-10 plays a central role in downmodulating the Th1 response afterL. amazonensisinfection. Infection of C57BL/6 IL-10-deficient mice indicated that in the absence of IL-10 there was early enhancement of a Th1 response, which was downregulated during the more chronic stage of infection. In addition, although there were 1- to 2-log reductions in the parasite loads within the lesions, the parasites continued to persist, and they were associated with chronic lesions whose size was similar to that of the control lesions. These experiments indicated thatL. amazonensisresistance to killing in vivo is only partially dependent on expression of host IL-10. However, IL-10-deficient mice had an enhanced delayed-type hypersensitivity response during the chronic phase of infection, indicating that there were Th1 type effector cells in vivo at this late stage of infection. These results indicate that although IL-10 plays a role in limiting the Th1 response during the acute infection phase, other immunomodulatory factors are responsible for limiting the Th1 response during the chronic phase.
Genomic Analysis of the F3031 Brazilian Purpuric Fever Clone of
Haemophilus influenzae
Biogroup Aegyptius by PCR-Based Subtractive Hybridization
Authors: Smoot Laura M. , Franke Deanna D. , McGillivary Glen , Actis Luis A. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

PCR-based subtractive genome hybridization produced clones harboring inserts present in Brazilian purpuric fever (BPF) prototype strain F3031 but absent in noninvasive
Haemophilus influenzae
biogroup aegyptius isolate F1947. Some of these inserts have no matches in the GenBank database, while others are similar to genes encoding either known or hypothetical proteins. One insert represents a 2.3-kb locus with similarity to a
Thermotoga maritima
hypothetical protein, while another is part of a 7.6-kb locus that contains predicted genes encoding hypothetical, phage-related, and carotovoricin Er-like proteins. The presence of DNA related to these loci is variable among BPF isolates and nontypeable
H. influenzae
strains, while neither of them was detected in strains of types a to f. The data indicate that BPF-causing strain F3031 harbors unique chromosomal regions, most of which appear to be acquired from unrelated microbial sources.
Apoptosis in Acute Shigellosis Is Associated with Increased Production of Fas/Fas Ligand, Perforin, Caspase-1, and Caspase-3 but Reduced Production of Bcl-2 and Interleukin-2
Authors: Raqib Rubhana , Ekberg Caroline , Sharkar Protim , Bardhan Pradip K. , Zychlinsky Arturo , Sansonetti Philippe J. , Andersson Jan 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTShigella dysenteriaetype 1-induced apoptotic cell death in rectal tissues from patients infected withShigella dysenteriaetype 1 was studied by the terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) technique and annexin V staining. Expression of proteins and cytokines participating in the apoptotic process (caspase-1, caspase-3, Fas [CD95], Fas ligand [Fas-L], perforin, granzyme A, Bax, WAF-1, Bcl-2, interleukin-2 [IL-2], IL-18, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor) in tissue in the acute and convalescent stages of dysentery was quantified at the single-cell level by in situ immunostaining. Apoptotic cell death in the lamina propria was markedly up-regulated at the acute stage (P< 0.05), where an increased number of necrotic cells were also seen. Phenotypic analysis of apoptotic cells revealed that 43% of T cells (CD3), 10% of granulocytes (CD15), and 5% of macrophages (CD56) underwent apoptosis. Increased activity of caspase-1 persisted in the rectum up to 1 month after onset. More-extensive expression of Fas, Fas-L, perforin, caspase-3, and IL-18, but not IL-2, at the acute stage than at the convalescent stage was observed. Increased expression of caspase-3 and IL-18 in tissues with severe inflammation compared to expression in those with mild inflammation was evident, implying a possible role in the perpetuation of inflammation. Significantly reduced cell death during convalescence was associated with a significant up-regulation of Bcl-2, Bax, and WAF-1 expression in the rectum compared to that in the acute phase of infection. Thus, induction of apoptosis at the local site in the early phase ofS. dysenteriaetype 1 infection was associated with a significant up-regulation of Fas/Fas-L and perforin and granzyme A expression and a down-regulation of Bcl-2 and IL-2, which promote cell survival.