Medical Microbiology and Immunology This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Tetraspanins: integrating cell surface receptors to functional microdomains in homeostasis and disease
AbstractTetraspanins comprise a family of proteins embedded in the membrane through four transmembrane domains. One of the most distinctive features of tetraspanins is their ability to interact with other proteins in the membrane using their extracellular, transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains, allowing them to incorporate several proteins into clusters called tetraspanin-enriched microdomains. The spatial proximity of signaling proteins and their regulators enables a rapid functional cross-talk between these proteins, which is required for a rapid translation of extracellular signals into intracellular signaling cascades....
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - April 8, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

A role for tetraspanin proteins in regulating fusion induced by Burkholderia thailandensis
AbstractBurkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a disease with high morbidity that is endemic in South East Asia and northern Australia. An unusual feature of the bacterium is its ability to induce multinucleated giant cell formation (MNGC), which appears to be related to bacterial pathogenicity. The mechanism of MNGC formation is not fully understood, but host cell factors as well as known bacterial virulence determinants are likely to contribute. Since members of the tetraspanin family of membrane proteins are involved in various types of cell:cell fusion, their role in MNGC formation induced byB...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - April 5, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Luliconazole, a highly effective imidazole, against Fusarium species complexes
In this study, 47 isolates ofFusarium were tested against several antifungals including luliconazole. All species were identified using morphology features, and PCR sequencing and antifungal susceptibility were performed according to CLSIM38 A3 guideline. Our results revealed that luliconazole has a very low minimum inhibitory concentration value (0.0078 –1 µg/ml) in comparison with other tested antifungals. Amphotericin B had a poor effect with a high MIC90 (64  µg/ml), followed by terbinafine (32 µg/ml), posaconazole (16 µg/ml), caspofungin (16 µg/ml), voriconazole (4 µg/ml), and itraconazole (4 µg/ml). O...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - April 5, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

A review on impedimetric immunosensors for pathogen and biomarker detection
AbstractSince the discovery of antibiotics in the first quarter of the twentieth century, their use has been the principal approach to treat bacterial infection. Modernized medicine such as cancer therapy, organ transplantation or advanced major surgeries require effective antibiotics to manage bacterial infections. However, the irresponsible use of antibiotics along with the lack of development has led to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance which is considered a serious global threat due to the rise of multidrug-resistant bacteria (Wang et al. in Antibiotic resistance: a rundown of a global crisis, pp. 1645 –1658,...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - April 2, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Evaluation of Salmonella Typhi antigen YncE alongside HlyE for the detection of typhoid fever and its carriers
AbstractTyphoid fever is a disease caused bySalmonella Typhi that was implicated in millions of illnesses worldwide annually. Individuals that do not recover fully from typhoid fever can become asymptomatic carriers of the disease. Host antibodies against theS. Typhi antigens, HlyE (for acute typhoid) and YncE (for carriers) were previously reported to be useful biomarkers for the disease. Here, we expressed and purified recombinant HlyE and YncE antigens and tested the IgG, IgA and IgM responses in 422 sera samples retrieved from acute typhoid patients, other febrile, food handlers, and healthy individuals. The results sh...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - April 2, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Impact of immunosuppressive and antifungal drugs on PBMC- and whole blood-based flow cytometric CD154 + Aspergillus fumigatus specific T-cell quantification
AbstractFlow cytometric quantification of CD154+ mould specific T-cells in antigen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or whole blood has been described as a supportive biomarker to diagnose invasive mould infections and to monitor therapeutic outcomes. As patients at risk frequently receive immunosuppressive and antifungal medication, this study compared the matrix-dependent impact of representative drugs on CD154+ T-cell detection rates. PBMCs and whole blood samples from healthy adults were pre-treated with therapeutic concentrations of liposomal amphotericin B, voriconazole, posaconazole, cyclosporine...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - March 30, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori babA , oipA , sabA , and homB genes in isolates from Chinese patients with different gastroduodenal diseases
This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the four OMP genes (babA,oipA,sabA, andhomB) and gastroduodenal diseases. One hundred and seventy-sevenH. pylori strains were isolated from Chinese patients with different gastroduodenal diseases (49 chronic gastritis, 19 gastric ulcer, 33 gastric cancer, and 76 duodenal ulcer), 94 of which contained pathological information (41 superficial gastritis, 24 intestinal hyperplasia, and 29 gastric adenocarcinoma). The full-length amplification ofbabA,oipA,sabA,and homB genes was acquired and sequenced. Then, the genetic polymorphism was analyzed to compare with the referen...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - March 25, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

The effects of Japanese encephalitis virus antibodies on Zika virus infection
This study suggests that individuals over 60 years of age are at high risk for JEV and ZIKV infectio n, and screening this age group for infection should strengthen. Furthermore, a deep exploration of the relationship between anti-JEV Abs and ZIKV infection is needed. (Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology)
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - February 19, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Leptospira interrogans Bat proteins impair host hemostasis by fibrinogen cleavage and platelet aggregation inhibition
We describe BatB as a new serine protease which is able to cleave thrombin chromogenic substrate, fibrin, fibrinogen, gelatin and casein; while BatA is active only towards fibrinogen. BatA and BatB interfere with the platelet aggregation induced by VWF/ristocetin and thrombin. Our results suggest an important role of theL. interrogans serovar Copenhageni Bat proteins in the hemostasis dysfunction observed during leptospirosis and contribute to the understanding of the leptospirosis pathophysiological mechanisms. (Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology)
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - February 19, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Structural proteomics, electron cryo-microscopy and structural modeling approaches in bacteria –human protein interactions
AbstractA central challenge in infection medicine is to determine the structure and function of host –pathogen protein–protein interactions to understand how these interactions facilitate bacterial adhesion, dissemination and survival. In this review, we focus on proteomics, electron cryo-microscopy and structural modeling to showcase instances where affinity-purification (AP) and cross-linking (XL) mass spectrometry (MS) has advanced our understanding of host–pathogen interactions. We highlight cases where XL-MS in combination with structural modeling has provided insight into the quaternary structure of interspecie...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - February 18, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

A good career start can open doors: the plusses and minuses of an international graduate student program —a student’s perspective
AbstractThere are many Ph.D. programs from various funding agencies that provide excellent starts to a scientific career. Multinational Ph.D. positions attract students because they provide students with much-required exposure to the international scientific community at an early stage of the career. For this reason, multinational Ph.D. positions can be considered as a better career opportunity over Ph.D. positions confined to a single country. In addition, these multidisciplinary research programs connect different organizations to deal with the problems of global interest. One of these multi-disciplinary research program...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - February 12, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Human endogenous retroviruses env gene expression and long terminal repeat methylation in colorectal cancer patients
AbstractHuman endogenous retroviruses (HERV) are remnants of exogenous retroviral infections, representing 8% of the human genome. Their regulation is based on the DNA methylation of promoters, the long terminal repeats (LTRs). Transcripts from HERV have been associated with cancers, but reports concerning HERV expression in colorectal cancer remain sporadic. Sixty-three patients with advanced stages of colorectal cancer were enrolled in this study. The expressions of HERVenv gene, and HERV-H, -K, -R and -P LTRs and Alu, LINE-1 methylation levels, were investigated in the tumor, normal adjacent tissues, and, where possible...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - February 9, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Exploring the potential of polyethylene terephthalate in the design of antibacterial surfaces
AbstractPolyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most used polymeric materials in the health care sector mainly due to its advantages that include biocompatibility, high uniformity, mechanical strength and resistance against chemicals and/or abrasion. However, avoiding bacterial contamination on PET is still an unsolved challenge and two main strategies are being explored to overcome this drawback: the anti-adhesive and biocidal modification of PET surface. While bacterial adhesion depends on several surface properties namely surface charge and energy, hydrophilicity and surface roughness, a biocidal effect can be ob...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - February 8, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

Comparative multi-assay evaluation of Determine ™ HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo rapid diagnostic tests in acute and chronic HIV infection
AbstractIn resource-limited or point-of-care settings, rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), that aim to simultaneously detect HIV antibodies and p24 capsid (p24CA) antigen with high sensitivity, can pose important alternatives to screen for early infections. We evaluated the performance of the antibody and antigen components of the old and novel version of the Determine ™ HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab Combo RDTs in parallel to quantifications in a fourth-generation antigen/antibody immunoassay (4G-EIA), p24CA antigen immunoassay (p24CA-EIA), immunoblots, and nucleic acid quantification. We included plasma samples of acute, treatment-naïve HI...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - February 7, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research

New solutions to capture and enrich bacteria from complex samples
AbstractCurrent solutions to diagnose bacterial infections though reliable are often time-consuming, laborious and need a specific laboratory setting. There is an unmet need for bedside accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases with a short turnaround time. Moreover, low-cost diagnostics will greatly benefit regions with poor resources. Immunoassays and molecular techniques have been used to develop highly sensitive diagnosis solutions but retaining many of the abovementioned limitations. The detection of bacteria in a biological sample can be enhanced by a previous step of capture and enrichment. This will ease the follow...
Source: Medical Microbiology and Immunology - February 4, 2020 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research