Bacillus anthracis

Chloroquine (Aralen) is also used in die treatment of extraintestinal amebiasis (see section on Amebicides). Doxycycline is also used to treat infections caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Treponema pallidum, Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium, and Bacillus anthracis when penicillin is contraindicated. Quinine also may be used for die prevention and treatment of nocturnal leg cramps. 

Studies on S-layers present on the cell envelopes of a great variety of pathogenic organisms [100] revealed that these crystalhne arrays can represent important virulence factors. Most detailed studies have been performed on the fish pathogenic bacteria Aeromonas salmonicida and Aeromonas hydrophila [102] and the human pathogen Campylobacter fetus uh p. fetus [103] and Bacillus anthracis [104]. For example, whole-cell preparations or partially purified cell products are currently used as attenuated vaccines against various fish pathogens [102,105]. 

Bacillus anthracis, the causative organism of anthrax, possesses a capsule composed of polyglutamic acid the slime layers produced by other organisms are of a carbohydrate nature. 

Slow-acting, noncontagious Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) Flu-like symptoms <7 days... 

Fox, A. Black, G. Fox, K. Rostovtseva, S. Determination of carbohydrate profiles of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus cereus including identification of (9-methyl methylpentoses using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. J. Clin. Microbiol. 1993, 31, 887-894. 

Elhanany, E. Barak, R. Fisher, M. Kobiler, D. Altboum, Z. Detection of specific Bacillus anthracis biomarkers by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass sspectrometry. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2001,15,2110-2116. 

Sylvestre, P. Couture-Tosi, E. Mock, M. A collagen-like surface glycoprotein is a structural component of the Bacillus anthracis exosporium. Mol. Microbiol. 2002, 45,169-178. 

Bacterial agents, such as Bacillus anthracis (the causative agent for anthrax), or Yersinia pestis (the causative agent for plague). 

As is the case with identifications based on protein molecular masses, it appears that the use of tryptic or other peptide masses as the basis for identification is extended with difficulty to mixtures of microorganisms. This reflects unpredictable suppression. Another limitation is redundancy of peptide masses across several microorganisms. For example, the most abundant proteins (SASPs), and thus the most abundant peptides, in spores of Bacillus anthracis and the closely related pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis have extensive sequence homology.25,82... 

Figure 12.4 MALDI analysis of peptides prepared in situ from a 10 1 mixture of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis sp. Sterne.82 (a) Survey spectrum of peptide products. Species assignments are indicated on the figure. (b) Spectrum of fragment ions produced by low-energy collisions of the Bacillus cereus-specific peptide of mass 1529. (c) Spectrum of fragment ions produced by low-energy collisions of ions of the Bacillus anthracis peptide of mass 1528.

Events involving deliberate or accidental distribution of bacterial pathogens into our everyday environment have clearly defined the need for a sensitive, specific, and rapid method of bacterial detection. Bioterrorism was first introduced in the United States in 1984 with the Salmonella typhimurium attack in The Dalles, Oregon, by a cult group attempting to affect a local election.1 As a result of this act 751 people contracted salmonellosis, which totally overwhelmed the hospitals and medical clinics with patients. Later our society became keenly aware of the potential of bioterrorism during the last four months of 2001 when Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) spores were sent through the US mail in an envelope to several locations. These events had... 

Many diseases, including anthrax, are most effectively treated before actual manifestation of the symptoms is observed. Presently a presumptive identification of Bacillus anthracis can be made in about 3 hours however, if a full laboratory response network (LRN) confirmation procedure is utilized, the theoretical time increases substantially to approximately 48 hours. During the recent anthrax cases 72 to 96 hours were common to complete the entire LRN protocol. In the meantime antibiotics were administered as a precaution based on the presumptive results to individuals thought to be exposed to B. anthracis spores or with anthrax symptoms. The mass administering of antibiotics from a cost standpoint, as well as from medical prudence to prevent the rise of antibiotic-resistant strains, is not the optimal answer to the anthrax infection problem. Therefore it is important that early tests be rapid and reliable with a minimum number of false positive and false negative results. 

Abshire,T. G. Brown, J. E. Teska, J. D. Ezell, J. W. Validation of the use of gamma phage for identifying bacillus anthracis. 4th International Conference on Anthrax, Annapolis, MD 2001. 

Helyer, R. J. Kelley,T. Berkeley, R. C. W. Pyrolysis mass spectrometry studies on Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus and their close relatives. Zbl. Bakt. 1997, 285, 319-328. 

Pure Ti02 was recently reported to be active in the disinfection of water contaminated by spores of the type Fusarium solani [142], Bacillus anthracis [143], or Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts [144], or when supported as nanocomposites on zeolite H(i for E. coli deactivation [145], and it found applications in water treatment as a replacement for chlorine. Ag-Ti02 immobilized systems were used for inactivation of bacteria, coupling the visible light response of the system and the strong bactericidal effect of Ag [146]. Silver was deposited on hydroxyapatite to form nanocomposites with a high capacity for bacterial adsorption and inactivation [147], or used for airborne bacterial remediation in indoor air [148],... 

Bacillus anthracis Not published yet Anthrax first use of proven bioterrorism in the United States... 

Steichen C., Chen P., Kearney J.F., Tumbough C.L., Identification of the immunodominant protein and other proteins of the Bacillus anthracis exosporium, J. Bacteriol. 2003 185 1903-1910. 

Bruno J.G., Yu H., Immunomagnetic electrochemiluminescent detection of Bacillus anthracis spores in soil matrices, Appl. Environ. Micro. 1996 62 3474-3476. 

Schneerson R, Kubler-Kielb J, Liu TY et al (2003) Poly(y-D-glutamic acid) protein conjugates induce IgG antibodies in mice to the capsule of Bacillus anthracis a potential addition to the anthrax vaccine. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100 8945-8950... 

Wang TT, Fellows PF, Leighton TJ et al (2004) Induction of opsonic antibodies to the gamma-D-glutamic acid capsule of Bacillus anthracis by immunization with a synthetic peptide-carrier protein conjugate. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 40 231-237... 

Joyce J, Cook J, Chabot D et al (2006) Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of Bacillus anthracis poly-y-D-glutamic acid capsule covalently coupled to a protein carrier using a novel triazine-based conjugation strategy. J Biol Chem 281 4831 -843... 

Kubler-Kielb J, Liu TY, Mocca C et al (2006) Additional conjugation methods and immunogenicity of Bacillus anthracis poly-y-D-glutamic acid-protein conjugates. Infect Immun 74 4744 1749... 

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