Corynebacterium diphtheria

Diphtheria toxin, an exotoxin of Corynebacterium diphtheriae infected with a specific lysogenic phage, catalyzes the ADP-ribosylation of EF-2 on the unique amino acid diphthamide in mammalian cells. This modification inactivates EF-2 and thereby specifically inhibits mammalian protein synthesis. Many animals (eg, mice) are resistant to diphtheria toxin. This resistance is due to inability of diphtheria toxin to cross the cell membrane rather than to insensitivity of mouse EF-2 to diphtheria toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation by NAD. 

Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which is non-sporing, is the causal organism of diphtheria, a disease which has largely been eradicated by immunization (Chapter 16). 

Detoxification. The process by which bacterial toxins are converted to harmless toxoids. Formalin is used to detoxify the toxins of both Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Clostridium tetani. The detoxification may be performed either on the whole culture in the fermenter or on the purified toxin after fractionation. 

Matsui T, M Furukawa, M Unno, T Tomita, M Ikeda-Saito (2005) Roles of distal Asp in heme oxygenase from Corynebacterium diphtheriae, HmuO. A water-driven oxygen activation system. J Biol Chem 280 2981-2989. 

Wilks A, MP Schmitt (1998) Expression and characterization of a heme oxygenase (Hmu O) from Corynebacterium diphtheriae. J Biol Chem 2iy. 837-841. 

Diphtheria is a bacterial respiratory infection characterized by membranous pharyngitis. The membrane may cover the pharynx, tonsillar areas, soft palate, and uvula. Diphtheria may also cause anal, cutaneous, vaginal, and conjunctival infections. The impact of diphtheria is not from the causative bacteria, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, but rather from complications attributed to its exotoxin, such as myocarditis and peripheral... 

The same factors that cause variations in the shape of bacteria also affect their size. With few exceptions, young cells are much larger than old or mature forms. Cells of B. subtilis from a 4-hr. culture measure five to seven times longer than cells from a 24-hr. culture. Variations in width are less pronounced. The organism Corynebacterium diphtheriae is a notable exception to the rule of decreasing cell size with age. 

Polysaccharides of Corynebacterium diphtheriae yield D-galactose, pentoses and amino sugars on hydrolysis.79 D-Glucose and D-mannose are major hydrolytic products of the polysaccharide of Clostridium perfringens.80 Complete hydrolysis81 of the polysaccharide of the anthrax bacillus yielded acetyl-D-glucosamine and D-galactose. 

Material Safety Data Sheet-Infectious Substances Corynebacterium diphtheriae. January 23,2001. 

Diphtheria and tetanus vaccines are two commonly used toxoid-based vaccine preparations. The initial stages of diphtheria vaccine production entail the growth of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. 

Clinically, monoclonal antibodies are also proposed as drug delivery vehicles in certain tumors where specific tumor-associated antigens are expressed. In this context, investigators have found that by conjugating toxins such as the A chain polypeptide of the plant protein ricin or the bacterial toxin from Corynebacterium diphtheriae to monoclonal antibodies specific for certain tumor type, as few as one or two molecules of antibody-toxin conjugate can destroy a tumor cell in vitro. Some success has also been obtained in clinical trials with monoclonal antibody-toxin conjugates. 

Diphtheria and tetanus vaeeine are two eommonly used toxoid-based vaccine preparations. The initial stages of diphtheria vaccine production entails the growth of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The toxoid is then prepared by treating the active toxin produced with formaldehyde. The product is normally sold as a sterile aqueous preparation. Tetanus vaccine production follows a similar approach Clostridium tetani is cultured in appropriate media, the toxin is recovered and inactivated by formaldehyde treatment. Again, it is usually marketed as a sterile aqueous-based product. 

Although erythromycin is a well-established antibiotic, there are relatively few primary indications for its use. These indications include the treatment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections, eradication of Corynebacterium diphtheriae from pharyngeal carriers, the early preparox-ysmal stage of pertussis, chlamydial infections, and more recently, the treatment of Legionnaires disease, Campylobacter enteritis, and chlamydial conjunctivitis, and the prevention of secondary pneumonia in neonates. 

Antibacterial activity. Water extract of the dried seed, on agar plate at concentration of 10 mg/mL, was inactive on Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Dipbcoccus pneumoniae, Staphylo coccus aureus, and Streptococcus viridans and produced weak activity on Streptococcus pyogenes b... 

Corynebacterium diphtheriae (Kruse 1886) Ldimann and Neumann 1896, Bact. 

Among the bacilli, gram positive Bacillus anthracis, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Clostridium species are highly sensitive. Among the spirochetes. Treponema pallidum is highly sensitive to penicillin. 

IL-2, rDNA/Seragen [BIO] A-L-Methionyl-387-L-histidine-388-L-alanuie-l-388-toxin (Corynebacterium diphtheriae strain Cl) (388-2 ) protein with 2-133-interleukin 2 (human clone pTIL2-21a) [CAS] Interleukin-2 Fusion Protein [SY] Interleukin-2/diphtheria toxin fusion protein, recombinant [SY]... 

Toxins from Corynebacterium diphtheriae or Clostridium tetani are water soluble proteins, which effectively constitute the respective vaccine antigens. However, they are treated with formaldehyde to eliminate or reduce the associated toxicity to... 

The second heme oxygenase (HO-2) is distributed widely among tissues, but it is most abundant in certain neurons in the brain.437 4373 Its major function may be to generate CO, which is now recognized as a probable neurohormone (Chapter 30). Bacteria, such as Corynebacterium diphtheriae, employ their own heme oxygenase as a means of recovering iron that they need for growth.438... 

Starch-like substances are produced in several species of bacteria.18,21 For example, Escherichia coli produces a linear glucan.21,29 Corynebacterium diphtheriae produces a starch-like material and Clostridium butyricum produces a glucan with some branching.21 Neisseria perflava produces a glucan, intermediate in structure between amylopectin and glycogen 29 however, more recent work shows that the structure more closely approaches that of glycogen.30... 

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