Trends and Risk Factors for Leishmaniasis among Reproductive Aged Women in the United States.

Background And Objective: Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease, is endemic in several regions globally, but commonly regarded as a disease of travelers in the United States (US). The literature on leishmaniasis among hospitalized women in the US is very limited. The aim of this study was to explore trends and risk factors for leishmaniasis among hospitalized women of reproductive age within the US.

Phosphoenolpyruvate Phosphotransferase System Components Modulate Gene Transcription and Virulence of Borrelia burgdorferi.

The phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PEP-PTS) and adenylate cyclase (AC) IV (encoded by BB0723 [cyaB]) are well conserved in different species of Borrelia. However, the functional roles of PEP-PTS and AC in the infectious cycle of Borrelia have not been characterized previously. We examined 12 PEP-PTS transporter component mutants by needle inoculation of mice to assess their ability to cause mouse infection.

Analysis of an ordered, comprehensive STM mutant library in infectious Borrelia burgdorferi: insights into the genes required for mouse infectivity.

The identification of genes important in the pathogenesis of Lyme disease Borrelia has been hampered by exceedingly low transformation rates in low-passage, infectious organisms. Using the infectious, moderately transformable B. burgdorferi derivative 5A18NP1 and signature-tagged versions of the Himar1 transposon vector pGKT, we have constructed a defined transposon library for the efficient genome-wide investigation of genes required for wild-type pathogenesis, in vitro growth, physiology, morphology, and plasmid replication.

High-throughput plasmid content analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi B31 by using Luminex multiplex technology.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease in North America, is an invasive pathogen that causes persistent multiorgan manifestations in humans and other mammals. Genetic studies of this bacterium are complicated by the presence of multiple plasmid replicons, many of which are readily lost during in vitro culture. The analysis of B.