Identification of strains that express a -like capsular polysaccharide.

and are Gram-negative, soil-dwelling bacteria that are found in a wide variety of environmental niches. While is the causative agent of melioidosis in humans and animals, members of the complex typically only cause disease in immunocompromised hosts. In this study, we report the identification of strains isolated from either patients or soil in Laos and Thailand that express a -like 6-deoxyheptan capsular polysaccharide (CPS).

West Nile Virus Infection in Travelers Returning to United Kingdom from South Africa.

West Nile virus (WNV) is an arthropod-transmitted flavivirus that causes West Nile fever and may infrequently cause neuroinvasive disease in humans. We present 2 cases of confirmed WNV infection, 1 of severe encephalitis and 1 of mild febrile illness, in a couple returning to the United Kingdom from South Africa.

Evaluation of a Rapid Diagnostic Test for Detection of Burkholderia pseudomallei in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

causes significant global morbidity and mortality, with the highest disease burden in parts of Asia where culture-based diagnosis is often not available. We prospectively evaluated the Active Melioidosis Detect (AMD; InBios International, USA) lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) for rapid detection of in turbid blood cultures, pus, sputum, sterile fluid, urine, and sera. The performance of this test was compared to that of detection using monoclonal antibody latex agglutination (LA) and immunofluorescence assays (IFA), with culture as the gold standard.

A Prospective Hospital Study to Evaluate the Diagnostic Accuracy of Rapid Diagnostic Tests for the Early Detection of Leptospirosis in Laos.

Leptospirosis is a globally important cause of acute febrile illness, and a common cause of non-malarial fever in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Simple rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are needed to enable health-care workers, particularly in low resource settings, to diagnose leptospirosis early and give timely targeted treatment. This study compared four commercially available RDTs to detect human IgM against spp.

Molecular architectures of benzoic acid-specific type III polyketide synthases.

Biphenyl synthase and benzophenone synthase constitute an evolutionarily distinct clade of type III polyketide synthases (PKSs) that use benzoic acid-derived substrates to produce defense metabolites in plants. The use of benzoyl-CoA as an endogenous substrate is unusual for type III PKSs. Moreover, sequence analyses indicate that the residues responsible for the functional diversification of type III PKSs are mutated in benzoic acid-specific type III PKSs.

Molecular Epidemiology of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

This is the first report of the molecular epidemiology of from skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) in Laos. We selected a random sample of 96 SSTI isolates received by the Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, between July 2012 and June 2014, including representation from seven referral hospitals. Isolates underwent susceptibility testing by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute methods, typing and DNA microarray analysis, with whole genome sequencing for rare lineages.

An Extended Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) Scheme for Rapid Direct Typing of Leptospira from Clinical Samples.

Background: Rapid typing of Leptospira is currently impaired by requiring time consuming culture of leptospires. The objective of this study was to develop an assay that provides multilocus sequence typing (MLST) data direct from patient specimens while minimising costs for subsequent sequencing.

Methodology And Findings: An existing PCR based MLST scheme was modified by designing nested primers including anchors for facilitated subsequent sequencing.

The Utility of Blood Culture Fluid for the Molecular Diagnosis of Leptospira: A Prospective Evaluation.

Leptospirosis is an important zoonosis worldwide, with infections occurring after exposure to contaminated water. Despite being a global problem, laboratory diagnosis remains difficult with culture results taking up to 3 months, serology being retrospective by nature, and polymerase chain reaction showing limited sensitivity. Leptospira have been shown to survive and multiply in blood culture media, and we hypothesized that extracting DNA from incubated blood culture fluid (BCF), followed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) could improve the accuracy and speed of leptospira diagnosis.

A case of panuveitis with hypopyon due to presumed ocular leishmaniasis in a HIV patient.

Background: Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis is a well-known immunologic cutaneous reaction. There are few case reports of ocular leishmaniasis. It is a sight-threatening condition that needs to be rapidly recognized and treated to avoid permanent visual loss.

Vitamin D insufficiency in osteoporotic hip fracture patients: rapid substitution therapy with high dose oral cholecalciferol (vitamin D3).

Unlabelled: Assessment and treatment of osteoporosis are recommended following hip fracture. Osteoporosis treatment assumes an adequate calcium intake and a normal vitamin D plasma level. The authors conducted a study in three phases.

Unbiased screening of marine sponge extracts for anti-inflammatory agents combined with chemical genomics identifies girolline as an inhibitor of protein synthesis.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a critical role in innate immunity, but activation of TLR signaling pathways is also associated with many harmful inflammatory diseases. Identification of novel anti-inflammatory molecules targeting TLR signaling pathways is central to the development of new treatment approaches for acute and chronic inflammation. We performed high-throughput screening from crude marine sponge extracts on TLR5 signaling and identified girolline.

The search for novel human pancreatic alpha-amylase inhibitors: high-throughput screening of terrestrial and marine natural product extracts.

Specific inhibitors of human pancreatic alpha-amylase (HPA) have potential as oral agents for the control of blood glucose levels in the treatment of diabetes and obesity. In a search for novel inhibitors, a library of 30 000 crude biological extracts of terrestrial and marine origin has been screened. A number of inhibitory extracts were identified, of which the most potent was subjected to bioassay-guided purification.

Inhibitors of human indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase identified with a target-based screen in yeast.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is a tryptophan degradation enzyme that is emerging as an important drug target. IDO is expressed by many human tumors to help them escape immune detection, and it has been implicated in depression and in the formation of senile nuclear cataracts. There is a need for potent and selective IDO inhibitors for use in research and as lead compounds for drug development.