Publications by authors named "Laura Paulowski"

We determined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mycobacterial diagnostic services. 40 laboratories from 22 countries completed an online questionnaire covering the redeployment of the laboratory infrastructure and/or staff for SARS-CoV-2 testing, staff shortages and supply chain disruptions. 28 laboratories reported monthly numbers of samples processed for mycobacterial investigations and monthly numbers of M.

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Infections caused by are difficult to treat due to its intrinsic resistance to most antibiotics. Formation of biofilms and the capacity of to survive inside host phagocytes further complicate eradication. Herein, we explored whether addition of a carbamate-linked group at the C25 position of rifamycin SV blocks enzymatic inactivation by Arr, an ADP-ribosyltransferase conferring resistance to rifampicin (RMP).

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ESX type VII secretion systems are complex secretion machineries spanning across the mycobacterial membrane and play an important role in pathogenicity, nutrient uptake and conjugation. We previously reported the role of ESX-4 in modulating Mycobacterium abscessus intracellular survival. The loss of EccB4 was associated with limited secretion of two effector proteins belonging to the WXG-100 family, EsxU and EsxT, and encoded by the esx-4 locus.

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Article Synopsis
  • Mycobacterium abscessus is a significant threat to cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, leading to high morbidity and mortality rates, and has been suggested to spread between individuals.
  • Researchers analyzed 154 M. abscessus isolates from 123 German CF patients using whole-genome sequencing to understand its genetic diversity and relations, finding representatives of global clonal complexes.
  • Although genetically similar isolates were identified within specific CF treatment centers, there was no evidence of person-to-person transmission in hospitals, indicating that such genetic similarities should be interpreted cautiously.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study addresses gaps in understanding long-term COVID-19 infection patterns, risk factors, and effective surveillance strategies amidst increasing cases.
  • Conducted from March 2020 to February 2021, the research tested 1% of the local population and analyzed over 90,000 app-based datasets in a community of 300,000 people.
  • Findings showed higher seropositivity in high-exposure groups like nurses, a decrease in unreported infections, and identified "contact to COVID-19-affected" as the leading risk factor, highlighting the study as a model for future pandemic preparedness.
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Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) contribute to an effective protection against infections. The antibacterial function of AMPs depends on their interactions with microbial membranes and lipids, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS; endotoxin). Hyperinflammation induced by endotoxin is a key factor in bacterial sepsis and many other human diseases.

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In many settings, the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic coincides with other major public health threats, in particular tuberculosis. Using tuberculosis (TB) molecular diagnostic infrastructure, which has substantially expanded worldwide in recent years, for COVID-19 case-finding might be warranted. We analyze the potential of using TB diagnostic and research infrastructures for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing.

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The architecture of the lipid matrix of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is extremely asymmetric: Whereas the inner leaflet is composed of a phospholipid mixture, the outer leaflet is built up by glycolipids. For most Gram-negative species, these glycolipids are lipopolysaccharides (LPS), for a few species, however, glycosphingolipids. We demonstrate experimental approaches for the reconstitution of these asymmetric membranes as (i) solid supported membranes prepared by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, (ii) planar lipid bilayers prepared by the Montal-Mueller technique, and (iii) giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) prepared by the phase transfer method.

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The activity of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) has been investigated extensively using model membranes composed of phospholipids or lipopolysaccharides in aqueous environments. However, from a biophysical perspective, there is a large scientific interest regarding the direct interaction of membrane-active peptides with whole bacteria. Working with living bacteria limits the usability of experimental setups and the interpretation of the resulting data because of safety risks and the overlap of active and passive effects induced by AMPs.

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Cathelicidins are a family of host defense antimicrobial peptides in mammalian species. Among them, LL-37 is the only peptide of this family found in humans. Although LL-37 has been intensively investigated in the past, the mode of exerting its bactericidal activity through the specific interactions with bacterial membranes remains elusive.

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