Flow-Tolerant Adhesion of a Bacterial Pathogen to Human Endothelial Cells Through Interaction With Biglycan.

Background: Bacterial pathogens causing systemic infections disseminate from the initial infection focus to the target organs usually through the blood vasculature. To be able to colonize various organs, bacteria need to adhere to the endothelial cells of the vascular wall, and the adhesion must be strong enough to resist the shear force of the blood flow.Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes, the causative agents of the tick-borne disease Lyme borreliosis, disseminate hematogenously from the tick bite site to the joints, the heart, and the central nervous system of the patient.

Decorin binding proteins of Borrelia burgdorferi promote arthritis development and joint specific post-treatment DNA persistence in mice.

Decorin binding proteins A and B (DbpA and B) of Borrelia burgdorferi are of critical importance for the virulence of the spirochete. The objective of the present study was to further clarify the contribution of DbpA and B to development of arthritis and persistence of B. burgdorferi after antibiotic treatment in a murine model of Lyme borreliosis.

Decorin binding by DbpA and B of Borrelia garinii, Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu Stricto.

Background: Decorin adherence is crucial in the pathogenesis of Lyme borreliosis. Decorin-binding proteins (Dbp) A and B are the adhesins that mediate this interaction. DbpA and B of Borrelia garinii, Borrelia afzelii, and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (ss) differ in their amino acid sequence, but little attention has been paid to the potential difference in their decorin binding.

Persistence of borrelial DNA in the joints of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected mice after ceftriaxone treatment.

We have earlier shown that Borrelia burgdorferi-infected and ceftriaxone-treated mice have viable spirochetes in their body, since immunosuppressive treatment allows B. burgdorferi to be detected by culture. However, the niche of the persisting spirochetes remained unknown.

TLR2 utilization of Borrelia does not induce p38- and IFN-beta autocrine loop-dependent expression of CD38, resulting in poor migration and weak IL-12 secretion of dendritic cells.

Lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne bacterial infection that in many cases is limited to the skin. However, in some patients the bacterium evades the immune response and disseminates into various organs. Dendritic cells (DCs) are among the first cells to meet invading pathogens in the skin.

Disordered lymphoid purine metabolism contributes to the pathogenesis of persistent Borrelia garinii infection in mice.

Extracellular ATP and adenosine are important regulators of immune responses; however, contribution of purinergic signaling to host defense during persistent microbial infections remains obscure. Lyme borreliosis is a common arthropod-borne infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. In this study, we investigated whether lymphoid purinergic signaling contributes to the mechanisms by which borreliae species evade the immune system and trigger joint inflammation.

Antibacterial effects and dissolution behavior of six bioactive glasses.

Dissolution behavior of six bioactive glasses was correlated with the antibacterial effects of the same glasses against sixteen clinically important bacterial species. Powdered glasses (<45 microm) were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 48 h. The pH in the solution inside the glass powder was measured in situ with a microelectrode.

Bordetella pertussis isolates in Finland: serotype and fimbrial expression.

Background: Bordetella pertussis causes whooping cough or pertussis in humans. It produces several virulence factors, of which the fimbriae are considered adhesins and elicit immune responses in the host. B.

Borrelia burgdorferi inhibits human neutrophil functions.

Outer surface proteins OspA and OspB are among the most prominent Borrelia burgdorferi surface molecules. We constructed OspAB and OspA complementation mutants of B. burgdorferi Osp-less strain B313 and investigated the role of these surface proteins in the interactions of B.

Antibacterial effect of bioactive glasses on clinically important anaerobic bacteria in vitro.

Bioactive glasses (BAGs) of different compositions have been studied for decades for clinical use and they have found many dental and orthopaedic applications. Particulate BAGs have also been shown to have antibacterial properties. This large-scale study shows that two bioactive glass powders (S53P4 and 13-93) and a sol-gel derived material (CaPSiO II) have an antibacterial effect on 17 clinically important anaerobic bacterial species.

Bactericidal effects of bioactive glasses on clinically important aerobic bacteria.

Bioactive glasses (BAGs) have been studied for decades for clinical use, and they have found many dental and orthopedic applications. BAGs have also been shown to have an antibacterial effect e.g.

Transcriptional response of human dendritic cells to Borrelia garinii--defective CD38 and CCR7 expression detected.

Lyme borreliosis is a disease, which can affect several organs and cause a variety of symptoms. In some patients, the infection may become chronic, even after antibiotic therapy, and cause persisting damage. Dendritic cells (DC) are involved in the initiation of innate and adaptive immune responses.

Anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha treatment activates Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes 4 weeks after ceftriaxone treatment in C3H/He mice.

Background: The effect of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha treatment in Borrelia burgdorferi-infected and ceftriaxone-treated C3H/He mice was evaluated.

Methods: Mice were infected with B. garinii A218 or B.

Use of CFSE staining of borreliae in studies on the interaction between borreliae and human neutrophils.

Background: Species of the tick-transmitted spirochete group Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi) cause Lyme borreliosis. Acute borrelial infection of the skin has unusual characteristics with only a mild local inflammatory response suggesting that the interaction between borreliae and the cells of the first-line defence might differ from that of other bacteria.

Bordetella holmesii DNA is not detected in nasopharyngeal swabs from Finnish and Dutch patients with suspected pertussis.

Bordetella holmesii is a Gram-negative bacterium first identified in 1995. It can cause pertussis-like symptoms in humans. B.

Persistent joint swelling and Borrelia-specific antibodies in Borrelia garinii-infected mice after eradication of vegetative spirochetes with antibiotic treatment.

We wanted to study the pathogenesis and the long-term manifestations of Borrelia garinii infection in SJL and C3H/He mice. We report here that B. garinii A218 causes a persisting infection in these mouse strains.

Comparison of two commercially available DNA line probe assays for detection of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Two commercially available DNA line probe assays, Genotype MTBDR and INNO-LiPA Rif. TB, were evaluated for their abilities to detect resistance to isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RIF) in 52 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates. The test results were compared to those obtained by phenotypic drug susceptibility testing and sequencing.

Quantification of bacteria in human feces using 16S rRNA-hybridization, DNA-staining and flow cytometry.

Hybridization of bacteria with fluorescent probes targeting 16S rRNA and inspection of hybridized bacteria with fluorescence microscopy (microscopy-FISH, i.e. fluorescence in situ hybridization) have constituted an accessible method for the analysis of mixed bacterial samples such as feces.

No evidence of cross-reactivity of human antibodies to a 33-mer peptide of the alpha-gliadin component of gluten with Bordetella pertussis pertactin.

A 33-mer peptide of the alpha-gliadin component of gluten was recently identified as primary initiator of the inflammatory response to gluten in coeliac disease (CD) patients. This proline-glutamine-rich peptide (PG-peptide) is highly homologous to internal sequence of pertactin, an immunogenic protein of Bordetella pertussis. Using enzyme immunoassays, we measured serum antibodies to pertactin and to PG-peptide in 167 Finnish subjects including pertussis vaccine recipients and pertussis patients, CD and non-CD patients and healthy individuals.

PFGE and pertactin gene sequencing suggest limited genetic variability within the Finnish Bordetella parapertussis population.

The outer-membrane protein pertactin (Prn) of Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica is believed to function as an adhesin and is an important immunogen. The emergence of B. pertussis and B.

Semiquantitative detection by real-time PCR of Aspergillus fumigatus in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids and tissue biopsy specimens from patients with invasive aspergillosis.

A real-time PCR method was developed and used to detect Aspergillus fumigatus mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids and tissue biopsy specimens. The analytical sensitivity of the assay was one A. fumigatus conidium per reaction, and the assay was linear at least over 4 orders of magnitude above the detection limit.

Effectiveness of dynamic muscle training, relaxation training, or ordinary activity for chronic neck pain: randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of dynamic muscle training and relaxation training for chronic neck pain.

Design: Randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Five occupational healthcare centres, Tampere, Finland.