Background: 16S rRNA-based genomic analyses have revolutionized our understanding of infectious diseases. Many cases which were recognized as "idiopathic" are now known to have an infectious etiology. Here, we present a proof-of-concept study to examine the microbial link between intra-amniotic infection (IAI) and early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Currently, food regulatory authorities consider all Listeria monocytogenes isolates as equally virulent. However, an increasing number of studies demonstrate extensive variations in virulence and pathogenicity of L. monocytogenes strains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We examined the presence of bacterial DNA in synovial fluids of native or clinically aseptically failed prosthetic joints from patients having periodontal disease and arthritis to determine whether there is bacterial spread from the oral cavity to the joints.
Methods: A total of 36 subjects were enrolled in the study. Among these, 11 were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 25 were diagnosed with osteoarthritis (OA).
FadA, a novel adhesin of periodontal pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum is composed of two forms, pre-FadA and mature FadA (mFadA), constituting the functional FadA complex (FadAc). By electron microscopy, we observed that mFadA formed uniformly long and thin filaments, while FadAc formed heterogeneous filaments of varying lengths and widths, as well as "knots". Mutants in signal peptide or in the non-alpha-helical loop retaining heterogeneous structures had binding activity while those forming aggregates or long filaments lost activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFusobacterium nucleatum is a Gram-negative oral anaerobe, capable of systemic dissemination causing infections and abscesses, often in mixed-species, at different body sites. We have shown previously that F. nucleatum adheres to and invades host epithelial and endothelial cells via a novel FadA adhesin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe heterogeneity of hypervariable region 1 (HVR1), located at the amino terminus of the E2 envelope, may be involved in resistance to alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) treatment. We investigated whether peculiar HVR1 domain profiles before treatment were associated with the maintenance of sensitivity or the appearance of resistance to treatment. Fifteen patients infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 1b and treated with IFN with or without ribavirin were selected.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF