Variation among isolates of Bacillus anthracis was examined by using restriction fragmentation patterns and the PCR performed with arbitrary and sequence-specific oligonucleotide primers. The patterns were compared with the patterns generated from strains of closely related species belonging to the "Bacillus cereus group" of bacteria, including B. cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Bacillus mycoides. All B. anthracis profiles were identical for each of 18 restriction enzymes, each of 10 arbitrary PCR primers, and a repetitive extragenic palindrome-specific PCR primer. The PCR profiles generated with a coliphage M13-based primer exhibited slight pattern variation in a 400- to 500-bp band region. The B. anthracis profiles were unique compared with the profiles of the other species examined. In these other species, strain-to-strain variations were observed. Our results showed that isolates of B. anthracis are almost completely homogeneous, indicating a clonal lineage, and are distinct from other members of the B. cereus group and that B. anthracis, as a species in its own right, may have evolved only relatively recently.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/00207713-44-1-99 | DOI Listing |
Mol Biol Rep
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100071, China.
Background: Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis), Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis), and Brucella spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Infect Dis
January 2025
Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, 21702, United States of America.
Background: Point of need diagnostics provide efficient testing capability for remote or austere locations, decreasing the time to answer by minimizing travel or sample transport requirements. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is an appealing technology for point-of-need diagnostics due to its rapid analysis time and minimal instrumentation requirements.
Methods: Here, we designed and optimized nine LAMP assays that are sensitive and specific to targeted bacterial select agents including Bacillus anthracis, Francisella tularensis, Yersinia pestis, and Brucella spp.
Am J Trop Med Hyg
January 2025
MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda.
Between April and November 2023, 27 unexplained human deaths that presented with swelling of the arms, skin sores with black centers, difficulty in breathing, obstructed swallowing, headaches, and other body aches were reported in Kyotera District, Uganda by the Public Health Emergency Operations Center. Subsequently, the death of cattle on farms and the consumption of carcass meat by some residents were also reported. Field response teams collected clinical/epidemiological data and autopsy samples to determine the cause of deaths.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroorganisms
December 2024
Targeted Therapy Team, Institute for Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK.
The COVID-19 and mpox crisis has reminded the world of the potentially catastrophic consequences of biological agents. Aside from the natural risk, biological agents can also be weaponized or used for bioterrorism. Dissemination in a population or among livestock could be used to destabilize a nation by creating a climate of terror, by negatively impacting the economy and undermining institutions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmunol Rev
January 2025
Department of Internal Medicine and Paediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Inflammasomes are crucial mediators of both antimicrobial host defense and inflammatory pathology, requiring stringent regulation at multiple levels. This review explores the pivotal role of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in modulating inflammasome activation through various regulatory mechanisms. We detail recent advances in understanding MAPK-mediated regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome priming, licensing and activation, with emphasis on MAPK-induced activator protein-1 (AP-1) signaling in NLRP3 priming, ERK1 and JNK in NLRP3 licensing, and TAK1 in connecting death receptor signaling to NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
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