Latest Articles
Observation | Therapeutics and PreventionA Novel, Rapid, and Low-Volume Assay for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Posaconazole and Other Long-Chain Azole-Class Antifungal DrugsThis work describes an effective assay for TDM of long-chain azole-class antifungal drugs that can be used in diluted human serum samples. This assay will provide a quick, cost-effective method for monitoring concentrations of drugs such as posaconazole that exhibit well-documented pharmacokinetic variability. Our rGO-aptamer assay has the potential to improve health care for those struggling to treat fungal infections in rural or...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDevelopment of an Opsonophagocytic Killing Assay Using HL-60 Cells for Detection of Functional Antibodies against Streptococcus pyogenesMeasuring functional opsonic antibodies against group A streptococci is an important component of the clinical development path for effective vaccines. Prior studies have used an assay developed over 60 years ago that relied on whole human blood as the source of phagocytes and complement, both of which are critical components of antibody-mediated killing assays. In this study, we adapted an assay that uses the HL-60 human promyelocytic...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionFh15 Blocks the Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Cytokine Storm While Modulating Peritoneal Macrophage Migration and CD38 Expression within Spleen Macrophages in a Mouse Model of Septic ShockSepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection. Sepsis is mostly the consequence of systemic bacterial infections leading to exacerbated activation of immune cells by bacterial products, resulting in enhanced release of inflammatory mediators. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, is a critical factor in the pathogenesis of sepsis, which is sensed by Toll-...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceConjugative Selectivity of Plasmids Is Affected by Coexisting Recipient CandidatesMost previous studies on plasmid conjugal transfer employed experimental setups with two strains: one as a donor and the other as a recipient. However, the results obtained sometimes failed to agree with observations obtained under natural environmental conditions or in a model microcosm using natural soil and water samples. Therefore, we consider that there is a “gap” in our understanding of plasmid behavior in the context of bacterial...
Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologySimultaneous Visualization of Enzymatic Activity in the Cytoplasm and at Polyphosphate Inclusions in Beggiatoa sp. Strain 35Flor Incubated with 18O-Labeled WaterMicrobial organisms exert a large influence on the environment as they directly affect the turnover of essential elements. This is particularly true for polyphosphate-accumulating large sulfur bacteria, which can either accumulate phosphate as polyphosphate or degrade it and release phosphate into the environment, depending on environmental conditions. This study presents a new approach to simultaneously visualize general metabolic...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyMetagenomic Discovery of 83 New Human Papillomavirus Types in Patients with ImmunodeficiencyAlthough some members of the viral family Papillomaviridae cause benign skin warts (papillomas), many human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are not associated with visible symptoms. For example, most healthy adults chronically shed Gammapapillomavirus (Gamma) virions from apparently healthy skin surfaces. To further explore the diversity of papillomaviruses, we performed viromic surveys on immunodeficient...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionAcquired Nisin Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus Involves Constitutive Activation of an Intrinsic Peptide Antibiotic Detoxification ModuleNIS and related bacteriocins are of interest as candidates for the treatment of human infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. An important liability of NIS in this regard is the ease with which S. aureus acquires resistance. Here we establish that this organism...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceThe Phylogenomic Diversity of Herbivore-Associated Fibrobacter spp. Is Correlated to Lignocellulose-Degrading PotentialThe herbivore gut microbiome is incredibly diverse, and a functional understanding of this diversity is needed to more reliably manipulate this community for specific gain, such as increased production in ruminant livestock. Microbial degraders of plant cell wall polysaccharides in the herbivore gut, particularly Fibrobacter spp., are of fundamental importance to their hosts for digestion of a diet consisting primarily of...
