Bacillus anthracis

About: Bacillus anthracis is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3994 publications have been published within this topic receiving 128122 citations.

Coumarin-based inhibitors of Bacillus anthracis and Staphylococcus aureus replicative DNA helicase: chemical optimization, biological evaluation, and antibacterial activities.

Abstract: The increasing prevalence of drug-resistant bacterial infections demands the development of new antibacterials that are not subject to existing mechanisms of resistance. Previously, we described coumarin-based inhibitors of an underexploited bacterial target, namely the replicative helicase. Here we report the synthesis and evaluation of optimized coumarin-based inhibitors with 9–18-fold increased potency against Staphylococcus aureus (Sa) and Bacillus anthracis (Ba) helicases. Compounds 20 and 22 provided the best potency, with IC50 values of 3 and 1 μM, respectively, against the DNA duplex strand-unwinding activities of both B. anthracis and S. aureus helicases without affecting the single strand DNA-stimulated ATPase activity. Selectivity index (SI = CC50/MIC) values against S. aureus and B. anthracis for compound 20 were 33 and 66 and for compound 22 were 20 and 40, respectively. In addition, compounds 20 and 22 demonstrated potent antibacterial activity against multiple ciprofloxacin-resistant MRSA s...

Identification of chromosomally encoded membranal polypeptides of Bacillus anthracis by a proteomic analysis: Prevalence of proteins containing S‐layer homology domains

Abstract: Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax disease. Improvement of existing anthrax vaccines, which are currently based on the administration of Protective Antigen (the highly immunogenic nontoxic subunit of the bacterial toxin) may entail other bacterial immunogenic elements, part of which are predicted to reside on the surface of bacterial cells. In the present study, membranal proteins extracted from a stationary-phase culture of a nonvirulent B. anthracis strain, devoid of the native virulence plasmids pXO1 and pX02, were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and a characteristic protein map was defined. The proteomic analysis allowed matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionizatlon-time of flight mass spectrometry-assisted identification of 86 protein spots which represent the product of 30 individual open reading frames (ORF). Among these, a prevalent class of proteins was the S-layer proteins (which were found to represent more than 75% of the B. anthracis membranal fraction) and proteins containing S-layer homology (SLH)-membranal localization domains. Five novel SLH proteins, previously inferred only from bioinformatic ORF analysis (draft genome sequence), were identified and one was shown to be a highly abundant membranal protein. Western blots of the 2-DE gels were probed with sera from convalescent rabbits and guinea pigs infected with virulent B. anthracis (Vollum strain). This analysis revealed that B. anthracis immune animals exhibit antibodies against at least 14 distinct membranal proteins present in the 2-DE map, establishing that these proteins are expressed in vivo and are able to elicit an immune response. The identification of the protein components of the B. anthracis membranal fraction, as well as the establishment of their potential immunogenicity, underscore the strength of the proteomic approach for identifying molecules which may serve for further analysis of immune and protective abilities.

Phage-Based Magnetoelastic Wireless Biosensors for Detecting Bacillus Anthracis Spores

Abstract: A biosensor for the detection of biological warfare agents (Bacillus anthracis spores) was developed that combines the phage display technique with a magnetoelastic wireless detection platform. The affinity-based biosensor utilizes a phage-derived diagnostic probe as the biomolecular recognition element to capture target agents multivalently. Upon binding of the target agent to the sensor surface, the resonance frequency of the magnetoelastic biosensors decreases due to the additional mass of the target agent. Scanning electron microscopy was used to confirm binding of spores to the sensor surface. The sensitivity of the magnetoelastic acoustic sensor was tested to be 130 Hz per order of magnitude of spore concentration with a detection limit of 103 spores/ml. The specificity of the sensors was tested against spores of other closely related Bacillus species and a large preferential binding to Bacillus anthracis spores was observed. The longevity of the phage based biosensor was compared to traditional antibody based biosensors and found to exhibit a much longer life

Endemic gastrointestinal anthrax in 1960s Lebanon: clinical manifestations and surgical findings.

Abstract: Anthrax is an ancient disease caused by the gram-positive Bacillus anthracis; recently, it has gained much attention because of its potential use in biologic warfare. Anthrax infection occurs in three forms: cutaneous, inhalational, and gastrointestinal. The last type results from ingestion of poorly cooked contaminated meat. Intestinal anthrax was widely known in Lebanon in the 1960s, when a series of >100 cases were observed in the Bekaa Valley. We describe some of these cases, introduce the concept of the surgical management of advanced intestinal anthrax, and describe some of the approaches for treatment.