Exposure of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) to low concentrations of Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin (LT), whose catalytic subunit is lethal factor (LF), results in induction of a robust apoptotic response dependent on activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR)4. A similar TLR4-dependent apoptotic response is observed when BMDMs are infected with live B. anthracis (Sterne strain). However, ...

BACKGROUND Bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent of inhalational anthrax, is a facultative intracellular pathogen. Despite appropriate antimicrobial therapy, the mortality from inhalational anthrax approaches 45%, underscoring the need for better adjuvant therapies. The variable latency between exposure and development of disease suggests an important role for the host's innate immune respons...

Identification of Bacillus anthracis is considerably difficult because of its very high phenotypic and genotypic similarity to other members of the Bacillus cereus group. Differentiation methods based on morphological and phenotypic characteristics are time-consuming, and false results may be obtained for atypical strains. On the other hand molecular discrimination based on the presence of two ...

This study evaluated the ability of spore-forming Bacillus spp. to resist milk pasteurization conditions from 72 to 150 degrees C. Spores from the avirulent surrogate Sterne strain of Bacillus anthracis, as well as a representative strain of a common milk contaminant that is also a pathogen, Bacillus cereus ATCC 9818, were heated at test temperatures for up to 90 min in dH2O, brain heart infusi...

Anthrax toxins and capsules, which are encoded by genes located on pXO1 and pXO2, respectively, are major virulence factors of Bacillus anthracis. Our previous studies demonstrated that exposure to high-temperatures is unable to abolish the pXO1 plasmid of the Pasteur II strain, but the growth of the strain was obviously slower than that of the Sterne strain and wild-type virulent strain. To el...

The unpredictable nature of bioterrorism and the absence of real-time detection systems have highlighted the need for an efficient postexposure therapy for Bacillus anthracis infection. One approach is passive immunization through the administration of antibodies that mitigate the biological action of anthrax toxin. We isolated and characterized two protective fully human monoclonal antibodies ...

Cell wall-anchored surface proteins of gram-positive pathogens play important roles during the establishment of many infectious diseases, but the contributions of surface proteins to the pathogenesis of anthrax have not yet been revealed. Cell wall anchoring in Staphylococcus aureus occurs by a transpeptidation mechanism requiring surface proteins with C-terminal sorting signals as well as sort...

A preparation of Bacillus anthracis (Sterne strain) spores was used to evaluate commercially available reagents and portable equipment for detecting anthrax contamination by using real-time PCR and was used to assess the fate of spores added directly to bulk tank milk. The Ruggedized Advanced Pathogen Identification Device (RAPID) was employed to detect spores in raw milk down to a concentratio...

The availability of relevant and useful animal models is critical for progress in the development of effective vaccines and therapeutics. The infection of rabbits and non-human primates with fully virulent Bacillus anthracis spores provides two excellent models of anthrax disease. However, the high cost of procuring and housing these animals and the specialized facilities required to deliver fu...