-U4O9 is a superlattice structure based on the ̄uorite arrangement of UO2. The U atoms occupy positions close to those in UO2 and the additional O atoms are accommodated in cuboctahedral clusters of 43m symmetry, which are centred on the special 12-fold sites of the cubic space group I 43d. The structure has been re®ned from single-crystal neutron data in accordance with the procedure described ...

The topography and specificity of B- and T-cell stimulatory epitopes from the 19-kDa protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were investigated by using overlapping synthetic peptides. Murine antisera identified two cryptic epitopes (residues 11 to 30 and 61 to 80) and one species-specific immunodominant epitope (residues 140 to 159). Immunoglobulins G1 and G2a antibody isotypes varied for the res...

We performed spoligotyping and 24-locus mycobacterial interspersed repetitive-unit-variable-number tandem-repeat (MIRU-VNTR) typing on M. tuberculosis culture-positive biopsy specimens collected from adults dying in a hospital in KwaZulu-Natal. Of 56 culture-positive samples genotyped, we detected mixed strains in five (9%) and clonal heterogeneity in an additional four (7%).

Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) as a live vector of recombinant bacterial vaccine is a promising system to be used. In this study, we evaluate the disrupted expression of heterologous HIV-1gp120 gene in BCG Pasteur host strain using replicative vectors pMV261 and pJH222. pJH222 carries a lysine complementing gene in BCG lysine auxotrophs. The HIV-1 gp120 gene expression was r...

The isolation of elements driving high-level expression of foreign genes in mycobacteria would significantly aid characterization of mycobacterial antigens and recombinant vaccine development. Mycobacterium smegmatis is a widely employed host for recombinant mycobacterial gene expression. This report describes the identification of strong promoter elements of M. smegmatis. Fluorescence-activate...

Two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) of the immunoglobulin G2A isotype, reacting with a Nocardia-specific 54-kDa antigen, were generated. As determined by Western blot (immunoblot), both MAbs reacted only with the 54-kDa band. As determined by indirect immunofluorescence or enzyme immunoassay with whole microorganisms, the MAbs did not react with Nocardia cells. One of the MAbs showed weak cross-re...

Our patient was a 4-year-old female with acute myeloid leukemia complicated right calcaneal osteomyelitis due to Mycobacterium abscessus subcutaneous abscesses extending the popliteal and groin regions after two courses of induction chemotherapy according NOPHO-AML 2012 protocol. She required multiple operations prolonged anti-mycobacterial therapy. A high index suspicion for mycobacterial infe...

Human CD1c is a protein that activates alphabeta T cells by presenting self antigens, synthetic mannosyl phosphodolichols, and mycobacterial mannosyl phosphopolyketides. To determine which molecular features of antigen structure confer a T cell response, we measured activation by structurally divergent Mycobacterium tuberculosis mannosyl-beta1-phosphomycoketides and synthetic analogs with eithe...

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify mycobacterial DNA sequences in uncultured clinical specimens. Two oligonucleotide primers derived from the sequence of a gene that codes for the 65-kilodalton antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis amplified DNA from all 11 species of mycobacteria tested. Amplified DNAs of nontuberculosis mycobacteria were found to be approximately 20 to 4...

The increasing prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis highlights the need for identifying new antitubercular drugs that can treat these infections. The antigen 85 (Ag85) complex has emerged as an intriguing mycobacterial drug target due to its central role in synthesizing major components of the inner and outer leaflets of the mycobacterial outer membrane. Here we identify ebselen (EBS) as a...