The rapidly growing Mycobacterium septicum rarely causes pulmonary infections. We report here the draft genome sequence of M. septicum strain DSM 44393(T), isolated from catheter-related bacteremia and initially identified as a member of Mycobacterium fortuitum.

A 49-year-old woman with acute myeloid transformation of myelodysplastic syndrome was admitted with mild erythema and pain in the right thigh and left forearm. She was doing well and had been discharged the previous day after consolidation chemotherapy. Examination showed only mild erythema and tenderness of the right thigh. She was started on broad-spectrum antibiotics. Discoloration progresse...

Glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs) are ubiquitous glycolipids in eukaryotes. In the protozoan Leishmania major, GPIs occur "free" or covalently linked to proteins (e.g., gp63) and polysaccharides. While some free GPIs are detected on the plasma membrane, specific sites where GPIs accumulate intracellularly are unknown in most cells, although the glycolipids are synthesized within the secretor...

Alpha toxin (AT) is a pore-forming toxin produced by Clostridium septicum that belongs to the unique aerolysin-like family of pore-forming toxins. The location and structure of the transmembrane domains of these toxins have remained elusive. Using deletion mutagenesis, cysteine-scanning mutagenesis and multiple spectrofluorimetric methods a membrane-spanning amphipathic beta-hairpin of AT has b...