Eight optochin-susceptible (Opt(s)) alpha-hemolytic (viridans) streptococcus isolates were characterized at the molecular level. These isolates showed phenotypic characteristics typical of both viridans streptococci and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Comparison of the sequence of housekeeping genes from these isolates with those of S. pneumoniae, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus oralis, and Strept...

We have developed a general method for the specific and reversible immobilization of proteins fused to the choline-binding module C-LytA on functionalized graphite electrodes. Graphite electrode surfaces were modified by diazonium chemistry to introduce carboxylic groups that were subsequently used to anchor mixed self-assembled monolayers consisting of N,N-diethylethylenediamine groups, acting...

The search for new drugs against Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is driven by the 1.5 million deaths it causes annually. Choline-binding proteins attach to the pneumococcal cell wall through domains that recognize choline moieties, and their involvement in pneumococcal virulence makes them potential targets for drug development. We have defined chemical criteria involved in the docking ...

Miltefosine (hexadecylphosphocholine), the first oral drug against visceral leishmaniasis, triggered pneumococcal autolysis at concentrations higher than 2.5 microM. Bactericidal activity was also observed in cultures of other streptococci, although these failed to undergo lysis. The autolysis elicited by miltefosine can be attributed to triggering of the pneumococcal autolysin LytA.

Rapid and accurate identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae is important for appropriate and prudent antimicrobial use in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infection. It is difficult to separate S. pneumoniae from commensal viridans group streptococci either by classical techniques or molecular methods. Aim of this study was to compare a commercially available multiplex PCR assay Seepl...

results the number of s. pneumoniae isolates resistant to benzylpenicillin, imipenem, oxacillin and ceftazidime were 94.5%, 100%, 100%, and 21.8%, respectively. analysis of mutation in the genes for pbp showed that 85% of isolates had mutations in pbp2x, pbp2b and pbp1a. susceptibility to benzylpenicillin was decreased once the number of mutated pbp genes in s. pneumonia increased. according to...

Natural competence for genetic transformation is the best-characterized feature of the major human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Recent studies have shown the virulence of competence-deficient mutants to be attenuated, but the nature of the connection between competence and virulence remained unknown. Here we document the release, triggered by competent cells, of virulence factors (e.g., t...

objective: in-time diagnosis of streptococcus pneumoniae (s. pneumonia) can play a significant role in decreasing morbidity and mortality rate. applying molecular methods has gained popularity due to the existing limits of routine diagnostic methods. examining the expression of different genes of this bacterium through different molecular methods suggests that lyta gene has a higher sensitivity...

The regulatory unit of Bacillus subtilis strain 168 encompassing the structural genes of the N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase and of its modifier has been sequenced, and found to be a divergon consisting of divergently transcribed operons lytABC and lytR. Proteins LytA, LytB and LytC are endowed with export signal peptides. Mature LytA is a 9.4 kDa, highly acidic polypeptide whose deduced ami...