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The time course of the expression of the calmodulinlike protein of Bacillus subtilis during sporulation and its cellular localization were investigated. The immunopositive protein was found to comigrate upon electrophoresis with a protein which selectively bound (45Ca)CaCl2, ruthenium red, and Stains-all in partially purified extracts. The calmodulinlike protein was observed to be almost exclusively associated with the cell envelope.

Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis and to minor extent B. parapertussis. Despite high vaccination coverage, epidemics persist worldwide. Laboratory testing with the capacity to support increasing demand and generate fast and accurate results is needed to promptly provide treatment to mitigate symptoms, prevent transmission, and thus impact infection control and disease surveillance. This review will describe the features of the Simplexa™ Bordetella Direct Assay and compare this technology with other existing assays. Unmet needs and future directions will be discussed. Resurgence of pertussis highlights the importance of reliable and accurate diagnosis. The Simplexa™ Bordetella Direct Assay provides an easy workflow, reduced hand-on time, less risk of contamination, and rapid turnaround time. The use of efficient molecular assays in routine clinical laboratory is valuable for increasing demand, improvement of infection control, and surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial meningitis is a serious health concern worldwide. Given that meningitis can be fatal and many meningitis cases occurred in high-poverty areas, a simple, low-cost, highly sensitive method is in great need for immediate and early diagnosis of meningitis. Herein, we report a versatile and cost-effective polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/paper hybrid microfluidic device integrated with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for the rapid, sensitive, and instrument-free detection of the main meningitis-causing bacteria, Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis). The introduction of paper into the microfluidic device for LAMP reactions enables stable test results over a much longer period of time than a paper-free microfluidic system. This hybrid system also offers versatile functions, by providing not only on-site qualitative diagnostic analysis (i.e., a yes or no answer), but also confirmatory testing and quantitative analysis in laboratory settings. The limit of detection of N. meningitidis is about 3 copies per LAMP zone within 45 min, close to single-bacterium detection sensitivity. In addition, we have achieved simple pathogenic microorganism detection without a laborious sample preparation process and without the use of centrifuges. This low-cost hybrid microfluidic system provides a simple and highly sensitive approach for fast instrument-free diagnosis of N. meningitidis in resource-limited settings. This versatile PDMS/paper microfluidic platform has great potential for the point of care (POC) diagnosis of a wide range of infectious diseases, especially for developing nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in bacterial physiology necessarily precede cell death in response to antibiotics. Herein we investigate the early disruption of Ca2+ homeostasis as a marker for antibiotic response. Using a machine learning framework, we quantify the temporal information encoded in single-cell Ca2+ dynamics. We find Ca2+ dynamics distinguish kanamycin sensitive and resistant cells before changes in gross cell phenotypes such as cell growth or protein stability. The onset time (pharmacokinetics) and probability (pharmacodynamics) of these aberrant Ca2+ dynamics are dose and time-dependent, even at the resolution of single-cells. Of the compounds profiled, we find Ca2+ dynamics are also an indicator of Polymyxin B activity. In Polymyxin B treated cells, we find aberrant Ca2+ dynamics precedes the entry of propidium iodide marking membrane permeabilization. Additionally, we find modifying membrane voltage and external Ca2+ concentration alters the time between these aberrant dynamics and membrane breakdown suggesting a previously unappreciated role of Ca2+ in the membrane destabilization during Polymyxin B treatment. In conclusion, leveraging live, single-cell, Ca2+ imaging coupled with machine learning, we have demonstrated the discriminative capacity of Ca2+ dynamics in identifying antibiotic-resistant bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi drug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Extended- Spectrum-lactamase (ESBL) Enterobacteriaceae are becoming an increasing difficult clinical problem. Immediate resistance to some of the new antimicrobials such as ceftolozane/tazobactam is unusual and is due to a variety of mechanisms such as hyper-production of inactivating enzymes and gene mutation. In addition, previous antimicrobial administration is a well-recognized risk factor to develop resistance. We present a patient with a liver abscess where the organism was resistant to ceftolozane/tazobactam resulting in a poor clinical outcome., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

Technological advances in the field of genomics have given rise to the development of a new area called proteomics. Proteomics involves the analysis of all proteins expressed in a genome and uses a combination of sophisticated technologies such as two-dimensional electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics to identify and characterize proteins. This new area offers the potential to discover new biomarkers, improve diagnosis, and improve the prognosis of disease processes. This article presents an overview of proteomics importance and related technologies.

Proteomics techniques are essential tools for protein detection and characterization. Besides several advances in the proteomics field, the two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) technique is the most important method for protein separation. The combination of 2-DE technique, new advances in mass spectrometry and bioinformatics promises to unveil protein function and pathological mechanisms of disease.

The word proteomics was coined in 1997 to describe the changes in all proteins expressed by a genome. Several sophisticated techniques including two-dimensional electrophoresis, imaging, mass spectrometry, and bioinformatics are used in proteomics to identify, quantify, and characterize proteins. Clinical proteomics is the application ofproteomics techniques to the medical field. The main aim of this methodology is to identify proteins involved in pathological processes and to understand how illness can lead to altered protein expression. Clinical proteomics offers the opportunity and the potential to develop new diagnostic and prognostic tests, to identify new therapeutic targets, and eventually to allow the design of individualized patient treatment. Here we present an overview of proteomics applications to the study of disease and its potential to improve diagnosis and prognosis.

Disseminated fungal infection is an important cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in immunocompromised hosts. Amphotericin B is an important part of the therapy and treatment of invasive and life-threatening mycoses. We present a case of disseminated coccidioidomycosis in a patient who was successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome) on steroid therapy. It appears that liposomal amphotericin B may offer an alternative and safe option in the treatment of coccidioidomycosis when conventional amphotericin B cannot be used.