Monoclonal antibodies for Bacillus anthracis spore detection and functional analyses of spore germination and outgrowth.

Spore Germination and Outgrowth Spore Detection and Functional Analyses of Bacillus anthracis Monoclonal Antibodies for

Inhibition of Bacillus anthracis spore outgrowth by nisin.

The lantibiotic nisin has previously been reported to inhibit the outgrowth of spores from several Bacillus species. However, the mode of action of nisin responsible for outgrowth inhibition is poorly understood. By using B. anthracis Sterne 7702 as a model, nisin acted against spores with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) and an IC(90) of 0.57 microM and 0.90 microM, respectively. Viable...

Detection of Bacillus anthracis spore germination in vivo by bioluminescence imaging.

We sought to visualize the site of Bacillus anthracis spore germination in vivo. For that purpose, we constructed a reporter plasmid with the lux operon under control of the spore small acid-soluble protein B (sspB) promoter. In B. subtilis, sspB-driven synthesis of luciferase during sporulation results in incorporation of the enzyme in spores. We observed that B. anthracis Sterne transformed w...

Morphogenesis of the Bacillus anthracis spore.

Bacillus spp. and Clostridium spp. form a specialized cell type, called a spore, during a multistep differentiation process that is initiated in response to starvation. Spores are protected by a morphologically complex protein coat. The Bacillus anthracis coat is of particular interest because the spore is the infective particle of anthrax. We determined the roles of several B. anthracis orthol...

The influence of temperature and humidity on spore formation and germination in Bacillus anthracis.

There is a striking contrast between the persistence of the spores of Bacillus anthracis in the soils of subtropical countries and the poor survival of the organism in soil of Great Britain. This is in spite of the constant re-infection of the soil here through the extensive reliance of British agriculture on dried bone fertilizers. An investigation has been undertaken into the effect of temper...