introduction: widespread medical usage of botulinum toxins has increased the need for the precise analysis of its biological activity. the aim of this study was production and crystallization of the botulinum type a toxins. methods: in this study, clostridium botulinum was grown and inoculated into the tripticase soya broth culture media, under anaerobic condition and toxin production was monit...

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) causes hemorrhagic colitis in humans and, in a subgroup of infected subjects, a more serious condition called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). These conditions arise because EHEC produces two antigenically distinct forms of Shiga toxin (Stx), called Stx1 and Stx2. Despite this, the production of Stx2 by virtually all EHEC serotypes and the documented ro...

This paper reports an enrichment platform for botulinum neurotoxin type B (BoNT/B) that has been realized through the fusion of bioconjugation chemistry and microfluidics. Micrometer-sized magnetic beads were conjugated to a 22mer synthetic peptide derived from the synaptotagmin II (Syt II) neuronal protein that is specific for BoNT/B binding. Exposure to BoNT/B in buffer, whole milk and fruit ...

FcγRIIB, the only FcγR expressed on B cells, is important in the maintenance of immunological tolerance to self-Ags. In this study, we investigated the role of FcγRIIB in Ag-specific CD4 T cell tolerance induced by mucosally administered Ag (OVA) coupled to cholera toxin B subunit (Ag/CTB) or given alone. We found that sublingual administration of Ag/CTB conjugate or intragastric administration...

Currently, Streptococcus pneumoniae is responsible for over 14 million cases of pneumonia worldwide annually, and over 1 million deaths, the majority of them children. The major determinant for pathogenesis is a polysaccharide capsule that is variable and is used to distinguish strains based on their serotype. The capsule forms the basis of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) that c...