Background Rhipicephalus sanguineus is the most widely distributed tick in the world, which is partly due to its biological flexibility and the global distribution of its major host, the domestic dog. In Mediterranean region it could be principal reservoir host for Leishmania infantum, usually transmitted by the phlebotomine sand flies. In this study, we evaluated the vector potential of R. san...

Feeding bioassay results established that the soybean cysteine proteinase inhibitor N (soyacystatin N, scN) substantially inhibits growth and development of western corn rootworm (WCR), by attenuating digestive proteolysis [Zhao, Y. et al. (1996) Plant Physiol. 111, 1299-1306]. Recombinant scN was more inhibitory than the potent and broad specificity cysteine proteinase inhibitor E-64. WCR dige...

A metallo-endoproteinase was purified from mouse kidney. The enzyme was solubilized from the 100 000 g sediment of kidney homogenates with toluene and trypsin, and further purified by fractionation with (NH4)2SO4. DEAE-cellulose chromatography and gel filtration. The molecular weight of the metalloproteinase was estimated by gel filtration on Sepharose 6B to be 270 000--320 000. On sodium dodec...

BACKGROUND A recent report demonstrated the immunogenic character of the cysteine proteinases of Trichomonas vaginalis. It was of interest, therefore, to examine for the presence of serum anti-proteinase antibody among patients with trichomoniasis. METHODS An immunoprecipitation assay was used involving protein A-bearing Staphylococcus aureus first coated with the IgG fraction of goat anti-hu...

Background-A recent report demonstrated the immunogenic character of the cysteine proteinases of Trichomonas vaginalis. It was of interest, therefore, to examine for the presence of serum anti-proteinase antibody among patients with trichomoniasis. Methods-An immunoprecipitation assay was used involving protein A-bearing Staphylococcus aureus first coated with the IgG fraction ofgoat anti-human...

BACKGROUND Novel vaccination approaches are needed to prevent leishmaniasis. Live attenuated vaccines are the gold standard for protection against intracellular pathogens such as Leishmania and there have been new developments in this field. The nonpathogenic to humans lizard protozoan parasite, Leishmania (L) tarentolae, has been used effectively as a vaccine platform against visceral leishman...

background: heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) is present in all organisms studied so far, and is a major immunogen in infections caused by pathogens including leishmania spp. objective: the aim of this study was to clone and express hsp70 from l. infantum strain mcan/ir/96/lon-49 and evaluate antibody response against hsp70 in visceral leishmaniasis (vl). methods: the l. infantum hsp70 gene segment...

The most frequently used diagnostic methods were compared in a longitudinal survey with Leishmania infantum-infected asymptomatic dogs from an area of Italy where leishmaniasis is endemic. In February and March 2005, 845 asymptomatic dogs were tested by an immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), a dipstick assay (DS), and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for L. infantum and by IFAT...