The perception and response to cellular death is an important aspect of multicellular eukaryotic life. For example, damage-associated molecular patterns activate an inflammatory cascade that leads to removal of cellular debris and promotion of healing. We demonstrate that lysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells triggers a program in the remaining population that confers fitness in interspecies co...

Many Gram-negative bacteria possess a type III secretion system (TTSS( paragraph sign)) that can activate the NLRC4 inflammasome, process caspase-1 and lead to secretion of mature IL-1beta. This is dependent on the presence of intracellular flagellin. Previous reports have suggested that this activation is independent of extracellular K(+) and not accompanied by leakage of K(+) from the cell, i...

We analyzed sera from 28 patients with various types of malignancies for the occurrence of antibodies against exotoxin A of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and two Pseudomonas proteases. A total of 27 of these individuals were colonized or infected with P. aeruginosa at one time or another during the study, whereas the remaining patient was colonized with four non-P. aeruginosa species of Pseudomonas. S...

The immunoprophylactic effect of chemically inactivated Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A in experimental pseudomonas infections was studied. Exotoxin A toxoids were prepared by Formalin (f-TXD) or glutaraldehyde (g-TXD) treatment. Immunization of mice with three or four doses (10 micrograms each) of f-TXD and the synthetic adjuvant N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine (50 micrograms) induce...

The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) principle of Engvall and Perlmann, which employs antigen-coated tubes and enzyme-labeled anti-immunoglobulins, was elaborated for use in cholera serology. Immunoglobulin class-specific determinations of primary binding titers of antibodies to cholera exotoxin and endotoxin were more sensitive than were neutralization and vibriocidal tests. It was no...

The role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A was studied in acute and chronic pyelonephritis models employing an exotoxin A-producing strain PAO, and its toxin deficient mutant PAOT1. Interestingly, the mutant strain was found to be at an advantage in its ability to induce acute pyelonephritis and it induced severer renal pathology. No significant differences were observed in the ability of th...

The structural gene encoding streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin type B, designated speB, was cloned in Escherichia coli and localized onto a 4.5-kilobase BamHI-BglII DNA fragment. Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin type B, partially purified from E. coli clones, was immunologically related to streptococcus-derived toxin. Also, toxin derived from either E. coli or Streptococcus pyogenes had similar ...

An in vitro model was used to compare the effects of linezolid, clindamycin, and penicillin, alone and in combination, on streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A (SPE A) release against virulent group A streptococci (GAS). All regimens exhibited lower (P < 0.05) SPE A release at 1 h than those with penicillin alone. Linezolid and clindamycin, alone or in combination with penicillin, may optimize the...