To determine the presence of some toxins of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), 138 urinary tract infection (UTI)-causing UPECs were analyzed. The astA , set , sen and cdtB genes were detected in 13 (9.4%), 2 (1.3%), 13 (9.4%) and 0 (0%) of UPEC isolates respectively. The results show that some genes encoding toxins can be transferred from DEC pathotypes to UPE...

Many bacterial pathogens that cause different illnesses employ the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) to induce host cell DNA damage, leading to cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. CDT is a tripartite holotoxin that consists of a DNase I family nuclease (CdtB) bound to two ricin-like lectin domains (CdtA and CdtC). Through the use of structure-based mutagenesis, biochemical and cellular toxicity ass...

Cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) produced by Campylobacter jejuni comprises a heterotrimeric complex formed by CdtA, CdtB, and CdtC. Among these toxin subunits, CdtA and CdtC function as essential proteins that mediate toxin binding to cytoplasmic membranes followed by delivery of CdtB into the nucleus. The binding of CdtA/CdtC to the cell surface is mediated by cholesterol, a major component ...

Adhesins (P-fimbriae, S-fimbriae, type 1 fimbriae and afimbrial adhesin), toxins (alpha-hemolysin and cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 1), iron acquisition systems (aerobactin) and host defense avoidance mechanisms (capsule or lipopolysaccharide) have been shown to be prevalent in Escherichia coli strains associated with urinary tract infections. In this work, 162 Uropathogenic Escherichia col...

OBJECTIVE To estimate prevalence and determine association between antimicrobia resistance and toxin gene profile of Clostridium difficile in commercial pigs at the preharvest food-safety level. ANIMALS 68 sows and 251 young pigs from 5 farms in North Carolina and 3 in Ohio. PROCEDURES Fecal samples were collected from sows (8/farm) and matched young pigs (32/farm) at farrowing and again at...

Cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) is a newly identified virulence factor produced by several pathogenic bacteria implicated in chronic infection. Seventy three strains of periodontopathogenic bacteria were examined for the production of CDT by a HeLa cell bioassay and for the presence of the cdt gene by PCR with degenerative oligonucleotide primers, which were designed based on various regions ...

A genetic locus for a cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) was identified in a polymorphic region of the chromosome of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, a predominant oral pathogen. The locus was comprised of three open reading frames (ORFs) that had significant amino acid sequence similarity and more than 90% sequence identity to the cdtABC genes of some pathogenic Escherichia coli strains an...

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans strains that express cytolethal distending toxin (Cdt) are associated with localized aggressive periodontitis. However, the in vivo targets of Cdt in the human oral cavity have not been firmly established. Here, we demonstrate that A. actinomycetemcomitans Cdt kills proliferating and nonproliferating U937 monocytic cells at a comparable specific activity, a...

Aphids maintain mutualistic symbioses involving consortia of coinherited organisms. All possess a primary endosymbiont, Buchnera, which compensates for dietary deficiencies; many also contain secondary symbionts, such as Hamiltonella defensa, which confers defense against natural enemies. Genome sequences of uncultivable secondary symbionts have been refractory to analysis due to the difficulti...