Sample records for proteus

  1. Proteus mirabilis RMS 203 as a new representative of the O13 Proteus serogroup.

    PubMed

    Palusiak, Agata; Siwińska, Małgorzata; Zabłotni, Agnieszka

    2015-01-01

    The unique feature of some Proteus O-polysaccharides is occurrence of an amide of galacturonic acid with N(ε)-[(S/R)-1-Carboxyethyl]-L-lysine, GalA6(2S,8S/R-AlaLys). The results of the serological studies presented here, with reference to known O-antigens structures suggest that GalA6(2S,8S/R-AlaLys) or 2S,8R-AlaLys contribute to cross-reactions of O13 Proteus antisera, and Proteeae LPSs. It was also revealed that the Proteus mirabilis RMS 203 strain can be classified into the O13 serogroup, represented so far by two strains: Proteus mirabilis 26/57 and Proteus vulgaris 8344. The O13 LPS is a serologically important antigen with a fragment common to LPSs of different species in the Proteeae tribe.

  2. Proteus: Mythology to modern times.

    PubMed

    Sellaturay, Senthy V; Nair, Raj; Dickinson, Ian K; Sriprasad, Seshadri

    2012-10-01

    It is common knowledge that proteus bacteria are associated with urinary tract infections and urinary stones. Far more interesting however, is the derivation of the word proteus. This study examines the origin of the word proteus, its mythological, historical and literary connections and evolution to present-day usage. A detailed search for primary and secondary sources was undertaken using the library and internet. Greek mythology describes Proteus as an early sea-god, noted for being versatile and capable of assuming many different forms. In the 8(th) century BC, the ancient Greek poet, Homer, famous for his epic poems the Iliad and Odyssey, describes Proteus as a prophetic old sea-god, and herdsman of the seals of Poseidon, God of the Sea. Shakespeare re-introduced Proteus into English literature, in the 15(th) century AD, in the comedy The Two Gentleman of Verona, as one of his main characters who is inconstant with his affections. The 'elephant man' was afflicted by a severely disfiguring disease, described as 'Proteus syndrome'. It is particularly difficult to distinguish from neurofibromatosis, due to its various forms in different individuals. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word 'protean' as to mean changeable, variable, and existing in multiple forms. Proteus bacteria directly derive their name from the Sea God, due to their rapid swarming growth and motility on agar plates. They demonstrate versatility by secreting enzymes, which allow them to evade the host's defense systems. Thus proteus, true to its name, has had a myriad of connotations over the centuries.

  3. Efficacy of some colloidal silver preparations and silver salts against Proteus bacteria, one possible cause of rheumatoid arthritis.

    PubMed

    Disaanayake, D M B T; Faoagali, Joan; Laroo, Hans; Hancock, Gerald; Whitehouse, Michael

    2014-04-01

    There has been increased interest in the role of anti-Proteus antibodies in the aetiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether chemotherapeutic agents active against Proteus species might reduce the risk and/or exacerbations of RA. We examined the in vitro antibacterial effects of ten different silver preparations which were either ionic silver [Ag(I)] solutions or nanoparticulate silver (NPS) (Ag(0)) suspensions against ATCC and two wild (clinical) strains of Proteus. The data establish the low minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of all the silver formulations tested against these four Proteus strains. In a pilot study, a potent NPS preparation ex vivo showed long-lasting anti-Proteus activity in a normal human volunteer.

  4. Proteus: Mythology to modern times

    PubMed Central

    Sellaturay, Senthy V.; Nair, Raj; Dickinson, Ian K.; Sriprasad, Seshadri

    2012-01-01

    Aims: It is common knowledge that proteus bacteria are associated with urinary tract infections and urinary stones. Far more interesting however, is the derivation of the word proteus. This study examines the origin of the word proteus, its mythological, historical and literary connections and evolution to present-day usage. Materials and Methods: A detailed search for primary and secondary sources was undertaken using the library and internet. Results: Greek mythology describes Proteus as an early sea-god, noted for being versatile and capable of assuming many different forms. In the 8th century BC, the ancient Greek poet, Homer, famous for his epic poems the Iliad and Odyssey, describes Proteus as a prophetic old sea-god, and herdsman of the seals of Poseidon, God of the Sea. Shakespeare re-introduced Proteus into English literature, in the 15th century AD, in the comedy The Two Gentleman of Verona, as one of his main characters who is inconstant with his affections. The ‘elephant man’ was afflicted by a severely disfiguring disease, described as ‘Proteus syndrome’. It is particularly difficult to distinguish from neurofibromatosis, due to its various forms in different individuals. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word ‘protean’ as to mean changeable, variable, and existing in multiple forms. Proteus bacteria directly derive their name from the Sea God, due to their rapid swarming growth and motility on agar plates. They demonstrate versatility by secreting enzymes, which allow them to evade the host's defense systems. Conclusions: Thus proteus, true to its name, has had a myriad of connotations over the centuries. PMID:23450503

  5. Impact of Morphological Changes on the Motility of Amoeba proteus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shroff N, Sunitha

    2016-11-01

    Bio-mechanical properties of cell membrane, actin and cytoskeleton have influence on the cell locomotion. To explore, morphological changes were induced in Amoeba proteus by depriving nutrition, also either through ATP mediated or through KCl mediated membrane depolarization. We observed that, membrane depolarization leads to complete loss/reduction of pseudopodia in a dose dependent manner, gradually A. proteus becomes globular. We also report that with depravation of its nutrition (Chilomonas) A. proteus transforms them into tube/filament like structure and this transformation is reversible with the supply of Chilomonas. Results indicate that the structural and locomotion variation of A. proteus through nucleotides may not be just a membrane phenomenon, but may involve signaling mechanisms. Further, we carried out immunostaining of A. proteus with P2X2 and P2Y2 antibodies to analyze their localization and the extent of expression. The result indicated that in normal A. proteus receptors are dispersed uniformly, whereas in filament shaped A. proteus P2X2-receptor was found to be localized, unlike P2Y2 receptor. As nucleotides are known to cause structural changes in the organism, we report corresponding changes in their locomotion. Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology. Mount Carmel College, Bangalore 560 052.

  6. Immunochemical characterization of the O antigens of two Proteus strains, O8-related antigen of Proteus mirabilis 12 B-r and O2-related antigen of Proteus genomospecies 5/6 12 B-k, infecting a hospitalized patient in Poland.

    PubMed

    Drzewiecka, Dominika; Shashkov, Alexander S; Arbatsky, Nikolay P; Knirel, Yuriy A

    2016-05-01

    A hospitalized 73-year-old woman was infected with a Proteus mirabilis strain, 12 B-r, isolated from the place of injection of a blood catheter. Another strain, 12 B-k, recognized as Proteus genomospecies 5 or 6, was isolated from the patient's faeces, which was an example of a nosocomial infection rather than an auto-infection. Serological investigation using ELISA and Western blotting showed that strain 12 B-k from faeces belonged to the Proteus O2 serogroup. Strain 12 B-r from the wound displayed cross-reactions with several Proteus O serogroups due to common epitopes on the core or O-specific parts of the lipopolysaccharide. Studies of the isolated 12 B-r O-specific polysaccharide by NMR spectroscopy revealed its close structural similarity to that of Proteus O8. The only difference in 12 B-r was the presence of an additional GlcNAc-linked phosphoethanolamine residue, which creates a putative epitope responsible for the cross-reactivity with Pt. mirabilis O16. The new O-antigen form could appear as a result of adaptation of the bacterium to a changing environment. On the basis of the data obtained, we suggest division of the O8 serogroup into two subgroups: O8a for strains of various Proteus species that have been previously classified into the O8 serogroup, and O8a,b for Pt. mirabilis 12 B-r, where 'a' is a common epitope and 'b' is a phosphoethanolamine-associated epitope. These findings further confirm serological and structural heterogeneity of O antigens of Proteus strains isolated lately from patients in Poland.

  7. HTR-PROTEUS pebble bed experimental program cores 9 & 10: columnar hexagonal point-on-point packing with a 1:1 moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bess, John D.

    2014-03-01

    PROTEUS is a zero-power research reactor based on a cylindrical graphite annulus with a central cylindrical cavity. The graphite annulus remains basically the same for all experimental programs, but the contents of the central cavity are changed according to the type of reactor being investigated. Through most of its service history, PROTEUS has represented light-water reactors, but from 1992 to 1996 PROTEUS was configured as a pebble-bed reactor (PBR) critical facility and designated as HTR-PROTEUS. The nomenclature was used to indicate that this series consisted of High Temperature Reactor experiments performed in the PROTEUS assembly. During this period, seventeen criticalmore » configurations were assembled and various reactor physics experiments were conducted. These experiments included measurements of criticality, differential and integral control rod and safety rod worths, kinetics, reaction rates, water ingress effects, and small sample reactivity effects (Ref. 3). HTR-PROTEUS was constructed, and the experimental program was conducted, for the purpose of providing experimental benchmark data for assessment of reactor physics computer codes. Considerable effort was devoted to benchmark calculations as a part of the HTR-PROTEUS program. References 1 and 2 provide detailed data for use in constructing models for codes to be assessed. Reference 3 is a comprehensive summary of the HTR-PROTEUS experiments and the associated benchmark program. This document draws freely from these references. Only Cores 9 and 10 are evaluated in this benchmark report due to similarities in their construction. The other core configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS program are evaluated in their respective reports as outlined in Section 1.0. Cores 9 and 10 were evaluated and determined to be acceptable benchmark experiments.« less

  8. HTR-PROTEUS PEBBLE BED EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM CORES 5, 6, 7, & 8: COLUMNAR HEXAGONAL POINT-ON-POINT PACKING WITH A 1:2 MODERATOR-TO-FUEL PEBBLE RATIO

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    John D. Bess

    2013-03-01

    PROTEUS is a zero-power research reactor based on a cylindrical graphite annulus with a central cylindrical cavity. The graphite annulus remains basically the same for all experimental programs, but the contents of the central cavity are changed according to the type of reactor being investigated. Through most of its service history, PROTEUS has represented light-water reactors, but from 1992 to 1996 PROTEUS was configured as a pebble-bed reactor (PBR) critical facility and designated as HTR-PROTEUS. The nomenclature was used to indicate that this series consisted of High Temperature Reactor experiments performed in the PROTEUS assembly. During this period, seventeen criticalmore » configurations were assembled and various reactor physics experiments were conducted. These experiments included measurements of criticality, differential and integral control rod and safety rod worths, kinetics, reaction rates, water ingress effects, and small sample reactivity effects (Ref. 3). HTR-PROTEUS was constructed, and the experimental program was conducted, for the purpose of providing experimental benchmark data for assessment of reactor physics computer codes. Considerable effort was devoted to benchmark calculations as a part of the HTR-PROTEUS program. References 1 and 2 provide detailed data for use in constructing models for codes to be assessed. Reference 3 is a comprehensive summary of the HTR-PROTEUS experiments and the associated benchmark program. This document draws freely from these references. Only Cores 9 and 10 are evaluated in this benchmark report due to similarities in their construction. The other core configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS program are evaluated in their respective reports as outlined in Section 1.0. Cores 9 and 10 were evaluated and determined to be acceptable benchmark experiments.« less

  9. HTR-PROTEUS PEBBLE BED EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM CORES 9 & 10: COLUMNAR HEXAGONAL POINT-ON-POINT PACKING WITH A 1:1 MODERATOR-TO-FUEL PEBBLE RATIO

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    John D. Bess

    2013-03-01

    PROTEUS is a zero-power research reactor based on a cylindrical graphite annulus with a central cylindrical cavity. The graphite annulus remains basically the same for all experimental programs, but the contents of the central cavity are changed according to the type of reactor being investigated. Through most of its service history, PROTEUS has represented light-water reactors, but from 1992 to 1996 PROTEUS was configured as a pebble-bed reactor (PBR) critical facility and designated as HTR-PROTEUS. The nomenclature was used to indicate that this series consisted of High Temperature Reactor experiments performed in the PROTEUS assembly. During this period, seventeen criticalmore » configurations were assembled and various reactor physics experiments were conducted. These experiments included measurements of criticality, differential and integral control rod and safety rod worths, kinetics, reaction rates, water ingress effects, and small sample reactivity effects (Ref. 3). HTR-PROTEUS was constructed, and the experimental program was conducted, for the purpose of providing experimental benchmark data for assessment of reactor physics computer codes. Considerable effort was devoted to benchmark calculations as a part of the HTR-PROTEUS program. References 1 and 2 provide detailed data for use in constructing models for codes to be assessed. Reference 3 is a comprehensive summary of the HTR-PROTEUS experiments and the associated benchmark program. This document draws freely from these references. Only Cores 9 and 10 are evaluated in this benchmark report due to similarities in their construction. The other core configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS program are evaluated in their respective reports as outlined in Section 1.0. Cores 9 and 10 were evaluated and determined to be acceptable benchmark experiments.« less

  10. Scaled Composites' Proteus aircraft and an F/A-18 Hornet from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center d

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    Scaled Composites' Proteus aircraft and an F/A-18 Hornet from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center during a low-level flyby at Las Cruces Airport in New Mexico. The unique Proteus aircraft served as a test bed for NASA-sponsored flight tests designed to validate collision-avoidance technologies proposed for uninhabited aircraft. The tests, flown over southern New Mexico in March, 2002, used the Proteus as a surrogate uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) while three other aircraft flew toward the Proteus from various angles on simulated collision courses. Radio-based 'detect, see and avoid' equipment on the Proteus successfully detected the other aircraft and relayed that information to a remote pilot on the ground at Las Cruces Airport. The pilot then transmitted commands to the Proteus to maneuver it away from the potential collisions. The flight demonstration, sponsored by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, New Mexico State University, Scaled Composites, the U.S. Navy and Modern Technology Solutions, Inc., were intended to demonstrate that UAVs can be flown safely and compatibly in the same skies as piloted aircraft.

  11. Proteus in flight over Southern California

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-03-27

    Scaled Composites' unique tandem-wing Proteus was the testbed for a series of UAV collision-avoidance flight demonstrations. An Amphitech 35GHz radar unit installed below Proteus' nose was the primary sensor for the Detect, See and Avoid tests.

  12. Proteus front view in flight

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-03-27

    Scaled Composites' unique tandem-wing Proteus was the testbed for a series of UAV collision-avoidance flight demonstrations. An Amphitech 35GHz radar unit installed below Proteus' nose was the primary sensor for the Detect, See and Avoid tests.

  13. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bess, John D.; Sterbentz, James W.; Snoj, Luka

    PROTEUS is a zero-power research reactor based on a cylindrical graphite annulus with a central cylindrical cavity. The graphite annulus remains basically the same for all experimental programs, but the contents of the central cavity are changed according to the type of reactor being investigated. Through most of its service history, PROTEUS has represented light-water reactors, but from 1992 to 1996 PROTEUS was configured as a pebble-bed reactor (PBR) critical facility and designated as HTR-PROTEUS. The nomenclature was used to indicate that this series consisted of High Temperature Reactor experiments performed in the PROTEUS assembly. During this period, seventeen criticalmore » configurations were assembled and various reactor physics experiments were conducted. These experiments included measurements of criticality, differential and integral control rod and safety rod worths, kinetics, reaction rates, water ingress effects, and small sample reactivity effects (Ref. 3). HTR-PROTEUS was constructed, and the experimental program was conducted, for the purpose of providing experimental benchmark data for assessment of reactor physics computer codes. Considerable effort was devoted to benchmark calculations as a part of the HTR-PROTEUS program. References 1 and 2 provide detailed data for use in constructing models for codes to be assessed. Reference 3 is a comprehensive summary of the HTR-PROTEUS experiments and the associated benchmark program. This document draws freely from these references. Only Cores 9 and 10 are evaluated in this benchmark report due to similarities in their construction. The other core configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS program are evaluated in their respective reports as outlined in Section 1.0. Cores 9 and 10 were evaluated and determined to be acceptable benchmark experiments.« less

  14. Proteus in flight over Rosamond Dry lakebed

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-03-27

    Scaled Composites' unique tandem-wing Proteus was the testbed for a series of UAV collision-avoidance flight demonstrations. An Amphitech 35GHz radar unit installed below Proteus' nose was the primary sensor for the Detect, See and Avoid tests.

  15. PROTEUS-SN User Manual

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shemon, Emily R.; Smith, Micheal A.; Lee, Changho

    2016-02-16

    PROTEUS-SN is a three-dimensional, highly scalable, high-fidelity neutron transport code developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The code is applicable to all spectrum reactor transport calculations, particularly those in which a high degree of fidelity is needed either to represent spatial detail or to resolve solution gradients. PROTEUS-SN solves the second order formulation of the transport equation using the continuous Galerkin finite element method in space, the discrete ordinates approximation in angle, and the multigroup approximation in energy. PROTEUS-SN’s parallel methodology permits the efficient decomposition of the problem by both space and angle, permitting large problems to run efficiently on hundredsmore » of thousands of cores. PROTEUS-SN can also be used in serial or on smaller compute clusters (10’s to 100’s of cores) for smaller homogenized problems, although it is generally more computationally expensive than traditional homogenized methodology codes. PROTEUS-SN has been used to model partially homogenized systems, where regions of interest are represented explicitly and other regions are homogenized to reduce the problem size and required computational resources. PROTEUS-SN solves forward and adjoint eigenvalue problems and permits both neutron upscattering and downscattering. An adiabatic kinetics option has recently been included for performing simple time-dependent calculations in addition to standard steady state calculations. PROTEUS-SN handles void and reflective boundary conditions. Multigroup cross sections can be generated externally using the MC2-3 fast reactor multigroup cross section generation code or internally using the cross section application programming interface (API) which can treat the subgroup or resonance table libraries. PROTEUS-SN is written in Fortran 90 and also includes C preprocessor definitions. The code links against the PETSc, METIS, HDF5, and MPICH libraries. It optionally links against the MOAB library and is a part of the SHARP multi-physics suite for coupled multi-physics analysis of nuclear reactors. This user manual describes how to set up a neutron transport simulation with the PROTEUS-SN code. A companion methodology manual describes the theory and algorithms within PROTEUS-SN.« less

  16. Molecular analysis, biochemical characterization, antimicrobial activity and immunological analysis of proteus mirabilis isolated from broilers

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Proteus mirabilis, a peritrichously flagellated Gram-negative bacterium, is ubiquitous in the environment and is the normal microflora in the human gastrointestinal tract. However, this bacterium is an opportunistic pathogen for human, often causing urinary tract infection. Moreover, Proteus has b...

  17. Proteus syndrome: association with gingival hyperplasia.

    PubMed

    Arendorf, T M; Hanslo, B

    1995-09-01

    A 9-year old Black boy with gigantism of the hands and feet, and recurrent gingival hyperplasia, diagnosed as Proteus syndrome is presented. The oral manifestations of this syndrome are described. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of gingival hyperplasia associated with Proteus syndrome.

  18. Scaled Composites' Proteus aircraft with an F/A-18 Hornet and a Beechcraft KingAir from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center during a low-level flyby at Mojave Airport in Southern California.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-04-03

    Scaled Composites' Proteus aircraft with an F/A-18 Hornet and a Beechcraft KingAir from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center during a low-level flyby at Mojave Airport in Southern California. The unique tandem-wing Proteus was the testbed for a series of UAV collision-avoidance flight demonstrations. An Amphitech 35GHz radar unit installed below Proteus' nose was the primary sensor for the Detect, See and Avoid tests.

  19. Scaled Composites' Proteus aircraft and an F/A-18 Hornet from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Mojave Airport in Southern California.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-04-03

    Scaled Composites' Proteus aircraft and an F/A-18 Hornet from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Mojave Airport in Southern California. The unique tandem-wing Proteus was the testbed for a series of UAV collision-avoidance flight demonstrations. An Amphitech 35GHz radar unit installed below Proteus' nose was the primary sensor for the Detect, See and Avoid tests. NASA Dryden's F/A-18 Hornet was one of many different aircraft used in the tests.

  20. Professor Krystyna Kotełko and her contribution to the study of Proteus endotoxin.

    PubMed

    Różalski, Antoni W

    2018-04-01

    Professor Krystyna Kotełko was working as a microbiologist at the University of Łódź (Poland). Her main object of study was the LPS (endotoxin) of opportunistic urinary pathogens from the genus Proteus. She demonstrated, for the first time, the presence of uronic acids and amino acids, as well as two heptoses (L- glycero-D- manno-heptose and D- glycero-D- manno-heptose) and hexosamines in Proteus LPS, and developed a classification scheme of the Proteus LPS into chemotypes. Prof Kotełko also initiated studies on the chemical structure of Proteus O-specific polysaccharide and investigations on the serological specificity of this part of LPS, as well its core region. She also analysed the virulence factors of these bacteria, such as haemolysin and invasiveness.

  1. [Dynamics of drug resistance in Proteus mirabilis cultures 1970-1985].

    PubMed

    Shvidenko, I G

    1988-04-01

    Resistance of 669 clinical strains of Proteus mirabilis to 18 chemotherapeutic drugs was studied in dynamics within 1970-1985. An increase in the number of cultures resistant to ampicillin and carbenicillin was noted while the number of cultures resistant to cephalosporines did not change. Within the period from 1970 to 1975 there was observed a marked increase in the number of Proteus strains resistant to aminoglycoside antibiotics. After that period their number gradually lowered and in 1985 reached the level of 1970. Beginning from 1973 there were observed a decrease in the number of Proteus chloramphenicol resistant strains and simultaneous occurrence of cultures sensitive to this antibiotic. The predominating number of the tested strains preserved during the whole observation period their resistance to tetracycline, doxycycline, rifampicin, novobiocin, furazolidone and furagin. No increase in the number of Proteus strains with multiple drug resistance including those resistant to 5-7 drugs was noted in the observation periods of 1970-1975, 1980 and 1985. The most frequent were Proteus strains resistant to 2-4 drugs. Among them cultures resistant to chloramphenicol and aminoglycoside antibiotics of the first generation predominated. Grouping of the strains by the same resistance spectra provided dividing the rested cultures of Proteus mirabilis into 69 variants.

  2. Benchmark Evaluation of the HTR-PROTEUS Absorber Rod Worths (Core 4)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    John D. Bess; Leland M. Montierth

    2014-06-01

    PROTEUS was a zero-power research reactor at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland. The critical assembly was constructed from a large graphite annulus surrounding a central cylindrical cavity. Various experimental programs were investigated in PROTEUS; during the years 1992 through 1996, it was configured as a pebble-bed reactor and designated HTR-PROTEUS. Various critical configurations were assembled with each accompanied by an assortment of reactor physics experiments including differential and integral absorber rod measurements, kinetics, reaction rate distributions, water ingress effects, and small sample reactivity effects [1]. Four benchmark reports were previously prepared and included in the March 2013 editionmore » of the International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments (IRPhEP Handbook) [2] evaluating eleven critical configurations. A summary of that effort was previously provided [3] and an analysis of absorber rod worth measurements for Cores 9 and 10 have been performed prior to this analysis and included in PROTEUS-GCR-EXP-004 [4]. In the current benchmark effort, absorber rod worths measured for Core Configuration 4, which was the only core with a randomly-packed pebble loading, have been evaluated for inclusion as a revision to the HTR-PROTEUS benchmark report PROTEUS-GCR-EXP-002.« less

  3. User Manual for the PROTEUS Mesh Tools

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Smith, Micheal A.; Shemon, Emily R

    2016-09-19

    PROTEUS is built around a finite element representation of the geometry for visualization. In addition, the PROTEUS-SN solver was built to solve the even-parity transport equation on a finite element mesh provided as input. Similarly, PROTEUS-MOC and PROTEUS-NEMO were built to apply the method of characteristics on unstructured finite element meshes. Given the complexity of real world problems, experience has shown that using commercial mesh generator to create rather simple input geometries is overly complex and slow. As a consequence, significant effort has been put into place to create multiple codes that help assist in the mesh generation and manipulation.more » There are three input means to create a mesh in PROTEUS: UFMESH, GRID, and NEMESH. At present, the UFMESH is a simple way to generate two-dimensional Cartesian and hexagonal fuel assembly geometries. The UFmesh input allows for simple assembly mesh generation while the GRID input allows the generation of Cartesian, hexagonal, and regular triangular structured grid geometry options. The NEMESH is a way for the user to create their own mesh or convert another mesh file format into a PROTEUS input format. Given that one has an input mesh format acceptable for PROTEUS, we have constructed several tools which allow further mesh and geometry construction (i.e. mesh extrusion and merging). This report describes the various mesh tools that are provided with the PROTEUS code giving both descriptions of the input and output. In many cases the examples are provided with a regression test of the mesh tools. The most important mesh tools for any user to consider using are the MT_MeshToMesh.x and the MT_RadialLattice.x codes. The former allows the conversion between most mesh types handled by PROTEUS while the second allows the merging of multiple (assembly) meshes into a radial structured grid. Note that the mesh generation process is recursive in nature and that each input specific for a given mesh tool (such as .axial or .merge) can be used as “mesh” input for any of the mesh tools discussed in this manual.« less

  4. Functional morphology of the inner ear and underwater audiograms of Proteus anguinus (Amphibia, Urodela).

    PubMed

    Bulog, B; Schlegel, P

    2000-01-01

    Octavolateral sensory organs (auditory and lateral line organs) of cave salamander Proteus anguinus are highly differentiated. In the saccular macula of the inner ear the complex pattern of hair cell orientation and the large otoconial mass enable particle displacement direction detection. Additionally, the same organ, through air cavities within the body, enables detection of underwater sound pressure changes thus acting as a hearing organ. The cavities in the lungs and mouth of Proteus are a resonators that transmit underwater sound pressure to the inner ear. Behaviourally determined audiograms indicate hearing sensitivity of 60 dB (rel. 1 microPa) at frequencies between 1 and 10 kHz. The hearing frequency range was between 10 Hz and 10 kHz. The hearing sensitivities of depigmented Proteus and black Proteus were compared. The highest sensitivities of the depigmented animals (N=4) were at frequencies 1.3-1.7 kHz and it was 2 kHz in black animals (N=1). Excellent underwater hearing abilities of Proteus are sensory adaptations to cave habitat.

  5. [Joint action of aminoglycoside antibiotics and nitrofurans with bile on bacteria of the genus Proteus].

    PubMed

    Sytnik, I A; Puzakova, E V

    1980-06-01

    The combined effect of monomycin, kanamycin, neomycin and nitrofurans, such as furacillin, furagin, nitrofurantoin and furazolidone with bovine bile was studied on 36 strains of Proteus mirabilis and 14 strains of Proteus vulgaris. It was found that sub-bacteriostatic doses of the bile significantly increased the antiproteus activity of the aminoglycoside antibiotics and nitrofurans. The combinations of the bile with monomycin and kanamycin and the bile with furazolidone and nitrofurantoin proved to be most effective. Clinical trials of the drugs in treatment of inflammatory diseases of the biliferous system of the Proteus etiology are recommended.

  6. Convergence acceleration of the Proteus computer code with multigrid methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Demuren, A. O.; Ibraheem, S. O.

    1992-01-01

    Presented here is the first part of a study to implement convergence acceleration techniques based on the multigrid concept in the Proteus computer code. A review is given of previous studies on the implementation of multigrid methods in computer codes for compressible flow analysis. Also presented is a detailed stability analysis of upwind and central-difference based numerical schemes for solving the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Results are given of a convergence study of the Proteus code on computational grids of different sizes. The results presented here form the foundation for the implementation of multigrid methods in the Proteus code.

  7. Proteus DSA control room in Mojave, CA

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-04-03

    Proteus DSA control room in Mojave, CA (L to R) Jean-Pierre Soucy; Amphitech International Software engineer Craig Bomben; NASA Dryden Test Pilot Pete Siebold; (with headset, at computer controls) Scaled Composites pilot Bob Roehm; New Mexico State University (NMSU) UAV Technical Analysis Application Center (TAAC) Chuck Coleman; Scaled Composites Pilot Kari Sortland; NMSU TAAC Russell Wolfe; Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. Scaled Composites' unique tandem-wing Proteus was the testbed for a series of UAV collision-avoidance flight demonstrations. An Amphitech 35GHz radar unit installed below Proteus' nose was the primary sensor for the Detect, See and Avoid tests.

  8. Defense function of pigment granules in the ciliate Blepharisma japonicum against two predatory protists, Amoeba proteus (Rhizopodea) and Climacostomum virens (Ciliata).

    PubMed

    Terazima, Masayo Noda; Harumoto, Terue

    2004-08-01

    The defense function of pigment granules in the red ciliate Blepharisma japonicum against two predatory protists, Amoeba proteus and Climacostomum virens, was investigated by (1) comparing normally-pigmented and albino mutant cells of B. japonicum as the prey of these predators and (2) comparing resistance of the predators to blepharismin, the toxic pigment contained in the pigment granules of B. japonicum. Normally pigmented cells which contained more blepharismin than albino cells were less vulnerable to A. proteus than albino cells, but not to C. virens. C. virens was more resistant than A. proteus to the lethal effect of blepharismin. The results indicate that pigment granules of B. japonicum function as defense organelles against A. proteus but not against C. virens and suggest that successful defense against a predator depends on the susceptibility of the predator to blepharismin.

  9. FY17 Status Report on NEAMS Neutronics Activities

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, C. H.; Jung, Y. S.; Smith, M. A.

    2017-09-30

    Under the U.S. DOE NEAMS program, the high-fidelity neutronics code system has been developed to support the multiphysics modeling and simulation capability named SHARP. The neutronics code system includes the high-fidelity neutronics code PROTEUS, the cross section library and preprocessing tools, the multigroup cross section generation code MC2-3, the in-house meshing generation tool, the perturbation and sensitivity analysis code PERSENT, and post-processing tools. The main objectives of the NEAMS neutronics activities in FY17 are to continue development of an advanced nodal solver in PROTEUS for use in nuclear reactor design and analysis projects, implement a simplified sub-channel based thermal-hydraulic (T/H)more » capability into PROTEUS to efficiently compute the thermal feedback, improve the performance of PROTEUS-MOCEX using numerical acceleration and code optimization, improve the cross section generation tools including MC2-3, and continue to perform verification and validation tests for PROTEUS.« less

  10. FY16 Status Report on NEAMS Neutronics Activities

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, C. H.; Shemon, E. R.; Smith, M. A.

    2016-09-30

    The goal of the NEAMS neutronics effort is to develop a neutronics toolkit for use on sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs) which can be extended to other reactor types. The neutronics toolkit includes the high-fidelity deterministic neutron transport code PROTEUS and many supporting tools such as a cross section generation code MC 2-3, a cross section library generation code, alternative cross section generation tools, mesh generation and conversion utilities, and an automated regression test tool. The FY16 effort for NEAMS neutronics focused on supporting the release of the SHARP toolkit and existing and new users, continuing to develop PROTEUS functions necessarymore » for performance improvement as well as the SHARP release, verifying PROTEUS against available existing benchmark problems, and developing new benchmark problems as needed. The FY16 research effort was focused on further updates of PROTEUS-SN and PROTEUS-MOCEX and cross section generation capabilities as needed.« less

  11. The Proteus Cabinet, or "We Are Here but Not Here"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nield, Sophie

    2008-01-01

    In the early nineteenth century, there were three stage illusions in which a magician could cause a person to disappear. In one of these, the Proteus Cabinet, participants would enter a box, and simply vanish. As the designers of the Proteus Cabinet said of them, they were "Here, but not Here." My essay explores this concept in relation to…

  12. Electron microscopy of the nuclear membrane of Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    FRAJOLA, W J; GREIDER, M H; KOSTIR, W J

    1956-07-25

    An electron microscope study of the nuclear membrane of Amoeba proteus by thin sectioning techniques has revealed an ultrastructure in the outer layer of the membrane that is homologous to the pores and annuli observed in the nuclear membranes of many other cell types studied by these techniques. An inner honeycombed layer apparently unique to Amoeba proteus is also described.

  13. Evaluation of Proteus as a Tool for the Rapid Development of Models of Hydrologic Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weigand, T. M.; Farthing, M. W.; Kees, C. E.; Miller, C. T.

    2013-12-01

    Models of modern hydrologic systems can be complex and involve a variety of operators with varying character. The goal is to implement approximations of such models that are both efficient for the developer and computationally efficient, which is a set of naturally competing objectives. Proteus is a Python-based toolbox that supports prototyping of model formulations as well as a wide variety of modern numerical methods and parallel computing. We used Proteus to develop numerical approximations for three models: Richards' equation, a brine flow model derived using the Thermodynamically Constrained Averaging Theory (TCAT), and a multiphase TCAT-based tumor growth model. For Richards' equation, we investigated discontinuous Galerkin solutions with higher order time integration based on the backward difference formulas. The TCAT brine flow model was implemented using Proteus and a variety of numerical methods were compared to hand coded solutions. Finally, an existing tumor growth model was implemented in Proteus to introduce more advanced numerics and allow the code to be run in parallel. From these three example models, Proteus was found to be an attractive open-source option for rapidly developing high quality code for solving existing and evolving computational science models.

  14. Environmental DNA in subterranean biology: range extension and taxonomic implications for Proteus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gorički, Špela; Stanković, David; Snoj, Aleš; Kuntner, Matjaž; Jeffery, William R.; Trontelj, Peter; Pavićević, Miloš; Grizelj, Zlatko; Năpăruş-Aljančič, Magdalena; Aljančič, Gregor

    2017-03-01

    Europe’s obligate cave-dwelling amphibian Proteus anguinus inhabits subterranean waters of the north-western Balkan Peninsula. Because only fragments of its habitat are accessible to humans, this endangered salamander’s exact distribution has been difficult to establish. Here we introduce a quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction-based environmental DNA (eDNA) approach to detect the presence of Proteus using water samples collected from karst springs, wells or caves. In a survey conducted along the southern limit of its known range, we established a likely presence of Proteus at seven new sites, extending its range to Montenegro. Next, using specific molecular probes to discriminate the rare black morph of Proteus from the closely related white morph, we detected its eDNA at five new sites, thus more than doubling the known number of sites. In one of these we found both black and white Proteus eDNA together. This finding suggests that the two morphs may live in contact with each other in the same body of groundwater and that they may be reproductively isolated species. Our results show that the eDNA approach is suitable and efficient in addressing questions in biogeography, evolution, taxonomy and conservation of the cryptic subterranean fauna.

  15. A new European small platform: Proteus and prospected optical application missions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dubois, J.-B.; Paoli, F.

    2018-04-01

    Progress in technology in recent years and new industrial approaches now make it possible to design valuable optical missions using a small-class satellite, like the PROTEUS multi mission platform. Some future space optical missions using existing or planned instruments, combined with the PROTEUS platform, have been assessed by AEROSPATIALE / SPACE and DEFENSE and/or the CNES (French National Space Agency).

  16. [Etiological and molecular characteristics of diarrhea caused Proteus mirabilis].

    PubMed

    Shi, Xiaolu; Hu, Qinghua; Lin, Yiman; Qiu, Yaqun; Li, Yinghui; Jiang, Min; Chen, Qiongcheng

    2014-06-01

    To analyze the etiological characteristics, virulence genes and plasmids that carrying diarrhea-causing Proteus mirabilis and to assess their relationship with drug resistance and pathogenicity. Proteus mirabilis coming from six different sources (food poisoning, external environment and healthy people) were analyzed biochemically, on related susceptibility and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Virulence genes were detected by PCR. Plasmids were extracted and sequenced after gel electrophoresis purification. The biochemical characteristics of Proteus mirabilis from different sources seemed basically the same, and each of them showed having common virulence genes, as ureC, rsmA, hpmA and zapA. However, the PFGE patterns and susceptibility of these strains were different, so as the plasmids that they carried. Plasmid that presented in the sequenced strain showed that the 2 683 bp length plasmid encodes qnrD gene was associated with the quinolone resistance. Etiological characteristics and molecular characteristics of Proteus mirabilis gathered from different sources, were analyzed. Results indicated that traditional biochemical analysis and common virulence gene identification might be able to distinguish the strains with different sources. However, PFGE and plasmids analysis could distinguish the sources of strains and to identify those plasmids that commonly carried by the drug-resistant strains. These findings also provided theoretical basis for further study on the nature of resistance and pathogenicity in Proteus mirabilis.

  17. Proteus vulgaris and Proteus mirabilis Decrease Candida albicans Biofilm Formation by Suppressing Morphological Transition to Its Hyphal Form.

    PubMed

    Lee, Kyoung Ho; Park, Su Jung; Choi, Sun Ju; Park, Joo Young

    2017-11-01

    Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Proteus species are causative agents in a variety of opportunistic nosocomial infections, and their ability to form biofilms is known to be a virulence factor. In this study, the influence of co-cultivation with Proteus vulgaris (P. vulgaris) and Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) on C. albicans biofilm formation and its underlying mechanisms were examined. XTT reduction assays were adopted to measure biofilm formation, and viable colony counts were performed to quantify yeast growth. Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate the expression of yeast-specific genes (rhd1 and rbe1), filament formation inhibiting genes (tup1 and nrg1), and hyphae-related genes (als3, ece1, hwp1, and sap5). Candida biofilm formation was markedly inhibited by treatment with either living or heat-killed P. vulgaris and P. mirabilis. Proteus-cultured supernatant also inhibited Candida biofilm formation. Likewise, treatment with live P. vulgaris or P. mirabilis or with Proteus-cultured supernatant decreased expression of hyphae-related C. albicans genes, while the expression of yeast-specific genes and the filament formation inhibiting genes of C. albicans were increased. Heat-killed P. vulgaris and P. mirabilis treatment, however, did not affect the expression of C. albicans morphology-related genes. These results suggest that secretory products from P. vulgaris and P. mirabilis regulate the expression of genes related to morphologic changes in C. albicans such that transition from the yeast form to the hyphal form can be inhibited. © Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2017

  18. Experimental Proteus mirabilis Burn Surface Infection

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-02-01

    Reprinted from the Achie of Surgery ECTE February 1982, Volume 117 Copyright 19 2. American Medical Association MAY 2 8 1982 V0A Experimental Proteus ... mirabilis Burn Surface Infection Albert T. McManus, PhD; Charles G. McLeod, Jr, DVM; Arthur D. Mason, Jr, MD * We established a human burn Isolate of... Proteus mirabills as have examined human burn isolates from the genera an experimental pathogen. Infliction of a nonfatal scald injury Enterobacter

  19. Support Between USAMRDC and USDA for Cooperative Research Under the Ration Sustainment Testing Program.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-12-31

    mirabilis ( proteus ). The tine tests were applied to the ventral forearm of each soldier in the morning, but after blood samples had been taken. After...streptococcus), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculin, old), Candida albicans (candida), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (trichophyton), and Proteus ...responses to test antigens diphtheria, at the end of the jungle phase, proteus , at the end of both the jungle and desert phases, and tuberculin, at the end of

  20. Proteus - A Free and Open Source Sensor Observation Service (SOS) Client

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henriksson, J.; Satapathy, G.; Bermudez, L. E.

    2013-12-01

    The Earth's 'electronic skin' is becoming ever more sophisticated with a growing number of sensors measuring everything from seawater salinity levels to atmospheric pressure. To further the scientific application of this data collection effort, it is important to make the data easily available to anyone who wants to use it. Making Earth Science data readily available will allow the data to be used in new and potentially groundbreaking ways. The US National Science and Technology Council made this clear in its most recent National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations report, when it remarked that Earth observations 'are often found to be useful for additional purposes not foreseen during the development of the observation system'. On the road to this goal the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is defining uniform data formats and service interfaces to facilitate the discovery and access of sensor data. This is being done through the Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) stack of standards, which include the Sensor Observation Service (SOS), Sensor Model Language (SensorML), Observations & Measurements (O&M) and Catalog Service for the Web (CSW). End-users do not have to use these standards directly, but can use smart tools that leverage and implement them. We have developed such a tool named Proteus. Proteus is an open-source sensor data discovery client. The goal of Proteus is to be a general-purpose client that can be used by anyone for discovering and accessing sensor data via OGC-based services. Proteus is a desktop client and supports a straightforward workflow for finding sensor data. The workflow takes the user through the process of selecting appropriate services, bounding boxes, observed properties, time periods and other search facets. NASA World Wind is used to display the matching sensor offerings on a map. Data from any sensor offering can be previewed in a time series. The user can download data from a single sensor offering, or download data in bulk from all matching sensor offerings. Proteus leverages NASA World Wind's WMS capabilities and allow overlaying sensor offerings on top of any map. Specific search criteria (i.e. user discoveries) can be saved and later restored. Proteus is supports two user types: 1) the researcher/scientist interested in discovering and downloading specific sensor data as input to research processes, and 2) the data manager responsible for maintaining sensor data services (e.g. SOSs) and wants to ensure proper data and metadata delivery, verify sensor data, and receive sensor data alerts. Proteus has a Web-based companion product named the Community Hub that is used to generate sensor data alerts. Alerts can be received via an RSS feed, viewed in a Web browser or displayed directly in Proteus via a Web-based API. To advance the vision of making Earth Science data easily discoverable and accessible to end-users, professional or laymen, Proteus is available as open-source on GitHub (https://github.com/intelligentautomation/proteus).

  1. SXT/R391 integrative and conjugative elements in Proteus species reveal abundant genetic diversity and multidrug resistance

    PubMed Central

    Li, Xinyue; Du, Yu; Du, Pengcheng; Dai, Hang; Fang, Yujie; Li, Zhenpeng; Lv, Na; Zhu, Baoli; Kan, Biao; Wang, Duochun

    2016-01-01

    SXT/R391 integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are self-transmissible mobile genetic elements that are found in most members of Enterobacteriaceae. Here, we determined fifteen SXT/R391 ICEs carried by Proteus isolates from food (4.2%) and diarrhoea patients (17.3%). BLASTn searches against GenBank showed that the fifteen SXT/R391 ICEs were closely related to that from different Enterobacteriaceae species, including Proteus mirabilis. Using core gene phylogenetic analysis, the fifteen SXT/R391 ICEs were grouped into six distinct clusters, including a dominant cluster and three clusters that have not been previously reported in Proteus isolates. The SXT/R391 ICEs shared a common structure with a set of conserved genes, five hotspots and two variable regions, which contained more foreign genes, including drug-resistance genes. Notably, a class A β-lactamase gene was identified in nine SXT/R391 ICEs. Collectively, the ICE-carrying isolates carried resistance genes for 20 tested drugs. Six isolates were resistant to chloramphenicol, kanamycin, streptomycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, sulfisoxazole and tetracycline, which are drug resistances commonly encoded by ICEs. Our results demonstrate abundant genetic diversity and multidrug resistance of the SXT/R391 ICEs carried by Proteus isolates, which may have significance for public health. It is therefore necessary to continuously monitor the antimicrobial resistance and related mobile elements among Proteus isolates. PMID:27892525

  2. Chaotic behavior in the locomotion of Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Miyoshi, H; Kagawa, Y; Tsuchiya, Y

    2001-01-01

    The locomotion of Amoeba proteus has been investigated by algorithms evaluating correlation dimension and Lyapunov spectrum developed in the field of nonlinear science. It is presumed by these parameters whether the random behavior of the system is stochastic or deterministic. For the analysis of the nonlinear parameters, n-dimensional time-delayed vectors have been reconstructed from a time series of periphery and area of A. proteus images captured with a charge-coupled-device camera, which characterize its random motion. The correlation dimension analyzed has shown the random motion of A. proteus is subjected only to 3-4 macrovariables, though the system is a complex system composed of many degrees of freedom. Furthermore, the analysis of the Lyapunov spectrum has shown its largest exponent takes positive values. These results indicate the random behavior of A. proteus is chaotic and deterministic motion on an attractor with low dimension. It may be important for the elucidation of the cell locomotion to take account of nonlinear interactions among a small number of dynamics such as the sol-gel transformation, the cytoplasmic streaming, and the relating chemical reaction occurring in the cell.

  3. An Update on Improvements to NiCE Support for PROTEUS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bennett, Andrew; McCaskey, Alexander J.; Billings, Jay Jay

    2015-09-01

    The Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy's Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program has supported the development of the NEAMS Integrated Computational Environment (NiCE), a modeling and simulation workflow environment that provides services and plugins to facilitate tasks such as code execution, model input construction, visualization, and data analysis. This report details the development of workflows for the reactor core neutronics application, PROTEUS. This advanced neutronics application (primarily developed at Argonne National Laboratory) aims to improve nuclear reactor design and analysis by providing an extensible and massively parallel, finite-element solver for current and advanced reactor fuel neutronicsmore » modeling. The integration of PROTEUS-specific tools into NiCE is intended to make the advanced capabilities that PROTEUS provides more accessible to the nuclear energy research and development community. This report will detail the work done to improve existing PROTEUS workflow support in NiCE. We will demonstrate and discuss these improvements, including the development of flexible IO services, an improved interface for input generation, and the addition of advanced Fortran development tools natively in the platform.« less

  4. The Proteus Navier-Stokes code

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Towne, Charles E.; Bui, Trong T.; Cavicchi, Richard H.; Conley, Julianne M.; Molls, Frank B.; Schwab, John R.

    1992-01-01

    An effort is currently underway at NASA Lewis to develop two- and three-dimensional Navier-Stokes codes, called Proteus, for aerospace propulsion applications. The emphasis in the development of Proteus is not algorithm development or research on numerical methods, but rather the development of the code itself. The objective is to develop codes that are user-oriented, easily-modified, and well-documented. Well-proven, state-of-the-art solution algorithms are being used. Code readability, documentation (both internal and external), and validation are being emphasized. This paper is a status report on the Proteus development effort. The analysis and solution procedure are described briefly, and the various features in the code are summarized. The results from some of the validation cases that have been run are presented for both the two- and three-dimensional codes.

  5. 21 CFR 866.3410 - Proteus spp. (Weil-Felix) serological reagents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... fluorescent dye (immunofluorescent reagents), derived from the bacterium Proteus vulgaris used in... (virus-like bacteria) in serum. Test results aid in the diagnosis of diseases caused by bacteria...

  6. 21 CFR 866.3410 - Proteus spp. (Weil-Felix) serological reagents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... fluorescent dye (immunofluorescent reagents), derived from the bacterium Proteus vulgaris used in... (virus-like bacteria) in serum. Test results aid in the diagnosis of diseases caused by bacteria...

  7. [Proteus mirabilis septic arthritis].

    PubMed

    Sbiti, Mohammed; Bouhamidi, Bahia; Louzi, Lhoussaine

    2017-01-01

    Acute septic arthritis is rare. It is associated with poor prognosis in terms of mortality and morbidity. We report the case of a 61-year old patient with spontaneous Proteus mirabilis septic arthritis. He suffered from complicated diabetes associated with positive blood cultures and synovial fluid cultures. Patient's evolution was favorable thanks to early diagnosis and initiation of adequate antibiotic therapy. Proteus mirabilis septic arthritis is rare. On that basis we conducted a literature review of cases of Proteus mirabilis pyogenic arthritis to highlight the risk factors, pathogenesis, treatment and evolution of these diseases. Diagnosis is commonly based on microbiological analysis, early articular puncture biopsy is performed before the initiation of antibiotic treatment, direct examination, culture and antibiogram which are useful as guidance for antibiotic therapy. Septic arthritis is a diagnostic and therapeutic emergency; early management of this disease allows total healing without after-effects.

  8. The Location GNSS Modules for the Components of Proteus System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brzostowski, K.; Darakchiev, R.; Foks-Ryznar, A.; Sitek, P.

    2012-01-01

    The Proteus system - the Integrated Mobile System for Counterterrorism and Rescue Operations is a complex innovative project. To assure the best possible localization of mobile components of the system, many different Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) modules were taken into account. In order to chose the best solution many types of tests were done. Full results and conclusions are presented in this paper. The idea of measurements was to test modules in GPS Standard Positioning Service (SPS) with EGNOS system specification according to certain algorithms. The tests had to answer the question: what type of GNSS modules should be used on different components with respect to specific usage of Proteus system. The second goal of tests was to check the solution quality of integrated GNSS/INS (Inertial Navigation System) and its possible usage in some Proteus system components.

  9. Characterisation of the Rac/PAK pathway in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Kłopocka, W; Moraczewska, J; Redowicz, M J

    2005-04-01

    Molecular mechanisms underlying the unique locomotion of the highly motile Amoeba proteus still remain poorly understood. Recently, we have shown that blocking the endogenous amoebal Rac-like protein(s) leads to distinct and irreversible changes in the appearance of these large migrating cells as well as to a significant inhibition of their locomotion. To elucidate the mechanism of the Rac pathway in Amoeba proteus, we tested the effects of blocking the endogenous myosin I heavy chain kinase (MIHCK), one of the Rac effectors in Acanthamoeba castellanii and Dictyostelium discoideum, with anti-MIHCK antibodies in migrating amoebae, as well as the effect of inhibiting Rac and MIHCK on the actin polymerisation process. Antibodies against A. castellanii MIHCK detected an A. proteus protein with a molecular mass (ca. 95 kDa) similar to the A. castellanii kinase. The cellular distribution of MIHCK in A. proteus was very similar to those of Rac-like protein in amoebae and MIHCK in A. castellanii. Amoebae microinjected with anti-MIHCK antibodies moved slower and protruded fewer wide pseudopodia (5-6) than the control cells (9-10), resembling to some extent the phenotype of cells microinjected with anti-Rac antibodies. The in vitro studies indicate that the A. proteus Rac-like protein, but not the MIHCK isoform, is engaged in the regulation of the nucleation step of the actin polymerisation process. These observations suggest that MIHCK may be one of the effectors for Rac in these extremely large cells.

  10. Taxonomic characterisation of Proteus terrae sp. nov., a N2O-producing, nitrate-ammonifying soil bacterium.

    PubMed

    Behrendt, Undine; Augustin, Jürgen; Spröer, Cathrin; Gelbrecht, Jörg; Schumann, Peter; Ulrich, Andreas

    2015-12-01

    In the context of studying the influence of N-fertilization on N2 and N2O flux rates in relation to the soil bacterial community composition in fen peat grassland, a group of bacterial strains was isolated that performed dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium and concomitantly produced N2O. The amount of nitrous oxide produced was influenced by the C/N ratio of the medium. The potential to generate nitrous oxide was increased by higher availability of nitrate-N. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA and the rpoB gene sequences demonstrated that the investigated isolates belong to the genus Proteus, showing high similarity with the respective type strains of Proteus vulgaris and Proteus penneri. DNA-DNA hybridization studies revealed differences at the species level. These differences were substantiated by MALDI-TOF MS analysis and several distinct physiological characteristics. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that the soil isolates represent a novel species for which the name Proteus terrae sp. nov. (type strain N5/687(T) =DSM 29910(T) =LMG 28659(T)) is proposed.

  11. Viper Plague Project

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-07-01

    labeled with the conjugated Proteus antibody, 40x………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……18 Figure 10i, 10j. Staphylococcus aureus ...Figure 10i, 10j. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes, (gram positive), labeled with the conjugated Proteus antibody, 40x...15 10. Proteus OX19 Aptamer

  12. Antimicrobial activity Study of triclosan-loaded WBPU on Proteus mirabilis in vitro.

    PubMed

    Tian, Ye; Jian, Zhongyu; Wang, Jianzhong; He, Wei; Liu, Qinyu; Wang, Kunjie; Li, Hong; Tan, Hong

    2017-04-01

    To evaluate the antimicrobial activity study of triclosan-loaded waterborne polyurethanes (WBPU) on Proteus mirabilis in vitro. Inhibition zone assays on petri plates with triclosan-loaded WBPU samples were used to test its antimicrobial activity on Proteus mirabilis. Models of the catheterized bladder supplied with artificial urine infected with Proteus mirabilis were employed to confirm the antimicrobial activity of triclosan-loaded WBPU. Bacteria colony counting, pH of the residual urine at each time point and catheter blockage time were recorded. Confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and encrustation deposits dry weighing were used for evaluating the biofilm formation. Inhibition zones formed in the triclosan-loaded WBPU groups in a dose-response manner (the radius for samples with 1, 0.1 and 0.01 mg triclosan were 9.93 ± 1.08, 6.07 ± 0.54 and 2.47 ± 0.25 mm, P < 0.001). The bacterial growth in the triclosan group was markedly inhibited, which was almost undetectable after 12 h of bladder running. Residual urine pH in the control group increased significantly in comparison with the triclosan group (9.50 ± 0.04 vs. 6.17 ± 0.01 at 24 h, P < 0.001). The presence of triclosan-loaded WBPU decreased catheter encrustations and markedly postponed the catheter blockage time, as well as suppressed the Proteus mirabilis biofilm formation (33.9 ± 13.9 mg vs. 1.4 ± 1.5 mg, P = 0.016). Triclosan-loaded WBPU significantly inhibited Proteus mirabilis' growth and biofilm formation, indicating the promising antibacterial effects on Proteus mirabilis in vitro. Further efforts are under way that involves coating the material onto the urinary catheters and in vivo studies.

  13. Chemometric analysis of attenuated total reflectance infrared spectra of Proteus mirabilis strains with defined structures of LPS.

    PubMed

    Zarnowiec, Paulina; Mizera, Andrzej; Chrapek, Magdalena; Urbaniak, Mariusz; Kaca, Wieslaw

    2016-07-01

    Proteus spp. strains are some of the most important pathogens associated with complicated urinary tract infections and bacteremia affecting patients with immunodeficiency and long-term urinary catheterization. For epidemiological purposes, various molecular typing methods have been developed for this pathogen. However, these methods are labor intensive and time consuming. We evaluated a new method of differentiation between strains. A collection of Proteus spp. strains was analyzed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy in the mid-infrared region. ATR FT-IR spectroscopy used in conjunction with a diamond ATR accessory directly produced the biochemical profile of the surface chemistry of bacteria. We conclude that a combination of ATR FT-IR spectroscopy and mathematical modeling provides a fast and reliable alternative for discrimination between Proteus isolates, contributing to epidemiological research. © The Author(s) 2016.

  14. Effects of ceftazidime and ciprofloxacin on biofilm formation in Proteus mirabilis rods.

    PubMed

    Kwiecińska-Piróg, Joanna; Bogiel, Tomasz; Gospodarek, Eugenia

    2013-10-01

    Proteus mirabilis rods are one of the most commonly isolated species of the Proteus genus from human infections, mainly those from the urinary tract and wounds. They are often related to biofilm structure formation. The bacterial cells of the biofilm are less susceptible to routinely used antimicrobials, making the treatment more difficult. The aim of this study was to evaluate quantitatively the influence of ceftazidime and ciprofloxacin on biofilm formation on the polyvinyl chloride surface by 42 P. mirabilis strains isolated from urine, purulence, wound swab and bedsore samples. It has been shown that ceftazidime and ciprofloxacin at concentrations equal to 1/4, 1/2 and 1 times their MIC values for particular Proteus spp. strains decrease their ability to form biofilms. Moreover, ciprofloxacin at concentrations equal to 1/4, 1/2 and 1 times their MIC values for particular P. mirabilis strains reduces biofilm formation more efficiently than ceftazidime at the corresponding concentration values.

  15. [Sensitivity of clinical Proteus strains to antibiotics and their combinations].

    PubMed

    Sheina, E P; Arutcheva, A A

    1978-05-01

    In 1976 isolation of Proteus from wounds of patients with various purulent processes amounted to 14.5 per cent. Serotypes 0-10, 0-3 and H-3 predominated among the isolates. Sensitivity of 35 clinical strains of Proteus to 10 antibiotics, furagin and nevigramone was studied by the method of serial dilutions in liquid media. All the isolates were highly resistant to the antibiotics except gentamicin, furagin and nevigramone, the MIC of which for most of the strains was 3.12, 1.6-3.12 and 6.25-12.5 gamma/ml, respectively. The effect of 14 combinations of chemotherapeutics was also studied. The combinations of gentamicin with carbenicillin, gentamicin with ampicillin and monomycin with ampicillin proved to be most effective against the Proteus strains tested. The following combinations may be of practical value: monomycin + carbenicillin, kanamycin + ampicillin, kanamycin + carbenicillin, ampicillin + furagin, gentamicin + nevigramone. The combinations of carbenicillin with furagin and gentamicin with furagin were also rational.

  16. Proteus mirabilis inhibits cancer growth and pulmonary metastasis in a mouse breast cancer model

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Hong; Diao, Hongxiu; Jia, Lixin; Yuan, Yujing; Thamm, Douglas H.; Wang, Huanan; Jin, Yipeng; Pei, Shimin; Zhou, Bin; Yu, Fang; Zhao, Linna; Cheng, Nan; Du, Hongchao; Huang, Ying; Lin, Degui

    2017-01-01

    A variety of bacteria have been used as agents and vectors for antineoplastic therapy. A series of mechanisms, including native bacterial toxicity, sensitization of the immune system and competition for nutrients, may contribute to antitumor effects. However, the antitumor effects of Proteus species have been minimally studied, and it is not clear if bacteria can alter tumor hypoxia as a component of their antineoplastic effect. In the present study, Proteus mirabilis bacteria were evaluated for the ability to proliferate and accumulate in murine tumors after intravenous injection. To further investigate the efficacy and safety of bacterial injection, mice bearing 4T1 tumors were treated with an intravenous dose of 5×107 CFU Proteus mirabilis bacteria via the tail vein weekly for three treatments. Histopathology, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western analysis were then performed on excised tumors. The results suggested Proteus mirabilis localized preferentially to tumor tissues and remarkably suppressed the growth of primary breast cancer and pulmonary metastasis in murine 4T1 models. Results showed that the expression of NKp46 and CD11c was significantly increased after bacteria treatment. Furthermore, tumor expression of carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) and hypoxia inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a), surrogates for hypoxia, was significantly lower in the treated group than the control group mice as assessed by IHC and western analysis. These findings demonstrated that Proteus mirabilis may a promising bacterial strain for used against primary tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis, and the immune system and reduction of tumor hypoxia may contribute to the antineoplastic and antimetastatic effects observed. PMID:29206859

  17. Proteus mirabilis inhibits cancer growth and pulmonary metastasis in a mouse breast cancer model.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hong; Diao, Hongxiu; Jia, Lixin; Yuan, Yujing; Thamm, Douglas H; Wang, Huanan; Jin, Yipeng; Pei, Shimin; Zhou, Bin; Yu, Fang; Zhao, Linna; Cheng, Nan; Du, Hongchao; Huang, Ying; Zhang, Di; Lin, Degui

    2017-01-01

    A variety of bacteria have been used as agents and vectors for antineoplastic therapy. A series of mechanisms, including native bacterial toxicity, sensitization of the immune system and competition for nutrients, may contribute to antitumor effects. However, the antitumor effects of Proteus species have been minimally studied, and it is not clear if bacteria can alter tumor hypoxia as a component of their antineoplastic effect. In the present study, Proteus mirabilis bacteria were evaluated for the ability to proliferate and accumulate in murine tumors after intravenous injection. To further investigate the efficacy and safety of bacterial injection, mice bearing 4T1 tumors were treated with an intravenous dose of 5×107 CFU Proteus mirabilis bacteria via the tail vein weekly for three treatments. Histopathology, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western analysis were then performed on excised tumors. The results suggested Proteus mirabilis localized preferentially to tumor tissues and remarkably suppressed the growth of primary breast cancer and pulmonary metastasis in murine 4T1 models. Results showed that the expression of NKp46 and CD11c was significantly increased after bacteria treatment. Furthermore, tumor expression of carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) and hypoxia inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a), surrogates for hypoxia, was significantly lower in the treated group than the control group mice as assessed by IHC and western analysis. These findings demonstrated that Proteus mirabilis may a promising bacterial strain for used against primary tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis, and the immune system and reduction of tumor hypoxia may contribute to the antineoplastic and antimetastatic effects observed.

  18. ERAST Program Proteus Aircraft in Flight

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1999-07-26

    The unusual design of the Proteus high-altitude aircraft, incorporating a gull-wing shape for its main wing and a long, slender forward canard, is clearly visible in this view of the aircraft in flight over the Mojave Desert in California.

  19. Proteus syndrome*

    PubMed Central

    Rocha, Ritha de Cássia Capelato; Estrella, Mariani Paulino Soriano; do Amaral, Danielle Mechereffe; Barbosa, Angela Marques; de Abreu, Marilda Aparecida Milanez Morgado

    2017-01-01

    Proteus syndrome is a rare syndrome characterized by disproportionate overgrowth of limbs, multiple hamartomas, and vascular malformations. The cerebriform connective tissue nevi, also called cerebriform plantar hyperplasia, are present in most patients, and is the main characteristic of the syndrome. If present, even alone, they can be considered as a pathognomonic sign. This article reports a classic case of Proteus syndrome in a 2-year-old male patient who began to show a discrete asymmetry of the right hemibody in relation to the left one after birth, which increased over the months. He also showed cerebriform plantar hyperplasia and Port-wine stains, among other alterations. PMID:29166516

  20. The antigens contributing to the serological cross-reactions of Proteus antisera with Klebsiella representatives.

    PubMed

    Palusiak, Agata

    2015-03-01

    Proteus sp. and Klebsiella sp. mainly cause infections of the urinary and respiratory tracts or wounds in humans. The representatives of both genera produce virulence factors like lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or outer membrane proteins (OMPs) having much in common in the structures and/or functions. To check how far this similarity is revealed in the serological cross-reactivity, the bacterial masses of 24 tested Klebsiella sp. strains were tested in ELISA with polyclonal rabbit antisera specific to the representatives of 79 Proteus O serogroups. The strongest reacting systems were selected to Western blot, where the majority of Klebsiella masses reacted in a way characteristic for electrophoretic patterns of proteins. The strongest reactions were obtained for proteins of near 67 and 40 kDa and 12.5 kDa. Mass spectrometry analysis of the proteins samples of one Proteus sp. and one Klebsiella sp. strain showed the GroEL like protein of a sequence GI number 2980926 to be similar for both strains. In Western blot some Klebsiella sp. masses reacted similarly to the homologous Proteus LPSs. The LPS contribution in the observed reactions of the high molecular-mass LPS species was confirmed for Klebsiella oxytoca 0.062. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Histopathological features of Proteus syndrome.

    PubMed

    Hoey, S E H; Eastwood, D; Monsell, F; Kangesu, L; Harper, J I; Sebire, N J

    2008-05-01

    Proteus syndrome is a rare, sporadic overgrowth disorder for which the underlying genetic defect remains unknown. Although the clinical course is well-described there is no systematic histopathological description of the lesional pathology. To describe the histopathological features encountered in a series of patients with Proteus syndrome from a single centre. Patients with Proteus syndrome who had undergone therapeutic surgical resection or biopsy were identified from a database and the histopathological findings were reviewed, with particular regard to descriptive features of the underlying tissue abnormality. There were 18 surgical specimens from nine patients, median age 4 years (range 1-9), classified into four main categories: soft-tissue swellings (lipomatous lesions), vascular anomalies (vascular malformation and haemangioma), macrodactyly (hamartomatous overgrowth) and others (sebaceous naevus and nonspecific features). In all cases, the clinical features of overgrowth were due to increased amounts of disorganized tissue, indicating a hamartomatous-type defect in which normal tissue constituents were present, but with an abnormal distribution and architecture. Vascular malformations represented a prominent category of lesions, accounting for 50% of the specimens, predominantly comprising lymphatic and lymphovascular malformations. No malignancy or cytological atypia was identified in any case. The histopathological features of lesions resected from children with Proteus syndrome predominantly include hamartomatous mixed connective tissue lesions, benign neoplasms such as lipomata, and lymphatic-rich vascular malformations.

  2. Host Defense against Opportunist Microorganisms Following Trauma

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-09-30

    Proteus mirabills. No evidence was obtained supporting involvement of lipoxygenase metabolites L. the bactericidal defect of neutrophils or the...burn wound sepsis with P. aeruginosa and Proteus mirabills were investigated [16]. The bacteria were spread over the surface of the burn wound to

  3. Characterization of Proteus mirabilis isolates from broilers

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Background: Proteus mirabilis is ubiquitous in the environment and is regarded as a part of the normal flora in human gastrointestinal tract. However, this bacterium is also an opportunistic human pathogen that causes urinary tract infections. Recently, this microorganism has been isolated from m...

  4. 21 CFR 520.90d - Ampicillin trihydrate for oral suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ...., Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp., urinary tract infections (cystitis) due to E. coli, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., and Proteus spp.; bacterial gastroenteritis due to E. coli; generalized... (bacterial pneumonia) due to Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., E. coli, and Proteus spp.; urinary...

  5. 21 CFR 520.90d - Ampicillin trihydrate for oral suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ...., Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp., urinary tract infections (cystitis) due to E. coli, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., and Proteus spp.; bacterial gastroenteritis due to E. coli; generalized... (bacterial pneumonia) due to Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., E. coli, and Proteus spp.; urinary...

  6. Thesaurus of DDC Descriptors

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1966-06-01

    BIRDS BLASTOMYCES BLATTIDAE BOVINES CANDIDA CANNABIS CARNIVORA CATS CEPHALOPODA CEREALS CETACEA CHICKENS CHILDREN CHIMPANZEES CHLORELLA...POLIOMYELITIS VIRUS POX VIRUSES PROTEUS PROTEUS VULGAR1S PROTOZOA PSEUOOMONADACEAE PSEUUOMONADALES PSEUDOMONAS PSEUDOMONAS AEROGINOSA RABIES VIRUS...ISLANUS MARYLAND MASSACHUSETTS MASSACHUSETTS BAY MEDITERRANEAN SEA MEDITERRANEAN SEA ISLANDS MELANESIA MEXICO MEXICO GULF MICHIGAN MICRONESIA

  7. ERAST Program Proteus Aircraft in Flight over the Mojave Desert in California

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1999-07-26

    The unusual design of the Proteus high-altitude aircraft, incorporating a gull-wing shape for its main wing and a long, slender forward canard, is clearly visible in this view of the aircraft in flight over the Mojave Desert in California.

  8. Proteus mirabilis interkingdom swarming signals attract blow flies

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Flies transport specific bacteria with their larvae which provides a wider range of nutrients for those bacteria. Our hypothesis was that this symbiotic interaction may depend on interkingdom signaling. We obtained Proteus mirabilis from the salivary glands of the blow fly Lucilia sericat. This s...

  9. Isolation, characterization and immunological reaction of proteus mirabilis isolates from broilers

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Introduction: Proteus mirabilis, which is ubiquitous in the environment, is an opportunistic human pathogen that causes urinary tract infections. Recently, this bacterium has been isolated from many food producing animals, including poultry and its products. Moreover, reports have shown P. mirabi...

  10. Ureases as a target for the treatment of gastric and urinary infections.

    PubMed

    Follmer, C

    2010-05-01

    Urease is known to be a major contributor to pathologies induced by Helicobacter pylori and Proteus species. In H pylori, urease allows the bacteria to survive in an acidic gastric environment during colonisation, playing an important role in the pathogenesis of gastric and peptic ulcers. Ureolytic activity also results in the production of ammonia in close proximity to the gastric epithelium, causing cell damage and inflammation. In the case of Proteus species (notably Proteus mirabilis) infection, stones are formed due to the presence of ammonia and carbon dioxide released by urease action. In addition, the ammonia released is able to damage the glycosaminoglycan layer, which protects the urothelial surface against bacterial infection. In this context, the administration of urease inhibitors may be an effective therapy for urease-dependent pathogenic bacteria. This is a review of the role of ureases in H pylori and Proteus species infections, focussing on the biochemical and clinical aspects of the most promising and/or potent urease inhibitors for the treatment of gastric and urinary tract infections.

  11. The surfaces of Larissa and Proteus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stooke, Philip J.

    1994-01-01

    Topographic models of Neptune's small inner satellites Larissa and Proteus were derived from the shapes of limbs and terminators in Voyager images, modified locally to accomodate large craters and ridges. The models are presented here in tabular and graphic form, including the first map of Larissa and the first detailed relief map of Proteus. The shape of Larissa is approximated by a triaxial ellipsoid with axes of 208, 192 and 178 km, but is only weakly constrained by the single available view. The volume is estimated to be 3.5 +/- 1.0 x 106cu km. The surface is heavily cratered and may be crossed by one or two poorly seen linear ridges. Proteus is approximated by a triaxial ellipsoid with axes of 424, 390 and 396 km (the latter being the rotation axis dimension). The volume is estimated to be 3.4 +/- 0.4 x 107 cu km. Its surface appears to be very heavily cratered and extensive evidence for linear fractures is observed despite very low image quality.

  12. Proteus syndrome: a case report.

    PubMed

    Pangkanon, S; Limpongsanurak, W; Sangtawesin, V

    2001-05-01

    Proteus syndrome is a rare genetic disorder, characterized by partial gigantism of the hands and/or feet, asymmetry of the limbs, plantar hyperplasia, multiple hamartomatous subcutaneous tumors, hyperostoses, and long bone overgrowth. A one day old Thai male infant is reported with macrosomia, hemihypertrophy of the left side of the face and left leg, large feet, macrodactyly of toes, plantar hyperplasia, large subcutaneous mass with a violet-red surface over the left side of the chest wall and a large port-wine stain involving the lateral aspect of the right chest wall. The clinical findings, diagnostic criteria, differential diagnosis, and management of the Proteus syndrome are reviewed.

  13. Infective organisms in the cytoplasm of Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    ROTH, L E; DANIELS, E W

    1961-02-01

    Evidence from electron and phase microscopy is given which shows that infective organisms are present in the cytoplasm of Amoeba proteus. Vesicles containing living organisms have been observed after repeated washing and starvation of the amebae for a period of 2 weeks. Exposure to gamma-radiation in conjunction with starvation, repeated washing, isolation of single amebae, refeeding with contaminant-free Tetrahymena, and clone selection has produced clones with reduced cytoplasmic infection. These findings are discussed in regard to the autoradiographic studies of other investigators on Amoeba proteus. The controversies over whether DNA and RNA are synthesized in the cytoplasm may be resolved by the finding of cytoplasmic infection.

  14. INFECTIVE ORGANISMS IN THE CYTOPLASM OF AMOEBA PROTEUS

    PubMed Central

    Roth, L. E.; Daniels, E. W.

    1961-01-01

    Evidence from electron and phase microscopy is given which shows that infective organisms are present in the cytoplasm of Amoeba proteus. Vesicles containing living organisms have been observed after repeated washing and starvation of the amebae for a period of 2 weeks. Exposure to γ-radiation in conjunction with starvation, repeated washing, isolation of single amebae, refeeding with contaminant-free Tetrahymena, and clone selection has produced clones with reduced cytoplasmic infection. These findings are discussed in regard to the autoradiographic studies of other investigators on Amoeba proteus. The controversies over whether DNA and RNA are synthesized in the cytoplasm may be resolved by the finding of cytoplasmic infection. PMID:13743844

  15. Synthetic extreme environments: overlooked sources of potential biotechnologically relevant microorganisms.

    PubMed

    Sibanda, Timothy; Selvarajan, Ramganesh; Tekere, Memory

    2017-05-01

    Synthetic extreme environments like carwash effluent tanks and drains are potential sources of biotechnologically important microorganisms and molecules which have, however, remained unexplored. Using culture- and molecular-based methods, a total of 17 bacterial isolates belonging to the genera Shewanella, Proteus, Paenibacillus, Enterobacter and Citrobacter, Aeromonas, Pseudomonas and Pantoea were identified. Hydrocarbon utilization and enzyme production screening assays showed that Aeromonas sp. CAC11, Paenibacillus sp. CAC12 and Paenibacillus sp. CAC13 and Citrobacter sp. PCW7 were able to degrade benzanthracene, naphthalene and diesel oil, Paenibacillus sp. CAC12 and Paenibacillus sp. CAC13 could produce cellulase enzyme, while Proteus sp. BPS2, Pseudomonas sp. SAS8 and Proteus sp. CAL3 could produce lipase. GC-MS analysis of bacterial secondary metabolites resulted in identification of 107 different compounds produced by Proteus sp. BPS2, Paenibacillus sp. CAC12, Pseudomonas sp. SAS8, Proteus sp. CAL3 and Paenibacillus sp. CAC13. Most of the compounds identified by both GC-MS and LC-MS have previously been determined to have antibacterial, antifungal and/or anticancer properties. Further, microbial metabolites which have previously been known to be produced only by plants or microorganisms found in natural extreme environments were also identified in this study. This research has revealed the immense bioresource potential of microorganisms inhabiting synthetic extreme environments. © 2017 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

  16. 21 CFR 866.3410 - Proteus spp. (Weil-Felix) serological reagents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Proteus spp. (Weil-Felix) serological reagents. 866.3410 Section 866.3410 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Serological Reagents § 866.3410...

  17. 21 CFR 866.3410 - Proteus spp. (Weil-Felix) serological reagents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Proteus spp. (Weil-Felix) serological reagents. 866.3410 Section 866.3410 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Serological Reagents § 866.3410...

  18. 21 CFR 866.3410 - Proteus spp. (Weil-Felix) serological reagents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Proteus spp. (Weil-Felix) serological reagents. 866.3410 Section 866.3410 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES IMMUNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY DEVICES Serological Reagents § 866.3410...

  19. Isolation and partial characterization of two plasmid deoxyribonucleic acids from endosymbiotic bacteria of Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed Central

    Han, J H; Jeon, K W

    1980-01-01

    Obligatory endosymbiotic bacteria in a strain of Amoeba proteus were found to harbor two distinct species of plasmid, pHJ11 and pHJ12. Their molecular weights were 39 x 10(6) and 14 x 10(6), respectively. Images PMID:7364732

  20. First Earth-based observations of Neptune's satellite Proteus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colas, F.; Buil, C.

    1992-08-01

    Proteus (Neptune III) was discovered from Voyager Spacecraft images in 1989 (Smith, 1989). It was never observed from ground-based observatories because of its magnitude (m = 20.3) and closeness to Neptune (maximum elongation = 6 arcsec). In October 1991, we used the 2.2 m telescope at the European Southern Observatory (La Silla, Chile) to look for it. The observation success is mainly due to the use of an anti blooming CCD and to good seeing conditions (less than 1 arcsec). We give the differential positions of Proteus referred to Neptune and we compare with theoretical positions issued from Voyager's data (Owen et al., 1991). We found that the rms orbital residual was about 0.1 arcsec.

  1. Genome sequence of a Proteus mirabilis strain isolated from the salivary glands of larval Lucilia sericata

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    We announced a draft genome sequence of a Proteus mirabilis strain derived from Lucilia sericata salivary glands. This strain is demonstrated to attract and induce oviposition by L. sericata, a common blow fly important to medicine, agriculture, and forensics. The genome will help to dissect inter...

  2. Integration of the blaNDM-1 carbapenemase gene into Proteus genomic island 1 (PGI1-PmPEL) in a Proteus mirabilis clinical isolate.

    PubMed

    Girlich, Delphine; Dortet, Laurent; Poirel, Laurent; Nordmann, Patrice

    2015-01-01

    To decipher the mechanisms and their associated genetic determinants responsible for β-lactam resistance in a Proteus mirabilis clinical isolate. The entire genetic structure surrounding the β-lactam resistance genes was characterized by PCR, gene walking and DNA sequencing. Genes encoding the carbapenemase NDM-1 and the ESBL VEB-6 were located in a 38.5 kb MDR structure, which itself was inserted into a new variant of the Proteus genomic island 1 (PGI1). This new PGI1-PmPEL variant of 64.4 kb was chromosomally located, as an external circular form in the P. mirabilis isolate, suggesting potential mobility. This is the first known description of the bla(NDM-1) gene in a genomic island structure, which might further enhance the spread of the bla(NDM-1) carbapenemase gene among enteric pathogens. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. Warthog: Coupling Status Update

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hart, Shane W. D.; Reardon, Bradley T.

    The Warthog code was developed to couple codes that are developed in both the Multi-Physics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) from Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and SHARP from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The initial phase of this work, focused on coupling the neutronics code PROTEUS with the fuel performance code BISON. The main technical challenge involves mapping the power density solution determined by PROTEUS to the fuel in BISON. This presents a challenge since PROTEUS uses the MOAB mesh format, but BISON, like all other MOOSE codes, uses the libMesh format. When coupling the different codes, one must consider that Warthogmore » is a light-weight MOOSE-based program that uses the Data Transfer Kit (DTK) to transfer data between the various mesh types. Users set up inputs for the codes they want to run, and then Warthog transfers the data between them. Currently Warthog supports XSProc from SCALE or the Sub-Group Application Programming Interface (SGAPI) in PROTEUS for generating cross sections. It supports arbitrary geometries using PROTEUS and BISON. DTK will transfer power densities and temperatures between the codes where the domains overlap. In the past fiscal year (FY), much work has gone into demonstrating two-way coupling for simple pin cells of various materials. XSProc was used to calculate the cross sections, which were then passed to PROTEUS in an external file. PROTEUS calculates the fission/power density, and Warthog uses DTK to pass this information to BISON, where it is used as the heat source. BISON then calculates the temperature profile of the pin cell and sends it back to XSProc to obtain the temperature corrected cross sections. This process is repeated until the convergence criteria (tolerance on BISON solve, or number of time steps) is reached. Models have been constructed and run for both uranium oxide and uranium silicide fuels. These models demonstrate a clear difference in power shape that is not accounted for in a stand-alone BISON run. Future work involves improving the user interface (UI), likely through integration with the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Workbench. Furthermore, automating the input creation would ease the user experience. The next priority is to continue coupling the work with other codes in the SHARP package. Efforts on other projects include work to couple the Nek5000 thermo-hydraulics code to MOOSE, but this is in the preliminary stages.« less

  4. THE CONTENT AND RELATIVE BASE RATIOS OF RIBONUCLEIC ACID IN AMOEBA

    PubMed Central

    Iverson, Ray M.

    1964-01-01

    The amount and relative base ratios of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the nucleus and cytoplasm of Amoeba proteus and A. dubia, and of homospecies cells obtained by nuclear transfer with A. proteus, have been determined by microelectrophoresis. In A. proteus the average amounts of RNA in the nucleus and the cytoplasm were 134. micromicrograms and 2520. micromicrograms; in A. dubia the averages for the nucleus and cytoplasm were 67. micromicrograms and 1427. micromicrograms. The relative base ratio of RNA of the nucleus is similar to that of the RNA of the cytoplasm within a species, but the two species differed in this respect. Homospecies nuclear transfer did not affect the relative base ratio or amount of RNA. PMID:14105213

  5. A Sensor To Detect the Early Stages in the Development of Crystalline Proteus mirabilis Biofilm on Indwelling Bladder Catheters

    PubMed Central

    Stickler, D. J.; Jones, S. M.; Adusei, G. O.; Waters, M. G.

    2006-01-01

    A simple sensor has been developed to detect the early stages of urinary catheter encrustation and avoid the clinical crises induced by catheter blockage. In laboratory models of colonization by Proteus mirabilis, the sensor signaled encrustation at an average time of 43 h before catheters were blocked with crystalline biofilm. PMID:16597888

  6. [Possibility of fortifying milk nutrient mixtures for children with lactoglobulin against E. coli and Proteus].

    PubMed

    Zlatnik, E Iu

    1986-01-01

    Sweet milk nutrient mixtures, biologically active additives (BAA) and lactic acid ferments, intended for child nutrition, were enriched with the immune preparation lactoglobulin against E. coli and Proteus. Serological and immunochemical investigations of hemagglutinating activity and other characteristics of lactoglobulin in the enriched milk mixtures and BAA evidenced that the preparation retained its full value during the technological process and in the period of storage. No signs of lactoglobulin degradation during the production of a test batch of the milk mixture and BAA were detected, and a high hemagglutinating activity with respect to enteropathogenic E. coli and Proteus was recorded. This permitted the author to recommend the lactoglobulin-enriched sweet mixtures for prevention of acute intestinal infections and dysbacteriosis in young children. The in vitro study of the lactoglobulin interaction with pure cultures of lactobacillus and bifidobacteria showed its inertness to eubacteria. Four strains studied retained their growth and acid-forming properties after combined incubation with lactoglobulin and did not inhibit its activity. A conclusion has been made on the possibility of enrichment of lactic acid products, intended for child nutrition, with lactoglobulin against E. coli and Proteus.

  7. Development of a Phage Cocktail to Control Proteus mirabilis Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections

    PubMed Central

    Melo, Luís D. R.; Veiga, Patrícia; Cerca, Nuno; Kropinski, Andrew M.; Almeida, Carina; Azeredo, Joana; Sillankorva, Sanna

    2016-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis is an enterobacterium that causes catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) due to its ability to colonize and form crystalline biofilms on the catheters surface. CAUTIs are very difficult to treat, since biofilm structures are highly tolerant to antibiotics. Phages have been used widely to control a diversity of bacterial species, however, a limited number of phages for P. mirabilis have been isolated and studied. Here we report the isolation of two novel virulent phages, the podovirus vB_PmiP_5460 and the myovirus vB_PmiM_5461, which are able to target, respectively, 16 of the 26 and all the Proteus strains tested in this study. Both phages have been characterized thoroughly and sequencing data revealed no traces of genes associated with lysogeny. To further evaluate the phages’ ability to prevent catheter’s colonization by Proteus, the phages adherence to silicone surfaces was assessed. Further tests in phage-coated catheters using a dynamic biofilm model simulating CAUTIs, have shown a significant reduction of P. mirabilis biofilm formation up to 168 h of catheterization. These results highlight the potential usefulness of the two isolated phages for the prevention of surface colonization by this bacterium. PMID:27446059

  8. Oriented thick and thin filaments in amoeba proteus

    PubMed Central

    Rinaldi, RA; Hrebenda, B

    1975-01-01

    Actin and myosin filaments as a foundation of contractile systems are well established from ameba to man (3). Wolpert et al. (19) isolated by differential centrifugation from Amoeba proteus a motile fraction composed of filaments which moved upon the addition of ATP. Actin filaments are found in amebas (1, 12, 13) which react with vertebrate heavy meromyosin (HMM), forming arrowhead complexes as vertebrate actin (3, 9), and are prominent within the ectoplasmic tube where some of them are attached to the plasmalemma (1, 12). Thick and thin filaments possessing the morphological characteristics of myosin and actin have been obtained from isolated ameba cytoplasm (18, 19). In addition, there are filaments exhibiting ATPase activity in amebas which react with actin (12, 16, 17). However, giant ameba (Chaos-proteus) shapes are difficult to preserve, and the excellent contributions referred to above are limited by visible distortions occurring in the amebas (rounding up, pseudopods disappearing, and cellular organelles swelling) upon fixation. Achievement of normal ameboid shape in recent glycerination work (15) led us to attempt other electron microscope fixation techniques, resulting in a surprising preservation of A. proteus with a unique orientation of thick and thin filaments in the ectoplasmic region. PMID:1141376

  9. Oriented thick and thin filaments in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Rinaldi, R A; Hrebenda, B

    1975-07-01

    Actin and myosin filaments as a foundation of contractile systems are well established from ameba to man (3). Wolpert et al. (19) isolated by differential centrifugation from Amoeba proteus a motile fraction composed of filaments which moved upon the addition of ATP. Actin filaments are found in amebas (1, 12, 13) which react with vertebrate heavy meromyosin (HMM), forming arrowhead complexes as vertebrate actin (3, 9), and are prominent within the ectoplasmic tube where some of them are attached to the plasmalemma (1, 12). Thick and thin filaments possessing the morphological characteristics of myosin and actin have been obtained from isolated ameba cytoplasm (18, 19). In addition, there are filaments exhibiting ATPase activity in amebas which react with actin (12, 16, 17). However, giant ameba (Chaos-proteus) shapes are difficult to preserve, and the excellent contributions referred to above are limited by visible distortions occurring in the amebas (rounding up, pseudopods disappearing, and cellular organelles swelling) upon fixation. Achievement of normal ameboid shape in recent glycerination work (15) led us to attempt other electron microscope fixation techniques, resulting in a surprising preservation of A. proteus with a unique orientation of thick and thin filaments in the ectoplasmic region.

  10. Neonatal Meningoventriculitis Due to Proteus Mirabilis – A Case Report

    PubMed Central

    Juyal, Deepak; Rathaur, Vyas Kumar; Sharma, Neelam

    2013-01-01

    A five day old full term born baby was admitted to our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with seizures, opisthotonous posture and was icteric upto thigh. Baby had a three day history of poor feeding, lethargy and abnormal body movements. Mother was a 29 years old primigravida and had a normal vaginal delivery at home. Sepsis profile of the patient was requested, lumbar puncture and ventricular tap was performed. Patient was put on third generation cephalosporins, aminoglycosides and phenobarbitone. Culture and sensitivity report of blood, Cerebro spinal fluid and ventricular fluid showed Proteus mirabilis. Computerized Tomography scan showed a large parenchymal lesion in the right frontal lobe and diffuse ependymal enhancement along both the lateral ventricles suggestive of meningoventriculitis. We hereby present a fatal case of neonatal meningoventriculitis due to Proteus mirabilis. PMID:23543669

  11. User Manual for the PROTEUS Mesh Tools

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Smith, Micheal A.; Shemon, Emily R.

    2015-06-01

    This report describes the various mesh tools that are provided with the PROTEUS code giving both descriptions of the input and output. In many cases the examples are provided with a regression test of the mesh tools. The most important mesh tools for any user to consider using are the MT_MeshToMesh.x and the MT_RadialLattice.x codes. The former allows the conversion between most mesh types handled by PROTEUS while the second allows the merging of multiple (assembly) meshes into a radial structured grid. Note that the mesh generation process is recursive in nature and that each input specific for a givenmore » mesh tool (such as .axial or .merge) can be used as “mesh” input for any of the mesh tools discussed in this manual.« less

  12. Novel polymer membrane process for pre-combustion CO{sub 2} capture from coal-fired syngas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Merkel, Tim

    2011-09-14

    This final report describes work conducted for the Department of Energy (DOE NETL) on development of a novel polymer membrane process for pre-combustion CO{sub 2} capture from coalfired syngas (award number DE-FE0001124). The work was conducted by Membrane Technology and Research, Inc. (MTR) from September 15, 2009, through December 14, 2011. Tetramer Technologies, LLC (Tetramer) was our subcontract partner on this project. The National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) at Wilsonville, AL, provided access to syngas gasifier test facilities. The main objective of this project was to develop a cost-effective membrane process that could be used in the relatively near-term tomore » capture CO{sub 2} from shifted syngas generated by a coal-fired Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant. In this project, novel polymeric membranes (designated as Proteus™ membranes) with separation properties superior to conventional polymeric membranes were developed. Hydrogen permeance of up to 800 gpu and H{sub 2}/CO{sub 2} selectivity of >12 was achieved using a simulated syngas mixture at 150°C and 50 psig, which exceeds the original project targets of 200 gpu for hydrogen permeance and 10 for H{sub 2}/CO{sub 2} selectivity. Lab-scale Proteus membrane modules (with a membrane area of 0.13 m{sup 2}) were also developed using scaled-up Proteus membranes and high temperature stable module components identified during this project. A mixed-gas hydrogen permeance of about 160 gpu and H{sub 2}/CO{sub 2} selectivity of >12 was achieved using a simulated syngas mixture at 150°C and 100 psig. We believe that a significant improvement in the membrane and module performance is likely with additional development work. Both Proteus membranes and lab-scale Proteus membrane modules were further evaluated using coal-derived syngas streams at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC). The results indicate that all module components, including the Proteus membrane, were stable under the field conditions (feed pressures: 150-175 psig and feed temperatures: 120-135°C) for over 600 hours. The field performance of both Proteus membrane stamps and Proteus membrane modules is consistent with the results obtained in the lab, suggesting that the presence of sulfur-containing compounds (up to 780 ppm hydrogen sulfide), saturated water vapor, carbon monoxide and heavy hydrocarbons in the syngas feed stream has no adverse effect on the Proteus membrane or module performance. We also performed an economic analysis for a number of membrane process designs developed in this project (using hydrogen-selective membranes, alone or in the combination with CO{sub 2}- selective membranes). The current field performance for Proteus membranes was used in the design analysis. The study showed the current best design has the potential to reduce the increase in Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) caused by 90% CO{sub 2} capture to about 15% if co-sequestration of H{sub 2}S is viable. This value is still higher than the DOE target for increase in LCOE (10%); however, compared to the base-case Selexol process that gives a 30% increase in LCOE at 90% CO2 capture, the membrane-based process appears promising. We believe future improvements in membrane performance have the potential to reach the DOE target.« less

  13. ERAST Program Proteus Aircraft in Flight over the Mojave Desert in California

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    The unusual design of the Proteus high-altitude aircraft, incorporating a gull-wing shape for its main wing and a long, slender forward canard, is clearly visible in this view of the aircraft in flight over the Mojave Desert in California. In the Proteus Project, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, is assisting Scaled Composites, Inc., Mojave, California, in developing a sophisticated station-keeping autopilot system and a Satellite Communications (SATCOM)-based uplink-downlink data system for aircraft and payload data under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project. The ERAST Project is sponsored by the Office of Aero-Space Technology at NASA Headquarters, and is managed by the Dryden Flight Research Center. The Proteus is a unique aircraft, designed as a high-altitude, long-duration telecommunications relay platform with potential for use on atmospheric sampling and Earth-monitoring science missions. The aircraft is designed to be flown by two pilots in a pressurized cabin, but also has the potential to perform its missions semiautonomously or be flown remotely from the ground. Flight testing of the Proteus, beginning in the summer of 1998 at Mojave Airport through the end of 1999, included the installation and checkout of the autopilot system, including the refinement of the altitude hold and altitude change software. The SATCOM equipment, including avionics and antenna systems, had been installed and checked out in several flight tests. The systems performed flawlessly during the Proteus's deployment to the Paris Airshow in 1999. NASA's ERAST project funded development of an Airborne Real-Time Imaging System (ARTIS). Developed by HyperSpectral Sciences, Inc., the small ARTIS camera was demonstrated during the summer of 1999 when it took visual and near-infrared photos over the Experimental Aircraft Association's 'AirVenture 99' Airshow at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The images were displayed on a computer monitor at the show only moments after they were taken. This was the second successful demonstration of the ARTIS camera. The aircraft is designed to cruise at altitudes from 59,000 to more than 65,000 feet for up to 18 hours. It was designed and built by Burt Rutan, president of Scaled Composites, Inc., to carry an 18-foot diameter telecommunications antenna system for relay of broadband data over major cities. The design allows for Proteus to be reconfigured at will for a variety of other missions such as atmospheric research, reconnaissance, commercial imaging, and launch of small space satellites. It is designed for extreme reliability and low operating costs, and to operate out of general aviation airports with minimal support. The aircraft consists of an all composite airframe with graphite-epoxy sandwich construction. It has a wingspan of 77 feet 7 inches, expandable to 92 feet with removable wingtips installed. It is 56.3 feet long and 17.6 feet high and weighs 5,900 pounds, empty. Proteus is powered by two Williams-Rolls FJ44-2 turbofan engines developing 2,300 pounds of thrust each.

  14. ERAST Program Proteus Aircraft in Flight over the Mojave Desert in California

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    The uniquely shaped Proteus high-altitude aircraft soars over California's Mojave Desert during a July 1999 flight. In the Proteus Project, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, is assisting Scaled Composites, Inc., Mojave, California, in developing a sophisticated station-keeping autopilot system and a Satellite Communications (SATCOM)-based uplink-downlink data system for aircraft and payload data under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project. The ERAST Project is sponsored by the Office of Aero-Space Technology at NASA Headquarters, and is managed by the Dryden Flight Research Center. The Proteus is a unique aircraft, designed as a high-altitude, long-duration telecommunications relay platform with potential for use on atmospheric sampling and Earth-monitoring science missions. The aircraft is designed to be flown by two pilots in a pressurized cabin, but also has the potential to perform its missions semiautonomously or be flown remotely from the ground. Flight testing of the Proteus, beginning in the summer of 1998 at Mojave Airport through the end of 1999, included the installation and checkout of the autopilot system, including the refinement of the altitude hold and altitude change software. The SATCOM equipment, including avionics and antenna systems, had been installed and checked out in several flight tests. The systems performed flawlessly during the Proteus's deployment to the Paris Airshow in 1999. NASA's ERAST project funded development of an Airborne Real-Time Imaging System (ARTIS). Developed by HyperSpectral Sciences, Inc., the small ARTIS camera was demonstrated during the summer of 1999 when it took visual and near-infrared photos over the Experimental Aircraft Association's 'AirVenture 99' Airshow at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The images were displayed on a computer monitor at the show only moments after they were taken. This was the second successful demonstration of the ARTIS camera. The aircraft is designed to cruise at altitudes from 59,000 to more than 65,000 feet for up to 18 hours. It was designed and built by Burt Rutan, president of Scaled Composites, Inc., to carry an 18-foot diameter telecommunications antenna system for relay of broadband data over major cities. The design allows for Proteus to be reconfigured at will for a variety of other missions such as atmospheric research, reconnaissance, commercial imaging, and launch of small space satellites. It is designed for extreme reliability and low operating costs, and to operate out of general aviation airports with minimal support. The aircraft consists of an all composite airframe with graphite-epoxy sandwich construction. It has a wingspan of 77 feet 7 inches, expandable to 92 feet with removable wingtips installed. It is 56.3 feet long and 17.6 feet high and weighs 5,900 pounds, empty. Proteus is powered by two Williams-Rolls FJ44-2 turbofan engines developing 2,300 pounds of thrust each.

  15. Host Defense against Opportunist Microorganisms Following Trauma.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-06-30

    aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis . Drugs (10-20 ag/kg) or placebo were administered intramuscularly to thermally injured guinea pigs at 3 hr postburn and...and Proteus mirabilis were also investigated. Since certain NSAIDs have discrete inhibitory effects on PMNs that occur independently of the classic...25 in thermally injured animals treated with NSAIDs or placebo. Figure 7. Mortality from burn wound infection with P. mirabilis 26 in thermally

  16. Detection of KPC-2 in a Clinical Isolate of Proteus mirabilis and First Reported Description of Carbapenemase Resistance Caused by a KPC Beta-Lactamase in P. mirabilis

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    An isolate of Proteus mirabilis recovered from bacterial cultures was shown to be resistant to imipenem, meropenem, and ertapenem by disk diffusion susceptibility testing. Amplification of whole cell and/or plasmid DNA recovered from the isolate using primers specific for the blaKPC carbapenemase g...

  17. A novel functional class 2 integron in clinical Proteus mirabilis isolates.

    PubMed

    Wei, Quhao; Hu, Qingfeng; Li, Shanshan; Lu, Huoyang; Chen, Guoqiang; Shen, Beiqiong; Zhang, Ping; Zhou, Yonglie

    2014-04-01

    To describe a novel functional class 2 integron that was found in clinical Proteus mirabilis isolates. Class 1 and 2 integrons were screened by PCR in 153 clinical Proteus isolates. The variable regions of class 1 and 2 integrons were determined by restriction analysis and sequencing. The mutations of internal stop codons in class 2 integrons and their common promoters were also determined by sequencing. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR was used to analyse the phylogenetic relations of class 2 integron-positive P. mirabilis isolates. Class 1 integrons were detected in 96 (63%) of 153 Proteus isolates: eight different gene cassette arrays were detected, including dfrA32-ereA1-aadA2, which was detected for the first time in P. mirabilis. Class 2 integrons were detected in 101 (66%) of 153 Proteus isolates: four different gene cassette arrays were detected, including dfrA1-catB2-sat2-aadA1, which was detected for the first time in a class 2 integron. A novel functional class 2 integron was detected in 38 P. mirabilis isolates with a common promoter (-35 TTTAAT|16 bp|-10 TAAAGT). The variable region of this functional class 2 integron contained dfrA14 and three novel open reading frames with unknown functions. Very similar ERIC-PCR fingerprinting patterns were detected in these 38 P. mirabilis isolates and were different from other class 2 integron-positive isolates. A novel functional class 2 integron was found for the first time in P. mirabilis. These functional class 2 integron-harbouring P. mirabilis isolates were likely to be clonally spread in our hospital.

  18. Experimental critical loadings and control rod worths in LWR-PROTEUS configurations compared with MCNPX results

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Plaschy, M.; Murphy, M.; Jatuff, F.

    2006-07-01

    The PROTEUS research reactor at the Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI) has been operating since the sixties and has already permitted, due to its high flexibility, investigation of a large range of very different nuclear systems. Currently, the ongoing experimental programme is called LWR-PROTEUS. This programme was started in 1997 and concerns large-scale investigations of advanced light water reactors (LWR) fuels. Until now, the different LWR-PROTEUS phases have permitted to study more than fifteen different configurations, each of them having to be demonstrated to be operationally safe, in particular, for the Swiss safety authorities. In this context, recent developments of themore » PSI computer capabilities have made possible the use of full-scale SD-heterogeneous MCNPX models to calculate accurately different safety related parameters (e.g. the critical driver loading and the shutdown rod worth). The current paper presents the MCNPX predictions of these operational characteristics for seven different LWR-PROTEUS configurations using a large number of nuclear data libraries. More specifically, this significant benchmarking exercise is based on the ENDF/B6v2, ENDF/B6v8, JEF2.2, JEFF3.0, JENDL3.2, and JENDL3.3 libraries. The results highlight certain library specific trends in the prediction of the multiplication factor k{sub eff} (e.g. the systematically larger reactivity calculated with JEF2.2 and the smaller reactivity associated with JEFF3.0). They also confirm the satisfactory determination of reactivity variations by all calculational schemes, for instance, due to the introduction of a safety rod pair, these calculations having been compared with experiments. (authors)« less

  19. [Current resistence situation in a surgical and urological department].

    PubMed

    Wacha, H; Stix, H

    1976-04-15

    Spectrum and sensitivity of bacteria were studied at the Surgical (534 positive wound smears) and the Urological Clinics (7879 urine specimens). Krankenhaus Nordwest, Frankfurt/M., during the period of 1969-1971 and in 1973. The most common organisms identified in wound smears were E. coli, followed by Staph. areus, Aerobacter and Proteus species. E. coli were also predominant in urine, but followed by Enterococci, Proteus and Pseudomonas. E. coli, Proteus species and especially Pseudomonas increased in number whereas Enterococci decreased. There was no pronounced increase in resistance to 9 current antibiotics as well as to chemotherapeutics during the observation period which was particularly striking in the case of Ampicillin used on a large scale. The results of our study support the presently employed therapeutic method using bactericidal antibiotics of the penicillin group in strict indications.

  20. Peptides as modifiers of Na+-induced pinocytosis in starved Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Josefsson, J O; Johansson, P

    1985-01-01

    Low concentrations of six peptide hormones; glucagon, vasoactive intestinal peptide, substance P, angiotensin II, lysine-vasopressin, arginine-vasopressin, and the chemotactic peptide fMet-Leu-Phe, activated the capacity for pinocytosis in starved Amoeba proteus. Competitive inhibitors of the chemotactic peptide in leucocytes inhibited activation by fMet-Leu-Phe, suggesting that its action in the amoeba is mediated by specific receptors. The opioid peptides, beta-endorphin, dynorphin (1-13) and leu-enkephalin abolished through a naloxone-sensitive mechanism activation by hormones and several other activating agents. Also, low concentrations of beef and pork insulin inhibited activation by peptide hormones. An insulin analogue of low potency in mammalian cells was inactive in the amoeba. These results support the hypothesis that besides opioid receptors, there may be insulin receptors and possibly receptors for several other peptide hormones in Amoeba proteus.

  1. Scaled Composites' Doug Shane examines the screen of his ground control station during tests in New Mexico. Shane used this configuration as the ground control station to remotely pilot the Proteus aircraft during a NASA sponsored series of tests.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2002-03-13

    Scaled Composites' Doug Shane examines the screen of his ground control station during tests in New Mexico. Shane used this configuration as the ground control station to remotely pilot the Proteus aircraft during a NASA sponsored series of tests.

  2. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool in Analysis of Proteus mirabilis Endotoxins.

    PubMed

    Żarnowiec, Paulina; Czerwonka, Grzegorz; Kaca, Wiesław

    2017-01-01

    Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to scan whole bacterial cells as well as lipopolysaccharides (LPSs, endotoxins) isolated from them. Proteus mirabilis cells, with chemically defined LPSs, served as a model for the ATR FT-IR method. The paper focuses on three steps of infrared spectroscopy: (1) sample preparation, (2) IR scanning, and (3) multivariate analysis of IR data (principal component analysis, PCA).

  3. Arthrite septique à Proteus mirabilis

    PubMed Central

    Sbiti, Mohammed; Bouhamidi, Bahia; Louzi, Lhoussaine

    2017-01-01

    L'arthrite septique aigue est une pathologie peu fréquente mais grevée d'un pronostic lourd en termes de mortalité et morbidité. Nous rapportons un cas d'arthrite septique à Proteus mirabilis survenue de façon spontanée chez un patient de 61 ansprésentant un diabète compliqué,associée à des hémoculturespositives et des cultures positives du liquide articulaire. L'évolution était favorable grâce au diagnostic précoce et à l'institution d'une antibiothérapie adéquate. L'arthrite septique à Proteus Mirabilis est rare, ce qui nous a incité à revoir dans la littérature des séries d'arthrites à pyogènes incluant Proteus mirabilis portant sur les facteurs de risque, la pathogénie, le traitement et l'évolution de ces pathologies. Le diagnostic est avant tout microbiologique, la ponction articulaire précoce est réalisée avant toute antibiothérapie, l'examen direct, la culture et l'antibiogramme qui va guider le choix d'une antibiothérapie. L'arthrite septique est une urgence diagnostique et thérapeutique, la prise en charge précoce de cette pathologie permet une guérison sans séquelles. PMID:28674590

  4. Pathogenetic insights from quantification of the cerebriform connective tissue nevus in Proteus syndrome.

    PubMed

    Nathan, Neera R; Patel, Rachna; Crenshaw, Molly M; Lindhurst, Marjorie J; Olsen, Cara; Biesecker, Leslie G; Keppler-Noreuil, Kim M; Darling, Thomas N

    2018-04-01

    The plantar cerebriform connective tissue nevus (CCTN) is the most common and problematic cutaneous manifestation of Proteus syndrome. To gain insights into CCTN pathogenesis and natural history. The size and location of plantar CCTN was measured on 152 images from 22 individuals with Proteus syndrome by 2 independent, blinded reviewers. Average measures of plantar CCTN were transformed into a linear mixed model to estimate proportionate change in size with age. Median patient age was 6.9 years at study onset. The intraclass correlation coefficient between 2 blinded reviewers was 0.946 for CCTN single measures. The CCTN relative area increased with age in children (n = 18, P < .0001) by 5.6% per year. Confluent papules and nodules extending beyond the boundaries of CCTNs were gradually replaced by typical CCTN over time. The location of CCTN in different individuals overlapped near the ball of the foot. A positive relationship between CCTN growth rate and AKT1 mutant allele frequency was observed (0.62, P = .10, n = 8). This was a retrospective review using photographs. CCTN growth is affected by age and extent of the CCTN precursor lesion. Monitoring of CCTN size might prove useful for evaluating drug response in the treatment of Proteus syndrome. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  5. The nuclear membrane-associated honeycomb structure of the unicellular organism Amoeba proteus: on the search for homologies with the nuclear lamina of metazoa.

    PubMed

    Schmidt, M; Grossmann, U; Krohne, G

    1995-07-01

    In the protozoon Amoeba proteus, a complex and highly organized structure with the morphology of a honeycomb is associated with the nucleoplasmic surface of the nuclear membrane. We have tested whether this structure exhibits similarity to the nuclear lamina of metazoic organisms. First, we have shown that the honeycomb layer is composed of 3 to 5 nm thick protein fibrils resistant to treatment with detergent, high salt, and digestion with nucleases, thus possessing properties typical for karyoskeletal elements. However, in contrast to the meshwork of lamin filaments in somatic cells of metazoic organisms, the honeycomb layer is not tightly anchored to the nucleoplasmic side of pore complexes, or to the inner nuclear membrane. Second, in microinjection experiments we investigated whether fluorescently labeled lamins of Xenopus laevis (lamins A and LI) and Drosophila melanogaster (lamin Dmo) were able to associate in vivo with the Amoeba proteus honeycomb structure. In microinjected amoeba these three lamins were efficiently transported into the nucleus, but did not associate with the nuclear envelope. Our results suggest that the Amoeba proteus nuclear envelope, including the honeycomb layer, does not contain proteins exhibiting high homologies to lamins of metazoan species thus preventing the localized assembly of microinjected lamins along the nuclear periphery.

  6. Presence of aquaporin and V-ATPase on the contractile vacuole of Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Nishihara, Eri; Yokota, Etsuo; Tazaki, Akira; Orii, Hidefumi; Katsuhara, Maki; Kataoka, Kensuke; Igarashi, Hisako; Moriyama, Yoshinori; Shimmen, Teruo; Sonobe, Seiji

    2008-03-01

    The results of water permeability measurements suggest the presence of an AQP (aquaporin) in the membrane of the CV (contractile vacuole) in Amoeba proteus [Nishihara, Shimmen and Sonobe (2004) Cell Struct. Funct. 29, 85-90]. In the present study, we cloned an AQP gene from A. proteus [ApAQP (A. proteus AQP)] that encodes a 295-amino-acid protein. The protein has six putative TMs (transmembrane domains) and two NPA (Asn-Pro-Ala) motifs, which are conserved among various AQPs and are thought to be involved in the formation of water channels that span the lipid bilayer. Using Xenopus oocytes, we have demonstrated that the ApAQP protein product can function as a water channel. Immunofluorescence microscopy with anti-ApAQP antibody revealed that ApAQP is detected on the CV membrane and on the vesicles around the CV. The presence of V-ATPase (vacuolar H+-ATPase) on the vesicle membrane around the CV was also detected. Our data on ApAQP allow us to provide the first informed explanation of the high water permeability of the CV membrane in amoeba. Moreover, the results suggest that vesicles possessing V-ATPase are involved in generating an osmotic gradient. Based on our findings, we propose a new hypothesis for the mechanism of CV function.

  7. Proteus Survey: Technical Manual and Codebook

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-06-01

    Reserve Officer Training Corp, 20% from Officer Candidate School and Direct Commission) and by gender . Female officers were supposed to be oversampled...stratified by source of commission (40% USMA, 40% ROTC, 20% OCS and DC) and by gender , as in previous years. A total of approximately 7,000 surveys were...for the 1987 Proteus Survey and the population percentages from the OLRDB for each of the key strata ( gender and source of commission) reportedly used

  8. Proteus mirabilis fimbriae- and urease-dependent clusters assemble in an extracellular niche to initiate bladder stone formation.

    PubMed

    Schaffer, Jessica N; Norsworthy, Allison N; Sun, Tung-Tien; Pearson, Melanie M

    2016-04-19

    The catheter-associated uropathogenProteus mirabilisfrequently causes urinary stones, but little has been known about the initial stages of bladder colonization and stone formation. We found thatP. mirabilisrapidly invades the bladder urothelium, but generally fails to establish an intracellular niche. Instead, it forms extracellular clusters in the bladder lumen, which form foci of mineral deposition consistent with development of urinary stones. These clusters elicit a robust neutrophil response, and we present evidence of neutrophil extracellular trap generation during experimental urinary tract infection. We identified two virulence factors required for cluster development: urease, which is required for urolithiasis, and mannose-resistantProteus-like fimbriae. The extracellular cluster formation byP. mirabilisstands in direct contrast to uropathogenicEscherichia coli, which readily formed intracellular bacterial communities but not luminal clusters or urinary stones. We propose that extracellular clusters are a key mechanism ofP. mirabilissurvival and virulence in the bladder.

  9. Linear Cowden nevus: a new distinct epidermal nevus.

    PubMed

    Happle, Rudolf

    2007-01-01

    Within the group of epidermal nevi, a so far nameless disorder is described under the term "linear Cowden nevus". This non-organoid epidermal nevus is caused by loss of heterozygosity, occurring at an early developmental stage in an embryo with a germline PTEN mutation, giving rise to Cowden disease. Hence, linear Cowden nevus can be categorized as a characteristic feature of type 2 segmental Cowden disease. Until now, several authors had mistaken this epidermal nevus as a manifestation of Proteus syndrome. The concept of linear Cowden nevus implies that Proteus syndrome is by no means caused by PTEN mutations. As a clinical difference, linear Cowden nevus is markedly papillomatous and thick, whereas linear Proteus nevus tends to be rather flat. Moreover, the spectrum of possibly associated cutaneous or extracutaneous anomalies differs in the two types of nevi. In conclusion, linear Cowden nevus, that may also be called "linear PTEN nevus", represents a distinct clinicogenetic entity.

  10. Intracellular pressure is a motive force for cell motion in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Yanai, M; Kenyon, C M; Butler, J P; Macklem, P T; Kelly, S M

    1996-01-01

    The cortical filament layer of free-living amoebae contains concentrated actomyosin, suggesting that it can contract and produce an internal hydrostatic pressure. We report here on direct and dynamic intracellular pressure (P(ic)) measurements in Amoeba proteus made using the servo-null technique. In resting apolar A. proteus, P(ic) increased while the cells remained immobile and at apparently constant volume. P(ic) then decreased approximately coincident with pseudopod formation. There was a positive correlation between P(ic) at the onset of movement and the rate of pseudopod formation. These results are the first direct evidence that hydrostatic pressure may be a motive force for cell motion. We postulate that contractile elements in the amoeba's cortical layer contract and increase P(ic) and that this P(ic) is utilized to overcome the viscous flow resistance of the intracellular contents during pseudopod formation.

  11. CYTOPLASMIC DNA SYNTHESIS IN AMOEBA PROTEUS

    PubMed Central

    Rabinovitch, M.; Plaut, W.

    1962-01-01

    The incorporation of tritiated thymidine in Amoeba proteus was reinvestigated in order to see if it could be associated with microscopically detectable structures. Staining experiments with basic dyes, including the fluorochrome acridine orange, revealed the presence of large numbers of 0.3 to 0.5 µ particles in the cytoplasm of all cells studied. The effect of nuclease digestion on the dye affinity of the particles suggests that they contain DNA as well as RNA. Centrifugation of living cells at 10,000 g leads to the sedimentation of the particles in the centrifugal third of the ameba near the nucleus. Analysis of centrifuged cells which had been incubated with H3-thymidine showed a very high degree of correlation between the location of the nucleic acid-containing granules and that of acid-insoluble, deoxyribonuclease-sensitive labeled molecules and leads to the conclusion that cytoplasmic DNA synthesis in Amoeba proteus occurs in association with these particles. PMID:13972870

  12. Elemental maps of Amoeba proteus by a scanning proton microprobe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Minqian; Zhu, Jingde; Zhu, Jieqing; Zhou, Zheng; Huang, Zeqi; Zhou, Weiying; Cholewa, M.; Legge, G. J. F.

    1991-03-01

    Elemental maps for P, S, Cl, K, Ca and Zn of individual Amoeba proteus were obtained with the Melbourne scanning proton microprobe. The emphasis was put on the relationship of both distribution and concentration of Zn within the cell and the growth inhibitory effect of higher Zn concentrations in the culture medium. At a concentration of 0.04 mmol ZnCl 2, Amoeba growth was inhibited. But at a concentration of 0.0016 mmol, the Amoeba grew as well as a control grown without addition of Zn. We found that in the former (0.04 mmol) Zn concentrated three times more than in the latter (0.0016 mmol), and also that Zn was enriched much more in the nucleus and endoplasm (five to six times) than in other parts of the cell (two times). Future work along these lines may provide insight into the mechanism by which Zn affects the growth of Amoeba proteus and other cells.

  13. Status Report on NEAMS PROTEUS/ORIGEN Integration

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wieselquist, William A

    2016-02-18

    The US Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Program has contributed significantly to the development of the PROTEUS neutron transport code at Argonne National Laboratory and to the Oak Ridge Isotope Generation and Depletion Code (ORIGEN) depletion/decay code at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. PROTEUS’s key capability is the efficient and scalable (up to hundreds of thousands of cores) neutron transport solver on general, unstructured, three-dimensional finite-element-type meshes. The scalability and mesh generality enable the transfer of neutron and power distributions to other codes in the NEAMS toolkit for advanced multiphysics analysis. Recently, ORIGEN has received considerablemore » modernization to provide the high-performance depletion/decay capability within the NEAMS toolkit. This work presents a description of the initial integration of ORIGEN in PROTEUS, mainly performed during FY 2015, with minor updates in FY 2016.« less

  14. [Regulation of cortical cytoskeleton dynamics during migration of free-living amoebae].

    PubMed

    Kłopocka, Wanda; Redowicz, Maria Jolanta; Wasik, Anna

    2009-01-01

    Amoeba proteus and smaller by an order of magnitude (and evolutionary younger) Acanthamoeba castellanii have been for many years model cells for studies of amoeboidal (crawling) type of movement, characteristic also for some of metazoan cells such as fibroblasts, granulocytes and macrophages. Amoeboidal migration is indispensable of organization and dynamics of actin-based cytoskeleton. While there is a number of data on molecular mechanisms of motility of A. castellanii, there is very little known about bases of migration of A. proteus. Noteworthy, a large A. proteus (length approximately 600 microm) have been from over a century an object for studies on biology and physiology of cellular migration. This review describes the current knowledge on molecular aspects of force generation required for migration of these two amoebae and attempts to compare the functioning and regulation of actin cytoskeleton in these free-living unicellular species.

  15. An exploration of the accuracy of an invasive method for measuring the volume of specimens of Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Whalen, T A; Demarco, A J

    1999-10-01

    A method is described for measuring the volume of individual specimens of Amoeba proteus which utilizes an easily constructed compressor to flatten the specimen to a known thickness. The microscopic image of the flattened specimen is captured on tape, digitized and analysed with the NIH Image software. The results from one specimen are given to illustrate the sources and magnitude of errors affecting these volume measurements.

  16. Proteus Syndrome With a Cranial Intraosseous Lipoma.

    PubMed

    Wolfswinkel, Erik M; Imahiyerobo, Thomas A; McComb, J Gordon; Sanchez-Lara, Pedro A; Urata, Mark M

    2017-11-01

    Intraosseous lipomas are almost exclusively seen in the long bones. Presence in the craniofacial skeleton is extremely rare. A 7-year-old male is presented with a marked craniofacial deformation from a bony tumor containing an intraosseous lipoma. This finding established a clinical diagnosis of Proteus syndrome. Given the size of the tumor, producing an extensive deformity, three-dimensional modeling was used to generate a three-dimensional printed implant. The process to achieve a successful outcome is herein described.

  17. Status of a UAV SAR Designed for Repeat Pass Interferometry for Deformation Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hensley, Scott; Wheeler, Kevin; Hoffman, Jim; Miller, Tim; Lou, Yunling; Muellerschoen, Ron; Zebker, Howard; Madsen, Soren; Rosen, Paul

    2004-01-01

    Under the NASA ESTO sponsored Instrument Incubator Program we have designed a lightweight, reconfigurable polarimetric L-band SAR designed for repeat pass deformation measurements of rapidly deforming surfaces of geophysical interest such as volcanoes or earthquakes. This radar will be installed on an unmanned airborne vehicle (UAV) or a lightweight, high-altitude, and long endurance platform such as the Proteus. After a study of suitable available platforms we selected the Proteus for initial development and testing of the system. We want to control the repeat track capability of the aircraft to be within a 10 m tube to support the repeat deformation capability. We conducted tests with the Proteus using real-time GPS with sub-meter accuracy to see if pilots could fly the aircraft within the desired tube. Our results show that pilots are unable to fly the aircraft with the desired accuracy and therefore an augmented autopilot will be required to meet these objectives. Based on the Proteus flying altitude of 13.7 km (45,000 ft), we are designing a fully polarimetric L-band radar with 80 MHz bandwidth and 16 km range swath. This radar will have an active electronic beam steering antenna to achieve Doppler centroid stability that is necessary for repeat-pass interferometry (RPI). This paper will present are design criteria, current design and expected science applications.

  18. [CHROMATIN ORGANIZATION IN CELL CYCLE OF AMOEBA PROTEUS ACCORDING TO OPTICAL TOMOGRAPHY DATA].

    PubMed

    Demin, S Yu; Berdieva, M A; Podlipaeva, Yu I; Yudin, A L; Goodkov, A V

    2015-01-01

    For the first time the nuclear cycle of large freshwater amoeba Amoeba proteus was studied by the method of optical tomography. The nuclei were fixed in situ in the cells of synchronized culture, stained by DAPI and examined by confocal laser scanning microscope. 3D-images of intranuclear chromatin were studied in details at different stages of nuclear cycle. The obtained data, together with literary ones allow represent the dynamics of structural organization of the nucleus in Amoeba proteus cell cycle in a new fashion. It was concluded that in this species the two-stage interphase takes place, as well as mitosis of peculiar type which does not correspond to any known type of mitosis according to classification existing now. It is presumed that in the course of nuclear cycle the chromosomes and/or their fragments are amplified, this presumption being in a good correspondence with the data about nuclear DNA hyperreplication in the cell cycle of A. proteus. As a result of chromosomes amplification their number may vary at different stages of cell cycle, and it allows to explain the contradictory data concerning the exact number of chromosomes in this species. The elimination of extra-DNA occurs mainly at the stage between prophase and prometaphase. We presume the majority of chromosomes, or may be even all of them to be referred to cholocentric type according to their behaviour during the mitosis.

  19. Verification of the proteus two-dimensional Navier-Stokes code for flat plate and pipe flows

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Conley, Julianne M.; Zeman, Patrick L.

    1991-01-01

    The Proteus Navier-Stokes Code is evaluated for 2-D/axisymmetric, viscous, incompressible, internal, and external flows. The particular cases to be discussed are laminar and turbulent flows over a flat plate, laminar and turbulent developing pipe flows, and turbulent pipe flow with swirl. Results are compared with exact solutions, empirical correlations, and experimental data. A detailed description of the code set-up, including boundary conditions, initial conditions, grid size, and grid packing is given for each case.

  20. The development of an intelligent interface to a computational fluid dynamics flow-solver code

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, Anthony D.

    1988-01-01

    Researchers at NASA Lewis are currently developing an 'intelligent' interface to aid in the development and use of large, computational fluid dynamics flow-solver codes for studying the internal fluid behavior of aerospace propulsion systems. This paper discusses the requirements, design, and implementation of an intelligent interface to Proteus, a general purpose, 3-D, Navier-Stokes flow solver. The interface is called PROTAIS to denote its introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) concepts to the Proteus code.

  1. The development of an intelligent interface to a computational fluid dynamics flow-solver code

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, Anthony D.

    1988-01-01

    Researchers at NASA Lewis are currently developing an 'intelligent' interface to aid in the development and use of large, computational fluid dynamics flow-solver codes for studying the internal fluid behavior of aerospace propulsion systems. This paper discusses the requirements, design, and implementation of an intelligent interface to Proteus, a general purpose, three-dimensional, Navier-Stokes flow solver. The interface is called PROTAIS to denote its introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) concepts to the Proteus code.

  2. Water quality bioassay using selected protozoa. I. [Paramecium candatum; Amoeba proteus; Euglena gracilis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mills, W.L.

    1976-01-01

    The suitability of certain species of protozoa as indicators of water quality has been determined. Experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions to standardize a bioassay procedure for water quality using either Paramecium caudatum, Amoeba proteus, or Euglena gracilis as the indicator organism. The bioassay, which consists of exposing the organisms to a known concentration of pollutant under laboratory conditions, followed by microscopic observation to establish the time of death, affords a reliable, convenient and inexpensive way to monitor for water quality.

  3. IMP-27, a Unique Metallo-β-Lactamase Identified in Geographically Distinct Isolates of Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Dixon, Nyssa; Fowler, Randal C; Yoshizumi, A; Horiyama, Tsukasa; Ishii, Y; Harrison, Lucas; Geyer, Chelsie N; Moland, Ellen Smith; Thomson, Kenneth; Hanson, Nancy D

    2016-10-01

    A novel metallo-β-lactamase gene, blaIMP-27, was identified in unrelated Proteus mirabilis isolates from two geographically distinct locations in the United States. Both isolates harbor blaIMP-27 as part of the first gene cassette in a class 2 integron. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated susceptibility to aztreonam, piperacillin-tazobactam, and ceftazidime but resistance to ertapenem. However, hydrolysis assays indicated that ceftazidime was a substrate for IMP-27. Copyright © 2016 Dixon et al.

  4. Toward a Mathematical Theory of Counterterrorism (Proteus USA, Volume 1, Issue 2, December 2007)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-12-01

    Toward a MaTheMaTical Theory of counTerTerrorisM The Proteus Monograph Series Volume 1, Issue 2 December 2007 Report Documentation Page Form...COVERED 00-00-2007 to 00-00-2007 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Toward a Mathematical Theory of Counterterrorism 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c...Army War College,Center for Strategic Leadership ,650 Wright Avenue,Carlisle,PA,17013-5049 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING

  5. Analyzing Future Complex National Security Challenges within the Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental, and Multinational Environment. Proteus Futures Academic Workshop Held in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania on 22-24 August 2006

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-08-01

    AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY...threats, or financial insecurities. Yankee Going Home: The world of 2020 looks like a confused mess! Little is clear except that the world has... statements from Proteus: Insights from 2020 are highly releant when thinking about the current strategic picture in the context of Power: “When Power

  6. Proteus mirabilis fimbriae- and urease-dependent clusters assemble in an extracellular niche to initiate bladder stone formation

    PubMed Central

    Schaffer, Jessica N.; Norsworthy, Allison N.; Sun, Tung-Tien

    2016-01-01

    The catheter-associated uropathogen Proteus mirabilis frequently causes urinary stones, but little has been known about the initial stages of bladder colonization and stone formation. We found that P. mirabilis rapidly invades the bladder urothelium, but generally fails to establish an intracellular niche. Instead, it forms extracellular clusters in the bladder lumen, which form foci of mineral deposition consistent with development of urinary stones. These clusters elicit a robust neutrophil response, and we present evidence of neutrophil extracellular trap generation during experimental urinary tract infection. We identified two virulence factors required for cluster development: urease, which is required for urolithiasis, and mannose-resistant Proteus-like fimbriae. The extracellular cluster formation by P. mirabilis stands in direct contrast to uropathogenic Escherichia coli, which readily formed intracellular bacterial communities but not luminal clusters or urinary stones. We propose that extracellular clusters are a key mechanism of P. mirabilis survival and virulence in the bladder. PMID:27044107

  7. In Vitro Studies of Semisynthetic α- (Substituted-Ureido) Penicillins

    PubMed Central

    Bodey, Gerald P.; Stewart, Dorothy

    1971-01-01

    The activity of three α-(substituted-ureido) penicillins was evaluated in vitro against 599 clinical isolates of gram-negative bacilli, by use of the broth-dilution technique. At a concentration of 12.5 μg or less/ml, BL-P1597 inhibited 90% of isolates of Pseudomonas sp., 56% of Enterobacter sp., 67% of indole-positive Proteus spp., 72% of Escherichia coli, and 85% of Proteus mirabilis. BL-P1654 had similar activity, whereas BL-P1532 was much less active. At a concentration of 25 μg or less/ml, BL-P1597 also inhibited nearly 60% of isolates of Klebsiella sp. and nearly 40% of Serratia sp. BL-P1597 and BL-P1654 were as active as ampicillin and carbenicillin against E. coli and P. mirabilis. They were less active than carbenicillin against indole-positive Proteus spp. Both drugs were substantially more active than carbenicillin against Pseudomonas sp. A strain of Pseudomonas sp. which developed resistance to carbenicillin also developed resistance to the α-(substituted-ureido) penicillins simultaneously. PMID:4930281

  8. Cytoplasmic DNA synthesis in Amoeba proteus. I. On the particulate nature of the DNA-containing elements.

    PubMed

    RABINOVITCH, M; PLAUT, W

    1962-12-01

    The incorporation of tritiated thymidine in Amoeba proteus was reinvestigated in order to see if it could be associated with microscopically detectable structures. Staining experiments with basic dyes, including the fluorochrome acridine orange, revealed the presence of large numbers of 0.3 to 0.5 micro particles in the cytoplasm of all cells studied. The effect of nuclease digestion on the dye affinity of the particles suggests that they contain DNA as well as RNA. Centrifugation of living cells at 10,000 g leads to the sedimentation of the particles in the centrifugal third of the ameba near the nucleus. Analysis of centrifuged cells which had been incubated with H(3)-thymidine showed a very high degree of correlation between the location of the nucleic acid-containing granules and that of acid-insoluble, deoxyribonuclease-sensitive labeled molecules and leads to the conclusion that cytoplasmic DNA synthesis in Amoeba proteus occurs in association with these particles.

  9. Detection of human antibodies binding with smooth and rough LPSs from Proteus mirabilis O3 strains S1959, R110, R45.

    PubMed

    Gleńska-Olender, J; Durlik, K; Konieczna, I; Kowalska, P; Gawęda, J; Kaca, W

    2017-11-01

    Bacteria of the genus Proteus of the family Enterobacteriaceae are facultative human pathogens responsible mainly for urinary tract and wound infections, bacteremia and the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We have analyzed and compared by ELISA the titer of antibodies in plasmas of healthy individuals and in sera of rheumatoid arthritis patients recognizing a potential host cross-reactive epitope (lysine-galacturonic acid epitopes) present in Proteus lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In our experiments LPSs isolated from two mutants of smooth Proteus mirabilis 1959 (O3), i.e. strains R110 and R45, were used. R110 (Ra type mutant) is lacking the O-specific polysaccharide, but possesses a complete core oligosaccharide, while R45 (Re type) has a reduced core oligosaccharide and contains two 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid residues and one of 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinopyranose residues. Titer of P. mirabilis S1959 LPS-specific-antibodies increased with the age of blood donors. RA and blood donors' sera contained antibodies against S and Ra and Re type of P. mirabilis O3 LPSs. Antibodies recognizing lysine-galacturonic acid epitopes of O3 LPS were detected by ELISA in some plasmas of healthy individuals and sera of rheumatoid arthritis patients. RA patients antibodies reacting with P. mirabilis S1959 S and R LPSs may indicate a potential role of anti-LPS antibodies in molecular mimicry in RA diseases.

  10. Preliminary Analysis of the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) with PROTEUS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Connaway, H. M.; Lee, C. H.

    The neutron transport code PROTEUS has been used to perform preliminary simulations of the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT). TREAT is an experimental reactor designed for the testing of nuclear fuels and other materials under transient conditions. It operated from 1959 to 1994, when it was placed on non-operational standby. The restart of TREAT to support the U.S. Department of Energy’s resumption of transient testing is currently underway. Both single assembly and assembly-homogenized full core models have been evaluated. Simulations were performed using a historic set of WIMS-ANL-generated cross-sections as well as a new set of Serpent-generated cross-sections. To supportmore » this work, further analyses were also performed using additional codes in order to investigate particular aspects of TREAT modeling. DIF3D and the Monte-Carlo codes MCNP and Serpent were utilized in these studies. MCNP and Serpent were used to evaluate the effect of geometry homogenization on the simulation results and to support code-to-code comparisons. New meshes for the PROTEUS simulations were created using the CUBIT toolkit, with additional meshes generated via conversion of selected DIF3D models to support code-to-code verifications. All current analyses have focused on code-to-code verifications, with additional verification and validation studies planned. The analysis of TREAT with PROTEUS-SN is an ongoing project. This report documents the studies that have been performed thus far, and highlights key challenges to address in future work.« less

  11. Cytotoxicity of polyamines to Amoeba proteus: role of polyamine oxidase.

    PubMed

    Schenkel, E; Dubois, J G; Helson-Cambier, M; Hanocq, M

    1996-02-01

    It has been shown that oxidation of polyamines by polyamine oxidases can produce toxic compounds (H2O2, aldehydes, ammonia) and that the polyamine oxidase-polyamine system is implicated, in vitro, in the death of several parasites. Using Amoeba proteus as an in vitro model, we studied the cytotoxicity to these cells of spermine, spermidine, their acetyl derivatives, and their hypothetical precursors. Spermine and N1-acetylspermine were more toxic than emetine, an amoebicidal reference drug. Spermine presented a short-term toxicity, but a 48-h contact time was necessary for the high toxicity of spermidine. The uptake by Amoeba cells of the different polyamines tested was demonstrated. On the other hand, a high polyamine oxidase activity was identified in Amoeba proteus crude extract. Spermine (theoretical 100%) and N1-acetylspermine (64%) were the best substrates at pH 9.5, while spermidine, its acetyl derivatives, and putrescine were very poorly oxidized by this enzyme (3-20%). Spermine oxidase activity was inhibited by phenylhydrazine (nil) and isoniazid (approximately 50%). Mepacrine did not inhibit the enzyme activity at pH 8. Neither monoamine nor diamine oxidase activity (approximately 10%) was found. It must be emphasized that spermine, the best enzyme substrate, is the most toxic polyamine. This finding suggests that knowledge of polyamine oxidase specificity can be used to modulate the cytotoxicity of polyamine derivatives. Amoeba proteus was revealed as a simple model for investigation of the connection between cytotoxicity and enzyme activity.

  12. Pinocytosis and locomotion of amoebae. XV. Visualization of Ca++-dynamics by chlorotetracycline (CTC) fluorescence during induced pinocytosis in living Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Gawlitta, W; Stockem, W; Wehland, J; Weber, K

    1980-01-01

    The dynamics of Ca++ during induced pinocytosis were studied in Amoeba proteus using chlorotetracycline (CTC). The fluorescence of the Ca++ - CTC-complex was monitored by an image intensification system, which has certain advantages over standard equipment: (1) Living cells are not subjected to the damaging influence of intensive microscopic illumination, (2) fluorescent probes are not bleached during observation, and (3) the rapid dynamics of the Ca++ -fluxes can be recorded using short exposure times. The results demonstrate the existence of Ca++ bound to intracellular and extracellular sites of the cell membrane complex in normal locomoting and pinocytotic Amoeba proteus. The application of cations inducing pinocytosis causes a rapid decrease in the external CTC-fluorescence probably due to a release of Ca++ from the mucous layer. The degree of fluorescence intensity is correlated with the capacity of pinocytotic channel formation, i.e., the fluorescence decreases as the number of channels increases. During the phase of vesiculation a distinct fluorescence mainly restricted to the basal region of the channels is observed. Intracellular Ca++ was detected in close vicinity to the plasma membrane after both microinjection and external application of CTC. The internal CTC-fluorescence is slightly decreased during the induction phase of pinocytosis. The observations are in good agreement with previous results on the localization of Ca++ -binding sites at the plasma membrane of Amoeba proteus and demonstrate the important role of Ca++ -fluxes for the process of pinocytosis.

  13. Cerebriform connective tissue nevus of lumbar.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jinbo; Chen, Liuqing; Duan, Yiqun; Li, Dongsheng; Dong, Bilin

    2015-02-01

    Connective tissue nevi represents a kind of hamartoma, and coalescence of the lesions in a cerebriform mode in the lumbar region without Proteus syndrome is rarely seen. Here, we report a 26-year-old woman presenting with nodules and plaques in her left lumbar region of 26 years in duration. Histopathological examination and Masson-trichrome stain showed increased dermal collagen bundles in a haphazard array. The diagnosis of connective tissue nevi was made. This is the first case report on cerebriform connective tissue nevi without Proteus syndrome in the lumbar region. © 2014 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  14. Proteus syndrome: A rare cause of gigantic limb.

    PubMed

    Chakrabarti, Nandini; Chattopadhyay, Chandan; Bhuban, Majhi; Pal, Salil Kumar

    2014-04-01

    A congenital disorder with variable manifestations, including partial gigantism of the hands and feet with hypertrophy of soles, nevi, hemihypertrophy, gynecomastia, macrocephaly and other skull abnormalities, and abdominal lipomatosis. The cause is unknown, although a genetic origin, generally of autosomal-dominant transmission, has been conjectured. Symptoms can be treated, but there is no known cure. We present the case of a young male with grotesque overgrowth of the right lower limb, splenomegaly and multiple nevi. Angiography revealed venous malformation within the limb. The findings are in conformity to the criteria for the Proteus syndrome.

  15. Collective motion in Proteus mirabilis swarms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haoran, Xu

    Proteus mirabilisis a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium. It is widely distributed in soil and water, and it is well known for exhibiting swarming motility on nutrient agar surfaces. In our study, we focused on the collective motility of P. mirabilis and uncovered a range of interesting phenomena. Here we will present our efforts to understand these phenomena through experiments and simulation. Mailing address: Room 306 Science Centre North Block, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T. Hong Kong SAR. Phone: +852-3943-6354. Fax: +852-2603-5204. E-mail:xhrphx@gmail.com.

  16. HTR-PROTEUS PEBBLE BED EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM CORE 4: RANDOM PACKING WITH A 1:1 MODERATOR-TO-FUEL PEBBLE RATIO

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    John D. Bess; Leland M. Montierth

    2013-03-01

    In its deployment as a pebble bed reactor (PBR) critical facility from 1992 to 1996, the PROTEUS facility was designated as HTR-PROTEUS. This experimental program was performed as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Validation of Safety Related Physics Calculations for Low Enriched HTGRs. Within this project, critical experiments were conducted for graphite moderated LEU systems to determine core reactivity, flux and power profiles, reaction-rate ratios, the worth of control rods, both in-core and reflector based, the worth of burnable poisons, kinetic parameters, and the effects of moisture ingress on these parameters.more » One benchmark experiment was evaluated in this report: Core 4. Core 4 represents the only configuration with random pebble packing in the HTR-PROTEUS series of experiments, and has a moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio of 1:1. Three random configurations were performed. The initial configuration, Core 4.1, was rejected because the method for pebble loading, separate delivery tubes for the moderator and fuel pebbles, may not have been completely random; this core loading was rejected by the experimenters. Cores 4.2 and 4.3 were loaded using a single delivery tube, eliminating the possibility for systematic ordering effects. The second and third cores differed slightly in the quantity of pebbles loaded (40 each of moderator and fuel pebbles), stacked height of the pebbles in the core cavity (0.02 m), withdrawn distance of the stainless steel control rods (20 mm), and withdrawn distance of the autorod (30 mm). The 34 coolant channels in the upper axial reflector and the 33 coolant channels in the lower axial reflector were open. Additionally, the axial graphite fillers used in all other HTR-PROTEUS configurations to create a 12-sided core cavity were not used in the randomly packed cores. Instead, graphite fillers were placed on the cavity floor, creating a funnel-like base, to discourage ordering effects during pebble loading. Core 4 was determined to be acceptable benchmark experiment.« less

  17. HTR-proteus pebble bed experimental program core 4: random packing with a 1:1 moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bess, John D.; Montierth, Leland M.; Sterbentz, James W.

    2014-03-01

    In its deployment as a pebble bed reactor (PBR) critical facility from 1992 to 1996, the PROTEUS facility was designated as HTR-PROTEUS. This experimental program was performed as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Validation of Safety Related Physics Calculations for Low Enriched HTGRs. Within this project, critical experiments were conducted for graphite moderated LEU systems to determine core reactivity, flux and power profiles, reaction-rate ratios, the worth of control rods, both in-core and reflector based, the worth of burnable poisons, kinetic parameters, and the effects of moisture ingress on these parameters.more » One benchmark experiment was evaluated in this report: Core 4. Core 4 represents the only configuration with random pebble packing in the HTR-PROTEUS series of experiments, and has a moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio of 1:1. Three random configurations were performed. The initial configuration, Core 4.1, was rejected because the method for pebble loading, separate delivery tubes for the moderator and fuel pebbles, may not have been completely random; this core loading was rejected by the experimenters. Cores 4.2 and 4.3 were loaded using a single delivery tube, eliminating the possibility for systematic ordering effects. The second and third cores differed slightly in the quantity of pebbles loaded (40 each of moderator and fuel pebbles), stacked height of the pebbles in the core cavity (0.02 m), withdrawn distance of the stainless steel control rods (20 mm), and withdrawn distance of the autorod (30 mm). The 34 coolant channels in the upper axial reflector and the 33 coolant channels in the lower axial reflector were open. Additionally, the axial graphite fillers used in all other HTR-PROTEUS configurations to create a 12-sided core cavity were not used in the randomly packed cores. Instead, graphite fillers were placed on the cavity floor, creating a funnel-like base, to discourage ordering effects during pebble loading. Core 4 was determined to be acceptable benchmark experiment.« less

  18. Initial Comparison of Direct and Legacy Modeling Approaches for Radial Core Expansion Analysis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shemon, Emily R.

    2016-10-10

    Radial core expansion in sodium-cooled fast reactors provides an important reactivity feedback effect. As the reactor power increases due to normal start up conditions or accident scenarios, the core and surrounding materials heat up, causing both grid plate expansion and bowing of the assembly ducts. When the core restraint system is designed correctly, the resulting structural deformations introduce negative reactivity which decreases the reactor power. Historically, an indirect procedure has been used to estimate the reactivity feedback due to structural deformation which relies upon perturbation theory and coupling legacy physics codes with limited geometry capabilities. With advancements in modeling andmore » simulation, radial core expansion phenomena can now be modeled directly, providing an assessment of the accuracy of the reactivity feedback coefficients generated by indirect legacy methods. Recently a new capability was added to the PROTEUS-SN unstructured geometry neutron transport solver to analyze deformed meshes quickly and directly. By supplying the deformed mesh in addition to the base configuration input files, PROTEUS-SN automatically processes material adjustments including calculation of region densities to conserve mass, calculation of isotopic densities according to material models (for example, sodium density as a function of temperature), and subsequent re-homogenization of materials. To verify the new capability of directly simulating deformed meshes, PROTEUS-SN was used to compute reactivity feedback for a series of contrived yet representative deformed configurations for the Advanced Burner Test Reactor design. The indirect legacy procedure was also performed to generate reactivity feedback coefficients for the same deformed configurations. Interestingly, the legacy procedure consistently overestimated reactivity feedbacks by 35% compared to direct simulations by PROTEUS-SN. This overestimation indicates that the legacy procedures are in fact not conservative and could be overestimating reactivity feedback effects that are closely tied to reactor safety. We conclude that there is indeed value in performing direct simulation of deformed meshes despite the increased computational expense. PROTEUS-SN is already part of the SHARP multi-physics toolkit where both thermal hydraulics and structural mechanical feedback modeling can be applied but this is the first comparison of direct simulation to legacy techniques for radial core expansion.« less

  19. Mechanics and control of the cytoskeleton in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed Central

    Dembo, M

    1989-01-01

    Many models of the cytoskeletal motility of Amoeba proteus can be formulated in terms of the theory of reactive interpenetrating flow (Dembo and Harlow, 1986). We have devised numerical methodology for testing such models against the phenomenon of steady axisymmetric fountain flow. The simplest workable scheme revealed by such tests (the minimal model) is the main preoccupation of this study. All parameters of the minimal model are determined from available data. Using these parameters the model quantitatively accounts for the self assembly of the cytoskeleton of A. proteus: for the formation and detailed morphology of the endoplasmic channel, the ectoplasmic tube, the uropod, the plasma gel sheet, and the hyaline cap. The model accounts for the kinematics of the cytoskeleton: the detailed velocity field of the forward flow of the endoplasm, the contraction of the ectoplasmic tube, and the inversion of the flow in the fountain zone. The model also gives a satisfactory account of measurements of pressure gradients, measurements of heat dissipation, and measurements of the output of useful work by amoeba. Finally, the model suggests a very promising (but still hypothetical) continuum formulation of the free boundary problem of amoeboid motion. by balancing normal forces on the plasma membrane as closely as possible, the minimal model is able to predict the turgor pressure and surface tension of A. proteus. Several dynamical factors are crucial to the success of the minimal model and are likely to be general features of cytoskeletal mechanics and control in amoeboid cells. These are: a constitutive law for the viscosity of the contractile network that includes an automatic process of gelation as the network density gets large; a very vigorous cycle of network polymerization and depolymerization (in the case of A. proteus, the time constant for this reaction is approximately 12 s); control of network contractility by a diffusible factor (probably calcium ion); and control of the adhesive interaction between the cytoskeleton and the inner surface of the plasma membrane. Images FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 7 PMID:2765645

  20. Analysis of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes in clinical isolates of the tribe Proteeae from Argentina: First report of qnrD in the Americas.

    PubMed

    Albornoz, Ezequiel; Lucero, Celeste; Romero, Genara; Rapoport, Melina; Guerriero, Leonor; Andres, Patricia; Galas, Marcelo; Corso, Alejandra; Petroni, Alejandro

    2014-12-01

    To analyse the occurrence and prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes in the tribe Proteeae, 81 isolates (65 Proteus spp., 12 Morganella morganii and 4 Providencia stuartii) consecutively collected in 66 hospitals belonging to the WHONET-Argentina Resistance Surveillance Network were studied. Of the 81 isolates, 50 (62%) were susceptible to quinolones [43/65 (66%) Proteus spp. and 7/12 (58%) M. morganii). The remaining 31 isolates (22 Proteus spp., 5 M. morganii and all P. stuartii) showed high-level resistance to nalidixic acid (NAL) and decreased susceptibility or resistance to ciprofloxacin. All NAL-resistant isolates harboured mutations associated with quinolone resistance (MAQRs) in both gyrA (S83I/R) and parC (S80I/R), and some also had MAQRs in gyrB (S464Y/F). The unique PMQR gene detected was qnrD, which was found in 2/81 isolates (Proteus mirabilis Q1084 and Proteus vulgaris Q5169), giving a prevalence of 2.5% in Proteeae. These two isolates were from different geographical regions and both harboured MAQRs in gyrA and parC. The qnrD genes were located on the related plasmids pEAD1-1 (2683bp) and pEAD1-2 (2669bp). Plasmid pEAD1-1 was 100% identical to pCGH15 and differed in only three nucleotides from pDIJ09-518a, which were previously found in clinical isolates of P. mirabilis (China) and Providencia rettgeri (France), respectively, whilst pEAD1-2 was not previously described. The extended-spectrum β-lactamase CTX-M-2 was found in 27% (22/81) of the isolates and was significantly associated with quinolone resistance but not with qnrD (only P. mirabilis Q1084 expressed CTX-M-2). This is the first report of qnrD in the Americas. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Chemotherapy of Infection and Cancer. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Persistence of antibiotic-resistant and -sensitive Proteus mirabilis strains in the digestive tract of the housefly (Musca domestica) and green bottle flies (Calliphoridae).

    PubMed

    Wei, Ting; Miyanaga, Kazuhiko; Tanji, Yasunori

    2014-10-01

    Synanthropic flies have been implicated in the rapid dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance determinants in the biosphere. These flies stably harbor a considerable number of bacteria that exhibit resistance to various antibiotics, but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the persistence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the digestive tract of houseflies and green bottle flies, using Proteus mirabilis as a model microorganism. One resistant strain carried the blaTEM and aphA1 genes, and another carried a plasmid containing qnrD gene. Quantitative PCR and 454 pyrosequencing were used to monitor the relative abundance of the Proteus strains, as well as potential changes in the overall structure of the whole bacterial community incurred by the artificial induction of Proteus cultures. Both antibiotic-resistant and -sensitive P. mirabilis strains persisted in the fly digestive tract for at least 3 days, and there was no significant difference in the relative abundance of resistant and sensitive strains despite the lower growth rate of resistant strains when cultured in vitro. Therefore, conditions in the fly digestive tract may allow resistant strains to survive the competition with sensitive strains in the absence of antibiotic selective pressure. The composition of the fly-associated bacterial community changed over time, but the contribution of the artificially introduced P. mirabilis strains to these changes was not clear. In order to explain these changes, it will be necessary to obtain more information about bacterial interspecies antagonism in the fly digestive tract.

  2. Phenotypic and molecular characterization of antimicrobial resistance in Proteus mirabilis isolates from dogs.

    PubMed

    Harada, Kazuki; Niina, Ayaka; Shimizu, Takae; Mukai, Yujiro; Kuwajima, Ken; Miyamoto, Tadashi; Kataoka, Yasushi

    2014-11-01

    Large-scale monitoring of resistance to 14 antimicrobial agents was performed using 103 Proteus mirabilis strains isolated from dogs in Japan. Resistant strains were analysed to identify their resistance mechanisms. Rates of resistance to chloramphenicol, streptomycin, enrofloxacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, kanamycin, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, cephalothin, gentamicin, cefoxitin and cefotaxime were 20.4, 15.5, 12.6, 10.7, 9.7, 8.7, 5.8, 2.9, 2.9, 1.9 and 1.9%, respectively. No resistance to ceftazidime, aztreonam or imipenem was found. Class 1 and 2 integrases were detected in 2.9 and 11.7% of isolates, respectively. Class 1 integrons contained aadB or aadB-catB-like-blaOXA10-aadA1, whereas those of class 2 contained sat-aadA1, dhfr1-sat-aadA1 or none of the anticipated resistance genes. Of five distinct plasmid-mediated quinolone-resistance (PMQR) genes, only qnrD gene was detected in 1.9% of isolates. Quinolone-resistance determining regions (QRDRs) of gyrA and parC from 13 enrofloxacin-intermediate and -resistant isolates were sequenced. Seven strains had double mutations and three had single mutations. Three of nine ampicillin-resistant isolates harboured AmpC-type β-lactamases (i.e. blaCMY-2, blaCMY-4 and blaDHA-1). These results suggest that canine Proteus mirabilis deserves continued surveillance as an important reservoir of antimicrobial resistance determinants. This is the first report, to our knowledge, describing integrons, PMQRs and QRDR mutations in Proteus mirabilis isolates from companion animals. © 2014 The Authors.

  3. Proteus mirabilis uroepithelial cell adhesin (UCA) fimbria plays a role in the colonization of the urinary tract.

    PubMed

    Pellegrino, Rafael; Scavone, Paola; Umpiérrez, Ana; Maskell, Duncan J; Zunino, Pablo

    2013-03-01

    Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections in humans. Proteus mirabilis is an opportunistic pathogen, capable of causing severe UTIs, with serious kidney damage that may even lead to death. Several virulence factors are involved in the pathogenicity of this bacterium. Among these, adherence to the uroepithelium mediated by fimbriae appears to be a significant bacterial attribute related to urovirulence. Proteus mirabilis expresses several types of fimbriae that could be involved in the pathogenesis of UTI, including uroepithelial cell adhesin (UCA). In this report, we used an uropathogenic P. mirabilis wild-type strain and an isogenic ucaA mutant unable to express UCA to study the pathogenic role of this fimbria in UTI. Ability of the mutant to adhere to desquamated uroepithelial cells and to infect mice using different experimental UTI models was significantly impaired. These results allow us to conclude that P. mirabilis UCA plays an important role in the colonization of the urinary tract. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Mass mortality in ornamental fish, Cyprinus carpio koi caused by a bacterial pathogen, Proteus hauseri.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Raj; Swaminathan, T Raja; Kumar, Rahul G; Dharmaratnam, Arathi; Basheer, V S; Jena, J K

    2015-09-01

    Moribund koi carp, Cyprinus carpio koi, from a farm with 50% cumulative mortality were sampled with the aim of isolating and detecting the causative agent. Three bacterial species viz., Citrobacter freundii (NSCF-1), Klebsiella pneumoniae (NSKP-1) and Proteus hauseri [genomospecies 3 of Proteus vulgaris Bio group 3] (NSPH-1) were isolated, identified and characterized on the basis of biochemical tests and sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene using universal bacterial primers. Challenge experiments with these isolates using healthy koi carp showed that P. hauseri induced identical clinical and pathological states within 3 d of intramuscular injection. The results suggest P. hauseri (NSPH-1) was the causative agent. In phylogenetic analysis, strain NSPH-1 formed a distinct cluster with other P. hauseri reference strains with ≥99% sequence similarity. P. hauseri isolates were found sensitive to Ampicillin, Cefalexin, Ciprofloxacin and Cefixime and resistant to Gentamycin, Oxytetracycline, Chloramphenicol, and Kanamycin. The affected fish recovered from the infection after ciprofloxacin treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Characteristics of trajectory in the migration of Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Miyoshi, Hiromi; Masaki, Noritaka; Tsuchiya, Yoshimi

    2003-01-01

    We investigated the behavior of migration of Amoeba proteus in an isotropic environment. We found that the trajectory in the migration of A. proteus is smooth in the observation time of 500-1000 s, but its migration every second (the cell velocity) on the trajectory randomly changes. Stochastic analysis of the cell velocity and the turn angle of the trajectory has shown that the histograms of the both variables well fit to Gaussian curves. Supposing a simple model equation for the cell motion, we have estimated the motive force of the migrating cell, which is of the order of piconewton. Furthermore, we have found that the cell velocity and the turn angle have a negative cross-correlation coefficient, which suggests that the amoeba explores better environment by changing frequently its migrating direction at a low speed and it moves rectilinearly to the best environment at a high speed. On the other hand, the model equation has simulated the negative correlation between the cell velocity and the turn angle. This indicates that the apparently rational behavior comes from intrinsic characteristics in the dynamical system where the motive force is not torquelike.

  6. Calcium and initial surface binding phase of pinocytosis in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Prusch, R D

    1986-08-01

    The uptake of membrane-bound solute and external medium by bulk-phase pinocytosis in Amoeba proteus is influenced by the level of Ca2+ in the external medium. Increasing external Ca2+ to approximately 10(-4) M increases pinocytotic intensity, while increases in Ca2+ above this level decrease the intensity of pinocytosis. The initial interaction of pinocytotic inducers and Ca2+ at the surface of Amoeba proteus was therefore examined. Alcian blue and Na+, both inducers of pinocytosis, differ in the manner with which they associate with the amoeba surface, suggesting the possibility of different pinocytosis-inducing sites on the amoeba surface. Low levels of external Ca2+ in the range of 3 X 10(-5) to 1.5 X 10(-4) M increase the amount of cationic inducer associated with the cell surface while, at the same time, decreasing anion association with the cell surface. It is suggested that Ca2+ influences ion association with the cell surface by controlling the availability of negative surface sites, which in turn influences pinocytotic intensity.

  7. Molecular characteristics of Salmonella genomic island 1 in Proteus mirabilis isolates from poultry farms in China.

    PubMed

    Lei, Chang-Wei; Zhang, An-Yun; Liu, Bi-Hui; Wang, Hong-Ning; Guan, Zhong-Bin; Xu, Chang-Wen; Xia, Qing-Qing; Cheng, Han; Zhang, Dong-Dong

    2014-12-01

    Six out of the 64 studied Proteus mirabilis isolates from 11 poultry farms in China contained Salmonella genomic island 1 (SGI1). PCR mapping showed that the complete nucleotide sequences of SGI1s ranged from 33.2 to 42.5 kb. Three novel variants, SGI1-W, SGI1-X, and SGI1-Y, have been characterized. Resistance genes lnuF, dfrA25, and qnrB2 were identified in SGI1 for the first time. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  8. TEM-72, a New Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase Detected in Proteus mirabilis and Morganella morganii in Italy

    PubMed Central

    Perilli, Mariagrazia; Segatore, Bernardetta; Rosaria De Massis, Maria; Riccio, Maria Letizia; Bianchi, Ciro; Zollo, Alessandro; Rossolini, Gian Maria; Amicosante, Gianfranco

    2000-01-01

    A new natural TEM-2 derivative, named TEM-72, was identified in a Proteus mirabilis strain and in a Morganella morganii strain isolated in Italy in 1999. Compared to TEM-1, TEM-72 contains the following amino acid substitutions: Q39K, M182T, G238S, and E240K. Kinetic analysis showed that TEM-72 exhibits an extended-spectrum activity, including activity against oxyimino-cephalosporins and aztreonam. Expression of blaTEM-72 in Escherichia coli was capable of decreasing the host susceptibility to the above drugs. PMID:10952610

  9. Analysis of changes in intestinal microflora of irradiated mice. [Gamma radiation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mal'tsev, V.N.; Pinegin, B.V.; Korshunov, V.M.

    1977-01-01

    In experiments on 3 groups of CBA mice exposed to doses of 900, 600 and 300 R ..gamma..-rays, it was demonstrated that the integral severity of post-radiation microflora in the intestine can be determined by means of information index h, which takes into consideration all changes occurring in different representatives of the intestinal microflora. Differential analysis of the mechanisms of radioinduced changes in microflora indicates that it is based on a decrease in lactobacilli and increase in enterococcus, proteus, colibacillus and yeast in the small intestine, with increase in colibacillus, clostridia, proteus and enterococcus in the large intestine.

  10. Doppler flow imaging of cytoplasmic streaming using spectral domain phase microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choma, Michael A.; Ellerbee, Audrey K.; Yazdanfar, Siavash; Izatt, Joseph A.

    2006-03-01

    Spectral domain phase microscopy (SDPM) is a function extension of spectral domain optical coherence tomography. SDPM achieves exquisite levels of phase stability by employing common-path interferometry. We discuss the theory and limitations of Doppler flow imaging using SDPM, demonstrate monitoring the thermal contraction of a glass sample with nanometer per second velocity sensitivity, and apply this technique to measurement of cytoplasmic streaming in an Amoeba proteus pseudopod. We observe reversal of cytoplasmic flow induced by extracellular CaCl2, and report results that suggest parabolic flow of cytoplasm in the A. proteus pseudopod.

  11. Proteus-MOC: A 3D deterministic solver incorporating 2D method of characteristics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Marin-Lafleche, A.; Smith, M. A.; Lee, C.

    2013-07-01

    A new transport solution methodology was developed by combining the two-dimensional method of characteristics with the discontinuous Galerkin method for the treatment of the axial variable. The method, which can be applied to arbitrary extruded geometries, was implemented in PROTEUS-MOC and includes parallelization in group, angle, plane, and space using a top level GMRES linear algebra solver. Verification tests were performed to show accuracy and stability of the method with the increased number of angular directions and mesh elements. Good scalability with parallelism in angle and axial planes is displayed. (authors)

  12. [Polyamines and cell growth: specific aspects in Amoeba proteus and in certain cancer cell lines].

    PubMed

    Dubois, J; Schenkel, E; Hanocq, M

    1995-01-01

    The differences between the metabolic schemes of polyamines can be the starting point to investigate the discovery of new antiparasitic or anticancer drugs which would be cell type specific. The studies, which were undertaken with the P388 cancer cells and Amoeba proteus, have shown that the pool of polyamine was very different in both cell types. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of putrescine, spermidine, spermine and 1-3 diaminopropane was found to be dependent of the activity of cell enzymes which could play a role to control cell proliferation by producing toxic metabolites.

  13. Specific Infectious Organisms Associated With Poor Outcomes in Treatment for Hip Periprosthetic Infection.

    PubMed

    Cunningham, Daniel J; Kavolus, Joseph J; Bolognesi, Michael P; Wellman, Samuel S; Seyler, Thorsten M

    2017-06-01

    Periprosthetic hip infection treatment remains a significant challenge for orthopedics. Some studies have suggested that methicillin resistance and gram-negative organism type are associated with increased treatment failure. The aim of this research is to determine if specific organisms were associated with poor outcomes in treatment for hip periprosthetic infection. Records were reviewed of all patients between 2005 and 2015 who underwent treatment for infected partial or total hip arthroplasty. Characteristics of each patient's treatment course were determined including baseline characteristics, infecting organism(s), infection status at final follow-up, surgeries for infection, and time in hospital. Baseline characteristics and organisms that were associated with clinical outcomes in univariate analysis were incorporated into multivariable outcomes models. When compared with patients infected with other organism(s), patients infected with the following organisms had significantly decreased infection-free rates: Pseudomonas, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Proteus. Infection with certain organisms was associated with 1.13-2.58 additional surgeries: methicillin-sensitive S aureus, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, MRSA, Pseudomonas, Peptostreptococcus, Klebsiella, Candida, diphtheroids, Propionibacterium acnes, and Proteus species. Specific organisms were associated with 8.56-24.54 additional days in hospital for infection: methicillin-sensitive S aureus, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Proteus, MRSA, Enterococcus, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, beta-hemolytic Streptococcus, and diphtheroids. Higher comorbidity score was also associated with greater length of hospitalization. MRSA, Pseudomonas, and Proteus were associated with all 3 outcomes of lower infection-free rate, more surgery, and more time in hospital in treatment for hip periprosthetic infection. Organism-specific outcome information may help individualize patient-physician discussions about the expected course of treatment for hip periprosthetic infection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Proteus mirabilis and its role in dacryocystitis.

    PubMed

    Borgman, Christopher J

    2014-09-01

    Dacryocystitis is a common inflammation of the lacrimal sac, usually from an underlying bacterial infection. Most cases can be attributed to common ocular flora such as Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pneumoniae; however, uncommon bacterial causes such as Proteus mirabilis can still occur. P. mirabilis is a gram-negative bacillus that is found abundantly in people who have undergone long-term catheterization and is uncommonly found in or around the eyes except in people who have undergone long-term catheterization. Proteus species can cause conjunctivitis, canaliculitis, and dacryocystitis and have the ability to manifest into preseptal cellulitis; therefore, timely recognition and treatment are important to prevent potential further complications. An 84-year-old white man had several recurrences of acute dacryocystitis that had marginal improvement with empiric antibiotic treatment. Resultant culture of the ocular discharge revealed an uncommon bacterium, P. mirabilis. Successful dosing of oral antibiotics resolved the infection but ultimately the patient required an external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) procedure to maintain patency of the nasolacrimal lacrimal system and prevent recurrence. At 3 months after external DCR, the patient was symptom free with no recurrences. Dacryocystitis has a distinctive clinical presentation and is usually easily treated when appropriate oral antibiotics are directed at the underlying pathogen. In nonresponsive cases, culturing of the ocular discharge should be performed to identify the underlying pathogen. Cases of dacryocystitis caused by Proteus species are usually responsive to several standard antibiotics used orally in eye care; however, culturing and susceptibility testing can streamline the diagnostic and management sequence considerably in unclear or unresponsive cases. Typically, patients with dacryocystitis return to normal after appropriate treatment, but chronic recurrences and epiphora are potential sequelae. Patients should be educated that a DCR surgical procedure may be needed to prevent future recurrences in some cases.

  15. Innovation Online Teaching Module Plus Digital Engineering Kit with Proteus Software through Hybrid Learning Method to Improve Student Skills

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kholis, Nur; Syariffuddien Zuhrie, Muhamad; Rahmadian, Reza

    2018-04-01

    Demands the competence (competence) needs of the industry today is a competent workforce to the field of work. However, during this lecture material Digital Engineering (Especially Digital Electronics Basics and Digital Circuit Basics) is limited to the delivery of verbal form of lectures (classical method) is dominated by the Lecturer (Teacher Centered). Though the subject of Digital Engineering requires learning tools and is required understanding of electronic circuits, digital electronics and high logic circuits so that learners can apply in the world of work. One effort to make it happen is by creating an online teaching module and educational aids (Kit) with the help of Proteus software that can improve the skills of learners. This study aims to innovate online teaching modules plus kits in Proteus-assisted digital engineering courses through hybrid learning approaches to improve the skills of learners. The process of innovation is done by considering the skills and mastery of the technology of students (students) Department of Electrical Engineering - Faculty of Engineering – Universitas Negeri Surabaya to produce quality graduates Use of online module plus Proteus software assisted kit through hybrid learning approach. In general, aims to obtain adequate results with affordable cost of investment, user friendly, attractive and interactive (easily adapted to the development of Information and Communication Technology). With the right design, implementation and operation, both in the form of software both in the form of Online Teaching Module, offline teaching module, Kit (Educational Viewer), and e-learning learning content (both online and off line), the use of the three tools of the expenditure will be able to adjust the standard needs of Information and Communication Technology world, both nationally and internationally.

  16. Morphological Diversity of the Colony Produced by Bacteria Proteus mirabilis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakahara, Akio; Shimada, Yuji; Wakita, Jun-ichi; Matsushita, Mitsugu; Matsuyama, Tohey

    1996-08-01

    Morphological changes of colonies have been investigatedfor a bacterial strain of Proteus mirabilis, which is a famous speciesfor producing concentric-ring-like colonies. It was found that colony patterns can be classified into three types,i.e., cyclic spreading, diffusion-limited growth (DLA-like)and three-dimensional growth (inside the agar medium) patterns. Cyclic spreading patterns can further be classifiedinto three subgroups, i.e., concentric-ring, homogeneous and spatiotemporal patterns. These subgroups were classified by examining the development of colony structure after colonies spread all over petri-dishes. Comparison of the results with thoseof another bacterial species Bacillus subtilis is also discussed.

  17. Computational study concerning the effect of some pesticides on the Proteus Mirabilis catalase activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Isvoran, Adriana

    2016-03-01

    Assessment of the effects of the herbicides nicosulfuron and chlorsulfuron and the fungicides difenoconazole and drazoxlone upon catalase produced by soil microorganism Proteus mirabilis is performed using the molecular docking technique. The interactions of pesticides with the enzymes are predicted using SwissDock and PatchDock docking tools. There are correlations for predicted binding energy values for enzyme-pesticide complexes obtained using the two docking tools, all the considered pesticides revealing favorable binding to the enzyme, but only the herbicides bind to the catalytic site. These results suggest the inhibitory potential of chlorsulfuron and nicosulfuron on the catalase activity in soil.

  18. TEM-187, a new extended-spectrum β-lactamase with weak activity in a Proteus mirabilis clinical strain.

    PubMed

    Corvec, Stéphane; Beyrouthy, Racha; Crémet, Lise; Aubin, Guillaume Ghislain; Robin, Frédéric; Bonnet, Richard; Reynaud, Alain

    2013-05-01

    A Proteus mirabilis clinical strain (7001324) was isolated from urine sample of a patient hospitalized in a long-term-care facility. PCR and cloning experiments performed with this strain identified a novel TEM-type β-lactamase (TEM-187) differing by four amino acid substitutions (Leu21Phe, Arg164His, Ala184Val, and Thr265Met) from TEM-1. This characterization provides further evidence for the diversity of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) produced by P. mirabilis and for their potential spread to other Enterobacteriaceae due to a lack of sensitive detection methods used in daily practice.

  19. Mathematical Modeling the Geometric Regularity in Proteus Mirabilis Colonies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Bin; Jiang, Yi; Minsu Kim Collaboration

    Proteus Mirabilis colony exhibits striking spatiotemporal regularity, with concentric ring patterns with alternative high and low bacteria density in space, and periodicity for repetition process of growth and swarm in time. We present a simple mathematical model to explain the spatiotemporal regularity of P. Mirabilis colonies. We study a one-dimensional system. Using a reaction-diffusion model with thresholds in cell density and nutrient concentration, we recreated periodic growth and spread patterns, suggesting that the nutrient constraint and cell density regulation might be sufficient to explain the spatiotemporal periodicity in P. Mirabilis colonies. We further verify this result using a cell based model.

  20. A new species of Neocarus Chamberlin & Mulaik, 1942 (Opilioacarida, Opilioacaridae) from Brazil, with remarks on its postlarval development

    PubMed Central

    Bernardi, Leopoldo Ferreira de Oliveira; Klompen, Hans; Zacarias, Mauricio Sergio; Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Neocarus proteus sp. n., is described from caves and the surrounding epigean environment of ferruginous outcrops (Cangas) in Minas Gerais, Brazil. In addition, some notes about development in this species are presented. Neocarus proteus is the only species in the genus that has smooth or barbed genital setae and that carries coronidia on the basitarsi, tibiae and genua of legs II–III. Females carry additional setae with rounded tips on the subcapitulum, and are, on average, larger than males. This distinct sexual dimorphism appears in the tritonymphal instar and is maintained in the adults. PMID:24363585

  1. A Modified Mixing Length Turbulence Model for Zero and Adverse Pressure Gradients. M.S. Thesis - Akron Univ., 1993

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Conley, Julianne M.; Leonard, B. P.

    1994-01-01

    The modified mixing length (MML) turbulence model was installed in the Proteus Navier-Stokes code, then modified to make it applicable to a wider range of flows typical of aerospace propulsion applications. The modifications are based on experimental data for three flat-plate flows having zero, mild adverse, and strong adverse pressure gradients. Three transonic diffuser test cases were run with the new version of the model in order to evaluate its performance. All results are compared with experimental data and show improvements over calculations made using the Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model, the standard algebraic model in Proteus.

  2. ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS OF AMOEBA PROTEUS IN GROWTH AND INANITION

    PubMed Central

    Cohen, Adolph I.

    1957-01-01

    Electron microscopic observations have been made on growing and dividing specimens of Amoeba proteus and also on starving animals. Structures presumably corresponding to the mitochondria, alpha particles, vacuoles, and Golgi material are described. A new entity, designated as a foamy particle, is noted. Descriptions are given of the cytoplasmic and nuclear membranes. During division the inner, thick nuclear membrane component is seen to vanish and the outer membrane persist. Measurements suggest a gradual reappearance of the inner component with growth. Starving animals show a loss of cytoplasmic granularity and an increase in the electron density of mitochondria, presumably due to lipide accumulation. PMID:13481020

  3. Electron microscopic observations of amoeba proteus in growth and inanition.

    PubMed

    COHEN, A I

    1957-11-25

    Electron microscopic observations have been made on growing and dividing specimens of Amoeba proteus and also on starving animals. Structures presumably corresponding to the mitochondria, alpha particles, vacuoles, and Golgi material are described. A new entity, designated as a foamy particle, is noted. Descriptions are given of the cytoplasmic and nuclear membranes. During division the inner, thick nuclear membrane component is seen to vanish and the outer membrane persist. Measurements suggest a gradual reappearance of the inner component with growth. Starving animals show a loss of cytoplasmic granularity and an increase in the electron density of mitochondria, presumably due to lipide accumulation.

  4. Information extraction for enhanced access to disease outbreak reports.

    PubMed

    Grishman, Ralph; Huttunen, Silja; Yangarber, Roman

    2002-08-01

    Document search is generally based on individual terms in the document. However, for collections within limited domains it is possible to provide more powerful access tools. This paper describes a system designed for collections of reports of infectious disease outbreaks. The system, Proteus-BIO, automatically creates a table of outbreaks, with each table entry linked to the document describing that outbreak; this makes it possible to use database operations such as selection and sorting to find relevant documents. Proteus-BIO consists of a Web crawler which gathers relevant documents; an information extraction engine which converts the individual outbreak events to a tabular database; and a database browser which provides access to the events and, through them, to the documents. The information extraction engine uses sets of patterns and word classes to extract the information about each event. Preparing these patterns and word classes has been a time-consuming manual operation in the past, but automated discovery tools now make this task significantly easier. A small study comparing the effectiveness of the tabular index with conventional Web search tools demonstrated that users can find substantially more documents in a given time period with Proteus-BIO.

  5. Tuberculous Otitis with Proteus mirabilis Co-Infection: An Unsuspected Presentation Encountered in Clinical Practice.

    PubMed

    Rajesh Gandham, Nageswari; Sardar, Moumita; Jadhav, Savita Vivek; Vyawahare, Chanda; Misra, Rabindranath

    2014-05-01

    Tuberculosis, a contagious bacterial disease which is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, primarily involves the lungs.Though Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is the commonest clinical presentation, there is a need for alertness towards uncommon presentations which involve other organs. Tuberculous otitis media (TOM) is one such rare presentation seen in paediatric practice. It is characterized by painless otorrhoea which fails to respond to the routine antibacterial treatment. TOM usually occurs secondary to PTB. Here is a case of tuberculous otitis media with Proteus mirabilis co-infection, with no evidence of PTB. In the sample of ear discharge obtained from the patient, acid fast bacilli were demonstrated on direct microscopy after Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Culture done on Lowenstein-Jensen medium demonstrated slow-growing Mycobacterium. Bacteriological culture and identification helped in isolating Proteus mirabilis. PCR, followed by Line- Probe Assay for early identification and susceptibility testing to primary drugs, was done. Further, patient tested negative for the Mantoux test. Patient was enrolled in National Tuberculosis programme- RNTCP. This case emphasizes on one of the less common presentations of a common disease. A high clinical suspicion and laboratory confirmation are required for appropriate patient management.

  6. Tuberculous Otitis with Proteus mirabilis Co-Infection: An Unsuspected Presentation Encountered in Clinical Practice

    PubMed Central

    Sardar, Moumita; Jadhav, Savita Vivek; Vyawahare, Chanda; Misra, Rabindranath

    2014-01-01

    Tuberculosis, a contagious bacterial disease which is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, primarily involves the lungs.Though Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is the commonest clinical presentation, there is a need for alertness towards uncommon presentations which involve other organs. Tuberculous otitis media (TOM) is one such rare presentation seen in paediatric practice. It is characterized by painless otorrhoea which fails to respond to the routine antibacterial treatment. TOM usually occurs secondary to PTB. Here is a case of tuberculous otitis media with Proteus mirabilis co-infection, with no evidence of PTB. In the sample of ear discharge obtained from the patient, acid fast bacilli were demonstrated on direct microscopy after Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Culture done on Lowenstein-Jensen medium demonstrated slow-growing Mycobacterium. Bacteriological culture and identification helped in isolating Proteus mirabilis. PCR, followed by Line- Probe Assay for early identification and susceptibility testing to primary drugs, was done. Further, patient tested negative for the Mantoux test. Patient was enrolled in National Tuberculosis programme- RNTCP. This case emphasizes on one of the less common presentations of a common disease. A high clinical suspicion and laboratory confirmation are required for appropriate patient management. PMID:24995225

  7. Nucleus-associated actin in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Berdieva, Mariia; Bogolyubov, Dmitry; Podlipaeva, Yuliya; Goodkov, Andrew

    2016-10-01

    The presence, spatial distribution and forms of intranuclear and nucleus-associated cytoplasmic actin were studied in Amoeba proteus with immunocytochemical approaches. Labeling with different anti-actin antibodies and staining with TRITC-phalloidin and fluorescent deoxyribonuclease I were used. We showed that actin is abundant within the nucleus as well as in the cytoplasm of A. proteus cells. According to DNase I experiments, the predominant form of intranuclear actin is G-actin which is associated with chromatin strands. Besides, unpolymerized actin was shown to participate in organization of a prominent actin layer adjacent to the outer surface of nuclear envelope. No significant amount of F-actin was found in the nucleus. At the same time, the amoeba nucleus is enclosed in a basket-like structure formed by circumnuclear actin filaments and bundles connected with global cytoplasmic actin cytoskeleton. A supposed architectural function of actin filaments was studied by treatment with actin-depolymerizing agent latrunculin A. It disassembled the circumnuclear actin system, but did not affect the intranuclear chromatin structure. The results obtained for amoeba cells support the modern concept that actin is involved in fundamental nuclear processes that have evolved in the cells of multicellular organisms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  8. A possible signal-coupling role for cyclic AMP during endocytosis in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Prusch, R D; Roscoe, J C

    1993-01-01

    Cytoplasmic levels of cAMP in Amoeba proteus were measured utilizing radioimmunoassays under control conditions and when stimulated by inducers of either pinocytosis or phagocytosis. In control cells, cytoplasmic cAMP levels were approximately 0.39 pM/mg cells. When exposed to either chemotactic peptide or mannose which stimulate phagocytosis in the amoeba, there is a rapid doubling of the cAMP level within 45 sec of stimulation which then returns to the control level within 3-5 min. Theophylline prolongs the elevation of cytoplasmic cAMP in stimulated cells and is also capable of eliciting food vacuole formation in the amoeba. In addition isoproterenol also causes food vacuole formation in the amoeba as well as a large and prolonged increase in cytoplasmic cAMP levels. Inducers of pinocytosis (BSA and Na Cl) also elicit changes in cytoplasmic cAMP in the amoeba, but the response appears to differ from that elicited by inducers of phagocytosis in that the peak cAMP levels are broader and biphasic. It is concluded that cAMP plays a signal-coupling role during the early phases of both forms of endocytosis in Amoeba proteus.

  9. Ongoing Dynamics and Evolution of Neptune's Ring-Moon System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Showalter, Mark R.; de Pater, Imke; Lissauer, Jack J.; French, Robert S.

    2017-06-01

    We report results derived from observations of the Neptune system using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during August 2016. These observations entail repeated, extremely long exposures through the broadest available filter on the WFC3/UVIS instrument to reveal details of Neptune's faint rings and small, inner moons. The work complements similar observations performed by HST in 2004-2005 and 2009. A principal goal was the recovery of the small moon S/2004 N 1 (henceforth N14), which was first reported in 2009. New images show the moon clearly and make it possible to obtain accurate orbital elements for the first time. A complete analysis of all data 2004-2016 reveals that the mean motion n = 378.90616 +/- 0.00003 degrees per day, corresponding to a semimajor axis a = 105,283 km. Eccentricity and inclination are quite small, with e < 0.001 and i < 0.1 degrees. (This result accounts for the local Laplace Plane tilt of ~ 0.4 degrees). N14 has a physical radius R = 13-15 km, assuming its albedo is 0.09 +/- 0.01, which is the range of Neptune's other inner moons. It orbits interior to the much larger moon Proteus (a = 117,647 km; R = 210 km). Tides are believed to have caused Proteus to spiral outward significantly since its origin, and we find that N14 orbits within the radial zone likely crossed by Proteus. We suggest that N14 may have originated as debris ejected from an impact into Proteus; Proteus subsequently continued to evolve outward but the debris accreted into N14 and remains at its original point of origin. Naiad, the innermost of Neptune's moons, is now orbiting ~ 120 degrees ahead of its published orbital elements. This represents only a 1-sigma correction from its mean motion as derived from Voyager data, but it indicates that later, purported detections of Naiad with the Keck telescope were almost certainly misidentifications. The arcs in the Adams ring show that trends reported previously have continued: the two leading arcs are no longer visible, but the trailing two persist and have been relatively stable. Their mean motion is 820.1119 +/- 0.0003 degrees/day. This value has sufficient precision to rule out any of the previously proposed resonant confinement mechanisms.

  10. Warthog: A MOOSE-Based Application for the Direct Code Coupling of BISON and PROTEUS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McCaskey, Alexander J.; Slattery, Stuart; Billings, Jay Jay

    The Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program from the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy provides a robust toolkit for the modeling and simulation of current and future advanced nuclear reactor designs. This toolkit provides these technologies organized across product lines: two divisions targeted at fuels and end-to-end reactor modeling, and a third for integration, coupling, and high-level workflow management. The Fuels Product Line and the Reactor Product line provide advanced computational technologies that serve each respective field well, however, their current lack of integration presents a major impediment to future improvements of simulation solution fidelity. Theremore » is a desire for the capability to mix and match tools across Product Lines in an effort to utilize the best from both to improve NEAMS modeling and simulation technologies. This report details a new effort to provide this Product Line interoperability through the development of a new application called Warthog. This application couples the BISON Fuel Performance application from the Fuels Product Line and the PROTEUS Core Neutronics application from the Reactors Product Line in an effort to utilize the best from all parts of the NEAMS toolkit and improve overall solution fidelity of nuclear fuel simulations. To achieve this, Warthog leverages as much prior work from the NEAMS program as possible, and in doing so, enables interoperability between the disparate MOOSE and SHARP frameworks, and the libMesh and MOAB mesh data formats. This report describes this work in full. We begin with a detailed look at the individual NEAMS framework technologies used and developed in the various Product Lines, and the current status of their interoperability. We then introduce the Warthog application: its overall architecture and the ways it leverages the best existing tools from across the NEAMS toolkit to enable BISON-PROTEUS integration. Furthermore, we show how Warthog leverages a tool known as DataTransferKit to seamlessly enable the transfer for solution data between disparate frameworks and mesh formats. To end, we demonstrate tests for the direct software coupling of BISON and PROTEUS using Warthog, and discuss current impediments and solutions to the construction of physically realistic input models for this coupled BISON-PROTEUS system.« less

  11. CYTOPLASMIC DNA SYNTHESIS IN AMOEBA PROTEUS

    PubMed Central

    Rabinovitch, M.; Plaut, W.

    1962-01-01

    Nucleic acid-containing particles in the cytoplasm of Amoeba proteus (cf. reference 1) were counted after acridine orange staining. The number of particles per ameba was found to be correlated with cell age and size. Fresh daughters had a mean particle number of 5400, whereas predivision amebae contained around 11,000 particles. Amebae from two other strains contained similar particles. The particles were found to be clustered in fasted cells and redispersed after feeding. A marked increase in the particle population was noted in anucleate fragments. These results, together with those previously presented, suggest that the particles multiply intracellularly. Their nature and their relationship to previous work on nucleic acid labeling in Amoeba are discussed. PMID:13972869

  12. Prostaglandins may play a signal-coupling role during phagocytosis in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Prusch, R D; Goette, S M; Haberman, P

    1989-03-01

    Phagocytosis in Amoeba proteus can be induced with prostaglandins (PG). In addition, arachidonic acid (the fatty acid precursor to the PG-2 series) also induces phagocytosis. The induction of phagocytosis with arachidonic acid can be partially inhibited by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin. Phagocytosis in the amoeba can also be induced with the chemotactic peptide N-formylmethionyl-leucylphenylalanine (NFMLP). The peptide presumably induces phagocytosis by interacting with receptors on the amoeba surface, which may initiate the release of arachidonic acid from membrane lipids. NFMLP-induced phagocytosis can also be partially inhibited by indomethacin. It is suggested that PG's or biochemically related substances may play a signal-coupling role during phagocytosis in the amoeba.

  13. Calcium and initial surface binding phase of pinocytosis in Amoeba proteus

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Prusch, R.D.

    1986-08-01

    The uptake of membrane-bound solute and external medium by bulk-phase pinocytosis in Amoeba proteus is influenced by the level of Ca/sup 2 +/ in the external medium. Increasing external Ca/sup 2 +/ to approx.10/sup -4/ M increases pinocytotic intensity, while increases in Ca/sup 2 +/ above this level decrease the intensity of pinocytosis. The initial interaction of pinocytotic inducers and Ca/sup +2/ at the surface of A moeba proteus was therefore examined. Alcain blue and Na/sup +/, both inducers of pinocytosis, differ in the manner with which they associate with the amoeba surface, suggesting the possibility of different pinocytosis-inducing sitesmore » on the amoeba surface. Low levels of external Ca/sup 2 +/ in the range of 3 x 10/sup -5/ to 4.5 x 10/sup -4/ M increase the amount of cationic inducer associated with the cell surface while, at the same time, decreasing anion association with the cell surface. It is suggested that Ca/sup 2 +/ influences ion association with the cell surface by controlling the availability of negative surface sites, which in turn influences pinocytotic intensity. Surface binding of Na/sup +/, Ca/sup 2 +/ and Cl/sup -/ was determined by adding /sup 22/Na, /sup 45/Ca or /sup 36/Cl.« less

  14. The Ciprofloxacin Impact on Biofilm Formation by Proteus Mirabilis and P. Vulgaris Strains

    PubMed Central

    Kwiecinska-Pirog, Joanna; Skowron, Krzysztof; Bartczak, Wojciech; Gospodarek-Komkowska, Eugenia

    2016-01-01

    Background Proteus spp. bacilli belong to opportunistic human pathogens, which are primarily responsible for urinary tract and wound infections. An important virulence factor is their ability to form biofilms that greatly reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics in the site of infection. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the value of the minimum concentration of ciprofloxacin that eradicates a biofilm of Proteus spp. strains. Materials and Methods A biofilm formation of 20 strains of P. mirabilis and 20 strains of P. vulgaris were evaluated by a spectrophotometric method using 0.1% 2, 3, 5-Triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride solution (TTC, AVANTORTM). On the basis of the results of the absorbance of the formazan, a degree of reduction of biofilm and minimum biofilm eradication (MBE) values of MBE50 and MBE90 were determined. Results All tested strains formed a biofilm. A value of 1.0 μg/mL ciprofloxacin is MBE50 for the strains of both tested species. An MBE90 value of ciprofloxacin for isolates of P. vulgaris was 2 μg/mL and for P. mirabilis was 512 μg/mL. Conclusions Minimum biofilm eradication values of ciprofloxacin obtained in the study are close to the values of the minimal inhibition concentration (MIC). PMID:27303616

  15. Anaerobic choline metabolism in microcompartments promotes growth and swarming of Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Jameson, Eleanor; Fu, Tiantian; Brown, Ian R; Paszkiewicz, Konrad; Purdy, Kevin J; Frank, Stefanie; Chen, Yin

    2016-09-01

    Gammaproteobacteria are important gut microbes but only persist at low levels in the healthy gut. The ecology of Gammaproteobacteria in the gut environment is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that choline is an important growth substrate for representatives of Gammaproteobacteria. Using Proteus mirabilis as a model, we investigate the role of choline metabolism and demonstrate that the cutC gene, encoding a choline-trimethylamine lyase, is essential for choline degradation to trimethylamine by targeted mutagenesis of cutC and subsequent complementation experiments. Proteus mirabilis can rapidly utilize choline to enhance growth rate and cell yield in broth culture. Importantly, choline also enhances swarming-associated colony expansion of P. mirabilis under anaerobic conditions on a solid surface. Comparative transcriptomics demonstrated that choline not only induces choline-trimethylamine lyase but also genes encoding shell proteins for the formation of bacterial microcompartments. Subsequent analyses by transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of such novel microcompartments in cells cultivated in liquid broth and hyper-flagellated swarmer cells from solid medium. Together, our study reveals choline metabolism as an adaptation strategy for P. mirabilis and contributes to better understand the ecology of this bacterium in health and disease. © 2015 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology published by Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. The Assessment of Proteus mirabilis Susceptibility to Ceftazidime and Ciprofloxacin and the Impact of These Antibiotics at Subinhibitory Concentrations on Proteus mirabilis Biofilms

    PubMed Central

    Kwiecińska-Piróg, Joanna; Zniszczol, Katarzyna; Gospodarek, Eugenia

    2013-01-01

    Rods of the Proteus genus are commonly isolated from patients, especially from the urinary tracts of the catheterised patients. The infections associated with biomaterials are crucial therapeutic obstacles, due to the bactericidal resistance of the biofilm. The aim of this study was to assess the susceptibility of P. mirabilis planktonic forms to ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime, the ability to form biofilm, and the impact of chosen sub-MIC concentrations of these antibiotics on biofilm at different stages of its formation. The research included 50 P. mirabilis strains isolated from wounds and the urinary tracts from patients of the University Hospital No. 1 in Bydgoszcz. The assessment of susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime was conducted using micromethods. The impact of sub-MIC concentrations of the chosen antibiotics on the biofilm was measured using the TTC method. The resistance to ciprofloxacin was confirmed for 20 strains (40.0%) while to ceftazidime for 32 (64.0%) of the tested P. mirabilis strains. All of the tested strains formed biofilm: 24.0% weakly, 26.0% moderately, and 50.0% strongly. It was determined that ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime caused eradication of the biofilm. Moreover, the connection between origin of the strains, biofilm maturity level, and resistance to antibiotics was proved. PMID:24151628

  17. Application of two different kinds of sera against the Proteus penneri lipopolysaccharide core region in search of epitopes determining cross-reactions with antibodies.

    PubMed

    Palusiak, Agata; Dzieciatkowska, Monika; Sidorczyk, Zygmunt

    2008-01-01

    Proteus penneri lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core regions are characterized by a greater structural variability than that observed in other Enterobacteriaceae. This fact and the small amount of published data concerning the serological activity of this part of P. penneri LPS prompted an examination of which fragment might determine cross-reactions with antibodies. To date, such epitopes have been found in the LPS core regions of P. mirabilis and P. vulgaris strains. Proteus sp. LPSs were tested with unabsorbed rabbit antisera by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot, and once again by ELISA or passive immunohemolysis after the absorption of these antisera with selected LPSs. The serological studies of P. penneri 8 LPS demonstrated antibodies in the tested antisera recognizing a common epitope located in the core regions of six of the LPSs, i.e. P. penneri 8, 34, 133, 7, 14, and 15. Additionally, another type of antibody directed against some fragment of P. penneri 13 and the core regions of other LPSs investigated was observed in one antiserum. A distal, trisaccharide fragment of the P. penneri 8 LPS core region is suggested to determine the cross-reactions of the tested antisera with the six P. penneri LPSs.

  18. Actin dynamics in Amoeba proteus motility.

    PubMed

    Pomorski, P; Krzemiński, P; Wasik, A; Wierzbicka, K; Barańska, J; Kłopocka, W

    2007-01-01

    We studied the distribution of the endogenous Arp2/3 complex in Amoeba proteus and visualised the ratio of filamentous (F-actin) to total actin in living cells. The presented results show that in the highly motile Amoeba proteus, Arp2/3 complex-dependent actin polymerisation is involved in the formation of the branching network of the contractile layer, adhesive structures, and perinuclear cytoskeleton. The aggregation of the Arp2/3 complex in the cortical network, with the exception of the uroid and advancing fronts, and the spatial orientation of microfilaments at the leading edge suggest that actin polymerisation in this area is not sufficient to provide the driving force for membrane displacement. The examined proteins were enriched in the pinocytotic pseudopodia and the perinuclear cytoskeleton in pinocytotic amoebae. In migrating amoebae, the course of changes in F-actin concentration corresponded with the distribution of tension in the cell cortex. The maximum level of F-actin in migrating amoebae was observed in the middle-posterior region and in the front of retracting pseudopodia. Arp2/3 complex-dependent actin polymerisation did not seem to influence F-actin concentration. The strongly condensed state of the microfilament system could be attributed to strong isometric contraction of the cortical layer accompanied by its retraction from distal cell regions. Isotonic contraction was limited to the uroid.

  19. The assessment of Proteus mirabilis susceptibility to ceftazidime and ciprofloxacin and the impact of these antibiotics at subinhibitory concentrations on Proteus mirabilis biofilms.

    PubMed

    Kwiecińska-Piróg, Joanna; Skowron, Krzysztof; Zniszczol, Katarzyna; Gospodarek, Eugenia

    2013-01-01

    Rods of the Proteus genus are commonly isolated from patients, especially from the urinary tracts of the catheterised patients. The infections associated with biomaterials are crucial therapeutic obstacles, due to the bactericidal resistance of the biofilm. The aim of this study was to assess the susceptibility of P. mirabilis planktonic forms to ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime, the ability to form biofilm, and the impact of chosen sub-MIC concentrations of these antibiotics on biofilm at different stages of its formation. The research included 50 P. mirabilis strains isolated from wounds and the urinary tracts from patients of the University Hospital No. 1 in Bydgoszcz. The assessment of susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime was conducted using micromethods. The impact of sub-MIC concentrations of the chosen antibiotics on the biofilm was measured using the TTC method. The resistance to ciprofloxacin was confirmed for 20 strains (40.0%) while to ceftazidime for 32 (64.0%) of the tested P. mirabilis strains. All of the tested strains formed biofilm: 24.0% weakly, 26.0% moderately, and 50.0% strongly. It was determined that ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime caused eradication of the biofilm. Moreover, the connection between origin of the strains, biofilm maturity level, and resistance to antibiotics was proved.

  20. Greek rheumatoid arthritis patients have elevated levels of antibodies against antigens from Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Christopoulos, Georgios; Christopoulou, V; Routsias, J G; Babionitakis, A; Antoniadis, C; Vaiopoulos, G

    2017-03-01

    Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from different ethnic groups present elevated levels of antibodies against Proteus mirabilis. This finding implicates P. mirabilis in the development of RA. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of P. mirabilis in the etiopathogenesis of RA in Greek RA patients. In this study, 63 patients with RA and 38 healthy controls were included. Class-specific antibodies IgM, IgG, and IgA against three human cross-reactive and non-cross-reactive synthetic peptides from P. mirabilis-hemolysin (HpmB), urease C (UreC), and urease F (UreF)-were performed in all subjects, using the ELISA method. RA patients had elevated levels of IgM, IgG, and IgA antibodies against HpmB and UreC Proteus peptide which are significantly different compared to healthy controls: p = 0.005, p < 0.001, and p = 0.003 and p = 0.007, p = 0.002, and p < 0.001, correspondingly. Also, elevated levels of IgM, IgG, and IgA antibodies against the UreF Proteus peptide-which are non-cross-reactive with human tissue antigens-were observed and their significant difference compared to healthy controls (p = 0.007, p < 0.001, p < 0.001). Anti-peptide antibodies in RA patients showed a significant correlation with rheumatoid factors (Rf), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP), especially when patients were divided into subgroups according to the receiving treatment. Greek RA patients present elevated levels of antibodies against P. mirabilis antigenic epitopes, such as in North European populations, albeit Greek RA patients presenting the cross-reaction antigen in a low percentage. These results indicate that P. mirabilis through the molecular mimicry mechanism leads to inflammation and damage of the joints in RA.

  1. Proteus genomic island 1 (PGI1), a new resistance genomic island from two Proteus mirabilis French clinical isolates.

    PubMed

    Siebor, Eliane; Neuwirth, Catherine

    2014-12-01

    To analyse the genetic environment of the antibiotic resistance genes in two clinical Proteus mirabilis isolates resistant to multiple antibiotics. PCR, gene walking and whole-genome sequencing were used to determine the sequence of the resistance regions, the surrounding genetic structure and the flanking chromosomal regions. A genomic island of 81.1 kb named Proteus genomic island 1 (PGI1) located at the 3'-end of trmE (formerly known as thdF) was characterized. The large MDR region of PGI1 (55.4 kb) included a class 1 integron (aadB and aadA2) and regions deriving from several transposons: Tn2 (blaTEM-135), Tn21, Tn6020-like transposon (aphA1b), a hybrid Tn502/Tn5053 transposon, Tn501, a hybrid Tn1696/Tn1721 transposon [tetA(A)] carrying a class 1 integron (aadA1) and Tn5393 (strA and strB). Several ISs were also present (IS4321, IS1R and IS26). The PGI1 backbone (25.7 kb) was identical to that identified in Salmonella Heidelberg SL476 and shared some identity with the Salmonella genomic island 1 (SGI1) backbone. An IS26-mediated recombination event caused the division of the MDR region into two parts separated by a large chromosomal DNA fragment of 197 kb, the right end of PGI1 and this chromosomal sequence being in inverse orientation. PGI1 is a new resistance genomic island from P. mirabilis belonging to the same island family as SGI1. The role of PGI1 in the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes among Enterobacteriaceae of medical importance needs to be evaluated. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. The PROTEUS Experiment: Active Source Seismic Imaging of the Crustal Magma Plumbing Structure of the Santorini Arc Volcano

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hooft, E. E. E.; Morgan, J. V.; Nomikou, P.; Toomey, D. R.; Papazachos, C. V.; Warner, M.; Heath, B.; Christopoulou, M. E.; Lampridou, D.; Kementzetzidou, D.

    2016-12-01

    The goal of the PROTEUS seismic experiment (Plumbing Reservoirs Of The Earth Under Santorini) is to examine the entire crustal magma plumbing system beneath a continental arc volcano and determine the magma geometry and connections throughout the crust. These physical parameters control magma migration, storage, and eruption and inform the question of how physical and chemical processing of magma at arc volcanoes forms the andesitic rock compositions that dominate the lower continental crust. These physical parameters are also important to understand volcanic-tectonic interactions and geohazards. Santorini is ideal for these goals because the continental crust has been thinned by extension and so the deep magmatic system is more accessible, also it is geologically well studied. Since the volcano is a semi-submerged, it was possible to collect a unique 3D marine-land active source seismic dataset. During the PROTEUS experiment in November-December of 2015, we recorded 14,300 marine sound sources from the US R/V Langseth on 89 OBSIP short period ocean bottom seismometers and 60 German and 5 Greek land seismometers. The experiment was designed for high-density spatial sampling of the seismic wavefield to allow us to apply two state-of-the-art 3D inversion methods: travel time tomography and full waveform inversion. A preliminary travel time tomography model of the upper crustal seismic velocity structure of the volcano and surrounding region is presented in an accompanying poster. We also made marine geophysical maps of the seafloor using multi-beam bathymetry and of the gravity and magnetic fields. The new seafloor map reveals the detailed structure of the major fault system between Santorini and Amorgos, of associated landslides, and of newly discovered volcanic features. The PROTEUS project will provide new insights into the structure of the whole crustal magmatic system of a continental arc volcano and its evolution within the surrounding tectonic setting.

  3. HTR-PROTEUS Pebble Bed Experimental Program Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3: Hexagonal Close Packing with a 1:2 Moderator-to-Fuel Pebble Ratio

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    John D. Bess; Barbara H. Dolphin; James W. Sterbentz

    2013-03-01

    In its deployment as a pebble bed reactor (PBR) critical facility from 1992 to 1996, the PROTEUS facility was designated as HTR-PROTEUS. This experimental program was performed as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Validation of Safety Related Physics Calculations for Low Enriched HTGRs. Within this project, critical experiments were conducted for graphite moderated LEU systems to determine core reactivity, flux and power profiles, reaction-rate ratios, the worth of control rods, both in-core and reflector based, the worth of burnable poisons, kinetic parameters, and the effects of moisture ingress on these parameters.more » Four benchmark experiments were evaluated in this report: Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3. These core configurations represent the hexagonal close packing (HCP) configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS experiment with a moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio of 1:2. Core 1 represents the only configuration utilizing ZEBRA control rods. Cores 1A, 2, and 3 use withdrawable, hollow, stainless steel control rods. Cores 1 and 1A are similar except for the use of different control rods; Core 1A also has one less layer of pebbles (21 layers instead of 22). Core 2 retains the first 16 layers of pebbles from Cores 1 and 1A and has 16 layers of moderator pebbles stacked above the fueled layers. Core 3 retains the first 17 layers of pebbles but has polyethylene rods inserted between pebbles to simulate water ingress. The additional partial pebble layer (layer 18) for Core 3 was not included as it was used for core operations and not the reported critical configuration. Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3 were determined to be acceptable benchmark experiments.« less

  4. HTR-PROTEUS Pebble Bed Experimental Program Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3: Hexagonal Close Packing with a 1:2 Moderator-to-Fuel Pebble Ratio

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    John D. Bess; Barbara H. Dolphin; James W. Sterbentz

    2012-03-01

    In its deployment as a pebble bed reactor (PBR) critical facility from 1992 to 1996, the PROTEUS facility was designated as HTR-PROTEUS. This experimental program was performed as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Validation of Safety Related Physics Calculations for Low Enriched HTGRs. Within this project, critical experiments were conducted for graphite moderated LEU systems to determine core reactivity, flux and power profiles, reaction-rate ratios, the worth of control rods, both in-core and reflector based, the worth of burnable poisons, kinetic parameters, and the effects of moisture ingress on these parameters.more » Four benchmark experiments were evaluated in this report: Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3. These core configurations represent the hexagonal close packing (HCP) configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS experiment with a moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio of 1:2. Core 1 represents the only configuration utilizing ZEBRA control rods. Cores 1A, 2, and 3 use withdrawable, hollow, stainless steel control rods. Cores 1 and 1A are similar except for the use of different control rods; Core 1A also has one less layer of pebbles (21 layers instead of 22). Core 2 retains the first 16 layers of pebbles from Cores 1 and 1A and has 16 layers of moderator pebbles stacked above the fueled layers. Core 3 retains the first 17 layers of pebbles but has polyethylene rods inserted between pebbles to simulate water ingress. The additional partial pebble layer (layer 18) for Core 3 was not included as it was used for core operations and not the reported critical configuration. Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3 were determined to be acceptable benchmark experiments.« less

  5. The preliminary assessment of anti-microbial activity of HPLC separated components of Kirkia wilmsii.

    PubMed

    Chigayo, K; Mojapelo, P E L; Bessong, P; Gumbo, J R

    2014-01-01

    Most communities in developing countries rely on traditional medicines for the treatment of diseases. In South Africa, the Limpopo province, within the Lebowakgomo district, uses tuberous roots of Kirkia wilmsii, after infusion in water for the treatment of a wide range of diseases by Sotho communities. The main objective of the study was to assess the anti-microbial activity of separated aqueous components of the Kirkia wilmsii tuberous roots. The clear aqueous extracts that were obtained after a 0.45 µm membrane filtration (Millipore Millex-HV Hydrophillic PVDF filter), were then injected into a preparative high performance liquid chromatography instrument in which pure components, as shown by peaks, were collected and evaluated for anti-microbial activity against a range of microorganisms. The eight separated components were obtained, out of which four components showed anti-microbial activity (AMA). The freeze dried components were re-dissolved in deionised water and then evaluated for AMA against Vibrio cholerae, Shigella dysenteriae, Aeromonas hydrophilia, Salmonella typhi Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Enterobacter aerogenes. Component one exhibited antimicrobial activity against Shigella dysenteriae, Aeromonas hydrophilia, Salmonella typhi, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), of 3.445 mg/ml. Component five was only active against Proteus mirabilis with a MIC of 0.08 mg/ml. Component 7, was active against Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with a MIC of 0.365 mg/ml against both Shigella dysenteriae and Staphylococcus aureus and 0.091 mg/ml against Escherichia coli. Component 8, was active against Shigella, Aeromonas hydrophilia, Salmonella, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli with a MIC of 155 mg/ml. Only four out of eight aqueous extracts showed AMA against both gram negative and positive bacteria and showed no AMA against Candida albicans, Enterobacter aerogenes and Vibrio cholerae. Therefore the Kirkia wilmsii plant root may be used as a broad spectrum antibiotic.

  6. Proteus: a direct forcing method in the simulations of particulate flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feng, Zhi-Gang; Michaelides, Efstathios E.

    2005-01-01

    A new and efficient direct numerical method for the simulation of particulate flows is introduced. The method combines desired elements of the immersed boundary method, the direct forcing method and the lattice Boltzmann method. Adding a forcing term in the momentum equation enforces the no-slip condition on the boundary of a moving particle. By applying the direct forcing scheme, Proteus eliminates the need for the determination of free parameters, such as the stiffness coefficient in the penalty scheme or the two relaxation parameters in the adaptive-forcing scheme. The method presents a significant improvement over the previously introduced immersed-boundary-lattice-Boltzmann method (IB-LBM) where the forcing term was computed using a penalty method and a user-defined parameter. The method allows the enforcement of the rigid body motion of a particle in a more efficient way. Compared to the "bounce-back" scheme used in the conventional LBM, the direct-forcing method provides a smoother computational boundary for particles and is capable of achieving results at higher Reynolds number flows. By using a set of Lagrangian points to track the boundary of a particle, Proteus eliminates any need for the determination of the boundary nodes that are prescribed by the "bounce-back" scheme at every time step. It also makes computations for particles of irregular shapes simpler and more efficient. Proteus has been developed in two- as well as three-dimensions. This new method has been validated by comparing its results with those from experimental measurements for a single sphere settling in an enclosure under gravity. As a demonstration of the efficiency and capabilities of the present method, the settling of a large number (1232) of spherical particles is simulated in a narrow box under two different boundary conditions. It is found that when the no-slip boundary condition is imposed at the front and rear sides of the box the particles motion is significantly hindered. Under the periodic boundary conditions, the particles move faster. The simulations show that the sedimentation characteristics in a box with periodic boundary conditions at the two sides are very close to those found in the sedimentation of two-dimensional circular particles. In the Greek mythology Proteus is a hero, the son of Poseidon. In addition to his ability to change shapes and take different forms at will, Zeus granted him the power to make correct predictions for the future. One cannot expect better attributes from a numerical code.

  7. Demonstrating Bacterial Flagella.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Porter, John R.; And Others

    1992-01-01

    Describes an effective laboratory method for demonstrating bacterial flagella that utilizes the Proteus mirabilis organism and a special harvesting technique. Includes safety considerations for the laboratory exercise. (MDH)

  8. Merging mythology and morphology: the multifaceted lifestyle of Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Armbruster, Chelsie E; Mobley, Harry L T

    2012-11-01

    Proteus mirabilis, named for the Greek god who changed shape to avoid capture, has fascinated microbiologists for more than a century with its unique swarming differentiation, Dienes line formation and potent urease activity. Transcriptome profiling during both host infection and swarming motility, coupled with the availability of the complete genome sequence for P. mirabilis, has revealed the occurrence of interbacterial competition and killing through a type VI secretion system, and the reciprocal regulation of adhesion and motility, as well as the intimate connections between metabolism, swarming and virulence. This Review addresses some of the unique and recently described aspects of P. mirabilis biology and pathogenesis, and emphasizes the potential role of this bacterium in single-species and polymicrobial urinary tract infections.

  9. Merging mythology and morphology: the multifaceted lifestyle of Proteus mirabilis

    PubMed Central

    Armbruster, Chelsie E.; Mobley, Harry L. T.

    2013-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis, named for the Greek god who changed shape to avoid capture, has fascinated microbiologists for more than a century with its unique swarming differentiation, Dienes line formation and potent urease activity. Transcriptome profiling during both host infection and swarming motility, coupled with the availability of the complete genome sequence for P. mirabilis, has revealed the occurrence of interbacterial competition and killing through a type VI secretion system, and the reciprocal regulation of adhesion and motility, as well as the intimate connections between metabolism, swarming and virulence. This Review addresses some of the unique and recently described aspects of P. mirabilis biology and pathogenesis, and emphasizes the potential role of this bacterium in single- species and polymicrobial urinary tract infections. PMID:23042564

  10. DE-NE0008277_PROTEUS final technical report 2018

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Enqvist, Andreas

    This project details re-evaluations of experiments of gas-cooled fast reactor (GCFR) core designs performed in the 1970s at the PROTEUS reactor and create a series of International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) benchmarks. Currently there are no gas-cooled fast reactor (GCFR) experiments available in the International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments (IRPhEP Handbook). These experiments are excellent candidates for reanalysis and development of multiple benchmarks because these experiments provide high-quality integral nuclear data relevant to the validation and refinement of thorium, neptunium, uranium, plutonium, iron, and graphite cross sections. It would be cost prohibitive to reproduce suchmore » a comprehensive suite of experimental data to support any future GCFR endeavors.« less

  11. Design, synthesis, molecular docking, anti-Proteus mirabilis and urease inhibition of new fluoroquinolone carboxylic acid derivatives.

    PubMed

    Abdullah, Mohammed A A; Abuo-Rahma, Gamal El-Din A A; Abdelhafez, El-Shimaa M N; Hassan, Heba A; Abd El-Baky, Rehab M

    2017-02-01

    New hydroxamic acid, hydrazide and amide derivatives of ciprofloxacin in addition to their analogues of levofloxacin were prepared and identified by different spectroscopic techniques. Some of the prepared compounds revealed good activity against the urease splitting bacteria, Proteus mirabilis. The urease inhibitory activity was investigated using indophenol method. Most of the tested compounds showed better activity than the reference acetohydroxamic acid (AHA). The ciprofloxacin hydrazide derivative 3a and levofloxacin hydroxamic acid 7 experienced the highest activity (IC 50 =1.22μM and 2.20μM, respectively). Molecular docking study revealed high spontaneous binding ability of the tested compounds to the active site of urease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. From Catheter to Kidney Stone: The Uropathogenic Lifestyle of Proteus mirabilis

    PubMed Central

    Norsworthy, Allison N.; Pearson, Melanie M.

    2017-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis is a model organism for urease-producing uropathogens. These diverse bacteria cause infection stones in the urinary tract and form crystalline biofilms on indwelling urinary catheters, frequently leading to poly-microbial infection. Recent work has elucidated how P. mirabilis causes all of these disease states. Particularly exciting is the discovery that this bacterium forms large clusters in the bladder lumen that are sites for stone formation. These clusters, and other steps of infection, require two virulence factors in particular: urease and MR/P fimbriae. Highlighting the importance of MR/P fimbriae is the cotranscribed regulator, MrpJ, which globally controls virulence. Overall, P. mirabilis exhibits an extraordinary lifestyle, and further probing will answer exciting basic microbiological and clinically relevant questions. PMID:28017513

  13. CYTOPLASMIC DNA SYNTHESIS IN AMOEBA PROTEUS

    PubMed Central

    Wolstenholme, D. R.; Plaut, W.

    1964-01-01

    The application of electron microscope autoradiography to Amoeba proteus cells labeled with tritiated thymidine has permitted the identification of morphologically distinct particles in the cytoplasm as the sites of incorporated DNA precursor. The particles correspond to those previously described from light microscope studies, with respect to both H3Tdr incorporation and distribution in centrifugally stratified amoebae. Ingested bacteria differ from the particles, in morphology as well as in the absence of associated label. Attempts to introduce a normal particle labeling pattern by incubating amoebae with labeled sediment derived from used amoeba medium failed. The resultant conclusion, that the particles are maintained in the amoeba by self-duplication, is supported by the presence of particles in configurations suggestive of division. PMID:14208356

  14. Lysolecithin as a modifier of induced pinocytosis in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Arvidson, G; Josefsson, J O

    1982-08-01

    Lysolecithin was found to modify cation-induced pinocytosis in Amoeba proteus. It is shown here that lysolecithin (LPC) in the concentration range of 10(-15) to 10(-10) g/ml has the same effect on Na+ -induced pinocytosis as cAMP and a pinocytosis regulating factor (PRF) which is secreted by the amoeba. Thus, LPC activated Na+-induced pinocytosis in starved amoebae and decreased the sensitivity to the inducer in normal cells. Pinocytosis depressed by treatment with EGTA or dibucaine became normal upon addition of LPC to the inducer. These effects were also obtained with lysolecithin isolated from the amoeba. It is suggested that PRF and amoeba LPC may be closely related and that phospholipase activity of the amoeba may regulate its capacity for pinocytosis.

  15. Cytoplasmic DNA synthesis in Amoeba proteus. II. On the behavior and possible nature of the DNA-containing elements.

    PubMed

    RABINOVITCH, M; PLAUT, W

    1962-12-01

    Nucleic acid-containing particles in the cytoplasm of Amoeba proteus (cf. reference 1) were counted after acridine orange staining. The number of particles per ameba was found to be correlated with cell age and size. Fresh daughters had a mean particle number of 5400, whereas predivision amebae contained around 11,000 particles. Amebae from two other strains contained similar particles. The particles were found to be clustered in fasted cells and redispersed after feeding. A marked increase in the particle population was noted in anucleate fragments. These results, together with those previously presented, suggest that the particles multiply intracellularly. Their nature and their relationship to previous work on nucleic acid labeling in Amoeba are discussed.

  16. Convergence acceleration of the Proteus computer code with multigrid methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Demuren, A. O.; Ibraheem, S. O.

    1995-01-01

    This report presents the results of a study to implement convergence acceleration techniques based on the multigrid concept in the two-dimensional and three-dimensional versions of the Proteus computer code. The first section presents a review of the relevant literature on the implementation of the multigrid methods in computer codes for compressible flow analysis. The next two sections present detailed stability analysis of numerical schemes for solving the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations, based on conventional von Neumann analysis and the bi-grid analysis, respectively. The next section presents details of the computational method used in the Proteus computer code. Finally, the multigrid implementation and applications to several two-dimensional and three-dimensional test problems are presented. The results of the present study show that the multigrid method always leads to a reduction in the number of iterations (or time steps) required for convergence. However, there is an overhead associated with the use of multigrid acceleration. The overhead is higher in 2-D problems than in 3-D problems, thus overall multigrid savings in CPU time are in general better in the latter. Savings of about 40-50 percent are typical in 3-D problems, but they are about 20-30 percent in large 2-D problems. The present multigrid method is applicable to steady-state problems and is therefore ineffective in problems with inherently unstable solutions.

  17. Phylogenetic characterization of Legionella-like endosymbiotic X-bacteria in Amoeba proteus: a proposal for 'Candidatus Legionella jeonii' sp. nov.

    PubMed

    Park, Miey; Yun, Seong Tae; Kim, Mu Soo; Chun, Jongsik; Ahn, Tae In

    2004-12-01

    The X-bacteria which initiated organismic association with the D strain of Amoeba proteus in 1966 as parasites have changed to obligate endosymbionts on which the host depends for survival. Owing to the difficulty in cultivating the bacteria in vitro, the identity of X-bacteria has not been determined. As the life cycle of X-bacteria is similar to that of Legionella spp. in soil amoebae, we applied the polymerase chain reaction method with specific primers aimed at Legionella spp. for the detection and cloning of 16S rRNA gene. The identity and intracellular localization of the endosymbiont were confirmed by the application of a specific fluorescently labelled 16S rRNA-targeted probe. In addition we cloned RNA polymerase beta-subunit gene (rpoB) of X-bacteria by genomic library tagging. A phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene placed the bacterium within a unique monophyletic group containing all other members of the genus Legionella. Phylogeny from rpoB and mip genes further confirmed the taxonomic context of X-bacteria to be a Legionella sp. In all three phylogenic analyses, X-bacterium was placed apart from Legionella-like amoebal pathogens present in soil amoebae. Thus, we propose the name 'Candidatus Legionella jeonii' sp. nov. for the endosymbiotic X-bacteria in Amoeba proteus.

  18. Reanalysis of the gas-cooled fast reactor experiments at the zero power facility proteus - Spectral indices

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Perret, G.; Pattupara, R. M.; Girardin, G.

    2012-07-01

    The gas-cooled fast reactor (GCFR) concept was investigated experimentally in the PROTEUS zero power facility at the Paul Scherrer Inst. during the 1970's. The experimental program was aimed at neutronics studies specific to the GCFR and at the validation of nuclear data in fast spectra. A significant part of the program used thorium oxide and thorium metal fuel either distributed quasi-homogeneously in the reference PuO{sub 2}/UO{sub 2} lattice or introduced in the form of radial and axial blanket zones. Experimental results obtained at the time are still of high relevance in view of the current consideration of the Gas-cooled Fastmore » Reactor (GFR) as a Generation-IV nuclear system, as also of the renewed interest in the thorium cycle. In this context, some of the experiments have been modeled with modern Monte Carlo codes to better account for the complex PROTEUS whole-reactor geometry and to allow validating recent continuous neutron cross-section libraries. As a first step, the MCNPX model was used to test the JEFF-3.1, JEFF-3.1.1, ENDF/B-VII.0 and JENDL-3.3 libraries against spectral indices, notably involving fission and capture of {sup 232}Th and {sup 237}Np, measured in GFR-like lattices. (authors)« less

  19. Characterization of a cDNA of peroxiredoxin II responding to hydrogen peroxide and phagocytosis in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Park, Miey; Shin, Hae J; Lee, Soo Y; Ahn, Tae I

    2005-01-01

    Phagocytic cells have defense systems against reactive oxygen species generated as the first non-specific defense mechanism against invading pathogens or microorganisms. We cloned a cDNA encoding a 21.69-kDa protein in Amoeba proteus homologous to 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (Prx-Ap). In the disk inhibition assay using H2O2 as an oxidizing agent, Escherichia coli overproducing Prx-Ap showed better viability than did E. coli transformed with pBluescript II SK for control. Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) produced against Prx-Ap reacted with a 22.5-kDa protein and several minor proteins. In Western blot analysis, levels of the 22.5-kDa protein in amoebae treated with 2-mM H2O2 for 1 h increased about 2-fold over those in control cells. Immunofluorescence scattered throughout the cytoplasm also increased after H2O2 treatment. In Northern blot analysis using the cDNA as a probe, the level of transcripts also changed with H2O2 treatment. When amoebae were fed with Tetrahymena, the intensity of immunofluorescence increased from 15 min and persisted until 2 h after phagocytosis. These results suggest that the 22.5-kDa protein of A. proteus is a Prx protein and that it has an antioxidant property responding to phagocytosis.

  20. Antimicrobial activity of Gymnema sylvestre leaf extract.

    PubMed

    Satdive, R K; Abhilash, P; Fulzele, Devanand P

    2003-12-01

    The ethanolic extract of Gymnema sylvestre leaves demonstrated antimicrobial activity against Bacillus pumilis, B. subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and inactivity against Proteus vulgaris and Escherichia coli.

  1. 21 CFR 520.88f - Amoxicillin trihydrate tablets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ..., Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Escherichia coli; and soft tissue infections (abscesses, wounds, lacerations) due to S. aureus, Streptococcus spp., E. coli, Proteus mirabilis, and Staphylococcus spp. (iii...

  2. 21 CFR 520.88f - Amoxicillin trihydrate tablets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ..., Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Escherichia coli; and soft tissue infections (abscesses, wounds, lacerations) due to S. aureus, Streptococcus spp., E. coli, Proteus mirabilis, and Staphylococcus spp. (iii...

  3. From Catheter to Kidney Stone: The Uropathogenic Lifestyle of Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Norsworthy, Allison N; Pearson, Melanie M

    2017-04-01

    Proteus mirabilis is a model organism for urease-producing uropathogens. These diverse bacteria cause infection stones in the urinary tract and form crystalline biofilms on indwelling urinary catheters, frequently leading to polymicrobial infection. Recent work has elucidated how P. mirabilis causes all of these disease states. Particularly exciting is the discovery that this bacterium forms large clusters in the bladder lumen that are sites for stone formation. These clusters, and other steps of infection, require two virulence factors in particular: urease and MR/P fimbriae. Highlighting the importance of MR/P fimbriae is the cotranscribed regulator, MrpJ, which globally controls virulence. Overall, P. mirabilis exhibits an extraordinary lifestyle, and further probing will answer exciting basic microbiological and clinically relevant questions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Observation of multicellular spinning behavior of Proteus mirabilis by atomic force microscopy and multifunctional microscopy.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yanxia; Deng, Yuanxin; Luo, Shuxiu; Deng, Yu; Guo, Linming; Xu, Weiwei; Liu, Lei; Liu, Junkang

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to observe the multicellular spinning behavior of Proteus mirabilis by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and multifunctional microscopy in order to understand the mechanism underlying this spinning movement and its biological significance. Multifunctional microscopy with charge-coupled device (CCD) and real-time AFM showed changes in cell structure and shape of P. mirabilis during multicellular spinning movement. Specifically, the morphological characteristics of P. mirabilis, multicellular spinning dynamics, and unique movement were observed. Our findings indicate that the multicellular spinning behavior of P. mirabilis may be used to collect nutrients, perform colonization, and squeeze out competitors. The movement characteristics of P. mirabilis are vital to the organism's biological adaptability to the surrounding environment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Necrotizing suppurative nephritis in a Japanese black feedlot steer due to Proteus mirabilis infection.

    PubMed

    Abe, Tadatsugu; Iizuka, Ayako; Kojima, Hirokazu; Kimura, Kumiko; Shibahara, Tomoyuki; Haritani, Makoto

    2017-04-05

    A Japanese black feedlot steer suddenly died after exhibiting astasia and cramping of the extremities. Necropsy of the animal revealed that the right kidney was enlarged and pale with severe nephrolithiasis. The urinary bladder displayed mucosal hemorrhage. Upon bacteriological investigation, Proteus mirabilis was isolated from the liver, spleen, right kidney, lungs and urine. Histopathological examination revealed necrotizing suppurative nephritis with the presence of numerous gram-negative bacilli and fibrinous suppurative cystitis with no bacilli. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the bacteria and cytoplasm of the macrophages stained positively with P. mirabilis antiserum. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of numerous bacteria in the renal tubules. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the histopathological aspects of nephritis caused by P. mirabilis in cattle.

  6. [Joint action of nitrofuran preparations and bile acids on bacteria of the genus Proteus].

    PubMed

    Sytnik, I A; Puzakova, E V

    1975-01-01

    Sensitivity of 25 fresh isolates of Proteus to some nitrofuran drugs most widely used in the clinical practice, such as furacillin, furagin, furazolidone and nitrofurantoin was studied. When the drugs were used in combination with some bile acids, i.e. desoxycholic, dehydrocholic, cholic and glycocholic acids, significant in vitro potentiation of the antibacterial activity of the nitrofurans against the isolates was observed. The combinations of the drugs with desoxycholic acid proved to be most effective. In the presence of this acid the bacteriostatic dose of the drugs decreased several thousand times. Combination of the nitrofurans with the other acids resulted in an increase in the antimicrobial activity amounting to several hundred times. The combinations of the drugs with the bile acids had not only bacteriostatic but also bactericidal effect.

  7. Expression and regulation of the penicillin G acylase gene from Proteus rettgeri cloned in Escherichia coli.

    PubMed

    Daumy, G O; Williams, J A; McColl, A S; Zuzel, T J; Danley, D

    1986-10-01

    The penicillin G acylase genes from the Proteus rettgeri wild type and from a hyperproducing mutant which is resistant to succinate repression were cloned in Escherichia coli K-12. Expression of both wild-type and mutant P. rettgeri acylase genes in E. coli K-12 was independent of orientation in the cloning vehicle and apparently resulted from recognition in E. coli of the P. rettgeri promoter sequences. The P. rettgeri acylase was secreted into the E. coli periplasmic space and was composed of subunits electrophoretically identical to those made in P. rettgeri. Expression of these genes in E. coli K-12 was not repressed by succinate as it is in P. rettgeri. Instead, expression of the enzymes was regulated by glucose catabolite repression.

  8. [Experience in the use of anti-colibacillus and Proteus lactoglobulin as a supplement to milk products in diet therapy at a specialized childrens' collective].

    PubMed

    Soboleva, S V; Zlatnik, E Ia; Mineeva, L D; Kaplin, M M; Shamanova, G P

    1989-01-01

    A new biologically active supplement (BAS) for infant food was tested at an Infant's Home. BAS-IG contains lactoglobulin, an immune preparation against colibacillus and Proteus. During the primary examination of the infants in the Infant's Home intestinal dysbacteriosis was revealed in 100% of the infants, clinical signs of dysbacteriosis were detected in 88.4% of the infants. Two successive courses of feeding the infants with products enriched with the new supplement resulted in a significant improvement of the microflora composition in them and in normalizing their clinical condition. At the same time positive changes in a number of immunological factors were recorded. The authors have recommended using BAS-IG for correction of dysbacteriosis in children at Infant's Homes.

  9. Development of Cross Section Library and Application Programming Interface (API)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, C. H.; Marin-Lafleche, A.; Smith, M. A.

    2014-04-09

    The goal of NEAMS neutronics is to develop a high-fidelity deterministic neutron transport code termed PROTEUS for use on all reactor types of interest, but focused primarily on sodium-cooled fast reactors. While PROTEUS-SN has demonstrated good accuracy for homogeneous fast reactor problems and partially heterogeneous fast reactor problems, the simulation results were not satisfactory when applied on fully heterogeneous thermal problems like the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). This is mainly attributed to the quality of cross section data for heterogeneous geometries since the conventional cross section generation approach does not work accurately for such irregular and complex geometries. Therefore, onemore » of the NEAMS neutronics tasks since FY12 has been the development of a procedure to generate appropriate cross sections for a heterogeneous geometry core.« less

  10. CYTOPLASMIC DNA SYNTHESIS IN AMOEBA PROTEUS. 3. FURTHER STUDIES ON THE NATURE OF THE DNA--CONTAINING ELEMENTS.

    PubMed

    WOLSTENHOLME, D R; PLAUT, W

    1964-09-01

    The application of electron microscope autoradiography to Amoeba proteus cells labeled with tritiated thymidine has permitted the identification of morphologically distinct particles in the cytoplasm as the sites of incorporated DNA precursor. The particles correspond to those previously described from light microscope studies, with respect to both H(3)Tdr incorporation and distribution in centrifugally stratified amoebae. Ingested bacteria differ from the particles, in morphology as well as in the absence of associated label. Attempts to introduce a normal particle labeling pattern by incubating amoebae with labeled sediment derived from used amoeba medium failed. The resultant conclusion, that the particles are maintained in the amoeba by self-duplication, is supported by the presence of particles in configurations suggestive of division.

  11. 21 CFR 522.90c - Ampicillin sodium.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    .... (including S. equi), Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis, and skin and soft tissue infections (abscesses and wounds) due to Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., E. coli, and P. mirabilis, when caused by...

  12. 21 CFR 522.90c - Ampicillin sodium.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    .... (including S. equi), Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis, and skin and soft tissue infections (abscesses and wounds) due to Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., E. coli, and P. mirabilis, when caused by...

  13. Proteus Syndrome Foundation

    MedlinePlus

    ... Syndrome Diagnostic Criteria & FAQs Medical Research Glossary Donate Cash Donation Life Insurance Gift Matching Gift Stock Gift ... data It’s easy to join There is no cost to you: the costs are supported by the ...

  14. Use of MicroMaps for Satellite Validation and Potential UAV Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Connors, V. S.; Sachse, G. W.; Hopkins, P. E.; Morrow, W.; McMillan, W. W.

    2005-12-01

    The MicroMAPS instrument is a nadir-viewing, gas filter-correlated radiometer which operates in the 4.67 micrometer fundamental band of carbon monoxide. Originally designed and built for a space mission, this CO remote sensor is being flown in support of satellite validation and science instrument demonstrations for potential UAV applications. The MicroMAPS CO instrument was flown for the first time during the Summer-Fall 2004 on-board the Proteus aircraft, which is owned and operated by Scaled Composites, in Mojave, CA. The insturment system, flown on Proteus, was designed by a student team as a senior design project in the Aerospace Engineering Department, Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, VA. This proposed design was reviewed and revised by Systems Engineers at NASA Langley; the final instrument system was integrated and tested at NASA LaRC in partnership with Scaled Composites and Virginia Space Grant Consortium, which supervised the fabrication of the nacelle which housed the instrument system on the right rear tail boom of Proteus. Full system integration and flight testing was performed at Scaled Composites, in Mojave, in June 2004. Its successful performance enabled participation in three international science missions: INTEX -NA over eastern North America in July 2004, ADRIEX over the Mediterranean region and EAQUATE over the United Kingdom region in September 2004, piggy-backing with the IPO-sponsored payload flown on Proteus. These flights resulted in nearly 100 hours of science measurements and in-flight calibrations. In parallel with the engineering devlopments, theoretical radiative transfer models were developed specifically for the MicroMAPS instrument system at the University of Virginia, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department by a combined undergraduate and graduate student team. With techical support from Resonance Ltd. In June 2005, in Barrie, Canada, the MicroMAPS instrument was calibrated for the conditions underwhich the Summer-Fall 2004 flights occurred. The analyses of the calibration data, combined with the theoretical radiative transfer models, will provide the first data reduction for the science flights. These early results and comparisons with profile data from the NASA DC-8 and the coincident AIRS CO retrievals will be presented.

  15. Proteus: a random forest classifier to predict disorder-to-order transitioning binding regions in intrinsically disordered proteins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Basu, Sankar; Söderquist, Fredrik; Wallner, Björn

    2017-05-01

    The focus of the computational structural biology community has taken a dramatic shift over the past one-and-a-half decades from the classical protein structure prediction problem to the possible understanding of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDP) or proteins containing regions of disorder (IDPR). The current interest lies in the unraveling of a disorder-to-order transitioning code embedded in the amino acid sequences of IDPs/IDPRs. Disordered proteins are characterized by an enormous amount of structural plasticity which makes them promiscuous in binding to different partners, multi-functional in cellular activity and atypical in folding energy landscapes resembling partially folded molten globules. Also, their involvement in several deadly human diseases (e.g. cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases) makes them attractive drug targets, and important for a biochemical understanding of the disease(s). The study of the structural ensemble of IDPs is rather difficult, in particular for transient interactions. When bound to a structured partner, an IDPR adapts an ordered conformation in the complex. The residues that undergo this disorder-to-order transition are called protean residues, generally found in short contiguous stretches and the first step in understanding the modus operandi of an IDP/IDPR would be to predict these residues. There are a few available methods which predict these protean segments from their amino acid sequences; however, their performance reported in the literature leaves clear room for improvement. With this background, the current study presents `Proteus', a random forest classifier that predicts the likelihood of a residue undergoing a disorder-to-order transition upon binding to a potential partner protein. The prediction is based on features that can be calculated using the amino acid sequence alone. Proteus compares favorably with existing methods predicting twice as many true positives as the second best method (55 vs. 27%) with a much higher precision on an independent data set. The current study also sheds some light on a possible `disorder-to-order' transitioning consensus, untangled, yet embedded in the amino acid sequence of IDPs. Some guidelines have also been suggested for proceeding with a real-life structural modeling involving an IDPR using Proteus.

  16. The fate and origin of the nuclear envelope during and after mitosis in Amoeba proteus. I. Synthesis and behavior of phospholipids of the nuclear envelope during the cell life cycle

    PubMed Central

    1975-01-01

    The synthesis and behavior of Amoeba proteus nuclear envelope (NE) phospholipids were studied. Most NE phospholipid synthesis occurs during G2 and little during mitosis or S. (A. proteus has no G1 phase). Autoradiographic observations after implantation of [3-H] choline nuclei into unlabeled cells reveal little turnover of NE phospholipid during interphase but during mitosis all the label is dispersed through the cytoplasm. Beginning at telophase all the label is dispersed through the cytoplasm. Beginning at telophase all the NE phospholipid label returns to the daughter NEs. This observation, along with the finding that no NE phospholipid synthesis occurs during mitosis or S, indicates that no de novo NE phospholipid production is required for newly forming NEs. Similarlyemetine, at concentrations that inhibit 97 percent of protein synthesis, does not prevent the post mitotic formation of NEs, suggesting that previously manufactured proteins are used in making new NEs. If a nucleus containing labeled NE phospholipids is transplanted into an unlabeled nucleate cell and the cell is allowed to grow and divide, the resultant four nuclei are equally labeled. This finding supports, but does not prove (see next paragraph), the conclusion that there probably is no continuity of the A. proteus NE during mitosis. When a phospholipid-labeled nucleus is implanted into a cell in mitosis, the grafted nucleus is not induced to enter mitosis. There is, however, a marked increase in the turnover of that nucleus's NE phospholipids with no apparent breakdown of the NE; this indicated that the mitotic cytoplasm possesses a factor that stimulates NE phospholipid exchange with the cytoplasm. That enhanced turnover is not accompanied by visible structural alteration makes less certain the earlier conclusion that no NE continuity exists during mitosis. Perhaps the most important finding in this study is that there are present, at restricted times in the cell cycle, factors capable of inducing accelerated exchange of structural components without microscopically detectable disruptions of structure. PMID:805790

  17. 21 CFR 522.56 - Amikacin sulfate injection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ...) caused by susceptible strains of Escherichia coli and Proteus spp. and skin and soft tissue infections caused by susceptible strains of Pseudomonas spp. and E. coli. (3) Limitations. The drug is administered...

  18. [Microbial colonization of the caviar of the sturgeon fishes].

    PubMed

    Boĭko, A V; Pogorelova, N P; Zhuravlëva, L A; Lartseva, L V

    1993-11-01

    Samples of black caviar in 47.7% of cases are contaminated by opportunistic bacteria Aeromonas, Proteus, Vibrio, V. parahaemolyticus. Standardization of these micro-organisms content in black caviar is recommended.

  19. 21 CFR 520.1618 - Orbifloxacin suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... infections (wounds and abscesses) in dogs caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-positive staphylococci, Pasteurella multocida, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas... urinary tract infections (cystitis) in dogs caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus...

  20. 21 CFR 520.1618 - Orbifloxacin suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... infections (wounds and abscesses) in dogs caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-positive staphylococci, Pasteurella multocida, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas... urinary tract infections (cystitis) in dogs caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus...

  1. 21 CFR 520.1618 - Orbifloxacin suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... infections (wounds and abscesses) in dogs caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-positive staphylococci, Pasteurella multocida, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas... urinary tract infections (cystitis) in dogs caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus...

  2. Antibacterial Activity of Anthraquinone from Aloe on Spiced Pig Head

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Lingyi; Li, Xiao; Cui, Yuqian; Pang, Meixia; Wang, Fang; Qi, Jinghua

    2017-12-01

    [Objective] To optimize the extraction of anthraquinone from Aloe by ultrasonic extraction and its antibacterialactivity. [Method]The influences of different extraction time and ethanol concentration, on anthraquinone contentwere evaluated by asingle factor experiment. And anthraquinone content was determined by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The bacteriostasis of anthraquinone on spiced pig head’s common putrefying bacteria: Staphylococcus, Serratieae, Bacillus, Proteus and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) were studied by oxford plate assay system. [Result]The best extraction time was 30 minutes and the best ethanol concentration was 80%. The antibacterial activity of the Aloe anthraquinone on Staphylococcus Aureus, Bacillus Proteus is obviously, the minimum inhibitory concentrations were 0.0625 g/mL, 0.05 g/mL, 0.125 g/mL respectively and no inhibitory effect on Serratieae. [Conclusions] The anthraquinones from Aloe can inhibit a part Of spoilage bacteria inspiced pig heads.

  3. Report: Studies on antibacterial activity of some traditional medicinal plants used in folk medicine.

    PubMed

    Israr, Fozia; Hassan, Fouzia; Naqvi, Baqir Shyum; Azhar, Iqbal; Jabeen, Sabahat; Hasan, S M Farid

    2012-07-01

    Ethanolic extracts of eight medicinal plants commonly used in folk medicine were tested for their antibacterial activity against four Gram positive strains (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and, Streptococcus pneumoniae) and six Gram negative strains (Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Proteus mirabilis. Salmonella typhi para A, Salmonella typhi para B and Shigella dysenteriae) that were obtained from different pathological laboratories located in Karachi, Pakistan. Disc diffusion method was used to analyze antibacterial activity. Out of eight, five medicinal plants showed antibacterial activity against two or more than two microbial species. The most effective antimicrobial plant found to be Punica granatum followed by Curcuma zedoaria Rosc, Grewia asiatica L and Carissa carandas L, Curcuma caesia Roxb respectively. From these results, it is evident that medicinal plants could be used as a potential source of new antibacterial agents.

  4. A comparison of certain extracting agents for extraction of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from microorganisms for use in the firefly luciferase ATP assay

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knust, E. A.; Chappelle, E. W.; Picciolo, G. L.

    1975-01-01

    Firefly luciferase ATP assay is used in clinical and industrial applications, such as determination of urinary infection levels, microbial susceptibility testing, and monitoring of yeast levels in beverages. Three categories of extractants were investigated for their extracting efficiency. They were ionizing organic solvents, nonionizing organic solvents, and inorganic acids. Dimethylsulfoxide and formamide represented the ionizing organic solvents, while n-butanol, chloroform, ethanol, acetone, and methylene chloride were used for the nonionizing organic solvents. Nitric acid and perchloric acid were chosen for the inorganic acids category. Pathogens were tested with each solvent. They included: Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter species, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. These results are shown in graphic representations.

  5. Transcriptome of Proteus mirabilis in the Murine Urinary Tract: Virulence and Nitrogen Assimilation Gene Expression▿†

    PubMed Central

    Pearson, Melanie M.; Yep, Alejandra; Smith, Sara N.; Mobley, Harry L. T.

    2011-01-01

    The enteric bacterium Proteus mirabilis is a common cause of complicated urinary tract infections. In this study, microarrays were used to analyze P. mirabilis gene expression in vivo from experimentally infected mice. Urine was collected at 1, 3, and 7 days postinfection, and RNA was isolated from bacteria in the urine for transcriptional analysis. Across nine microarrays, 471 genes were upregulated and 82 were downregulated in vivo compared to in vitro broth culture. Genes upregulated in vivo encoded mannose-resistant Proteus-like (MR/P) fimbriae, urease, iron uptake systems, amino acid and peptide transporters, pyruvate metabolism enzymes, and a portion of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes. Flagella were downregulated. Ammonia assimilation gene glnA (glutamine synthetase) was repressed in vivo, while gdhA (glutamate dehydrogenase) was upregulated in vivo. Contrary to our expectations, ammonia availability due to urease activity in P. mirabilis did not drive this gene expression. A gdhA mutant was growth deficient in minimal medium with citrate as the sole carbon source, and loss of gdhA resulted in a significant fitness defect in the mouse model of urinary tract infection. Unlike Escherichia coli, which represses gdhA and upregulates glnA in vivo and cannot utilize citrate, the data suggest that P. mirabilis uses glutamate dehydrogenase to monitor carbon-nitrogen balance, and this ability contributes to the pathogenic potential of P. mirabilis in the urinary tract. PMID:21505083

  6. Epidemiology of extended-spectrum β-lactamase, AmpC, and carbapenemase production in Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Datta, Priya; Gupta, Varsha; Arora, Shilpa; Garg, Shivani; Chander, Jagdish

    2014-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis strains that produce extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL), AmpC β-lactamase, and carbapenemase pose potential threats to patient care because most clinical diagnostic laboratories may not attempt to detect these three major groups of enzymes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to ascertain if P. mirabilis isolates collected from our heathcare facility possess various mechanisms of resistance to β-lactams (i.e., ESBL, AmpC, and carbapenemases) and to additionally arrive at conclusions regarding concurrent testing for these three mechanism of drug resistance in order to reduce cost and time in routine diagnostic testing. Between January 2011 and June 2011, 60 consecutive non-repeated strains of P. mirabilis were evaluated for production of ESBLs, AmpC β-lactamases, and carbapenemases. Of these, 36 isolates were found to be ESBL producers, and 7 (12%) were positive for production of AmpC β-lactamases and ESBLs. Therefore, 19.4% of ESBL-producing Proteus strains coproduced AmpC enzymes. The modified Hodge test confirmed carbapenemase production in only 1 isolate (1.7%), which was also ESBL- and AmpC-positive. The clinical impact of additional AmpC expression in ESBL-producing P. mirabilis results in a newly acquired resistance to β-lactamase inhibitors. In addition, to save time and costs, we recommend the use of cefepime/cefepime-clavulanate or boronic acid for the ESBL detection but in only those strains that were positive for ESBL by screening and negative by confirmatory tests.

  7. Babes in the wood – a unique window into sea scorpion ontogeny

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Few studies on eurypterids have taken into account morphological changes that occur throughout postembryonic development. Here two species of eurypterid are described from the Pragian Beartooth Butte Formation of Cottonwood Canyon in Wyoming and included in a phylogenetic analysis. Both species comprise individuals from a number of instars, and this allows for changes that occur throughout their ontogeny to be documented, and how ontogenetically variable characters can influence phylogenetic analysis to be tested. Results The two species of eurypterid are described as Jaekelopterus howelli (Kjellesvig-Waering and Størmer, 1952) and Strobilopterus proteus sp. nov. Phylogenetic analysis places them within the Pterygotidae and Strobilopteridae respectively, both families within the Eurypterina. Jaekelopterus howelli shows positive allometry of the cheliceral denticles throughout ontogeny, while a number of characteristics including prosomal appendage length, carapace shape, lateral eye position, and relative breadth all vary during the growth of Strobilopterus proteus. Conclusions The ontogeny of Strobilopterus proteus shares much in common with that of modern xiphosurans, however certain characteristics including apparent true direct development suggest a closer affinity to arachnids. The ontogenetic development of the genital appendage also supports the hypothesis that the structure is homologous to the endopods of the trunk limbs of other arthropods. Including earlier instars in the phylogenetic analysis is shown to destabilise the retrieved topology. Therefore, coding juveniles as individual taxa in an analysis is shown to be actively detrimental and alternative ways of coding ontogenetic data into phylogenetic analyses should be explored. PMID:23663507

  8. [Tartrate-sensitive and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatases in Amoeba proteus].

    PubMed

    Sopina, V A; Beliaeva, T N

    2000-01-01

    In free-living Amoeba proteus (strain B), acid phosphatase (AcP) was examined by disc-electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel. The tartrate-sensitive amebian AcP was greatly inhibited by dithiothreitol and Cu2+, and only partly inhibited by sodium orthovanadate, ammonium molybdate, EDTA, disodium salt and Mg2+, Ca2+, Zn2+ and Mn2+. On the contrary, it appeared to be resistant to sulfhydryl reagents--4(hydroxymercury) benzoic acid, sodium salt and N-ethylmaleimide. Unlike the tartrate-sensitive enzyme, the tartrate-resistant AcP was greatly inhibited by EDTA and partly inhibited by dithiothreitol, Mg2+ and Cu2+ (Mn2+ > Cu2+), being activated by orthovanadate, molybdate, sulfhydryl reagents, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Zn2+. Both tartrate-sensitive and tartrate-resistant AcPs lack apparently free SH-groups necessary for their catalytic activities. Using 2-naphthyl phosphate as a substrate at pH 4.5, six AcP electromorphs were revealed in cytosol and sediment, four of these being most frequently localized in the former, and two in the latter. Two other AcP electromorphs were confined to the sediment only. Depending on the quantity of sedimented amoebae making a homogenate (0.5 or 2.0 cm3), that was added to Percoll solution, the lysosomal AcP fraction in polyacrylamide gel was represented by one or two tartrate-sensitive electromorphs. Therefore, tartrate-resistant AcP in A. proteus may be a lysosomal enzyme, while tartrate-resistant AcP may correspond to serine/threonine protein phosphatase.

  9. Proteus at Play with the Past: Historical Versus Mythical Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stephens, Lester D.

    1975-01-01

    The use of primary materials, interpretations, pictorial materials, and statistical information are recommended to break the hold of the mythical image of the past and replace it with a historical past. (Author/DE)

  10. Proteus in Another Guise: The Changing Shape of Art Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MacGregor, Ronald N.

    1973-01-01

    This article attempts to outline five major areas of components, selected by virtue of the attention paid them in recent writings, which could provide the content for various combinations of art activities. (Author)

  11. 21 CFR 522.88 - Amoxicillin.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ..., tracheobronchitis) due to Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis...: Upper respiratory infections due to S. aureus, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Haemophilus spp..., lacerations, and wounds) due to S. aureus, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., E. coli, and Pasteurella...

  12. Antibacterial activity of anthraquinone from cassia seed on spiced pig head

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, L. Y.; Li, X.; Cui, Y. Q.; Pang, M. X.; Wang, F.; Qi, J. H.

    2018-01-01

    [Objective] To optimize the extraction of anthraquinone from cassia seed by ultrasonic extraction and its antibacterial activity. [Method] The influences of different extraction time and ethanol concentration, on anthraquinone content were evaluated by a single factor experiment. And anthraquinone content was determined by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The bacteriostasis of anthraquinone on spiced pig head’s common putrefying bacteria: Staphylococcus, Serratieae, Bacillus, Proteus and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) were studied by oxford plate assay system. [Result] The best extraction time was 30 minutes and the best ethanol concentration was 80%. The antibacterial activity of the cassia seed anthraquinone on Staphylococcus Aureus, Bacillus Proteus is obviously, the minimum inhibitory concentrations were 0.125 g/mL, 0.125 g/mL, 1 g/mL respectively and no inhibitory effect on Serratieae. [Conclusions] The anthraquinones from Cassia seed can inhibit a part of spoilage bacteria in spiced pig heads.

  13. Isolation and Purification of Complex II from Proteus Mirabilis Strain ATCC 29245

    PubMed Central

    Shabbiri, Khadija; Ahmad, Waqar; Syed, Quratulain; Adnan, Ahmad

    2010-01-01

    A respiratory complex was isolated from plasma membrane of pathogenic Proteus mirabilis strain ATCC 29245. It was identified as complex II consisting of succinate:quinone oxidoreductase (EC 1.3.5.1) containing single heme b. The complex II was purified by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The molecular weight of purified complex was 116.5 kDa and it was composed of three subunits with molecular weights of 19 kDa, 29 kDa and 68.5 kDa. The complex II contained 9.5 nmoles of cytochrome b per mg protein. Heme staining indicated that the 19 kDa subunit was cytochrome b. Its reduced form showed absorptions peaks at 557.0, 524.8 and 424.4 nm. The α-band was shifted from 557.0 nm to 556.8 nm in pyridine ferrohemochrome spectrum. The succinate: quinone oxidoreductase activity was found to be high in this microorganism. PMID:24031557

  14. Mimicking a New 2-Phenylethanol Production Pathway from Proteus mirabilis JN458 in Escherichia coli.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jinbin; Jiang, Jing; Bai, Yajun; Fan, Tai-Ping; Zhao, Ye; Zheng, Xiaohui; Cai, Yujie

    2018-04-04

    Bacteria rarely produce natural 2-phenylethanol. We verified a new pathway from Proteus mirabilis JN458 to produce 2-phenylethanol using Escherichia coli to coexpress l-amino acid deaminase, α-keto acid decarboxylase, and alcohol dehydrogenase from P. mirabilis. Based on this pathway, a glucose dehydrogenase coenzyme regeneration system was constructed. The optimal conditions of biotransformation by the recombinant strain E-pAEAKaG were at 40 °C and pH 7.0. Finally, the recombinant strain E-pAEAKaG produced 3.21 ± 0.10 g/L 2-phenylethanol in M9 medium containing 10 g/L l-phenylalanine after a 16 h transformation. Furthermore, when the concentration of l-phenylalanine was 4 g/L (24 mM), the production of 2-phenylethanol reached 2.88 ± 0.18 g/L and displayed a higher conversion rate of 97.38 mol %.

  15. Comparative Screening of Digestion Tract Toxic Genes in Proteus mirabilis

    PubMed Central

    Shi, Xiaolu; Lin, Yiman; Qiu, Yaqun; Li, Yinghui; Jiang, Min; Chen, Qiongcheng; Jiang, Yixiang; Yuan, Jianhui; Cao, Hong; Hu, Qinghua; Huang, Shenghe

    2016-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis is a common urinary tract pathogen, and may induce various inflammation symptoms. Its notorious ability to resist multiple antibiotics and to form urinary tract stones makes its treatment a long and painful process, which is further challenged by the frequent horizontal gene transferring events in P. mirabilis genomes. Three strains of P. mirabilis C02011/C04010/C04013 were isolated from a local outbreak of a food poisoning event in Shenzhen, China. Our hypothesis is that new genes may have been acquired horizontally to exert the digestion tract infection and toxicity. The functional characterization of these three genomes shows that each of them independently acquired dozens of virulent genes horizontally from the other microbial genomes. The representative strain C02011 induces the symptoms of both vomit and diarrhea, and has recently acquired a complete type IV secretion system and digestion tract toxic genes from the other bacteria. PMID:27010388

  16. Comparative Screening of Digestion Tract Toxic Genes in Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Shi, Xiaolu; Lin, Yiman; Qiu, Yaqun; Li, Yinghui; Jiang, Min; Chen, Qiongcheng; Jiang, Yixiang; Yuan, Jianhui; Cao, Hong; Hu, Qinghua; Huang, Shenghe

    2016-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis is a common urinary tract pathogen, and may induce various inflammation symptoms. Its notorious ability to resist multiple antibiotics and to form urinary tract stones makes its treatment a long and painful process, which is further challenged by the frequent horizontal gene transferring events in P. mirabilis genomes. Three strains of P. mirabilis C02011/C04010/C04013 were isolated from a local outbreak of a food poisoning event in Shenzhen, China. Our hypothesis is that new genes may have been acquired horizontally to exert the digestion tract infection and toxicity. The functional characterization of these three genomes shows that each of them independently acquired dozens of virulent genes horizontally from the other microbial genomes. The representative strain C02011 induces the symptoms of both vomit and diarrhea, and has recently acquired a complete type IV secretion system and digestion tract toxic genes from the other bacteria.

  17. In Vitro Activity of Cephalothin and Three Penicillins Against Escherichia coli and Proteus Species

    PubMed Central

    Barry, Arthur L.; Hoeprich, Paul D.

    1973-01-01

    The susceptibility of clinical isolates of Escherichia coli (67) and Proteus species (58) to cephalothin, ampicillin, benzyl penicillin, and phenoxymethyl penicillin was determined in vitro by using broth dilution and disk diffusion tests. The data were correlated by using a four-category scheme for interpreting minimal inhibitory concentrations (groups 1 to 4) as recommended by a subcommittee of an international collaborative study of susceptibility testing. With cephalothin and ampicillin, groups 1 (susceptible) and 2 (moderately susceptible) were susceptible by the disk test, and with benzyl penicillin, similar results were observed when the interpretive zone standards were changed. Strains categorized as group 4 (very resistant) were resistant by the disk method, but group 3 (moderately resistant) strains were not adequately distinguished by disk testing. Group 3 susceptibility to benzyl and phenoxymethyl penicillins can be predicted by extrapolating results from tests with ampicillin disks. PMID:4202343

  18. l-Asparaginase from Proteus vulgaris1

    PubMed Central

    Tosa, Tetsuya; Sano, Ryujiro; Yamamoto, Kozo; Nakamura, Masatoshi; Ando, Katsuko; Chibata, Ichiro

    1971-01-01

    To produce an immunologically and enzymologically new type of l-asparaginase, 108 strains of bacteria were screened for enzyme production. As a result, 13 bacteria belonging to the genera Alcaligenes, Bacterium, and Proteus were found to produce l-asparaginases in high levels. Among these l-asparaginases, partially purified l-asparaginases from B. cadaveris and P. vulgaris showed antitumor activity. A partially purified l-asparaginase preparation of P. vulgaris did not react with the antibody of Escherichia colil-asparaginase on the Ouchterlony agar plate. Culture conditions for the production of l-asparaginase by P. vulgaris were investigated in detail. The enzyme was produced in high yields when cells were grown aerobically in a medium containing sodium fumarate and corn steep liquor. The addition of glucose or ammonium ion to the medium, however, resulted in depressed production of l-asparaginase. Under the optimum conditions, 3,700 international units of l-asparaginase was obtained from 1 liter of culture medium. Images PMID:5000866

  19. Digestion of cellulose and xylan by symbiotic bacteria in the intestine of the Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus).

    PubMed

    Prem Anand, A Alwin; Sripathi, K

    2004-09-01

    Bats (Order Chiroptera) are a widely distributed group of mammals. Pteropus giganteus belongs to the Suborder Megachiroptera. This bat consumes fruits and leaves as their major food. Cellulose and xylan are the major composition of leaves. As they consume leaves in their diet, their digestive tract must contain cellulolytic and xylanolytic bacteria which help in the digestion of cellulose and xylan. The cellulolytic and xylanolytic bacteria were isolated and screened on Berg's agar containing cellulose and xylan. The bacteria isolated were characterized biochemically and found to be Proteus vulgaris, Proteus mirabilis, Citrobacter freundii, Serratia liquefaciens and Klebsiella oxytoca. These bacteria help in digestion of cellulose and xylan in the diet of the bat, P. giganteus. Here we show that leaves are also used as a carbohydrate source by these bats. An insectivorous bat, Hipposideros fulvus, was used as a control and does not possess cellulolytic and xylanolytic bacteria.

  20. Rapid Parameterization Schemes for Aircraft Shape Optimization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, Wu

    2012-01-01

    A rapid shape parameterization tool called PROTEUS is developed for aircraft shape optimization. This tool can be applied directly to any aircraft geometry that has been defined in PLOT3D format, with the restriction that each aircraft component must be defined by only one data block. PROTEUS has eight types of parameterization schemes: planform, wing surface, twist, body surface, body scaling, body camber line, shifting/scaling, and linear morphing. These parametric schemes can be applied to two types of components: wing-type surfaces (e.g., wing, canard, horizontal tail, vertical tail, and pylon) and body-type surfaces (e.g., fuselage, pod, and nacelle). These schemes permit the easy setup of commonly used shape modification methods, and each customized parametric scheme can be applied to the same type of component for any configuration. This paper explains the mathematics for these parametric schemes and uses two supersonic configurations to demonstrate the application of these schemes.

  1. The s29x gene of symbiotic bacteria in Amoeba proteus with a novel promoter.

    PubMed

    Pak, J W; Jeon, K W

    1996-05-24

    Gram-symbiotic bacteria (called X-bacteria), present in the xD strain of Amoeba proteus as required cell components, synthesize and export a large amount of a 29-kDa protein, S29x. S29x is exported into the host's cytoplasm across the bacterial membranes and the symbiosome membrane. The complete nucleotide (nt) sequence of the s29x gene of X-bacteria has been determined, and the promoter sequence and tsp have also been identified. The gene has a nonconventional promoter with putative nt sequences different from the known consensus sequences. When Escherichia coli cells are transformed with s29x, the gene is expressed and the product is secreted into the culture medium. Functions of S29x are not fully known, but it is suspected that S29x plays an important role in the symbiotic relationship between amoebae and X-bacteria.

  2. Differences in the motility of Amoeba proteus isolated fragments are determined by F-actin arrangement and cell nucleus presence.

    PubMed

    Grebecka, L; Pomorski, P; Lopatowska, A

    1995-10-01

    Isolated fragments produced by bisection of Amoeba proteus differ by their position in the original cell and by the presence or absence of the cell nucleus. Immediately after the operation, both types of anterior fragments preserve the former motory polarity, and do not interrupt locomotion. In the same time, all posterior fragments stop, round up and fail to react stimuli. In the second phase of experiment, these anterior fragments, which had no nucleus ceased to move, whereas the nucleated posterior ones resumed locomotion. It was demonstrated, that the behaviour of a fragment is primarily determined by the peripheral F-actin distribution, which is different depending on the origin of the fragment either from the anterior or from the posterior cell region. Later, the "inherited" F-actin distribution may be stabilized or reorganized in the presence of the nucleus, or desorganized in its absence.

  3. Involvement of myosin VI immunoanalog in pinocytosis and phagocytosis in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Sobczak, Magdalena; Wasik, Anna; Kłopocka, Wanda; Redowicz, Maria Jolanta

    2008-12-01

    Recently, we found a 130-kDa myosin VI immunoanalog in amoeba, which bound to actin in an ATP-sensitive manner and in migrating amoebae colocalized to filamentous actin and dynamin II-containing vesicular structures. To further characterize this protein, we assessed its involvement in amoeba pinocytosis and phagocytosis. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy of immunogold-stained cells revealed that, in pinocytotic and phagocytotic amoebae, the myosin VI immunoanalog was visible throughout the cells, including pinocytotic channels and pinocytotic vesicles as well as phagosomes and emerging phagocytic cups. Blocking endogenous protein with anti-porcine myosin VI antibody (introduced into cells by means of microinjection) caused severe defects in pinocytosis and phagocytosis. In comparison with control cells, the treated amoebae formed ~75% less pinocytotic channels and phagocytosed ~65% less Tetrahymena cells. These data indicate that the myosin VI immunoanalog has an important role in pinocytosis and phagocytosis in Amoeba proteus (Pal.).

  4. Contractility of glycerinated Amoeba proteus and Chaos-chaos.

    PubMed

    Rinaldi, R; Opas, M; Hrebenda, B

    1975-05-01

    Immediate contact with large volumes of cold 50% (v/v) buffered glycerol preserved typical ameboid shape of Chaos chaos and Amoeba proteus with no visible distortions. These technics allowed determination of the contraction sites in these glycerinated models upon applications of ATP-Ca-Mg-solutions. The ectoplasmic tube was the main site of contraction. Preliminary EM investigations revealed thick and thin filaments, associated with the ectoplasmic tube near the plasma-lemma, which appeared to be the basis for the contractility of the ectoplasmic tube. There was no predominant contraction of the pseudopodial tips or the endoplasm in these models. The changes of volume were as much as 50%, and in some cases were not accompanied by any change in the length of the ameba; however, lengthwise contractions of the ectoplasmic tube in some amebae occurred to as much as 25%. The data substantiate a basic requirement of the ectoplasmic tube contraction theory of ameboid locomotion.

  5. [Phosphatase activity in Amoeba proteus at pH 9.0].

    PubMed

    Sopina, V A

    2007-01-01

    In the free-living amoeba Amoeba proteus (strain B), after PAAG disk-electrophoresis of the homogenate supernatant, at using 1-naphthyl phosphate as a substrate and pH 9.0, three forms of phosphatase activity were revealed; they were arbitrarily called "fast", "intermediate", and "slow" phosphatases. The fast phosphatase has been established to be a fraction of lysosomal acid phosphatase that preserves some low activity at alkaline pH. The question as to which particular class the intermediate phosphatase belongs to has remained unanswered: it can be both acid phosphatase and protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP). Based on data of inhibitor analysis, large substrate specificity, results of experiments with reactivation by Zn ions after inactivation with EDTA, other than in the fast and intermediate phosphatases localization in the amoeba cell, it is concluded that only slow phosphatase can be classified as alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1).

  6. Chromosomal Amplification of the blaOXA-58 Carbapenemase Gene in a Proteus mirabilis Clinical Isolate.

    PubMed

    Girlich, Delphine; Bonnin, Rémy A; Bogaerts, Pierre; De Laveleye, Morgane; Huang, Daniel T; Dortet, Laurent; Glaser, Philippe; Glupczynski, Youri; Naas, Thierry

    2017-02-01

    Horizontal gene transfer may occur between distantly related bacteria, thus leading to genetic plasticity and in some cases to acquisition of novel resistance traits. Proteus mirabilis is an enterobacterial species responsible for human infections that may express various acquired β-lactam resistance genes, including different classes of carbapenemase genes. Here we report a Proteus mirabilis clinical isolate (strain 1091) displaying resistance to penicillin, including temocillin, together with reduced susceptibility to carbapenems and susceptibility to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins. Using biochemical tests, significant carbapenem hydrolysis was detected in P. mirabilis 1091. Since PCR failed to detect acquired carbapenemase genes commonly found in Enterobacteriaceae, we used a whole-genome sequencing approach that revealed the presence of bla OXA-58 class D carbapenemase gene, so far identified only in Acinetobacter species. This gene was located on a 3.1-kb element coharboring a bla AmpC -like gene. Remarkably, these two genes were bracketed by putative XerC-XerD binding sites and inserted at a XerC-XerD site located between the terminase-like small- and large-subunit genes of a bacteriophage. Increased expression of the two bla genes resulted from a 6-time tandem amplification of the element as revealed by Southern blotting. This is the first isolation of a clinical P. mirabilis strain producing OXA-58, a class D carbapenemase, and the first description of a XerC-XerD-dependent insertion of antibiotic resistance genes within a bacteriophage. This study revealed a new role for the XerC-XerD recombinase in bacteriophage biology. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  7. Chromosomal Amplification of the blaOXA-58 Carbapenemase Gene in a Proteus mirabilis Clinical Isolate

    PubMed Central

    Girlich, Delphine; Bogaerts, Pierre; De Laveleye, Morgane; Huang, Daniel T.; Glupczynski, Youri

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Horizontal gene transfer may occur between distantly related bacteria, thus leading to genetic plasticity and in some cases to acquisition of novel resistance traits. Proteus mirabilis is an enterobacterial species responsible for human infections that may express various acquired β-lactam resistance genes, including different classes of carbapenemase genes. Here we report a Proteus mirabilis clinical isolate (strain 1091) displaying resistance to penicillin, including temocillin, together with reduced susceptibility to carbapenems and susceptibility to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins. Using biochemical tests, significant carbapenem hydrolysis was detected in P. mirabilis 1091. Since PCR failed to detect acquired carbapenemase genes commonly found in Enterobacteriaceae, we used a whole-genome sequencing approach that revealed the presence of blaOXA-58 class D carbapenemase gene, so far identified only in Acinetobacter species. This gene was located on a 3.1-kb element coharboring a blaAmpC-like gene. Remarkably, these two genes were bracketed by putative XerC-XerD binding sites and inserted at a XerC-XerD site located between the terminase-like small- and large-subunit genes of a bacteriophage. Increased expression of the two bla genes resulted from a 6-time tandem amplification of the element as revealed by Southern blotting. This is the first isolation of a clinical P. mirabilis strain producing OXA-58, a class D carbapenemase, and the first description of a XerC-XerD-dependent insertion of antibiotic resistance genes within a bacteriophage. This study revealed a new role for the XerC-XerD recombinase in bacteriophage biology. PMID:27855079

  8. Prevalence of quinolone resistance determinant qnrA6 among broad- and extended-spectrum beta-lactam-resistant Proteus mirabilis and Morganella morganii clinical isolates with sul1-type class 1 integron association in a Tunisian Hospital.

    PubMed

    Mahrouki, Sihem; Perilli, Mariagrazia; Bourouis, Amel; Chihi, Hela; Ferjani, Mustapha; Ben Moussa, Mohamed; Amicosante, Gianfranco; Belhadj, Omrane

    2013-08-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and the emergence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance among broad-spectrum beta-lactam-resistant Proteus mirabilis and Morganella morganii clinical isolates recovered in the Military Hospital in Tunisia. Of 200 strains examined, 50 exhibited resistance to quinolones. Quinolone resistance determinants (qnr and aac(6')-Ib-cr) were characterized by multiplex PCR and sequencing. Chromosomal quinolone resistance mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) and class 1 integron characterization were analysed by PCR and sequencing. The clonal relationship between the isolates was studied by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Fourteen isolates harboured qnrA6 and among them 8 (57%) were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers, whilst 12 (85%) isolates harboured blaDHA-1. Mutations in the QRDR were detected in gyrA (Ser83Ile, Glu87Lys), gyrB (Ser464Phe), and parC (Ser80Ile). qnrA6 and blaDHA-1 genes were found embedded in complex sul1-type class 1 integrons. A gene cassette carrying aac(6')-Ib-cr was found located in the class 1 integron upstream of the qacEΔ1 gene. According to the PFGE analysis, the isolates were clonally unrelated. This is the first description in North Africa of class 1 integrons carrying blaDHA-1, qnrA6 gene, and aac(6')-Ib-cr determinants in clinical strains of Proteus mirabilis and Morganella morganii.

  9. Role of DAF-21protein in Caenorhabditis elegans immunity against Proteus mirabilis infection.

    PubMed

    JebaMercy, Gnanasekaran; Durai, Sellegounder; Prithika, Udayakumar; Marudhupandiyan, Shanmugam; Dasauni, Pushpanjali; Kundu, Suman; Balamurugan, Krishnaswamy

    2016-08-11

    Caenorhabditis elegans is emerging as one of the handy model for proteome related studies due to its simplest system biology. The present study, deals with changes in protein expression in C. elegans infected with Proteus mirabilis. Proteins were separated using two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and identified using MALDI-TOF. Twelve distinctly regulated proteins identified in the infected worms, included heat shock proteins involved stress pathway (HSP-1 and HSP-6), proteins involved in immune response pathway (DAF-21), enzymes involved in normal cellular process (Eukaryotic translation Elongation Factor, actin family member, S-adenosyl homocysteine hydrolase ortholog, glutamate dehydrogenase and Vacuolar H ATPase family member) and few least characterized proteins (H28O16.1 and H08J11.2). The regulation of selected players at the transcriptional level during Proteus mirabilis infection was analyzed using qPCR. Physiological experiments revealed the ability of P. mirabilis to kill daf-21 mutant C. elegans significantly compared with the wild type. This is the first report studying proteome changes in C. elegans and exploring the involvement of MAP Kinase pathway during P. mirabilis infection. This is the first report studying proteome changes in C. elegans during P. mirabilis infection. The present study explores the role and contribution of MAP Kinase pathway and its regulator protein DAF-21 involvement in the immunity against opportunistic pathogen P. mirabilis infection. Manipulation of this DAF-21 protein in host, may pave the way for new drug development or disease control strategy during opportunistic pathogen infections. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Trichomoniasis and associated co-infections of the genital tract among pregnant women presenting at two hospitals in Ghana.

    PubMed

    Asmah, Richard H; Blankson, Harriet N A; Seanefu, Kekeli A; Obeng-Nkrumah, Noah; Awuah-Mensah, Georgina; Cham, Momodou; Ayeh-Kumi, Patrick F

    2017-12-13

    Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) infection is the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted pathogen worldwide. Among pregnant women, the infection may cause adverse birth outcomes such as premature rupture of membranes and premature labour. In view of the paucity of information relating to TV among Ghanaian pregnant women, this study investigated its prevalence and associated co-infections among pregnant women. High vaginal swabs were obtained from 99 pregnant women using sterile cotton swab sticks. Wet preparation, Grams staining, culturing, coagulase and sensitivity testing were carried out to determine the presence of TV and associated microorganisms. The prevalence of TV among the pregnant women was found to be 20.2% (n = 20). Concurring with Trichomoniasis, 75% (n = 15) of participants had other infections such as Candida with prevalence of 53% (n = 8), Proteus infection - 20% (n = 3), Streptococcus infection - 13% (n = 2) and other GNRs and Gonococci having 7% each (n = 1). Moreover, there was 86.9% (n = 86) prevalence of Staphylococcus spp. among study participants. There was statistically significant correlation between TV and Gonococci infection at a correlation co-efficient of 0.107 (P < 0.05) as well as significant correlation between TV and Proteus spp. at a correlation co-efficient of 0.189 (P < 0.05). TV infection was high (60%) among the most sexually active age group (19 to 29 yrs). There was 20.2% prevalence of TV among the pregnant women presenting at the hospitals, with Gonococci and Proteus infections being statistically significant associated infections.

  11. Enzyme-Assisted Extraction Optimization, Characterization and Antioxidant Activity of Polysaccharides from Sea Cucumber Phyllophorus proteus.

    PubMed

    Qin, Yujing; Yuan, Qingxia; Zhang, Yuexing; Li, Jialu; Zhu, Xinjiao; Zhao, Lingling; Wen, Jing; Liu, Jikai; Zhao, Longyan; Zhao, Jinhua

    2018-03-06

    Enzyme-assisted extraction optimization, characterization and in vitro antioxidant activity of polysaccharides from sea cucumber Phyllophorus proteus (PPP) were investigated in the present study. The optimal extraction conditions with a yield of 6.44 ± 0.06% for PPP were determined as follows: Extraction time of 2.89 h, ratio of extraction solvent to raw material of 16.26 mL/g, extraction pH of 6.83, exraction temperature of 50 °C and papain concentration of 0.15%. Three purified fractions, PPP-1a, PPP-1b and PPP-2 with molecular weights of 369.60, 41.73 and 57.76 kDa, respectively, were obtained from PPP by chromatography of FPA98Cl and Sepharose CL-6B columns. Analysis of monosaccharide compositions showed that PPP-1a consisted of N -acetyl-galactosamine (GalNAc), galactose (Gal) and fucose (Fuc), PPP-1b of Fuc as the only monosaccharide and PPP-2 of glucuronic acid, GalNAc and Fuc. Sulfate contents of PPP, PPP-1a, PPP-1b and PPP-2 were determined to be 21.9%, 20.6%, 25.2% and 28.0% ( w / w ), respectively. PPP and PPP-1a had higher molecular weight and intrinsic viscosity than those of the PPP-1b and PPP-2. PPP, PPP-1a, PPP-1b and PPP-2 exhibited obvious activities of scavenging 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, hydroxyl radical, superoxide radical and ABTS radical in different extent, which suggested that the polysaccharides from Phyllophorus proteus may be novel agents having potential value for antioxidation.

  12. [Swarming phenomenon of an aeromonas spec (author's transl)].

    PubMed

    Müller, H E; Lenz, W

    1975-05-01

    A genuine swarming phenomenon, such as has previously been known to occur in Proteus, Bacillus and Clostridium species only, was observed in an Aeromonas species. Fig. 1 shows the terraced swarming zones of the Aeromonas species on nutrient agar. The swarming rate, expressed as the growth of the swarming zone per time unit, was measured to be 70-120 mum/min on blood agar at 30 degrees C. The swarming could be inhibited by incubation at 37 degrees C (Table 2), by low saline concentrations (Table 3) as well as by addition of 4-nitro-phenylglycerol to the medium (Table 4). A DIENES-phenomenon between the swarming zones of Proteus strains and that of the Aeromonas species could not be observed (Fig. 2). The manner of swarming as seen in phase contrast microscopy was the same kind as that of Proteus. Furthermore, it could be shown by means of light- and electronmicroscopical investigations that the swarming phenomenon is connected with changes in the cell morphology and the form of flagellation (Figs. 4 and 5). Whereas in broth cultures (Fig. 3) as well as in the centre of colonies on solid media (Fig. 5a) the cells appeared as cocoid rods with polar flagellation, they developed elongated forms at the edge of the swarming zone, which - either in addition to or devoid of the polar flagella - were peritrichously populated with thin, flagella-like filaments (Figs. tb, 6, 7 and 8). The discussion deals with the various forms of bacterial surface translocation and investigates into the role of peritrichous flagella or fimbriae in the swarming phenomenon.

  13. Nuclear Synthesis of Cytoplasmic Ribonucleic Acid in Amoeba proteus

    PubMed Central

    Prescott, David M.

    1959-01-01

    The enucleation technique has been applied to Amoeba proteus by several laboratories in attempts to determine whether the cytoplasm is capable of nucleus-independent ribonucleic acid synthesis. This cell is very convenient for micrurgy, but its use requires a thorough starvation period to eliminate the possibility of metabolic influence by food vacuoles and frequent washings and medium renewal to maintain asepsis. In the experiments described here, amoebae were starved for periods of 24 to 96 hours, cut into nucleated and enucleated halves, and exposed to either C-14 uracil, C-14 adenine, C-14 orotic acid, or a mixture of all three. When the starvation period was short (less than 72 hours), organisms (especially yeast cells) contained within amoeba food vacuoles frequently showed RNA synthesis in both nucleated and enucleated amoebae. When the preperiod of starvation was longer than 72 hours, food vacuole influence was apparently negligible, and a more meaningful comparison between enucleated and nucleated amoebae was possible. Nucleated cells incorporated all three precursors into RNA; enucleated cells were incapable of such incorporation. The experiments indicate a complete dependence on the nucleus for RNA synthesis. The conflict with the experimental results of others on this problem could possibly stem from differences in culture conditions, starvation treatment, or experimental conditions. For an unequivocal answer in experiments of this design, ideally the cells should be capable of growth on an entirely synthetic medium under aseptic conditions. The use of a synthetic medium (experiments with A. proteus are done under starvation conditions) would permit, moreover, a more realistic comparison of metabolic capacities of nucleated and enucleated cells. PMID:14434750

  14. Characterization of sams genes of Amoeba proteus and the endosymbiotic X-bacteria.

    PubMed

    Jeon, Taeck J; Jeon, Kwang W

    2003-01-01

    As a result of harboring obligatory bacterial endosymbionts, the xD strain of Amoeba proteus no longer produces its own S-adenosylmethionine synthetase (SAMS). When symbiont-free D amoebae are infected with symbionts (X-bacteria), the amount of amoeba SAMS decreases to a negligible level within four weeks, but about 47% of the SAMS activity, which apparently comes from another source, is still detected. Complete nucleotide sequences of sams genes of D and xD amoebae are presented and show that there are no differences between the two. Long-established xD amoebae contain an intact sams gene and thus the loss of xD amoeba's SAMS is not due to the loss of the gene itself. The open reading frame of the amoeba's sams gene has 1,281 nucleotides, encoding SAMS of 426 amino acids with a mass of 48 kDa and pI of 6.5. The amino acid sequence of amoeba SAMS is longer than the SAMS of other organisms by having an extra internal stretch of 28 amino acids. The 5'-flanking region of amoeba sams contains consensus-binding sites for several transcription factors that are related to the regulation of sams genes in E. coli and yeast. The complete nucleotide sequence of the symbiont's sams gene is also presented. The open reading frame of X-bacteria sams is 1,146 nucleotides long, encoding SAMS of 381 amino acids with a mass of 41 kDa and pI of 6.0. The X-bacteria SAMS has 45% sequence identity with that of A. proteus.

  15. Nuclear synthesis of cytoplasmic ribonucleic acid in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    PRESCOTT, D M

    1959-10-01

    The enucleation technique has been applied to Amoeba proteus by several laboratories in attempts to determine whether the cytoplasm is capable of nucleus-independent ribonucleic acid synthesis. This cell is very convenient for micrurgy, but its use requires a thorough starvation period to eliminate the possibility of metabolic influence by food vacuoles and frequent washings and medium renewal to maintain asepsis. In the experiments described here, amoebae were starved for periods of 24 to 96 hours, cut into nucleated and enucleated halves, and exposed to either C-14 uracil, C-14 adenine, C-14 orotic acid, or a mixture of all three. When the starvation period was short (less than 72 hours), organisms (especially yeast cells) contained within amoeba food vacuoles frequently showed RNA synthesis in both nucleated and enucleated amoebae. When the preperiod of starvation was longer than 72 hours, food vacuole influence was apparently negligible, and a more meaningful comparison between enucleated and nucleated amoebae was possible. Nucleated cells incorporated all three precursors into RNA; enucleated cells were incapable of such incorporation. The experiments indicate a complete dependence on the nucleus for RNA synthesis. The conflict with the experimental results of others on this problem could possibly stem from differences in culture conditions, starvation treatment, or experimental conditions. For an unequivocal answer in experiments of this design, ideally the cells should be capable of growth on an entirely synthetic medium under aseptic conditions. The use of a synthetic medium (experiments with A. proteus are done under starvation conditions) would permit, moreover, a more realistic comparison of metabolic capacities of nucleated and enucleated cells.

  16. Characterization of Amoeba proteus myosin VI immunoanalog.

    PubMed

    Dominik, Magdalena; Kłopocka, Wanda; Pomorski, Paweł; Kocik, Elzbieta; Redowicz, Maria Jolanta

    2005-07-01

    Amoeba proteus, the highly motile free-living unicellular organism, has been widely used as a model to study cell motility. However, molecular mechanisms underlying its unique locomotion and intracellular actin-based-only trafficking remain poorly understood. A search for myosin motors responsible for vesicular transport in these giant cells resulted in detection of 130-kDa protein interacting with several polyclonal antibodies against different tail regions of human and chicken myosin VI. This protein was binding to actin in the ATP-dependent manner, and immunoprecipitated with anti-myosin VI antibodies. In order to characterize its possible functions in vivo, its cellular distribution and colocalization with actin filaments and dynamin II during migration and pinocytosis were examined. In migrating amoebae, myosin VI immunoanalog localized to vesicular structures, particularly within the perinuclear and sub-plasma membrane areas, and colocalized with dynamin II immunoanalog and actin filaments. The colocalization was even more evident in pinocytotic cells as proteins concentrated within pinocytotic pseudopodia. Moreover, dynamin II and myosin VI immunoanalogs cosedimented with actin filaments, and were found on the same isolated vesicles. Blocking endogenous myosin VI immunoanalog with anti-myosin VI antibodies inhibited the rate of pseudopodia protrusion (about 19% decrease) and uroidal retraction (about 28% decrease) but did not affect cell morphology and the manner of cell migration. Treatment with anti-human dynamin II antibodies led to changes in directionality of amebae migration and affected the rate of only uroidal translocation (about 30% inhibition). These results indicate that myosin VI immunoanalog is expressed in protist Amoeba proteus and may be involved in vesicle translocation and cell locomotion.

  17. 21 CFR 520.90b - Ampicillin trihydrate tablets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ...., Staphylococcus spp., E., coli, P. mirabilis, and Enterococcus spp.; gastrointestinal infections due to Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., and E. coli. ; infections associated with abscesses..., tonsillitis, and bronchitis due to Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Proteus...

  18. 21 CFR 520.90b - Ampicillin trihydrate tablets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ...., Staphylococcus spp., E., coli, P. mirabilis, and Enterococcus spp.; gastrointestinal infections due to Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., and E. coli. ; infections associated with abscesses..., tonsillitis, and bronchitis due to Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Proteus...

  19. Genetics Home Reference: Proteus syndrome

    MedlinePlus

    ... genetic mutation is known as mosaicism . The AKT1 gene helps regulate cell growth and division (proliferation) and cell death. A mutation in this gene disrupts a cell's ability to regulate its own growth, allowing it to grow and divide abnormally. Increased ...

  20. Distinct Residues Contribute to Motility Repression and Autoregulation in the Proteus mirabilis Fimbria-Associated Transcriptional Regulator AtfJ.

    PubMed

    Bode, Nadine J; Chan, Kun-Wei; Kong, Xiang-Peng; Pearson, Melanie M

    2016-08-01

    Proteus mirabilis contributes to a significant number of catheter-associated urinary tract infections, where coordinated regulation of adherence and motility is critical for ascending disease progression. Previously, the mannose-resistant Proteus-like (MR/P) fimbria-associated transcriptional regulator MrpJ has been shown to both repress motility and directly induce the transcription of its own operon; in addition, it affects the expression of a wide range of cellular processes. Interestingly, 14 additional mrpJ paralogs are included in the P. mirabilis genome. Looking at a selection of MrpJ paralogs, we discovered that these proteins, which consistently repress motility, also have nonidentical functions that include cross-regulation of fimbrial operons. A subset of paralogs, including AtfJ (encoded by the ambient temperature fimbrial operon), Fim8J, and MrpJ, are capable of autoinduction. We identified an element of the atf promoter extending from 487 to 655 nucleotides upstream of the transcriptional start site that is responsive to AtfJ, and we found that AtfJ directly binds this fragment. Mutational analysis of AtfJ revealed that its two identified functions, autoregulation and motility repression, are not invariably linked. Residues within the DNA-binding helix-turn-helix domain are required for motility repression but not necessarily autoregulation. Likewise, the C-terminal domain is dispensable for motility repression but is essential for autoregulation. Supported by a three-dimensional (3D) structural model, we hypothesize that the C-terminal domain confers unique regulatory capacities on the AtfJ family of regulators. Balancing adherence with motility is essential for uropathogens to successfully establish a foothold in their host. Proteus mirabilis uses a fimbria-associated transcriptional regulator to switch between these antagonistic processes by increasing fimbrial adherence while simultaneously downregulating flagella. The discovery of multiple related proteins, many of which also function as motility repressors, encoded in the P. mirabilis genome has raised considerable interest as to their functionality and potential redundancy in this organism. This study provides an important advance in this field by elucidating the nonidentical effects of these paralogs on a molecular level. Our mechanistic studies of one member of this group, AtfJ, shed light on how these differing functions may be conferred despite the limited sequence variety exhibited by the paralogous proteins. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  1. PROTEUS MIRABILIS VIABILITY AFTER LITHOTRIPSY OF STRUVITE CALCULI. (R825503)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

  2. 21 CFR 522.1044 - Gentamicin.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... old for treatment of porcine colibacillosis caused by strains of E. coli sensitive to gentamicin. (iii... early mortality caused by Escherichia coli. Salmonella typhimurium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that are... in the treatment of urinary tract infections (cystitis) caused by Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli...

  3. 21 CFR 522.1044 - Gentamicin.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... old for treatment of porcine colibacillosis caused by strains of E. coli sensitive to gentamicin. (iii... early mortality caused by Escherichia coli. Salmonella typhimurium, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that are... in the treatment of urinary tract infections (cystitis) caused by Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli...

  4. 21 CFR 520.90d - Ampicillin trihydrate for oral suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... infections (tracheobronchitis and tonsillitis) due to Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas spp., Proteus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp., urinary tract infections (cystitis) due to E. coli, Staphylococcus... infections (septicemia) associated with abscesses, lacerations, and wounds, due to Staphylococcus spp. and...

  5. 21 CFR 520.88a - Amoxicillin trihydrate film-coated tablets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... tissues (abscesses, lacerations, wounds), caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and bacterial dermatitis caused by S. aureus... infections caused by susceptible organisms as follows: upper respiratory tract due to S. aureus...

  6. 21 CFR 520.314 - Cefadroxil.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... Staphylococcus aureus. For the treatment of genitourinary tract infections (cystitis) due to susceptible strains of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and S. aureus. (ii) Cats. For the treatment of skin and soft... strains of Pasteurella multocida, S. aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus spp. (3...

  7. 21 CFR 520.314 - Cefadroxil.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... Staphylococcus aureus. For the treatment of genitourinary tract infections (cystitis) due to susceptible strains of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and S. aureus. (ii) Cats. For the treatment of skin and soft... strains of Pasteurella multocida, S. aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus spp. (3...

  8. 21 CFR 520.314 - Cefadroxil.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... Staphylococcus aureus. For the treatment of genitourinary tract infections (cystitis) due to susceptible strains of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and S. aureus. (ii) Cats. For the treatment of skin and soft... strains of Pasteurella multocida, S. aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus spp. (3...

  9. 21 CFR 520.314 - Cefadroxil.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... Staphylococcus aureus. For the treatment of genitourinary tract infections (cystitis) due to susceptible strains of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and S. aureus. (ii) Cats. For the treatment of skin and soft... strains of Pasteurella multocida, S. aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus spp. (3...

  10. 21 CFR 520.314 - Cefadroxil.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... Staphylococcus aureus. For the treatment of genitourinary tract infections (cystitis) due to susceptible strains of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and S. aureus. (ii) Cats. For the treatment of skin and soft... strains of Pasteurella multocida, S. aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus spp. (3...

  11. 21 CFR 520.88f - Amoxicillin trihydrate tablets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... day. (ii) Indications for use. Treatment of bacterial dermatitis due to Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Escherichia coli; and soft tissue infections (abscesses, wounds, lacerations) due to S. aureus, Streptococcus spp., E. coli, Proteus mirabilis, and Staphylococcus spp. (iii...

  12. 21 CFR 520.88f - Amoxicillin trihydrate tablets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... day. (ii) Indications for use. Treatment of bacterial dermatitis due to Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Escherichia coli; and soft tissue infections (abscesses, wounds, lacerations) due to S. aureus, Streptococcus spp., E. coli, Proteus mirabilis, and Staphylococcus spp. (iii...

  13. 21 CFR 520.88f - Amoxicillin trihydrate tablets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... day. (ii) Indications for use. Treatment of bacterial dermatitis due to Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Escherichia coli; and soft tissue infections (abscesses, wounds, lacerations) due to S. aureus, Streptococcus spp., E. coli, Proteus mirabilis, and Staphylococcus spp. (iii...

  14. 21 CFR 520.88a - Amoxicillin trihydrate film-coated tablets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... tissues (abscesses, lacerations, wounds), caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and bacterial dermatitis caused by S. aureus... infections caused by susceptible organisms as follows: upper respiratory tract due to S. aureus...

  15. 21 CFR 520.88a - Amoxicillin trihydrate film-coated tablets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... tissues (abscesses, lacerations, wounds), caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, and bacterial dermatitis caused by S. aureus... infections caused by susceptible organisms as follows: upper respiratory tract due to S. aureus...

  16. 21 CFR 522.90a - Ampicillin trihydrate sterile suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... tract infections due to E. coli, Pseudomonas spp., Proteus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp.; tonsillitis due to E. coli, Pseudomonas spp., Streptococcus spp., and Staphylococcus spp.... Treatment of bacterial enteritis (colibacillosis) caused by E. coli and bacterial pneumonia caused by...

  17. 21 CFR 522.90a - Ampicillin trihydrate sterile suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... tract infections due to E. coli, Pseudomonas spp., Proteus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp.; tonsillitis due to E. coli, Pseudomonas spp., Streptococcus spp., and Staphylococcus spp.... Treatment of bacterial enteritis (colibacillosis) caused by E. coli and bacterial pneumonia caused by...

  18. 21 CFR 520.1618 - Orbifloxacin suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. coli, Enterobacter spp., Citrobacter spp., E. faecalis, β-hemolytic...) in cats caused by susceptible strains of S. aureus, E. coli, and P. multocida. [75 FR 26646, May 12... pseudintermedius, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus faecalis and skin and soft tissue...

  19. 21 CFR 522.56 - Amikacin.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) ANIMAL DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS IMPLANTATION OR INJECTABLE DOSAGE FORM NEW ANIMAL DRUGS § 522.56 Amikacin. (a... Escherichia coli and Proteus spp. and skin and soft tissue infections caused by susceptible strains of...

  20. 21 CFR 522.56 - Amikacin.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) ANIMAL DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS IMPLANTATION OR INJECTABLE DOSAGE FORM NEW ANIMAL DRUGS § 522.56 Amikacin. (a... of Escherichia coli and Proteus spp. and skin and soft tissue infections caused by susceptible...

  1. 21 CFR 522.56 - Amikacin.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) ANIMAL DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS IMPLANTATION OR INJECTABLE DOSAGE FORM NEW ANIMAL DRUGS § 522.56 Amikacin. (a... of Escherichia coli and Proteus spp. and skin and soft tissue infections caused by susceptible...

  2. 21 CFR 520.88b - Amoxicillin trihydrate for oral suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... as follows: respiratory tract (tonsillitis, tracheobronchitis) caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis; genitourinary tract (cystitis) caused by S. aureus...., Staphylococcus spp., and E. coli, and soft tissue infections (abscesses, wounds, lacerations) due to S. aureus...

  3. 21 CFR 520.88b - Amoxicillin trihydrate for oral suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... as follows: respiratory tract (tonsillitis, tracheobronchitis) caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis; genitourinary tract (cystitis) caused by S. aureus...., Staphylococcus spp., and E. coli, and soft tissue infections (abscesses, wounds, lacerations) due to S. aureus...

  4. 21 CFR 520.88b - Amoxicillin trihydrate for oral suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... as follows: respiratory tract (tonsillitis, tracheobronchitis) caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis; genitourinary tract (cystitis) caused by S. aureus...., Staphylococcus spp., and E. coli, and soft tissue infections (abscesses, wounds, lacerations) due to S. aureus...

  5. Antimicrobial activity of silver and gold in toothpastes: A comparative analysis.

    PubMed

    Junevičius, Jonas; Žilinskas, Juozas; Česaitis, Kęstutis; Česaitienė, Gabrielė; Gleiznys, Darius; Maželienė, Žaneta

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we compared the antimicrobial activity of identical toothpastes differing only in silver or gold nanoparticles against the activity of one of the common toothpastes containing a chemical active ingredient. We also compared the active concentrations of the toothpastes. For this study, we selected "Royal Denta" toothpastes containing silver and gold particles, and the "Blend-A-Med Complete" toothpaste containing zinc citrate as the active ingredient. We used 8 standard microorganism cultures on the basis of their individual mechanisms of protection. The antimicrobial activity of each studied preparation was evaluated at 9 concentrations. Most effective against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis) was the "Silver Technology" – MIC was 0.004-0.0015 g/mL. Neither "Silver Technology" nor "Orange and Gold Technology" had any effect on Escherichia coli or Proteus mirabilis. Antimicrobial activity against the motile bacterium Proteus mirabilis was observed in "Silver Technology", "Orange and Gold Technology", and "Blend-A-Med Complete" – the MIC was 0.015 g/mL or lower. No antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans fungus at the studied concentrations was observed in the "Orange and Gold Technology". The toothpaste "Blend-A-Med" demonstrated the most effective antimicrobial activity - the MIC of 0.0015 g/mL and 0.015 g/mL inhibited Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, respectively, and the MIC of 0.15 g/mL inhibited the growth of the bacteria Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and fungus Candida albicans. Silver in toothpaste has a greater antimicrobial effect than gold, but its effect is still inferior to that of a chemical antimicrobial agent.

  6. Involvement of polyphosphate kinase in virulence and stress tolerance of uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Peng, Liang; Jiang, Qiao; Pan, Jia-Yun; Deng, Cong; Yu, Jing-Yi; Wu, Xiao-Man; Huang, Sheng-He; Deng, Xiao-Yan

    2016-04-01

    Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis), a gram-negative enteric bacterium, frequently causes urinary tract infections. Many virulence factors of uropathogenic P. mirabilis have been identified, including urease, flagella, hemolysin and fimbriae. However, the functions of polyphosphate kinase (PPK), which are related to the pathogenicity of many bacteria, remain entirely unknown in P. mirabilis. In this study, a ppk gene encoding the PPK insertional mutant in P. mirabilis strain HI4320 was constructed, and its biological functions were examined. The results of survival studies demonstrated that the ppk mutant was deficient in resistance to oxidative, hyperosmotic and heat stress. The swarming and biofilm formation abilities of P. mirabilis were also attenuated after the ppk interruption. In vitro and in vivo experiments suggested that ppk was required for P. mirabilis to invade the bladder. The negative phenotypes of the ppk mutant could be restored by ppk gene complementation. Furthermore, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to analyze the proteomes of the wild-type strain and the ppk mutant. Compared with the wild-type strain, seven proteins including TonB-dependent receptor, universal stress protein G, major mannose-resistant/Proteus-like fimbrial protein (MR/P fimbriae), heat shock protein, flagellar capping protein, putative membrane protein and multidrug efflux protein were down-regulated, and four proteins including exported peptidase, repressor protein for FtsI, FKBP-type peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase and phosphotransferase were up-regulated in the ppk mutant. As a whole, these results indicate that PPK is an important regulator and plays a crucial role in stress tolerance and virulence in uropathogenic P. mirabilis.

  7. Comparison of phenotypic and virulence genes characteristics in human and chicken isolates of Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Barbour, Elie K; Hajj, Zahi G; Hamadeh, Shadi; Shaib, Houssam A; Farran, Mohamad T; Araj, George; Faroon, Obaid; Barbour, Kamil E; Jirjis, Faris; Azhar, Esam; Kumosani, Taha; Harakeh, Steve

    2012-10-01

    The objective of this work is to compare the phenotypic and virulence genes characteristics in human and chicken isolates of Proteus mirabilis. The bacterial examination of 50 livers of individual broilers, marketed by four major outlets, revealed a high recovery of P. mirabilis (66%), and a low recovery frequency of Salmonella spp. (4%), Serratia odorifera (2%), Citrobacter brakii (2%), and Providencia stuartii (2%). The phenotypic biochemical characterization of the recovered 33 chicken isolates of P. mirabilis were compared to 30 human isolates (23 urinary and six respiratory isolates). The comparison revealed significant differences in the presence of gelatinase enzyme (100% presence in chicken isolates versus 91.3 and 83.3% presence in human urinary and respiratory isolates, respectively, P,0.05). The H(2)S production occurred in 100% of chicken isolates versus 95.6 and 66.7% presence in human urinary and respiratory isolates, respectively, P,0.05). The other 17 biochemical characteristics did not differ significantly among the three groups of isolates (P.0.05). Two virulence genes, the mrpA and FliL, were having a typical 100% presence in randomly selected isolates of P. mirabilis recovered from chicken livers (N510) versus isolates recovered from urinary (N55) and respiratory specimens of humans (N55) (P.0.05). The average percentage similarity of mrpA gene nucleotide sequence of poultry isolates to human urinary and respiratory isolates was 93.2 and 97.5-%, respectively. The high similarity in phenotypic characteristics, associated with typical frequency of presence of two virulence genes, and high similarity in sequences of mrpA gene among poultry versus human P. mirabilis isolates justifies future investigations targeting the evaluation of adaptable pathogenicity of avian Proteus mirabilis isolates to mammalian hosts.

  8. Molecular detection of HpmA and HlyA hemolysin of uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Cestari, Silvia Emanoele; Ludovico, Marilucia Santos; Martins, Fernando Henrique; da Rocha, Sérgio Paulo Dejato; Elias, Waldir Pereira; Pelayo, Jacinta Sanchez

    2013-12-01

    Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the bacterial infections frequently documented in humans. Proteus mirabilis is associated with UTI mainly in individuals with urinary tract abnormality or related with vesicular catheterism and it can be difficult to treat because of the formation of stones in the bladder and kidneys. These stones are formed due to the presence of urease synthesized by the bacteria. Another important factor is that P. mirabilis produces hemolysin HpmA, used by the bacteria to damage the kidney tissues. Proteus spp. samples can also express HlyA hemolysin, similar to that found in Escherichia coli. A total of 211 uropathogenic P. mirabilis isolates were analyzed to detect the presence of the hpmA and hpmB genes by the techniques of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and dot blot and hlyA by PCR. The hpmA and hpmB genes were expressed by the RT-PCR technique and two P. mirabilis isolates were sequenced for the hpmA and hpmB genes. The presence of the hpmA and hpmB genes was confirmed by PCR in 205 (97.15 %) of the 211 isolates. The dot blot confirmed the presence of the hpmA and hpmB genes in the isolates that did not amplify in the PCR. None of the isolates studied presented the hlyA gene. The hpmA and hpmB genes that were sequenced presented 98 % identity with the same genes of the HI4320 P. mirabilis sample. This study showed that the PCR technique has good sensitivity for detecting the hpmA and hpmB genes of P. mirabilis.

  9. Zinc uptake contributes to motility and provides a competitive advantage to Proteus mirabilis during experimental urinary tract infection.

    PubMed

    Nielubowicz, Greta R; Smith, Sara N; Mobley, Harry L T

    2010-06-01

    Proteus mirabilis, a Gram-negative bacterium, represents a common cause of complicated urinary tract infections in catheterized patients or those with functional or anatomical abnormalities of the urinary tract. ZnuB, the membrane component of the high-affinity zinc (Zn(2+)) transport system ZnuACB, was previously shown to be recognized by sera from infected mice. Since this system has been shown to contribute to virulence in other pathogens, its role in Proteus mirabilis was investigated by constructing a strain with an insertionally interrupted copy of znuC. The znuC::Kan mutant was more sensitive to zinc limitation than the wild type, was outcompeted by the wild type in minimal medium, displayed reduced swimming and swarming motility, and produced less flaA transcript and flagellin protein. The production of flagellin and swarming motility were restored by complementation with znuCB in trans. Swarming motility was also restored by the addition of Zn(2+) to the agar prior to inoculation; the addition of Fe(2+) to the agar also partially restored the swarming motility of the znuC::Kan strain, but the addition of Co(2+), Cu(2+), or Ni(2+) did not. ZnuC contributes to but is not required for virulence in the urinary tract; the znuC::Kan strain was outcompeted by the wild type during a cochallenge experiment but was able to colonize mice to levels similar to the wild-type level during independent challenge. Since we demonstrated a role for ZnuC in zinc transport, we hypothesize that there is limited zinc present in the urinary tract and P. mirabilis must scavenge this ion to colonize and persist in the host.

  10. Assessment of Nasal Carriage of Staphylococcus Aureus and Axillar Flora in Patients With Acromegaly.

    PubMed

    Gen, Ramazan; Horasan, Elif Şahin; Çinkir, Ümit; Sezer, Kerem; Akbay, Esen

    2017-05-01

    Recent study showed that patients with acromegaly have typical skin findings including increased sebum secretion, decreased transepidermal water loss, more alkaline, and colder skin surface correlated with serum growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 levels. Different anatomic localizations and texture of the skin differ in bacterial concentrations.Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and axillar flora in patients with acromegaly was compared with normal population with regard to duration of acromegaly as well as the growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 levels. This patient-control prospective study was conducted in university hospitals in Mersin, Turkey. The study consisted of 30 active acromegalic patients and 60 healthy adults who had no previously diagnosed chronic illness as a control group. A total of 90 volunteers were enrolled in this study; nasal and axillar cultures were obtained. Axillar and nasal specimens from anterior nares of the individuals were taken using sterile swabs. Nasal colonization of Staphylococcus aureus was 13.3% in acromegalic patients, but 43.4% in control group. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.004). Patients and control group compared according to axillar cultures, the authors determined proteus colonization 16.7% in patients with acromegaly but no proteus colonization in control group. This result was statistically significant (P = 0.001). Proteus colonization was negatively correlated only with disease duration in acromegalic patients (P = 0.017). The authors demonstrated that compared with healthy subjects, acromegalic patients had low percentage of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and more gram-negative basili in the axillar flora. These nasal and axillar flora changes should be considered for prophylactic antibiotics use before surgery and ampiric antibiotics use after surgery.

  11. Molecular Analysis, Biochemical Characterization, Antimicrobial Activity, and Immunological Analysis of Proteus mirabilis Isolated from Broilers.

    PubMed

    Yeh, Hung-Yueh; Line, John E; Hinton, Arthur

    2018-03-01

    Proteus mirabilis, a Gram-negative bacterium, is ubiquitous in the environment and is considered as the normal microflora in the human gastrointestinal tract. However, this bacterium is an opportunistic pathogen in humans, often causing urinary tract infections. Moreover, Proteus has been frequently isolated from food animals, including poultry. Whether this bacterium contributes to the foodborne illness in humans is unclear. In this report, P. mirabilis isolates recovered from broilers during housing in the units were characterized, their antimicrobial activity was assayed, and broiler immune response to the soluble proteins was determined. Cecal contents and fecal droppings were treated according to the standard protocol for isolation. Speciation based on biochemical reactions and the antimicrobial activity of the isolates were carried out using commercial kits. Immunoblot was assayed to determine immune status of broilers against P. mirabilis. A total of 10 isolates of P. mirabilis were selected for further characterization. These isolates could grow in pH 6.0 and 1% NaCl conditions. They were resistant to sodium lactate, troleandomycin, rifamycin SV, vancomycin, but sensitive to nalidixic acid, cefotaxime and novobiocin. Moreover, the CTX, ACC, CMY-1, BIC, NDM, VEB, qnrB and qnrD genes were detected by PCR amplification in all isolates. Sera from broilers harboring this bacterium reacted to the P. mirabilis soluble proteins, but not from litter- and age-matched P. mirabilis negative and SPF chickens, indicating that this bacterium infected chickens that could have humoral immune response against P. mirabilis. This study provides a rationale for further monitoring P. mirabilis during poultry production to determine whether this bacterium poses potential threats to public health. Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  12. Community-acquired urinary tract infection: age and gender-dependent etiology.

    PubMed

    Lo, Denise Swei; Shieh, Huei Hsin; Ragazzi, Selma Lopes Betta; Koch, Vera Hermina Kalika; Martinez, Marina Baquerizo; Gilio, Alfredo Elias

    2013-01-01

    Choosing the antimicrobial agent for initial therapy of urinary tract infection (UTI) is usually empirical and should consider the prevalence of uropathogens in different age groups and gender. To establish prevalence rates of uropathogens in community-acquired UTI in relation to age and gender. Cross-sectional study conducted in the emergency department (ED) of a general hospital, from January to December, 2010, in patients younger than 15 years old who had clinical suspicion of UTI and collected quantitative urine culture. UTI was defined as urine culture with growth of a single agent > 100.000 colony forming units (cfu)/mL in a midstream collection or ≥ 50.000 cfu/mL in urethral catheterization. There were 63.464 visits to ED. 2577 urine cultures were obtained, of whom 291 were positive for UTI (prevalence = 11.3% of clinical suspicion and 0.46% of visits), 212 cases (72.8%) in females, median age = 2.6 years. The predominant uropathogen was E. coli (76.6%), followed by Proteus mirabilis (10.3%) and Staphylococcus saprophyticus (4.1%). Among infants < 3 months, prevalence rates of E. coli were significantly lower (50% vs 78.4%; OR = 0.276; p = 0.006). Higher prevalences of Staphylococcus saprophyticus occurred among patients > 10 years (24.4% vs 0.4%; OR = 79.265; p < 0.0001). Proteus mirabilis was significantly more prevalent in boys than girls (24.0% vs 5.2%; OR = 5.786; p < 0.001). E. coli was the most prevalent community-acquired uropathogen. Nevertheless, initial empiric antimicrobial treatment of UTI should consider the significant prevalence of other agents different from E. coli in infants < 3 months, the high prevalence of Staphylococcus saprophyticus in patients > 10 years and Proteus mirabilis in males.

  13. Secondary metabolites produced by marine streptomyces as antibiofilm and quorum-sensing inhibitor of uropathogen Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Younis, Khansa Mohammed; Usup, Gires; Ahmad, Asmat

    2016-03-01

    Quorum-sensing regulates bacterial biofilm formation and virulence factors, thereby making it an interesting target for attenuating pathogens. In this study, we investigated anti-biofilm and anti-quorum-sensing compounds from secondary metabolites of halophiles marine streptomyces against urinary catheter biofilm forming Proteus mirabilis without effect on growth viability. A total of 40 actinomycetes were isolated from samples collected from different places in Iraq including marine sediments and soil samples. Fifteen isolates identified as streptomyces and their supernatant screened as anti-quorum-sensing by inhibiting quorum-sensing regulated prodigiosin biosynthesis of Serratia marcescens strain Smj-11 as a reporter strain. Isolate Sediment Lake Iraq (sdLi) showed potential anti-quorum-sensing activity. Out of 35 clinical isolates obtained from Urinary catheter used by patient at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, 22 isolates were characterized and identified as Proteus mirabilis. Isolate Urinary Catheter B4 (UCB4) showed the highest biofilm formation with highest resistance to used antibiotic and was chosen for further studies. Ethyl acetate secondary metabolites extract was produced from sdLi isolate. First, we determined the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of sdLi crude extract against UCB4 isolate, and all further experiments used concentrations below the MIC. Tests of subinhibitory concentrations of sdLi crude extract showed good inhibition against UCB4 isolate biofilm formation on urinary catheter and cover glass using Scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy respectively. The influence of sub-MIC of sdLi crude extract was also found to attenuate the quorum sensing (QS)-dependent factors such as hemolysin activity, urease activity, pH value, and motility of UCB4 isolate. Evidence is presented that these nontoxic secondary metabolites may act as antagonists of bacterial quorum sensing by competing with quorum-sensing signals for receptor binding.

  14. Inhibition of Urease Enzyme Production and some Other Virulence Factors Expression in Proteus mirabilis by N-Acetyl Cysteine and Dipropyl Disulphide.

    PubMed

    Abdel-Baky, Rehab Mahmoud; Ali, Mohamed Abdullah; Abuo-Rahma, Gamal El-Din Ali A; AbdelAziz, Neveen

    2017-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis is one of the important pathogens that colonize the urinary tract and catheters resulting in various complications, such as blockage of the catheters and the formation of infective stones. In this study we evaluated the effect of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and dipropyl disulphide on some virulence factors expressed by a Proteus mirabilis strain isolated from a catheterized patient. Antibacterial activity of both compounds was determined by broth microdilution method. Their effect on different types of motility was determined by LB medium with variable agar content and sub-MIC of each drug. Their effect on adherence and mature biofilms was tested by tissue culture plate assay. Inhibitory effect on urease production was determined and supported by molecular docking studies. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of NAC and dipropyl disulphide was 25 mM and 100 mM, respectively. Both compounds decreased the swarming ability and biofilm formation of the tested isolate in a dose-dependent manner. NAC had higher urease inhibitory activity (IC50 249 ±0.05 mM) than that shown by dipropyl disulphide (IC 50 10±0.2 mM). Results were supported by molecular docking studies which showed that NAC and dipropyl disulphide interacted with urease enzyme with binding free energy of -4.8 and -8.528 kcal/mol, respectively. Docking studies showed that both compounds interacted with Ni ion and several amino acids (His-138, Gly-279, Cysteine-321, Met-366 and His-322) which are essential for the enzyme activity. NAC and dipropyl disulphide could be used in the control of P. mirabilis urinary tract infections.

  15. Design of a proteus lattice representative of a burnt and fresh fuel interface at power conditions in light water reactors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hursin, M.; Perret, G.

    The research program LIFE (Large-scale Irradiated Fuel Experiment) between PSI and Swissnuclear has been started in 2006 to study the interaction between large sets of burnt and fresh fuel pins in conditions representative of power light water reactors. Reactor physics parameters such as flux ratios and reaction rate distributions ({sup 235}U and {sup 238}U fissions and {sup 238}U capture) are calculated to estimate an appropriate arrangement of burnt and fresh fuel pins within the central element of the test zone of the zero-power research reactor PROTEUS. The arrangement should minimize the number of burnt fuel pins to ease fuel handlingmore » and reduce costs, whilst guaranteeing that the neutron spectrum in both burnt and fresh fuel regions and at their interface is representative of a large uniform array of burnt and fresh pins in the same moderation conditions. First results are encouraging, showing that the burnt/fresh fuel interface is well represented with a 6 x 6 bundle of burnt pins. The second part of the project involves the use of TSUNAMI, CASMO-4E and DAKOTA to perform parametric and optimization studies on the PROTEUS lattice by varying its pitch (P) and fraction of D{sub 2}O in moderator (F{sub D2O}) to be as representative as possible of a power light water reactor core at hot full power conditions at beginning of cycle (BOC). The parameters P and F{sub D2O} that best represent a PWR at BOC are 1.36 cm and 5% respectively. (authors)« less

  16. Calcium distribution in Amoeba proteus

    PubMed Central

    1979-01-01

    A preliminary investigation of the distribution of cellular calcium in Amoeba proteus was undertaken. Total cellular calcium under control conditions was found to be 4.59 mmol/kg of cells. When the external Ca++ concentration is increased from the control level of 0.03 to 20 mM, a net Ca++ influx results with a new steady-state cellular calcium level being achieved in integral of 3 h. At steady state the amount of calcium per unit weight of cells is higher than the amount of calcium per unit weight of external solution when the external concentration of Ca++ is below 10 mM. At external Ca++ concentrations above this level, total cellular calcium approaches the medium level of Ca++. Steady- state calcium exchange in Amoeba proteus was determined with 45Ca. There is an immediate and rapid exchange of integral of 0.84 mmol/kg of cells or 18% of the total cellular calcium with the labelled Ca++. Following this initial exchange, there was very little if any further exchange observed. Most of this exchanged calcium could be eliminated from the cell with 1 mM La+++, suggesting that the exchanged calcium is associated with the surface of the cell. Increase in either the external Ca++ concentration of pH raise the amount of exchangeable calcium associated with the cell. Calcium may be associated with the cell surface as a co-ion in the diffuse double layer or bound to fixed negative sites on the surface of the cell. If Ca++-binding sites do exist on the cell surface, there may be more than one type and they may have different dissociation constants. The cytoplasmic Ca++ ion activity is probably maintained at very low levels. PMID:512628

  17. [Substrate specifity in Amoeba proteus].

    PubMed

    Sopina, V A

    2006-01-01

    Three different phosphatases ("slow", "middle" and "fast") were found in Amoeba proteus (strain B) after PAGE and a subsequent gel staining in 1-naphthyl phosphate containing incubation mixture (pH 9.0). Substrate specificity of these phosphatases was determined in supernatants of homogenates using inhibitors of phosphatase activity. All phosphatases showed a broad substrate specificity. Of 10 tested compounds, p-nitrophenyl phosphate was a preferable substrate for all 3 phosphatases. All phosphatases were able to hydrolyse bis-p-nitrophenyl phosphate and, hence, displayed phosphodiesterase activity. All phosphatases hydrolysed O-phospho-L-tyrosine to a greater or lesser degree. Only little differences in substrate specificity of phosphatases were noticed: 1) "fast" and "middle" phosphatases hydrolysed naphthyl phosphates and O-phospho-L-tyrosine less efficiently than did "slow" phosphatase; 2) "fast" and "middle" phosphatases hydrolysed 2- naphthyl phosphate to a lesser degree than 1-naphthyl phosphate 3) "fast" and "middle" phosphatases hydrolysed O-phospho-L-serine and O-phospho-L-threonine with lower intensity as compared with "slow" phosphatase; 4) as distinct from "middle" and "slow" phosphatases, the "fast" phosphatase hydrolysed glucose-6-phosphate very poorly. The revealed broad substrate specificity of "slow" phosphatase together with data of inhibitory analysis and results of experiments with reactivation of this phosphatase by Zn2+-ions after its inactivation by EDTA strongly suggest that only the "slow" phosphatase is a true alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1). The alkaline phosphatase of A. proteus is secreted into culture medium where its activity is low. The enzyme displays both phosphomono- and phosphodiesterase activities, in addition to supposed protein phosphatase activity. It still remains unknown, to which particular phosphatase class the amoeban "middle" and "fast" phosphatases (pH 9.0) may be assigned.

  18. Diterpenoids from Salvia ceratophylla.

    PubMed

    Gören, Ahmet C; Topçu, Gülaçti; Oksüz, Sevil; Kökdil, Gamze; Voelter, Wolfgang; Ulubelen, Ayhan

    2002-02-01

    Salvia ceratophylla L. has yielded four known and two new diterpenoids together with two triterpenic acids, a steroid and a flavone. The structures of the compounds were established by spectroscopic analyses. One of the known compounds candidissiol exhibited a high antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Proteus mirabilis.

  19. Surveying Europe's Only Cave-Dwelling Chordate Species (Proteus anguinus) Using Environmental DNA.

    PubMed

    Vörös, Judit; Márton, Orsolya; Schmidt, Benedikt R; Gál, Júlia Tünde; Jelić, Dušan

    2017-01-01

    In surveillance of subterranean fauna, especially in the case of rare or elusive aquatic species, traditional techniques used for epigean species are often not feasible. We developed a non-invasive survey method based on environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect the presence of the red-listed cave-dwelling amphibian, Proteus anguinus, in the caves of the Dinaric Karst. We tested the method in fifteen caves in Croatia, from which the species was previously recorded or expected to occur. We successfully confirmed the presence of P. anguinus from ten caves and detected the species for the first time in five others. Using a hierarchical occupancy model we compared the availability and detection probability of eDNA of two water sampling methods, filtration and precipitation. The statistical analysis showed that both availability and detection probability depended on the method and estimates for both probabilities were higher using filter samples than for precipitation samples. Combining reliable field and laboratory methods with robust statistical modeling will give the best estimates of species occurrence.

  20. [The etiology of urinary tract infections].

    PubMed

    Avio, C M; Ceccherini, M; Pierotti, R; Falcone, G

    1977-01-01

    The Authors have planned a program in order to file and elaborate with a computer the results of urine cultures. From 8.600 specimens, about 86% were negative or doubtful. The data obtained from 1201 positive cultures were processed in order to state the absolute and relative frequency of the bacterial species isolated and their distribution according to their genera, antibiotic resistence, month and sex. Among the most representative species the pattern of antibiotic resistence was surveyed. E. coli shows very high frequency (38%). The frequency of Pseudomonas increases while staphylococci frequency decreases as compared with the previous statements of various Authors. The analysis of the antibiotic sensitivity spectrum of 534 specimens shows that about 50% of E. coli strains are sensitive to 10, 11 and 12 antibiotics and their pattern of resistence involves no more than 9 antibiotics; on the contrary more than 60% of Pseudomonas and Proteus rettgeri are resistant to 10, 11 or 12 antibiotics and at any rate to no less than seven. Enterobacter and Proteus mirabilis present an intermediate pattern of resistence.

  1. [Comparative effectiveness of antimicrobial action of antiseptics against pathogens of chronic purulent otitis media].

    PubMed

    Paliĭ, G K; Barilo, A S; Chesnokova, A A

    1992-12-01

    Comparable antimicrobial and disinfecting action of decamethoxine and silver preparations on pathogens of chronic purulent otitis media (CPOM) was studied. The clinical isolates of staphylococci proved to be most sensitive to decamethoxine whose MBcC conformed to 16.5 micrograms/ml. The antimicrobial action on Proteus spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was less pronounced. The required concentrations for bactericidal action on these pathogens were 69 and 93.5 micrograms/ml, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of the silver preparations such as poviargol, collargol and protargol was low. Depending on the microbial species, the bactericidal effect of the silver preparations was 12-235 times lower than that of decamethoxin. It was also shown that decamethoxin had a high disinfecting action on CPOM pathogens. It was noted that decamethoxin had a marked ability to increase the bactericidal action of poviargol (by 2-14 times) and its disinfecting action (by 2 times) on Proteus spp., E. coli and Ps. aeruginosa.

  2. Proteus mirabilis and Urinary Tract Infections

    PubMed Central

    Schaffer, Jessica N.; Pearson, Melanie M.

    2015-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis is a Gram-negative bacterium which is well-known for its ability to robustly swarm across surfaces in a striking bulls’-eye pattern. Clinically, this organism is most frequently a pathogen of the urinary tract, particularly in patients undergoing long-term catheterization. This review covers P. mirabilis with a focus on urinary tract infections (UTI), including disease models, vaccine development efforts, and clinical perspectives. Flagella-mediated motility, both swimming and swarming, is a central facet of this organism. The regulation of this complex process and its contribution to virulence is discussed, along with the type VI-secretion system-dependent intra-strain competition which occurs during swarming. P. mirabilis uses a diverse set of virulence factors to access and colonize the host urinary tract, including urease and stone formation, fimbriae and other adhesins, iron and zinc acquisition, proteases and toxins, biofilm formation, and regulation of pathogenesis. While significant advances in this field have been made, challenges remain to combatting complicated UTI and deciphering P. mirabilis pathogenesis. PMID:26542036

  3. The role of Proteus mirabilis cell wall features in biofilm formation.

    PubMed

    Czerwonka, Grzegorz; Guzy, Anna; Kałuża, Klaudia; Grosicka, Michalina; Dańczuk, Magdalena; Lechowicz, Łukasz; Gmiter, Dawid; Kowalczyk, Paweł; Kaca, Wiesław

    2016-11-01

    Biofilms formed by Proteus mirabilis strains are a serious medical problem, especially in the case of urinary tract infections. Early stages of biofilm formation, such as reversible and irreversible adhesion, are essential for bacteria to form biofilm and avoid eradication by antibiotic therapy. Adhesion to solid surfaces is a complex process where numerous factors play a role, where hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions with solid surface seem to be substantial. Cell surface hydrophobicity and electrokinetic potential of bacterial cells depend on their surface composition and structure, where lipopolysaccharide, in Gram-negative bacteria, is prevailing. Our studies focused on clinical and laboratory P. mirabilis strains, where laboratory strains have determined LPS structures. Adherence and biofilm formation tests revealed significant differences between strains adhered in early stages of biofilm formation. Amounts of formed biofilm were expressed by the absorption of crystal violet. Higher biofilm amounts were formed by the strains with more negative values of zeta potential. In contrast, high cell surface hydrophobicity correlated with low biofilm amount.

  4. Proteus mirabilis and Urinary Tract Infections.

    PubMed

    Schaffer, Jessica N; Pearson, Melanie M

    2015-10-01

    Proteus mirabilis is a Gram-negative bacterium and is well known for its ability to robustly swarm across surfaces in a striking bulls'-eye pattern. Clinically, this organism is most frequently a pathogen of the urinary tract, particularly in patients undergoing long-term catheterization. This review covers P. mirabilis with a focus on urinary tract infections (UTI), including disease models, vaccine development efforts, and clinical perspectives. Flagella-mediated motility, both swimming and swarming, is a central facet of this organism. The regulation of this complex process and its contribution to virulence is discussed, along with the type VI-secretion system-dependent intra-strain competition, which occurs during swarming. P. mirabilis uses a diverse set of virulence factors to access and colonize the host urinary tract, including urease and stone formation, fimbriae and other adhesins, iron and zinc acquisition, proteases and toxins, biofilm formation, and regulation of pathogenesis. While significant advances in this field have been made, challenges remain to combatting complicated UTI and deciphering P. mirabilis pathogenesis.

  5. Cooccurrence of Multiple AmpC β-Lactamases in Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis in Tunisia.

    PubMed

    Chérif, Thouraya; Saidani, Mabrouka; Decré, Dominique; Boutiba-Ben Boubaker, Ilhem; Arlet, Guillaume

    2016-01-01

    Over a period of 40 months, plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases were detected in Tunis, Tunisia, in 78 isolates (0.59%) of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis. In 67 isolates, only one ampC gene was detected, i.e., blaCMY-2-type (n = 33), blaACC (n = 23), blaDHA (n = 6) or blaEBC (n = 5). Multiple ampC genes were detected in 11 isolates, with the following distribution: blaMOX-2, blaFOX-3, and blaCMY-4/16 (n = 6), blaFOX-3 and blaMOX-2 (n = 3), and blaCMY-4 and blaMOX-2 (n = 2). A great variety of plasmids carrying these genes was found, independently of the species and the bla gene. If the genetic context of blaCMY-2-type is variable, that of blaMOX-2, reported in part previously, is unique and that of blaFOX-3 is unique and new. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  6. Dynamical Properties of Transient Spatio-Temporal Patterns in Bacterial Colony of Proteus mirabilis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watanabe, Kazuhiko; Wakita, Jun-ichi; Itoh, Hiroto; Shimada, Hirotoshi; Kurosu, Sayuri; Ikeda, Takemasa; Yamazaki, Yoshihiro; Matsuyama, Tohey; Matsushita, Mitsugu

    2002-02-01

    Spatio-temporal patterns emerged inside a colony of bacterial species Proteus mirabilis on the surface of nutrient-rich semisolid agar medium have been investigated. We observed various patterns composed of the following basic types: propagating stripe, propagating stripe with fixed dislocation, expanding and shrinking target, and rotating spiral. The remarkable point is that the pattern changes immediately when we alter the position for observation, but it returns to the original if we restore the observing position within a few minutes. We further investigated mesoscopic and microscopic properties of the spatio-temporal patterns. It turned out that whenever the spatio-temporal patterns are observed in a colony, the areas are composed of two superimposed monolayers of elongated bacterial cells. In each area they are aligned almost parallel with each other like a two-dimensional nematic liquid crystal, and move collectively and independently of another layer. It has been found that the observed spatio-temporal patterns are explained as the moiré effect.

  7. Isolation of a selected microbial consortium capable of degrading methyl parathion and p-nitrophenol from a contaminated soil site.

    PubMed

    Pino, Nancy J; Dominguez, Maria C; Penuela, Gustavo A

    2011-01-01

    A bacterial consortium with the ability to degrade methyl parathion and p-nitrophenol, using these compounds as the only carbon source, was obtained by selective enrichment in a medium with methyl parathion. Samples were taken from Moravia, Medellin; an area that is highly contaminated, owing to the fact that it was used as a garbage dump from 1974 to 1982. Acinetobacter sp, Pseudomonas putida, Bacillus sp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa Citrobacter freundii, Stenotrophomonas sp, Flavobacterium sp, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas sp, Acinetobacter sp, Klebsiella sp and Proteus sp were the microorganisms identified within the consortium. In culture, the consortium was able to degrade 150 mg L⁻¹ of methyl-parathion and p-nitrophenol in 120 h, but after adding glucose or peptone to the culture, the time of degradation decreased to 24 h. In soil, the consortium was also able to degrade 150 mg L⁻¹ of methyl parathion in 120 h at different depths and also managed to decrease the toxicity.

  8. [Effect of acetylcholine and acetylcholinesterase on the activity of contractile vacuole of Amoeba proteus].

    PubMed

    Bagrov, Ia Iu; Manusova, N B

    2011-01-01

    Acetylcholine (ACh, 1 microM) stimulates activity of the contractile vacuole of proteus. The effect of ACh is not mimicked by its analogs which are not hydrolyzed by acetylcholinesterase (AChE), i. e., carbacholine and 5-methylfurmethide. The effect of ACh is not sensitive to the blocking action of M-cholinolytics, atropine and mytolone, but is suppressed by N-cholinolytic, tubocurarine. The inhibitors of AChE, eserine (0.01 microM) and armine (0.1 microM), suppress the effect of ACh on amoeba contractile vacuole. ACh does not affect activation of contractile vacuole induced by arginine-vasopressin (1 microM), but it blocks such effect of opiate receptors agonist, dynorphin A1-13 (0.01 microM). This effect of ACh is also suppressed by the inhibitors of AChE. These results suggest that, in the above-described effects of ACh, AChE acts not as an antagonist, but rather as a synergist.

  9. Intracellular microrheology of motile Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Rogers, Salman S; Waigh, Thomas A; Lu, Jian R

    2008-04-15

    The motility of Amoeba proteus was examined using the technique of passive particle tracking microrheology, with the aid of newly developed particle tracking software, a fast digital camera, and an optical microscope. We tracked large numbers of endogeneous particles in the amoebae, which displayed subdiffusive motion at short timescales, corresponding to thermal motion in a viscoelastic medium, and superdiffusive motion at long timescales due to the convection of the cytoplasm. Subdiffusive motion was characterized by a rheological scaling exponent of 3/4 in the cortex, indicative of the semiflexible dynamics of the actin fibers. We observed shear-thinning in the flowing endoplasm, where exponents increased with increasing flow rate; i.e., the endoplasm became more fluid-like. The rheology of the cortex is found to be isotropic, reflecting an isotropic actin gel. A clear difference was seen between cortical and endoplasmic layers in terms of both viscoelasticity and flow velocity, where the profile of the latter is close to a Poiseuille flow for a Newtonian fluid.

  10. Functional characterization of contractile vacuole isolated from Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Nishihara, Eri; Shimmen, Teruo; Sonobe, Seiji

    2004-12-01

    Contractile vacuoles (CVs) released from cells of Amoeba proteus were used to analyze its function in vitro. When CV was transferred to a hypertonic medium, its volume decreased within 10 sec. When it was subsequently returned to its original medium, it quickly started swelling. However, it ruptured before recovering its initial volume. These results suggested that the CV membrane is semi-permeable and that the fluid is collected by the osmotic gradient in vivo. The water permeability of membrane of isolated CV was calculated from the rate of osmotic volume change to be 0.94 microm/sec . OsM. This high value suggested that CV membrane is equipped with water channel. CV contracted (or burst) quickly upon addition of 1 mM ATP. Contraction was induced by ATP, but not by other nucleotides, GTP, ITP, ADP, or the analogues of ATP, AMP-PNP and ATPgammaS. It was suggested that the contraction of isolated CV was caused by increase in the tension of its membrane by ATP.

  11. Reversible changes in size of cell nuclei isolated from Amoeba proteus: role of the cytoskeleton.

    PubMed

    Pomorski, P; Grebecka, L; Grebecki, A; Makuch, R

    2000-01-01

    Micrurgically isolated interphasal nuclei of Amoeba proteus, which preserve F-actin cytoskeletal shells on their surface, shrink after perfusion with imidazole buffer without ATP, and expand to about 200% of their cross-sectional area upon addition of pyrophosphate. These changes in size may be reproduced several times with the same nucleus. The shrunken nuclei are insensitive to the osmotic effects of sugars and distilled water, whereas the expanded ones react only to the distilled water, showing further swelling. The shrinking-expansion cycles are partially inhibited by cytochalasins. They are attributed to the state of actomyosin complex in the perinuclear cytoskeleton, which is supposed to be in the rigor state in the imidazole buffer without ATP, and to dissociate in the presence of pyrophosphate. Inflow of external medium to the nuclei during dissociation of the myosin from the perinuclear F-actin may be due to colloidal osmosis depending on other macromolecular components of the karyoplasm.

  12. New aspects of membrane dynamics of Amoeba proteus contractile vacuole revealed by vital staining with FM 4-64.

    PubMed

    Nishihara, E; Shimmen, T; Sonobe, S

    2007-01-01

    The contractile vacuole (CV) cycle of Amoeba proteus has been studied by phase contrast and electron microscopy. However, the understanding of membrane dynamics in this cycle is still poor. In this study, we used live imaging by fluorescence microscopy to obtain new insights. We succeeded in staining the CV with a styryl dye, FM 4-64 (N-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(6-(4-(diethylamino)phenyl)hexatrienyl)pyridinium dibromide), and obtained the following results. (1) The CV membrane was directly stained with the dye in the external medium when the CV pore opened upon contraction. This indicates that transfer of plasma membrane to the CV does not occur. (2) The membrane dynamics during the CV cycle were elucidated. In particular, the fluorescent CV membrane was maintained as an aggregate just after contraction and the vacuole re-formed from the aggregate. Staining was maintained during continued contraction cycles. We conclude that the CV membrane is maintained during the CV cycle.

  13. Characterization of myosin heavy chain and its gene in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Oh, S W; Jeon, K W

    1998-01-01

    Monoclonal antibodies against the myosin heavy chain of Amoeba proteus were obtained and used to localize myosin inside amoebae and to clone cDNAs encoding myosin. Myosin was found throughout the amoeba cytoplasm but was more concentrated in the ectoplasmic regions as determined by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. In symbiont-bearing xD amoebae, myosin was also found on the symbiosome membranes, as checked by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy and by immunoelectron microscopy. The open reading frame of a cloned myosin cDNA contained 6,414 nucleotides, coding for a polypeptide of 2,138 amino acids. While the amino-acid sequence of the globular head region of amoeba's myosin had a high degree of similarity with that of myosins from various organisms, the tail region building a coiled-coil structure did not show a significant sequence similarity. There appeared to be at least three different isoforms of myosins in amoebae, with closely related amino acids in the globular head region.

  14. Characteristics of motive force derived from trajectory analysis of Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Masaki, Noritaka; Miyoshi, Hiromi; Tsuchiya, Yoshimi

    2007-01-01

    We used a monochromatic charge-coupled-device camera to observe the migration behavior of Amoeba proteus every 5 s over a time course of 10000 s in order to investigate the characteristics of its centroid movement (cell velocity) over the long term. Fourier transformation of the time series of the cell velocity revealed that its power spectrum exhibits a Lorentz type profile with a relaxation time of a few hundred seconds. Moreover, some sharp peaks were found in the power spectrum, where the ratios of any two frequencies corresponding to the peaks were expressed as simple rational numbers. Analysis of the trajectory using a Langevin equation showed that the power spectrum reflects characteristics of the cell's motive force. These results suggest that some phenomena relating to the cell's motility, such as protoplasmic streaming and the sol-gel transformation of actin filaments, which seem to be independent phenomena and have different relaxation times, interact with each other and cooperatively participate in the generation process of the motive force.

  15. Interaction of actin filaments with the plasma membrane in Amoeba proteus: studies using a cell model and isolated plasma membrane.

    PubMed

    Kawakatsu, T; Kikuchi, A; Shimmen, T; Sonobe, S

    2000-08-01

    We prepared a cell model of Amoeba proteus by mechanical bursting to study the interaction between actin filaments (AFs) and plasma membrane (PM). The cell model prepared in the absence of Ca2+ showed remarkable contraction upon addition of ATP. When the model was prepared in the presence of Ca2+, the cytoplasmic granules formed an aggregate in the central region, having moved away from PM. Although this model showed contraction upon addition of ATP in the presence of Ca2+, less contraction was noted. Staining with rhodamine-phalloidin revealed association of AFs with PM in the former model, and a lesser amount of association in the latter model. The interaction between AFs and PM was also studied using the isolated PM. AFs were associated with PM isolated in the absence of Ca2+, but were not when Ca2+ was present. These results suggest that the interaction between AFs and PM is regulated by Ca2+.

  16. Intracellular Microrheology of Motile Amoeba proteus

    PubMed Central

    Rogers, Salman S.; Waigh, Thomas A.; Lu, Jian R.

    2008-01-01

    The motility of Amoeba proteus was examined using the technique of passive particle tracking microrheology, with the aid of newly developed particle tracking software, a fast digital camera, and an optical microscope. We tracked large numbers of endogeneous particles in the amoebae, which displayed subdiffusive motion at short timescales, corresponding to thermal motion in a viscoelastic medium, and superdiffusive motion at long timescales due to the convection of the cytoplasm. Subdiffusive motion was characterized by a rheological scaling exponent of 3/4 in the cortex, indicative of the semiflexible dynamics of the actin fibers. We observed shear-thinning in the flowing endoplasm, where exponents increased with increasing flow rate; i.e., the endoplasm became more fluid-like. The rheology of the cortex is found to be isotropic, reflecting an isotropic actin gel. A clear difference was seen between cortical and endoplasmic layers in terms of both viscoelasticity and flow velocity, where the profile of the latter is close to a Poiseuille flow for a Newtonian fluid. PMID:18192370

  17. Intracellular Microrheology of Motile Amoeba proteus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rogers, S.; Waigh, T.; Lu, J.

    2008-04-01

    The motility of motile Amoeba proteus was examined using the technique of passive particle tracking microrheology, with the aid of newly-developed particle tracking software, a fast digital camera and an optical microscope. We tracked large numbers of endogeneous particles in the amoebae, which displayed subdiffusive motion at short time scales, corresponding to thermal motion in a viscoelastic medium, and superdiffusive motion at long time scales due to the convection of the cytoplasm. Subdiffusive motion was characterised by a rheological scaling exponent of 3/4 in the cortex, indicative of the semiflexible dynamics of the actin fibres. We observed shear-thinning in the flowing endoplasm, where exponents increased with increasing flow rate; i.e. the endoplasm became more fluid-like. The rheology of the cortex is found to be isotropic, reflecting an isotropic actin gel. A clear difference was seen between cortical and endoplasmic layers in terms of both viscoelasticity and flow velocity, where the profile of the latter is close to a Poiseuille flow for a Newtonian fluid.

  18. Characterization of a cryptic plasmid from an alpha-proteobacterial endosymbiont of Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Park, Miey; Kim, Min-Soo; Lee, Kyung-Min; Hwang, Sue-Yun; Ahn, Tae In

    2009-01-01

    A new cryptic plasmid pAP3.9 was discovered in symbiotic alpha-proteobacteria present in the cytoplasm of Amoeba proteus. The plasmid is 3869bp with a GC content of 34.66% and contains replication origins for both double-strand (dso) and single-strand (sso). It has three putative ORFs encoding Mob, Rep and phosphoglycolate phosphatase (PGPase). The pAP3.9 plasmid appears to propagate by the conjugative rolling-circle replication (RCR), since it contains all required factors such as Rep, sso and dso. Mob and Rep showed highest similarities to those of the cryptic plasmid pBMYdx in Bacillus mycoides. The PGPase was homologous to that of Bacillus cereus and formed a clade with those of Bacillus sp. in molecular phylogeny. These results imply that the pAP3.9 plasmid evolved by the passage through Bacillus species. We hypothesize that the plasmid-encoded PGPase may have contributed to the establishment of bacterial symbiosis within the hostile environment of amoeba cytoplasm.

  19. Proteus: A Lecturer-Friendly Adaptive Tutoring System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sessink, Olivier D. T.; Beeftink, Hendrik H.; Tramper, Johannes; Hartog, Rob J. M.

    2007-01-01

    Effectively targeting a heterogeneous student population is a common challenge in academic courses. Most traditional learning material targets the "average student," and is suboptimal for students who lack certain prior knowledge, or students who have already attained some of the course objectives. Student-activating learning material supports…

  20. Folate, cancer risk, and the greek god, Proteus: a tale of two chameleons

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Evidence indicates that an abundant intake of foodstuffs rich in folate conveys protection against the development of colorectal cancer, and perhaps some other common cancers as well. The issue is a complex one however, since some observations in animal and human studies demonstrate that an overly ...

  1. 21 CFR 522.313c - Ceftiofur sodium.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... infections associated with E. coli and Proteus mirabilis. [53 5369, Feb. 24, 1988, as amended at 55 FR 13768... considerations. Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. (e... the neck. (ii) Indications for use. For control of early mortality associated with Escherichia coli...

  2. 21 CFR 522.313c - Ceftiofur sodium.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... infections associated with E. coli and Proteus mirabilis. [53 5369, Feb. 24, 1988, as amended at 55 FR 13768... considerations. Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. (e... the neck. (ii) Indications for use. For control of early mortality associated with Escherichia coli...

  3. Design Considerations in Developing a Web-Based Mentor Network.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sumner, Todd

    This paper describes a Web-based mentor network designed to pair students in rural independent schools with undergraduates at selected liberal arts colleges. It is one of nine central program elements that constitute the Proteus(TM) system, a multimedia technologies architecture that supports distributed collaborations and work undertaken in the…

  4. Antimicrobial activity of Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Euphorbia hirta and Asystasia gangeticum.

    PubMed

    Sudhakar, M; Rao, Ch V; Rao, P M; Raju, D B; Venkateswarlu, Y

    2006-07-01

    The ethanolic extracts of the dry fruits of Caesalpinia pulcherrima, aerial parts of Euphorbia hirta and flowers of Asystasia gangeticum were tested for antimicrobial activity. The three plants exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, particularly against Escherichia coli (enteropathogen), Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.

  5. Genome sequence of a Providencia stuartii strain isolated from Lucilia sericata salivary glands

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    We present the draft genome sequence of a Providencia stuartii strain derived from salivary glands of larval Lucilia sericata; a common blow fly important to forensic, medical and veterinary science. The genome sequence will help dissect coinfections involving Providencia stuartii and Proteus mirab...

  6. Dissemination of the Phasor Method in Electrical Engineering in China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Liangliang; Lei, Yinzhao

    2014-01-01

    Synchrophasors, widely used in the monitoring and analysis of power systems, evolved from the phasor method presented by Charles Proteus Steinmetz in 1893. The phasor method is a mathematical method for solving linear sinusoidal steady-state circuits and time-varying electromagnetic fields. This paper traces the history and diffusion of the phasor…

  7. Methodological Approaches in MOOC Research: Retracing the Myth of Proteus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raffaghelli, Juliana Elisa; Cucchiara, Stefania; Persico, Donatella

    2015-01-01

    This paper explores the methodological approaches most commonly adopted in the scholarly literature on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), published during the period January 2008-May 2014. In order to identify trends, gaps and criticalities related to the methodological approaches of this emerging field of research, we analysed 60 papers…

  8. Proteus in a Kaleidoscope: The Educational Technologist in Open University Course Production.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gale, Janet

    1980-01-01

    Describes the educational technologist's work in Open University course production in terms of the work's context and the potential roles and tasks that may be assumed, and concludes that the educational technologist must continually construct and reconstruct his/her own role according to a number of sets of criteria. (Author/CMV)

  9. GRAMMAR--THE PROTEUS OF THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    ASTON, KATHARINE O.

    THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM CAN BE MADE MORE EFFECTIVE BY CONSIDERING THE SIGNIFICANT PART PLAYED BY THE COMPONENT OF GRAMMAR. THE NATIVE SPEAKER OF ENGLISH POSSESSES AN INTUITIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE RULES OF GRAMMAR AND YET CANNOT EXPLAIN WHAT HIS INTUITION KNOWS. THEREFORE, A PRECISE, ECONOMICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE LANGUAGE MECHANISM AND HOW IT FUNCTIONS…

  10. The Worker as Proteus: Understanding Occupational Adaptability.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Faddis, Constance R.

    The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize what is known about occupational adaptability and to propose a heuristic model of the process(es) of adaptation in work. Following an introductory chapter, three chapters contain a review of literature that draws from many disciplines and presents an overview of human adaptation in general, as…

  11. The Proteus Effect: The Effect of Transformed Self-Representation on Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yee, Nick; Bailenson, Jeremy

    2007-01-01

    Virtual environments, such as online games and web-based chat rooms, increasingly allow us to alter our digital self-representations dramatically and easily. But as we change our self-representations, do our self-representations change our behavior in turn? In 2 experimental studies, we explore the hypothesis that an individual's behavior conforms…

  12. Cache write generate for parallel image processing on shared memory architectures.

    PubMed

    Wittenbrink, C M; Somani, A K; Chen, C H

    1996-01-01

    We investigate cache write generate, our cache mode invention. We demonstrate that for parallel image processing applications, the new mode improves main memory bandwidth, CPU efficiency, cache hits, and cache latency. We use register level simulations validated by the UW-Proteus system. Many memory, cache, and processor configurations are evaluated.

  13. Use of bile-esculin agar for rapid differentiation of Enterobacteriaceae.

    PubMed Central

    Lindell, S S; Quinn, P

    1975-01-01

    Bile-esculin agar has been used for several years for the presumptive identification of group D streptococci. All members of the Enterobacteriaceae family will also grow on this medium, but only certain ones can hydrolyze esculin to 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin, which reacts with iron to produce a characteristic blackening of the medium. One thousand and six cultures from clinical specimens representing 20 genera were isolated and identified. Heavy inocula from fresh pure culture isolates on heart infusion agar were placed on bile-esculin agar slants and incubated at 35 C. The slants were examined at 4 h and again at 18 h for esculin hydrolysis. Shigella, Salmonella, Arizona, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus morganii, Providencia alcalifaciens, and Providencia stuartii all produced negative results. Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter aerogenes, Serratia marcescens, and Serratia rubidaea produced a positive reaction in 4 h. The other remaining eight genera exhibited varying results. The use of this medium in conjunction with triple sugar iron-lysine iron agar has been of great value in differentiating the Klebsiella-Enterobacter-Serratia group from other Enterobacteriaceae. PMID:1176613

  14. Biodegradable Hydrophilic Polyurethane PEGU25 Loading Antimicrobial Peptide Bmap-28: A Sustained-release Membrane Able to Inhibit Bacterial Biofilm Formation in Vitro

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Jianzhong; Liu, Qinyu; Tian, Ye; Jian, Zhongyu; Li, Hong; Wang, Kunjie

    2015-01-01

    Catheter-related infection makes up a large part of hospital infection and contributes 80% to all nosocomial urological infection, costing hundreds of millions dollar per year for treatment. Biodegradable hydrophilic material incorporating antibiotic substance is a promising way to prevent catheter-related infection. And antimicrobial peptide seems an optimal drug for its desirable antibiotic effect. In the current research, we produced a new kind of antibiotic material by incorporating antimicrobial peptide Bmap-28 with polyurethane PEGU25 and tested its effect on Proteus mirabilis in vitro. Compared with the control group, PEGU25 membrane incorporating Bmap-28 had a significant lower bacteria load after co-cultured with the Proteus mirabilis. And its antibiotic effect could be observed throughout the whole 7-day test. Also the Bmap-28 membrane could delay catheter obstruction caused by encrustation. Our findings reveal that PEGU25 incorporating Bmap-28 can well inhibit bacterial biofilm formation of common pathogens for catheter-related urinary tract infection in vitro, which makes it a promising antibiotic material for medical tubes for urology. PMID:25727362

  15. Burnup calculations and chemical analysis of irradiated fuel samples studied in LWR-PROTEUS phase II

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Grimm, P.; Guenther-Leopold, I.; Berger, H. D.

    2006-07-01

    The isotopic compositions of 5 UO{sub 2} samples irradiated in a Swiss PWR power plant, which were investigated in the LWR-PROTEUS Phase II programme, were calculated using the CASMO-4 and BOXER assembly codes. The burnups of the samples range from 50 to 90 MWd/kg. The results for a large number of actinide and fission product nuclides were compared to those of chemical analyses performed using a combination of chromatographic separation and mass spectrometry. A good agreement of calculated and measured concentrations is found for many of the nuclides investigated with both codes. The concentrations of the Pu isotopes are mostlymore » predicted within {+-}10%, the two codes giving quite different results, except for {sup 242}Pu. Relatively significant deviations are found for some isotopes of Cs and Sm, and large discrepancies are observed for Eu and Gd. The overall quality of the predictions by the two codes is comparable, and the deviations from the experimental data do not generally increase with burnup. (authors)« less

  16. Comparative in vitro studies on disodium EDTA effect with and without Proteus mirabilis on the crystallization of carbonate apatite and struvite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prywer, Jolanta; Olszynski, Marcin; Torzewska, Agnieszka; Mielniczek-Brzóska, Ewa

    2014-06-01

    Effect of disodium EDTA (salt of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid) on the crystallization of struvite and carbonate apatite was studied. To evaluate such an effect we performed an experiment of struvite and carbonate apatite growth from artificial urine. The crystallization process was induced by Proteus mirabilis to mimic the real urinary tract infection, which usually leads to urinary stone formation. The results demonstrate that disodium EDTA exhibits the effect against P. mirabilis retarding the activity of urease - an enzyme produced by these microorganisms. The spectrophotometric results demonstrate that, with and without P. mirabilis, the addition of disodium EDTA increases the induction time and decreases the growth efficiency compared to the baseline (without disodium EDTA). These results are discussed from the standpoint of speciation of complexes formed in the solution of artificial urine in the presence of disodium EDTA. The size of struvite crystals was found to decrease in the presence of disodium EDTA. However, struvite crystals are larger in the presence of bacteria while the crystal morphology and habit remain unchanged.

  17. Proteus mirabilis biofilm - qualitative and quantitative colorimetric methods-based evaluation.

    PubMed

    Kwiecinska-Piróg, Joanna; Bogiel, Tomasz; Skowron, Krzysztof; Wieckowska, Ewa; Gospodarek, Eugenia

    2014-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis strains ability to form biofilm is a current topic of a number of research worldwide. In this study the biofilm formation of P. mirabilis strains derived from urine of the catheterized and non-catheterized patients has been investigated. A total number of 39 P. mirabilis strains isolated from the urine samples of the patients of dr Antoni Jurasz University Hospital No. 1 in Bydgoszcz clinics between 2011 and 2012 was used. Biofilm formation was evaluated using two independent quantitative and qualitative methods with TTC (2,3,5-triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride) and CV (crystal violet) application. The obtained results confirmed biofilm formation by all the examined strains, except quantitative method with TTC, in which 7.7% of the strains did not have this ability. It was shown that P. mirabilis rods have the ability to form biofilm on the surfaces of both biomaterials applied, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride (Nelaton catheters). The differences in ability to form biofilm observed between P. mirabilis strains derived from the urine of the catheterized and non-catheterized patients were not statistically significant.

  18. Regional Spread of CTX-M-2-Producing Proteus mirabilis with the Identical Genetic Structure in Japan.

    PubMed

    Kato, Karin; Matsumura, Yasufumi; Yamamoto, Masaki; Nagao, Miki; Takakura, Shunji; Ichiyama, Satoshi

    2017-07-01

    In this study, we analyzed the molecular epidemiology of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Proteus mirabilis isolates collected from the central region of Japan. Between 2005 and 2012, 820 clinical P. mirabilis isolates were obtained from ten acute care hospitals in Japan. We characterized ESBL confirmatory test-positive isolates by sequencing the ESBL genes and their flanking regions, detecting plasmid replicons, and performing pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Ninety-six isolates (12%) were positive according to the ESBL confirmatory test; all these isolates possessed bla CTX-M-2 with the same flanking structure of upstream ΔISEcp1 and a downstream region identical to downstream bla KLUA-1 . IncT was the prevalent, and only, replicon found in 63 isolates. PFGE analysis detected eight clusters with more than one isolate, among which three included 56 isolates and six included isolates from multiple hospitals. CTX-M-2-producing P. mirabilis with an identical genetic structure flanking bla CTX-M-2 is dominant in this Japanese region, and there is evidence for the clonal spread of isolates.

  19. Arginine promotes Proteus mirabilis motility and fitness by contributing to conservation of the proton gradient and proton motive force

    PubMed Central

    Armbruster, Chelsie E; Hodges, Steven A; Smith, Sara N; Alteri, Christopher J; Mobley, Harry L T

    2014-01-01

    Swarming contributes to Proteus mirabilis pathogenicity by facilitating access to the catheterized urinary tract. We previously demonstrated that 0.1–20 mmol/L arginine promotes swarming on normally nonpermissive media and that putrescine biosynthesis is required for arginine-induced swarming. We also previously determined that arginine-induced swarming is pH dependent, indicating that the external proton concentration is critical for arginine-dependent effects on swarming. In this study, we utilized survival at pH 5 and motility as surrogates for measuring changes in the proton gradient (ΔpH) and proton motive force (μH+) in response to arginine. We determined that arginine primarily contributes to ΔpH (and therefore μH+) through the action of arginine decarboxylase (speA), independent of the role of this enzyme in putrescine biosynthesis. In addition to being required for motility, speA also contributed to fitness during infection. In conclusion, consumption of intracellular protons via arginine decarboxylase is one mechanism used by P. mirabilis to conserve ΔpH and μH+ for motility. PMID:25100003

  20. Characterisation of a thiamine diphosphate-dependent alpha-keto acid decarboxylase from Proteus mirabilis JN458.

    PubMed

    Wang, Biying; Bai, Yajun; Fan, Taiping; Zheng, Xiaohui; Cai, Yujie

    2017-10-01

    Alpha-keto acid decarboxylases can convert keto acids to their corresponding aldehydes, which are often volatile aroma compounds. The gene encoding α-keto acid decarboxylase in Proteus mirabilis JN458 was cloned, and the enzyme overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), purified in high yield, and characterised. The molecular weight is 62.291kDa by MALDI-TOF MS, and optimum activity at pH 6.0 and 40-50°C. The enzyme is a typical decarboxylase, dependent on thiamine diphosphate and Mg 2+ as cofactors. For the decarboxylation reaction, the enzyme displayed a broad substrate range. Kinetic parameters were determined using 4-methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid, phenyl pyruvate and 3-methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid as substrates. K m and k cat values for phenyl pyruvate were 0.62mM and 77.38s -1 , respectively, and the k cat /K m value was 124.81mM -1 s -1 . The enzyme properties suggest it may act effectively under cheese ripening conditions. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  1. Role of Proteus mirabilis MR/P fimbriae and flagella in adhesion, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity induction in T24 and Vero cells.

    PubMed

    Scavone, Paola; Villar, Silvia; Umpiérrez, Ana; Zunino, Pablo

    2015-06-01

    Proteus mirabilis is frequently associated with complicated urinary tract infections (UTI). It is proposed that several virulence factors are associated with P. mirabilis uropathogenicity. The aim of this work was to elucidate genotoxic and cytotoxic effects mediated by MR/P fimbriae and flagella in eukaryotic cells in vitro. Two cell lines (kidney- and bladder-derived) were infected with a clinical wild-type P. mirabilis strain and an MR/P and a flagellar mutant. We evaluated adhesion, genotoxicity and cytotoxicity by microscopy, comet assay and triple staining technique, respectively. Mutant strains displayed lower adhesion rates than the P. mirabilis wild-type strain and were significantly less effective to induce genotoxic and cytotoxic effects compared to the wild type. We report for the first time that P. mirabilis MR/P fimbriae and flagella mediate genotoxic and cytotoxic effects on eukaryotic cells, at least in in vitro conditions. These results could contribute to design new strategies for the control of UTI. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. Proteus: a reconfigurable computational network for computer vision

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haralick, Robert M.; Somani, Arun K.; Wittenbrink, Craig M.; Johnson, Robert; Cooper, Kenneth; Shapiro, Linda G.; Phillips, Ihsin T.; Hwang, Jenq N.; Cheung, William; Yao, Yung H.; Chen, Chung-Ho; Yang, Larry; Daugherty, Brian; Lorbeski, Bob; Loving, Kent; Miller, Tom; Parkins, Larye; Soos, Steven L.

    1992-04-01

    The Proteus architecture is a highly parallel MIMD, multiple instruction, multiple-data machine, optimized for large granularity tasks such as machine vision and image processing The system can achieve 20 Giga-flops (80 Giga-flops peak). It accepts data via multiple serial links at a rate of up to 640 megabytes/second. The system employs a hierarchical reconfigurable interconnection network with the highest level being a circuit switched Enhanced Hypercube serial interconnection network for internal data transfers. The system is designed to use 256 to 1,024 RISC processors. The processors use one megabyte external Read/Write Allocating Caches for reduced multiprocessor contention. The system detects, locates, and replaces faulty subsystems using redundant hardware to facilitate fault tolerance. The parallelism is directly controllable through an advanced software system for partitioning, scheduling, and development. System software includes a translator for the INSIGHT language, a parallel debugger, low and high level simulators, and a message passing system for all control needs. Image processing application software includes a variety of point operators neighborhood, operators, convolution, and the mathematical morphology operations of binary and gray scale dilation, erosion, opening, and closing.

  3. Prevalence of Antibiotic-resistance Enterobacteriaceae strains Isolated from Chicken Meat at Traditional Markets in Surabaya, Indonesia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yulistiani, R.; Praseptiangga, D.; Supyani; Sudibya; Raharjo, D.; Shirakawa, T.

    2017-04-01

    Antibiotic resistance in bacteria from the family Enterobacteriaceae is an important indicator of the emergence of resistant bacterial strains in the community. This study investigated the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolated from chicken meat sold at traditional markets in Surabaya Indonesia. In all, 203 isolates (43 Salmonella spp., 53 Escherichia coli, 16 Shigella spp., 22 Citrobacter spp., 13 Klebsiella spp, 24 Proteus spp., 15 Yersinia spp., 7 Enterobacter spp., 6 Serratia spp., 3 Edwardsiella spp. were resistant to tetracycline (69.95 %), nalidixid acid (54.19 %), sulfamethoxazole/sulfamethizole (42.36 %), chloramphenicol (12.81%), cefoxitin (6.40 %), gentamicin (5.91 %). Tetracycline was the antimicrobial that showed the highest frequency of resistance among Salmonella, E. coli, Citrobacter, Proteus and Erdwardsiella isolates, and nalidixid acid was second frequency of resistance. Overall, 124 (61.08 %) out of 203 isolates demonstrated multidrug resistance to at least two unrelated antimicrobial agents. The high rate of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial isolates from chicken meat may have major implications for human and animal health with adverse economic implications.

  4. In vitro activity of heather [Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull] extracts on selected urinary tract pathogens

    PubMed Central

    Vučić, Dragana M.; Petković, Miroslav R.; Rodić-Grabovac, Branka B.; Stefanović, Olgica D.; Vasić, Sava M.; Čomić, Ljiljana R.

    2014-01-01

    Calluna vulgaris L. Hull (Ericaceae) has been used for treatment of urinary tract infections in traditional medicine. In this study we analyzed in vitro antibacterial activity of the plant extracts on different strains of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Proteus vulgaris, as well as the concentrations of total phenols and flavonoids in the extracts. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined. The concentrations of total phenols were examined by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and ranged between 67.55 to 142.46 mg GAE/g. The concentrations of flavonoids in extracts were determined using spectrophotometric method with aluminum chloride and the values ranged from 42.11 to 63.68 mg RUE/g. The aqueous extract of C. vulgaris showed a significant antibacterial activity. The values of MIC were in the range from 2.5 mg/ml to 20 mg/ml for this extract. Proteus vulgaris strains were found to be the most sensitive. The results obtained suggest that all tested extracts of C. vulgaris inhibit the growth of human pathogens, especially the aqueous extract. PMID:25428676

  5. In vitro activity of heather [Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull] extracts on selected urinary tract pathogens.

    PubMed

    Vučić, Dragana M; Petković, Miroslav R; Rodić-Grabovac, Branka B; Stefanović, Olgica D; Vasić, Sava M; Comić, Ljiljana R

    2014-11-15

    Calluna vulgaris L. Hull (Ericaceae) has been used for treatment of urinary tract infections in traditional medicine. In this study we analyzed in vitro antibacterial activity of the plant extracts on different strains of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Proteus vulgaris, as well as the concentrations of total phenols and flavonoids in the extracts. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined. The concentrations of total phenols were examined by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and ranged between 67.55 to 142.46 mg GAE/g. The concentrations of flavonoids in extracts were determined using spectrophotometric method with aluminum chloride and the values ranged from 42.11 to 63.68 mg RUE/g. The aqueous extract of C. vulgaris showed a significant antibacterial activity. The values of MIC were in the range from 2.5 mg/ml to 20 mg/ml for this extract. Proteus vulgaris strains were found to be the most sensitive. The results obtained suggest that all tested extracts of C. vulgaris inhibit the growth of human pathogens, especially the aqueous extract.

  6. The effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of rifaximin on urease production and on other virulence factors expressed by Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.

    PubMed

    Ricci, Annalisa; Coppo, Erika; Barbieri, Ramona; Debbia, Eugenio A; Marchese, Anna

    2017-04-01

    Rifaximin, a topical derivative of rifampin, inhibited urease production and other virulence factors at sub-MIC concentrations in strains involved in hepatic encephalopathy and the expression of methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. In particular, urease production was affected in all Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains as well as in all tested Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates. Other exotoxins, synthesized by P. aeruginosa, such as protease, gelatinase, lipase, lecithinase and DNAse were also not metabolized in the presence of rifaximin. This antibiotic inhibited pigment production in both P. aeruginosa and Chromobacterium violaceum, a biosensor control strain. Lastly, rifaximin affected haemolysin production in S. aureus and was able to restore cefoxitin susceptibility when the strain was cultured in the presence of sub-MICs of the drug. The present findings confirm and extend previous observations about the beneficial effects of rifaximin for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, since in this anatomic site, it reaches a large array of concentrations which prevents enterobacteria from thriving and/or producing their major virulence factors.

  7. Surveying Europe’s Only Cave-Dwelling Chordate Species (Proteus anguinus) Using Environmental DNA

    PubMed Central

    Márton, Orsolya; Schmidt, Benedikt R.; Gál, Júlia Tünde; Jelić, Dušan

    2017-01-01

    In surveillance of subterranean fauna, especially in the case of rare or elusive aquatic species, traditional techniques used for epigean species are often not feasible. We developed a non-invasive survey method based on environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect the presence of the red-listed cave-dwelling amphibian, Proteus anguinus, in the caves of the Dinaric Karst. We tested the method in fifteen caves in Croatia, from which the species was previously recorded or expected to occur. We successfully confirmed the presence of P. anguinus from ten caves and detected the species for the first time in five others. Using a hierarchical occupancy model we compared the availability and detection probability of eDNA of two water sampling methods, filtration and precipitation. The statistical analysis showed that both availability and detection probability depended on the method and estimates for both probabilities were higher using filter samples than for precipitation samples. Combining reliable field and laboratory methods with robust statistical modeling will give the best estimates of species occurrence. PMID:28129383

  8. In vitro activity and beta-lactamase stability of a new difluoro oxacephem, 6315-S.

    PubMed Central

    Neu, H C; Chin, N X

    1986-01-01

    6315-S, a novel difluoromethyl thioacetamido oxacephem, had in vitro activity comparable to that of cefotaxime and moxalactam against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella oxytoca, Citrobacter diversus, Salmonella spp., and Shigella spp., inhibiting 90% at less than or equal to 0.25 microgram/ml. It inhibited piperacillin- and cefoperazone-resistant isolates in these species. 6315-S did not inhibit cefotaxime- or moxalactam-resistant Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter aerogenes, or Enterobacter cloacae (MICs for 90% of the strains tested were greater than or equal to 16 micrograms/ml). Proteus vulgaris resistant to cefotaxime was inhibited. Pseudomonas species and Acinetobacter species were resistant (MICs greater than 64 micrograms/ml). MICs for 90% of the Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis isolates were 4 micrograms/ml. 6315-S was highly active against anaerobic species of Clostridium, Fusobacterium, Bacteroides, and peptostreptococci and was superior to other agents against these organisms. 6315-S was not hydrolyzed by the major plasmid and chromosomal beta-lactamases, but it induced chromosomal beta-lactamases in Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. PMID:3492172

  9. Semisynthetic Penicillin 6-[d(—)-α-Carboxy-3-Thienylacetamido] Penicillanic Acid Active Against Pseudomonas In Vitro

    PubMed Central

    Neu, H. C.; Winshell, E. B.

    1971-01-01

    The activity of 6-[d(—)-α-carboxy-3-thienylacetamido] penicillanic acid, BRL2288, was determined against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and various gram-negative bacilli. The majority of Pseudomonas strains (89%) were inhibited by 100 μg of the antibiotic per ml. BRL2288 is twofold more active than carbenicillin against Pseudomonas at 100 μg/ml or less. Among Enterobacteriaceae tested, 87% Enterobacter and 87% of Proteus mirabilis strains were inhibited by 25 μg/ml or less. Indole-positive Proteus were inhibited by 10 μg/ml or less. Fifty-five per cent of ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli were inhibited by 100 μg/ml. Klebsiella were uniformly resistant. BRL2288 is not hydrolyzed by most resistant Pseudomonas, but it is destroyed by the β-lactamases of E. coli and P. mirabilis. The antibiotic shows synergy with gentamicin but not with penicillinase-resistant penicillins such as cloxacillin. Activity of BRL2288 against gram-positive organisms is two- to eightfold less than that of ampicillin or benzylpenicillin G. PMID:4993233

  10. Chemotaxis of Amoeba proteus in the developing pH gradient within a pocket-like chamber studied with the computer assisted method.

    PubMed

    Korohoda, W; Golda, J; Sroka, J; Wojnarowicz, A; Jochym, P; Madeja, Z

    1997-01-01

    A new "U" shaped, pocket-like chamber was used to observe the chemotactic responses of individual cells. This method permits monitoring of both the development of the concentration gradient of a tested substance and cell locomotion. We investigated the chemotactic responses of Amoeba proteus and observed that the amoebae moved in positively and negatively developing [H+] gradients towards the solution of lower pH in a pH range 5.75-7.75. The chemotactic response of amoebae to [H+] gradients required the presence of extracellular calcium ions. It was blocked and random locomotion was restored by the replacement of calcium with magnesium in the cell medium. Time-lapse video recording and data processing were accomplished with computer-assisted methods. This made it possible to compare selected methods of data presentation and analysis for cells locomoting in isotropic and anisotropic conditions. The cell trajectories were determined and displayed in circular diagrams, lengths of cell tracks and final cell displacements were estimated and a few parameters characterizing cell locomotion were computed.

  11. A symbiont-produced protein and bacterial symbiosis in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Pak, J W; Jeon, K W

    1997-01-01

    Gram symbiotic X-bacteria present in the xD strain of Amoeba proteus as required cell components, synthesize and export a large amount of a 29-kDa protein (S29x) into the host's cytoplasm across bacterial and symbiosome membranes. The S29x protein produced by E. coli transformed with the s29x gene is also rapidly secreted into the culture medium. Inside amoebae, S29x enters the host's nucleus as detected by confocal and immunoelectron microscopy, although it is not clear if S29x is selectively accumulated inside the nucleus. The deduced amino-acid sequence of S29x has a stretch of basic amino acids that could act as a nuclear localization signal, but there is no signal peptide at the N-terminus and the transport of S29x is energy independent. The functions of S29x are not known, but in view of its prominent presence inside the amoeba's nucleus, S29x is suspected to be involved in affecting the expression of amoeba's nuclear gene(s).

  12. Spectral domain phase microscopy: a new tool for measuring cellular dynamics and cytoplasmic flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McDowell, Emily J.; Choma, Michael A.; Ellerbee, Audrey K.; Izatt, Joseph A.

    2005-03-01

    Broadband interferometry is an attractive technique for the detection of cellular motions because it provides depth-resolved interferometric phase information via coherence gating. Here a phase sensitive technique called spectral domain phase microscopy (SDPM) is presented. SDPM is a functional extension of spectral domain optical coherence tomography that allows for the detection of cellular motions and dynamics with nanometer-scale sensitivity. This sensitivity is made possible by the inherent phase stability of spectral domain OCT combined with common-path interferometry. The theory that underlies this technique is presented, the sensitivity of the technique is demonstrated by the measurement of the thermal expansion coefficient of borosilicate glass, and the response of an Amoeba proteus to puncture of its cell membrane is measured. We also exploit the phase stability of SDPM to perform Doppler flow imaging of cytoplasmic streaming in A. proteus. We show reversal of cytoplasmic flow in response to stimuli, and we show that the cytoplasmic flow is laminar (i.e. parabolic) in nature. We are currently investigating the use of SDPM in a variety of different cell types.

  13. Survey of multidrug resistance integrative mobilizable elements SGI1 and PGI1 in Proteus mirabilis in humans and dogs in France, 2010-13.

    PubMed

    Schultz, Eliette; Haenni, Marisa; Mereghetti, Laurent; Siebor, Eliane; Neuwirth, Catherine; Madec, Jean-Yves; Cloeckaert, Axel; Doublet, Benoît

    2015-09-01

    To characterize MDR genomic islands related to Salmonella genomic island 1 (SGI1) and Proteus genomic island 1 (PGI1) in Proteus mirabilis from human and animal sources in France in light of the previously reported cases. A total of 52 and 46 P. mirabilis clinical strains from human and animal sources, respectively, were studied for the period 2010-13. MDR was assessed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, PCR detection of SGI1 and PGI1 and PCR mapping of the MDR regions. The diversity of the SGI1/PGI1-positive P. mirabilis strains was assessed by PFGE. Twelve P. mirabilis strains (5 humans and 7 dogs) were found to harbour an MDR island related to SGI1 or PGI1. Among them, several SGI1 variants were identified in diverse P. mirabilis genetic backgrounds. The variant SGI1-V, which harbours the ESBL bla VEB-6 gene, was found in closely genetically related human and dog P. mirabilis strains. The recently described PGI1 element was also identified in human and dog strains. Finally, one strain harboured a novel SGI genomic island closely related to SGI1 and SGI2 without an insertion of the MDR region. This study reports for the first time, to our knowledge, SGI1-positive and PGI1-positive P. mirabilis strains from dogs in France. The genetic diversity of the strains suggests several independent horizontal acquisitions of these MDR elements. The potential transmission of SGI1/PGI1-positive P. mirabilis strains between animals and humans is of public health concern, notably with regard to the spread of ESBL and carbapenemase genes, i.e. bla VEB-6 and bla NDM-1. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. MicroMAPS CO Measurements over North America and Europe during Summer-Fall 2004

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Connors, V. S.; Hopkins, P. E.; Reichle, H. G.; Morrow, W. H.; McMillan, W. W.; Sandy, M.

    2006-12-01

    The MicroMAPS instrument is a nadir-viewing, gas filter-correlated radiometer which operating in the 4.67 micrometer fundamental band of carbon monoxide. Originally designed and built for a space mission, this CO remote sensor is being flown in support of satellite validation and science instrument demonstrations for potential UAV applications. The MicroMAPS instrument system, as flown on Proteus, was designed by a senior student design project in the Aerospace Engineering Department, Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, VA. and then revised by Systems Engineers at NASA Langley. The final instrument system was integrated and tested at NASA LaRC, in partnership with Scaled Composites and Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC). VSGC supervised the fabrication of the nacelle that houses the instrument system on the right rear tail boom of Proteus. Full system integration and flight testing was performed at Scaled Composites, in Mojave, in June 2004. Its successful performance enabled participation in four international science missions on Proteus: in 2004, INTEX -NA over eastern North America in July, ADRIEX over the Mediterranean region and EAQUATE over the United Kingdom region in September,and TWP-ICE over Darwin, Australia and the surrounding oceans in Jan-Feb 2006. These flights resulted in nearly 300 hours of data. In parallel with the engineering developments, theoretical radiative transfer models were developed specifically for the MicroMAPS instrument system at the University of Virginia, Mechanical Engineering Department by a combined undergraduate and graduate student team. With technical support from Resonance Ltd. in June 2005, the MicroMAPS instrument was calibrated for the conditions under which the Summer-Fall 2004 flights occurred. The analyses of the calibration data, combined with the theoretical radiative transfer models, provide the first data reduction for the science flights reported here. These early results and comparisons with profile data from the NASA DC-8, the coincident AIRS CO retrievals, and selected CO measurements from the MOZAIC program will be presented.

  15. MicroMAPS CO Measurements over North America and Europe during Summer-Fall 2004

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Connors, Vickie S.; Hopkins, Patrick E.; Reichle, Henry G., Jr.; Morrow, William H.; McMillan, Wallace; Sandy, Mary L.

    2006-01-01

    The MicroMAPS instrument is a nadir-viewing, gas filter-correlated radiometer which operating in the 4.67 micrometer fundamental band of carbon monoxide. Originally designed and built for a space mission, this CO remote sensor is being flown in support of satellite validation and science instrument demonstrations for potential UAV applications. The MicroMAPS instrument system, as flown on Proteus, was designed by a senior student design project in the Aerospace Engineering Department, Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, VA. and then revised by Systems Engineers at NASA Langley. The final instrument system was integrated and tested at NASA LaRC, in partnership with Scaled Composites and Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC). VSGC supervised the fabrication of the nacelle that houses the instrument system on the right rear tail boom of Proteus. Full system integration and flight testing was performed at Scaled Composites, in Mojave, in June 2004. Its successful performance enabled participation in four international science missions on Proteus: in 2004, INTEX -NA over eastern North America in July, ADRIEX over the Mediterranean region and EAQUATE over the United Kingdom region in September,and TWP-ICE over Darwin, Australia and the surrounding oceans in Jan-Feb 2006. These flights resulted in nearly 300 hours of data. In parallel with the engineering developments, theoretical radiative transfer models were developed specifically for the MicroMAPS instrument system at the University of Virginia, Mechanical Engineering Department by a combined undergraduate and graduate student team. With technical support from Resonance Ltd. in June 2005, the MicroMAPS instrument was calibrated for the conditions under which the Summer-Fall 2004 flights occurred. The analyses of the calibration data, combined with the theoretical radiative transfer models, provide the first data reduction for the science flights reported here. These early results and comparisons with profile data from the NASA DC-8, the coincident AIRS CO retrievals, and selected CO measurements from the MOZAIC program will be presented.

  16. Sucrose uptake by pinocytosis in Amoeba proteus and the influence of external calcium

    PubMed Central

    1979-01-01

    The relationship between Ca++ and pinocytosis was investigated in Amoeba proteus. Pinocytosis was induced with 0.01% alcian blue, a large molecular weight dye which binds irreversibly to the cell surface. The time-course and intensity of pinocytosis was monitored by following the uptake of [3H]SUCROSE. When the cells are exposed to 0.01% alcian blue, there is an immediate uptake of sucrose. The cells take up integral of 10% of their initial volume during the time-course of pinocytosis. The duration of pinocytosis in the amoeba is integral of 50 min, with maximum sucrose uptake occurring 15 min after the induction of pinocytosis. The pinocytotic uptake of sucrose is reversibly blocked at 3 degrees C and a decrease in pH increases the uptake of sucrose by pinocytosis. The process of pinocytosis is also dependent upon the concentration of the inducer in the external medium. The association between Ca++ and pinocytosis in A. proteus was investigated initially by determining the effect of the external Ca++ concentration on sucrose uptake induced by alcian blue. In Ca++-free medium, no sucrose uptake is observed in the presence of 0.01% alcian blue. As the Ca++ concentration is increased, up to a maximum of 0.1 mM, pinocytotic sucrose uptake is also increased. Increases in the external Ca++ concentration above 0.1 mM brings about a decrease in sucrose uptake. Further investigations into the association between Ca++ and pinocytosis demonstrated that the inducer of pinocytosis displaces surface calcium in the amoeba. It is suggested that Ca++ is involved in two separate stages in the process of pinocytosis; an initial displacement of surface calcium by the inducer which may increase the permeability of the membrane to solutes and a subsequent Ca++ influx bringing about localized increases in cytoplasmic Ca++ ion activity. PMID:512629

  17. [Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase in free-living Amoeba proteus].

    PubMed

    Sopina, V A

    2002-01-01

    Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) of Amoeba proteus (strain B) was represented by 3 of 6 bands (= electromorphs) revealed after disc-electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels with the use of 2-naphthyl phosphate as a substrate at pH 4.0. The presence of MgCl2, CaCl2 or ZnCl2 (50 mM) in the incubation mixture used for gel staining stimulated activities of all 3 TRAP electromorphs or of two of them (in the case of ZnCl2). When gels were treated with MgCl2, CaCl2 or ZnCl2 (10 and 100 mM, 30 min) before their staining activity of TRAP electromorphs also increased. But unlike 1 M MgCl2 or 1 M CaCl2, 1 M ZnCl2 partly inactivated two of the three TRAP electromorphs. EDTA and EGTA (5 mM), and H2O2 (10 mM) completely inhibited TRAP electromorphs after gel treatment for 10, 20 and 30 min, resp. Of 5 tested ions (Mg2+, Ca2+, Fe2+, Fe3+ and Zn2+), only the latter reactivated the TRAP electromorphs previously inactivated by EDTA or EGTA treatment. In addition, after EDTA inactivation, TRAP electromorphs were reactivated better than after EGTA. The resistance of TRAP electromorphs to okadaic acid and phosphatase inhibitor cocktail 1 used in different concentrations is indicative of the absence of PP1 and PP2A among these electromorphs. Mg2+, Ca2+ and Zn2+ dependence of TRAP activity, and the resistance of its electromorphs to vanadate and phosphatase inhibitor cocktail 2 prevents these electromorphs from being classified as PTP. It is suggested that the active center of A. proteus TRAP contains zinc ion, which is essential for catalytic activity of the enzyme. Thus, TRAP of these amoebae is metallophosphatase showing phosphomonoesterase activity in acidic medium. This metalloenzyme differs from both mammalian tartrate-resistant PAPs and tartrate-resistant metallophosphatase of Rana esculenta.

  18. Relationship between conventional culture and flow cytometry for the diagnosis of urinary tract infection.

    PubMed

    García-Coca, Marta; Gadea, Ignacio; Esteban, Jaime

    2017-06-01

    Urine culture is the gold standard for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTI). The use of flow cytometry analyzers (FCA) prior to culture allows for the quantification and recognition of cell components in urine to be automated and makes it possible to relate these data to the urine pathogens subsequently identified in cultures. Urine samples were assessed with the Sysmex UF-1000i analyzer. Those that met the criteria for culture (> 25 leukocytes/μL or > 385 bacteria/μL) were subjected to quantitative urine culture on chromogenic agar. Counts of red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), epithelial cells (EC), and the kind of microorganisms identified in cultures were evaluated. A total of 17,483 samples were processed by FCA. Of these, 9057 met the criteria for culture. Urine cultures were reduced by 48.2%. The most common urine pathogen was Escherichia coli (60.3%). Negative urine cultures were significantly (p < 0.001) associated with a lower WBC count than urine with E. coli, Klebsiella spp. and Proteus spp., but urine with Enterococcus spp. had a lower WBC than negative urine. Contaminated urine had a significantly (p < 0.001) lower WBC than urine with E. coli, Klebsiella spp. and Proteus spp., but no differences were found for Enterococcus spp. (p = 0.729). Negative urine cultures had significantly (p < 0.05) higher EC than all positive urine samples. Contaminated urine was associated (p < 0.001) with higher EC than cultures with E. coli and Klebsiella spp., in comparison with cultures with Enterococcus spp. (p = 0.091) and Proteus spp. (p = 0.251). The use of the Sysmex UF-1000i flow cytometer for screening urine samples allows for a reduction in the number of urine cultures. WBC values correlate well with the main urine pathogens related to UTI. The results observed for Enterococcus spp. suggest a low impact of these pathogens as a cause of UTI.

  19. GC-MS analysis and gastroprotective evaluations of crude extracts, isolated saponins and essential oil from Polygonum hydropiper L.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ayaz, Muhammad; Junaid, Muhammad; Ullah, Farhat; Sadiq, Abdul; Shahid, Muhammad; Ahmad, Waqar; Ullah, Ihsan; Ahmad, Ashfaq; Syed, Nawazish-i.-Husain

    2017-08-01

    Peptic ulceration is among the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorders characterized by pepsin and gastric acid mediated mucosal damage, as result of imbalance between defensive and offensive processes. The main objective of the current study was to investigate the antiulcer potentials of Polygonum hydropiper crude methanolic ectract (Ph.Cr) in aspirin induced ulcerogenesis using pylorus ligated rat model. In-vitro urease and Proteus mirabilis inhibitory potentials were evaluated using standard protocols. All fractions were analyzed using GC-MS to identify major components. The aspirin induced ulcerogenesis in pylorus ligated rat model was associated with significant changes in the mean ulcer score (F5,30 = 7.141, P = 0.0002), gastric juice volume (F5,30 = 8.245, P < 0.0001), gastric juice pH (F5,30 = 5.715, P = 0.0008), free acidity (F5,30 = 4.544, P = 0.0033), total acidity (F5,30 = 2.740, P = 0.0373) and pepsin concentration (F5,30 = 2.335, P = 0.0664). Pre treatment with Ph.Cr at 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg dose exhibited marked gastroprotective and anti-ulcerogenic effect in the aspirin induced pyloric ligation ulcerogenesis model at 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg as indicated by ulcerative biochemical parameters. In urease inhibition assay, leaves essential oil (Ph.Lo), saponins (Ph.Sp) and chloroform extract (Ph.Chf) exhibited highest activities with IC50 of 90, 98 and 520 µg/ml respectively. Ph.Sp, Ph.Chf, ethyl acetate (Ph.EtAc) and Ph.Cr showed MICs of 25, 30, 32.25 and 40.50 µg/ml respectively against Proteus mirabilis. Several compounds were identified in GC-MS analysis of samples. Significant in-vivo antiulcer, urease inhibitory as well as anti-proteus potentials of P. hydropiper solvent extracts, signify its potential use for the management of peptic ulcers and may provide scientific bases for the traditional uses of the plant.

  20. Cooperative Collision Avoidance Step 1 - Technology Demonstration Flight Test Report. Revision 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trongale, Nicholas A.

    2006-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Access 5 Project Office sponsored a cooperative collision avoidance flight demonstration program for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This flight test was accomplished between September 21st and September 27th 2005 from the Mojave Airport, Mojave, California. The objective of these flights was to collect data for the Access 5 Cooperative Collision Avoidance (CCA) Work Package simulation effort, i.e., to gather data under select conditions to allow validation of the CCA simulation. Subsequent simulation to be verified were: Demonstrate the ability to detect cooperative traffic and provide situational awareness to the ROA pilot; Demonstrate the ability to track the detected cooperative traffic and provide position information to the ROA pilot; Demonstrate the ability to determine collision potential with detected cooperative traffic and provide notification to the ROA pilot; Demonstrate that the CCA subsystem provides information in sufficient time for the ROA pilot to initiate an evasive maneuver to avoid collision; Demonstrate an evasive maneuver that avoids collision with the threat aircraft; and lastly, Demonstrate the ability to assess the adequacy of the maneuver and determine that the collision potential has been avoided. The Scaled Composites, LLC Proteus Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) was chosen as the test platform. Proteus was manned by two on-board pilots but was also capable of being controlled from an Air Vehicle Control Station (AVCS) located on the ground. For this demonstration, Proteus was equipped with cooperative collision sensors and the required hardware and software to place the data on the downlink. Prior to the flight phase, a detailed set of flight test scenarios were developed to address the flight test objectives. Two cooperative collision avoidance sensors were utilized for detecting aircraft in the evaluation: Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System-II (TCAS-II) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B). A single intruder aircraft was used during all the flight testing, a NASA Gulfstream III (G-III). During the course of the testing, six geometrically different near-collision scenarios were evaluated. These six scenarios were each tested using various combinations of sensors and collision avoidance software. Of the 54 planned test points 49 were accomplished successfully. Proteus flew a total of 21.5 hours during the testing and the G-III flew 19.8 hours. The testing fully achieved all flight test objectives. The Flight IPT performed an analysis to determine the accuracy of the simulation model used to predict the location of the host aircraft downstream during an avoidance maneuver. The data collected by this flight program was delivered to the Access 5 Cooperative Collision Avoidance (CCA) Work Package Team who was responsible for reporting on their analysis of this flight data.

  1. Proteus Rising: Re-Imagining Educational Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Richard

    2008-01-01

    The idea that educational research should be "scientific", and ideally based on randomised control trials, is in danger of becoming hegemonic. In the face of this it seems important to ask what other kinds of educational research can be respectable in their own different terms. We might also note that the demand for research to be "scientific" is…

  2. From Procrustes to Proteus: Trends and Practices in the Assessment of Education Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oancea, Alis

    2007-01-01

    This article is a reflection on an area of particular interest in the current research environment, but which has not yet been explored satisfactorily in the education literature: the evaluation of educational research. The particular focus is on the UK context, but the article is informed by comparative evidence from six countries (gathered…

  3. A new species of Proteus isolated from larvae of the gypsy moth, Porthetria dispar (L.)

    Treesearch

    B.J. Cosenza; J.D. Podgwaite

    1966-01-01

    Characteristics of a slime-producing bacterium isolated from living and dead gypsy moth larvae were determined. The bacterium was found to be a motile, gram-negative rod, which fermented glucose, but not lactose. It was oxidase-negative, hydrolyzed urea, deaminated phenylalanine and produced H2S. These characteristics are common to several...

  4. Pre-Service Training Model for TESOL/ABE Teachers and Teacher-Aides.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Southwestern Cooperative Educational Lab., Albuquerque, NM.

    Developed by the Proteus Adult Education Team of Visalia, Calif., this preservice training model, the result of a project for teachers and teacher-aides of Mexican American adult students, recommends a structure of 30 hours intensive training conducted over a period of 2 weeks (to be followed by weekly 2 1/2-hour inservice sessions). This booklet…

  5. Amoeba proteus displays a walking form of locomotion.

    PubMed

    Cameron, Ivan; Rinaldi, Robert A; Kirby, Gerald; Davidson, David

    2007-08-01

    This report deals with observations on the directional locomotion of amoeba before and after fixation and scanning electron microscopy. The study was aimed at visualization of the stepwise events of directional movements. After the analysis of the data it is proposed that the amoeba undergoes a sequence of movement events that can be defined as a walking form of locomotion.

  6. Esculin hydrolysis by Enterobacteriaceae.

    PubMed

    Edberg, S C; Pittman, S; Singer, J M

    1977-08-01

    Literature reports disagree concerning esculin hydrolysis in the family Enterobacteriaceae. A total of 2,490 strains of the family were investigated for esculin hydrolysis by two methods, the esculin spot test and the PathoTec incubation strip, which measures constitutive enzyme, and five growth-supporting methods, which determine both constitutive and inducible enzymes. The five growth-supporting media studied were: Vaughn-Levine, the standard esculin hydrolysis medium (P. R. Edwards and W. H. Ewing, Identification of Enterobacteriaceae, 3rd ed., 1972); Vaughn-Levine without iron; Vaughn-Levine without Andrade's indicator; and bile-esculin medium. Growth media were incubated at 35 degrees C and checked every 24 h for 120 h. On growth media, 0.3% of Escherichia coli were positive in 24 h, 34% in 48 h, and 61% in 120 h. No strains were positive on the "nongrowth" tests. It appeared that the esculin hydrolysis enzyme(s) of E. coli was inducible rather than constitutive. All esculin hydrolyzers, which yielded positive tests on "constitutive tests" and 24-h tests, were limited to the genera Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and Serratia and species of Proteus vulgaris, Proteus rettgeri, and Citrobacter diversus. When used with standardized inoculum size and incubation time, the esculin hydrolysis test is very useful for differentiation within the family Enterobacteriaceae.

  7. Complicated catheter-associated urinary tract infections due to Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Jacobsen, S M; Stickler, D J; Mobley, H L T; Shirtliff, M E

    2008-01-01

    Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) represent the most common type of nosocomial infection and are a major health concern due to the complications and frequent recurrence. These infections are often caused by Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis. Gram-negative bacterial species that cause CAUTIs express a number of virulence factors associated with adhesion, motility, biofilm formation, immunoavoidance, and nutrient acquisition as well as factors that cause damage to the host. These infections can be reduced by limiting catheter usage and ensuring that health care professionals correctly use closed-system Foley catheters. A number of novel approaches such as condom and suprapubic catheters, intermittent catheterization, new surfaces, catheters with antimicrobial agents, and probiotics have thus far met with limited success. While the diagnosis of symptomatic versus asymptomatic CAUTIs may be a contentious issue, it is generally agreed that once a catheterized patient is believed to have a symptomatic urinary tract infection, the catheter is removed if possible due to the high rate of relapse. Research focusing on the pathogenesis of CAUTIs will lead to a better understanding of the disease process and will subsequently lead to the development of new diagnosis, prevention, and treatment options.

  8. Chronic suppurative otitis media in children of Luanda, Angola.

    PubMed

    Taipale, Anni; Pelkonen, Tuula; Taipale, Marko; Bernardino, Luis; Peltola, Heikki; Pitkäranta, Anne

    2011-08-01

    Evaluation of clinical characteristics, bacteriology and hearing in paediatric patients with and without chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) in Luanda, Angola. Interview, clinical examination, ear-discharge culture, open air pure-tone audiometry and brainstem auditory-evoked potentials of 23 outpatients with CSOM and 23 controls in a paediatric hospital. Of the CSOM vs. control children, 35% vs. 26% had running water, 70% vs. 70% electricity, 64% vs. 0% HIV (p<0.0001) and 36% vs. 0% tuberculosis in history (p=0.002). Ten (43%) children had bilateral CSOM. The major ear-discharge pathogens were Proteus spp. (44%) and Pseudomonas (22%). Hearing impairment of >25 dB was present in 52% of CSOM-affected ears and bilateral hearing loss in 7 (30%) CSOM children vs. zero control child (p=0.009). Only one hearing-impaired child's family had previously detected the handicap. CSOM occurred in children with high co-morbidity. Persistent otorrhoea was usually caused by Proteus spp. or Pseudomonas, and often suggestive of either HIV or hearing impairment. In the developing countries, prompt diagnosis and treatment of CSOM would enhance the children's linguistic and academic development. © 2011 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2011 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

  9. Characteristics of bacteremia caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Kurihara, Yoko; Hitomi, Shigemi; Oishi, Tsuyoshi; Kondo, Tsukasa; Ebihara, Tsugio; Funayama, Yasunori; Kawakami, Yasushi

    2013-10-01

    Although Proteus mirabilis is a common human pathogen, bacteremia caused by the organism, especially strains producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), has rarely been investigated. We examined 64 cases of P. mirabilis bacteremia identified in the Minami Ibaraki Area, Japan, between 2001 and 2010 and compared the characteristics of cases with ESBL-producing and ESBL-non-producing strains (13 and 51 cases, respectively). All ESBL-producing strains with the gene encoding the CTX-M-2-group were genetically nonidentical. Isolation of ESBL-producing strains was significantly associated with onset in a hospital (p = 0.030), receiving hemodialysis (p = 0.0050), and previous antibiotic use within 1 month (p = 0.036; especially penicillin and/or cephalosporin (p = 0.010) and fluoroquinolone (p = 0.0069)). Isolation was also associated with inappropriate antibiotic therapy on the 1st and 4th days (p = 0.011 and 0.032, respectively) but not with mortality on the 30th day. These findings indicate that, for P. mirabilis bacteremia, isolation of ESBL-producing strains causes delay of initiating appropriate antimicrobial therapy but may not be associated with mortality.

  10. In silico maturation of binding-specificity of DNA aptamers against Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Savory, Nasa; Lednor, Danielle; Tsukakoshi, Kaori; Abe, Koichi; Yoshida, Wataru; Ferri, Stefano; Jones, Brian V; Ikebukuro, Kazunori

    2013-10-01

    Proteus mirabilis is a prominent cause of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) among patients undergoing long-term bladder catheterization. There are currently no effective means of preventing P. mirabilis infections, and strategies for prophylaxis and rapid early diagnosis are urgently required. Aptamers offer significant potential for development of countermeasures against P. mirabilis CAUTI and are an ideal class of molecules for the development of diagnostics and therapeutics. Here we demonstrate the application of Cell-SELEX to identify DNA aptamers that show high affinity for P. mirabilis. While the aptamers identified displayed high affinity for P. mirabilis cells in dot blotting assays, they also bound to other uropathogenic bacteria. To improve aptamer specificity for P. mirabilis, an in silico maturation (ISM) approach was employed. Two cycles of ISM allowed the identification of an aptamer showing 36% higher specificity, evaluated as a ratio of binding signal for P. mirabilis to that for Escherichia coli (also a cause of CAUTI and the most common urinary tract pathogen). Aptamers that specifically recognize P. mirabilis would have diagnostic and therapeutic values and constitute useful tools for studying membrane-associated proteins in this organism. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Allicin from garlic inhibits the biofilm formation and urease activity of Proteus mirabilis in vitro.

    PubMed

    Ranjbar-Omid, Mahsa; Arzanlou, Mohsen; Amani, Mojtaba; Shokri Al-Hashem, Seyyedeh Khadijeh; Amir Mozafari, Nour; Peeri Doghaheh, Hadi

    2015-05-01

    Several virulence factors contribute to the pathogenesis of Proteus mirabilis. This study determined the inhibitory effects of allicin on urease, hemolysin and biofilm of P. mirabilis ATCC 12453 and its antimicrobial activity against 20 clinical isolates of P. mirabilis. Allicin did not inhibit hemolysin, whereas it did inhibit relative urease activity in both pre-lysed (half-maximum inhibitory concentration, IC50 = 4.15 μg) and intact cells (IC50 = 21 μg) in a concentration-dependent manner. Allicin at sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (2-32 μg mL(-1)) showed no significant effects on the growth of the bacteria (P > 0.05), but it reduced biofilm development in a concentration-dependent manner (P < 0.001). A higher concentration of allicin was needed to inhibit the established biofilms. Using the microdilution technique, the MIC90 and MBC90 values of allicin against P. mirabilis isolates were determined to be 128 and 512 μg mL(-1), respectively. The results suggest that allicin could have clinical applications in controlling P. mirabilis infections. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. The Rcs regulon in Proteus mirabilis: implications for motility, biofilm formation, and virulence.

    PubMed

    Howery, Kristen E; Clemmer, Katy M; Rather, Philip N

    2016-11-01

    The overall role of the Rcs phosphorelay in Proteus mirabilis is largely unknown. Previous work had demonstrated that the Rcs phosphorelay represses the flhDC operon and activates the minCDE cell division inhibition system. To identify additional cellular functions regulated by the Rcs phosphorelay, an analysis of RNA-seq data was undertaken. In this report, the results of the RNA-sequencing are discussed with an emphasis on the predicted roles of the Rcs phosphorelay in swarmer cell differentiation, motility, biofilm formation, and virulence. RcsB is shown to activate genes important for differentiation and fimbriae formation, while repressing the expression of genes important for motility and virulence. Additionally, to follow up on the RNA-Seq data, we demonstrate that an rcsB mutant is deficient in its ability to form biofilm and exhibits enhanced virulence in a Galleria mellonella waxworm model. Overall, these results indicate the Rcs regulon in P. mirabilis extends beyond flagellar genes to include those involved in biofilm formation and virulence. Furthermore, the information presented in this study may provide clues to additional roles of the Rcs phosphorelay in other members of the Enterobacteriaceae.

  13. Immune enhancement of Taishan Robinia pseudoacacia polysaccharide on recombinant Proteus mirabilis OmpA in chickens.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yongbing; Yang, Shifa; Zhao, Xue; Yang, Ya; Li, Bing; Zhu, Fujie; Zhu, Ruiliang

    2014-09-01

    This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Taishan Robinia pseudoacacia polysaccharide (TRPPS) on immune responses of chickens immunized with Proteus mirabilis outer membrane protein A (OmpA) recombinant protein vaccine. OmpA was expressed in Pichia pastoris and mixed with TRPPS. 360 chickens were randomly divided into six groups. Groups I to IV were treated with OmpA which contained TRPPS of three different dosages, Freund's adjuvant, respectively. Groups V and VI were treated with pure OmpA and physiological saline, respectively. The data showed that the antibody titers against OmpA, the concentration of IL-2, CD4 +, and CD8 +, T lymphocyte proliferation rate in Group II were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those in the other groups, little difference in SIgA content was observed among groups I to VI. These results indicated that TRPPS strengthened humoral and cellular immune responses against recombinant OmpA vaccine. Moreover, 200 mg/mL TRPPS showed significance (P < 0.05) compared with Freund's adjuvant. Therefore, TRPPS can be developed into an adjuvant for recombinant subunit vaccine. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Arginine promotes Proteus mirabilis motility and fitness by contributing to conservation of the proton gradient and proton motive force.

    PubMed

    Armbruster, Chelsie E; Hodges, Steven A; Smith, Sara N; Alteri, Christopher J; Mobley, Harry L T

    2014-10-01

    Swarming contributes to Proteus mirabilis pathogenicity by facilitating access to the catheterized urinary tract. We previously demonstrated that 0.1-20 mmol/L arginine promotes swarming on normally nonpermissive media and that putrescine biosynthesis is required for arginine-induced swarming. We also previously determined that arginine-induced swarming is pH dependent, indicating that the external proton concentration is critical for arginine-dependent effects on swarming. In this study, we utilized survival at pH 5 and motility as surrogates for measuring changes in the proton gradient (ΔpH) and proton motive force (μH(+) ) in response to arginine. We determined that arginine primarily contributes to ΔpH (and therefore μH(+) ) through the action of arginine decarboxylase (speA), independent of the role of this enzyme in putrescine biosynthesis. In addition to being required for motility, speA also contributed to fitness during infection. In conclusion, consumption of intracellular protons via arginine decarboxylase is one mechanism used by P. mirabilis to conserve ΔpH and μH(+) for motility. © 2014 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Low-cost and eco-friendly green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Prunus japonica (Rosaceae) leaf extract and their antibacterial, antioxidant properties.

    PubMed

    Saravanakumar, Arthanari; Peng, Mei Mei; Ganesh, Mani; Jayaprakash, Jayabalan; Mohankumar, Murugan; Jang, Hyun Tae

    2017-09-01

    Low cost and eco-friendly green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ) using Prunus japonica leaves extract as reducing agent by a simple method at room temperature. The biosynthesized nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by UV-Vis, tunneling electron microscopy (HR-TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with X-ray energy dispersive spectrophotometer (EDAX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In UV-Vis spectroscopy results, the λ max was observed at 441 nm. The AgNPs synthesized were spherical, hexagonal, and irregular in shapes. The EDAX and XRD spectrum confirmed the presence of silver ions and crystalline nature of synthesized AgNPs. FTIR showed the functional groups such as C = O, N-H and C-N groups involved in the reduction of Ag +  to Ag. 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay was performed and it showed the percentage inhibition in concentration-dependent manner. The synthesized AgNPs showed antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus to different extents and the higher activity was observed in Proteus vulgaris.

  16. Structural studies of Proteus mirabilis catalase in its ground state, oxidized state and in complex with formic acid.

    PubMed

    Andreoletti, Pierre; Pernoud, Anaïs; Sainz, Germaine; Gouet, Patrice; Jouve, Hélène Marie

    2003-12-01

    The structure of Proteus mirabilis catalase in complex with an inhibitor, formic acid, has been solved at 2.3 A resolution. Formic acid is a key ligand of catalase because of its ability to react with the ferric enzyme, giving a high-spin iron complex. Alternatively, it can react with two transient oxidized intermediates of the enzymatic mechanism, compounds I and II. In this work, the structures of native P. mirabilis catalase (PMC) and compound I have also been determined at high resolution (2.0 and 2.5 A, respectively) from frozen crystals. Comparisons between these three PMC structures show that a water molecule present at a distance of 3.5 A from the haem iron in the resting state is absent in the formic acid complex, but reappears in compound I. In addition, movements of solvent molecules are observed during formation of compound I in a cavity located away from the active site, in which a glycerol molecule is replaced by a sulfate. These results give structural insights into the movement of solvent molecules, which may be important in the enzymatic reaction.

  17. Anti-biofilm activity of biogenic selenium nanoparticles and selenium dioxide against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Shakibaie, Mojtaba; Forootanfar, Hamid; Golkari, Yaser; Mohammadi-Khorsand, Tayebe; Shakibaie, Mohammad Reza

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-biofilm activity of biologically synthesized selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) against the biofilm produced by clinically isolated bacterial strains compared to that of selenium dioxide. Thirty strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis were isolated from various specimens of the patients hospitalized in different hospitals (Kerman, Iran). Quantification of the biofilm using microtiter plate assay method introduced 30% of S. aureus, 13% of P. aeruginosa and 17% of P. mirabilis isolates as severely adherent strains. Transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of the purified Se NPs (produced by Bacillus sp. MSh-1) showed individual and spherical nano-structure in the size range of 80-220nm. Obtained results of the biofilm formation revealed that selenium nanoparticles inhibited the biofilm of S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and P. mirabilis by 42%, 34.3%, and 53.4%, respectively, compared to that of the non-treated samples. Effect of temperature and pH on the biofilm formation in the presence of Se NPs and SeO2 was also evaluated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  18. Production of a High Efficiency Microbial Flocculant by Proteus mirabilis TJ-1 Using Compound Organic Wastewater

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Zhiqiang; Xia, Siqing; Zhang, Jiao

    2010-11-01

    The production of a high efficiency microbial flocculant (MBF) by Proteus mirabilis TJ-1 using compound organic wastewater was investigated. To cut down the cost of the MBF production, several nutritive organic wastewaters were selected to replace glucose and peptone as the carbon source and the nitrogen source in the optimized medium of strain TJ-1, respectively. The compound wastewater of the milk candy and the soybean milk was found to be good carbon source and nitrogen source for this strain to produce MBF. The cost-effective culture medium consists of (per liter): 800 mL wastewater of milk candy, 200 mL wastewater of soybean milk, 0.3 g MgSO4ṡ7 H2O, 5 g K2HPO4, 2 g and KH2PO4, pH 7.0. The economic cost for the MBF production can be cut down over a half by using the developed culture medium. Furthermore, the utilization of the two wastewaters in the preparation of culture medium of strain TJ-1 can not only save their big treatment cost, but also realize their resource reuse.

  19. Towards in vivo bacterial detection in human lung(Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choudhary, Tushar R.; Bradley, Mark; Duncan, Rory R.; Dhaliwal, Kevin

    2017-04-01

    Antibiotic resistance is a serious global concern. One way to tackle this problem is to develop new and sensitive approaches to diagnose bacterial infections and prevent unnecessary antibiotic use. With recent developments in optical molecular imaging, we are one step closer to in situ rapid detection of bacterial infections. We present here bespoke fluorescent probes for bacterial detection in ex vivo human lung tissue using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). Two in-house synthesised bespoke probes were used in this study to detect and differentiate between Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strain using their fluorescence lifetime in the ex vivo human lung tissue. The average fluorescence lifetime of Gram positive probe (n=12) was 2.40 ± 0.25 ns and Gram negative (n=12) was 6.73 ± 0.49 ns. The human lung tissue (n=12) average fluorescence lifetime value was found to be 3.43 ± 0.19 ns. Furthermore we were also able to distinguish between dead or alive bacteria in ex vivo lung tissue based on difference in their lifetime. We have developped Fibre-FLIM methods to enable clinical translation within the Proteus Project (www.proteus.ac.uk).

  20. Antibacterial activity of Zuccagnia punctata Cav. ethanolic extracts.

    PubMed

    Zampini, Iris C; Vattuone, Marta A; Isla, Maria I

    2005-12-01

    The present study was conducted to investigate antibacterial activity of Zuccagnia punctata ethanolic extract against 47 strains of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and to identify bioactive compounds. Inhibition of bacterial growth was investigated using agar diffusion, agar macrodilution, broth microdilution and bioautographic methods. Zuccagnia punctata extract was active against all assayed bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Serratia marcescens, Morganella morganii, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia) with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 25 to 200 microg/mL. Minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were identical or two-fold higher than the corresponding MIC values. Contact bioautography, indicated that Zuccagnia punctata extracts possess one major antibacterial component against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and at least three components against. Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. Activity-guided fractionation of 1he ethanol extract on a silica gel column yielded a compound (2',4'-dihydroxychalcone), which exhibited strong antibacterial activity with MIC values between 0.10 and 1.00 microg/mL for Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Serratia marcescens, Morganella morganii, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. These values are lower than imipenem (0.25-16 microg/mL). Zuccagnia punctata might provide promising therapeutic agents against infections with multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

  1. Proteus two-dimensional Navier-Stokes computer code, version 2.0. Volume 3: Programmer's reference

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Towne, Charles E.; Schwab, John R.; Bui, Trong T.

    1993-01-01

    A computer code called Proteus 2D was developed to solve the two-dimensional planar or axisymmetric, Reynolds-averaged, unsteady compressible Navier-Stokes equations in strong conservation law form. The objective in this effort was to develop a code for aerospace propulsion applications that is easy to use and easy to modify. Code readability, modularity, and documentation were emphasized. The governing equations are solved in generalized nonorthogonal body-fitted coordinates, by marching in time using a fully-coupled ADI solution procedure. The boundary conditions are treated implicitly. All terms, including the diffusion terms, are linearized using second-order Taylor series expansions. Turbulence is modeled using either an algebraic or two-equation eddy viscosity model. The thin-layer or Euler equations may also be solved. The energy equation may be eliminated by the assumption of constant total enthalpy. Explicit and implicit artificial viscosity may be used. Several time step options are available for convergence acceleration. The documentation is divided into three volumes. The Programmer's Reference contains detailed information useful when modifying the program. The program structure, the Fortran variables stored in common blocks, and the details of each subprogram are described.

  2. Proteus three-dimensional Navier-Stokes computer code, version 1.0. Volume 3: Programmer's reference

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Towne, Charles E.; Schwab, John R.; Bui, Trong T.

    1993-01-01

    A computer code called Proteus 3D was developed to solve the three-dimensional, Reynolds-averaged, unsteady compressible Navier-Stokes equations in strong conservation law form. The objective in this effort was to develop a code for aerospace propulsion applications that is easy to use and easy to modify. Code readability, modularity, and documentation were emphasized. The governing equations are solved in generalized nonorthogonal body fitted coordinates, by marching in time using a fully-coupled ADI solution procedure. The boundary conditions are treated implicitly. All terms, including the diffusion terms, are linearized using second-order Taylor series expansions. Turbulence is modeled using either an algebraic or two-equation eddy viscosity model. The thin-layer or Euler equations may also be solved. The energy equation may be eliminated by the assumption of constant total enthalpy. Explicit and implicit artificial viscosity may be used. Several time step options are available for convergence acceleration. The documentation is divided into three volumes. The Programmer's Reference contains detailed information useful when modifying the program. The program structure, the Fortran variables stored in common blocks, and the details of each subprogram are described.

  3. Proteus three-dimensional Navier-Stokes computer code, version 1.0. Volume 2: User's guide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Towne, Charles E.; Schwab, John R.; Bui, Trong T.

    1993-01-01

    A computer code called Proteus 3D was developed to solve the three-dimensional, Reynolds-averaged, unsteady compressible Navier-Stokes equations in strong conservation law form. The objective in this effort was to develop a code for aerospace propulsion applications that is easy to use and easy to modify. Code readability, modularity, and documentation were emphasized. The governing equations are solved in generalized nonorthogonal body-fitted coordinates, by marching in time using a fully-coupled ADI solution procedure. The boundary conditions are treated implicitly. All terms, including the diffusion terms, are linearized using second-order Taylor series expansions. Turbulence is modeled using either an algebraic or two-equation eddy viscosity model. The thin-layer or Euler equations may also be solved. The energy equation may be eliminated by the assumption of constant total enthalpy. Explicit and implicit artificial viscosity may be used. Several time step options are available for convergence acceleration. The documentation is divided into three volumes. This User's Guide describes the program's features, the input and output, the procedure for setting up initial conditions, the computer resource requirements, the diagnostic messages that may be generated, the job control language used to run the program, and several test cases.

  4. Proteus mirabilis interkingdom swarming signals attract blow flies

    PubMed Central

    Ma, Qun; Fonseca, Alicia; Liu, Wenqi; Fields, Andrew T; Pimsler, Meaghan L; Spindola, Aline F; Tarone, Aaron M; Crippen, Tawni L; Tomberlin, Jeffery K; Wood, Thomas K

    2012-01-01

    Flies transport specific bacteria with their larvae that provide a wider range of nutrients for those bacteria. Our hypothesis was that this symbiotic interaction may depend on interkingdom signaling. We obtained Proteus mirabilis from the salivary glands of the blow fly Lucilia sericata; this strain swarmed significantly and produced a strong odor that attracts blow flies. To identify the putative interkingdom signals for the bacterium and flies, we reasoned that as swarming is used by this bacterium to cover the food resource and requires bacterial signaling, the same bacterial signals used for swarming may be used to communicate with blow flies. Using transposon mutagenesis, we identified six novel genes for swarming (ureR, fis, hybG, zapB, fadE and PROSTU_03490), then, confirming our hypothesis, we discovered that fly attractants, lactic acid, phenol, NaOH, KOH and ammonia, restore swarming for cells with the swarming mutations. Hence, compounds produced by the bacterium that attract flies also are utilized for swarming. In addition, bacteria with the swarming mutation rfaL attracted fewer blow flies and reduced the number of eggs laid by the flies. Therefore, we have identified several interkingdom signals between P. mirabilis and blow flies. PMID:22237540

  5. Complicated Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections Due to Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis

    PubMed Central

    Jacobsen, S. M.; Stickler, D. J.; Mobley, H. L. T.; Shirtliff, M. E.

    2008-01-01

    Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) represent the most common type of nosocomial infection and are a major health concern due to the complications and frequent recurrence. These infections are often caused by Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis. Gram-negative bacterial species that cause CAUTIs express a number of virulence factors associated with adhesion, motility, biofilm formation, immunoavoidance, and nutrient acquisition as well as factors that cause damage to the host. These infections can be reduced by limiting catheter usage and ensuring that health care professionals correctly use closed-system Foley catheters. A number of novel approaches such as condom and suprapubic catheters, intermittent catheterization, new surfaces, catheters with antimicrobial agents, and probiotics have thus far met with limited success. While the diagnosis of symptomatic versus asymptomatic CAUTIs may be a contentious issue, it is generally agreed that once a catheterized patient is believed to have a symptomatic urinary tract infection, the catheter is removed if possible due to the high rate of relapse. Research focusing on the pathogenesis of CAUTIs will lead to a better understanding of the disease process and will subsequently lead to the development of new diagnosis, prevention, and treatment options. PMID:18202436

  6. [Electrophoretic forms of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and esterase in Amoeba species amoebas].

    PubMed

    Sopina, V A

    2000-01-01

    Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), acid phosphatase and esterases in free-living amoebae of 7 Amoeba species were investigated with the use of disc-electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel. The evidence provided is suggestive that the electrophoretic isoenzyme patterns of acid phosphatase and esterases (and G6PD in some cases), in addition to a few morphological characters, can serve as a taxonomic criterion for species identification within this genus, as well as for revealing erroneously classified species and strains. It is suggested that A. indica is an independent species whose preliminary diagnosis has been given in this paper. It is concluded that A. discoides and A. lescherae are strains of A. proteus, rather than two independent species. A and As-102 amoebian strains, kept in the collection of protozoan strains and species of the Institute of Cytology RAS and referred to as strains of A. proteus, belong in reality to another Amoeba species and even to another genus within the family Amoebidae. This conclusion has been documented by results of our analysis of electrophoretic patterns of acid phosphatase and esterases in these strains.

  7. Characterization of a monoclonal antibody and a cDNA for polyubiquitin of Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Lee, S Y; Kim, H J; Yoo, S Y; Ahn, T I

    1998-01-01

    A monoclonal antibody was obtained that reacts with many different proteins (14-200 kDa) of Amoeba proteus. By indirect immunofluorescence microscopy we found the antigens to be dispersed throughout the cytoplasm but were more concentrated in the nucleus. The antibody cross-reacted with proteins of Tetrahymena, Xenopus embryo, and mouse macrophages. Using the antibody as a probe we cloned a cDNA of 1.2 kb coding for ubiquitin in five repeats. Amino acid sequences of ameba's polyubiquitin showed the most variations among the nineteen polyubiquitins of other organisms compared. The well-conserved 20Ser and 55Thr residues were replaced with Gly and Ser, respectively. The 28Ala residue found in most organisms was replaced with Gln or Glu in the amoeba. Amoebae contained two ubiquitin-mRNAs that could be detected by Northern blot analysis using the cDNA as a probe. In an analysis for specificity, the antibody reacted with polyubiquitin and ubiquitin-fusion proteins larger than 14 kDa but not with monomeric ubiquitin. The antibody is a useful probe in the detection and characterization of proteins ubiquitinated in response to cellular stresses.

  8. A novel Amoeba proteus 120 kDa actin-binding protein with only 1 filamin repeat and a coiled-coil region.

    PubMed

    Sobczak, Magdalena; Kocik, Elzbieta; Redowicz, Maria Jolanta

    2007-02-01

    A novel 120 kDa actin-binding protein (ApABP-F1) was found in Amoeba proteus. It was distributed throughout the cytoplasm, mainly in the subplasma membrane and perinuclear-nuclear areas, enriched in actin. The full-length cDNA of ApABP consisted of 2672 nucleotides with an open reading frame of 878 amino acids, giving a ~95 kDa protein with a theoretical pI value of 5.11. It had a novel domain organization pattern: the N terminus (residues 1-104) contained 1 calponin-homology (CH) domain, followed by only 1 region that was homologous to the filamin repeat (FR, residues 209-324), and a central region (residues 344-577) exhibiting a very high probability of coiled-coil formation, probably engaged in the observed protein dimerization. A phylogenetic tree constructed for CH domains from 25 various proteins revealed that the CH domain of ApABP was most related to that of the hypothetical mouse KIAA0903-like protein, whereas not much relationship to either filamins or the gelation factor (ABP-120) of Dictyostelium discoideum and Entamoeba histolytica was found.

  9. Bacterial genus is a risk factor for major amputation in patients with diabetic foot.

    PubMed

    Cardoso, Natália Anício; Cisneiros, Lígia DE Loiola; Machado, Carla Jorge; Cenedezi, Juliana Merlin; Procópio, Ricardo Jayme; Navarro, Túlio Pinho

    2017-01-01

    to evaluate whether bacterial genus is a risk factor for major amputation in patients with diabetic foot and infected ulcer. we conducted a case-control, observational study of 189 patients with infected ulcers in diabetic feet admitted to the Vascular Surgery Service of the Risoleta Tolentino Neves Hospital, from January 2007 to December 2012. The bacteriological evaluation was performed in deep tissue cultures from the lesions and amputation was considered major when performed above the foot'smiddle tarsus. the patients'mean age was 61.9±12.7 years; 122 (64.6%) were men. The cultures were positive in 86.8%, being monomicrobial in 72% of the cases. In patients with major amputation, Acinetobacter spp. (24.4%), Morganella spp. (24.4%), Proteus spp. (23.1%) and Enterococcus spp. (19.2%) were the most frequent types of bacteria. The most commonly isolated species were Acinetobacter baumannii, Morganella morganii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis. As predictors of major amputation, we identified the isolation of the generaAcinetobacter spp. and Klebsiella spp., serum creatinine ≥1.3mg/dl and hemoglobin <11g/dl. the bacterial genera Acinetobacter spp. and Klebsiella spp. identified in infected ulcers of patients with diabetic foot were associated with a higher incidence of major amputation. avaliar se gênero bacteriano é fator de risco para amputação maior em pacientes com pé diabético e úlcera infectada. estudo observacional do tipo caso-controle de 189 pacientes com úlcera infectada em pé diabético admitidos pelo Serviço de Cirurgia Vascular do Hospital Risoleta Tolentino Neves, no período de janeiro de 2007 a dezembro de 2012. A avaliação bacteriológica foi realizada em cultura de tecido profundo das lesões e a amputação foi considerada como maior quando realizada acima do médio tarso do pé. a média de idade dos pacientes foi 61,9±12,7 anos e 122 (64,6%) eram homens. As culturas foram positivas em 86,8%, sendo monomicrobianas em 72% dos casos. Nos pacientes com amputação maior, os gêneros de bactérias mais frequentes foram Acinetobacter spp. (24,4%), Morganella spp. (24,4%), Proteus spp. (23,1%) e Enterococcus spp. (19,2%) e as espécies mais isoladas foram Acinetobacter baumannii, Morganella morganii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa e Proteus mirabilis. Identificou-se como fatores preditivos para amputação maior o isolamento dos gêneros Acinetobacter spp. e Klebsiella spp.,e níveis séricos de creatinina ≥1,3mg/dl e de hemoglobina <11g/dl. os gêneros bacterianos Acinetobacter spp. e Klebsiella spp. identificados nas úlceras infectadas dos pacientes com pé diabético associaram-se a maior incidência de amputação maior.

  10. Thermal Analysis for Monitoring Effects of Shock-Induced Physical, Mechanical, and Chemical Changes in Materials

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-01-19

    MS WINDOWS platform, which enables multitasking with simultaneous evaluation and operation 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 13...measurement and analysis software for data acquisition, storage and evaluation with MS WINDOWS platform, which enables multitasking with simultaneous...Proteus measurement and analysis software for data acquisition, storage and evaluation with MS WINDOWS platform, which enables multitasking with

  11. Truth, Perception, and Consequences (Proteus Monograph Series, Volume 1, Issue 1, November 2007)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-11-01

    Affective and Intellectual Autonomy in Schwartz, “Beyond individualism/ collectivism.” 56. Hofstede, Cultures and Organizations. 57. MacNulty and...strategic planning for cultural change, technology forecasting, and technology assessment. She consults at to the most senior levels within the...Department of Defense. Her current DoD projects bring together her knowledge of strategy, cultures , and cognition to help in understanding our

  12. Comparison study of membrane filtration direct count and an automated coliform and Escherichia coli detection system for on-site water quality testing.

    PubMed

    Habash, Marc; Johns, Robert

    2009-10-01

    This study compared an automated Escherichia coli and coliform detection system with the membrane filtration direct count technique for water testing. The automated instrument performed equal to or better than the membrane filtration test in analyzing E. coli-spiked samples and blind samples with interference from Proteus vulgaris or Aeromonas hydrophila.

  13. Mobile Insertion Cassette Elements Found in Small Non-Transmissible Plasmids in Proteeae May Explain qnrD Mobilization

    PubMed Central

    Guillard, Thomas; Grillon, Antoine; de Champs, Christophe; Cartier, Céline; Madoux, Janick; Berçot, Béatrice; Lebreil, Anne-Laure; Lozniewski, Alain; Riahi, Jacques; Vernet-Garnier, Véronique; Cambau, Emmanuelle

    2014-01-01

    qnrD is a plasmid mediated quinolone resistance gene from unknown origin, recently described in Enterobacteriaceae. It encodes a pentapeptide repeat protein 36–60% different from the other Qnr (A, B, C, S and VC). Since most qnrD-positive strains were described as strains belonging to Proteus or Providencia genera, we hypothesized that qnrD originated in Proteeae before disseminating to other enterobacterial species. We screened 317 strains of Proteeae for qnrD and its genetic support by PCR. For all the seven qnrD-positive strains (4 Proteus mirabilis, 1 Proteus vulgaris and 2 Providencia rettgeri) the gene was carried onto a small non-transmissible plasmid, contrarily to other qnr genes that are usually carried onto large multi-resistant plasmids. Nucleotide sequences of the qnrD-bearing plasmids were 96% identical. Plasmids contained 3 ORFs apart from qnrD and belonged to an undescribed incompatibility group. Only one plasmid, in P. vulgaris, was slightly different with a 1,568-bp insertion between qnrD and its promoter, leading to absence of quinolone resistance. We sought for similar plasmids in 15 reference strains of Proteeae, but which were tested negative for qnrD, and found a 48% identical plasmid (pVERM) in Providencia vermicola. In order to explain how qnrD could have been inserted into such native plasmid, we sought for gene mobilization structures. qnrD was found to be located within a mobile insertion cassette (mic) element which sequences are similar to one mic also found in pVERM. Our conclusions are that (i) the small non-transmissible qnrD-plasmids described here may result from the recombination between an as-yet-unknown progenitor of qnrD and pVERM, (ii) these plasmids are maintained in Proteeae being a qnrD reservoir (iii) the mic element may explain qnrD mobilization from non-transmissible plasmids to mobilizable or conjugative plasmids from other Enterobacteriaceae, (iv) they can recombined with larger multiresistant plasmids conjugated in Proteeae. PMID:24504382

  14. ["Antibiotic hierarchy" oriented antibacterial chemotherapy in urinary tract infections].

    PubMed

    Walther, H; Meyer, F P; Kiessig, R; Müller, G W

    1982-12-01

    The resistance of 708 germs isolated from 656 samples of ambulatory urological and gynecological origin was determined. The sensitivity of E. coli, proteus types and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to internationally used antibiotics was registered in detail as percentages. On the basis of the frequency of the germs and their resistence, an antibiotic "hierarchy" is drawn up, which can simplify the initial choice of therapy, especially in out-patient treatment.

  15. Giving Structure to Legacy Finding Aids before Conversion to EAD: The Case of the Archives Departementales des Pyrenees-Atlantiques, France

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goulet, Anne; Maftei, Nicolas

    2005-01-01

    At the Archives Departementales des Pyrenees-Atlantiques, the encoding of more than forty legacy finding aids written between 1863 and 2000 is part of a program of digitization of the collections. Because of the size of the project, an external consultant, ArchProteus, has been brought in and specific management procedures have been put in place…

  16. Detection of Staphylococcus Aureus Enterotoxin A and B Genes with PCR-EIA and a Hand-Held Electrochemical Sensor

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-06-11

    Streptococcus pneumoniae 33400 Enterobacter cloaceae 49141 S. pyogenes 19615 E. aerogenes m10822 Vibrio cholerae N16961 Enterococcus durans 6056 Yersinia...identified. Thus the sensitivity for both assays was 100%. Of the 56 samples that lacked sea or seb genes, two false positives ( Enterobacter aerogenes ...Comanonas, Enterobacter , Enterococcus, Escherichia, Francisella, Haemophilus, Klebsiella, Listeria, Moraxella, Neisseria, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Salmonella

  17. 1986 Proteus Survey: Technical Manual and Codebook

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-06-01

    Officer Candidate School and Direct Commission) and by gender. Female officers were oversampled (30% in the sample versus ap- proximately 16% in the...analyze the effects of this change in policy both on the individual cadets and on the Academy and to study the process of coeducation over four years...Candidate School (OCS), and Direct Commissioning (DC). Approximately 1,000 officers were randomly selected from each commissioning year group 1980-1984 from

  18. Proteus two-dimensional Navier-Stokes computer code, version 2.0. Volume 1: Analysis description

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Towne, Charles E.; Schwab, John R.; Bui, Trong T.

    1993-01-01

    A computer code called Proteus 2D was developed to solve the two-dimensional planar or axisymmetric, Reynolds-averaged, unsteady compressible Navier-Stokes equations in strong conservation law form. The objective in this effort was to develop a code for aerospace propulsion applications that is easy to use and easy to modify. Code readability, modularity, and documentation were emphasized. The governing equations are solved in generalized nonorthogonal body-fitted coordinates, by marching in time using a fully-coupled ADI solution procedure. The boundary conditions are treated implicitly. All terms, including the diffusion terms, are linearized using second-order Taylor series expansions. Turbulence is modeled using either an algebraic or two-equation eddy viscosity model. The thin-layer or Euler equations may also be solved. The energy equation may be eliminated by the assumption of constant total enthalpy. Explicit and implicit artificial viscosity may be used. Several time step options are available for convergence acceleration. The documentation is divided into three volumes. This is the Analysis Description, and presents the equations and solution procedure. The governing equations, the turbulence model, the linearization of the equations and boundary conditions, the time and space differencing formulas, the ADI solution procedure, and the artificial viscosity models are described in detail.

  19. Proteus three-dimensional Navier-Stokes computer code, version 1.0. Volume 1: Analysis description

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Towne, Charles E.; Schwab, John R.; Bui, Trong T.

    1993-01-01

    A computer code called Proteus 3D has been developed to solve the three dimensional, Reynolds averaged, unsteady compressible Navier-Stokes equations in strong conservation law form. The objective in this effort has been to develop a code for aerospace propulsion applications that is easy to use and easy to modify. Code readability, modularity, and documentation have been emphasized. The governing equations are solved in generalized non-orthogonal body-fitted coordinates by marching in time using a fully-coupled ADI solution procedure. The boundary conditions are treated implicitly. All terms, including the diffusion terms, are linearized using second-order Taylor series expansions. Turbulence is modeled using either an algebraic or two-equation eddy viscosity model. The thin-layer or Euler equations may also be solved. The energy equation may be eliminated by the assumption of constant total enthalpy. Explicit and implicit artificial viscosity may be used. Several time step options are available for convergence acceleration. The documentation is divided into three volumes. This is the Analysis Description, and presents the equations and solution procedure. It describes in detail the governing equations, the turbulence model, the linearization of the equations and boundary conditions, the time and space differencing formulas, the ADI solution procedure, and the artificial viscosity models.

  20. Esculin hydrolysis by Enterobacteriaceae.

    PubMed Central

    Edberg, S C; Pittman, S; Singer, J M

    1977-01-01

    Literature reports disagree concerning esculin hydrolysis in the family Enterobacteriaceae. A total of 2,490 strains of the family were investigated for esculin hydrolysis by two methods, the esculin spot test and the PathoTec incubation strip, which measures constitutive enzyme, and five growth-supporting methods, which determine both constitutive and inducible enzymes. The five growth-supporting media studied were: Vaughn-Levine, the standard esculin hydrolysis medium (P. R. Edwards and W. H. Ewing, Identification of Enterobacteriaceae, 3rd ed., 1972); Vaughn-Levine without iron; Vaughn-Levine without Andrade's indicator; and bile-esculin medium. Growth media were incubated at 35 degrees C and checked every 24 h for 120 h. On growth media, 0.3% of Escherichia coli were positive in 24 h, 34% in 48 h, and 61% in 120 h. No strains were positive on the "nongrowth" tests. It appeared that the esculin hydrolysis enzyme(s) of E. coli was inducible rather than constitutive. All esculin hydrolyzers, which yielded positive tests on "constitutive tests" and 24-h tests, were limited to the genera Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and Serratia and species of Proteus vulgaris, Proteus rettgeri, and Citrobacter diversus. When used with standardized inoculum size and incubation time, the esculin hydrolysis test is very useful for differentiation within the family Enterobacteriaceae. PMID:330558

  1. Results of a Neutronic Simulation of HTR-Proteus Core 4.2 using PEBBED and other INL Reactor Physics Tools: FY-09 Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hans D. Gougar

    The Idaho National Laboratory’s deterministic neutronics analysis codes and methods were applied to the computation of the core multiplication factor of the HTR-Proteus pebble bed reactor critical facility. A combination of unit cell calculations (COMBINE-PEBDAN), 1-D discrete ordinates transport (SCAMP), and nodal diffusion calculations (PEBBED) were employed to yield keff and flux profiles. Preliminary results indicate that these tools, as currently configured and used, do not yield satisfactory estimates of keff. If control rods are not modeled, these methods can deliver much better agreement with experimental core eigenvalues which suggests that development efforts should focus on modeling control rod andmore » other absorber regions. Under some assumptions and in 1D subcore analyses, diffusion theory agrees well with transport. This suggests that developments in specific areas can produce a viable core simulation approach. Some corrections have been identified and can be further developed, specifically: treatment of the upper void region, treatment of inter-pebble streaming, and explicit (multiscale) transport modeling of TRISO fuel particles as a first step in cross section generation. Until corrections are made that yield better agreement with experiment, conclusions from core design and burnup analyses should be regarded as qualitative and not benchmark quality.« less

  2. [RATIONAL ASPECTS OF BACTERIOPHAGES USE].

    PubMed

    Vakarina, A A; Kataeva, L V; Karpukhina, N F

    2015-01-01

    Analysis of existing aspects of bacteriophage use and study features of their lytic activity by using various techniques. Effect of monophages and associated bacteriophages (staphylococci, piopolyvalent and piocombined, intestiphage, pneumonia klebsiella and polyvalent klebsiella produced by "Microgen") was studied with 380 strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 279 cultures of Klebsiella pneumoniae in liquid and solid nutrient media. From patients with intestinal disorder, sensitivity was analyzed to 184 strains of Salmonella genus bacteria 18 serological variants to salmonella bacteriophages, 137 strains of Escherichia coli (lactose-negative, hemolytic), as well as some members of OKA groups (21 serovars) to coli-proteic and piopolyvalent bacteriophages. Lytic ability of the piobacteriophage against Klebsiella and Proteus genus bacteria was determined. Staphylococcus aureus was sensitive to staphylococcus bacteriophage in 71.6% of cases and to piobacteriophage--in 86.15% of cases. A 100% lytic ability of salmonella bacteriophage against Salmonella spp. was established. Sensitivity of E. coli of various serogroups to coli-proteic and piobacteriophage was 66 - 100%. Klebsiella, Proteus genus bacteria were sensitive to piobacteriophage in only 35% and 43.15% of cases, respectively. A more rational use of bacteriophages is necessary: development of a technique, evaluation of sensitivity of bacteria to bacteriophage, introduction of corrections into their production (expansion of bacteriophage spectra, determination and indication of their concentration in accompanying documents).

  3. Development of carboxymethyl cellulose-based hydrogel and nanosilver composite as antimicrobial agents for UTI pathogens.

    PubMed

    Alshehri, Saad M; Aldalbahi, Ali; Al-Hajji, Abdullah Baker; Chaudhary, Anis Ahmad; Panhuis, Marc In Het; Alhokbany, Norah; Ahamad, Tansir

    2016-03-15

    Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) containing hydrogel composite were first synthesized by preparing a new hydrogel from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and the cross-linker ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE), followed by the incorporation of AgNPs by microwave radiation. The resulting neat hydrogels and AgNPs-hydrogel composites were characterized using spectral, thermal, microscopic analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The SEM and TEM results demonstrated that the synthesized AgNPs were spherical with diameters ranging from 8 to 14nm. In addition, the XRD analysis confirmed the nanocrystalline phase of silver with face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of the AgNPs confirmed the presence of an elemental silver signal, and no peaks of any other impurities were detected. Additionally, the antibacterial activities of the neat hydrogel and AgNPs-hydrogel composites were measured by Kirby-Bauer method against urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogens. The rheology measurement revealed that the values of storage modulus (G') were higher than that of loss modulus (G″). The AgNPs-hydrogel composites exhibited higher antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis compared to the corresponding neat hydrogel. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Ureolytic Biomineralization Reduces Proteus mirabilis Biofilm Susceptibility to Ciprofloxacin

    PubMed Central

    Li, Xiaobao; Lu, Nanxi; Brady, Hannah R.

    2016-01-01

    Ureolytic biomineralization induced by urease-producing bacteria, particularly Proteus mirabilis, is responsible for the formation of urinary tract calculi and the encrustation of indwelling urinary catheters. Such microbial biofilms are challenging to eradicate and contribute to the persistence of catheter-associated urinary tract infections, but the mechanisms responsible for this recalcitrance remain obscure. In this study, we characterized the susceptibility of wild-type (ure+) and urease-negative (ure−) P. mirabilis biofilms to killing by ciprofloxacin. Ure+ biofilms produced fine biomineral precipitates that were homogeneously distributed within the biofilm biomass in artificial urine, while ure− biofilms did not produce biomineral deposits under identical growth conditions. Following exposure to ciprofloxacin, ure+ biofilms showed greater survival (less killing) than ure− biofilms, indicating that biomineralization protected biofilm-resident cells against the antimicrobial. To evaluate the mechanism responsible for this recalcitrance, we observed and quantified the transport of Cy5-conjugated ciprofloxacin into the biofilm by video confocal microscopy. These observations revealed that the reduced susceptibility of ure+ biofilms resulted from hindered delivery of ciprofloxacin into biomineralized regions of the biofilm. Further, biomineralization enhanced retention of viable cells on the surface following antimicrobial exposure. These findings together show that ureolytic biomineralization induced by P. mirabilis metabolism strongly regulates antimicrobial susceptibility by reducing internal solute transport and increasing biofilm stability. PMID:26953206

  5. Proteus mirabilis viability after lithotripsy of struvite calculi

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prabakharan, Sabitha; Teichman, Joel M. H.; Spore, Scott S.; Sabanegh, Edmund; Glickman, Randolph D.; McLean, Robert J. C.

    2000-05-01

    Urinary calculi composed of struvite harbor urease-producing bacteria within the stone. The photothermal mechanism of holmium:YAG lithotripsy is uniquely different than other lithotripsy devices. We postulated that bacterial viability of struvite calculi would be less for calculi fragmented with holmium:YAG irradiation compared to other lithotripsy devices. Human calculi of known struvite composition (greater than 90% magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate) were incubated with Proteus mirabilis. Calculi were fragmented with no lithotripsy (controls), or shock wave, intracorporeal ultrasonic, electrohydraulic, pneumatic, holmium:YAG or pulsed dye laser lithotripsy. After lithotripsy, stone fragments were sonicated and specimens were serially plated for 48 hours at 38 C. Bacterial counts and the rate of bacterial sterilization were compared. Median bacterial counts (colony forming units per ml) were 8 X 106 in controls and 3 X 106 in shock wave, 3 X 107 in ultrasonic, 4 X 105 in electrohydraulic, 8 X 106 in pneumatic, 5 X 104 in holmium:YAG and 1 X 106 in pulsed dye laser lithotripsy, p less than 0.001. The rate of bacterial sterilization was 50% for holmium:YAG lithotripsy treated stones versus 0% for each of the other cohorts, p less than 0.01. P. mirabilis viability is less after holmium:YAG irradiation compared to other lithotripsy devices.

  6. First Isolation of carbon dioxide-dependent Proteus mirabilis from an uncomplicated cystitis patient with Sjögren's syndrome.

    PubMed

    Oana, Kozue; Yamaguchi, Michiko; Nagata, Mika; Washino, Kei-Ichi; Akahane, Takayuki; Takamatsu, Yu-Uki; Tsutsui, Chie; Matsumoto, Takehisa; Kawakami, Yoshiyuki

    2013-01-01

    An uncomplicated cystitis caused by CO2-dependent Proteus mirabilis was observed in a 64-year-old Japanese female patient with Sjögren's syndrome in the Aomori Kyoritsu Hospital, Aomori, Japan. The initial P. mirabilis isolate came from a midstream urine specimen containing large numbers of Gram-negative, rod-shaped organisms that failed to grow on both Drigalski agar and sheep blood agar incubated in ambient air. The organism did grow when the urine was cultured overnight on blood agar under anaerobic conditions. Hence, we believed that the organism was an anaerobe. Further investigation revealed that the isolate grew on sheep blood agar along with swarming when the atmospheric CO2 concentrations were increased to 5%. Initially, we failed to characterize or identify the P. mirabilis isolate or determine its antimicrobial susceptibilities using the MicroScan WalkAway-40 System because the isolate did not grow in the system. However, the isolate was subsequently identified as P. mirabilis based on its morphological, cultural, and biochemical properties by using the commercially available kit systems, Quick ID-GN and ID-Test EB-20. This identification of the isolate was confirmed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene of the organism. To our knowledge, this is the first clinical isolation of capnophilic P. mirabilis.

  7. Comparison of antibiotic resistance patterns in collections of Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis uropathogenic strains.

    PubMed

    Adamus-Bialek, Wioletta; Zajac, Elzbieta; Parniewski, Pawel; Kaca, Wieslaw

    2013-04-01

    Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis are important urinary tract pathogens. The constant increase in the antibiotic resistance of clinical bacterial strains has become an important clinical problem. The aim of this study was to compare the antibiotic resistance of 141 clinical (Sweden and Poland) and 42 laboratory (Czech Republic) P. mirabilis strains and 129 clinical (Poland) uropathogenic E. coli strains. The proportion of unique versus diverse patterns in Swedish clinical and laboratory P. mirabilis strain collections was comparable. Notably, a similar proportion of unique versus diverse patterns was observed in Polish clinical P. mirabilis and E. coli strain collections. Mathematical models of the antibiotic resistance of E. coli and P. mirabilis strains based on Kohonen networks and association analysis are presented. In contrast to the three clinical strain collections, which revealed complex associations with the antibiotics tested, laboratory P. mirabilis strains provided simple antibiotic association diagrams. The monitoring of antibiotic resistance patterns of clinical E. coli and P. mirabilis strains plays an important role in the treatment procedures for urinary tract infections and is important in the context of the spreading drug resistance in uropathogenic strain populations. The adaptability and flexibility of the genomes of E. coli and P. mirabilis strains are discussed.

  8. Fimbriae have distinguishable roles in Proteus mirabilis biofilm formation.

    PubMed

    Scavone, Paola; Iribarnegaray, Victoria; Caetano, Ana Laura; Schlapp, Geraldine; Härtel, Steffen; Zunino, Pablo

    2016-07-01

    Proteus mirabilis is one of the most common etiological agents of complicated urinary tract infections, especially those associated with catheterization. This is related to the ability of P. mirabilis to form biofilms on different surfaces. This pathogen encodes 17 putative fimbrial operons, the highest number found in any sequenced bacterial species so far. The present study analyzed the role of four P. mirabilis fimbriae (MR/P, UCA, ATF and PMF) in biofilm formation using isogenic mutants. Experimental approaches included migration over catheter, swimming and swarming motility, the semiquantitative assay based on adhesion and crystal violet staining, and biofilm development by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Different assays were performed using LB or artificial urine. Results indicated that the different fimbriae contribute to the formation of a stable and functional biofilm. Fimbriae revealed particular associated roles. First, all the mutants showed a significantly reduced ability to migrate across urinary catheter sections but neither swimming nor swarming motility were affected. However, some mutants formed smaller biofilms compared with the wild type (MRP and ATF) while others formed significantly larger biofilms (UCA and PMF) showing different bioarchitecture features. It can be concluded that P. mirabilis fimbriae have distinguishable roles in the generation of biofilms, particularly in association with catheters. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  9. Protective immunity induced by the vaccination of recombinant Proteus mirabilis OmpA expressed in Pichia pastoris.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yongbing; Yang, Shifa; Dai, Xiumei; Liu, Liping; Jiang, Xiaodong; Shao, Mingxu; Chi, Shanshan; Wang, Chuanwen; Yu, Cuilian; Wei, Kai; Zhu, Ruiliang

    2015-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) is a zoonotic pathogen that has recently presented a rising infection rate in the poultry industry. To develop an effective vaccine to protect chickens against P. mirabilis infection, OmpA, one of the major outer membrane proteins of P. mirabilis, was expressed in Pichia pastoris. The concentration of the expressed recombinant OmpA protein reached 8.0μg/mL after induction for 96h with 1.0% methanol in the culture. In addition, OmpA protein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis using the antibody against Escherichia coli-expressed OmpA protein. Taishan Pinus massoniana pollen polysaccharide, a known plant-derived adjuvant, was mixed into the recombinant OmpA protein to prepare the OmpA subunit vaccine. We then subcutaneously inoculated this vaccine into chickens to examine the immunoprotective effects. ELISA analysis indicated that an excellent antibody response against OmpA was elicited in the vaccinated chickens. Moreover, a high protection rate of 80.0% was observed in the vaccinated group, which was subsequently challenged with P. mirabilis. The results suggest that the eukaryotic P. mirabilis OmpA was an ideal candidate protein for developing an effective subunit vaccine against P. mirabilis infection. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Increased incidence of urolithiasis and bacteremia during Proteus mirabilis and Providencia stuartii coinfection due to synergistic induction of urease activity.

    PubMed

    Armbruster, Chelsie E; Smith, Sara N; Yep, Alejandra; Mobley, Harry L T

    2014-05-15

    Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CaUTIs) are the most common hospital-acquired infections worldwide and are frequently polymicrobial. The urease-positive species Proteus mirabilis and Providencia stuartii are two of the leading causes of CaUTIs and commonly co-colonize catheters. These species can also cause urolithiasis and bacteremia. However, the impact of coinfection on these complications has never been addressed experimentally. A mouse model of ascending UTI was utilized to determine the impact of coinfection on colonization, urolithiasis, and bacteremia. Mice were infected with P. mirabilis or a urease mutant, P. stuartii, or a combination of these organisms. In vitro experiments were conducted to assess growth dynamics and impact of co-culture on urease activity. Coinfection resulted in a bacterial load similar to monospecies infection but with increased incidence of urolithiasis and bacteremia. These complications were urease-dependent as they were not observed during coinfection with a P. mirabilis urease mutant. Furthermore, total urease activity was increased during co-culture. We conclude that P. mirabilis and P. stuartii coinfection promotes urolithiasis and bacteremia in a urease-dependent manner, at least in part through synergistic induction of urease activity. These data provide a possible explanation for the high incidence of bacteremia resulting from polymicrobial CaUTI.

  11. Determination of a novel integron-located variant (blaOXA -320 ) of Class D β-lactamase in Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Cicek, Aysegul Copur; Duzgun, Azer Ozad; Saral, Aysegul; Sandalli, Cemal

    2014-10-01

    Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) is one of Gram-negative pathogens encountered in clinical specimens. A clinical isolate (TRP41) of P. mirabilis was isolated from a Turkish patient in Turkey. The isolate was identified using the API 32GN system and 16S rRNA gene sequencing and it was found resistant to ampicillin/sulbactam, piperacillin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. This isolate was harboring a Class 1 integron gene cassette and its DNA sequence analysis revealed a novel blaOXA variant exhibiting one amino acid substitution (Asn266Ile) from blaOXA-1 . This new variant of OXA was located on Class 1 integron together with aadA1 gene encoding aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes. According to sequence records, the new variant was named as blaOXA-320 . Cassette array and size of integron were found as blaOXA-320 -aadA1 and 2086 bp, respectively. The blaOXA-320 gene is not transferable according to conjugation experiment. In this study, we report the first identification of blaOXA-320 -aadA1 gene cassette, a novel variant of Class D β-lactamase, in P. mirabilis from Turkey. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Evaluation of environmental scanning electron microscopy for analysis of Proteus mirabilis crystalline biofilms in situ on urinary catheters

    PubMed Central

    Holling, Nina; Dedi, Cinzia; Jones, Caroline E; Hawthorne, Joseph A; Hanlon, Geoffrey W; Salvage, Jonathan P; Patel, Bhavik A; Barnes, Lara M; Jones, Brian V

    2014-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis is a common cause of catheter-associated urinary tract infections and frequently leads to blockage of catheters due to crystalline biofilm formation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has proven to be a valuable tool in the study of these unusual biofilms, but entails laborious sample preparation that can introduce artefacts, undermining the investigation of biofilm development. In contrast, environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) permits imaging of unprocessed, fully hydrated samples, which may provide much insight into the development of P. mirabilis biofilms. Here, we evaluate the utility of ESEM for the study of P. mirabilis crystalline biofilms in situ, on urinary catheters. In doing so, we compare this to commonly used conventional SEM approaches for sample preparation and imaging. Overall, ESEM provided excellent resolution of biofilms formed on urinary catheters and revealed structures not observed in standard SEM imaging or previously described in other studies of these biofilms. In addition, we show that energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) may be employed in conjunction with ESEM to provide information regarding the elemental composition of crystalline structures and demonstrate the potential for ESEM in combination with EDS to constitute a useful tool in exploring the mechanisms underpinning crystalline biofilm formation. PMID:24786314

  13. Enterobacteria identification and detection of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in a Port Complex

    PubMed Central

    Costa, Clarissa Frota Macatrão; Neto, Valério Monteiro; Santos, Bruno Rafael de Carvalho; Costa, Bruno Rafael Rabelo; Azevedo, Alexandre; Serra, Josilene Lima; Mendes, Hermínio Benítez Rabello; Nascimento, Adenilde Ribeiro; Mendes, Mariana Bonfim Pinto; Kuppinger, Oliver

    2014-01-01

    The Port Complex of Maranhão (PCM) is the second largest port complex in Brazil, receiving ships with large volumes of ballast water. To evaluate the microbiological quality of its waters, physicochemical parameters (pH and salinity), the number of coliforms (thermotolerants and totals), and the presence of enterobacterias and diarrheagenic Escherichia coli strains were analyzed. In order to identify the presence of E. coli virulence genes target regions of the stx, elt, est, aggR, CVD432, ipaH and eae nucleotide sequences were studied. The presence of totals and thermotolerants coliforms were positive. Analyzing the salinity parameter, a significant increase in total coliforms was observed during the rainy season. We identified the species Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Citrobacter freundii, Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella ozaenae, Morganella morganii, Enterobacter cloacae and Edwardsiella tarda. Out of the 51 E. coli isolated, two were positive for the elt gene and one was positive for the CVD432 sequence, features of enterotoxigenic and enteroaggregative strains, respectively. This study reveals that the PCM is contaminated by enterobacteria and diarrheagenic E.coli thus providing evidence regarding the risk of these bacteria being carried by ships to other countries, and draws attention to the input of fecal bacteria brought by ships in the port waters of Maranhão. PMID:25477930

  14. Antimicrobial, wound healing and antioxidant activity of Plagiochasma appendiculatum Lehm. et Lind.

    PubMed

    Singh, Meenakshi; Govindarajan, Raghavan; Nath, Virendra; Rawat, Ajay Kumar Singh; Mehrotra, Shanta

    2006-08-11

    Plagiochasma appendiculatum (Aytoniaceae) of the order Marchantiales is widely used in the form of paste ethnomedicinally by Gaddi tribe in Kangra valley for treating skin diseases. In this context, antimicrobical potential of Plagiochasma appendiculatum against a wide range of microorganisms was studied. To validate the ethnotherapeutic claims of the plant in skin diseases, wound healing activity was studied, besides antioxidant activity to understand the mechanism of wound healing activity. The plant (alchoholic and aqueous extract) showed significant antibacterial and antifungal activity against almost all the organisms: Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, and eight fungi Candida albicans and Cryptococcus albidus-dimorphic fungi, Trichophyton rubrum-dermatophyte fungi, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus spinulosus, Aspergillus terreus and Aspergillus nidulans-systemic fungi, with especially good activity against the dermatophyte (Trichophyton rubrum) and some infectious bacteria (Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Salmonella typhimurium) with an MIC of 2.5 microg/disc. The results show that Plagiochasma appendiculatum extract has potent wound healing capacity as evident from the wound contraction and increased tensile strength. The results also indicated that Plagiochasma appendiculatum extract possesses potent antioxidant activity by inhibiting lipid peroxidation and increase in the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Catalase activity.

  15. Complete secretion of activable bovine prochymosin by genetically engineered L forms of Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed Central

    Klessen, C; Schmidt, K H; Gumpert, J; Grosse, H H; Malke, H

    1989-01-01

    To circumvent problems encountered in the synthesis of active chymosin in a number of bacteria and fungi, a recombinant DNA L-form expression system that directed the complete secretion of fully activable prochymosin into the extracellular culture medium was developed. The expression plasmid constructions involved the in-frame fusion of prochymosin cDNA minus codons 1 to 4 to streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin type A gene (speA') sequences, including the speA promoter, ribosomal binding site, and signal sequence and five codons of mature SpeA. Secretion of fusion prochymosin enzymatically and immunologically indistinguishable from bovine prochymosin was achieved after transformation of two stable protoplast type L-form strains derived from Proteus mirabilis. The secreted proenzyme was converted by autocatalytic processing to chymosin showing milk-clotting activity. In controlled laboratory fermentation processes, a maximum specific rate of activable prochymosin synthesis of 0.57 x 10(-3)/h was determined from the time courses of biomass dry weight and product formation. Yields as high as 40 +/- 10 micrograms/ml were obtained in the cell-free culture fluid of strain L99 carrying a naturally altered expression plasmid of increased segregational stability. The expression-secretion system described may be generally useful for production of recombinant mammalian proteins synthesized intracellularly as aberrantly folded insoluble aggregates. Images PMID:2499253

  16. Anti-Adhesion Activity of A2-type Proanthocyanidins (a Cranberry Major Component) on Uropathogenic E. coli and P. mirabilis Strains

    PubMed Central

    Nicolosi, Daria; Tempera, Gianna; Genovese, Carlo; Furneri, Pio M.

    2014-01-01

    Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are relatively common in women and may be classified as uncomplicated or complicated, depending upon the urinary tract anatomy and physiology. Acute uncomplicated cystitis (AUC) occurs when urinary pathogens from the bowel or vagina colonize the periurethral mucosa and reach the bladder. The vast majority of episodes in healthy women involving the same bacterial strain that caused the initial infection are thought to be reinfections. About 90% of AUC are caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), but Proteus mirabilis also plays an important role. Several studies support the importance of cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) proanthocyanidins in preventing adhesion of P-fimbriated UPEC to uroepithelial cells. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro anti-adhesion activity of A2-linked proanthocyanidins from cranberry on a UPEC and Proteus mirabilis strains and their possible influence on urease activity of the latter. A significant reduction of UPEC adhesion (up to 75%) on the HT1376 cell line was observed vs. control. For the strains of P. mirabilis there was also a reduction of adhesion (up to 75%) compared to controls, as well as a reduction in motility and urease activity. These results suggest that A2-type cranberry proanthocyanidins could aid in maintaining urinary tract health. PMID:27025740

  17. Tryptophanase from Proteus vulgaris: the conformational rearrangement in the active site, induced by the mutation of Tyrosine 72 to phenylalanine, and its mechanistic consequences.

    PubMed

    Kulikova, Vitalia V; Zakomirdina, Ludmila N; Dementieva, Irene S; Phillips, Robert S; Gollnick, Paul D; Demidkina, Tatyana V; Faleev, Nicolai G

    2006-04-01

    Tyr72 is located at the active site of tryptophanase (Trpase) from Proteus vulgaris. For the wild-type Trpase Tyr72 might be considered as the general acid catalyst at the stage of elimination of the leaving groups. The replacement of Tyr72 by Phe leads to a decrease in activity for L-tryptophan by 50,000-fold and to a considerable rearrangement of the active site of Trpase. This rearrangement leads to an increase of room around the alpha-C atom of any bound amino acid, such that covalent binding of alpha-methyl-substituted amino acids becomes possible (which cannot be realized in wild-type Trpase). The changes in reactivities of S-alkyl-L-cysteines provide evidence for an increase of congestion in the proximity of their side groups in the mutant enzyme as compared to wild-type enzyme. The observed alteration of catalytic properties in a large degree originates from a conformational change in the active site. The Y72F Trpase retains significant activity for L-serine, which allowed us to conclude that in the mutant enzyme, some functional group is present which fulfills the role of the general acid catalyst in reactions associated with elimination of small leaving groups.

  18. Phenolic content, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Erica herbacea L.

    PubMed

    Vucić, Dragana M; Petković, Miroslav R; Rodić-Grabovac, Branka B; Stefanović, Olgica D; Vasić, Sava M; Comić, Ljiljana R

    2013-01-01

    Antibacterial and antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid concentrations of aqueous, ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts from the leaves and flowers of Erica herbacea L. were studied. In vitro antibacterial activity of the extracts was determined by macrodilution method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) have been determined. Testing was performed on 30 clinical isolates, including different strains of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Proteus vulgaris. The values for MIC were in the range from 2.5 mg/mL to 40 mg/mL. The most sensitive bacterial strains were Proteus vulgaris strains. The aqueous extract from E. herbacea was found the most active. The total phenolic content was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and ranged between 14.98 and 119.88 mg GA/g. The concentration of flavonoids in extracts was determined using spectrophotometric method with aluminium chloride and obtained results varied from 16.19 to 26.90 mg RU/g. Antioxidant activity was monitored spectrophotometrically using DPPH reagent. The highest capacity to neutralize DPPH radicals was found in the aqueous extract from E. herbacea. The results of the total phenolic content determination of the examined extracts indicate that E. herbacea extracts are a rich source of phenolic compounds and also possess a significant antioxidant activity and moderate antibacterial activity.

  19. Proteus two-dimensional Navier-Stokes computer code, version 2.0. Volume 2: User's guide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Towne, Charles E.; Schwab, John R.; Bui, Trong T.

    1993-01-01

    A computer code called Proteus 2D was developed to solve the two-dimensional planar or axisymmetric, Reynolds-averaged, unsteady compressible Navier-Stokes equations in strong conservation law form. The objective in this effort was to develop a code for aerospace propulsion applications that is easy to use and easy to modify. Code readability, modularity, and documentation were emphasized. The governing equations are solved in generalized nonorthogonal body-fitted coordinates, by marching in time using a fully-coupled ADI solution procedure. The boundary conditions are treated implicitly. All terms, including the diffusion terms, are linearized using second-order Taylor series expansions. Turbulence is modeled using either an algebraic or two-equation eddy viscosity model. The thin-layer or Euler equations may also be solved. The energy equation may be eliminated by the assumption of constant total enthalpy. Explicit and implicit artificial viscosity may be used. Several time step options are available for convergence acceleration. The documentation is divided into three volumes. This is the User's Guide, and describes the program's features, the input and output, the procedure for setting up initial conditions, the computer resource requirements, the diagnostic messages that may be generated, the job control language used to run the program, and several test cases.

  20. Cold adapted features of Vibrio salmonicida catalase: characterisation and comparison to the mesophilic counterpart from Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Lorentzen, Marit Sjo; Moe, Elin; Jouve, Hélène Marie; Willassen, Nils Peder

    2006-10-01

    The gene encoding catalase from the psychrophilic marine bacterium Vibrio salmonicida LFI1238 was identified, cloned and expressed in the catalase-deficient Escherichia coli UM2. Recombinant catalase from V. salmonicida (VSC) was purified to apparent homogeneity as a tetramer with a molecular mass of 235 kDa. VSC contained 67% heme b and 25% protoporphyrin IX. VSC was able to bind NADPH, react with cyanide and form compounds I and II as other monofunctional small subunit heme catalases. Amino acid sequence alignment of VSC and catalase from the mesophilic Proteus mirabilis (PMC) revealed 71% identity. As for cold adapted enzymes in general, VSC possessed a lower temperature optimum and higher catalytic efficiency (k (cat)/K (m)) compared to PMC. VSC have higher affinity for hydrogen peroxide (apparent K (m)) at all temperatures. For VSC the turnover rate (k (cat)) is slightly lower while the catalytic efficiency is slightly higher compared to PMC over the temperature range measured, except at 4 degrees C. Moreover, the catalytic efficiency of VSC and PMC is almost temperature independent, except at 4 degrees C where PMC has a twofold lower efficiency compared to VSC. This may indicate that VSC has evolved to maintain a high efficiency at low temperatures.

  1. An L-band SAR for repeat pass deformation measurements on a UAV platform

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hensley, Scott; Lou, Yunling; Rosen, Paul; Wheeler, Kevin; Zebker, Howard; Madsen, Soren; Miller, Tim; Hoffman, Jim; Farra, Don

    2003-01-01

    We are proposing to develop a miniaturized polarimetric L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for repeat-pass differential interferometric measurements of deformation for rapidly deforming surfaces of geophysical interest such as volcanoes or earthquakes that is to be flown on a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or minimally piloted vehicle (MPV). Upon surveying the capabilities and availabilities of such aircraft, the Proteus aircraft and the ALTAIR UAV appear to meet our criteria in terms of payload capabilities, flying altitude, and endurance. To support the repeat pass deformation capability it is necessary to control flight track capability of the aircraft to be within a specified 10 m tube with a goal of 1 m. This requires real-time GPS control of the autopilot to achieve these objectives that has not been demonstrated on these aircraft. Based on the Proteus and ALTAIR's altitude of 13.7 km (45,000 ft), we are designing a fully polarimetric L-band radar with 80 MHz bandwidth and a 16 km range swath. The radar will have an active electronic beam steering antenna to achieve a Doppler centroid stability that is necessary for repeat-pass interferometry. This paper presents some of the trade studies for the platform, instrument and the expected science.

  2. Production of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters from Menhaden Oil Using Proteus vulgaris Lipase-Mediated One-Step Transesterification and Urea Complexation.

    PubMed

    Kim, Soo-Jin; Kim, Hyung Kwoun

    2016-05-01

    An organic solvent-stable lipase from Proteus vulgaris K80 was used to produce the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ethyl esters (ω-3 PUFA EEs). First, the lyophilized recombinant lipase K80 (LyoK80) was used to perform the transesterification reaction of menhaden oil and ethanol. LyoK80 produced the ω-3 PUFA EEs with a conversion yield of 82 % in the presence of 20 % water content via a three-step ethanol-feeding process; however, in a non-aqueous condition, LyoK80 produced only a slight amount of the ω-3 PUFA EEs. To enhance its reaction properties, the lipase K80 was immobilized on a hydrophobic bead to derive ImmK80; the biochemical properties and substrate specificity of ImmK80 are similar to those of LyoK80. ImmK80 was then used to produce ω-3 PUFA EEs in accordance with the same transesterification reaction. Unlike LyoK80, ImmK80 achieved a high ω-3 PUFA EE conversion yield of 86 % under a non-aqueous system via a one-step ethanol-feeding reaction. The ω-3 PUFA EEs were purified up to 92 % using a urea complexation method.

  3. Proteus mirabilis alleviates zinc toxicity by preventing oxidative stress in maize (Zea mays) plants.

    PubMed

    Islam, Faisal; Yasmeen, Tahira; Riaz, Muhammad; Arif, Muhammad Saleem; Ali, Shafaqat; Raza, Syed Hammad

    2014-12-01

    Plant-associated bacteria can have beneficial effects on the growth and health of their host. However, the role of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPR), under metal stress, has not been widely investigated. The present study investigated the possible mandatory role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria in protecting plants from zinc (Zn) toxicity. The exposure of maize plants to 50µM zinc inhibited biomass production, decreased chlorophyll, total soluble protein and strongly increased accumulation of Zn in both root and shoot. Similarly, Zn enhanced hydrogen peroxide, electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation as indicated by malondaldehyde accumulation. Pre-soaking with novel Zn tolerant bacterial strain Proteus mirabilis (ZK1) isolated zinc (Zn) contaminated soil, alleviated the negative effect of Zn on growth and led to a decrease in oxidative injuries caused by Zn. Furthermore, strain ZK1 significantly enhanced the activities of catalase, guaiacol peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and ascorbic acid but lowered the Proline accumulation in Zn stressed plants. The results suggested that the inoculation of Zea mays plants with P. mirabilis during an earlier growth period could be related to its plant growth promoting activities and avoidance of cumulative damage upon exposure to Zn, thus reducing the negative consequences of oxidative stress caused by heavy metal toxicity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. The amphiphilic action of vasopressin and analogues on the plasma membrane of Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Mayers, P; Couillard, P

    1990-10-01

    Arginine (AVP) and lysine vasopressin induce a weak but statistically significant increase in the water permeability of Amoeba proteus plasmalemma. Vasotocin and deaminovasopressin, which share the hydroosmotic properties of AVP on classical vertebrate systems, are without effects on Amoeba while SKF 101926, a synthetic AVP antagonist, is even more effective than the parent compound. Theophyllin and dibutyryl-cAMP do not affect AVP action on Amoeba. Lithium, oxytocin, and carbachol are also without effect. Thus, it is unlikely that either V2 (cAMP) or V1 (phosphatidylinositol choline) receptors are involved. A clear correlation has been found between the amphiphilic character of tested peptides and their effect on Amoeba water permeability. Classical amphiphilic peptides, melittin, mastoparan, and fragment 1-8 of alpha-neoendorphin, also increased water permeability in Amoeba. It is known that vasopressin can interact with artificial lipid membranes, increasing their permeability to water. We propose that amphiphilic members of the AVP family interact directly with the lipid phase of the Amoeba membrane. Their incorporation within the lipid bilayer may cause local disruptions or may create micellar water channels as shown for other amphiphilic proteins. Our observations provide a model for the early evolution of peptide hormone systems, preceding the appearance of specific membrane receptors and associated second messenger amplifying mechanisms.

  5. [Number, activity and thermostability of the electrophoretic forms of acid phosphatase in Amoeba proteus, cultured at different temperatures].

    PubMed

    Sopina, V A

    2001-01-01

    In free-living amoebae (Amoeba proteus, strain B), cultured at 10 and 25 degrees C, we compared the number, activity, and thermostability of separate electromorphs of Triton-soluble acid phosphatase (AcP) revealed by disc-electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel using 2-naphthyl phosphate (pH 4.0) as a substrate. No differences in the number of AcP electromorphs and their mobility were observed at both these temperatures. The total activity of AcP electromorphas per unit of cellular protein and their total thermostability were lower in amoebae acclimated to 10 degrees C than to 25 degrees C. The above decrease may be a consequence of a simultaneous decrease in the activity and thermostability of two tartrate-sensitive electromorphs, both being of lysosomal nature. The total activity and thermostability of tartrate-resistant AcP electromorphs did not differ in amoebae acclimated to the two above temperatures. In amoebae cultured at 10 degrees C the fall of activity and thermostability of lysosomal AcP correlates with the decrease in their primary cell thermoresistance and phagocytic activity. The obtained results confirm the earlier conclusion (Vysotskaya et al., 1994) that lysosomes may be involved in acclimation of electrothermal animals to changing environmental temperatures.

  6. STUDIES ON THE ORIGIN OF RIBOSOMES IN AMOEBA PROTEUS

    PubMed Central

    Craig, Nessly; Goldstein, Lester

    1969-01-01

    The origin of cytoplasmic RNA and ribosomes was studied in Amoeba proteus by transplantation of a radioactive nucleus into an unlabeled cell followed by examination of the cytoplasm of the recipient for the presence of label. When a RNA-labeled nucleus was used, label appeared in the ribosomes, ribosomal RNA, and soluble RNA. Since the kinetics of appearance of labeled RNA indicates that the nucleus was not injured during the transfer, and since the transferred nuclear pool of labeled acid-soluble RNA precursors is inadequate to account for the amount of cytoplasmic RNA label, it is concluded that cytoplasmic ribosomal RNA is derived from acid-insoluble nuclear RNA and is probably transported as an intact molecule. Likewise, cytoplasmic soluble RNA probably originated in the nucleus, although labeling by terminal exchange in the cytoplasm is also possible. The results were completely different when a protein-labeled nucleus was grafted into an unlabeled host. In this case, label was found only in soluble proteins in the host cell cytoplasm, and there were no (or very few) radioactive ribosomes. This suggests that the nuclear pool of ribosomal protein and ribosomal protein precursors is relatively small and perhaps nonexistent (and, furthermore, shows that there was no cytoplasmic ribosomal contamination of the transferred nucleus). PMID:5765758

  7. "NEW MEMBRANE" FORMATION IN AMOEBA PROTEUS UPON INJURY OF INDIVIDUAL CELLS

    PubMed Central

    Szubinska, Barbara

    1971-01-01

    Changes in the plasma membrane complex following the injury of single cells of Amoeba proteus were examined with the electron microscope. Two types of injury were employed in this study; cells were either pinched ("cut") in half or speared with a glass microneedle, and quickly fixed. Speared cells, when fixed in the presence of the ruthenium violet (a derivative of ruthenium red), revealed the presence of an extra trilaminar structure outside of each cell. This structure, called the "new membrane," was separated from the plasma membrane complex by a distance of less than a micron. The trilaminar structure of the new membrane strikingly resembled the image of the plasma membrane in all cells examined, except for its increased width (30%). This new membrane appeared nearly to surround the injured amebae. Attempts were made to demonstrate the possible origin of the new membrane, its reality, and its sensitivity to calcium. Also, some evidence is shown concerning the role of the small dense droplets (100–1200 A in diameter) normally present in the cytoplasm of amebae. Their frequent contact with the plasma membrane of the cell as the result of injury is interpreted as indicating their involvement in the formation and expansion of the plasma membrane. PMID:4103955

  8. Possible regulation of cation-induced pinocytosis in Amoeba proteus by phospholipase A.

    PubMed

    Josefsson, J O; Arvidson, G; Cobbold, P

    1988-04-01

    We have studied the effects of exogenous phospholipids and compounds which are known to alter the activity of phospholipase A (PLA) on Ca2+-dependent, Na+-induced pinocytosis in Amoeba proteus. The PLA-inhibitors mepacrine, p-bromophenacyl bromide (pBPB) and Rosenthal's inhibitor depressed pinocytosis. Normal pinocytotic intensity was restored by the addition of Ca2+ or picomolar concentrations of lysolecithin. Very low concentrations of lysophospholipids and different molecular species of lecithins increased the capacity for pinocytosis in starved amoebae. The effect of the lecithins but not of the corresponding lysolecithins was abolished by PLA-inhibitors. Also, the restoration of the pinocytotic capacity of starved amoebae by melittin and mastoparan, which are known to stimulate PLA, was inhibited by mepacrine and pBPB. Isolated amoeba plasma membranes contain phospholipase A1 and A2 activity and the amoebae secrete a lipid (PRF, pinocytosis regulating factor) which has lysolecithin-like effects on pinocytosis. The enzyme activities and the release of PRF were markedly decreased by the PLA-inhibitors. Our observations support the hypothesis that PRF is a lysophospholipid that may constitute a signal for the formation of pinocytotic channels in the initial stages of pinocytosis. The phospholipase A activity of the amoeba must therefore be assigned an important role in the regulation of the Ca2+-dependent, cation-induced pinocytosis.

  9. Quantitative analysis of changes in cell shape of Amoeba proteus during locomotion and upon responses to salt stimuli.

    PubMed

    Ueda, T; Kobatake, Y

    1983-09-01

    A new parameter expressing the complexity of cell shape defined as (periphery)2/(area) in 2D projection was found useful for a quantitative analysis of changes in the cell shape of Amoeba proteus and potentially of any amoeboid cells. During locomotion the complexity and the motive force of the protoplasmic streaming in amoeba varied periodically, and the Fourier analysis of the two showed a similar pattern in the power spectrum, giving a rather broad peak at about 2.5 X 10(-3) Hz. The complexity increased mainly due to elongation of the cell as external Ca2+ increased. This effect was blocked by La3+, half the inhibition being attained at 1/200 amount of the coexisting Ca2+. On the other hand, the complexity decreased due to rounding up of the cell as the concentration of other cations, such as Sr2+, Mg2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Na+, K+ etc., increased. Irrespective of the opposite effects of Ca2+ and other cations on the cell shape, the ATP concentration in amoeba decreased in both cases with increase of all these cations. The irregularity in amoeboid motility is discussed in terms of a dynamic system theory.

  10. Immunodetection and intracellular localization of caldesmon-like proteins in Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Gagola, M; Kłopocka, W; Greebecki, A; Makuch, R

    2003-09-01

    Caldesmon immunoanalogues were detected in Amoeba proteus cell homogenates by the Western blot technique. Three immunoreactive bands were recognized by polyclonal antibodies against the whole molecule of chicken gizzard caldesmon as well as by a monoclonal antibody against its C-terminal domain: one major and two minor bands corresponding to proteins with apparent molecular masses of 150, 69, and 60 kDa. The presence of caldesmon-like protein(s) in amoebae was revealed as well in single cells after their fixation, staining with the same antibodies, and recording their total fluorescence in a confocal laser scanning microscope. Proteins recognized by the antibodies bind to filamentous actin. This was established by a cosedimentation assay in cell homogenates and by colocalization of the caldesmon-related immunofluorescence with the fluorescence of filamentous actin stained with rhodamine-labelled phalloidin, demonstrated in optical sections of single cells in a confocal microscope. Caldesmon is colocalized with filamentous actin in the withdrawn cell regions where the cortical actomyosin network contracts and actin is depolymerized, in the frontal zone where actin is polymerized again and the cortical cytoskeleton is reconstructed, inside the nucleus and in the perinuclear cytoskeleton, and probably at the cell-to-substratum adhesion sites. The regulatory role of caldesmon in these functionally different regions of locomoting amoebae is discussed.

  11. Electron microscopic studies of mitosis in amebae. I. Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    ROTH, L E; OBETZ, S W; DANIELS, E W

    1960-09-01

    Individual organisms of Amoeba proteus have been fixed in buffered osmium tetroxide in either 0.9 per cent NaCl or 0.01 per cent CaCl(2), sectioned, and studied in the electron microscope in interphase and in several stages of mitosis. The helices typical of interphase nuclei do not coexist with condensed chromatin and thus either represent a DNA configuration unique to interphase or are not DNA at all. The membranes of the complex nuclear envelope are present in all stages observed but are discontinuous in metaphase. The inner, thick, honeycomb layer of the nuclear envelope disappears during prophase, reappearing after telophase when nuclear reconstruction is in progress. Nucleoli decrease in size and number during prophase and re-form during telophase in association with the chromatin network. In the early reconstruction nucleus, the nucleolar material forms into thin, sheet-like configurations which are closely associated with small amounts of chromatin and are closely applied to the inner, partially formed layer of the nuclear envelope. It is proposed that nucleolar material is implicated in the formation of the inner layer of the envelope and that there is a configuration of nucleolar material peculiar to this time. The plasmalemma is partially denuded of its fringe-like material during division.

  12. Total internal reflection holographic microscopy (TIRHM) for quantitative phase characterization of cell-substrate adhesion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ash, William Mason, III

    Total Internal Reflection Holographic Microscopy (TIRHM) combines near-field microscopy with digital holography to produce a new form of near-field phase microscopy. Using a prism in TIR as a near-field imager, the presence of microscopic organisms, cell-substrate interfaces, and adhesions, causes relative refractive index (RRI) and frustrated TIR (f-TIR) to modulate the object beam's evanescent wave phase front. Quantitative phase images of test specimens such as Amoeba proteus, Dictyostelium Discoideum and cells such as SKOV-3 ovarian cancer and 3T3 fibroblasts are produced without the need to introduce stains or fluorophores. The angular spectrum method of digital holography to compensate for tilt anamorphism due to the inclined TIR plane is also discussed. The results of this work conclusively demonstrate, for the first time, the integration of near-field microscopy with digital holography. The cellular images presented show a correlation between the physical extent of the Amoeba proteus plasma membrane and the adhesions that are quantitatively profiled by phase cross-sectioning of the holographic images obtained by digital holography. With its ability to quantitatively characterise cellular adhesion and motility, it is anticipated that TIRHM can be a tool for characterizing and combating cancer metastasis, as well as improving our understanding of morphogenesis and embryogenesis itself.

  13. C-terminal fragment of amebin promotes actin filament bundling, inhibits acto-myosin ATPase activity and is essential for amoeba migration.

    PubMed

    Jóźwiak, Jolanta; Rzhepetskyy, Yuriy; Sobczak, Magdalena; Kocik, Elżbieta; Skórzewski, Radosław; Kłopocka, Wanda; Rędowicz, Maria Jolanta

    2011-02-01

    Amebin [formerly termed as ApABP-FI; Sobczak et al. (2007) Biochem. Cell Biol. 85] is encoded in Amoeba proteus by two transcripts, 2672-nt and 1125-nt. A product of the shorter transcript (termed as C-amebin), comprising C-terminal 375 amino-acid-residue fragment of amebin, has been expressed and purified as the recombinant GST-fusion protein. GST-C-amebin bound both to monomeric and filamentous actin. The binding was Ca(2+)-independent and promoted filament bundling, as revealed with the transmission electron microscopy. GST-C-amebin significantly decreased MgATPase activity of rabbit skeletal muscle acto-S1. Removal with endoproteinase ArgC of a positively charged C-terminal region of GST-amebin containing KLASMWEQ sequence abolished actin-binding and bundling as well as the ATPase-inhibitory effect of C-amebin, indicating that this protein region was involved in the interaction with actin. Microinjection of amoebae with antibody against C-terminus of amebin significantly affected amoebae morphology, disturbed cell polarization and transport of cytoplasmic granules as well as blocked migration. These data indicate that amebin may be one of key regulators of the actin-cytoskeleton dynamics and actin-dependent motility in A. proteus. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Detection of Microbial Trypsin-Like Enzymes by Use of an Agar Gel

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-01-01

    Proteus vuloaris N 1’ I Staphylococcus aureus P ATCC 1 2598’ Strep tcoccus faeca/is P 539"’ Streptococ.:v mutans P NCTC 10 4 4 9 ’~ 67159 OMZ 176 - C-21...1- Streptococcus sanguis P, ATCC :0557 ATCC 105585 - 410 - Challis- Treponerna denricola N ATCC 3352W~ D39DP I’ IN39’ Ichelson 2~ 4 TRIRD 4 4 TD 2

  15. Intelligence Scotomas in Central and South America (The Proteus Monograph Series, Volume 1, Issue 4, March 2008)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-03-01

    amerIca 3 catastrophic event was resident inside the intelligence community , and there were individuals shouting warnings, which tragically fell on deaf...riots of an unprecedented scale broke out in Sao Paulo. These were initiated by the Primeiro Comando Capital or PCC, (in English, the First...reality showed that with urban guerilla tactics and sophisticated command and control, communications , logistics, and superior intelligence networks

  16. [Is bacteriological testing of bladder urine informative in acute obstructive pyelo- nephritis?

    PubMed

    Kogan, M I; Naboka, Yu L; Bedzhanyan, S K; Mitusova, E V; Gudima, I A; Morgun, P P; Vasileva, L I

    2017-07-01

    The problem of the etiology and pathogenesis of acute obstructive pyelonephritis (OOP) remains one of the challenging issues of modern urology. Etiological agents of pyelonephritis can be both gram-negative and gram-positive opportunistic bacteria mostly belonging to the normal flora in humans. The generally accepted diagnostic work-up involves a bacteriological testing of not pelvic urine, but of bladder urine collected by a transurethral catheter or midstream specimens of urine collected from the patients. The aim of our study was to compare the microbiota of bladder and pelvic urine in patients with OOP. The study comprised 72 sequentially selected patients (12 men and 60 women) with OOP associated with ureteral stones. Mean age of patients was 53.7+/-0.5 years. All patients underwent bacteriological examination of the bladder urine collected by a transurethral catheter and pelvic urine obtained after relieving stone-related ureteral obstruction. Urinary diversion was performed using j-j stent and PCN in 64 and 8 patients, respectively. Preoperative prophylactic antibiotics were administered routinely. Bacteriological testing of urine was carried out using an extended set (9-10) of culture media. Empirical antibiotic therapy was initiated only after the restoration of urine outflow from the kidney and continued for 5-6 days until the availability of bacteriological testing results. Levels of bacteriuria with Enterobacteria, gram-positive pathogens and NAB in two urine samples did not differ significantly (p>0.05). There was a wide range of bacteriuria from 101 to 106 CFU/ml of most microorganisms except @Proteus spp., S. aureus. In bladder urine, the rates of bacteriuria of more or equal 104 CFU/ml for E. coli, Klebsiella spp. and Proteus spp. were 90.9%, 72.7% and 100.0%, respectively. For the remaining microorganisms, predominant bacteriuria was less or equal 103 CFU/ml. In pelvic urine, the rates of bacteriuria of more or equal 104 CFU/ml for E. coli, Klebsiella spp. and Proteus spp. was 71.8%, 40.0% and 66.7%, respectively. Other uropathogens in the pelvic urine mainly had a bacterial count of less or equal 103 CFU/ml. Only the concentration of Corynebacterium spp. in the pelvic urine significantly (p=0.023) differed from that of the bladder urine. There were no significant differences between microbiota of bladder and pelvic urine depending on duration of OOP except higher rates of Corynebacterium spp. in the bladder urine.

  17. Results of the Simulation of the HTR-Proteus Core 4.2 Using PEBBED-COMBINE: FY10 Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hans Gougar

    2010-07-01

    ABSTRACT The Idaho National Laboratory’s deterministic neutronics analysis codes and methods were applied to the computation of the core multiplication factor of the HTR-Proteus pebble bed reactor critical facility. This report is a follow-on to INL/EXT-09-16620 in which the same calculation was performed but using earlier versions of the codes and less developed methods. In that report, results indicated that the cross sections generated using COMBINE-7.0 did not yield satisfactory estimates of keff. It was concluded in the report that the modeling of control rods was not satisfactory. In the past year, improvements to the homogenization capability in COMBINE havemore » enabled the explicit modeling of TRIS particles, pebbles, and heterogeneous core zones including control rod regions using a new multi-scale version of COMBINE in which the 1-dimensional discrete ordinate transport code ANISN has been integrated. The new COMBINE is shown to yield benchmark quality results for pebble unit cell models, the first step in preparing few-group diffusion parameters for core simulations. In this report, the full critical core is modeled once again but with cross sections generated using the capabilities and physics of the improved COMBINE code. The new PEBBED-COMBINE model enables the exact modeling of the pebbles and control rod region along with better approximation to structures in the reflector. Initial results for the core multiplication factor indicate significant improvement in the INL’s tools for modeling the neutronic properties of a pebble bed reactor. Errors on the order of 1.6-2.5% in keff are obtained; a significant improvement over the 5-6% error observed in the earlier This is acceptable for a code system and model in the early stages of development but still too high for a production code. Analysis of a simpler core model indicates an over-prediction of the flux in the low end of the thermal spectrum. Causes of this discrepancy are under investigation. New homogenization techniques and assumptions were used in this analysis and as such, they require further confirmation and validation. Further refinement and review of the complex Proteus core model are likely to reduce the errors even further.« less

  18. Holistic Integrative Analysis of International Change: A Commentary on Teaching Emergent Futures (Proteus Monograph Series. Volume 1, Issue 3)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-01-01

    especially by comparing the late nineteenth century holistic sociology tradition of Max Weber, Emile Durkheim , and others to the single disciplinary...this developmentally, as Max Weber, Emile Durkheim (1973), and others previously quoted, have said, and also emergently as societal paths, as Hayek...Art of War: Sun Tzu. Boston: Shambhala. Classics. Drucker, Peter. “Management’s New Paradigms.” Forbes. October 5th, 1998: 152-162. Durkheim , Emile

  19. Spatiotemporal Patterns Produced by Bacteria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shimada, Yuji; Nakahara, Akio; Matsushita, Mitsugu; Matsuyama, Tohey

    1995-06-01

    Spatiotemporal patterns formed by a bacterial colony of Proteus mirabilis on an agar plate were observed. About half or one hour after the colony spread over the entire surface of the agar medium in a petridish, various patterns including target and spiral patterns appeared. They are very similar to those seen in other dissipative systems, such as chemical oscillations and electrohydrodynamic convective systems. Microscopic observations revealed that the collective motion of bacterial cells is responsible for the formation of these spatiotemporal patterns.

  20. Pseudomonas aeruginosa gram-negative folliculitis.

    PubMed

    Leyden, J J; McGinley, K J; Mills, O H

    1979-10-01

    Three patients with sudden, unmanageable exacerbation of acne vulgaris were shown to have Gram-negative folliculitis due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In each patient, the source of the Pseudomonas proved to be an otitis externa infection. In contrast to previous cases of Gram-negative folliculitis due to Proteus, Escherichia coli, or Klebsiella, the anterior nares were not colonized. Treatment of the otitis externa and the Gram-negative folliculitis with acetic acid compresses and topical antibiotics led to prompt resolution without recurrence.

  1. Effects of Space Flight, Clinorotation, and Centrifugation on the Growth and Metabolism of Escherichia coli.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1999-07-28

    lag phase for Proteus vulgaris (Manko et al., 1987), E. coli, and B. subtilis (Kaceua and Todd, 1997) on orbit. However, due to a limited number of... limitations often precluded the collection of multiple bacterial counts at different times during the relatively short exponential growth phase. This...g, respectively. Because the 50 centriiiige held only 6 FPAs, the number of samples for each experiment was limited . To increase the «-value

  2. [Susceptibility to antimicrobial agents of 2,060 strains of different bacteria isolated in infectious processes in children].

    PubMed

    Filloy, L; Borjas, E; Sierra, A

    1981-01-01

    Susceptibility to antibiotics of 2060 strains of the following bacteria was studied: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella, Shigella, Proteus, Staphylococcus aureus that were isolated in 1978-79 from different infections in children hospitalized at the Hospital Infantil de Mexico. The antimicrobials submitted to the test of susceptibility were: ampicillin, amikacin, carbenicillin, cephalothin, cefoxitin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, kanamycin, neomycin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. Present results are compared with previous studies.

  3. Differential plating medium for quantitative detection of histamine-producing bacteria.

    PubMed Central

    Niven, C F; Jeffrey, M B; Corlett, D A

    1981-01-01

    A histidine-containing agar medium has been devised for quantitative detection of histamine-producing bacteria that are alleged to be associated with scombroid fish poisoning outbreaks. The responsible bacteria produce a marked pH change in the agar, with attendant color change of pH indicator adjacent to the colonies, thus facilitating their recognition. Proteus morganii and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the two most common histidine-decarboxylating species isolated from scombroid fish and mahi mahi. PMID:7013698

  4. In-vitro effect of edta-tris-lysozyme solutions on selected pathogenic bacteria.

    PubMed

    Wooley, R E; Blue, J L

    1975-02-01

    The in-vitro effect of EDTA-Tris-lysozyme solution on 16 pathogenic bacteria of medical or veterinary importance was determined. Marked decreases in bacterial count occurred with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Moraxella osloensis and Campylobacter fetus, and smaller decreses with Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella boydii, Aeromonas hydrophila, proteus mirabilis, Listeria monocytogenes and Erysipelothrix insidiosa. The test solution had no effect on Klebsiella ozaenae, Brucella canis, Cornynebacterium pyogenes, Coryne, renale, Streptococcus equi and staphylococcus aureus.

  5. Analysis of Anaerobic Blood Cultures in Burned Patients

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-01-01

    Serratia marsescens 12 (3.5) 25 (4.0) 11 1 (9.1) Streptococcus viridans group 10 (2.9) 12 (1.9) 5 1 (20.0) Proteus mirabilis 7 (2.0) 7 (1.1) 4 1 (25.0...Streptococcus group D 7 (2.0) 7 (1.1) 2 1 (50.0) Enterococcus spp. 6 (1.7) 15 (2.4) 8 2 (25.0) Bacillus sp . (not anthracis) 6 (1.7) 6 (1.0) 4 2 (50.0

  6. The role of Gardnerella vaginalis in nonspecific vaginitis in intra uterine contraceptive device users.

    PubMed

    Gupta, B K; Kumar, R; Sofat, R; Khurana, S; Deepinder

    1998-01-01

    Two Hundred Forty patients who had Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) and manifested of nonspecific vaginitis were investigated for the presence of G. vaginalis. Pure growth of this organism was obtained in 14(5.8%) cases while 116(48.3%) cases showed this organism in association with other organisms e.g. Esch. coli (11.7%), Klebsiella (9.2%), Candida (9.2%), Strept. faecalis (7.3%), Proteus species (5.8%) and Staph. albus (5%).

  7. A novel biosorbent for dye removal: extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) of Proteus mirabilis TJ-1.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Zhiqiang; Xia, Siqing; Wang, Xuejiang; Yang, Aming; Xu, Bin; Chen, Ling; Zhu, Zhiliang; Zhao, Jianfu; Jaffrezic-Renault, Nicole; Leonard, Didier

    2009-04-15

    This paper deals with the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) of Proteus mirabilis TJ-1 used as a novel biosorbent to remove dye from aqueous solution in batch systems. As a widely used and hazardous dye, basic blue 54 (BB54) was chosen as the model dye to examine the adsorption performance of the EPS. The effects of pH, initial dye concentration, contact time and temperature on the sorption of BB54 to the EPS were examined. At various initial dye concentrations (50-400 mg/L), the batch sorption equilibrium can be obtained in only 5 min. Kinetic studies suggested that the sorption followed the internal transport mechanism. According to the Langmuir model, the maximum BB54 uptake of 2.005 g/g was obtained. Chemical analysis of the EPS indicated the presence of protein (30.9%, w/w) and acid polysaccharide (63.1%, w/w). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the EPS with a crystal-linear structure was whole enwrapped by adsorbed dye molecules. FTIR spectrum result revealed the presence of adsorbing groups such as carboxyl, hydroxyl and amino groups in the EPS. High-molecular weight of the EPS with more binding-sites and stronger van der Waals forces together with its specific construct leads to the excellent performance of dye adsorption. The EPS shows potential board application as a biosorbent for both environmental protection and dye recovery.

  8. In vitro susceptibility of gram-negative bacterial isolates to chlorhexidine gluconate.

    PubMed

    Mengistu, Y; Erge, W; Bellete, B

    1999-05-01

    To investigate the susceptibility of clinical isolates of gram-negative bacteria to chlorhexidine gluconate. Prospective laboratory study. Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Clinical specimens from 443 hospital patients. Significant number of gram negative bacteria were not inhibited by chlorhexidine gluconate (0.02-0.05%) used for antisepsis. Four hundred and forty three strains of gram-negative bacteria were isolated from Tikur Anbessa Hospital patients. Escherichia coli (31.6%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (23%) were the most frequently isolated bacteria followed by Proteus species (13.3%), Pseudomonas species (9.2%), and Citrobacter species (6.1%). Each organism was tested to chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.0001% to 1%w/v. All Salmonella species and E. coli were inhibited by CHG, MIC < or = 0.01%. Twenty nine per cent of Acinetobacter, 28% of K. pneumoniae and Enterobacter species and 19-25% of Pseudomonas, Proteus and Providencia species were only inhibited at high concentrations of CHG (> or = 0.1%). Our results showed that a significant number of the gram-negative bacterial isolates were not inhibited by CHG at the concentration used for disinfection of wounds or instruments (MIC 0.02-0.05% w/v). It is therefore important to select appropriate concentration of this disinfectant and rationally use it for disinfection and hospital hygiene. Continuing follow up and surveillance is also needed to detect resistant bacteria to chlorhexidine or other disinfectants in time.

  9. Conservation of an ATP-binding domain among recA proteins from Proteus vulgaris, erwinia carotovora, Shigella flexneri, and Escherichia coli K-12 and B/r

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Knight, K.L.; Hess, R.M.; McEntee, K.

    1988-06-01

    The purified RecA proteins encoded by the cloned genes from Proteus vulgaris, Erwinia carotovora, Shigella flexneri, and Escherichia coli B/r were compared with the RecA protein from E. coli K-12. Each of the proteins hydrolyzed ATP in the presence of single-stranded DNA, and each was covalently modified with the photoaffinity ATP analog 8-azidoadenosine 5'-triphosphate (8N/sub 3/ATP). Two-dimensional tryptic maps of the four heterologous RecA proteins demonstrated considerable structural conservation among these bacterial genera. Moreover, when the (..cap alpha..-/sup 32/P)8N/sub 3/ATP-modified proteins were digested with trypsin and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, a single peak of radioactivity was detected in eachmore » of the digests and these peptides eluted identically with the tryptic peptide T/sub 31/ of the E. coli K-12 RecA protein, which was the unique site of 8N/sub 3/ATP photolabeling. Each of the heterologous recA genes hybridized to oligonucleotide probes derived from the ATP-binding domain sequence of the E. coli K-12 gene. These last results demonstrate that the ATP-binding domain of the RecA protein has been strongly conserved for greater than 10/sup 7/ years.« less

  10. Dissemination of a Multidrug-Resistant VIM-1- and CMY-99-Producing Proteus mirabilis Clone in Bulgaria.

    PubMed

    Markovska, Rumyana; Schneider, Ines; Keuleyan, Emma; Ivanova, Dobrinka; Lesseva, Magdalena; Stoeva, Temenuga; Sredkova, Mariya; Bauernfeind, Adolf; Mitov, Ivan

    2017-04-01

    The aim of this study was to analyze the beta-lactamases and the molecular epidemiology of 19 clinically significant isolates of Proteus mirabilis with decreased susceptibility to imipenem, which have been collected from seven hospitals, located in different Bulgarian towns (Sofia, Varna, and Pleven). The isolates were obtained from blood, urine, tracheal and wound specimens. One additional isolate from hospital environment was included. Susceptibility testing, conjugation experiments, and plasmid replicon typing were carried out. Beta-lactamases were characterized by isoelectric focusing, PCR, and sequencing. Clonal relatedness was investigated by RAPD and PFGE. Integron mapping was performed by PCR and sequencing. All isolates showed a multidrug-resistance profile, but remained susceptible to piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime, meropenem, and fosfomycin. They produced identical beta-lactamases, namely: TEM-1, VIM-1, and CMY-99. PCR mapping revealed that the bla VIM-1 gene was part of a class 1 integron that additionally included the aac(6')-I, dhfrA1, and ant(3″)-Ia genes. In addition, 17 of the isolates carried the armA gene. Conjugation experiments and plasmid replicon typing were unsuccessful. The isolates were clonally related according to RAPD and PFGE typing. This study reveals the nationwide distribution of a multidrug-resistant P. mirabilis clone producing VIM-1 and CMY-99 along with the presence of different aminoglycoside resistance mechanisms.

  11. Proteobactin and a yersiniabactin-related siderophore mediate iron acquisition in Proteus mirabilis

    PubMed Central

    Himpsl, Stephanie D.; Pearson, Melanie M.; Arewång, Carl J.; Nusca, Tyler D.; Sherman, David H.; Mobley, Harry L. T.

    2010-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis causes complicated urinary tract infections (UTI). While the urinary tract is an iron-limiting environment, iron acquisition remains poorly characterized for this uropathogen. Microarray analysis of P. mirabilis HI4320 cultured under iron limitation identified 45 significantly up-regulated genes (P ≤ 0.05) that represent 21 putative iron-regulated systems. Two gene clusters, PMI0229-0239 and PMI2596–2605, encode putative siderophore systems. PMI0229-0239 encodes a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS)-independent siderophore (NIS) system for producing a novel siderophore, proteobactin. PMI2596-2605 are contained within the high-pathogenicity island, originally described in Yersinia pestis, and encodes proteins with apparent homology and organization to those involved in yersiniabactin production and uptake. Cross-feeding and biochemical analysis shows that P. mirabilis is unable to utilize or produce yersiniabactin, suggesting that this yersiniabactin-related locus is functionally distinct. Only disruption of both systems resulted in an in vitro iron-chelating defect; demonstrating production and iron-chelating activity for both siderophores. These findings clearly show that proteobactin and the yersiniabactin-related siderophore function as iron acquisition systems. Despite the activity of both siderophores, only mutants lacking the yersiniabactin-related siderophore reduce fitness in vivo. The fitness requirement for the yersiniabactin-related siderophore during UTI shows, for the first time, the importance of siderophore production in vivo for P. mirabilis. PMID:20923418

  12. Does the valve regulated release of urine from the bladder decrease encrustation and blockage of indwelling catheters by crystalline proteus mirabilis biofilms?

    PubMed

    Sabbuba, N A; Stickler, D J; Long, M J; Dong, Z; Short, T D; Feneley, R J C

    2005-01-01

    We tested whether valve regulated, intermittent flow of urine from catheterized bladders decreases catheter encrustation. Laboratory models of the catheterized bladder were infected with Proteus mirabilis. Urine was allowed to drain continuously through the catheters or regulated by valves to drain intermittently at predetermined intervals. The time that catheters required to become blocked was recorded and encrustation was visualized by scanning electron microscopy. When a manual valve was used to drain urine from the bladder at 2-hour intervals 4 times during the day, catheters required significantly longer to become blocked than those on continuous drainage (mean 62.6 vs 35.9 hours, p = 0.039). A similar 1.7-fold increase occurred when urine was drained at 4-hour intervals 3 times daily. Experiments with an automatic valve in which urine was released at 2 or 4-hour intervals through the day and night also showed a significant increase in mean time to blockage compared with continuous drainage (p = 0.001). Scanning electron microscopy confirmed that crystalline biofilm was less extensive on valve regulated catheters. Valve regulated, intermittent flow of urine through catheters increases the time that catheters require to become blocked with crystalline biofilm. The most beneficial effect was recorded when urine was released from the bladder at 4-hour intervals throughout the day and night by an automatic valve.

  13. Recovery and screening for antibiotic susceptibility of potential bacterial pathogens from the oral cavity of shark species involved in attacks on humans in Recife, Brazil.

    PubMed

    Interaminense, J A; Nascimento, D C O; Ventura, R F; Batista, J E C; Souza, M M C; Hazin, F H V; Pontes-Filho, N T; Lima-Filho, J V

    2010-08-01

    The number of incidents involving sharks and humans at beaches in Recife, on the north-eastern Brazilian coast, is among the highest worldwide. In addition, wound infections in survivors are common; but the nature and risk of the aetiological agents is unknown. In the present study, 81 potential bacterial pathogens were identified in the oral cavity of sharks involved in attacks in Recife, and were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility tests using the standardized disc-diffusion method. The majority were enterobacteria such as Enterobacter spp., Citrobacter spp., Proteus spp., Providencia alcalifaciens, Escherichia coli, Moellerella wisconcensis and Leclercia adecarboxylata. Other Gram-negative bacteria included Vibrio spp., Burkholderia cepacia, Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas spp. In addition, coagulase-positive and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp., Enterococcus spp. and Micrococcus spp. were identified, besides Streptococcus spp. from the viridans group. Resistance was especially found in the Proteus mirabilis and Citrobacter freundii, and ranged from 4 to 6 antibiotics out of the 13 tested. Gentamicin and vancomycin were the most effective against Gram-positive cocci strains, whereas levofloxacin was fully inhibitory against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. These data are discussed in light of a retrospective evaluation of the medical records of three shark victims treated at Restauração Hospital in Recife.

  14. Theory of periodic swarming of bacteria: Application to Proteus mirabilis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Czirók, A.; Matsushita, M.; Vicsek, T.

    2001-03-01

    The periodic swarming of bacteria is one of the simplest examples for pattern formation produced by the self-organized collective behavior of a large number of organisms. In the spectacular colonies of Proteus mirabilis (the most common species exhibiting this type of growth), a series of concentric rings are developed as the bacteria multiply and swarm following a scenario that periodically repeats itself. We have developed a theoretical description for this process in order to obtain a deeper insight into some of the typical processes governing the phenomena in systems of many interacting living units. Our approach is based on simple assumptions directly related to the latest experimental observations on colony formation under various conditions. The corresponding one-dimensional model consists of two coupled differential equations investigated here both by numerical integrations and by analyzing the various expressions obtained from these equations using a few natural assumptions about the parameters of the model. We determine the phase diagram corresponding to systems exhibiting periodic swarming, and discuss in detail how the various stages of the colony development can be interpreted in our framework. We point out that all of our theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the complete set of available observations. Thus the present study represents one of the few examples where self-organized biological pattern formation is understood within a relatively simple theoretical approach, leading to results and predictions fully compatible with experiments.

  15. Inhibition of crystallization caused by Proteus mirabilis during the development of infectious urolithiasis by various phenolic substances.

    PubMed

    Torzewska, Agnieszka; Rozalski, Antoni

    2014-01-01

    Infectious urolithiasis is a consequence of persistent urinary tract infections caused by urease producing bacteria e.g. Proteus mirabilis. These stones are composed of struvite and carbonate apatite. Their rapid growth and high recurrence indicate that so far appropriate methods of treatment have not been found. In the present study, the inhibitory effect of phenolic compounds was investigated in vitro against formation of struvite/apatite crystals. The impact of these substances with different chemical structures on crystallization caused by clinical isolates of P. mirabilis was tested spectrophotometrically using a microdilution method. Among the 11 tested compounds resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, peralgonidin, vanillic and coffee acids at the concentrations 250-1000 μg/ml inhibited P. mirabilis urease activity and crystallization. However, only vanillic acid had such an effect on all tested strains of P. mirabilis. Therefore, using an in vitro model, bacterial growth, crystallization, urease activity and pH were examined for 24h in synthetic urine with vanillic acid. Effect of vanillic acid was compared with that of other known struvite/apatite crystallization inhibitors (acetohydroxamic acid, pyrophosphate) and it was shown that vanillic acid strongly inhibited bacterial growth and the formation of crystals. It can be assumed that this compound, after further studies, can be used in the treatment or prophylaxis of infectious urolithiasis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  16. Putrescine importer PlaP contributes to swarming motility and urothelial cell invasion in Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Kurihara, Shin; Sakai, Yumi; Suzuki, Hideyuki; Muth, Aaron; Phanstiel, Otto; Rather, Philip N

    2013-05-31

    Previously, we reported that the speA gene, encoding arginine decarboxylase, is required for swarming in the urinary tract pathogen Proteus mirabilis. In addition, this previous study suggested that putrescine may act as a cell-to-cell signaling molecule (Sturgill, G., and Rather, P. N. (2004) Mol. Microbiol. 51, 437-446). In this new study, PlaP, a putative putrescine importer, was characterized in P. mirabilis. In a wild-type background, a plaP null mutation resulted in a modest swarming defect and slightly decreased levels of intracellular putrescine. In a P. mirabilis speA mutant with greatly reduced levels of intracellular putrescine, plaP was required for the putrescine-dependent rescue of swarming motility. When a speA/plaP double mutant was grown in the presence of extracellular putrescine, the intracellular levels of putrescine were greatly reduced compared with the speA mutant alone, indicating that PlaP functioned as the primary putrescine importer. In urothelial cell invasion assays, a speA mutant exhibited a 50% reduction in invasion when compared with wild type, and this defect could be restored by putrescine in a PlaP-dependent manner. The putrescine analog Triamide-44 partially inhibited the uptake of putrescine by PlaP and decreased both putrescine stimulated swarming and urothelial cell invasion in a speA mutant.

  17. Characterization of Proteus vulgaris K80 lipase immobilized on amine-terminated magnetic microparticles.

    PubMed

    Natalia, Agnes; Kristiani, Lidya; Kim, Hyung Kwoun

    2014-10-01

    Proteus vulgaris K80 lipase was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells and immobilized on amine-terminated magnetic microparticles (Mag-MPs). The immobilization yield and activity retention were 84.15% and 7.87%, respectively. A homology model of lipase K80 was constructed using P. mirabilis lipase as the template. Many lysine residues were located on the protein surface, remote from active sites. The biochemical characteristics of immobilized lipase K80 were compared with the soluble free form of lipase K80. The optimum temperature of K80-Mag-MPs was 60°C, which was 20°C higher than that of the soluble form. K80-Mag-MPs also tended to be more stable than the soluble form at elevated temperatures and a broad range of pH. K80-Mag-MP maintained its stable form at up to 40°C and in a pH range of 5.0- 10.0, whereas soluble K80 maintained its activity up to 35°C and pH 6.0-10.0. K80-Mag-MPs had broader substrate specificity compared with that of soluble K80. K80-Mag-MPs showed about 80% residual relative activity after five recovery trials. These results indicate the potential benefit of K80-Mag-MPs as a biocatalyst in various industries.

  18. Environmental scanning electron microscopy analysis of Proteus mirabilis biofilms grown on chitin and stainless steel.

    PubMed

    Fernández-Delgado, Milagro; Duque, Zoilabet; Rojas, Héctor; Suárez, Paula; Contreras, Monica; García-Amado, María A; Alciaturi, Carlos

    Proteus mirabilis is a human pathogen able to form biofilms on the surface of urinary catheters. Little is known about P. mirabilis biofilms on natural or industrial surfaces and the potential consequences for these settings. The main aim of this work was to assess and compare the adhesion and biofilm formation of P. mirabilis strains from different origins on chitin and stainless steel surfaces within 4 to 96 h. Using environmental scanning electron microscopy, the biofilms of a clinical strain grown on chitin at 4 h showed greater adhesion, aggregation, thickness, and extracellular matrix production than those grown on stainless steel, whereas biofilms of an environmental strain had less aggregation on both surfaces. Biofilms of both P. mirabilis strains developed different structures on chitin, such as pillars, mushrooms, channels, and crystalline-like precipitates between 24 and 96 h, in contrast with flat-layer biofilms produced on stainless steel. Significant differences ( p  < 0.05) were found in the frequency of pillars and channels. Images of transmission electron microscopy demonstrated abundant fimbriae in 100 % of cells from both strains, which could be related to surface adherence and biofilm formation. This represents the first study of P. mirabilis showing adhesion, biofilm formation, and development of different structures on surfaces found outside the human host.

  19. Chemical compositions and antibacterial activities of the essential oils from aerial parts and corollas of Origanum acutidens (Hand.-Mazz.) Ietswaart, an endemic species to Turkey.

    PubMed

    Cosge, Belgin; Turker, Arzu; Ipek, Arif; Gurbuz, Bilal

    2009-04-30

    Essential oils extracted by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts and corollas of Origanum acutidens (Hand.-Mazz.) Ietswaart, an endemic Turkish flora species, were analyzed by GC-MS. The amounts of essential oil obtained from the aerial parts and the corollas were 0.73% and 0.93%, respectively. Twenty-five components in both the aerial parts oil and the corolla oil, representing 95.11% and 93.88%, respectively, were identified. The aerial parts and corolla oils were characterized by the predominance of two components: p-cymene (9.43% and 17.51%) and carvacrol (67.51% and 52.33%), respectively. The essential oils were also evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against ten bacteria by the disc diffusion assay. Our findings showed the following order in the sensitivity to the essential oils, as indicated by the corresponding inhibition zones: Proteus vulgaris > Salmonella typhimurium > Enterobacter cloacae > Klebsiella pneumonia > Escherichia coli > Serratia marcescens > Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the aerial parts essential oil, and Salmonella typhimurium > Proteus vulgaris > Enterobacter cloacae > Escherichia coli > Klebsiella pneumoniae > Serratia marcescens > Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the corolla essential oil. The studied essential oils thus exhibited a broad-spectrum of activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, whereas the tested Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible to the essential oil samples.

  20. Imaging properties of pixellated scintillators with deep pixels

    PubMed Central

    Barber, H. Bradford; Fastje, David; Lemieux, Daniel; Grim, Gary P.; Furenlid, Lars R.; Miller, Brian W.; Parkhurst, Philip; Nagarkar, Vivek V.

    2015-01-01

    We have investigated the light-transport properties of scintillator arrays with long, thin pixels (deep pixels) for use in high-energy gamma-ray imaging. We compared 10×10 pixel arrays of YSO:Ce, LYSO:Ce and BGO (1mm × 1mm × 20 mm pixels) made by Proteus, Inc. with similar 10×10 arrays of LSO:Ce and BGO (1mm × 1mm × 15mm pixels) loaned to us by Saint-Gobain. The imaging and spectroscopic behaviors of these scintillator arrays are strongly affected by the choice of a reflector used as an inter-pixel spacer (3M ESR in the case of the Proteus arrays and white, diffuse-reflector for the Saint-Gobain arrays). We have constructed a 3700-pixel LYSO:Ce Prototype NIF Gamma-Ray Imager for use in diagnosing target compression in inertial confinement fusion. This system was tested at the OMEGA Laser and exhibited significant optical, inter-pixel cross-talk that was traced to the use of a single-layer of ESR film as an inter-pixel spacer. We show how the optical cross-talk can be mapped, and discuss correction procedures. We demonstrate a 10×10 YSO:Ce array as part of an iQID (formerly BazookaSPECT) imager and discuss issues related to the internal activity of 176Lu in LSO:Ce and LYSO:Ce detectors. PMID:26236070

  1. Benchmark Evaluation of HTR-PROTEUS Pebble Bed Experimental Program

    DOE PAGES

    Bess, John D.; Montierth, Leland; Köberl, Oliver; ...

    2014-10-09

    Benchmark models were developed to evaluate 11 critical core configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS pebble bed experimental program. Various additional reactor physics measurements were performed as part of this program; currently only a total of 37 absorber rod worth measurements have been evaluated as acceptable benchmark experiments for Cores 4, 9, and 10. Dominant uncertainties in the experimental keff for all core configurations come from uncertainties in the ²³⁵U enrichment of the fuel, impurities in the moderator pebbles, and the density and impurity content of the radial reflector. Calculations of k eff with MCNP5 and ENDF/B-VII.0 neutron nuclear data aremore » greater than the benchmark values but within 1% and also within the 3σ uncertainty, except for Core 4, which is the only randomly packed pebble configuration. Repeated calculations of k eff with MCNP6.1 and ENDF/B-VII.1 are lower than the benchmark values and within 1% (~3σ) except for Cores 5 and 9, which calculate lower than the benchmark eigenvalues within 4σ. The primary difference between the two nuclear data libraries is the adjustment of the absorption cross section of graphite. Simulations of the absorber rod worth measurements are within 3σ of the benchmark experiment values. The complete benchmark evaluation details are available in the 2014 edition of the International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments.« less

  2. Flagellum Density Regulates Proteus mirabilis Swarmer Cell Motility in Viscous Environments

    PubMed Central

    Tuson, Hannah H.; Copeland, Matthew F.; Carey, Sonia; Sacotte, Ryan

    2013-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis is an opportunistic pathogen that is frequently associated with urinary tract infections. In the lab, P. mirabilis cells become long and multinucleate and increase their number of flagella as they colonize agar surfaces during swarming. Swarming has been implicated in pathogenesis; however, it is unclear how energetically costly changes in P. mirabilis cell morphology translate into an advantage for adapting to environmental changes. We investigated two morphological changes that occur during swarming—increases in cell length and flagellum density—and discovered that an increase in the surface density of flagella enabled cells to translate rapidly through fluids of increasing viscosity; in contrast, cell length had a small effect on motility. We found that swarm cells had a surface density of flagella that was ∼5 times larger than that of vegetative cells and were motile in fluids with a viscosity that inhibits vegetative cell motility. To test the relationship between flagellum density and velocity, we overexpressed FlhD4C2, the master regulator of the flagellar operon, in vegetative cells of P. mirabilis and found that increased flagellum density produced an increase in cell velocity. Our results establish a relationship between P. mirabilis flagellum density and cell motility in viscous environments that may be relevant to its adaptation during the infection of mammalian urinary tracts and movement in contact with indwelling catheters. PMID:23144253

  3. Increased Incidence of Urolithiasis and Bacteremia During Proteus mirabilis and Providencia stuartii Coinfection Due to Synergistic Induction of Urease Activity

    PubMed Central

    Armbruster, Chelsie E.; Smith, Sara N.; Yep, Alejandra; Mobley, Harry L. T.

    2014-01-01

    Background. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CaUTIs) are the most common hospital-acquired infections worldwide and are frequently polymicrobial. The urease-positive species Proteus mirabilis and Providencia stuartii are two of the leading causes of CaUTIs and commonly co-colonize catheters. These species can also cause urolithiasis and bacteremia. However, the impact of coinfection on these complications has never been addressed experimentally. Methods. A mouse model of ascending UTI was utilized to determine the impact of coinfection on colonization, urolithiasis, and bacteremia. Mice were infected with P. mirabilis or a urease mutant, P. stuartii, or a combination of these organisms. In vitro experiments were conducted to assess growth dynamics and impact of co-culture on urease activity. Results. Coinfection resulted in a bacterial load similar to monospecies infection but with increased incidence of urolithiasis and bacteremia. These complications were urease-dependent as they were not observed during coinfection with a P. mirabilis urease mutant. Furthermore, total urease activity was increased during co-culture. Conclusions. We conclude that P. mirabilis and P. stuartii coinfection promotes urolithiasis and bacteremia in a urease-dependent manner, at least in part through synergistic induction of urease activity. These data provide a possible explanation for the high incidence of bacteremia resulting from polymicrobial CaUTI. PMID:24280366

  4. Imaging properties of pixellated scintillators with deep pixels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barber, H. Bradford; Fastje, David; Lemieux, Daniel; Grim, Gary P.; Furenlid, Lars R.; Miller, Brian W.; Parkhurst, Philip; Nagarkar, Vivek V.

    2014-09-01

    We have investigated the light-transport properties of scintillator arrays with long, thin pixels (deep pixels) for use in high-energy gamma-ray imaging. We compared 10x10 pixel arrays of YSO:Ce, LYSO:Ce and BGO (1mm x 1mm x 20 mm pixels) made by Proteus, Inc. with similar 10x10 arrays of LSO:Ce and BGO (1mm x 1mm x 15mm pixels) loaned to us by Saint-Gobain. The imaging and spectroscopic behaviors of these scintillator arrays are strongly affected by the choice of a reflector used as an inter-pixel spacer (3M ESR in the case of the Proteus arrays and white, diffuse-reflector for the Saint-Gobain arrays). We have constructed a 3700-pixel LYSO:Ce Prototype NIF Gamma-Ray Imager for use in diagnosing target compression in inertial confinement fusion. This system was tested at the OMEGA Laser and exhibited significant optical, inter-pixel cross-talk that was traced to the use of a single-layer of ESR film as an inter-pixel spacer. We show how the optical cross-talk can be mapped, and discuss correction procedures. We demonstrate a 10x10 YSO:Ce array as part of an iQID (formerly BazookaSPECT) imager and discuss issues related to the internal activity of 176Lu in LSO:Ce and LYSO:Ce detectors.

  5. Isolation and Characterization of a Lytic Bacteriophage (vB_PmiS-TH) and Its Application in Combination with Ampicillin against Planktonic and Biofilm Forms of Proteus mirabilis Isolated from Urinary Tract Infection.

    PubMed

    Yazdi, Mahsa; Bouzari, Majid; Ghaemi, Ezzat Allah

    2018-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis is one of the most common causes of urinary tract infection (UTI), particularly in patients undergoing long-term catheterization. Phage vB_PmiS-TH was isolated from wastewater with high lytic activity against P. mirabilis (TH) isolated from UTI. The phage had rapid adsorption, a large burst size (∼260 PFU per infected cell), and high stability at a wide range of temperatures and pH values. As analyzed by transmission electron microscopy, phage vB_PmiS-TH had an icosahedral head of ∼87 × 62 nm with a noncontractile tail about 137 nm in length and 11 nm in width. It belongs to the family Siphoviridae. Combination of the phage vB_PmiS-TH with ampicillin had a higher removal activity against planktonic cells of P. mirabilis (TH) than the phage or the antibiotic alone. Combination of the phage at a multiplicity of infection of 100 with a high dose of ampicillin (246 µg/mL) showed the highest biofilm removal activity after 24 h. This study demonstrates that using a combination of phage and antibiotic could be significantly more effective against planktonic and biofilm forms of P. mirabilis (TH). © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  6. Initiation of Swarming Motility by Proteus mirabilis Occurs in Response to Specific Cues Present in Urine and Requires Excess l-Glutamine

    PubMed Central

    Armbruster, Chelsie E.; Hodges, Steven A.

    2013-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis, a leading cause of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CaUTI), differentiates into swarm cells that migrate across catheter surfaces and medium solidified with 1.5% agar. While many genes and nutrient requirements involved in the swarming process have been identified, few studies have addressed the signals that promote initiation of swarming following initial contact with a surface. In this study, we show that P. mirabilis CaUTI isolates initiate swarming in response to specific nutrients and environmental cues. Thirty-three compounds, including amino acids, polyamines, fatty acids, and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, were tested for the ability to promote swarming when added to normally nonpermissive media. l-Arginine, l-glutamine, dl-histidine, malate, and dl-ornithine promoted swarming on several types of media without enhancing swimming motility or growth rate. Testing of isogenic mutants revealed that swarming in response to the cues required putrescine biosynthesis and pathways involved in amino acid metabolism. Furthermore, excess glutamine was found to be a strict requirement for swarming on normal swarm agar in addition to being a swarming cue under normally nonpermissive conditions. We thus conclude that initiation of swarming occurs in response to specific cues and that manipulating concentrations of key nutrient cues can signal whether or not a particular environment is permissive for swarming. PMID:23316040

  7. Phyllanthus wightianus Müll. Arg.: A Potential Source for Natural Antimicrobial Agents

    PubMed Central

    Natarajan, D.; Srinivasan, R.; Shivakumar, M. S.

    2014-01-01

    Phyllanthus wightianus belongs to Euphorbiaceae family having ethnobotanical importance. The present study deals with validating the antimicrobial potential of solvent leaf extracts of P. wightianus. 11 human bacterial pathogens (Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, Proteus vulgaris, and Serratia marcescens) and 4 fungal pathogens (Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Mucor racemosus, and Aspergillus niger) were also challenged with solvent leaf extracts usingagar well and disc diffusion methods. Further, identification of the active component present in the bioactive extract was done using GC-MS analysis. Results show that all extracts exhibited broad spectrum (6–29 mm) of antibacterial activity on most of the tested organisms. The results highlight the fact that the well in agar method was more effective than disc diffusion method. Significant antimicrobial activity was detected in methanol extract against S. pneumoniae (29 mm) with MIC and MBC values of 15.62 μg/mL. GC-MS analysis revealed that 29 bioactive constituents were present in methanolic extract of P. wightianus, of which 9,12-octadecaenioic acid (peak area 22.82%; RT-23.97) and N-hexadecanoic acid (peak area 21.55% RT-21.796) are the major compounds. The findings of this study show that P. wightianus extracts may be used as an anti-infective agent in folklore medicine. PMID:24883301

  8. Virulence factors in Proteus bacteria from biofilm communities of catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

    PubMed

    Hola, Veronika; Peroutkova, Tereza; Ruzicka, Filip

    2012-07-01

    More than 40% of nosocomial infections are those of the urinary tract, most of these occurring in catheterized patients. Bacterial colonization of the urinary tract and catheters results not only in infection, but also various complications, such as blockage of catheters with crystalline deposits of bacterial origin, generation of gravels and pyelonephritis. The diversity of the biofilm microbial community increases with duration of catheter emplacement. One of the most important pathogens in this regard is Proteus mirabilis. The aims of this study were to identify and assess particular virulence factors present in catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) isolates, their correlation and linkages: three types of motility (swarming, swimming and twitching), the ability to swarm over urinary catheters, biofilm production in two types of media, urease production and adherence of bacterial cells to various types of urinary tract catheters. We examined 102 CAUTI isolates and 50 isolates taken from stool samples of healthy people. Among the microorganisms isolated from urinary catheters, significant differences were found in biofilm-forming ability and the swarming motility. In comparison with the control group, the microorganisms isolated from urinary catheters showed a wider spectrum of virulence factors. The virulence factors (twitching motility, swimming motility, swarming over various types of catheters and biofilm formation) were also more intensively expressed. © 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Evaluation of environmental scanning electron microscopy for analysis of Proteus mirabilis crystalline biofilms in situ on urinary catheters.

    PubMed

    Holling, Nina; Dedi, Cinzia; Jones, Caroline E; Hawthorne, Joseph A; Hanlon, Geoffrey W; Salvage, Jonathan P; Patel, Bhavik A; Barnes, Lara M; Jones, Brian V

    2014-06-01

    Proteus mirabilis is a common cause of catheter-associated urinary tract infections and frequently leads to blockage of catheters due to crystalline biofilm formation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has proven to be a valuable tool in the study of these unusual biofilms, but entails laborious sample preparation that can introduce artefacts, undermining the investigation of biofilm development. In contrast, environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) permits imaging of unprocessed, fully hydrated samples, which may provide much insight into the development of P. mirabilis biofilms. Here, we evaluate the utility of ESEM for the study of P. mirabilis crystalline biofilms in situ, on urinary catheters. In doing so, we compare this to commonly used conventional SEM approaches for sample preparation and imaging. Overall, ESEM provided excellent resolution of biofilms formed on urinary catheters and revealed structures not observed in standard SEM imaging or previously described in other studies of these biofilms. In addition, we show that energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) may be employed in conjunction with ESEM to provide information regarding the elemental composition of crystalline structures and demonstrate the potential for ESEM in combination with EDS to constitute a useful tool in exploring the mechanisms underpinning crystalline biofilm formation. © 2014 The Authors. FEMS Microbiology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Microbiological Societies.

  10. Modified insulator semiconductor electrode with functionalized nanoparticles for Proteus mirabilis bacteria biosensor development.

    PubMed

    Braham, Yosra; Barhoumi, Houcine; Maaref, Abderrazak; Bakhrouf, Amina; Jaffrezic-Renault, Nicole

    2013-12-01

    The development of enzymatic sensors for biological purposes such as biomedicine, pharmacy, food industry, and environmental toxicity requires the purification step of the enzyme. To prevent the loss of the enzyme activity, a new strategy is held in order to immobilize the bacteria. It will constitute the biological sensing element leading to a high operational stability and multiple adaptations to various conditions such as temperature, pH and ionic strength changes. In this work we describe the development of a urea biosensor by immobilizing Proteus mirabilis bacteria onto an insulator-semiconductor electrode on functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs), using cationic, Poly (allylamine hydrochloride) then anionic, Poly (sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) polyelectrolytes, BSA (serum bovin albumin), and glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking agent. The response of P. mirabilis to urea addition is evaluated in homogeneous and heterogeneous phases. Before the immobilization step, the activity of urease produced from the P. mirabilis bacteria was attempted using the ion ammonium selective electrodes (ISEs). Adhesion of the bacteria cells on IS electrodes have been studied using contact angle measurements. After immobilization of the bacteria, on the (Si/SiO2/Si3N4) and (Si/SiO2) substrates, the relationship between the evolution of the flat band potential ∆VFB and the urea concentration is found to be linear for values ranging from 10(-2)M to 10(-5)M. © 2013.

  11. Current studies on bacterospermia the leading cause of male infertility: a protégé and potential threat towards mans extinction.

    PubMed

    Isaiah, Ibeh Nnana; Nche, Bikwe Thomas; Nwagu, Ibeh Georgina; Nnanna, Ibeh Isaiah

    2011-12-01

    The current rise of male infertility associated with bacterospermia and urogenital infection has been on the increase amongst adult married males in Benin metropolis and a major cause of concern to male fertility and reproduction in Nigeria. To microbiologically isolate and study the infectious agent that has led to male infertility and also to study the percentage occurrence of bacteropsermia and urogenital caused infertility in adult married males in Benin metropolis using standard microbiological methods of isolating and identifying the organism, specimen was collected and processed which includes the susceptibility profile of isolates and sperm quality. In this study a total of 140 sperm samples was collected from patient who were referred from the consultant outpatient department of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital and then evaluated bacteriologically using standard bacterial cultural methods Among the total cases, 92 (65.7%) showed at least one pathogen. Staphylococcus aureus (28.3%), Staphylococcus Saprophyticus (13.0%), Pseudomonas aerouginosa (6.5%), Escherichia Coli (19.6%) Proteus mirabilis (10.8%) Klebsiella spp (10.8%) and Proteus vulgaris (10.8%). There was an outstanding significant relationship between bacteriospermia and the rate of total motility and morphologically abnormal sperms, The percentage of morphologically normal sperm was lower in this study. Staphylococcus aureus Staphylococcus saprohyticus and Escherichia coli were the most common pathogen having negative effects on sperm motility and morphology in this study.

  12. Using Near Space Vehicles in the Pursuit of Persistent C3ISR

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-06-01

    point are unmanned. Even so, this paper defines UAVs as aircraft. This section summarizes the Global Hawk, Theseus , Proteus, and Helios, which...reduced altitude and endurance.85 Theseus , built by Aurora Flight Sciences, is a moderately capable HALE. A traditional Honeywell TPE331-14F turboprop...propels the 7,900 lb aircraft up to 60,000 ft (just below near space). Theseus generates 6 kVa to power up to 1,800 lbs of sensors. Two

  13. An (almost) solvable model for bacterial pattern formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grammaticos, B.; Badoual, M.; Aubert, M.

    2007-10-01

    We present a simple model for the description of ring-like concentric structures in bacterial colonies. We model the differences between Bacillus subtilis and Proteus mirabilis colonies by using a different dependence of the duration of the consolidation phase on the concentration of agar. We compare our results to experimental data from these two bacterial species colonies and obtain a good agreement. Based on this analysis, we formulate a hypothesis on the connection of the diffusion constant that appears in the model to the experimental agar concentration.

  14. Detection of Potential Biochemical Indicators of Infection in the Burned Rat

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-09-20

    in th putative bioch mjcal indica tors of iufe tion were not limjted to P. aeruginosa inf ction. Proteu mirabili infection in burned rats aJ o...appear to be microorganism-specific in that they are found in rats infected with Proteus mirabllis as well as with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. One factor...material or 280/340 ftuorescent mat rial was a ociated with ith r P. aerugino " or P. mirabilis culture (Table VI I). Pseudomonas cultu re did exhibit

  15. FY15 Status Report on NEAMS Neutronics Activities

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, C. H.; Shemon, E. R.; Smith, M. A.

    2015-09-30

    This report summarizes the current status of NEAMS activities in FY2015. The tasks this year are (1) to improve solution methods for steady-state and transient conditions, (2) to develop features and user friendliness to increase the usability and applicability of the code, (3) to improve and verify the multigroup cross section generation scheme, (4) to perform verification and validation tests of the code using SFRs and thermal reactor cores, and (5) to support early users of PROTEUS and update the user manuals.

  16. Antimicrobial properties of the stem bark of Saraca indica (Caesalpiniaceae).

    PubMed

    Sainath, R Shilpakala; Prathiba, J; Malathi, R

    2009-01-01

    Chloroform, methanol, aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the stem bark of Saraca indica were investigated for their antibacterial and antifungal activity against standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella typhimurium and Streptococcus pneumoniae and the fungi: Candida albicans and Cryptococcus albidus. Methanolic and aqueous extract exhibited antimicrobial activity with MIC ranging from 0.5-2% and 1-3% respectively. Methanolic extract exhibited the strongest activity against both bacteria and fungi.

  17. Breast Cancer in Three Dimensions: Revealing Telomere Dysfunction in Breast Cancer

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-09-01

    suppressor PTEN and the glypican 3 (GPC3) gene in patients diagnosed with Proteus syndrome . Am J Med Genet, 1: 123-7, 2004. 101. Oros KK, Ghadirian...characterization of the spectrum of genomic deletions in the mismatch repair genes MSH2, MLH1, MSH6, and PMS2 responsible for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal...Distinct patterns of Germ-Line Deletions in MLH1 and MLH2 : the Implication of Alu Repetitive Element in the genetic etiology of Lynch Syndrome

  18. Surveillance of multidrug resistant uropathogenic bacteria in hospitalized patients in Indian

    PubMed Central

    Mishra, Monali Priyadarsini; Debata, Nagen Kumar; Padhy, Rabindra Nath

    2013-01-01

    Objective To record surveillance, antibiotic resistance of uropathogens of hospitalized patients over a period of 18 months. Methods Urine samples from wards and cabins were used for isolating urinary tract infection (UTI)-causing bacteria that were cultured on suitable selective media and identified by biochemical tests; and their antibiograms were ascertained by Kirby-Bauer's disc diffusion method, in each 6-month interval of the study period, using 18 antibiotics of five different classes. Results From wards and cabins, 1 245 samples were collected, from which 996 strains of bacteria belonging to 11 species were isolated, during April 2011 to September 2012. Two Gram-positive, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), and nine Gram-negative bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii, Citrobacter sp., Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated. Both S. aureus and E. faecalis were vancomycin resistant, and resistant-strains of all pathogens increased in each 6-month period of study. Particularly, all Gram-negatives were resistant to nitrofurantoin and co-trimoxazole, the most preferred antibiotics of empiric therapy for UTI. Conclusions Antibiograms of 11 UTI-causing bacteria recorded in this study indicated moderately higher numbers of strains resistant to each antibiotic studied, generating the fear of precipitating fervent episodes in public health particularly with bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and S. aureus. Moreover, vancomycin resistance in strains of S. aureus and E. faecalis is a matter of concern. PMID:23620859

  19. Pathogenesis of Proteus mirabilis Infection

    PubMed Central

    Armbruster, Chelsie E.; Mobley, Harry L. T.; Pearson, Melanie M.

    2017-01-01

    Proteus mirabilis, a Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium most noted for its swarming motility and urease activity, frequently causes catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) that are often polymicrobial. These infections may be accompanied by urolithiasis, development of bladder or kidney stones due to alkalinization of urine from urease-catalyzed urea hydrolysis. Adherence of the bacterium to epithelial and catheter surfaces is mediated by 17 different fimbriae, most notably MR/P fimbriae. Repressors of motility are often encoded by these fimbrial operons. Motility is mediated by flagella encoded on a single contiguous 54 kb chromosomal sequence. On agar plates, P. mirabilis undergoes a morphological conversion to a filamentous swarmer cell expressing hundreds of flagella. When swarms from different strains meet, a line of demarcation, a “Dienes line”, develops due to the killing action of each strain’s type VI secretion system. During infection, histological damage is caused by cytotoxins including hemolysin and a variety of proteases, some autotransported. The pathogenesis of infection, including assessment of individual genes or global screens for virulence or fitness factors has been assessed in murine models of ascending UTI or CAUTI using both single-species and polymicrobial models. Global gene expression studies carried out in culture and in the murine model have revealed the unique metabolism of this bacterium. Vaccines, using MR/P fimbria and its adhesin, MrpH, have been shown to be efficacious in the murine model. A comprehensive review of factors associated with urinary tract infection is presented, encompassing both historical perspectives and current advances. PMID:29424333

  20. Preventive and therapeutic administration of an indigenous Lactobacillus sp. strain against Proteus mirabilis ascending urinary tract infection in a mouse model.

    PubMed

    Fraga, Martín; Scavone, Paola; Zunino, Pablo

    2005-07-01

    Probiotics are increasingly being considered as non-pharmaceutical and safe potential alternatives for the treatment and prevention of a variety of pathologies including urinary tract infections. These are the most common infections in medical practice and are frequently treated with antibiotics, which have generated an intense selective pressure over bacterial populations. Proteus mirabilis is a common cause of urinary tract infections in catheterised patients and people with abnormalities of the urinary tract. In this work we isolated, identified and characterised an indigenous Lactobacillus murinus strain (LbO2) from the vaginal tract of a female mouse. In vitro characterisation of LbO2 included acid and bile salts tolerance, growth in urine, adherence to uroepithelial cells and in vitro antimicrobial activity. The selected strain showed interesting properties, suitable for its use as a probiotic. The ability of LbO2 to prevent and even treat ascending P. mirabilis urinary tract infection was assessed using an experimental model in the mouse. Kidney and bladder P. mirabilis counts were significantly lower in mice preventively treated with the probiotic than in non-treated mice. When LbO2 was used for therapeutic treatment, bladder counts of treated mice were significantly lower although no significant differences were detected in P. mirabilis kidney colonisation of treated and non-treated animals. These results are encouraging and prompt further research related to probiotic strains and the basis of their effects for their use in human and animal health.

  1. Crystal Structure of the Dithiol Oxidase DsbA Enzyme from Proteus Mirabilis Bound Non-covalently to an Active Site Peptide Ligand

    PubMed Central

    Kurth, Fabian; Duprez, Wilko; Premkumar, Lakshmanane; Schembri, Mark A.; Fairlie, David P.; Martin, Jennifer L.

    2014-01-01

    The disulfide bond forming DsbA enzymes and their DsbB interaction partners are attractive targets for development of antivirulence drugs because both are essential for virulence factor assembly in Gram-negative pathogens. Here we characterize PmDsbA from Proteus mirabilis, a bacterial pathogen increasingly associated with multidrug resistance. PmDsbA exhibits the characteristic properties of a DsbA, including an oxidizing potential, destabilizing disulfide, acidic active site cysteine, and dithiol oxidase catalytic activity. We evaluated a peptide, PWATCDS, derived from the partner protein DsbB and showed by thermal shift and isothermal titration calorimetry that it binds to PmDsbA. The crystal structures of PmDsbA, and the active site variant PmDsbAC30S were determined to high resolution. Analysis of these structures allows categorization of PmDsbA into the DsbA class exemplified by the archetypal Escherichia coli DsbA enzyme. We also present a crystal structure of PmDsbAC30S in complex with the peptide PWATCDS. The structure shows that the peptide binds non-covalently to the active site CXXC motif, the cis-Pro loop, and the hydrophobic groove adjacent to the active site of the enzyme. This high-resolution structural data provides a critical advance for future structure-based design of non-covalent peptidomimetic inhibitors. Such inhibitors would represent an entirely new antibacterial class that work by switching off the DSB virulence assembly machinery. PMID:24831013

  2. Transcriptional Analysis of the MrpJ Network: Modulation of Diverse Virulence-Associated Genes and Direct Regulation of mrp Fimbrial and flhDC Flagellar Operons in Proteus mirabilis

    PubMed Central

    Bode, Nadine J.; Debnath, Irina; Kuan, Lisa; Schulfer, Anjelique; Ty, Maureen

    2015-01-01

    The enteric bacterium Proteus mirabilis is associated with a significant number of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (UTIs). Strict regulation of the antagonistic processes of adhesion and motility, mediated by fimbriae and flagella, respectively, is essential for disease progression. Previously, the transcriptional regulator MrpJ, which is encoded by the mrp fimbrial operon, has been shown to repress both swimming and swarming motility. Here we show that MrpJ affects an array of cellular processes beyond adherence and motility. Microarray analysis found that expression of mrpJ mimicking levels observed during UTIs leads to differential expression of 217 genes related to, among other functions, bacterial virulence, type VI secretion, and metabolism. We probed the molecular mechanism of transcriptional regulation by MrpJ using transcriptional reporters and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Binding of MrpJ to two virulence-associated target gene promoters, the promoters of the flagellar master regulator flhDC and mrp itself, appears to be affected by the condensation state of the native chromosome, although both targets share a direct MrpJ binding site proximal to the transcriptional start. Furthermore, an mrpJ deletion mutant colonized the bladders of mice at significantly lower levels in a transurethral model of infection. Additionally, we observed that mrpJ is widely conserved in a collection of recent clinical isolates. Altogether, these findings support a role of MrpJ as a global regulator of P. mirabilis virulence. PMID:25847961

  3. Biofilm Formation and Immunomodulatory Activity of Proteus mirabilis Clinically Isolated Strains.

    PubMed

    Fusco, Alessandra; Coretti, Lorena; Savio, Vittoria; Buommino, Elisabetta; Lembo, Francesca; Donnarumma, Giovanna

    2017-02-15

    Urinary tract infections (UTIs) and catheter-associated UTIs (CAUTIs) are the principal hospital-acquired infections. Proteus mirabilis is characterized by several virulence factors able to promote adhesion and biofilm formation and ameliorate the colonization of urinary tract and the formation of crystalline biofilms on the abiotic surface of the urinary catheters. Since, to date, the role of P. mirabilis in the etiopathogenesis of different types of urinary tract infections is not well established, in this study we sought to characterize two different clinically isolated strains of P. mirabilis (PM1 and PM2) with distinctive phenotypes and analyzed various virulence factors possibly implicated in the ability to induce UTIs and CAUTIs. In particular, we analyzed motility, biofilm formation both on abiotic and biotic surfaces of PM1 and PM2 and paralleled these parameters with the ability to induce an inflammatory response in an epithelial cell model. Results showed that PM1 displayed major motility and a capacity to form biofilm and was associated with an anti-inflammatory response of host cells. Conversely, PM2 exhibited lack motility and a had slower organization in biofilm but promoted an increase of proinflammatory cytokine expression in infected epithelial cells. Our study provides data useful to start uncovering the pathologic basis of P. mirabilis -associated urinary infections. The evidence of different virulence factors expressed by PM1 and PM2 highlights the possibility to use precise and personalized therapies targeting specific virulence pathways.

  4. Bioconversion of l-glutamic acid to α-ketoglutaric acid by an immobilized whole-cell biocatalyst expressing l-amino acid deaminase from Proteus mirabilis.

    PubMed

    Hossain, Gazi Sakir; Li, Jianghua; Shin, Hyun-dong; Chen, Rachel R; Du, Guocheng; Liu, Long; Chen, Jian

    2014-01-01

    The goal of this work was to develop an immobilized whole-cell biocatalytic process for the environment-friendly synthesis of α-ketoglutaric acid (α-KG) from l-glutamic acid. We compared the suitability of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis strains overexpressing Proteus mirabilisl-amino acid deaminase (l-AAD) as potential biocatalysts. Although both recombinant strains were biocatalytically active, the performance of B. subtilis was superior to that of E. coli. With l-glutamic acid as the substrate, α-KG production levels by membranes isolated from B. subtilis and E. coli were 55.3±1.73 and 21.7±0.39μg/mg protein/min, respectively. The maximal conversion ratio of l-glutamic acid to α-KG was 31% (w/w) under the following optimal conditions: 15g/L l-glutamic acid, 20g/L whole-cell biocatalyst, 5mM MgCl2, 40°C, pH 8.0, and 24-h incubation. Immobilization of whole cells with alginate increased the recyclability by an average of 23.33% per cycle. This work established an efficient one-step biotransformation process for the production of α-KG using immobilized whole B. subtilis overexpressing P. mirabilisl-AAD. Compared with traditional multistep chemical synthesis, the biocatalytic process described here has the advantage of reducing environmental pollution and thus has great potential for the large-scale production of α-KG. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Evaluation of the effect of MPL and delivery route on immunogenicity and protectivity of different formulations of FimH and MrpH from uropathogenic Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis in a UTI mouse model.

    PubMed

    Habibi, Mehri; Asadi Karam, Mohammad Reza; Bouzari, Saeid

    2015-09-01

    Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis are an important cause of morbidity and with the high rate of relapse and spread of multi-drug resistant pathogens, pose a significant public health challenge worldwide. Lack of an efficacious commercial vaccine targeting both uropathogens makes development of a combined vaccine highly desirable. In this study the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of different formulations of FimH of UPEC, MrpH of P. mirabilis and their fusion protein (MrpH.FimH) subcutaneously administered with and without Monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) adjuvant were evaluated. Our data showed that the subcutaneously administered proteins induced both serum and mucosal IgG, which MPL significantly improved developing a mixed Th1 and Th2 immune response. However, the preparations induced a higher systemic and mucosal IgG and IL-2 levels by this route compared to the intranasal. Immunization of mice with MrpH.FimH fusion with MPL or a mixture of FimH, MrpH and MPL conferred the highest protection of the bladder and kidneys when challenged with UPEC and P. mirabilis in a UTI mouse model. Therefore considering these results MrpH.FimH fusion with MPL administered subcutaneously or intranasally could be a promising vaccine candidate for elimination of UTIs caused by UPEC and P. mirabilis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Flies and their bacterial loads in greyhound dog kennels in Kansas.

    PubMed

    Urban, J E; Broce, A

    1998-03-01

    Breeders of greyhound dogs traditionally feed racing animals and nursing bitches raw meat, and that meat generally is obtained frozen from commercial renderers. Previous studies have shown that the rendered meat is frequently contaminated with enteric bacteria, including Salmonella spp., and that during thawing the rendered meat is exposed to filth flies common in dog kennels. Nursing greyhound pups tend to experience a high morbidity and mortality from intestinal infections, and we attempted to determine in this study whether enterics could be spread to pups through contaminated flies. At intervals during 1995 and 1996, flies were trapped or were net-collected from 10 dog breeding kennels in the region around Abilene, KS. Trapped flies were identified and counted to determine population numbers, and netted flies were cultured in tetrathionate broth and streaked to medium selecting for Salmonella sp. and other lactose-negative Gram (-) bacteria. The relative numbers of different fly species varied with the sampling method, but traps and sweep nets produced similar proportions of the different fly species. Blow flies were twice as likely to be contaminated with enteric bacteria as any other fly. The most common enteric bacteria found were Proteus spp., followed by Providencia spp., Pseudomonas spp., and Salmonella spp. The incidence of Salmonella and Proteus spp. seemed to correlate more with accessibility of flies to dog excrement than to rendered meat. The apparent high incidence of enteric contamination of filth flies clearly implicates them as vectors of enteric diseases in kennels.

  7. Comparison of norfloxacin versus nalidixic acid in therapy of acute urinary tract infections

    PubMed Central

    Selin, Liisa K; Harding, Godfrey KM; Thomson, Margaret J; Kennedy, James K; Urias, Barbara A; Ronald, Allan R

    1990-01-01

    Thirty-seven adult patients with acute urinary tract infections (UTI) were randomized to receive either a seven day (lower UTI) or a 14 day (upper UTI) course of norfloxacin 400 mg orally twice daily, or nalidixic acid 1 g orally four times per day. Mean age, underlying disease and infecting organisms were similar in the two groups. Nine patients in the norfloxacin group and seven in the nalidixic acid group had presumptive evidence of upper UTI. Overall, 12 patients had antibody-coated bacteria-positive infections. The infecting organisms were: Escherichia coli (27), coagulase-negative staphylococci (four), Citrobacter freundii (three), Klebsiella pneumoniae (three), and Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter agglomerans, Streptococcus agalactiae, Enterococcus faecalis (one of each). All of the organisms were susceptible to norfloxacin, while 81% were susceptible to nalidixic acid. The effects on the periurethral and anal canal flora were similar in both groups. Five patients in each group experienced adverse clinical effects. The cure rates for norfloxacin and nalidixic acid were 79 and 83%, respectively. There were two failures, two relapses and four reinfections in the norfloxacin group. In the nalidixic acid group, there were two failures, one relapse and four reinfections. One of the failure patients in the nalidixic acid group developed resistance to the drug, and two of the four reinfections were due to organisms resistant to nalidixic acid. In this patient population it was concluded that nalidixic acid may be as effective as norfloxacin in the treatment of acute, symptomatic UTI. PMID:22553437

  8. A novel type 1/2 hybrid IncC plasmid carrying fifteen antimicrobial resistance genes recovered from Proteus mirabilis in China.

    PubMed

    Lei, Chang-Wei; Kong, Ling-Han; Ma, Su-Zhen; Liu, Bi-Hui; Chen, Yan-Peng; Zhang, An-Yun; Wang, Hong-Ning

    2017-09-01

    IncC plasmids are of great concern as vehicles of broad-spectrum cephalosporins and carbapenems resistance genes bla CMY and bla NDM . The aim of this study was to sequence and characterize a multidrug resistance (MDR) IncC plasmid (pPm14C18) recovered from Proteus mirabilis. pPm14C18 was identified in a CMY-2-producing P. mirabilis isolate from chicken in China in 2014, and could be transferred to Escherichia coli conferring an MDR phenotype. Whole genome sequencing confirmed pPm14C18 was a novel type 1/2 hybrid IncC plasmid 165,992bp in size, containing fifteen antimicrobial resistance genes. It harboured a novel MDR mosaic region comprised of a hybrid Tn21 tnp -pDU mer , in which bla CTX-M-65 , dfrA32 and ereA were firstly reported in IncC plasmid. Phylogenetic relationship reconstruction based on the nucleotide sequences of the 52 IncC backbones showed all type 1 IncC plasmids were clustered into one clade, and then merged with pPm14C18 and finally with the type 2 IncC plasmids and another type 1/2 hybrid IncC plasmid pYR1. The MDR IncC plasmids in P. mirabilis of animal origin might threaten public health, which should be drawn more attention. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Current studies on bacterospermia the leading cause of male infertility: a protégé and potential threat towards mans extinction

    PubMed Central

    Isaiah, Ibeh Nnana; Nche, Bikwe Thomas; Nwagu, Ibeh Georgina; Nnanna, Ibeh Isaiah

    2011-01-01

    Background: The current rise of male infertility associated with bacterospermia and urogenital infection has been on the increase amongst adult married males in Benin metropolis and a major cause of concern to male fertility and reproduction in Nigeria. Aim: To microbiologically isolate and study the infectious agent that has led to male infertility and also to study the percentage occurrence of bacteropsermia and urogenital caused infertility in adult married males in Benin metropolis Material and Method: using standard microbiological methods of isolating and identifying the organism, specimen was collected and processed which includes the susceptibility profile of isolates and sperm quality. In this study a total of 140 sperm samples was collected from patient who were referred from the consultant outpatient department of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital and then evaluated bacteriologically using standard bacterial cultural methods Results: Among the total cases, 92 (65.7%) showed at least one pathogen. Staphylococcus aureus (28.3%), Staphylococcus Saprophyticus (13.0%), Pseudomonas aerouginosa (6.5%), Escherichia Coli (19.6%) Proteus mirabilis (10.8%) Klebsiella spp (10.8%) and Proteus vulgaris (10.8%). Conclusion: There was an outstanding significant relationship between bacteriospermia and the rate of total motility and morphologically abnormal sperms, The percentage of morphologically normal sperm was lower in this study. Staphylococcus aureus Staphylococcus saprohyticus and Escherichia coli were the most common pathogen having negative effects on sperm motility and morphology in this study. PMID:22363079

  10. Acetolactate metabolism and the presence of a dehydroxy acid dehydratase in micro-organisms

    PubMed Central

    Wixom, R. L.

    1965-01-01

    1. The growth characteristics of nine micro-organisms on complex broth and defined media, usually with a single nitrogen source (other than vitamins), were examined as a necessary step before growth of cells for enzyme assays. Six of these bacteria gave a positive colour test with a creatine–potassium hydroxide reagent, indicating the presence of acetoin, which other investigators have shown is formed via the intermediate, α-acetolactate. 2. Cell-free extracts of exponential-phase cells of Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus morganii, Acetobacter rancens (two strains), A. kuetzingianus, A. acetosus, Acetomonas (Acetobacter) melanogenus and Acetomonas (Acetobacter) suboxydans (A.T.C.C. no. 621) were found to contain the enzyme, dihydroxy acid dehydratase (2,3-dihydroxy acid hydro-lyase). 3. The specific activity of the dehydratase from organisms grown on valine- and isoleucine-deficient media was greater than those grown on a complex broth or media containing complete amino acid mixtures. The omission of valine plus isoleucine from a medium containing 19 amino acids caused an increase in the dehydratase specific activity of Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus morganii. 4. The rate of keto acid formation from αβ-dihydroxyisovalerate by extracts of six of the above-named organisms was faster than, but somewhat proportional to, the similar rate from αβ-dihydroxy-β-methyl-n-valerate as substrate. 5. These findings may be related to acetolactate synthesis, acetoin formation and valine–isoleucine biosynthesis in the above-mentioned micro-organisms. PMID:14348203

  11. Inhibition of development, swarming differentiation and virulence factors in Proteus mirabilis by an extract of Lithrea molleoides and its active principle (Z,Z)-5-(trideca-4',7'-dienyl)-resorcinol.

    PubMed

    Carpinella, M C; De Bellis, L; Joray, M B; Sosa, V; Zunino, P M; Palacios, S M

    2011-08-15

    Antibacterial activity of Lithrea molleoides extract against Proteus mirabilis has been previously reported by our group. In the present study, the compound (Z,Z)-5-(trideca-4',7'-dienyl)-resorcinol (1) was isolated as its responsible active principle. The effects of the compound obtained and of L. molleoides extract on P. mirabilis growth and virulence factors were evaluated. Compound 1 showed MIC and MBC values of 4000 μg/ml. It was found that the extract, at four times the MIC, produced complete killing of the uropathogen at 2h from the beginning of the experiment, while the alkylresorcinol, at four times the MIC, produced the same effect after 24 h. Hemolysis was adversely affected in treatments with both products at 8 μg/ml, while hemagglutination was not altered. The whole extract induced complete autoaggregation of P. mirabilis at 2000 μg/ml, while compound 1 at the same concentration did not show this property. Swarming motility was delayed in treatments with the extract and with 1 at 1000 and 8 μg/ml, respectively, at 8h from the beginning of the assay. Complete inhibition of the phenomenon was still observed after 24 h when compound 1 was added at 125 μg/ml. These findings offer the possibility of new classes of antimicrobial medicines to tackle infections caused by P. mirabilis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  12. Production of L-carnitine by secondary metabolism of bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Bernal, Vicente; Sevilla, Ángel; Cánovas, Manuel; Iborra, José L

    2007-01-01

    The increasing commercial demand for L-carnitine has led to a multiplication of efforts to improve its production with bacteria. The use of different cell environments, such as growing, resting, permeabilized, dried, osmotically stressed, freely suspended and immobilized cells, to maintain enzymes sufficiently active for L-carnitine production is discussed in the text. The different cell states of enterobacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Proteus sp., which can be used to produce L-carnitine from crotonobetaine or D-carnitine as substrate, are analyzed. Moreover, the combined application of both bioprocess and metabolic engineering has allowed a deeper understanding of the main factors controlling the production process, such as energy depletion and the alteration of the acetyl-CoA/CoA ratio which are coupled to the end of the biotransformation. Furthermore, the profiles of key central metabolic activities such as the TCA cycle, the glyoxylate shunt and the acetate metabolism are seen to be closely interrelated and affect the biotransformation efficiency. Although genetically modified strains have been obtained, new strain improvement strategies are still needed, especially in Escherichia coli as a model organism for molecular biology studies. This review aims to summarize and update the state of the art in L-carnitine production using E. coli and Proteus sp, emphasizing the importance of proper reactor design and operation strategies, together with metabolic engineering aspects and the need for feed-back between wet and in silico work to optimize this biotransformation. PMID:17910757

  13. Evaluation of Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Enterobacteriaceae Causing Urinary Tract Infections in Africa

    PubMed Central

    Tansarli, Giannoula S.; Athanasiou, Stavros

    2013-01-01

    Our objective was to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility of Enterobacteriaceae causing urinary tract infections (UTIs) in adults in Africa. The PubMed database was systematically searched to identify relevant studies published after 2000. Google, World Health Organization, and African Field Epidemiology networks were also searched. Twenty-eight studies, accounting for 381,899 urine isolates from 14 African countries, met the inclusion criteria. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., and Proteus spp. were the most commonly encountered uropathogens. Cefotaxime, imipenem, fosfomycin, and ciprofloxacin were the antibiotics with the highest activity against E. coli isolates from outpatients, with susceptibility being 92 to 99, 100, 100, and 68 to 91%, respectively. The susceptibility among Klebsiella spp. isolates from outpatients varied from 80 to 100% for amikacin and from 53 to 100% for ciprofloxacin, while susceptibility was 74 to 78, 97, and 77% for ciprofloxacin, amikacin, and fosfomycin, respectively, among Klebsiella species isolates from inpatients or patients with hospital-acquired UTIs. With regard to Proteus spp., the highest activity was observed among fluoroquinolones; 71 to 100% of the P. mirabilis isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin in four studies, and 74 to 100% of the P. vulgaris isolates were susceptible to ofloxacin in two studies. The currently available evidence suggests that the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Enterobacteriaceae uropathogens in African countries were similar to those in countries of southeast Europe. Further original studies are warranted from African countries for which there is limited published data. PMID:23689709

  14. Effect of Rho family GTP-binding proteins on Amoeba proteus.

    PubMed

    Kłopocka, W; Redowicz, M J

    2003-03-01

    While there is a number of studies on the effects of Rho GTPases on the actin-based cytoskeleton in higher eukaryotes, studies in protozoans are rather limited. The problem seems to be intriguing since the structure of protozoan cytoskeletons is distinct from most vertebrate cells. By blocking endogenous Rho family proteins of highly motile Amoeba proteus with C3 transferase and antibodies against human RhoA and Rac1, we tried to assess the in vivo role of these proteins in amoebae. In migrating amoebae, both proteins are concentrated in the cortical layer and seem to colocalize with filamentous actin. Endogenous Rac1, but not RhoA, is accumulated in the perinuclear cytoskeleton. Blocking Rac- or Rho-like proteins caused distinct and irreversible changes in the locomotive shape of the examined amoebae and significant inhibition of their migration. Amoebae microinjected with anti-Rac1 antibodies were contracted, shortened, and developed only few wide pseudopodia. More pronounced changes were observed in cells treated with anti-RhoA antibodies. They exhibited an atypical locomotion not leading to their effective displacement. After treatment with 50 microg of C3 transferase per ml, cells rapidly contracted and almost completely rounded up, became refractile with the granules beaten into a dense mass, detached from the surface and died. Ten times lower concentration of the enzyme caused similar changes as the inhibition of endogenous RhoA-like protein. These results indicate that Rho family-based regulation plays a key role in amoebic migration.

  15. Aerobic Microbial Community of Insectary Population of Phlebotomus papatasi

    PubMed Central

    Maleki-Ravasan, Naseh; Oshaghi, Mohammad Ali; Hajikhani, Sara; Saeidi, Zahra; Akhavan, Amir Ahmad; Gerami-Shoar, Mohsen; Shirazi, Mohammad Hasan; Yakhchali, Bagher; Rassi, Yavar; Afshar, Davoud

    2014-01-01

    Background: Microbes particularly bacteria presenting in the gut of haematophagous insects may have an important role in the epidemiology of human infectious disease. Methods: The microbial flora of gut and surrounding environmental of a laboratory strain of Phlebotomus papatasi, the main vector of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ZCL) in the old world, was investigated. Biochemical reactions and 16s rDNA sequencing of the isolated bacteria against 24 sugars and amino acids were used for bacteria species identification. Common mycological media used for fungi identification as well. Results: Most isolates belonged to the Enterobacteriaceae, a large, heterogeneous group of gram-negative rods whose natural habitat is the intestinal tract of humans and animals. Enterobacteriaceae groups included Edwardsiella, Enterobacter, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Kluyvera, Leminorella, Pantoea, Proteus, Providencia, Rahnella, Serratia, Shigella, Tatumella, and Yersinia and non Enterobacteriaceae groups included Bacillus, Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas. The most prevalent isolates were Proteus mirabilis and P. vulgaris. These saprophytic and swarming motile bacteria were isolated from all immature, pupae, and mature fed or unfed male or female sand flies as well as from larval and adult food sources. Five fungi species were also isolated from sand flies, their food sources and colonization materials where Candida sp. was common in all mentioned sources. Conclusion: Midgut microbiota are increasingly seen as an important factor for modulating vector competence in insect vectors so their possible effects of the mirobiota on the biology of P. papatasi and their roles in the sandfly-Leishmania interaction are discussed. PMID:25629067

  16. Bacteriotherapy of acute radiation sickness

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mal'tsev, V.N.; Korshunov, V.M.; Strel'nikov, V.A.

    1979-04-01

    Acute sickness is associated with intestinal dysbacteriosis; there is a radical decrease in number of microorganisms of lactic fermentation (bifidobacterium, lactobacillus) and an increase in E. coli proteus, enterococcus, and clostridium. Extensive use is made of live microorganisms in the treatment of various diseases associated with intestinal dysbacteriosis; in the case of acute radiation sickness, yeast, colibacterin, and E. coli have been used. In a number of cases, such therapy increased survival and life expectancy of irradiated animals. In this study, microorganisms of lactic fermentation (lactobacillus, bifidobacterium) and colibacterin were used for treatment of acute radiation sickness.

  17. Antibacterial activity of methanol extract of Ruta chalapensis (L), Quercus infectoria (Oliver) and Canthium parviflorum (Lam)

    PubMed Central

    Priya, P. Sathiya; Sasikumar, J.M.; Gowsigan, G.

    2009-01-01

    The present study aimed at evaluating the antibacterial activity of methanol extract of Ruta chalapensis, L., (Rutaceae), Quercus infectoria Oliver., (Fagaceae) and Canthium parviflorum Lam., (Rubiaceae) against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella oxytocoa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis. The experiment was carried out using disc diffusion method. The results revealed that the methanol extract of aerial parts of Ruta chalepensis (L) presented the highest zone of inhibition against tested pathogens. Other plants showed significant zone of inhibition. PMID:22557348

  18. Cloud-Aerosol LIDAR and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) Spacecraft: Independent Technical Assessment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gilbrech, Richard J.; McManamen, John P.; Wilson, Timmy R.; Robinson, Frank; Schoren, William R.

    2004-01-01

    CALIPSO is a joint science mission between the CNES, LaRC and GSFC. It was selected as an Earth System Science Pathfinder satellite mission in December 1998 to address the role of clouds and aerosols in the Earth's radiation budget. The spacecraft includes a NASA light detecting and ranging (LIDAR) instrument, a NASA wide-field camera and a CNES imaging infrared radiometer. The scope of this effort was a review of the Proteus propulsion bus design and an assessment of the potential for personnel exposure to hydrazine propellant.

  19. Creative Strategic Intelligence Analysis and Decision Making Within the Elements of National Power. Proteus Futures Workshop, held Carlise, PA on 14-16 Aug 2007

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-08-01

    Professor Ayers suggests the facts have been present since 1979 and the initiation of Khomeini’s objectives: Islamic Rule over Iran, expanding Islamic Rule ...Dajjal (Anti-Christ), establish Islam as the global religion, and rule the world for seven to nine years. True believers are to seek out martyrdom for...without the need for new rules and constructs. He uses the same rules and analysis that he applies to physical combat and pleads that we should stop

  20. Synergistic action between sisomicin and mezlocillin against gram-negative bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus.

    PubMed

    Soares, L A; Trabulsi, L R

    1979-01-01

    The combined effect of sisomicin and 6-[(R)-2-[3-methylsulfonyl-2-oxo-imidazolidine-1-carboxamido]-2-phenyl-acetamido-a1-penicillanic acid sodium salt (mezlocillin, Baypen) was studied against 50 bacterial strains, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus spp. Klebsiella-Enterobacter, E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. No antagonism or indifference was detected with the strains studied. Both antibiotics were synergistic against 62% of the strains, and partially synergistic against 38%. Out of the bacteria studied, Staphylococcus aureus was the most susceptible to the combined action of sisomicin and mezlocillin.

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