Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0014118 (endocarditis)
 15,629 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Black-pigmented Gram-negative anaerobic rods are found on mucosal surfaces as indigenous flora. With mucosal damage due to disease, trauma or surgery, these organisms may invade tissues and set up infection. Other important factors determining whether or not infection results include 'inoculum' size, synergy with other organisms and production of virulence factors that include capsules, lipopolysaccharide, attachment factors, proteases, collagenase, neuraminidase, and phospholipase A; also, they may have fibrinolytic and anti-phagocytic activity and may degrade complement and IgG and IgM. Pigmented anaerobes are found in all types of infections including such serious infections as bacteraemia, endocarditis, intracranial abscess, necrotizing pneumonia and necrotizing fasciitis, generally as part of a mixed infecting flora, and they play a key role in experimental mixed infections. They dominate or are prominent in infections involving organisms originating in the oropharynx, such as central nervous system, head and neck, dental and pleuropulmonary infections. Therapy of infections involving pigmented anaerobes includes surgery plus antimicrobial agents; a significant percentage of strains produce beta-lactamase. Much remains to be done to determine the relative importance of the various taxa of black-pigmented Gram-negative anaerobes and of the different virulence factors produced by them.
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PMID:The importance of black-pigmented gram-negative anaerobes in human infections. 851 64

Nine strains of Streptococcus oralis, isolated from blood cultures of patients with infective endocarditis or from the oral cavity as part of the normal flora, were examined for their ability to elaborate sialidase (neuraminidase) and N-acetylglucosaminidase, enzymes which are involved in the degradation of glycoproteins. Both glycosidases were induced when bacteria were grown in a minimal medium supplemented with porcine gastric mucin, a model glycoprotein, and repressed when growth occurred in the presence of glucose. Cell-free extracts mucin-grown cultures expressed elevated levels of N-acetylneuraminate pyruvate-lyase (the first intracellular enzyme in the pathway of N-acetylneuraminate catabolism), N-acetylglucosamine (glcNAc)-6-phosphate deacetylase and glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase (enzymes involved in the intracellular catabolism of GlcNAc 6-phosphate); activity of each of these intracellular enzymes was markedly repressed when bacteria were grown in media supplemented with alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, a major component of human plasma. Cells from these cultures expressed high levels of sialidase, N-acetylglucosaminidase, and the intracellular enzymes involved in the catabolism of N-acetyl-sugars released by action of these glycosidases. High-resolution 1H-NMR spectroscopy of spent culture supernatants revealed that sialic acid and GlcNAc residues of the molecularly mobile oligosaccharide side-chains of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein had been hydrolysed and the released sugars internalized by the bacteria. These data indicate that S. oralis has the ability to hydrolyse constituents of oligosaccharide side-chains of host-derived glycoproteins and to utilize simultaneously these released carbohydrates. The biochemical characteristics induced by the growth of S. oralis on glycoproteins may play a role in the survival and persistence of these bacteria at the infection site in vivo.
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PMID:Metabolism of glycoprotein-derived sialic acid and N-acetylglucosamine by Streptococcus oralis. 870 62

The importance of viridans streptococci as agents of serious extra-oral diseases, including endocarditis, is now recognized. We have tested the hypothesis that the ability to utilize sialic acid as a nutrient source may play a role in the proliferation of these organisms. The type strains of the 15 presently recognized species of viridans streptococci and two clinical isolates-S. oralis (AR3), isolated from a patient with infective endocarditis, and S. intermedius (UNS35), a brain abscess isolate-were studied for their ability to utilize sialic acid. Only S. oralis, S. sanguis, S. gordonii, S. mitis ("oralis group") S. intermedius, S. anginosus, S. constellatus ("milleri group"), and S. defectivus ("nutritionally variant group") were able to use sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid) efficiently as a sole carbon source. Formate, acetate, and ethanol were produced as the major metabolic end-products of sialic acid metabolism, while corresponding glucose-grown cultures produced lactate as the major metabolic end-product. Utilization of sialic acid was independent of the production of sialidase. Cell-free extracts of sialic acid-grown cultures expressed elevated levels of N-acetylneuraminate pyruvate-lyase (NPL; the first enzyme in the intracellular catabolism of sialic acid) and N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcNAc-6-P) deacetylase and glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN-6-P) deaminase (enzymes involved in the intracellular catabolism of N-acetylglucosamine). These activities were repressed by growth in the presence of glucose. The intracellular fate of sialic acid, after cleavage by NPL into N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) and pyruvate, is uncertain, but the elevated levels of GlcNAc-6-P deacetylase and GlcN-6-P deaminase in sialic acid-grown cells suggest that phosphorylation and isomerization are possible steps in the metabolism of ManNAc to generate an intermediate common to the pathway of N-acetylglucosamine metabolism. The species of viridans streptococci that have the ability to utilize sialic acid are those most commonly associated with extra-oral diseases, and this ability is likely to play a role in the persistence and survival of these infecting organisms in vivo.
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PMID:Utilization of sialic acid by viridans streptococci. 890 24

Streptococcus oralis has emerged as one of the most important organisms of the viridans streptococcus group in terms of infections and is recognised as an agent of infective endocarditis and, in immunocompromised patients, septicaemia. The mechanisms by which this organism proliferates in vivo are unknown. However, host-derived sialic acids -- including N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuNAc) which is present in serum and cell-associated glycoproteins -- are a potential source of fermentable carbohydrate for bacterial proliferation, especially for sialidase-producing bacteria, including S. oralis. To further elucidate the role of NeuNAc in supporting growth, this study determined the ability of S. oralis strain AR3 (isolated from a patient with infective endocarditis) to transport NeuNAc and characterised the transport system. The transport of [14C]-labelled NeuNAc into S. oralis was monitored and this transport system was induced by growth of the bacteria in the presence of the N-acetylated sugars NeuNAc, N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmannosamine. The transport system followed typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with a Km of 21.0 microM and a Vmax of 2.65 nmoles of NeuNAc transported/min/mg of dry cell mass. NeuNAc transport was inhibited by the presence of exogenous N-glycolylneuraminic acid, a related sialic acid. Chlorhexidine, NaF and 2,4-dinitrophenol were potent inhibitors of the transport system, suggesting that the uptake of NeuNAc occurs via a proton motive force-dependent permease system. This is the first report of the mechanism by which NeuNAc transport occurs in pathogenic streptococci. This transport process may have relevance to the acquisition of a source of fermentable carbohydrate and thus bacterial proliferation in vivo.
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PMID:N-acetylneuraminic acid transport by Streptococcus oralis strain AR3. 1050 80

Bacterial recognition of host sialic acid-containing receptors plays an important role in microbial colonization of the human oral cavity. The sialic acid-binding adhesin of Streptococcus gordonii DL1 was previously associated with the hsa gene encoding a 203-kDa protein. The predicted protein sequence consists of an N-terminal nonrepetitive region (NR1), including a signal sequence, a relatively short serine-rich region (SR1), a second nonrepetitive region (NR2), a long serine-rich region (SR2) containing 113 dodecapeptide repeats, and a C-terminal cell wall anchoring domain. In the present study, the contributions of SR1, NR2, and SR2 to Hsa-mediated adhesion were assessed by genetic complementation. Adhesion of an hsa chromosomal deletion mutant to sialic acid-containing receptors was restored by plasmids containing hsa constructs encoding Hsa that lacked either the N- or C-terminal portion of SR2. In contrast, hsa constructs that lacked the coding sequences for SR1, NR2, or the entire SR2 region failed to restore adhesion. Surface expression of recombinant Hsa was not affected by removal of SR1, NR2, or a portion of SR2 but was greatly reduced by complete removal of SR2. Wheat germ agglutinin, a probe for Hsa-specific glycosylation, reacted with recombinant Hsa lacking SR1, NR2, or SR2 but not with recombinant Hsa lacking both SR1 and SR2. Significantly, the aggregation of human platelets by S. gordonii DL1, an interaction implicated in the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis, required the expression of hsa. Moreover, neuraminidase treatment of the platelets eliminated this interaction, further supporting the hypothesis that Hsa plays an essential role in the bacterium-platelet interaction.
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PMID:Functional analysis of the Streptococcus gordonii DL1 sialic acid-binding adhesin and its essential role in bacterial binding to platelets. 1521 30

Aggregation of human platelets by Streptococcus gordonii DL1, an interaction implicated in the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis, requires the expression of hsa, the gene encoding the sialic acid-binding adhesin (Hsa) of this organism. To identify the sialoglycoproteins on the platelet surface as the receptors for Hsa, intrinsic membrane proteins were assessed by bacterial overlay assay. S. gordonii DL1 adhered to 130-140-kDa proteins, a reaction that was abolished by neuraminidase treatment of immobilized platelet surface proteins. These sialoglycoproteins were identified as platelet glycoprotein Ib alpha (GPIbalpha ) and glycoprotein IIb (GPIIb) by immunoprecipitation with specific monoclonal antibody against each glycoprotein.
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PMID:Identification of platelet receptors for the Streptococcus gordonii DL1 sialic acid-binding adhesin. 1611 9

Significant differences in virulence among seven representative Streptococcus gordonii strains were observed by using the rat model of infective endocarditis. Five strains, including S. gordonii DL1, caused severe disease, while the other two strains, including S. gordonii SK12, caused minimal or no disease. The differences in virulence were evident from the visible presence of streptococci in the vegetations present on the aortic valves of catheterized rats that were challenged with individual strains and also from the much greater recovery of rifampin-resistant S. gordonii DLl than of streptomycin-resistant S. gordonii SK12 from the hearts of animals coinfected with both organisms. Each S. gordonii strain aggregated with human platelets and bound to polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), as shown by the stimulation of PMN superoxide anion production. These interactions were reduced or abolished by pretreatment of the platelets or PMNs with sialidase, indicating that there was bacterial recognition of host sialic acid-containing receptors. Adhesin-mediated binding of each S. gordonii strain to PMNs also triggered phagocytosis. However, the subsequent PMN-dependent killing differed significantly for the seven strains. The five virulent strains included three strains that were not killed and two strains whose numbers were reduced by approximately 50%. In contrast, the level of killing of each avirulent strain under the same conditions was significantly greater and approached 90% of the bacteria added. Parallel studies performed with rat PMNs revealed comparable differences in the resistance or susceptibility of representative virulent and avirulent strains. Thus, the ability of S. gordonii to survive in PMNs following adhesin-mediated phagocytosis may be an important virulence determinant of infective endocarditis.
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PMID:Resistance of Streptococcus gordonii to polymorphonuclear leukocyte killing is a potential virulence determinant of infective endocarditis. 1671 42

Bacterial recognition of host sialic acid-containing receptors plays an important role in microbial colonization of the human oral cavity. The aggregation of human platelets by Streptococcus gordonii DL1 is implicated in the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis. In addition, we consider that hemagglutination of this organism may act as an additive factor to increase the severity of this disease. We previously reported that this interaction requires the bacterial expression of a 203-kDa protein (Hsa), which has sialic acid-binding activity. In the present study, we confirmed that erythrocyte surface sialoglycoproteins are the receptors for Hsa. We examined the effects of proteinase K, chymotrypsin, phospholipase C, and alpha(2-3) or alpha(2-3, 6, 8) neuraminidase on hemagglutination activity and found that the interaction occurs between Hsa and alpha2-3-linked sialic acid-containing proteins of erythrocytes. We expressed recombinant NR2, which is the putative binding domain of Hsa, fused with GST in Escherichia coli BL21. Dot-blot analysis demonstrated that GST-HsaNR2 binds both glycophorin A (GPA) and band 3. Moreover, GPA and a small amount of band 3 were detected by GST pull-down assays. These findings indicate that S. gordonii Hsa specifically binds to GPA and band 3, alpha2-3-linked sialic acid membrane glycoproteins.
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PMID:Hsa, an adhesin of Streptococcus gordonii DL1, binds to alpha2-3-linked sialic acid on glycophorin A of the erythrocyte membrane. 1838 Aug 4

Infective endocarditis is frequently attributed to oral streptococci. The mechanisms of pathogenesis, however, are not well understood, although interaction between streptococci and phagocytes are thought to be very important. A highly expressed surface component of Streptococcus gordonii, Hsa, which has sialic acid-binding activity, contributes to infective endocarditis in vivo. In the present study, we found that S. gordonii DL1 binds to HL-60 cells differentiated into monocytes, granulocytes, and macrophages. Using a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion to the NR2 domain, which is the sialic acid-binding region of Hsa, we confirmed that the Hsa NR2 domain also binds to differentiated HL-60 cells. To identify which sialoglycoproteins on the surface of differentiated HL-60 cells are receptors for Hsa, intrinsic membrane proteins were assessed by bacterial overlay and far-Western blotting. S. gordonii DL1 adhered to 100- to 150-kDa proteins, a reaction that was abolished by neuraminidase treatment. These sialoglycoproteins were identified as CD11b, CD43, and CD50 by GST pull-down assay and immunoprecipitation with each specific monoclonal antibody. These data suggest that S. gordonii DL1 Hsa specifically binds to three glycoproteins as receptors and that this interaction may be the initial bacterial binding step in infective endocarditis by oral streptococci.
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PMID:Binding of the Streptococcus gordonii DL1 surface protein Hsa to the host cell membrane glycoproteins CD11b, CD43, and CD50. 1867 68

Recent studies have afforded abundant evidences showing that Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is involved not only in acne vulgaris, but also in many diseases, including endocarditis, endophthalmitis, osteomyelitis, joint, nervous system, cranial neurosurgery infections, and implanted biomaterial contamination. In spite of a range of P. acnes pathogenicity, its vaccine therapies have been studied much less intensively than antibiotic therapies which have been mainstay of treatment for P. acnes-associated diseases. Therefore, we have recently developed effective vaccines for P. acnes-associated inflammatory acne, consisting of a cell wall-anchored sialidase of P. acnes or killed-whole organism of P. acnes. Our data strongly show that immunization of ICR mice with the vaccines provides in vivo protective immunity against P. acnes challenge and decreases P. acnes-induced elevation of cytokine production. This review highlights the potential functions of killed P. acnes- and sialidase-based vaccines as novel treatments for P. acnes-associated diseases.
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PMID:Vaccine therapy for P. acnes-associated diseases. 1878 33


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