[Canlyme note: Although Borrelia are not known to secrete toxins, this type of research may be beneficial for chemical constituents such as borrelia lipoproteins and lipopolysaccharides.]
November 4th, 2014 Published online
Engineered liposomes sequester bacterial exotoxins and protect from severe invasive infections in mice
Abstract
Gram-positive bacterial pathogens that secrete cytotoxic pore-forming toxins, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae, cause a substantial burden of disease. Inspired by the principles that govern natural toxin-host interactions, we have engineered artificial liposomes that are tailored to effectively compete with host cells for toxin binding. Liposome-bound toxins are unable to lyse mammalian cells in vitro. We use these artificial liposomes as decoy targets to sequester bacterial toxins that are produced during active infection in vivo. Administration of artificial liposomes within 10 h after infection rescues mice from septicemia caused by S. aureusand S. pneumoniae, whereas untreated mice die within 24–33 h. Furthermore, liposomes protect mice against invasive pneumococcal pneumonia. Composed exclusively of naturally occurring lipids, tailored liposomes are not bactericidal and could be used therapeutically either alone or in conjunction with antibiotics to combat bacterial infections and to minimize toxin-induced tissue damage that occurs during bacterial clearance.
by GAIL JOHNSON on OCT 29, 2014 JIM WILSON, FOUNDER of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation (CanLyme) was in an Ottawa hotel room, in lockdown, with his curtains drawn when the Georgia Straight caught up with him. It was October 22, that terrible day of the shootings at Parliament; Wilson had flown from B.C. to…
ProHealth – Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. (2015 Sep 22). [Epub ahead of print] Abstract Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) are vectors for several important human diseases, including Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), and human babesiosis, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia microti, respectively. The continued northward range expansion of blacklegged ticks and associated…
December 29th, A package of state legislation aimed at fighting Lyme and tick-borne diseases is being introduced ahead of the 2018 session by Senator Susan Serino (R, Hyde Park), chairwoman of the Senate’s Lyme Task Force. She teamed up with Senator Kemp Hannon (R, Garden City), chairman of the Senate’s Health Committee, to introduce four…
A two pill (single dose) prophylactic administration of doxycycline is being offered to Canadians who have a known tick attachment, in spite of the fact that experts warn it is ineffective in the majority of cases. It is a dangerous practice and may drive antibiotic resistance within the many microbes that make up the human…
Abstract Tick-borne zoonotic diseases have an economic and societal impact on the well-being of people worldwide. In the present study, a high frequency of Babesia odocoilei, a red blood cell parasite, was observed in the Huronia area of Ontario, Canada. Notably, 71% (15/21) blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, collected from canine and feline hosts were infected with B. odocoilei….
November 19, 2014 10:00 pm HAMILTON – To the world, Willy Burgdorfer will always be remembered as the scientist who discovered the cause of Lyme disease. In Hamilton, the former Rocky Mountain Laboratories scientist will be remembered as a patient and kind mentor to the researchers who followed in his footsteps, as well as a community…
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