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Pathogenic Microbiology Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Pathogenic Microbiology

Neuropathogenic Escherichia Coli K1 Does Not Exhibit Proteolytic Activities To Exert Its Pathogenicity, Junaid Iqbal, Mehak Rajan, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqu, Naveed Ahmed Khan May 2013

Neuropathogenic Escherichia Coli K1 Does Not Exhibit Proteolytic Activities To Exert Its Pathogenicity, Junaid Iqbal, Mehak Rajan, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqu, Naveed Ahmed Khan

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Proteases are well-known virulence factors that promote survival, pathogenesis and immune evasion of many pathogens. Several lines of evidence suggest that the blood-brain barrier permeability is a prerequisite in microbial invasion of the central nervous system. Because proteases are frequently associated with vascular permeability by targeting junctional proteins, here it is hypothesized that neuropathogenic Escherichia coli K1 exhibit proteolytic activities to exert its pathogenicity.
Methods: Zymographic assays were performed using collagen and gelatin as substrates. The lysates of whole E. coli K1 strain E44, or E. coli K-12 strain HB101 were tested for proteolytic activities. The conditioned media were …


Biology And Pathogenesis Of Acanthamoeba., Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Naveed Ahmed Khan Jan 2012

Biology And Pathogenesis Of Acanthamoeba., Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Naveed Ahmed Khan

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Acanthamoeba is a free-living protist pathogen, capable of causing a blinding keratitis and fatal granulomatous encephalitis. The factors that contribute to Acanthamoeba infections include parasite biology, genetic diversity, environmental spread and host susceptibility, and are highlighted together with potential therapeutic and preventative measures. The use of Acanthamoeba in the study of cellular differentiation mechanisms, motility and phagocytosis, bacterial pathogenesis and evolutionary processes makes it an attractive model organism. There is a significant emphasis on Acanthamoeba as a Trojan horse of other microbes including viral, bacterial, protists and yeast pathogens.