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PubMed1984

Immunological cross-reaction between antigen Tp-4 of Treponema pallidum and an antigen common to a wide range of bacteria.

By electro-immunoprecipitation methods it was shown that antigen Tp-4 of Treponema pallidum, antigen TR-c of the Reiter treponeme and 'Common Antigen' of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are immunologically cross-reactive. This finding establishes a taxonomic relationship between T. pallidum and a wide range of bacteria. The cross-reactivity explains some false positive reactions in serodiagnostic treponemal tests for syphilis. The cross-reactivity may also play a role in a possible 'normal' immunity against infection with T. pallidum induced by antigens by the normal human bacterial flora.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1992

A serological survey to determine the prevalence of infection with Treponema hyodysenteriae in Western Australia.

A serological survey to detect antibody titres against Treponema hyodysenteriae was conducted on pigs from 106 herds in Western Australia. Titres indicating a positive result in the tests were determined by examining 400 sera from 4 herds known to be free of swine dysentery, and sera from immunised or experimentally infected pigs. Samples of serum from 40 bacon-weight pigs from each of the 106 herds were then collected at 2 abattoirs. Each serum was tested in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) against the lipopolysaccharide of T hyodysenteriae of serogroups A, B and E, respectively. To assist in evaluating the test, 19 herds were resampled and retested, and faecal samples from 17 herds were cultured for T hyodysenteriae. Thirty-five of the 106 herds (33%) had serological evidence of infection when only one batch of sera from each herd was tested. The ELISA to detect T hyodysenteriae infection in herds using 40 sera was estimated as having a sensitivity of 77.3% and a specificity of 81.8% based on the owners' opinion of their herds disease status. Prevalence of infection within herds ranged from 2.5% to 47.5%, with a mean of 18%.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Complete genome sequence of Treponema pallidum, the syphilis spirochete.

The complete genome sequence of Treponema pallidum was determined and shown to be 1,138,006 base pairs containing 1041 predicted coding sequences (open reading frames). Systems for DNA replication, transcription, translation, and repair are intact, but catabolic and biosynthetic activities are minimized. The number of identifiable transporters is small, and no phosphoenolpyruvate:phosphotransferase carbohydrate transporters were found. Potential virulence factors include a family of 12 potential membrane proteins and several putative hemolysins. Comparison of the T. pallidum genome sequence with that of another pathogenic spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, identified unique and common genes and substantiates the considerable diversity observed among pathogenic spirochetes.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1979

In vitro activity of 39 antimicrobial agents against Treponema hyodysenteriae.

The in vitro activities of 39 antimicrobial agents against 23 isolates of Treponema hyodysenteriae, the majority of which were field isolates, were determined by the agar dilution technique. Quinoxalines, pleuromutilin, nitroimidazoles, and nitrofuran were the most active. Their activities ranged from </=0.10 to 1.56 mug/ml. Lincomycin, penicillins, chloramphenicol, tetracyclines, cephalosporins, three peptides (virginiamycin, thiopeptin, and bacitracin), and one aminoglycoside (gentamicin) exhibited intermediate levels of activity ranging from 0.39 to 50 mug/ml. Four peptides (enduracidin, viomycin, bicyclomycin, and colistin), three aminoglycosides (kanamycin, streptomycin, and neomycin), polyene, and other agents, including novobiocin, vancomycin, rifampin, nalidixic acid, and p-arsanilic acid, displayed limited activities ranging from 12.5 to >/=100 mug/ml. Macrolides showed varying degrees of activity depending upon isolates.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1985

Treponemycin, a nitrile antibiotic active against Treponema hyodysenteriae.

Two strains of Streptomyces sp. (isolates 275 and 124) were isolated from soil samples collected from the fields around Lewiston, Idaho. Based on their cellular morphology and physiology, the two isolates were identified as Streptomyces albovinaceous. Both isolates produced an antibiotic when grown in liquid culture medium containing homogenized oats. The antibiotic (treponemycin) was isolated from the culture broth by solvent extraction and purified by silica gel column and preparative thin-layer chromatographies. Treponemycin is a crystalline light-yellow compound with an mp of 93 to 95 degrees C, levorotatory, and soluble in most organic solvents. It is sparingly soluble in water but insoluble in petroleum ether. On the basis of elemental analysis and mass spectral data, the molecular formula of the antibiotic was deduced to be C28H43O6N. The infrared spectrum of the antibiotic indicated the presence of unsaturation, nitrile, lactone, or ester or all three functions, and carbonyl functions in the molecule. A sharp infrared absorption band for nitrile at 2,220 cm-1 and the presence of an unsaturated group indicated that the nitrile function may be attached to an unsaturated carbon atom. The presence of dienenitrile functions was further supported by the UV absorption spectrum of the antibiotic, which gave a UVmax at 257 nm. The proton magnetic resonance spectrum of the antibiotic did not give any peak which could be exchanged with deuterated water, which is an indication of the absence of carboxylic and hydroxyl functions in the molecule. All of the functional groupings indicated by the infrared and UV spectra of the molecule were further confirmed by the 13C-magnetic resonance spectrum of the compound. A brief hydrogenation of the antibiotic yielded a biologically active tetrahydro derivative, whereas extended hydrogenation produced an inactive primary amine. Mild alkaline hydrolysis and subsequent esterification of the antibiotic with diazomethane produced an inactive dimethyl ester. Apparently both the nitrile and the lactone functions are essential for the treponomycin molecule to show antimicrobial activity. The antibiotic showed inhibitory activity against several species of bacteria, especially Treponema hyodysenteriae, the causative agent of swine dysentery. In view of the oral 50% lethal dose of 400 mg/g and its low MIC against four stains of T.hyodysenteriae, the antibiotic may have value as a swine dysentery therapeutic.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

In vitro antimicrobial activity against reference strains and field isolates of Treponema hyodysenteriae.

The in vitro susceptibilities of eight isolates of Treponema hyodysenteriae from pigs naturally infected with swine dysentery between 1976 and 1983 were determined by an agar dilution technique. Carbadox, olaquindox, tiamulin, metronidazole, furazolidone, and monensin were the most active against these field isolates regardless of the year of recovery. The influence of inoculum size on the MICs against four reference strains of T. hyodysenteriae was studied. Various degrees of activities of ampicillin and lincomycin were found, depending on the inoculum size. The effect of successive in vitro subcultures on the susceptibility of a reference strain of T. hyodysenteriae was examined. The strain resistant to tylosin became susceptible to the drug.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1988

In vitro culture system to determine MICs and MBCs of antimicrobial agents against Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (Nichols strain).

A new procedure for determining the susceptibility of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum to antimicrobial agents was developed, utilizing a tissue culture system which promotes the in vitro multiplication of this organism. In the absence of antibiotics, T. pallidum (Nichols virulent strain) multiplied an average of 10-fold when incubated for 7 days in the presence of Sf1Ep cottontail rabbit epithelial cell cultures. Varied concentrations of penicillin G, tetracycline, erythromycin, and spectinomycin were added to triplicate cultures to determine their effects on treponemal multiplication, motility, and virulence. The MIC of each antibiotic was defined as the lowest concentration which prevented treponemal multiplication, whereas the MBC was defined as the lowest concentration which abrogated the ability of the cultured treponemes to multiply and cause lesions in rabbits. The in vitro culture technique provided highly reproducible MICs and (in parentheses) MBCs of each of the antibiotics tested: aqueous penicillin G, 0.0005 (0.0025) microgram/ml; tetracycline, 0.2 (0.5) microgram/ml; erythromycin, 0.005 (0.005) microgram/ml; and spectinomycin, 0.5 (0.5) microgram/ml. The significance of these results in light of the in vivo activities and the previous in vitro evaluations of these antibiotics is discussed. The T. pallidum in vitro cultivation system shows promise as a method for studying the interaction between T. pallidum and antimicrobial agents and for screening new antibiotics for syphilis therapy.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

In vitro assay to demonstrate high-level erythromycin resistance of a clinical isolate of Treponema pallidum.

We have previously demonstrated that cells of Treponema pallidum freshly extracted from infected rabbit testes can be intrinsically radiolabeled with [35 S]methionine to very high specific activities. In this study we used the inhibition of [35 S]methionine incorporation into trichloroacetic acid-precipitable protein in vitro as an assay to test the susceptibilities of three different pathogenic treponemal strains to various antibiotics. In general, the results correlated very well with the known efficacies of these antibiotics in treating human patients with syphilis. One of the strains tested, however, a clinical isolate of T. pallidum designated street strain 14, was found to exhibit high-level resistance to erythromycin and a closely related macrolide, roxithromycin (RU 965). Street strain 14 was originally isolated from a human patient with active secondary syphilis who failed to respond to erythromycin therapy. Thus, our results indicate that an erythromycin-resistant strain of T. pallidum can be responsible for erythromycin treatment failure. In addition, street strain 14 treponemes were found to be generally less susceptible by this assay to a variety of antibiotics than were treponemes of the T. pallidum Nichols strain. These findings suggest that the outer envelope of street strain 14 treponemes may be generally less permeable to antibiotics than is that of Nichols strain treponemes.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Novel method for measuring growth of Treponema hyodysenteriae and its application for monitoring susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents.

A microdilution assay method was developed to determine MICs of antibiotics for Treponema hyodysenteriae and to estimate the bacterial burden of mice colonized by this swine pathogen. Hemolysis of bovine erythrocytes in broth was correlated with growth of the spirochete, and growth inhibition by drugs could be determined by measuring hemolysis. MICs of 10 antibiotics for eight clinical isolates of T. hyodysenteriae measured by this method were similar to values obtained by an agar dilution method and to values reported in the literature. This method was also used to demonstrate the elimination of T. hyodysenteriae from the ceca of infected mice following oral treatment with carbadox. The procedure described in this paper provides a rapid and simple method for determining MICs of antibiotics for T. hyodysenteriae and may be adapted for the purpose of determining the presence of this veterinary pathogen in cecal contents of experimentally infected mice.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1992

Effects of cefetamet (Ro 15-8074) on Treponema pallidum and experimental syphilis.

Cefetamet pivoxil (Ro 15-8075) is a newly developed, expanded-spectrum cephalosporin that is orally active. In vitro, the active form, cefetamet (Ro 15-8074), at a concentration of 0.05 micrograms/ml killed and lysed Treponema pallidum. Rabbit serum did not diminish its effectiveness. The antibiotic rapidly entered the circulation following intramuscular injection into rabbits, attaining its highest levels of 24 to 37 micrograms/ml within 10 to 30 min. Animals were infected intradermally with T. pallidum and then treated with different doses of cefetamet. Accelerated healing was detected following treatment with 15 and 30 mg/kg of body weight. The antibiotic was also effective in killing organisms that had disseminated to distant tissues. In three separate sets of experiments, rabbits were infected with treponemes and then treated with cefetamet intramuscularly at 1, 15, or 30 mg/kg as follows: (i) after lesions had just become clinically apparent, (ii) after lesions were enlarged and well developed, or (iii) prior to the appearance of clinical lesions. Antibiotic effectiveness was determined by sacrificing the animals 1 week after antibiotic treatment and examining splenic tissue for residual, disseminated treponemes. Cefetamet was treponemicidal in all three situations. Maximum effects occurred when the antibiotic was injected before lesions had become clinically apparent (incubation period). These results suggest that cefetamet pivoxil might be useful for treating syphilitic infections.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Clarithromycin therapy of experimental Treponema pallidum infections in hamsters.

Clarithromycin was shown to be effective therapy for Treponema pallidum infections in hamsters. Clarithromycin therapy was effective when initiated either 1 or 8 days after infection. The delay in initiation of therapy allowed an active infection to develop. The treponemal burden in lymph tissue of treated hamsters was eradicated, as determined by dark-field microscopy and by inoculation of lymph material into susceptible hamsters. Treatments with clarithromycin and the 14-hydroxy metabolite of clarithromycin were equally effective. Therapy with clarithromycin and penicillin was not antagonistic and did not appear to be synergistic when the two drugs were given concurrently. Pharmacokinetic evaluation of clarithromycin in hamsters showed that the doses which produced effective therapy yielded concentrations in serum similar to those routinely achieved in human sera. These findings demonstrate that clarithromycin is effective in treating active or incubating syphilis in the hamster model and could be useful in treating humans.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Inactivation of Treponema pallidum by silver sulfadiazine.

Silver sulfadiazine, an anti-infectious agent for the prevention and treatment of burn sepsis, has been found to possess antitreponemal activity against Treponema pallidum. At 28 C, complete inactivation of the organism was produced by exposure of the organism to a concentration of 50 mug of the drug per ml for 1 to 5 min, 12 to 25 mug/ml for 10 to 15 min, and 6.2 mug/ml for 30 min. At 37 C, the amounts of silver sulfadiazine required for inactivation were two- to fourfold less.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Cultivation of cottontail rabbit epidermal (Sf1Ep) cells on microcarrier beads and their use for suspension cultivation of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum.

In vitro propagation of Treponema pallidum can be achieved by cocultivation with Sf1Ep cells. This study had two objectives: (i) to achieve suspension cultivation of Sf1Ep cells and (ii) to develop procedures for achieving the replication of T. pallidum in those cell cultures. Seven suspension cultures of Sf1Ep cells yielded an average of 7.2 x 10(8) T. pallidum (36-fold increase) after 12 days.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Glucose metabolism and NADH recycling by Treponema hyodysenteriae, the agent of swine dysentery.

Glucose metabolism and the mechanisms of NADH oxidation by Treponema hyodysenteriae were studied. Under an N2 atmosphere, washed cell suspensions of the spirochete consumed glucose and produced acetate, butyrate, H2, and CO2. Approximately twice as much H2 as CO2 was produced. Determinations of radioactivity in products of [14C]glucose and [14C]pyruvate metabolism and analyses of enzyme activities in cell lysates revealed that glucose was catabolized to pyruvate via the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway. The results of pyruvate exchange reactions with NaH14CO3 and Na14COOH demonstrated that pyruvate was converted to acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA), H2, and CO2 by a clostridium-type phosphoroclastic mechanism. NADH:ferredoxin oxidoreductase and hydrogenase activities were present in cell lysates and produced H2 from NADH oxidation. Phosphotransacetylase and acetate kinase catalyzed the formation of acetate from acetyl-CoA. Butyrate was formed from acetyl-CoA via a pathway that involved 3-hydroxybutyryl-coenzyme A (CoA) dehydrogenase, butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, and butyryl-CoA transferase. T. hyodysenteriae cell suspensions generated less H2 and butyrate under 10% O2-90% N2 than under 100% N2. Cell lysates contained NADH oxidase, NADH peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities. These findings indicated there are three major mechanisms that T. hyodysenteriae cells use to recycle NADH generated from the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway--enzymes in the pathway from acetyl-CoA to butyrate, NADH:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, and NADH oxidase. Versatility in methods of NADH oxidation and an ability to metabolize oxygen could benefit T. hyodysenteriae cells in the colonization of tissues of the swine large bowel.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Effects of molecular oxygen, oxidation-reduction potential, and antioxidants upon in vitro replication of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum.

The effects of various concentrations of dithiothreitol, molecular oxygen, and several antioxidants upon the in vitro replication of Treponema pallidum were studied. The optimal dithiothreitol concentration was between 0.65 and 1.62 mM, and the optimum oxygen concentration was 3.0% +/- 0.5% in both the presence and absence of additional antioxidants. It was discovered that the reduced sulfhydryl concentration and the oxidation-reduction potential of the medium were stabilized after 5 days. The water-soluble antioxidants cobalt chloride, cocarboxylase, mannitol, and histidine were individually tested for their ability to increase treponemal growth in vitro. The optimum concentrations for these antioxidants were 21 nM, 4.3 nM, 0.55 mM, and 0.23 mM, respectively. When combined at these concentrations, the mixture of antioxidants stimulated the in vitro replication of T. pallidum. The number of treponemes in cultures with the antioxidants averaged a 59-fold increase, compared with a 43-fold increase in cultures lacking the antioxidants. It was further demonstrated that histidine and mannitol were the most critical components of this mixture. Catalase and superoxide dismutase were investigated for their ability to promote the growth and maintain viability of T. pallidum in tissue culture. The optimum concentrations for these enzymes were 10,000 U/liter and 25,000 U/liter, respectively. When these enzymes and the above antioxidants were combined and added to a chemically reduced modified Eagle medium, the treponemes increased an average of 70-fold, compared with an average of 35-fold in cultures lacking them. Furthermore, this medium, T. pallidum culture medium, supported the replication of T. pallidum at oxygen concentrations from 5 to 7% with little loss in yield or viability. The lipid-soluble antioxidants vitamin A and vitamin E acetate were also shown to enhance the in vitro growth of T. pallidum in this medium.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1992

Cloning and expression of the aspartate carbamoyltransferase gene from Treponema denticola.

Treponema denticola seems to play a central role in the etiology of human periodontal disease. We have cloned an antigenic protein-coding sequence from T. denticola ATCC 33520. The protein-coding region was found to be a 3-kbp HindIII-HindIII fragment. The open reading frame consists of 1,426 bp and codes for a protein with an M(r) of 54,919. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 33.8% homology with that of the aspartate carbamoyltransferase of Escherichia coli. The gene products showed aspartate carbamoyltransferase activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Physiology and nutrition of Treponema primitia, an H2/CO2-acetogenic spirochete from termite hindguts.

Treponema primitia strains ZAS-1 and ZAS-2, the first spirochetes to be isolated from termite hindguts (J. R. Leadbetter, T. M. Schmidt, J. R. Graber, and J. A. Breznak, Science 283:686-689, 1999), were examined for nutritional, physiological, and biochemical properties relevant to growth and survival in their natural habitat. In addition to using H(2) plus CO(2) as substrates, these strains were capable of homoacetogenic growth on mono- and disaccharides and (in the case of ZAS-2) methoxylated benzenoids. Cells were also capable of mixotrophic growth (i.e., simultaneous utilization of H(2) and organic substrates). Cell extracts of T. primitia possessed enzyme activities of the Wood/Ljungdahl (acetyl coenzyme A) pathway of acetogenesis, including tetrahydrofolate-dependent enzymes of the methyl group-forming branch. However, a folate compound was required in the medium for growth. ZAS-1 and ZAS-2 growing on H(2) plus CO(2) displayed H(2) thresholds of 650 and 490 ppmv, respectively. Anoxic cultures of ZAS-1 and ZAS-2 maintained growth after the addition of as much as 0.5% (vol/vol) O(2) to the headspace atmosphere. Cell extracts exhibited NADH and NADPH peroxidase and NADH oxidase activities but neither catalase nor superoxide dismutase activity. Results indicate that (i) T. primitia is able to exploit a variety of substrates derived from the food of its termite hosts and in so doing contributes to termite nutrition via acetogenesis, (ii) in situ growth of T. primitia is likely dependent on secretion of a folate compound(s) by other members of the gut microbiota, and (iii) cells possess enzymatic adaptations to oxidative stress, which is likely to be encountered in peripheral regions of the termite hindgut.

Acetic Acid↗
PubMed1969

Statistical approach to evaluating the method of Morgan and Vryonis for enumerating Treponema pallidum.

The contributions of four components to the error in the microscopic enumeration of spirochetes (Treponema pallidum) by the method of Morgan and Vryonis were determined. Where N(s) = the number of slides counted, N(r) = the number of recounts of 50 fields per slide, N(p) = the number of pipettes used, and N(e) = the total number of counts of 50 fields made, the coefficient of variation is 2 times the square root of (17.5(2)/N(s) + 18.6(2)/N(r) + 14.8(2)/N(p) + 6.1(2)/N(e)) with 95% confidence.

Analysis of Variance↗