Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A short history of anthrax

Schwartz, Maxime

doi:10.1016/j.mam.2009.06.004

Cited by 47 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…B. anthracis is a spore-forming bacterium that is the etiological agent of anthrax and a weapon of bioterrorism (13,14). Upon exposure to the host, spores are engulfed by local macrophages, where they germinate into vegetative cells and replicate as the macrophages travel to lymph nodes (15)(16)(17)(18). Vegetative bacilli then escape the cell and produce key virulence factors that contribute to the manifestation of disease.…”

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confidence: 99%

Global Metabolomic Analysis of a Mammalian Host Infected with Bacillus anthracis

2015

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bWhereas DNA provides the information to design life and proteins provide the materials to construct it, the metabolome can be viewed as the physiology that powers it. As such, metabolomics, the field charged with the study of the dynamic small-molecule fluctuations that occur in response to changing biology, is now being used to study the basis of disease. Here, we describe a comprehensive metabolomic analysis of a systemic bacterial infection using Bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax disease, as the model pathogen. An organ and blood analysis identified approximately 400 metabolites, including several key classes of lipids involved in inflammation, as being suppressed by B. anthracis. Metabolite changes were detected as early as 1 day postinfection, well before the onset of disease or the spread of bacteria to organs, which testifies to the sensitivity of this methodology. Functional studies using pharmacologic inhibition of host phospholipases support the idea of a role of these key enzymes and lipid mediators in host survival during anthrax disease. Finally, the results are integrated to provide a comprehensive picture of how B. anthracis alters host physiology. Collectively, the results of this study provide a blueprint for using metabolomics as a platform to identify and study novel host-pathogen interactions that shape the outcome of an infection. Metabolomics, a quickly emerging "omics" field in systems biology, is the global analysis of small molecules in a biological sample (1). Since the 1950s, the central dogma of biological information has been the transition from genes to transcript to protein (2). Only recently has the use of high-throughput systems biology been used to study the products of protein activity, the metabolites. The metabolome represents all endogenous and exogenous low-molecular-mass (Ͻ1-kDa) molecules present in a biological state, providing an instantaneous "snapshot" of the cell's metabolic and physiological activity (3). Applications of global metabolomic analysis fall into three broad categories: (i) disease diagnosis, (ii) biomarker and drug discovery, and (iii) study of metabolic pathways and their perturbations due to external factors (1). The analysis of altered metabolites has the potential for discovery of new biomarkers, thus providing the possibility of earlier intervention and insights into the mechanisms of diseases (4).The diagnosis of a bacterial infection encompasses an assessment of clinical symptoms, positive culture of an organism from tissues or blood, and/or reliance on often expensive, outsourced molecular methods (5). Metabolomics provides a unique perspective on bacterial infections as it is able to comprehensively characterize a vast number of metabolic changes in response to a biological perturbation within the host (2). In addition to the potential for biomarker discovery, the metabolic profiles obtained from this analysis can give insight into the identity and nature of molecules involved in the immune response, detect alterations in ho...

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confidence: 99%

Global Metabolomic Analysis of a Mammalian Host Infected with Bacillus anthracis

2015

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“…Anthrax is an infection by bacteria that was already mentioned in the bible as a disease of herbivores, it remained a major cause of death for animals all over the planet until the end of the nineteenth century, with occasional, sometimes extensive, contamination of human beings. Untreated the disease has a fatality rate higher than 90% (Schwartz 2009). What then do these three terrible diseases have in common for the future mortality risks in the Arctic?…”

Section: Melting Permafrost and The Release Of Infectious Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Health Transition: A Challenge to Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic

Sköld

2017

The Interconnected Arctic — UArctic Congress 2016

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Good health and well-being is one of the most important sustainability goals of today. Unfortunately the goal faces many challenges that show an uneven distribution of health improvements, and of life-expectancy. This is a global problem, but also a specific threat to vast parts of the Arctic. Furthermore there is a strong correlation between climate change and health risks. On top of these challenges are disfavoured indigenous peoples, globally and in the Arctic. This chapter deals with health encounters in the North, with a focus on the Swedish health care organization, Sami health and research efforts.

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“…Anthrax remains a major problem for both animals and human beings in developing countries [75]. Recent observations in animal models of inhalational anthrax have determined that the bacterial dissemination pattern during inhalational infection may be more similar to the GI form than previously thought [9].…”

Section: Concluding Remarks and Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

New insights into gastrointestinal anthrax infection

Owen

Yang

Mohamadzadeh

2015

Trends in Molecular Medicine

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Bacterial infections are the primary cause of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders in both developing and developed countries, and are particularly dangerous for infants and children. Bacillus anthracis is the “archetype zoonotic” pathogen; no other infectious disease affects such a broad range of species, including humans. Importantly, there are more case reports of GI anthrax infection in children than inhalational disease. Early diagnosis is difficult and widespread systemic disease develops rapidly. This review highlights new findings concerning the roles of the gut epithelia, commensal microbiota, and innate lymphoid cells in initiation of disease and systemic dissemination in animal models of GI anthrax, the understanding of which is crucial to designing alternative therapies that target establishment of infection.

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A short history of anthrax

Cited by 47 publications

References 49 publications

Global Metabolomic Analysis of a Mammalian Host Infected with Bacillus anthracis

Global Metabolomic Analysis of a Mammalian Host Infected with Bacillus anthracis

The Health Transition: A Challenge to Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic

New insights into gastrointestinal anthrax infection

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