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- Calander, Ann-Marie, 1957, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of staphylococcal protease expression on the outcome of infectious arthritis
- 2004
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Ingår i: Microbes Infect. - : Elsevier BV. - 1286-4579. ; 6:2, s. 202-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The exoproteases of Staphylococcus aureus have been proposed as virulence factors during S. aureus infections. To investigate this, we used the wild-type S. aureus strain 8325-4 and its mutants devoid of aureolysin, serine protease, and cysteine protease, respectively, in a well-established model of septic arthritis in mice. The inactivation of the exoprotease genes did not affect the frequency or the severity of joint disease. We conclude that in the model of haematogenously spread staphylococcal arthritis, the bacterial proteases studied do not act as virulence factors.
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| 2. |
- Fadel, Hani T, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Profiles of Dental Caries and Periodontal Disease in Individuals With or Without Psoriasis.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of periodontology. - : Wiley. - 1943-3670 .- 0022-3492. ; 84:4, s. 477-485
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Studies of oral health in psoriasis patients are limited. The aim was to assess the experience and risk of caries and periodontal disease in psoriatics and non-psoriatics. Material and Methods: The material consisted of 89 individuals with mild to moderate chronic plaque psoriasis and 54 non-psoriatics, recruited at the University Hospital in Gothenburg. Psoriasis arthritis was diagnosed in 25 of the psoriatics. All participants answered questionnaires and were subjected to saliva sampling and oral radiological and clinical examinations. Two computer applications were used for illustration of oral disease risk profiles. Results: Psoriatics had lower salivary pH, fewer remaining teeth, fewer sites with probing pocket depth ≤4 mm and a lower radiographic alveolar bone level than non-psoriatics (p<0.05). Most of the differences remained significant after controlling for confounders. Differences in alveolar bone levels were no longer significant, particularly after introducing "gender" into the regression model. Similar numbers of decayed and filled teeth, sites with deep pockets, sites that bled on probing and risk profiles were observed. Individuals with psoriasis arthritis exhibited a lower stimulated salivary secretion rate than non-psoriatics (p<0.05). Conclusions: There were no differences in profiles of caries and periodontal disease experience and risk between individuals with and without psoriasis. Fewer remaining teeth were observed in psoriatics. However, the exact reason for tooth loss could not be identified. Meanwhile, the reduced salivary pH in psoriatics and salivary secretion in psoriasis arthritis individuals, may pose a risk for future caries.
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| 3. |
- Calander, Ann-Marie, 1957, et al.
(författare)
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Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (gelatinase B) deficiency leads to increased severity of Staphylococcus aureus-triggered septic arthritis.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Microbes and infection / Institut Pasteur. - : Elsevier BV. - 1286-4579. ; 8:6, s. 1434-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Matrix metalloproteinases constitute a family of structurally related endopeptidases that are crucial for the normal turnover of the extracellular matrix. Elevated levels of MMP-9 have been demonstrated in synovial fluids of rheumatoid arthritis patients, and a correlation with the severity of the disease has been described. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of MMP-9 expression on joint inflammation and destruction in a model of bacterially induced septic arthritis. MMP-9 knock-out mice and C57Bl6 congenic controls were inoculated intravenously or intra-articularly with Staphylococcus aureus. Arthritis was evaluated clinically and by means of histology. Zymographic analyses were performed to study ex vivo induction of MMP-9 following exposure to S. aureus. The MMP-9 knock-out mice displayed a significantly higher frequency and severity, but not destructivity, of arthritis than did the wild-type mice. The knock-out mice also proved to harbour an increased number of bacteria locally in joints and systemically in kidneys, possibly by impaired extravasation and recruitment of leukocytes and a deficient early defence against infection. Our findings indicate that deficiency in MMP-9 increases the degree of joint inflammation due to decreased bacterial clearance.
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| 4. |
- Calander, Ann-Marie, 1957
(författare)
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Proteases in Staphylococcal Arthritis
- 2007
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Proteases in Staphylococcal Arthritis Ann-Marie Calander Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborg University, Guldhedsgatan 10A, 413 46 Göteborg, Sweden Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a ubiquitous bacterium. Due to an increasing prevalence of immunodeficiency states in the world population and the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains, the incidence of S. aureus septicaemia and its complications is increasing worldwide, as is the mortality thereof. S. aureus has an impressive capacity to adjust to the environment since it has developed a multitude of invasive and evasive mechanisms to cope with host defence. Many studies have been performed mapping S. aureus virulence determinants with the aim of improving our ability to combat S. aureus infections. So far, little is known concerning the impact of S. aureus extracellular proteases on virulence. The aim of the first part of this thesis was to investigate the role of bacterial extracellular proteases as potential virulence factors in S. aureus induced septic arthritis. Inherent to this goal was to investigate whether there is a specific immune response to S. aureus extracellular proteases and if so, whether protease specific antibodies have any inhibitory function on the protease activity and thereby modulating the biological properties of the bacteria. The second part of this thesis aimed at shedding light on the impact of a host protease, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) on the development of septic arthritis. S. aureus strain 8325-4 with a known high production of extracellular proteases and its mutants lacking extracellular proteases, Aur-, Ssp- and SspB- were compared concerning their capacity to induce arthritis and to prevail in kidneys and joints. Total serum levels of IgG and IgM were measured, as were antibodies specific for the deleted proteases. Silencing of the ssp, aur, or sspB genes did not affect the clinical nor the histological course of septic arthritis. Polyclonal B-cell activation was illustrated by auto-antibody production and a 10-fold increase in total IgG and a 50% increase in total IgM. Specific antibody response was demonstrated since only mice infected with bacteria expressing SspB and V8 responded with anti-protease specific antibody production. Functional capacity of the specific antibodies was illustrated by the fact that the V8 protease antibodies inhibited the activity of the enzyme in vitro. To study the production of host protease MMP-9 over time, zymographic analyses were performed of spleen homogenates at different time points after bacterial inoculation. At day 9 after inoculation there was a four-fold increase of MMP-9 expression. To further investigate the role of MMP-9 in infectious arthritis, MMP-9 KO mice and their littermates C57Bl/6 wt mice, were inoculated i.v. with S. aureus. MMP-9 deficient mice showed more clinical arthritis and thrived less well. Importantly, the MMP-9 KO mice harboured significantly more bacteria in kidneys and joints than did their congenic controls, indicating MMP-9 as an indispensable molecule in the clearance of the infective agent. Altogether this thesis shows that S. aureus proteases can evoke a specific immune response in the host, but that they are not essential in mediating bacterial arthritis. Furthermore, host MMP-9 contributes to innate immune responses during septic arthritis. Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus, septic arthritis, proteases, matrix metalloproteinases ISBN 978-91-628-7040-9
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| 7. |
- Hammarström, Helena, et al.
(författare)
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Leishmania infantum infection after visiting southern Spain in patients on biological treatment; an observational, longitudinal, cohort study
- 2023
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Ingår i: Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease. - : Elsevier BV. - 1477-8939. ; 53
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Reports of leishmaniasis in immunosuppressed patients after visiting the Mediterranean Basin are becoming increasingly common. Still, awareness of the risk of infection and its clinical manifestations may be insufficient among healthcare professionals in the travellers' home countries.Methods: This observational, longitudinal study included 47 patients from Sweden with rheumatic disease and ongoing immunomodulatory treatment, who visited a rehabilitation centre in southern Spain where leishman-iasis is endemic. Patients were evaluated for clinical signs of leishmaniasis at baseline and after three years. Patients with leishmaniasis were followed for 4-5 years. The treatment outcome was assessed by clinical eval-uation and determination of the cell-mediated immunological response to Leishmania by a whole blood cytokine release assay.Results: Seven patients (15%) were diagnosed with leishmaniasis. The median time from exposure to the onset of symptoms was 3 [1-17] months. The median delay between the onset of symptoms and treatment start was 9 [1-12] months. All patients with leishmaniasis responded well to treatment. Only one patient had a relapse, which occurred within the first year.Conclusion: Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the increased risk of leishmaniasis for travellers who are immunosuppressed. Knowledge of the symptoms is crucial for a timely diagnosis and early treatment.
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