梅毒密螺旋体及梅毒

梅毒密螺旋体(Treponema pallidum)又叫苍白密螺旋体。菌体为纤细的螺旋形长丝,两端尖直,螺旋较整齐规则。一般长6-20μm,宽0.09-0.18μm。运动较缓慢。用姬姆萨氏或瑞特氏染液长时间染色,呈浅红色。若用镀银染色法,则呈棕黑色。寄生性较强,不易人工培养。在体外,生活力很弱,易被普通消毒剂杀死。对砷、鉍、汞等化学制剂很敏感;青霉素、四环素、庆大霉素等则有强大杀灭作用。加热到41.5℃一小时即可杀死,在0-4℃环境中只能生存48-72小时。实验室内常以家兔睾丸或眼前房保存菌种。在自然情况下,梅毒密螺旋体仅侵犯人体,引起梅毒。梅毒是一种性传播疾病,主要     

Reiter株研究现状

<正>在研究梅毒血清学密螺旋体试验时,如荧光抗体吸收试验(Fluoresoent Treponermal Antibody Absorption Test,简称FTA——ABS)、梅毒螺旋体血凝试验(Treponema pallidum Hemagglutination Assay简称TPHA)等,人们经常要使用两株重要的菌株即Nichols株和Reter株,前者为梅毒螺旋体毒株,在上述试验中做为抗原用以检测特异性梅毒抗体;后者则是非致病性螺旋体,为上述试验中吸收剂主要成分,以吸收除去被检血清中的非特异性抗体。     

梅毒螺旋体感染实验室诊断方法研究进展

梅毒是一种性传播疾病,病程长、危害大、临床表现复杂,容易造成漏诊和误诊.梅毒的早期诊断对控制梅毒传播具有重要意义.本文对当前梅毒螺旋体的病原学、血清学及分子生物学等检测方法及研究进展作一综述.     

苍白密螺旋体苍白亚种单克隆抗体的制备及应用

苍白密螺旋体苍白亚种,俗称梅毒螺旋体(Treponema pallidum,Tp)是严重危害人类健康的性传播疾病——梅毒的病原体。由于Tp体外培养至今尚未成功,从而制约了Tp的基础研究。自从Tp单克隆抗体(TpMcAb)问世以后,已应用于Tp感染的临床诊断、抗原性质分析等方面的研究,其制备方法的完善和改进将对梅毒的诊断和防治提供新的方法。本文对Tp McAb的制备和应用作一综述,以展示近年来Tp McAb的最新研究进展。     

梅毒菌苗:用环磷酰胺,Ribi佐剂和消炎痛正调节免疫原性从而在家兔中对攻击感染产生有意义的保护

<正>如果不治疗人梅毒感染将至少刺激产生或多或少的一些保护免疫性应答。感染期与增强的抵抗力直接相关。在实验性兔梅毒中,对攻击性感染的保护性是在感染约60到90天期间缓慢发生和发展的。为了研制有效菌苗,进行了许多尝试并且几乎都失败了。用加热、冷贮、青霉素、硫柳汞、安替佛明和戊二醛等方法灭活的苍白密螺旋体的制剂以及超声处理和冻干的制剂尚未能引起保护性免疫。基于这些失败,提出了保护性免疫原是不稳定的假定并且用于灭活密螺旋体的方法也破坏了这些关键抗原。     

梅毒螺旋体4种主要膜蛋白分子的研究现状

梅毒螺旋体是梅毒的病原体。因其体外培养至今尚未成功,该螺旋体获取困难,从而制约了其基础研究。但随着基因工程技术的发展,梅毒螺旋体全基因序列已经成功揭示,其主要结构蛋白研究也取得了重大进展,这些都为进一步深入开展研究提供了基础和前提。本文从梅毒螺旋体几种主要外膜蛋白的结构在梅毒致病机制中的作用和功能,以及有关实际应用等几方面进行综述。     

新型蛋白用于梅毒诊断的前景

<正>梅毒是一种由苍白密螺旋体苍白亚种引起的性传播疾病,虽然青霉素可以有效地治疗这种疾病,但其仍然在世界范围内流行,部分原因是由于目前诊断检测的不足。在这里,我们报告了三种新型诊断候选蛋白的可溶性重组型变体Tp0326、Tp0453和Tp0453-Tp0326嵌合体。通过对感染的初期、中期和潜伏阶段的血清样本(n=169)中这些重组蛋白的     

主要致病性螺旋体疫苗研究进展

由主要致病性螺旋体引起的人类疾病,如钩端螺旋体病(Leptospirosis)(以下简称钩体病)、莱姆病(Lyme disease)和梅毒(Syphilis)等发病率居高不下,对公共卫生造成了威胁和隐患。这些病原性螺旋体的致病机制许多尚未完全阐明,甚至有些不十分清楚。目前螺旋体疫苗免疫保护效果仍不十分理想。为了预防和减轻螺旋体病的发生,亟需对主要致病性螺旋体疫苗的相关研究进行加强和给予足够的重视。致病性螺旋体相关疫苗大多经历了全菌体疫苗、减毒活疫苗和基因工程疫苗等阶段。现就钩体病、莱姆病和梅毒的疫苗类型及免疫保护效果的研究现状作一概述。     

梅毒螺旋体外膜蛋白研究进展

梅毒是由梅毒螺旋体(Treponema pallidum)亚种苍白螺旋菌引起的性传播感染性疾病,主要通过母婴感染或性接触的方式传播。梅毒螺旋体的外膜蛋白在梅毒螺旋体的传播和宿主的黏附等方面起重要作用,因此,鉴定可以作为抗生素作用靶点的梅毒螺旋体外膜蛋白一直是梅毒疫苗开发的研究重点。本文重点阐述了梅毒螺旋体外膜蛋白的结构功能等特性,并将目前针对细菌外膜蛋白为靶点的药物的研究进展进行总结,以期为针对梅毒螺旋体的外膜蛋白为靶点的相关药物的研发提供一些新思路。     

三种方法检测梅毒螺旋体抗体的比较

应用ELISA法、TRUST法和TPPA法分别检测梅毒患者血清标本中梅毒螺旋体IgG抗体,比较3种方法的敏感性和特异性,选择一种适合于梅毒螺旋体抗体检测的高敏感性和高特异性的血清学检测方法。     

The endemic treponematoses

Treponemal diseases comprise venereal syphilis (Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum) and the endemic (non-venereal) treponematoses, i.e. yaws (T. pallidum subsp. pertenue), endemic syphilis (T. pallidum subsp. endemicum) and pinta (T. carateum). Treponemal diseases are distinguished on the basis of epidemiological characteristics and clinical manifestations. They are at present indistinguishable by morphological, immunological or serological methods. Several minor genetic differences have been identified among the subspecies. The endemic treponematoses have not yet been eliminated and are currently thought to affect at least 2.5 million persons. Renewed action towards the elimination of these diseases should be undertaken.     

The Early History of Syphilis: A Reappraisal

The historical record and examination of disinterred human bones indicate that venereal syphilis is very old in America but did not appear in the Old World until about 1500. Traditionally it has been believed that the disease was brought to the Old World by Columbus in the 1490s. The most popular alternative hypothesis at present is that venereal syphilis is really only one facet of a disease—treponematosis, appearing as yaws in the tropics, nonvenereal syphilis in the Middle East, pinta in Mexico, etc.—that is present wherever man has settled and has been his unshakable companion for thousands of years in all the continents. Unfortunately, the latter, or Unitarian, theory has no more claim to validity than the Columbian. The diseases mentioned are similar but we cannot be sure that they are all really the same. And the testimony of the sixteenth-century Spaniards, who knew Columbus and his men, that syphilis was an American import cannot be easily brushed aside. The hypothesis of this paper is that treponematosis, originally a single disease, evolved into several related but distinct maladies as man spread through the world and that venereal syphilis is the variant that developed in the remote cul-de-sac of America, from which it probably was indeed introduced to Europe with the return of Columbus.     

On the origin of the treponematoses: a phylogenetic approach

Background

Since the first recorded epidemic of syphilis in 1495, controversy has surrounded the origins of the bacterium Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum and its relationship to the pathogens responsible for the other treponemal diseases: yaws, endemic syphilis, and pinta. Some researchers have argued that the syphilis-causing bacterium, or its progenitor, was brought from the New World to Europe by Christopher Columbus and his men, while others maintain that the treponematoses, including syphilis, have a much longer history on the European continent.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We applied phylogenetics to this problem, using data from 21 genetic regions examined in 26 geographically disparate strains of pathogenic Treponema. Of all the strains examined, the venereal syphilis-causing strains originated most recently and were more closely related to yaws-causing strains from South America than to other non-venereal strains. Old World yaws-causing strains occupied a basal position on the tree, indicating that they arose first in human history, and a simian strain of T. pallidum was found to be indistinguishable from them.

Conclusions/Significance

Our results lend support to the Columbian theory of syphilis''s origin while suggesting that the non-sexually transmitted subspecies arose earlier in the Old World. This study represents the first attempt to address the problem of the origin of syphilis using molecular genetics, as well as the first source of information regarding the genetic make-up of non-venereal strains from the Western hemisphere.     

梅毒疫苗的研究进展

梅毒是由梅毒螺旋体(Tp)感染所引起的性传播疾病。梅毒感染可引发机体多系统慢性持续性损害,可垂直传播,还可明显增加感染和传播艾滋病的危险性。尽管付出相当的努力,但Tp不同寻常的生物学特征及当前梅毒疫苗方法学的不足严重阻碍了梅毒疫苗的研究进程,迄今为止,国内外仍然没有切实有效的疫苗能预防Tp感染。简要介绍了梅毒感染后机体免疫应答特点,综述了梅毒疫苗的类型及疫苗发展中可能存在的障碍,并进一步提出了今后梅毒疫苗设计的新方向。     

Syphilis and cirrhosis: a lethal combination in a XIX century individual identified from the medical schools collection at the university of Coimbra (Portugal)

Syphilis is a chronic infection that is categorized by a three-stage progression. The tertiary stage may affect bones and produce distinctive skull lesions called caries sicca. This paper aims to present an unusual case of syphilis associated with a diagnosis of cirrhosis, which was recorded as the cause of death in a 28-year-old female in 1899. The appearance and distribution of the lesions were compatible with acquired syphilis, as observed in the skull from the Medical Schools Collection of the University of Coimbra. However, the cause of death was recorded as "hypertrophic cirrhosis of the liver", this is a condition that is compatible with several liver disorders, including a primary liver disorder, such as cirrhosis provoked by alcoholism, infection of the liver by syphilis pathogens or by damage to the liver from the use of mercury compounds, which was the common treatment for syphilis at the time. This paper represents a contribution to the understanding of the natural evolution of syphilis.     

Bone and bone marrow: The same organ

Interplays between bone and bone marrow are not limited to merely anatomic and histological connections, but include a tight functional correlation. Bone marrow resides within the medullary cavity of the bones and the process of hematopoiesis is regulated, at least in part, by bone cells. Moreover, osteoclasts and osteoblasts derive from precursors of hematopoietic and mesenchymal origin, respectively, both residing within the bone marrow. Alterations in one of these components typically cause impairment in the other, so diseases of the bone marrow compartment often affect the bone and vice versa. All these findings could make us to speculate that bone and bone marrow are not two separate districts, but can be considered as the two elements of the same unique functional unit, the bone-bone marrow organ. Here we will describe histological and functional interplays between bone and bone marrow, and will illustrate some diseases in which this tight correlation is evident.     

Functional clues from the crystal structure of an orphan periplasmic ligand‐binding protein from Treponema pallidum

The spirochete Treponema pallidum is the causative agent of syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection of major global importance. Other closely related subspecies of Treponema also are the etiological agents of the endemic treponematoses, such as yaws, pinta, and bejel. The inability of T. pallidum and its close relatives to be cultured in vitro has prompted efforts to characterize T. pallidum's proteins structurally and biophysically, particularly those potentially relevant to treponemal membrane biology, with the goal of possibly revealing the functions of those proteins. This report describes the structure of the treponemal protein Tp0737; this polypeptide has a fold characteristic of a class of periplasmic ligand‐binding proteins associated with ABC‐type transporters. Although no ligand for the protein was observed in electron‐density maps, and thus the nature of the native ligand remains obscure, the structural data described herein provide a foundation for further efforts to elucidate the ligand and thus the function of this protein in T. pallidum.     

Charcot foot in diabetes: farewell to the neurotrophic theory.

Neuropathic osteoarthropathy is characterised by relatively painless swelling together with extensive damage in bones and joints, predominantly in the feet and ankles. The uncontrolled natural course of the condition leads to gross foot deformity, skin pressure ulceration, spreading infections, and sometimes amputation. Jean-Martin Charcot in 1883 described "Charcot foot" named after him in patients with tabes dorsalis insensitivity. Charcot believed that intrinsic bone weakness was the underlying condition, and was caused by neurogenic deficiencies in bone nutrition. His followers believed such dystrophy to be mediated by sympathetic denervation of the bone vasculature (neurotrophic, or neurovascular theory). Attempts to prove this theory were futile. A neurogenic circulatory disorder potentially relevant to bone nutrition could not be identified. Nowadays, Charcot foot is mostly seen in diabetic neuropathy, which has replaced syphilis as a frequent cause of peripheral nerve dysfunction. Recent studies in the diabetic Charcot foot and bone turnover indicate that the neurotrophic theory is a myth. The assumption of bone resorption due to sympathetic denervation proved to be false--sympathetic activity increases osteoclastic activity and thereby bone loss (sympathomimetic bone resorption). Except for the transient, inflammatory stage of the diabetic Charcot foot, there is no evidence of relevant osteoporosis or demineralisation of the foot skeleton in diabetes.     

The sequence of the acidic repeat protein (arp) gene differentiates venereal from nonvenereal Treponema pallidum subspecies, and the gene has evolved under strong positive selection in the subspecies that causes syphilis

Despite the completion of the Treponema pallidum genome project, only minor genetic differences have been found between the subspecies that cause venereal syphilis (ssp. pallidum) and the nonvenereal diseases yaws (ssp. pertenue) and bejel (ssp. endemicum). In this paper, we describe sequence variation in the arp gene which allows straightforward differentiation of ssp. pallidum from the nonvenereal subspecies. We also present evidence that this region is subject to positive selection in ssp. pallidum, consistent with pressure from the immune system. Finally, the presence of multiple, but distinct, repeat motifs in both ssp. pallidum and Treponema paraluiscuniculi (the pathogen responsible for rabbit syphilis) suggests that a diverse repertoire of repeat motifs is associated with sexual transmission. This study suggests that variations in the number and sequence of repeat motifs in the arp gene have clinical, epidemiological, and evolutionary significance.     

The effect of calcitonin treatment on plasma nitric oxide levels in post-menopausal osteoporotic patients

Several recent studies have revealed a wide role for nitric oxide (NO) in bone metabolism. Low doses of NO cause bone resorption, but higher doses of NO inhibit bone resorbing activity. Cytokines are potent stimulators of NO production. NO is a very short-lived molecules. It exists for only 6-10 s only before it is converted by oxygen and water into the end-products nitrates and nitrites. Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease, characterized by a decreased amount of bone and increased susceptibility to fracture. NO may be involved as a mediator of bone disease such as post-menopausal osteoporosis. Calcitonin is a peptide hormone that inhibits bone resorption. The function of calcitonin in some cells is often unclear. In this study 30 post-menopausal osteoporotic women of ages ranging between 55 and 59 years without systemic diseases and free of any drug therapy were included. Twenty of them, randomly chosen, were treated with calcium (500 mg day(-1))+calcitonin (nasal spray 100 U day(-1)) and the other 10 women (control group) were treated with calcium only. This treatment was applied for 6 months and NO values were measured in each of the two groups before and after treatment. Our findings demonstrate that NO regulates osteoclastic bone resorption activity in association with calcitonin.