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  1. Article ; Online: Assessing the Need for Multiplex and Multifunctional Tick-Borne Disease Test in Routine Clinical Laboratory Samples from Lyme Disease and Febrile Patients with a History of a Tick Bite

    Kunal Garg / T. Sakari Jokiranta / Sanna Filén / Leona Gilbert

    Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, Vol 6, Iss 38, p

    2021  Volume 38

    Abstract: Human polymicrobial infections in tick-borne disease (TBD) patients is an emerging public health theme. However, the requirement for holistic TBD tests in routine clinical laboratories is ambiguous. TICKPLEX ® PLUS is a holistic TBD test utilized herein ... ...

    Abstract Human polymicrobial infections in tick-borne disease (TBD) patients is an emerging public health theme. However, the requirement for holistic TBD tests in routine clinical laboratories is ambiguous. TICKPLEX ® PLUS is a holistic TBD test utilized herein to assess the need for multiplex and multifunctional diagnostic tools in a routine clinical laboratory. The study involved 150 specimens categorized into Lyme disease (LD)-positive ( n = 48), LD-negative ( n = 30), and febrile patients from whom borrelia serology was requested ( n = 72, later “febrile patients”) based on reference test results from United Medix, Finland. Reference tests from DiaSorin, Immunetics, and Mikrogen Diagnostik followed the two-tier LD testing system. A comparison between the reference tests and TICKPLEX ® PLUS produced 86%, 88%, and 87% positive, negative, and overall agreement, respectively. Additionally, up to 15% of LD and 11% of febrile patients responded to TBD related coinfections and opportunistic microbes. The results demonstrated that one (TICKPLEX ® PLUS) test can aid in a LD diagnosis instead of four tests. Moreover, TBD is not limited to just LD, as the specimens produced immune responses to several TBD microbes. Lastly, the study indicated that the screening of febrile patients for TBDs could be a missed opportunity at reducing unreported patient cases.
    Keywords Lyme disease ; tick-borne disease ; zoonoses ; spirochetes ; polymicrobial ; summer flu ; Medicine ; R
    Subject code 610
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-03-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  2. Article ; Online: Minor Role of Plasminogen in Complement Activation on Cell Surfaces.

    Satu Hyvärinen / T Sakari Jokiranta

    PLoS ONE, Vol 10, Iss 12, p e

    2015  Volume 0143707

    Abstract: Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare, but severe thrombotic microangiopathy. In roughly two thirds of the patients, mutations in complement genes lead to uncontrolled activation of the complement system against self cells. Recently, aHUS ... ...

    Abstract Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare, but severe thrombotic microangiopathy. In roughly two thirds of the patients, mutations in complement genes lead to uncontrolled activation of the complement system against self cells. Recently, aHUS patients were described with deficiency of the fibrinolytic protein plasminogen. This zymogen and its protease form plasmin have both been shown to interact with complement proteins in the fluid phase. In this work we studied the potential of plasminogen to restrict complement propagation. In hemolytic assays, plasminogen inhibited complement activation, but only when it had been exogenously activated to plasmin and when it was used at disproportionately high concentrations compared to serum. Addition of only the zymogen plasminogen into serum did not hinder complement-mediated lysis of erythrocytes. Plasminogen could not restrict deposition of complement activation products on endothelial cells either, as was shown with flow cytometry. With platelets, a very weak inhibitory effect on deposition of C3 fragments was observed, but it was considered too weak to be significant for disease pathogenesis. Thus it was concluded that plasminogen is not an important regulator of complement on self cells. Instead, addition of plasminogen was shown to clearly hinder platelet aggregation in serum. This was attributed to plasmin causing disintegration of formed platelet aggregates. We propose that reduced proteolytic activity of plasmin on structures of growing thrombi, rather than on complement activation fragments, explains the association of plasminogen deficiency with aHUS. This adds to the emerging view that factors unrelated to the complement system can also be central to aHUS pathogenesis and suggests that future research on the mechanism of the disease should expand beyond complement dysregulation.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 616
    Language English
    Publishing date 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  3. Article ; Online: Staphylococcal protein Ecb impairs complement receptor-1 mediated recognition of opsonized bacteria.

    Hanne Amdahl / Karita Haapasalo / Lydia Tan / Taru Meri / Pentti I Kuusela / Jos A van Strijp / Suzan Rooijakkers / T Sakari Jokiranta

    PLoS ONE, Vol 12, Iss 3, p e

    2017  Volume 0172675

    Abstract: Staphyloccus aureus is a major human pathogen leading frequently to sepsis and soft tissue infections with abscesses. Multiple virulence factors including several immune modulating molecules contribute to its survival in the host. When S. aureus invades ... ...

    Abstract Staphyloccus aureus is a major human pathogen leading frequently to sepsis and soft tissue infections with abscesses. Multiple virulence factors including several immune modulating molecules contribute to its survival in the host. When S. aureus invades the human body, one of the first line defenses is the complement system, which opsonizes the bacteria with C3b and attract neutrophils by release of chemotactic peptides. Neutrophils express Complement receptor-1 [CR1, CD35) that interacts with the C3b-opsonized particles and thereby plays an important role in pathogen recognition by phagocytic cells. In this study we observed that a fraction of S. aureus culture supernatant prevented binding of C3b to neutrophils. This fraction consisted of S. aureus leukocidins and Efb. The C-terminus of Efb is known to bind C3b and shares significant sequence homology to the extracellular complement binding protein [Ecb). Here we show that S. aureus Ecb displays various mechanisms to block bacterial recognition by neutrophils. The presence of Ecb blocked direct interaction between soluble CR1 and C3b and reduced the cofactor activity of CR1 in proteolytic inactivation of C3b. Furthermore, Ecb could dose-dependently prevent recognition of C3b by cell-bound CR1 that lead to impaired phagocytosis of NHS-opsonized S. aureus. Phagocytosis was furthermore reduced in the presence of soluble CR1 [sCR1). These data indicate that the staphylococcal protein Ecb prevents recognition of C3b opsonized bacteria by neutrophil CR1 leading to impaired killing by phagocytosis and thereby contribute to immune evasion of S. aureus.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Language English
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  4. Article ; Online: Crystal structure of a tripartite complex between C3dg, C-terminal domains of factor H and OspE of Borrelia burgdorferi.

    Robert Kolodziejczyk / Kornelia M Mikula / Tommi Kotila / Vincent L G Postis / T Sakari Jokiranta / Adrian Goldman / Taru Meri

    PLoS ONE, Vol 12, Iss 11, p e

    2017  Volume 0188127

    Abstract: Complement is an important part of innate immunity. The alternative pathway of complement is activated when the main opsonin, C3b coats non-protected surfaces leading to opsonisation, phagocytosis and cell lysis. The alternative pathway is tightly ... ...

    Abstract Complement is an important part of innate immunity. The alternative pathway of complement is activated when the main opsonin, C3b coats non-protected surfaces leading to opsonisation, phagocytosis and cell lysis. The alternative pathway is tightly controlled to prevent autoactivation towards host cells. The main regulator of the alternative pathway is factor H (FH), a soluble glycoprotein that terminates complement activation in multiple ways. FH recognizes host cell surfaces via domains 19-20 (FH19-20). All microbes including Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis, must evade complement activation to allow the infectious agent to survive in its host. One major mechanism that Borrelia uses is to recruit FH from host. Several outer surface proteins (Osp) have been described to bind FH via the C-terminus, and OspE is one of them. Here we report the structure of the tripartite complex formed by OspE, FH19-20 and C3dg at 3.18 Å, showing that OspE and C3dg can bind simultaneously to FH19-20. This verifies that FH19-20 interacts via the "common microbial binding site" on domain 20 with OspE and simultaneously and independently via domain 19 with C3dg. The spatial organization of the tripartite complex explains how OspE on the bacterial surface binds FH19-20, leaving FH fully available to protect the bacteria against complement. Additionally, formation of tripartite complex between FH, microbial protein and C3dg might enable enhanced protection, particularly on those regions on the bacteria where previous complement activation led to deposition of C3d. This might be especially important for slow-growing bacteria that cause chronic disease like Borrelia burgdorferi.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 572
    Language English
    Publishing date 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  5. Article ; Online: Staphylococcal protein Ecb impairs complement receptor-1 mediated recognition of opsonized bacteria.

    Hanne Amdahl / Karita Haapasalo / Lydia Tan / Taru Meri / Pentti I Kuusela / Jos A van Strijp / Suzan Rooijakkers / T Sakari Jokiranta

    PLoS ONE, Vol 12, Iss 3, p e

    2017  Volume 0172675

    Abstract: Staphyloccus aureus is a major human pathogen leading frequently to sepsis and soft tissue infections with abscesses. Multiple virulence factors including several immune modulating molecules contribute to its survival in the host. When S. aureus invades ... ...

    Abstract Staphyloccus aureus is a major human pathogen leading frequently to sepsis and soft tissue infections with abscesses. Multiple virulence factors including several immune modulating molecules contribute to its survival in the host. When S. aureus invades the human body, one of the first line defenses is the complement system, which opsonizes the bacteria with C3b and attract neutrophils by release of chemotactic peptides. Neutrophils express Complement receptor-1 [CR1, CD35) that interacts with the C3b-opsonized particles and thereby plays an important role in pathogen recognition by phagocytic cells. In this study we observed that a fraction of S. aureus culture supernatant prevented binding of C3b to neutrophils. This fraction consisted of S. aureus leukocidins and Efb. The C-terminus of Efb is known to bind C3b and shares significant sequence homology to the extracellular complement binding protein [Ecb). Here we show that S. aureus Ecb displays various mechanisms to block bacterial recognition by neutrophils. The presence of Ecb blocked direct interaction between soluble CR1 and C3b and reduced the cofactor activity of CR1 in proteolytic inactivation of C3b. Furthermore, Ecb could dose-dependently prevent recognition of C3b by cell-bound CR1 that lead to impaired phagocytosis of NHS-opsonized S. aureus. Phagocytosis was furthermore reduced in the presence of soluble CR1 [sCR1). These data indicate that the staphylococcal protein Ecb prevents recognition of C3b opsonized bacteria by neutrophil CR1 leading to impaired killing by phagocytosis and thereby contribute to immune evasion of S. aureus.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Language English
    Publishing date 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  6. Article: T cell receptor diversity in the human thymus

    Vanhanen, Reetta / David Hamm / Heikki Tarkkila / Jari Saramäki / Kunal Aggarwal / Nelli Heikkilä / T. Petteri Arstila / T. Sakari Jokiranta / Tommi Pätilä

    Molecular Immunology. 2016 Aug., v. 76

    2016  

    Abstract: A diverse T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire is essential for adaptive immune responses and is generated by somatic recombination of TCRα and TCRβ gene segments in the thymus. Previous estimates of the total TCR diversity have studied the circulating ... ...

    Abstract A diverse T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire is essential for adaptive immune responses and is generated by somatic recombination of TCRα and TCRβ gene segments in the thymus. Previous estimates of the total TCR diversity have studied the circulating mature repertoire, identifying 1 to 3×106 unique TCRβ and 0.5×106 TCRα sequences. Here we provide the first estimate of the total TCR diversity generated in the human thymus, an organ which in principle can be sampled in its entirety. High-throughput sequencing of samples from four pediatric donors detected up to 10.3×106 unique TCRβ sequences and 3.7×106 TCRα sequences, the highest directly observed diversity so far for either chain. To obtain an estimate of the total diversity we then used three different estimators, preseq and DivE, which measure the saturation of rarefaction curves, and Chao2, which measures the size of the overlap between samples. Our results provide an estimate of a thymic repertoire consisting of 40 to 70×106 unique TCRβ sequences and 60 to 100×106 TCRα sequences. The thymic repertoire is thus extremely diverse. Moreover, extrapolation of the data and comparison with earlier estimates of peripheral diversity also suggest that the thymic repertoire is transient, with different clones produced at different times.
    Keywords adaptive immunity ; clones ; genes ; high-throughput nucleotide sequencing ; humans ; thymus gland ; T-lymphocytes
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2016-08
    Size p. 116-122.
    Publishing place Elsevier Ltd
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 424427-8
    ISSN 1872-9142 ; 0161-5890
    ISSN (online) 1872-9142
    ISSN 0161-5890
    DOI 10.1016/j.molimm.2016.07.002
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  7. Article ; Online: Fatal Babesiosis in Man, Finland, 2004

    Karita Haapasalo / Pekka Suomalainen / Antti Sukura / Heli Siikamäki / T. Sakari Jokiranta

    Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol 16, Iss 7, Pp 1116-

    2010  Volume 1118

    Abstract: We report an unusual case of human babesiosis in Finland in a 53-year-old man with no history of splenectomy. He had a rudimentary spleen, coexisting Lyme borreliosis, exceptional dark streaks on his extremities, and subsequent disseminated aspergillosis. ...

    Abstract We report an unusual case of human babesiosis in Finland in a 53-year-old man with no history of splenectomy. He had a rudimentary spleen, coexisting Lyme borreliosis, exceptional dark streaks on his extremities, and subsequent disseminated aspergillosis. He was infected with Babesia divergens, which usually causes bovine babesiosis in Finland.
    Keywords Babesiosis ; Babesia divergens ; Ixodes ; tick-borne diseases ; vector-borne infections ; parasites ; Medicine ; R ; Infectious and parasitic diseases ; RC109-216
    Language English
    Publishing date 2010-07-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  8. Article ; Online: Monkey Malaria in a European Traveler Returning from Malaysia

    Anu Kantele / Hanspeter Marti / Ingrid Felger / Dania Müller / T. Sakari Jokiranta

    Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol 14, Iss 9, Pp 1434-

    2008  Volume 1436

    Abstract: In 2007, a Finnish traveler was infected in Peninsular Malaysia with Plasmodium knowlesi, a parasite that usually causes malaria in monkeys. P. knowlesi has established itself as the fifth Plasmodium species that can cause human malaria. The disease is ... ...

    Abstract In 2007, a Finnish traveler was infected in Peninsular Malaysia with Plasmodium knowlesi, a parasite that usually causes malaria in monkeys. P. knowlesi has established itself as the fifth Plasmodium species that can cause human malaria. The disease is potentially life-threatening in humans; clinicians and laboratory personnel should become more aware of this pathogen in travelers.
    Keywords Plasmodium knowlesi ; malaria ; monkey diseases ; parasitology ; PCR ; emerging ; Medicine ; R ; Infectious and parasitic diseases ; RC109-216
    Language English
    Publishing date 2008-09-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  9. Article ; Online: The local complement activation on vascular bed of patients with systemic sclerosis

    Cinzia Scambi / Sara Ugolini / T Sakari Jokiranta / Lucia De Franceschi / Oscar Bortolami / Valentina La Verde / Patrizia Guarini / Paola Caramaschi / Viviana Ravagnani / Guido Martignoni / Chiara Colato / Serena Pedron / Fabio Benedetti / Marco Sorio / Fabio Poli / Domenico Biasi

    PLoS ONE, Vol 10, Iss 2, p e

    a hypothesis-generating study.

    2015  Volume 0114856

    Abstract: OBJECTIVE:The role of complement system in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc) has been debated during the last decade but an evident implication in this disease has never been found. We carried out an explorative study on SSc patients to ... ...

    Abstract OBJECTIVE:The role of complement system in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc) has been debated during the last decade but an evident implication in this disease has never been found. We carried out an explorative study on SSc patients to evaluate the expression of soluble and local C5b-9 complement complex and its relation with a complement regulator, the Membrane Cofactor Protein (MCP, CD46) on skin vascular bed as target distinctive of SSc disease. We also analyzed two polymorphic variants in the complement activation gene cluster involving the MCP region. METHODS:C5b-9 plasma levels of SSc patients and healthy subjects were analyzed by ELISA assay. Archival skin biopsies of SSc patients and controls were subjected to immunofluorescence analysis to detect C5b-9 and MCP on vascular endothelial cells. The expression of MCP was validated by immunoblot analysis with specific antibody. Polymorphic variants in the MCP gene promoter were tested by a quantitative PCR technique-based allelic discrimination method. RESULTS:Even though circulating levels of C5b-9 did not differ between SSc and controls, C5b-9 deposition was detected in skin biopsies of SSc patients but not in healthy subjects. MCP was significantly lower in skin vessels of SSc patients than in healthy controls and was associated with the over-expression of two polymorphic variants in the MCP gene promoter, which has been related to more aggressive phenotypes in other immune-mediated diseases. CONCLUSIONS:Our results firsty document the local complement activation with an abnormal expression of MCP in skin vessels of SSc patients, suggesting that a subset of SSc patients might be exposed to more severe organ complications and clinical evolution due to abnormal local complement activation.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 610 ; 616
    Language English
    Publishing date 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  10. Article: Heterogeneity but individual constancy of epitopes, isotypes and avidity of factor H autoantibodies in atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome

    Nozal, Pilar / Ágnes Szilágyi / Barbara Uzonyi / Margarita López-Trascasa / Maria E. Bernabéu-Herrero / Mihály Józsi / Pilar Sánchez-Corral / Satu Hyvärinen / T. Sakari Jokiranta / Zoltán Prohászka

    Molecular Immunology. 2016 Feb., v. 70

    2016  

    Abstract: Factor H (FH) autoantibodies are present in 6–10% of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) patients, most of whom have homozygous deficiency of the FH-related protein FHR-1. Although the pathogenic role of the autoantibodies is established, little ... ...

    Abstract Factor H (FH) autoantibodies are present in 6–10% of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) patients, most of whom have homozygous deficiency of the FH-related protein FHR-1. Although the pathogenic role of the autoantibodies is established, little is known about their molecular characteristics and changes over time. Here, we describe the specificity and other immunological features of anti-FH autoantibodies in the Spanish and Hungarian aHUS cohorts. A total of 19 patients were included and serial samples of 14 of them were available. FH autoantibodies from FHR-1 deficient patients (n=13) mainly recognized FH, its SCR19-20 fragment and FHR-1, but autoantibody specificity in patients who are homo- or heterozygous for the CFHR1 gene (n=6) was heterogeneous. No significant changes apart from total antibody titer were observed during follow-up in each patient. Fine epitope mapping with recombinant FH SCR19-20 containing single amino acid mutations showed significantly reduced binding in 6 out of 14 patients. In most cases, autoantibody binding to residues 1183–1189 and 1210–1215 was impaired, revealing a major common autoantibody epitope. Avidities showed variations between patients, but in most cases the avidity index did not change upon time. Most autoantibodies were IgG3, and all but three presented only with kappa or with lambda light chains. Although the pathogenic role of anti-FH autoantibodies in aHUS is well established, this study shows autoantibody heterogeneity among patients, but no significant variation in their characteristics over time in each patient. The presence of a single light chain in 16 out of 19 patients and the limited number of recognized epitopes suggest a restricted autoantibody response in most patients.
    Keywords amino acids ; autoantibodies ; epitope mapping ; epitopes ; genes ; hemolytic uremic syndrome ; heterozygosity ; homozygosity ; immunoglobulin G ; mutation ; patients
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2016-02
    Size p. 47-55.
    Publishing place Elsevier Ltd
    Document type Article
    ZDB-ID 424427-8
    ISSN 1872-9142 ; 0161-5890
    ISSN (online) 1872-9142
    ISSN 0161-5890
    DOI 10.1016/j.molimm.2015.12.005
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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