The activity of the soluble protein kinases, 2′3′ cAMP phosphodiesterase (cyclic phosphodiesterase), total phosphodiesterases, AC and the phosphatases was measured in cells recovering from γ radiation effects (Fig. 3). The AC activity increased rapidly following γ irradiation and reached a maximum in 0.5 h PIR (Fig. 3a), during which the activity of phosphodiesterases and phosphatases was low. Whereas the AP did not change significantly during PIR, the acid phosphatase increased nearly 1.5-fold from 1 h PIR (5.146 μmol min−1 mg−1 protein) to 4 h PIR (8.243 μmol min−1 mg−1

protein) (Fig. 3b). The levels of cyclic phosphodiesterase decreased rapidly in 1 h PIR followed by an increase of nearly threefold in 4 h PIR (Fig. 3c). These find more results might support the argument that the net increase in the cAMP levels was due to differential regulation of AC and cyclic phosphodiesterase activities in response to DNA damage. Although, D. radiodurans R1 genome does not annotate the this website classical bacterial AC and 2′3′ cAMP phosphodiesterase, it encodes for protein with a phosphodiesterase-type functional domain with nearly 30% genome without annotated functions, leaving the strong possibility

that unknown proteins are responsible for these activities. The amino acid sequence of AC from Escherichia coli was subjected to multiple sequence alignment, which showed different levels of amino acid similarities with some of the deinococcal ORFs. Among them, DR_1433 showed close to 75% match with E. coli protein in psiblast analysis. The presence of AC and cyclic phosphodiesterase activities in cell-free extracts of this bacterium suggested the strong possibility of AC and cyclic phosphodiesterase activities containing uncharacterized proteins in bacterial genome and it will be interesting to investigate these activities separately. Aliquots of γ-irradiated cells were collected during PIR and nucleotide-binding proteins were purified by heparin-sepharose affinity chromatography. Fractions

were tested for nucleolytic activity on dsDNA substrate. Results showed the presence of nucleolytic activity in unirradiated and zero PIR-irradiated samples. This Ribonucleotide reductase activity was completely absent in 1- and 2-h PIR samples (Fig. 4a) but reappeared in 3- and 4-h PIR samples. This indicated that the bacterium has an as yet unidentified mechanism to regulate the nuclease activity during different stages of PIR. It may be speculated that during early PIR, i.e. before 2 h PIR, the bacterium needs to protect its shattered genome and very low nuclease activity might be required for DSB end-joining, whereas at a later stage, i.e. after 2 h PIR, high recombinase functions are needed, which requires the high nuclease activity observed at 3 and 4 h PIR. Except for the unirradiated control, all the samples, including 1 and 2 h PIR, showed inhibition of nucleolytic function with 2 mM ATP (Fig.

, 2009; Shafiei et al., 2011). In the present study, the β-amylase and serine protease from S. halophilum strain 3-Methyladenine in vitro LY20 showed excellent thermostable, alkalitolerant, halotolerant, and surfactant-stable properties. Also, considering their high activity and stability in the presence of organic solvents, they could be potentially useful for practical applications in biotechnological processes with nonconventional media. This work was financially supported by Shanxi Provincial Science and Technology Foundation (grants no. 20110021) and Natural Science Fund of Shanxi Province (grants no. 2011021031-4). “
“The aim of the studies was to identify immunogenic proteins of Streptococcus

agalactiae (group B streptococcus; GBS) isolates. Investigation of the immunoreactivity with human sera allowed us to determine major immunogenic proteins which might be potential candidates for the development of vaccine. For the study, we have selected 60 genetically different, well-characterized GBS clinical isolates. The proteins immunoreactivity with 24 human sera from patients with GBS infections, carriers, and control group without GBS was detected by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting.

As a result, some major immunogenic proteins were identified, of which four proteins with molecular masses of about 45 selleck chemicals to 50 kDa, which exhibited the highest immunoreactivity features, were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. The proteins were identified by comparative analysis of peptides masses using MASCOT and statistical analysis. The results showed known molecules such as enolase (47.4 kDa),

aldehyde dehydrogenase (50.6 kDa), and ones not previously described such as trigger factor (47 kDa) and elongation factor Tu (44 kDa). The preliminary results indicated that some GBS proteins that elicit protective immunity hold promise not only as components in a vaccine as antigens but also as carriers or adjuvants in polysaccharide conjugate vaccines, but more studies are needed. “
“Endophytic bacterial communities of tomato leaves were analyzed by 16S-rRNA gene pyrosequencing and compared to rhizosphere communities. Leaf endophytes mainly Suplatast tosilate comprised five phyla, among which Proteobacteria was the most represented (90%), followed by Actinobacteria (1,5%), Planctomycetes (1,4%), Verrucomicrobia (1,1%), and Acidobacteria (0,5%). Gammaproteobacteria was the most abundant class of Proteobacteria (84%), while Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria represented 12% and 4% of this phylum, respectively. Rarefaction curves for endophytic bacteria saturated at 80 OTUs, indicating a lower diversity as compared to rhizosphere samples (> 1700 OTUs). Hierarchical clustering also revealed that leaf endophytic communities strongly differed from rhizospheric ones. Some OTUs assigned to Bacillus, Stenotrophomonas, and Acinetobacter, as well as some unclassified Enterobacteriaceae were specific for the endophytic community, probably representing bacteria specialized in colonizing this niche.

The low sequence identity score of IdpA is partially attributed to insertions and deletions in the PoiBI IdpA sequence relative to that of WX IdpA. In

a comparison of nucleotide sequences, the numbers of nonsynonymous and synonymous substitutions per site (dN and dS, respectively) and their ratio (dN/dS) are important indicators of selective pressure at the protein level. Calculated dN/dS values of <1, 1, and >1 imply stabilizing selection, neutral mutation, and diversifying positive selection, respectively. To investigate whether dnaD, imp, and idpA evolved under positive selection pressure, we determined the dN/dS value of the nucleotide sequences of these genes from PoiBI and WX. For dnaD, dN/dS was 0.444, which is < 1. For imp, dN/dS ranged from 1.278 to 1.556, but was this website not statistically significant (P = 0.3233–0.3716). In contrast,

the dN/dS value for idpA was 1.500 with P = 0.0639, which Cabozantinib purchase is significant at the 10% level (Table 2). To prepare materials for the production of anti-PoiBI-Imp and anti-PoiBI-IdpA antisera, we attempted to express His-tagged full-length and truncated forms of these proteins in E. coli. Attempts to express some proteins in E. coli were successful only for His-tagged full-length Imp and for His-tagged IdpA-N, which lacks the two transmembrane regions of IdpA, as well as half of the hydrophilic domain. These purified proteins were used to immunize rabbits. Use of the purified anti-Imp and anti-IdpA IgG in Western blots analysis of the Imp and IdpA hydrophilic domain proteins expressed in E. coli confirmed that the titers of the antibodies were similar (data not shown). To confirm that Imp and IdpA are expressed in PoiBI-infected poinsettia, crude protein extracts were prepared from the PoiBI-infected cultivar ‘Jester Red’ (‘infected’ extract) and from the healthy control cultivar ‘Flaming Sphere’ (‘control’ extract). Western blot analysis of these samples using anti-Imp antibody Carbohydrate revealed a distinct protein band in the infected extract, but not in the control extract (Fig. 3a). However, multiple attempts to detect IdpA using anti-IdpA antibody failed to detect IdpA in either the

infected or control extracts (Fig. 3b). The Western blot analysis estimated the molecular mass of Imp in the ‘infected’ as 19.6 kDa, which is the calculated mass of full-length Imp. This result suggests that the signal sequence of Imp is not cleaved, and that Imp exists as a membrane protein in infected poinsettia plants. In contrast, the strongest Imp band detected in E. coli extracts was smaller by approximately 3 kDa, suggesting that the Imp signal sequence is cleaved when the recombinant protein is expressed in E. coli. To investigate the localization of Imp and IdpA proteins in infected plants, we performed immunohistochemical analysis using anti-Imp and anti-IdpA antibodies. Both Imp and IdpA were specifically detected in the phloem of ‘Jester Red’ (‘infected’; Fig. 4b and d), but not in ‘Flaming Sphere’ (‘control’; Fig.

Genes detected as recently transferred are known to be disproportionately A+T rich; therefore, the lower G+C content of many erm genes found in pathogens implies quite recent horizontal gene transfer and dissemination of MK-2206 mouse low G+C content resistance genes among pathogens. Within the clade of the Firmicutes, bacteria whose erm G+C content compared favorably with that of chromosomal DNA are marked with asterisks after the names of the bacteria in Fig. 4. The consistent G+C content of both erm and chromosomal DNA implies either the presence of intrinsic erm genes or that gene transfer occurred long

ago. Among these bacteria, Bacillus [Erm(D) and Erm(34)] are common inhabitants of soil, where they were exposed to antibiotics produced by other organisms. It is probable that environmental antibiotic pressure maintained the presence of functional erm genes. Recent investigations revealed Selleck Y-27632 that soil bacteria are a reservoir of antibiotic-resistance genes, which introduces the new concept of an

‘antibiotic resistome’ (Riesenfeld et al., 2004; D’Costa et al., 2006; Aminov and Mackie, 2007; Wright, 2007). In addition, the aquatic environment is also a possible antibiotic-resistance gene reservoir (Aminov and Mackie, 2007), congruent with the recognition of new classes of Erm methylases in several marine inhabitants such as a halotolerant bacillus-related O. iheyensis and two actinomycetes: S. tropica and S. arenicola. All erm genes that show

frequent, recent gene transfer are related by self-transferable plasmids or transposons, such as erm(B), erm(C), erm(F), erm(G), and erm(X) (Table 1). These mobile genetic elements are responsible for the dissemination of resistance genes through pathogenic bacteria that were once susceptible to antibiotics. In addition to horizontal gene transfer, gene duplication also contributes to the phylogenetic anomalies in the Erm clade of the Actinobacteria. The occurrence of two different erm genes from the same organism on different evolutionary branches is evidence of gene duplication, for example, erm(S) and erm(N) from S. fradiae, erm(O) and erm(Z) from S. ambofaciens, and erm(30) and Idoxuridine erm(31) from S. venezuelae. However, these examples do not fully explain the phylogenetic anomalies within the Erm clade of the Actinobacteria. The tree suggests other paralog segregation within the Actinobacteria, supported by several reports that certain Erm methylases show unusual resistance phenotypes that do not fall into either the monomethylase (type I) or the dimethylase (type II) category. For example, Erm(38) in Mycobacterium smegmatis and Erm(39) in Mycobacterium fortuitum confer macrolide–licosamide resistance rather than MLSB resistance (Nash, 2003; Nash et al.

“
“Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brasil Instituto de Ciências e Tecnologia, BTK assay Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Brasil We investigated the effects of cholesterol removal on spontaneous and KCl-evoked synaptic vesicle recycling at the frog neuromuscular junction. Cholesterol removal by methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) induced an increase in the frequency of miniature end-plate potentials (MEPPs) and spontaneous destaining of synaptic vesicles labeled with the styryl dye FM1-43. Treatment with

MβCD also increased the size of MEPPs without causing significant

changes in nicotinic receptor clustering. At the ultrastructural level, synaptic vesicles from nerve terminals treated with MβCD were larger than those from control. In addition, treatment with MβCD reduced the fusion of synaptic vesicles that are mobilized BGB324 chemical structure during KCl-evoked stimulation, but induced recycling of those vesicles that fuse spontaneously. We therefore suggest that MβCD might favor the release of vesicles that belong to a pool that is different from that involved in the KCl-evoked release. These results reveal fundamental differences in the synaptic vesicle cycle for spontaneous and evoked release, and suggest that deregulation of cholesterol affects synaptic vesicle biogenesis and increases transmitter packing. “
“Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over primary motor cortex (M1) elicits changes in motor evoked potential (MEP) size thought to reflect short- and long-term forms of synaptic plasticity, Pyruvate dehydrogenase resembling short-term potentiation (STP) and long-term potentiation/depression (LTP/LTD) observed in animal experiments. We designed this study in healthy

humans to investigate whether STP as elicited by 5-Hz rTMS interferes with LTP/LTD-like plasticity induced by intermittent and continuous theta-burst stimulation (iTBS and cTBS). The effects induced by 5-Hz rTMS and iTBS/cTBS were indexed as changes in MEP size. We separately evaluated changes induced by 5-Hz rTMS, iTBS and cTBS applied alone and those induced by iTBS and cTBS delivered after priming 5-Hz rTMS. Interactions between 5-Hz rTMS and iTBS/cTBS were investigated under several experimental conditions by delivering 5-Hz rTMS at suprathreshold and subthreshold intensity, allowing 1 and 5 min intervals to elapse between 5-Hz rTMS and TBS, and delivering one and ten 5-Hz rTMS trains. We also investigated whether 5-Hz rTMS induces changes in intracortical excitability tested with paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation. When given alone, 5-Hz rTMS induced short-lasting and iTBS/cTBS induced long-lasting changes in MEP amplitudes.

We are grateful to Elke Lang at the DSMZ for her help and substantial input regarding the separation of the isolates and to David H. Green and Mark Hart (SAMS) for useful discussions and advice. Research was funded by the German Research Foundation, the University of Konstanz, the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (for a travel grant to F.C.K.), the UK Natural Environment Research Council (sequencing grant MGF-154 to F.C.K.)

and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. We would also like to thank Laurent Meijer (CNRS, Roscoff), George R. Pettit and Robin K. Pettit (Cancer Research Institute, Arizona State University) for conducting the expedition to Moorea and for sharing soil and sediment samples. The sequences reported in this paper for learn more the 16S-rRNA genes of Achromobacter xylosoxidans TA12-A, Ensifer adhaerens TA12-B and Pseudomonas nitroreducens TA12-C have been deposited in the GenBank database (accession numbers HM219615, HM219616 and HM219617, respectively). “
“The Tn916-like genetic element Tn5251 is part of the composite conjugative transposon (CTn) Tn5253 of Streptococcus pneumoniae, a 64.5-kb chromosomal element originally

called Ω(cat-tet) BM6001. DNA sequence analysis showed that Tn5251 is 18 033-bp long Selleckchem GDC-0068 and contains 22 ORFs, 20 of which have the same direction of transcription. Annotation was possible for 11 out of 22 ORFs,

including the tet(M) tetracycline resistance gene and int and xis involved in the integration/excision process. Autonomous copies of Tn5251 were generated during matings Oxymatrine of Tn5253-containing donors with S. pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis. Tn5251 was shown to integrate at different sites in the bacterial chromosome. It behaves as a fully functional CTn capable of independent conjugal transfer to a variety of bacterial species including S. pneumoniae, Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, E. faecalis and Bacillus subtilis. The excision of Tn5251 produces a circular intermediate and a deletion in Tn5253 at a level of 1.2 copies per 105 chromosomes. A large proportion of clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) contain the tet(M) gene conferring resistance to tetracycline antibiotics by ribosomal protection (Pozzi et al., 1986). The tet(M) gene is usually carried by genetic elements of the Tn916–Tn1545 family of conjugative transposons (CTns) (Clewell et al., 1995; Rice, 1998), and eight out of the 36 pneumococcal genomes available in public databases contain this element.

Motor skills were significantly associated with caries experience. Regarding the salivary parameters, osmolality presented a stronger association with caries experience than did the salivary flow rate. Children with worse oral motor performance presented a higher rate of caries occurrence. Osmolality exhibited a stronger association with caries occurrence than did salivary flow rate. This parameter, therefore, could be a potential caries risk indicator for spastic cerebral palsy children. “
“Active sports require sufficient energy intake. How do young athletes meet this need? The aim of this study was to investigate self-reported

health and oral behaviors of young athletes and to compare them with a Selleckchem BTK inhibitor population-based sample of ordinary adolescents. A computer-based questionnaire on oral hygiene habits and dietary habits was conducted Selleck Omipalisib in two junior high

schools with special classes for athletes in 2011. Adolescents of similar age (n = 1230) attending ordinary classes had responded the same questionnaire earlier in the city of Oulu (in 2004) and in Kajaani, Finland (in 2006–2007). Answers to individual questions as well as sum scores of the answers were analyzed. The answers of the athletes and ordinary adolescents were analyzed by gender using cross-tabulation and chi-square testing. The mean sum score of the athletes indicated their more favorable health behavior compared with the other adolescents. They also ate more frequently the four daily than the others; in addition, they ate the school lunch as an entity which it was intended. However, the athlete boys consumed more fizzy/soft drinks and ate chocolate more often than the rest. The athletes

also brushed their teeth more frequently than ordinary adolescents. Oral health behavior of the girls was better than that of the boys. Health behavior DOCK10 of the young athletes is better than that of other adolescents. Continuous oral health education should be targeted to all adolescents; growing boys should be target group of information on healthy sources of energy. “
“This review aims to summarise common paediatric oral and maxillofacial pathology. It will focus on lesions that have a particular predilection for children, lesions that impart significant morbidity or rare and important entities which paediatric specialists may be less familiar with. Although the vast majority of pathology encountered will be benign or require minimal intervention, there are also lesions that may require urgent referral to an appropriate specialist, multidisciplinary team care and significant surgery. Recognition and appreciation of the clinicopathological features should facilitate an appreciation that the growth, anatomy, physiology or relationship of the maxillofacial structures may have been altered by the pathological entity or treatment received. “
“International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2010; 20: 125–131 Objective.

JN is the recipient of a research grant from the H.W. & J. Hector-Stiftung (Project M42). KN is the recipient of a ‘Sara Borrell’ postdoctoral perfection grant from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (SCO/523/2008). Conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. “
“The current literature suggests that there has been a decrease in opportunistic diseases among HIV-infected patients since the widespread introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1995. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of HAART and CD4 lymphocyte count on diseases of the upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract, digestive symptoms, and

endoscopic and histological observations. A review of 706 HIV-infected patients who underwent GI endoscopy was undertaken. see more The cohort was divided into three groups: group 1 (G1), pre-HAART, consisting of 239 patients who underwent endoscopy between January 1991 and December 1994; group 2 (G2), early HAART, consisting of 238 patients who underwent endoscopy between January 1999 and December 2002; and group 3 (G3), recent HAART, consisting of 229 patients

who underwent endoscopy between January 2005 and December 2008. Parameters studied included age, gender, opportunistic chemoprophylaxis, antiretroviral therapies, CD4 cell counts, symptoms, observations at the first UGI endoscopy and histology. When G1, G2 and G3 were compared, significant increases were seen over time in the following parameters: the percentage of women, the mean CD4 cell count, and the frequencies of reflux symptoms, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), inflammatory gastropathy, gastric ulcer and Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection. Significant find more decreases were seen

acetylcholine in the frequencies of the administration of anti-opportunistic infection prophylaxis, odynophagia/dysphagia, acute/chronic diarrhoea, candida oesophagitis, nonspecific oesophageal ulcer and Kaposi sarcoma. No significant change was observed in the other parameters, i.e. digestive bleeding, duodenal ulcer and inflammatory duodenopathy. These results suggest a correlation between the improvement of immunity as a result of more efficient antiviral therapy and the decrease in the frequency of digestive diseases in AIDS, mainly opportunistic pathologies. However, HP infection, reflux symptoms and GERD have increased in the HAART era. Many patients with HIV infection will present with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms during the course of their disease [1–3]. The GI complaints may be caused by several factors: HIV itself, because the gut-associated lymphoid tissue is the most significant reservoir for HIV in the body; side effects of medications; and opportunistic and nonopportunistic infections such as Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection [4–8]. The survival rate of HIV-positive patients has dramatically increased in Western countries since the widespread introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1996 [9].

, 2002; Ha et al., 2003; Ngeleka et al., 2003; Zhang et al., 2007; Zhao et al., 2009). Experimental infections have confirmed that it

can be an important virulence factor (Ravi et al., 2007). Bacteria expressing AIDA-I are able to adhere to cultured animal epithelial cells and www.selleckchem.com/products/Rapamycin.html invade them (Benz & Schmidt, 1992; Charbonneau et al., 2006). The AIDA-I protein also causes bacterial auto-aggregation and the formation of biofilms (Sherlock et al., 2004; Girard et al., 2010). AIDA-I belongs to the group of monomeric autotransporters: secreted or outer membrane proteins transported by the type V secretion system and present in all Gram-negative bacteria (Henderson & Nataro, 2001; Desvaux et al., 2004). AIDA-I is unusual among autotransporters because it can be glycosylated by an enzyme encoded immediately upstream of aidA and named AIDA-I associated heptosyltransferase (Aah) (Benz & Schmidt, 2001). Aah grafts multiple heptose residues on AIDA-I in the cytoplasm by O-glycosylation, and the modification is important for the protein conformation and function

(Charbonneau et al., 2007; Charbonneau & Mourez, 2008). AIDA-I is also characterized by the presence of an imperfectly repeated 19-amino acids sequence in its N-terminus. This sequence is shared by at least two other E. coli autotransporters: the TibA adhesin/invasin (Elsinghorst & Weitz, 1994) and the Ag43 auto-aggregation factor (Owen et al., 1987). Both TibA and Ag43 can mediate bacterial auto-aggregation and can be glycosylated by Aah or the TibA-specific selleck chemicals llc glycosyltransferase (Moormann et al., 2002; Sherlock et al., 2005, 2006). Because of these similarities, the three proteins have been grouped in the family of Self-Associating AutoTransporters (Klemm et al., 2006). The gene coding for Ag43, flu, is known to undergo phase variation and is regulated in response to oxidative stress by OxyR- and Dam-dependent mechanisms (van der Woude & Henderson, 2008). Nothing is known, however, on the regulation of tibA and aidA or their associated glycosyltransferase genes. Identifying

the promoter and the regulation factors controlling the expression of these genes might help understand the role played by these proteins in pathogenic E. coli. In this study, we identified promoters upstream of the aah-aidA operon in a wild-type pathogenic strain of E. coli. The transcription of CHIR-99021 cost aah and aidA and the expression of glycosylated AIDA-I were maximal at the early-stationary phase. The isolated promoter region upstream of aah reproduced the regulation pattern of aah and aidA. We therefore hypothesize that the main regulator of the aah-aidA operon is one aah promoter with sequences that are characteristic of regulation by RpoS, the alternate σ subunit of RNA polymerase involved in stress and starvation responses. Such a regulation is consistent with a role for AIDA-I in the organization of bacterial community through auto-aggregation.

Patients were treated according to the clinical picture and the treating physician. We followed up patients until the resolution of symptoms. Fifteen cases of travel-related leptospirosis were included in this study. Nearly all patients (14/15) were men, mean age was 34 years [interquartile range (IQR): 28–52] (Table

2). All travelers except one were tourists. The infection was contracted primarily in Asia (47%). The mean duration of travel was 18 days (IQR: 15–32). The most frequent at-risk exposure was bathing in fresh water (10/15), followed by nautical sporting activities (kayaking, rafting, canoeing) in four cases. We found a history of skin wound in 3 of the 10 patients who had fresh-water exposure. In one patient who had stayed in a rural area, exposure was not established. Four patients, including one expatriate, developed symptoms before their return to France. In the 11 remaining patients, the average lag time BIBW2992 price between return to country of origin and onset of symptoms

was 5 days (IQR: 2–7). Fever (temperature >38°C) was found in all patients. Other signs and symptoms Panobinostat solubility dmso included were headache (80%), digestive disorders (67%) (nausea and/or vomiting, diarrhea), myalgias (53%), and arthralgias (47%). Exanthema, jaundice, and hepatosplenomegaly were observed in 20% of patients. Conjunctival suffusion, macroscopic hematuria, and hemoptysis were rarely observed (7%). Table 3 shows laboratory results. Elevation of LFTs was present in 100% of patients [average values: ASAT = 93 IU/L (3N), ALAT = 137 IU/L (4N)]. The majority

of patients had thrombocytopenia (average thrombocyte levels: 93,809/L), lymphocytopenia (average value: lymphocytes = 694/L) together with moderate renal impairment (average value: creatinine = 193 µmol/L (2N). Antibodies to specific Tryptophan synthase serovars were identified in 13 cases out of 15 (87%): Leptospira sejroe serovar Hardjobovis (n = 3; 1/400, 1/1600, 1/400), Leptospira cynopteri (n = 1; 1/800), Leptospira bataviae (n = 1; 1/1,600), Leptospira grippotyphosa (n = 2; 1/400,1/6,400), Leptospira hebdo (n = 1; 1/200), Leptospira javanica (n = 1; 1/800), Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae (n = 1; 1/200), Leptospira tarrassovi (n = 2; 1/1,600, 1/6,400), Leptospira canicola (n = 1; 1/800). Hospitalization was required for eight patients (53%). Seven patients (47%) were treated with amoxicillin (1–2 g, three to four times per day for 7–15 days), including four treated with amoxicillin alone, two with amoxicillin and ceftriaxone (because of meningitis), and one with amoxicillin plus spiramycin (because of pneumonia). The other seven treated patients were given doxycycline (n = 4), 200 mg/day for 10 days, ceftriaxone (n = 2) 1 g/day for 10 days or a combination of ceftriaxone, doxycycline, and spiramycin because of severe disease with acute renal failure and pulmonary involvement. One patient was not treated due to delayed diagnosis (6 months).