Human Leptospirosis Caused by a New, Antigenically Unique Leptospira Associated with a Rattus Species Reservoir in the Peruvian Amazon

As part of a prospective study of leptospirosis and biodiversity of Leptospira in the Peruvian Amazon, a new Leptospira species was isolated from humans with acute febrile illness. Field trapping identified this leptospire in peridomestic rats (Rattus norvegicus, six isolates; R. rattus, two isolates) obtained in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas of the Iquitos region. Novelty of this species was proven by serological typing, 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and DNA-DNA hybridization analysis. We have named this species “Leptospira licerasiae” serovar Varillal, and have determined that it is phylogenetically related to, but genetically distinct from, other intermediate Leptospira such as L. fainei and L. inadai. The type strain is serovar Varillal strain VAR 010T, which has been deposited into internationally accessible culture collections. By microscopic agglutination test, “Leptospira licerasiae” serovar Varillal was antigenically distinct from all known serogroups of Leptospira except for low level cross-reaction with rabbit anti–L. fainei serovar Hurstbridge at a titer of 1∶100. LipL32, although not detectable by PCR, was detectable in “Leptospira licerasiae” serovar Varillal by both Southern blot hybridization and Western immunoblot, although on immunoblot, the predicted protein was significantly smaller (27 kDa) than that of L. interrogans and L. kirschneri (32 kDa). Isolation was rare from humans (2/45 Leptospira isolates from 881 febrile patients sampled), but high titers of MAT antibodies against “Leptospira licerasiae” serovar Varillal were common (30%) among patients fulfilling serological criteria for acute leptospirosis in the Iquitos region, and uncommon (7%) elsewhere in Peru. This new leptospiral species reflects Amazonian biodiversity and has evolved to become an important cause of leptospirosis in the Peruvian Amazon

Ranking and clustering of the faculties of commerce research performance in Australia

There is a growing policy focus in Australian higher education on quantitative research performance assessment. However, most of the analysis has addressed aggregate performance at the institutional level, an approach inconsistent with recent policy emphasis on diversity among universities and one that ignores performance variations across disciplines. Using averaged and all available data for 2000-2004, cluster analysis is used to classify Australian Commerce Faculties into groups that exhibit similar research performance, measured by publication, PhD completion and secured competitive research grant funding. We also use factor analysis to generate full-multidimensional rankings within the resulting two or three clusters. It is found that in terms of total research output, with the exception of Adelaide all the Group of 8 (Go8) members plus University of Technology, Sydney and Griffith always belong to 'Clusters A'. However, when research performance is expressed in per academic staff terms, an additional 11 universities join this same cluster. Our results additionally show that eight Australian faculties of Commerce not only possess low total research output but their per capita performance is also poor.

Navigating Barriers to Vocational Rehabilitation for HIV-Positive Persons

This study documented the outcomes of 108 HIV-positive persons receiving vocational rehabilitation services. Over a 12-month follow-up, participants reported significantly decreased odds of any unstable housing [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 0.21; 95 % CI 0.05–0.90; p p < .01). However, reductions in perceived barriers to employment and increases in income were more pronounced among those not receiving disability benefits at baseline. This was consistent with findings from baseline qualitative interviews with 22 participants where those not on disability were subject to bureaucratic hurdles to rapidly accessing benefits and anticipated stigma of being on disability that propelled them to rejoin the workforce. Vocational rehabilitation could address key structural barriers to optimizing HIV treatment as prevention, and novel approaches are needed to improve outcomes among individuals receiving disability benefits

Site-specific N-terminal labeling of proteins using sortase-mediated reactions

This protocol describes the use of sortase-mediated reactions to label the N terminus of any given protein of interest. The sortase recognition sequence, LPXTG (for Staphylococcus aureus sortase A) or LPXTA (for Streptococcus pyogenes sortase A), can be appended to a variety of probes such as fluorophores, biotin or even to other proteins. The protein to be labeled acts as a nucleophile by attacking the intermediate formed between the probe containing the LPXTG/A motif and the sortase enzyme. If sortase, the protein of interest and a suitably functionalized label are available, the reactions usually require less than 3 h.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant RO1 AI087879