The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

University of Pennsylvania

New England Medical Center

Jeffrey N Weiser

Andrew G Plaut

Joanne V Gilbert-Rothstein

Jane M Gould

The present invention encompasses methods, assays and kits for the detection of pathogenic bacteria in a patient and for the differential diagnosis of pulmonary diseases associated with pathogenic bacteria from pulmonary diseases not associated with pathogenic bacteria.

Assays for detecting pathogenic respiratory bacteria

The invention relates to methods of modulating capsular polysaccharide production in pneumococci such as . The invention further relates to methods of alleviating pneumococcal infections in animals, and to methods of identifying both agents capable of modulating pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis and agents useful for alleviating pneumococcal infections in animals.

Modulating production of pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide

The invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid encoding Streptococcus pneumoniae IgA protease and an isolated polypeptide comprising Streptococcus pneumoniae IgA protease and methods of use thereof.

Compositions and methods for treatment of streptococcus pneumoniae

The invention relates to a method of identifying a compound capable of disrupting the addition of choline onto a bacterial cell surface component comprising incubating a sample of bacteria in a solution containing choline in the presence or absence of a test compound, and assessing the effect of the test compound on the addition of choline onto the bacterial cell surface component, wherein a lower level of choline on the cell surface component in the presence of the test compound, compared with the level of choline on the cell surface component in the absence of the test compound, is an indication that the test compound inhibits the addition of choline onto the cell surface component.

Compositions and methods for treatment of infection caused by

Opacity associated proteins and DNA encoding the same are provided by the present invention. Opacity associated proteins are membrane proteins of H. influenzae which are useful as immunogens in vaccines against infection by H. influenzae. Recombinant cells transformed with DNA encoding opacity associated proteins and vectors encoding the same are also provided and are useful in and for the preparation of vaccines against H. influenzae infection. Antibodies against opacity associated proteins are also described. Methods of detecting H. influenzae in a sample and methods of immunizing mammals against H. influenzae are also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Merion, PA, United States of America

Jeffrey N Weiser