Abstract: Provided are peptides capable of reducing the ability of antibodies to stimulate the activity of B. anthracis lethal factor. These peptides may be used to reduce activity of LF in a sample containing an LF activity enhancing antibody, to prevent the possibility of LF enhanced activity in a sample or subject, or as a therapeutic to reduce LF activity in a subject that may-have one or more antibodies that enhance LF activity. Also, provided are immunogens that may be used in a vaccine to confer protection to a subject. An immunogen does not include a sequence including the wild-type amino acids present in LF residues 677-680, or mutations of amino acids 677-680 that will also generate antibodies that enhance LF activity.

Abstract: One major problem in diagnosis methods presently available for anthrax is that these methods require several days to produce a result. The only existing treatment for anthrax requires administration soon after infection at a time when patients are exhibiting only mild flu-like symptoms. Thus, a patient may be days beyond the time when treatment would be effective by the time a diagnosis is made. The present invention reduces diagnosis time to as little as four hours providing same day identification of anthrax radically increasing the odds of delivering proper treatment and patient recovery. The rapid identification of anthrax lethal factor activity exhibited by the instant invention is also amenable to in vivo screening protocols for the discovery and development of anthrax vaccines and lethal factor inhibitors. The instant invention isolates and concentrates lethal factor and lethal toxin from nearly any biological sample.

Abstract: One major problem in diagnosis methods presently available for anthrax is that these methods require several days to produce a result, are rendered unusable after antibiotic use, or are not quantifiable. The only existing treatment for anthrax requires administration soon after infection at a time when patients are exhibiting only mild flu-like symptoms. Thus, by the time a diagnosis is made a patient may be days beyond the time when treatment would be effective. The present invention reduces diagnosis time to as little as four hours providing same day identification of anthrax radically increasing the odds of delivering proper treatment and patient recovery. The rapid identification of anthrax edema factor activity exhibited by the invention is also amenable to in vivo screening protocols for the discovery and development of anthrax vaccines, anti-toxins and edema factor inhibitors. The invention isolates and concentrates edema factor and edema toxin from nearly any sample.

Abstract: One major problem in diagnosis methods presently available for anthrax is that these methods require several days to produce a result. The only existing treatment for anthrax requires administration soon after infection at a time when patients are exhibiting only mild flu-like symptoms. Thus, a patient may be days beyond the time when treatment would be effective by the time a diagnosis is made. The present invention reduces diagnosis time to as little as four hours providing same day identification of anthrax radically increasing the odds of delivering proper treatment and patient recovery. The rapid identification of anthrax lethal factor activity exhibited by the instant invention is also amenable to in vivo screening protocols for the discovery and development of anthrax vaccines and lethal factor inhibitors. The instant invention isolates and concentrates lethal factor and lethal toxin from nearly any biological sample.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for detecting the presence of clostridial neurotoxins in a sample by mixing a sample with a peptide that can serve as a substrate for proteolytic activity of a clostridial neurotoxin; and measuring for proteolytic activity of a clostridial neurotoxin by a mass spectroscopy technique. In one embodiment, the peptide can have an affinity tag attached at two or more sites.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and a kit for diagnosing active human neurocysticercosis utilizing an immunoblot assay which comprises:detecting the presence of antibodies in the serum or cerebrospinal fluid of a human to be diagnosed, wherein the antibodies are reacted with Taenia solium larval antigens which have been isolated by lentil lectin affinity. The larval antigens are designated GP50, GP42, GP24, GP21, GP18, GP14, and GP13, wherein GP indicates that said antigen is a glycoprotein and the number indicates the molecular weight in K daltons, as determined by SDS-PAGE.