B. HELEN JOST

Associate Professor
Ph.D. Monash University,
Melbourne, Australia, 1990

Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721

Phone  (520) 621-5996
Fax      (520) 621-6366
E-Mail  jost@u.arizona.edu

My primary research interest is pathogenesis of infections caused by the human pathogen, Arcanobacterium haemolyticum. This organism causes uncomplicated pharyngitis, usually in teenagers and young adults. However, the organism is able to invade from the primary site of infection, leading to often fatal cases of meningitis, endocarditis and brain abscesses. This organism is almost never isolated as normal flora and appears to be an obligate pathogen.

My specific research interests include how this organim is able to adhere to and
colonize the host, as well as the mechanisms of action of the two toxins secreted by
A. haemolyticum, phospholipase D (PLD) and arcanolysin (ALN).

MIC 421B Microbiological Techniques
MIC 595A Critical Evaluation of Scientific Literature

Pietrocola, G., Valtulina, V., Rindi, S., Jost, B.H. and Speziale, P. (2007). Functional and structural properties of CbpA, a collagen binding protein from Arcanobacterium pyogenes. Microbiology, 153:3380-3389.| Paper

Reeser R.J., Medler, R.T., Billington, S.J., Jost, B.H. and Joens, L.A. (2007). Characterization of Campylobacter jejuni biofilms under defined growth conditions. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 73:1908-1913.| Paper

Billington, S.J. and Jost, B.H. (2006). Multiple genetic elements carry the tetracycline resistance gene, tet(W) in the animal pathogen, Arcanobacterium pyogenes. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 50:3580-3587.| Paper

Myers, G.S., Rasko, D.A., Cheung, J.K., Ravel, J., Seshadri, R., Deboy, R.T., Ren, Q., Varga, J., Awad, M.M., Brinkac, L.M., Daugherty, S.C., Haft, D.H., Dodson, R.J., Madupu, R., Nelson, W.C., Rosovitz, M.J., Sullivan, S.A., Khouri, H., Dimitrov, G.I., Watkins, K.L., Mulligan, S., Benton, J., Radune, D., Fisher, D.J., Atkins, H.S., Hiscox, T., Jost, B.H., Billington, S.J., Songer, J.G., McClane, B.A., Titball, R.W., Rood, J.I., Melville, S.B. and Paulsen, I.T. (2006). Skewed genomic variability in strains of the toxigenic bacterial pathogen, Clostridium perfringens. Genome Research, 16:1031-1040.| Paper

Jost B.H., Trinh H.T., Songer J.G. (2006). Clonal relationships among Clostridium perfringens of porcine origin as determined by multilocus sequence typing. Veterinary Microbiology, 116:158-165.| Paper

Jost, B.H. and Billington, S.J. (2005). Arcanobacterium pyogenes: molecular pathogenesis of an animal opportunist. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, 88: 87-102.| Paper

Jost, B.H., Billington, S.J., Trinh, H.T., Bueschel, D.M. and Songer, J.G. (2005). Atypical cpb2 genes, encoding beta2-toxin in Clostridium perfringens isolates of nonporcine origin. Infection and Immunity, 73:652–656.| Paper

Jost, B.H., Trinh, H.T., Songer, J.G. and Billington, S.J. (2004). Erm B is a determinant of tylosin resistance in Arcanobacterium pyogenes. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 48:721 727.| Paper

Van Meeteren, L.A., Frederiks, F., Giepmans, B.N., Fernandes Pedrosa, M.F., Billington, S.J., Jost, B.H., Tambourgi, D.V. and Moolenaar, W.H. (2004). Spider and bacterial sphingomyelinases D target cellular LPA receptors by hydrolyzing lysophosphatidylcholine. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 279:10833 10836.| Paper

Jost, B.H., Field, A.C., Trinh, H.T., Songer, J.G. and Billington, S.J. (2003). Tylosin resistance in Arcanobacterium pyogenes is encoded by an Erm X determinant. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 47:3519 3524.| Paper

Jost, B.H., Trinh, H.T., Songer, J.G. and Billington, S.J. (2003). Immunization with genetic toxoids of the Arcanobacterium pyogenes cholesterol-dependent cytolysin, pyolysin, protects mice against infection. Infection and Immunity, 71:2966-2969.| Paper

Rudnick, S.T., Jost, B.H., Songer, J.G. and Billington, S.J. (2003). The gene encoding pyolysin, the pore-forming toxin of Arcanobacterium pyogenes, resides within a genomic islet flanked by essential genes. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 225:241-247.| Paper

Esmay, P.A., Billington, S.J., Link, M.A., Songer, J.G. and Jost, B.H. (2003). The Arcanobacterium pyogenes collagen binding protein, CbpA, promotes adhesion to host cells. Infection and Immunity, 71:4368-4374.| Paper

Jost, B.H., Songer, J.G., Billington, S.J. (2002). Identification of a second Arcanobacterium pyogenes neuraminidase and involvement of neuraminidase activity in host cell adhesion. Infection and Immunity, 70:1106-1112.| Paper

Billington, S.J., Songer, J.G. and Jost, B.H. (2002). The variant undecapeptide sequence of the Arcanobacterium pyogenes haemolysin, pyolysin, is required for full cytolytic activity. Microbiology, 148:3947-3954.| Paper

Billington, S.J., Songer, J.G. and Jost, B.H. (2002). Widespread distribution of a Tet W determinant among tetracycline resistant isolates of the animal pathogen, Arcanobacterium pyogenes. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 46:1281-1287.| Paper

Jost, B.H., Songer, J.G. and Billington, S.J. (2001). Cloning, expression and characterization of a neuraminidase gene from Arcanobacterium pyogenes. Infection and Immunity, 69:4430-4437.| Paper

Billington, S.J., Songer, J.G. and Jost, B.H. (2001). Molecular characterization of the pore-forming toxin, pyolysin, a major virulence determinant of Arcanobacterium pyogenes. Veterinary Microbiology, 82:261-274.| Paper 

Jost, B.H., Songer, J.G. and Billington, S.J. (1999). An Arcanobacterium (Actinomyces) pyogenes mutant deficient in production of the pore-forming cytolysin pyolysin has reduced virulence. Infection and Immunity, 67:1723-1728.| Paper