scholarly journals Microevolution of aquaticStreptococcus agalactiaeST-261 from Australia indicates dissemination via imported tilapia and ongoing adaptation to marine hosts or environment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minami Kawasaki ◽  
Jerome Delamare-Deboutteville ◽  
Rachel O Bowater ◽  
Mark J Walker ◽  
Scott Beatson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Agalactiae ◽  
Core Genome ◽  
Minimum Spanning Tree ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Wild Fish ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Global Trade ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Intergenic Regions

AbstractStreptococcus agalactiae(GBS) causes disease in a wide range of animals. The serotype 1b lineage is highly adapted to aquatic hosts, exhibiting substantial genome reduction compared with terrestrial con-specifics. Here we sequence genomes from 40 GBS isolates including 25 from wild fish and captive stingrays in Australia, six local veterinary or human clinical isolates, and nine isolates from farmed tilapia in Honduras and compare with 42 genomes from public databases. Phylogenetic analysis based on non-recombinant core genome SNPs indicated that aquatic serotype Ib isolates from Queensland were distantly related to local veterinary and human clinical isolates. In contrast, Australian aquatic isolates are most closely related to a tilapia isolate from Israel, differing by only 63 core-genome SNPs. A consensus minimum spanning tree based on core genome SNPs indicates dissemination of ST-261 from an ancestral tilapia strain, which is congruent with several introductions of tilapia into Australia from Israel during the 1970s and 1980s. Pan-genome analysis identified 1,440 genes as core with the majority being dispensable or strain-specific with non-protein-coding intergenic regions (IGRs) divided amongst core and strain-specific genes. Aquatic serotype Ib strains have lost many virulence factors during adaptation, but six adhesins were well conserved across the aquatic isolates and might be critical for virulence in fish and targets for vaccine development. The close relationship amongst recent ST-261 isolates from Ghana, USA and China with the Israeli tilapia isolate from 1988 implicates the global trade in tilapia seed for aquaculture in the widespread dissemination of serotype Ib fish-adapted GBS.ImportanceStreptococcus agalactiae(GBS) is a significant pathogen of humans and animals. Some lineages have become adapted to particular hosts and serotype Ib is highly specialized to fish. Here we show that this lineage is likely to have been distributed widely by the global trade in tilapia for aquaculture, with probable introduction into Australia in the 1970s and subsequent dissemination in wild fish populations. We report variability in the polysaccharide capsule amongst this lineage, but identify a cohort common surface proteins that may be a focus of future vaccine development to reduce the biosecurity risk in international fish trade.

scholarly journals Microevolution ofStreptococcus agalactiaeST-261 from Australia Indicates Dissemination via Imported Tilapia and Ongoing Adaptation to Marine Hosts or Environment

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minami Kawasaki ◽  
Jerome Delamare-Deboutteville ◽  
Rachel O. Bowater ◽  
Mark J. Walker ◽  
Scott Beatson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Agalactiae ◽  
Core Genome ◽  
Minimum Spanning Tree ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Wild Fish ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Global Trade ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range

ABSTRACTStreptococcus agalactiae(group BStreptococcus[GBS]) causes disease in a wide range of animals. The serotype Ib lineage is highly adapted to aquatic hosts, exhibiting substantial genome reduction compared with terrestrial conspecifics. Here, we sequence genomes from 40 GBS isolates, including 25 isolates from wild fish and captive stingrays in Australia, six local veterinary or human clinical isolates, and nine isolates from farmed tilapia in Honduras, and compared them with 42 genomes from public databases. Phylogenetic analysis based on nonrecombinant core-genome single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) indicated that aquatic serotype Ib isolates from Queensland were distantly related to local veterinary and human clinical isolates. In contrast, Australian aquatic isolates are most closely related to a tilapia isolate from Israel, differing by only 63 core-genome SNPs. A consensus minimum spanning tree based on core-genome SNPs indicates the dissemination of sequence type 261 (ST-261) from an ancestral tilapia strain, which is congruent with several introductions of tilapia into Australia from Israel during the 1970s and 1980s. Pangenome analysis identified 1,440 genes as core, with the majority being dispensable or strain specific, with non-protein-coding intergenic regions (IGRs) divided among core and strain-specific genes. Aquatic serotype Ib strains have lost many virulence factors during adaptation, but six adhesins were well conserved across the aquatic isolates and might be critical for virulence in fish and for targets in vaccine development. The close relationship among recent ST-261 isolates from Ghana, the United States, and China with the Israeli tilapia isolate from 1988 implicates the global trade in tilapia seed for aquaculture in the widespread dissemination of serotype Ib fish-adapted GBS.IMPORTANCEStreptococcus agalactiae(GBS) is a significant pathogen of humans and animals. Some lineages have become adapted to particular hosts, and serotype Ib is highly specialized to fish. Here, we show that this lineage is likely to have been distributed widely by the global trade in tilapia for aquaculture, with probable introduction into Australia in the 1970s and subsequent dissemination in wild fish populations. We report here the variability in the polysaccharide capsule among this lineage but identify a cohort of common surface proteins that may be a focus of future vaccine development to reduce the biosecurity risk in international fish trade.

scholarly journals Comparative Genomics of Herpesviridae Family to Look for Potential Signatures of Human Infecting Strains

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikas Sharma ◽  
Fauzul Mobeen ◽  
Tulika Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Core Genome ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Phylogenetic Reconstruction ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Core Gene ◽  
Gene Therapies ◽  
Putative Target ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Human Herpesviruses ◽  
Major Pathogens

Herpesviridae family is one of the significant viral families which comprises major pathogens of a wide range of hosts. This family includes at least eight species of viruses which are known to infect humans. This family has evolved 180–220 million years ago and the present study highlights that it is still evolving and more genes can be added to the repertoire of this family. In addition, its core-genome includes important viral proteins including glycoprotein B and helicase. Most of the infections caused by human herpesviruses have no definitive cure; thus, search for new therapeutic strategies is necessary. The present study finds core-genome of human herpesviruses that differs from that of Herpesviridae family and nonhuman herpes strains of this family and might be a putative target for vaccine development. The phylogenetic reconstruction based upon the protein sequences of core gene set of Herpesviridae family reveals the sharp splits of its different subfamilies and supports the hypothesis of coevolution of viruses with their hosts. In addition, data mining for cis-elements in the genomes of human herpesviruses results in the prediction of numerous regulatory elements which can be used for regulating the expression of viral based vectors implicated in gene therapies.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody and neutralization assays reveal the wide range of the humoral immune response to virus

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikail Dogan ◽  
Lina Kozhaya ◽  
Lindsey Placek ◽  
Courtney Gunter ◽  
Mesut Yigit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Specific Antibody ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Humoral Immune ◽  
Specificity And Sensitivity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Specific Igg ◽  
Negative Controls

AbstractDevelopment of antibody protection during SARS-CoV-2 infection is a pressing question for public health and for vaccine development. We developed highly sensitive SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody and neutralization assays. SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein or Nucleocapsid protein specific IgG antibodies at titers more than 1:100,000 were detectable in all PCR+ subjects (n = 115) and were absent in the negative controls. Other isotype antibodies (IgA, IgG1-4) were also detected. SARS-CoV-2 neutralization was determined in COVID-19 and convalescent plasma at up to 10,000-fold dilution, using Spike protein pseudotyped lentiviruses, which were also blocked by neutralizing antibodies (NAbs). Hospitalized patients had up to 3000-fold higher antibody and neutralization titers compared to outpatients or convalescent plasma donors. Interestingly, some COVID-19 patients also possessed NAbs against SARS-CoV Spike protein pseudovirus. Together these results demonstrate the high specificity and sensitivity of our assays, which may impact understanding the quality or duration of the antibody response during COVID-19 and in determining the effectiveness of potential vaccines.

scholarly journals Insights into Antibody-Mediated Alphavirus Immunity and Vaccine Development Landscape

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 899
Author(s):  
Anthony Torres-Ruesta ◽  
Rhonda Sin-Ling Chee ◽  
Lisa F.P. Ng
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Inflammatory Arthritis ◽  
Chikungunya Virus ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Antibody Responses ◽  
Chikv Infection ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Susceptible Populations ◽  
Humoral Responses

Alphaviruses are mosquito-borne pathogens distributed worldwide in tropical and temperate areas causing a wide range of symptoms ranging from inflammatory arthritis-like manifestations to the induction of encephalitis in humans. Historically, large outbreaks in susceptible populations have been recorded followed by the development of protective long-lasting antibody responses suggesting a potential advantageous role for a vaccine. Although the current understanding of alphavirus antibody-mediated immunity has been mainly gathered in natural and experimental settings of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection, little is known about the humoral responses triggered by other emerging alphaviruses. This knowledge is needed to improve serology-based diagnostic tests and the development of highly effective cross-protective vaccines. Here, we review the role of antibody-mediated immunity upon arthritogenic and neurotropic alphavirus infections, and the current research efforts for the development of vaccines as a tool to control future alphavirus outbreaks.

3D Technology – Additive Manufacturing Applications and Prospects (Vol. 24, No. 9, Full Issue)

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (09) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
3D Printing ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Real World ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Health Screening ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Real World Applications ◽  
Manufacturing Applications

For the month of September 2020, APBN dives into the world of 3D printing and its wide range of real-world applications. Keeping our focus on the topic of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic, we explore the environmental impact of the global outbreak as well as gain insight to the top 5 vaccine platforms used in vaccine development. Discover more about technological advancements and how it is assisting innovation in geriatric health screening.

scholarly journals New Recombinant Mycobacterium bovis BCG Expression Vectors: Improving Genetic Control over Mycobacterial Promoters

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (8) ◽  
pp. 2240-2246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex I. Kanno ◽  
Cibelly Goulart ◽  
Henrique K. Rofatto ◽  
Sergio C. Oliveira ◽  
Luciana C. C. Leite ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Bovis ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Expression Vectors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mycobacteriophage L5 ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Selection Of

ABSTRACTThe expression of many antigens, stimulatory molecules, or even metabolic pathways in mycobacteria such asMycobacterium bovisBCG orM. smegmatiswas made possible through the development of shuttle vectors, and several recombinant vaccines have been constructed. However, gene expression in any of these systems relied mostly on the selection of natural promoters expected to provide the required level of expression by trial and error. To establish a systematic selection of promoters with a range of strengths, we generated a library of mutagenized promoters through error-prone PCR of the strong PL5promoter, originally from mycobacteriophage L5. These promoters were cloned upstream of the enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter gene, and recombinantM. smegmatisbacteria exhibiting a wide range of fluorescence levels were identified. A set of promoters was selected and identified as having high (pJK-F8), intermediate (pJK-B7, pJK-E6, pJK-D6), or low (pJK-C1) promoter strengths in bothM. smegmatisandM. bovisBCG. The sequencing of the promoter region demonstrated that it was extensively modified (6 to 11%) in all of the plasmids selected. To test the functionality of the system, two different expression vectors were demonstrated to allow corresponding expression levels of theSchistosoma mansoniantigen Sm29 in BCG. The approach used here can be used to adjust expression levels for synthetic and/or systems biology studies or for vaccine development to maximize the immune response.

scholarly journals Recent Advances in Nanovaccines Using Biomimetic Immunomodulatory Materials

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijayan ◽  
Mohapatra ◽  
Uthaman ◽  
Park
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Targeted Delivery ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Polymeric Nanoparticles ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Therapeutic Vaccines ◽  
Hiv Therapy ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
Wide Range

The development of vaccines plays a vital role in the effective control of several fatal diseases. However, effective prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines have yet to be developed for completely curing deadly diseases, such as cancer, malaria, HIV, and serious microbial infections. Thus, suitable vaccine candidates need to be designed to elicit appropriate immune responses. Nanotechnology has been found to play a unique role in the design of vaccines, providing them with enhanced specificity and potency. Nano-scaled materials, such as virus-like particles, liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles (NPs), and protein NPs, have received considerable attention over the past decade as potential carriers for the delivery of vaccine antigens and adjuvants, due to their beneficial advantages, like improved antigen stability, targeted delivery, and long-time release, for which antigens/adjuvants are either encapsulated within, or decorated on, the NP surface. Flexibility in the design of nanomedicine allows for the programming of immune responses, thereby addressing the many challenges encountered in vaccine development. Biomimetic NPs have emerged as innovative natural mimicking biosystems that can be used for a wide range of biomedical applications. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in biomimetic nanovaccines, and their use in anti-bacterial therapy, anti-HIV therapy, anti-malarial therapy, anti-melittin therapy, and anti-tumor immunity.

scholarly journals Insights into Cross-species Evolution of Novel Human Coronavirus 2019-nCoV and Defining Immune Determinants for Vaccine Development

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arunachalam Ramaiah ◽  
Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami
Keyword(s):  
Binding Affinity ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
Live Animal ◽  
Synonymous Mutations ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
N Proteins

ABSTRACTNovel Coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak in the city of Wuhan, China during December 2019, has now spread to various countries across the globe triggering a heightened containment effort. This human pathogen is a member of betacoronavirus genus carrying 30 kilobase of single positive-sense RNA genome. Understanding the evolution, zoonotic transmission, and source of this novel virus would help accelerating containment and prevention efforts. The present study reported detailed analysis of 2019-nCoV genome evolution and potential candidate peptides for vaccine development. This nCoV genotype might have been evolved from a bat-CoV by accumulating non-synonymous mutations, indels, and recombination events. Structural proteins Spike (S), and Membrane (M) had extensive mutational changes, whereas Envelope (E) and Nucleocapsid (N) proteins were very conserved suggesting differential selection pressures exerted on 2019-nCoV during evolution. Interestingly, 2019-nCoV Spike protein contains a 39 nucleotide sequence insertion relative to SARS-like bat-SL-CoVZC45/2017. Furthermore, we identified eight high binding affinity (HBA) CD4 T-cell epitopes in the S, E, M and N proteins, which can be commonly recognized by HLA-DR alleles of Asia and Asia-Pacific Region population. These immunodominant epitopes can be incorporated in universal subunit CoV vaccine. Diverse HLA types and variations in the epitope binding affinity may contribute to the wide range of immunopathological outcomes of circulating virus in humans. Our findings emphasize the requirement for continuous surveillance of CoV strains in live animal markets to better understand the viral adaptation to human host and to develop practical solutions to prevent the emergence of novel pathogenic CoV strains.

scholarly journals Kiberbiztonság a koronavírus idején – a COVID–19 nemzetbiztonsági aspektusai

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-87
Author(s):  
Tamás Palicz ◽  
Balázs Bencsik ◽  
Miklós Szócska
Keyword(s):  
Cyber Security ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Significant Risk Factor ◽  
Distance Measures ◽  
Data Traffic ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Emergency Case ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Almost All

Összefoglaló. A COVID–19 pandémia az információbiztonság területén új kihívásokat jelentett. A távolról végzett munka különböző formái jelentős mértékben növelték az online tér biztonsági kockázatát. Nőtt a hálózatok nagysága, az adatforgalom, és azon felhasználók száma, akiknek nem volt érdemi tapasztalatuk az online térben. A járvány ideje alatt a kibertérből érkező támadások szektoronként és időszakonként eltérő intenzitásúak voltak, a támadások típusa a phishingtől a malwareken keresztül az információs zavarkeltésig széles spektrumban változott. Számos jelenségnek nemzetbiztonsági vonatkozásai is voltak. Összefoglaló cikkünkben a fenti jelenségek nemzetközi és hazai tapasztalatait összegezzük, különös figyelmet szentelve az egészségügyi rendszernek, illetve a vakcinafejlesztés kibertérből érkező fenyegetéseinek. Summary. During the COVID-19 pandemic, new challenges emerged in the field of information security and cyber security. Home office, home schooling and distance learning, or even telemedicine hit some organizations unprepared. Security risks in online space have increased significantly: the number of network endpoints and the number of computers, laptops and mobile devices have increased with network data traffic as well as the number of users who had no significant experience in online space. They appeared as a significant risk factor. This has been exacerbated, especially in healthcare, by the extremely high workload, which has made systems highly vulnerable. During the epidemic, attacks from cyberspace varied in intensity from sector to sector and period to period. Statistics from international and national organizations have shown that from the end of the first quarter of 2020, the number of cyber security incidents jumped sharply and then remained high even after a small decline. The types of attacks had an extremely wide range: from phishing through malware to misinformation, almost all types of attacks occurred. Many phenomena also had national security implications. Ransomware virus attacks on health have affected almost all health systems and reached high levels by the end of 2020 in particular. It was during the first period that, in an emergency case, there is thought to be an association between a ransomware virus attack and the death of a patient who was not admitted because of the attack. In addition to distance measures and the associated increase in cyber threats, the emerging threats related to vaccination, which is central to the fight against the epidemic, should also be highlighted. This period has shed light on how many vulnerabilities there are, from vaccine development through drug trials to delivery to vaccines and the organization of vaccines, that cybercriminals are able to attack. In order to prevent and combat these threats and attacks, and to respond appropriately, complex, multidisciplinary collaborations are needed in which security science has a privileged place. In our review article, we summarize the international and national experiences of the above phenomena, paying special attention to the health care system and the threats coming from cyberspace in vaccine development.

scholarly journals Analysis of virulence factors and emm typing of Streptococcus pyogenes clinical isolates.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Enck Sambrano ◽  
Gustavo P Riboldi ◽  
Keli C Reiter ◽  
Thiago Galvão da Silva Paim ◽  
Neidmar Correa Tolfo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Streptococcus Pyogenes ◽  
Virulence Genes ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Tissue Tropism ◽  
Factors Analysis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Group A ◽  
Micro Organisms

Background: Streptococcus pyogenes, a Group A streptococci (GAS), is an important human pathogen that causes a wide range of infections. Methods: Twenty five clinical isolates of S. pyogenes were submitted to an emm typing and to a Real-time PCR analysis for 23 important virulence factors. Results: Fourteen emm types were found and the emm1 type was the most prevalent. The majority of the isolates were classified as emm pattern E, followed by A-C3. No pattern D was found. Among the virulence factors, the most prevalent were SpeG, Slo, C5a-peptidase and SPNA. Phage encoded virulence genes were also found among the strains, such as mf-2, SpeJ and SpeL. Discussion: The emm1 type was the most prevalent while the 13 others M types were distributed along the strains. No tissue tropism was found on the isolates. The virulence factors analysis demonstrated that chromosomally and phage-encoded genes were found, which confers a potential for high virulent micro-organisms.

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