Global Comprehensive Outlook of Hantavirus Contagion on Humans: A Review

Hantaviruses are rodent viruses that have been identified as etiologic agents of 2 diseases of humans: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and nephropathiaepidemica (NE) in the Old World and Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the New World. Orthohantavirus is a genus of sin- gle-stranded, enveloped, negative-sense RNA viruses in the family Hantaviridae of the order Bunyavi- rales. The important reservoir of Hantaviruses is rodents. Each virus serotype has its unique rodent host species and is transmitted to human beings with the aid of aerosolized virus, which is shed in urine, fae- ces and saliva and hardly by a bite of the contaminated host. Andes virus is the only Hantavirus identified to be transmitted from human-to-human and its major signs and symptoms include fever, headache, mus- cle aches, lungs filled with fluid etc. In the early 1993, this viral syndrome appeared in the Four Cor- ner location in the south western United States. The only accepted therapeutics for this virus is Ribavirin. Recently, serological examinations to identify Hantavirus antibodies have become most popular for in- vestigation among humans and rodent reservoirs.

The Engineered Antibiotic Peptide PLG0206 Eliminates Biofilms and Is a Potential Treatment for Periprosthetic Joint Infections

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have recently gained attention for their potential to treat diseases related to bacterial and viral infections, as many traditional antimicrobial drugs have reduced efficacy in treating these infections due to the increased prevalence of drug-resistant pathogens. PLG0206, an engineered cationic antibiotic peptide that is 24 residues long, has been designed to address some limitations of other natural AMPs, such as toxicity and limited activity due to pH and ion concentrations. Nonclinical studies have shown that PLG0206 is highly selective for targeting bacterial cells and is not toxic to human blood cells. Antibiofilm experiments demonstrated that PLG0206 is effective at reducing both biotic and abiotic biofilm burdens following direct biofilm contact. PLG0206 has rapid and broad-spectrum activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria that are implicated as etiologic agents in periprosthetic joint infections, including multidrug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens and colistin-resistant isolates. A recent first-in-human study demonstrated that PLG0206 is well tolerated and safe as an intravenous infusion in healthy volunteers. Studies are planned to determine the efficacy of PLG0206 in patients for the treatment of periprosthetic joint infections. This review summarizes the chemistry, pharmacology, and microbiology of PLG0206 and explores its current preclinical, clinical, and regulatory status.

Evaluation of BALB/c mice behavior and relations to the immune response after treatment with H3N2 homeopathic solutions

In Brazil, homeopathic medicines are prepared according to the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia, regulated by ANVISA. Among several categories of medicines, there is the biotherapic group, which is prepared from etiologic agents. In this study, we developed a biotherapic from influenza A virus, aiming the influenza infection prevention. Influenza is a disease that affects thousands of people worldwide every year, with an important economic impact, what motivates the development of new low cost therapies. The H3N2 biotherapic developed in this study was administered to Balb/c mice to evaluate their immune response to viral specific antigens and behavior (homeopathic proving). Sixty-two 4 weeks old Balb/c mice were divided into five experimental groups (n=14 per group), after approval by the Ethics Committee of Animal Use (Protocol DFBCICB 037) and stimulated daily, blindly, with 1% (v/v) different homeopathic medicines, for a maximum period of 42 days. The tested medicines were: biotherapic 30x prepared from inactivated influenza A virus; biotherapic 30x prepared with infectious influenza A virus; and thymulin 5cH, a thymus hormone. The two control groups were treated with water 30x and nothing (baseline group). After 21 days of treatment, half of the animals from each group was challenged subcutaneously with the viral hemagglutinin antigen (7 mg / 200 mL) and monitored by 21 days further, to evaluate the humoral immune response and general behavior, using an open field device. The remaining animals were evaluated by the same behavioral tests at the end of the first 21 days, as an attempt to define the proving features. After euthanasia, all animals were autopsied and the spleen, lungs, heart and mediastine lymph nodes were weighed. Histometry of the spleen follicles was also made. Histopathological and behavioral analyses showed absence of behavioral effects, however, there was increase of spleen lymphoid follicles diameter in immunized animals treated with thymulin and with the biotherapic prepared from infectious influenza A, when compared to the control group. This experiment is being repeated using flow cytometry to complete the analysis and confirm the results.

Evaluation of immune response of BALB/c to homeopathic solutions

Introduction: Biotherapics are medicines prepared from etiologic agents, following Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopeia. Influenza is a disease that affects thousands of people worldwide every year, motivating the development of new therapies. Aim: In this study, we developed two biotherapics from live/active influenza A virus, at 12x and 30x, and verified some immune response parameters in mice. Methodology: The biotherapic was administered to male SPF 4 weeks old Balb/c mice. The protocol was approved by the UFRJ Ethics Committee of Animal Use (Protocol DFBCICB 040). Animals were stimulated daily, blindly, with different homeopathic medicines, at 1% (V/V) for a maximum period of 42 days. Three homeopathic medicines were tested: biotherapic 30x containing active influenza A virus; biotherapic 12x containing active influenza A virus; and thymulin 5cH. The experimental groups were: Group A (5 animals) – administration of thymulin 5cH, Group B (5 animals) – administration of biotherapic 30x, Group C (5 animals) – administration of biotherapic 12x, Group D (5 animals) - administration of a water 30x, Group E (5 animals) - administration of a water 12x, Group F (5 animals) - control (without treatment). After 21 days of treatment, all animals were challenged subcutaneously with the viral hemagglutinin antigen at the concentration of 7 g/200L and monitored by further 21 days. After euthanasia, all animals were autopsied and the spleen was collected for weight and immunehistochemistry analyses. Additionally, peritoneal washing was done and a “pool” of samples from each group was prepared to be analyzed by flow citometry. Results: Mice treated with biotherapic 30x and thymulin 5cH showed similar profile, different from controls, in which a switch of lymphocytes/phagocytes proportion in the peritoneum was seen, followed by predominance of B1b cells in relation to conventional B and T cells (X2, p=0.005). Regarding to T cell population, in the contrary to control, CD4+ cells were predominant in relation to CD8+ cells (X2, p=0.0001). The immunehistochemistry revealed increase in the number of activated CD11b+ macrophages in spleen (p

Comparison of Staphylococcus Aureus Endocarditis Risk Factors With Bacteremia

Introduction: Infective endocarditis (IE) is endothelial damage of the endocardium, which is caused by infection. The etiologic agents' highest mortality and morbidity rates are associated with staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Accordingly, the knowledge of different risk factors for IE caused by the S. aureus is necessary.Material and methods: This study is an observational-analytical retrospective cohort study on 139 patients with staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB), who referred to a cardiac center during 2011-2019. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors in 48 patients with staphylococcus aureus endocarditis, who were selected from139 patients with S. aureus bacteremia. Results: The mean age (±SD) of the patients is 56.61 (±16.58), and85 (61.2%) persons are male. Forty-eight patients (34.5%) are diagnosed with staphylococcus aureus endocarditis regarding Duke criteria. In this study, the following risk factors were significantly associated with S. aureus endocarditis: age (p=0.003), long-term bacteremia (p=0.041), prosthetic heart valve (p=0.016), pre-existing IE (p=0.048), and embolic events (p=0.039).Conclusion: According to the findings, a significant number of patients with staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) have IE with different risk factors. Future studies with a larger sample size are recommended to detect IE risk factors.

Reviewing the Etiologic Agents, Microbe-Host Relationship, Immune Response, Diagnosis, and Treatment in Chromoblastomycosis

Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) is a neglected human disease, caused by different species of pigmented dematiaceous fungi that cause subcutaneous infections. This disease has been considered an occupational disease, occurring among people working in the field of agriculture, particularly in low-income countries. In 1914, the first case of CBM was described in Brazil, and although efforts have been made, few scientific and technological advances have been made in this area. In the field of fungi and host cell relationship, a very reduced number of antigens were characterized, but available data suggest that ectoantigens bind to the cell membrane of host cells and modulate the phagocytic, immunological, and microbicidal responses of immune cells. Furthermore, antigens cleave extracellular proteins in tissues, allowing fungi to spread. On the contrary, if phagocytic cells are able to present antigens in MHC molecules to T lymphocytes in the presence of costimulation and IL-12, a Th1 immune response will develop and a relative control of the disease will be observed. Despite knowledge of the resistance and susceptibility in CBM, up to now, no effective vaccines have been developed. In the field of chemotherapy, most patients are treated with conventional antifungal drugs, such as itraconazole and terbinafine, but these drugs exhibit limitations, considering that not all patients heal cutaneous lesions. Few advances in treatment have been made so far, but one of the most promising ones is based on the use of immunomodulators, such as imiquimod. Data about a standard treatment are missing in the medical literature; part of it is caused by the existence of a diversity of etiologic agents and clinical forms. The present review summarizes the advances made in the field of CBM related to the diversity of pathogenic species, fungi and host cell relationship, antigens, innate and acquired immunity, clinical forms of CBM, chemotherapy, and diagnosis.

Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory profile of dermatopathies of household dogs and cats in a semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil

The present study aims to determine the epidemiological, clinical and laboratorial profile of the dermatopathies that affect dogs and cats living in a semi-arid area in the Northeast of Brazil. Seventy-eight dogs and cats consulted at the Veterinary Hospital with dermatological complaints were included in this study. Skin lesions were characterized with respect to morphology, appearance, and distribution, an epidemiological questionnaire was applied, and samples were collected for complementary examination. The diagnosis was confirmed by parasitological and microbiological tests. There was a predominance of the canine species (93.6%), of young animals (46.3%), and of animals of undefined breeds (61.5%). It was observed that 29.5% of the affections were of fungal aetiology, 14.1% were bacterial, 3.9% were scabies. In 5.1% of the cases there were associations between different pathogens, and in 47.4% the laboratory examination was negative for the pathogens investigated. The most frequent clinical manifestations included alopecia (74.4%), pruritus (61.6%) and erythema (43.6%), distributed mainly in the dorsal-ventral region (36.1%) or even disseminated (43.1%). With respect to One Health, 51.3% (40/78) of the owners reported that they did not know what "zoonoses" were. Dermatopathies have been shown to be important disorders, especially the mycotic and bacterial diseases. Atypical cases of infections motivated by pathogens little described in the literature as etiologic agents of dermatopathies in dogs and cats were observed.

The Role of Pathology in the Diagnosis of Swine Respiratory Disease

The definition “porcine respiratory disease complex” (PRDC) is used to indicate the current approach for presenting respiratory pathology in modern pig farming. PRDC includes pneumonias with variable pictures, mixed with both aerogenous and hematogenous forms with variable etiology, often multimicrobial, and influenced by environmental and management factors. The notion that many etiological agents of swine respiratory pathology are ubiquitous in the airways is commonly understood; however, their isolation or identification is not always associable with the current pathology. In this complex context, lung lesions registered at slaughterhouse or during necropsy, and supplemented by histological investigations, must be considered as powerful tools for assigning a prominent role to etiologic agents. In recent years, the goal of colocalizing causative agents with the lesions they produce has been frequently applied, and valid examples in routine diagnostics are those that indicate pulmonary involvement during porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infections.

Survey of beef bulls in Brazil to assess their role as source of infectious agents related to cow infertility

Poor reproductive performance in beef cattle caused by infectious agents results in major financial losses as a result of reduced pregnancy rates and extended calving intervals. Bulls can be subclinical chronic carriers of bacterial and protozoal agents involved in cow infertility, such as Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis, Ureaplasma diversum, Mycoplasma bovigenitalium, Mycoplasma bovis, and Tritrichomonas foetus. Bulls harbor these microorganisms in their preputial crypts and transmit the agents to cows during natural mating. To obtain an overview of the etiologic agents in the preputial mucus of bulls, we aimed to identify, by PCR assay, C. fetus subsp. venerealis, M. bovis, U. diversum, M. bovigenitalium, and T. foetus in Brazilian bulls from farms with high infertility rates. We collected preputial mucus from 210 bulls on 18 beef cattle farms in Brazil between 2019 and 2020. We found at least one of the infectious agents that we were studying in bulls on 16 of the 18 beef cattle farms tested. We detected at least one infectious agent from 159 of 210 (76%) bulls tested, namely C. fetus subsp. venerealis, M. bovis, U. diversum, M. bovigenitalium, and T. foetus in 87 (55%), 84 (53%), 45 (28%), 28 (18%), and 1 (0.6%) animal, respectively. We found 95 bulls (60%) positive for only 1 etiologic agent (single infection) and 64 bulls (40%) carried multiple agents. Our results demonstrate the occurrence of bacterial and protozoal infectious agents that may be related to infertility in Brazilian beef cattle herds.