Tuberculosis (TB) necrotic granulomas contain triglyceride-rich macrophages (foam cells) with reduced antimicrobial functions. We assessed the ability of two compounds to reduce triglyceride content and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) burden in infected human monocyte-derived macrophages and in the lungs of Mtb-infected C3HeB/FeJ mice: A-922500 (DGATi), an inhibitor of diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1; and LY2584702 (p70S6Ki), an inhibitor of p70 S6 kinase. DGATi and p70S6Ki significantly reduced the lipid content and bacillary burden in Mtb-infected macrophages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTuberculosis (TB) remains among the leading infectious causes of death. Due to the limited number of antimicrobials in the TB drug discovery pipeline, interest has developed in host-directed approaches to improve TB treatment outcomes. C-C motif chemokine-like receptor 2 (CCRL2) is a unique seven-transmembrane domain receptor that is upregulated by inflammatory signals and mediates leucocyte migration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Mtb) is one of the leading infectious causes of death worldwide. There is no available licensed therapeutic vaccine that shortens active tuberculosis (TB) disease drug treatment and prevents relapse, despite the World Health Organization's calls. Here, we show that an intranasal DNA vaccine containing a fusion of the stringent response gene with the gene encoding the immature dendritic cell-targeting chemokine, MIP-3α/CCL20, shortens the duration of curative TB treatment in immunocompetent mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultidrug-resistant (MDR) (Mtb) poses significant challenges to global tuberculosis (TB) control efforts. Host-directed therapies (HDTs) offer a novel approach to TB treatment by enhancing immune-mediated clearance of Mtb. Prior preclinical studies found that the inhibition of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an enzyme involved in heme metabolism, with tin-protoporphyrin IX (SnPP) significantly reduced mouse lung bacillary burden when co-administered with the first-line antitubercular regimen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultidrug-resistant (MDR) (Mtb) poses significant challenges to global tuberculosis (TB) control efforts. Host-directed therapies (HDT) offer a novel approach for TB treatment by enhancing immune-mediated clearance of Mtb. Prior preclinical studies found that inhibition of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an enzyme involved in heme metabolism, with tin-protoporphyrin IX (SnPP) significantly reduced mouse lung bacillary burden when co-administered with the first-line antitubercular regimen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), more severe outcomes are reported in males than in females, including hospitalizations and deaths. Animal models can provide an opportunity to mechanistically interrogate causes of sex differences in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2. Adult male and female golden Syrian hamsters (8 to 10 weeks of age) were inoculated intranasally with 10 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID) of SARS-CoV-2/USA-WA1/2020 and euthanized at several time points during the acute (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), more severe outcomes are reported in males compared with females, including hospitalizations and deaths. Animal models can provide an opportunity to mechanistically interrogate causes of sex differences in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2. Adult male and female golden Syrian hamsters (8-10 weeks of age) were inoculated intranasally with 10 TCID of SARS-CoV-2/USA-WA1/2020 and euthanized at several time points during the acute (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Current efficacy studies of a mosaic HIV-1 prophylactic vaccine require four vaccination visits over one year, which is a complex regimen that could prove challenging for vaccine delivery at the community level, both for recipients and clinics. In this study, we evaluated the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of shorter, simpler regimens of trivalent Ad26.Mos.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe US livestock safety strongly depends on its capacity to prevent the introduction of Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs). Therefore, accurate and updated information on the location and origin of those potential TADs risks is essential, so preventive measures as market restrictions can be put on place. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the current risk of African swine fever (ASF) and Classical swine fever (CSF) introduction into the US through the legal importations of live pigs and swine products using a quantitative approach that could be later applied to other risks.
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