Bm Delta-pgm, a vaccine for the control of Brucella melitensis with cross-species protective properties.

Brucellosis remains one of the most worldwide distributed zoonosis inflicting serious economical and human health problems in many areas of the world. The disease is caused by different species of the genus Brucella that have different tropisms towards different mammals being the most relevant for human health Brucella abortus, Brucella melitensis and Brucella suis that infect cows, goats/sheep, and swine respectively. For B.

Brucella abortus Promotes a Fibrotic Phenotype in Hepatic Stellate Cells, with Concomitant Activation of the Autophagy Pathway.

The liver is frequently affected in patients with active brucellosis. The present study demonstrates that infection induces the activation of the autophagic pathway in hepatic stellate cells to create a microenvironment that promotes a profibrogenic phenotype through the induction of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), collagen deposition, and inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) secretion. Autophagy was revealed by upregulation of the LC3II/LC3I ratio and Beclin-1 expression as well as inhibition of p62 expression in infected cells.

The Effector Protein BPE005 from Brucella abortus Induces Collagen Deposition and Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Downmodulation via Transforming Growth Factor β1 in Hepatic Stellate Cells.

The liver is frequently affected in patients with active brucellosis. In the present study, we identified a virulence factor involved in the modulation of hepatic stellate cell function and consequent fibrosis during Brucella abortus infection. This study assessed the role of BPE005 protein from B.

N-terminal-capturing screening system for the isolation of Brucella abortus genes encoding surface exposed and secreted proteins.

Secreted as well as surface exposed proteins are assumed to play major roles in bacterial virulence. In this report we describe the construction of an N-terminal protein-capturing system and its use for the isolation of Brucella abortus S2308 genes coding for putative surface exposed or secreted proteins. For this purpose, a cloning vector that generates gene fusions to a ribosome binding site and start codon deficient Chloramphenicol Acetyl Transferase (CAT) reporter gene was constructed and the resulting library introduced into B.

Evaluation of Brucella abortus phosphoglucomutase (pgm) mutant as a new live rough-phenotype vaccine.

Brucella abortus S19 is the vaccine most frequently used against bovine brucellosis. Although it induces good protection levels, it cannot be administered to pregnant cattle, revaccination is not advised due to interference in the discrimination between infected and vaccinated animals during immune-screening procedures, and the vaccine is virulent for humans. Due to these reasons, there is a continuous search for new bovine vaccine candidates that may confer protection levels comparable to those conferred by S19 but without its disadvantages.