Enhancement of antigen-specific immunity via the TLR4 ligands MPL adjuvant and Ribi.529.

MPL (Corixa) adjuvant is a chemically modified derivative of lipopolysaccharide that displays greatly reduced toxicity while maintaining most of the immunostimulatory activity of lipopolysaccharide. MPL adjuvant has been used extensively in clinical trials as a component in prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines targeting infectious disease, cancer and allergies. With over 33,000 doses administered to date, MPL adjuvant has emerged as a safe and effective vaccine adjuvant.

Diverse origins of tetracycline resistance in the honey bee bacterial pathogen Paenibacillus larvae.

Paenibacillus larvae is the causative agent of the important honey bee larval disease American Foulbrood (AFB). This pathogen has been treated in bee colonies by a single registered antibiotic, oxytetracycline (OTC), for fifty years. Recently, widespread resistance to OTC has been reported.

Immunostimulatory activity of aminoalkyl glucosaminide 4-phosphates (AGPs): induction of protective innate immune responses by RC-524 and RC-529.

Earlier we showed that the structural requirements for adjuvanticity among the aminoalkyl glucosaminide 4-phosphate (AGP) class of synthetic immunostimulants may be less strict than those for other endotoxic activities, including the induction of nitric oxide synthase in murine macrophages and cytokine production in human whole blood. The known role of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the activation of host defenses against infection prompted us to examine the ability of certain AGPs to enhance non-specific resistance in mice to Listeria monocytogenes and influenza infections as well as to stimulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in mouse splenocytes, human PBMCs, and human U937 histiocytic lymphoma cells. Intranasal administration of RC-524 or RC-529 to mice 2 days prior to a lethal influenza challenge provided significant protection in each case.

Beenomes to Bombyx: future directions in applied insect genomics.

The recent sequencing of the Anopheles gambiae genome showcases the genetic breadth of insects and a trend towards sequencing organisms directly involved with human welfare. We describe traits in other insect species that make them important candidates for genomics projects, and review several recent workshops aimed at uniting researchers working with insect species to efficiently address problems in medicine, biotechnology, and agriculture.

Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the important honey bee pest, Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae).

Mites in the genus Varroa are the primary parasites of honey bees on several continents. Genetic analyses based on Varroa mitochondrial DNA have played a central role in establishing Varroa taxonomy and dispersal. Here we present the complete mitochondrial sequence of the important honey bee pest Varroa destructor.