Evaluation of Two Adjuvant Formulations for an Inactivated Yellow Fever 17DD Vaccine Candidate in Mice.

The attenuated yellow fever (YF) vaccine is one of the most successful vaccines ever developed. After a single dose administration YF vaccine can induce balanced Th1/Th2 immune responses and long-lasting neutralizing antibodies. These attributes endorsed it as a model of how to properly stimulate the innate response to target protective immune responses.

Selection and Characterization of Single-Stranded DNA Aptamers of Diagnostic Potential against the Whole Zika Virus.

Zika virus became a major public health problem in early 2015, when cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome and microcephaly were associated with viral infection. Currently, ZIKV is endemic in all tropical areas of the world, and the chance for future Zika epidemics remains very real and accurate diagnosis is crucial. The aim of this work was to select specific ssDNA aptamers that bind to the entire Zika virus and can be used to compose specific diagnostics, without cross-reactivity with other flaviviruses.

Testing the genomic stability of the Brazilian yellow fever vaccine strain using next-generation sequencing data.

The live attenuated yellow fever (YF) vaccine was developed in the 1930s. Currently, the 17D and 17DD attenuated substrains are used for vaccine production. The 17D strain is used for vaccine production by several countries, while the 17DD strain is used exclusively in Brazil.

Multidisciplinary approach in the diagnosis of acute leptospirosis in dogs naturally infected by Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae: A prospective study.

Leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution, is caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. In dogs, this disease is frequently misdiagnosed. Few studies have attempted to associate the detection of Leptospira spp.

Detection of Leptospira spp. in Captive Broad-Snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris).

Leptospira sp. is an important waterborne zoonotic bacterium, known to cause infection in animals and humans worldwide. The role of reptiles in the transmission of this microorganism is poorly understood and historically neglected.

Molecular epidemiology of Leptospira noguchii reveals important insights into a One Health context.

Leptospirosis presents a complex and dynamic epidemiology. Bovine leptospirosis has been described as a major infectious disease impairing reproductive efficiency. Although infections by Leptospira interrogans, L.

sp. nov. and sp. nov., two new species of the pathogenic group isolated from environmental sources.

Four spirochetes (F1, B21, Yale and AMB6-RJ) were isolated from environmental sources: F1 and B21 from soils of an urban slum community in Salvador (Brazil), Yale from river water in New Haven, Connecticut (USA) and AMB6-RJ from a pond in a horse farm in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Isolates were helix-shaped, aerobic, highly motile and non-virulent in a hamster model of infection. Draft genomes of the strains were obtained and analysed to determine the relatedness to other species of the genus .

Characterization of the clonal subpopulation Fiocruz L1-130 of Leptospira interrogans in rats and dogs from Brazil.

Purpose: Leptospira interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae strains have been described as causing disease in both humans and animals and as being present worldwide. Icterohaemorrhagiae and Copenhageni serovars are known to cause severe disease in their hosts, and zoonotic outbreaks have been described. The genetic similarity among the strains of these serovars is known.

Sanger-based sequencing technology for yellow fever vaccine genetic quality control.

Yellow Fever (YF) is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease prevalent mainly in Africa and Americas, with 20-60% fatality rate in severe forms. Currently, antiviral drugs for the infection are not available, reinforcing the importance of vaccination in resident populations and travelers. Manufactured in 7 different countries, the YF vaccine was first created in 1937 and two substrains are used for production, 17DD and 17D-204.

Conformational analysis of Pneumococcal Surface Antigen A (PsaA) upon zinc binding by fluorescence spectroscopy.

PsaA (pneumococcal surface antigen A) is a S. pneumoniae virulence factor that belongs to the metal transport system. The Manganese PsaA binding has been associated with oxidative stress resistance becoming a pivotal element in the bacteria virulence.

Plurality of Leptospira strains on slaughtered animals suggest a broader concept of adaptability of leptospires to cattle.

Leptospirosis in bovines is in majority determined by the host-adapted serovars, mainly Hardjo (types Hardjoprajitno and Hardjobovis), that belong to the serogroup Sejroe. Members of other serogroups as Pomona and Tarassovi have been eventually reported, mainly when outbreaks occurs. Nevertheless, the real role of other strains (non-Hardjo) on determining disease or being transmitted by cattle free of apparent clinical signs of acute infection remains to be elucidated.

LigB subunit vaccine confers sterile immunity against challenge in the hamster model of leptospirosis.

Neglected tropical diseases, including zoonoses such as leptospirosis, have a major impact on rural and poor urban communities, particularly in developing countries. This has led to major investment in antipoverty vaccines that focus on diseases that influence public health and thereby productivity. While the true, global, impact of leptospirosis is unknown due to the lack of adequate laboratory diagnosis, the WHO estimates that incidence has doubled over the last 15 years to over 1 million cases that require hospitalization every year.

Recombinant VP1 protein as a potential marker for the diagnosis of acute hepatitis A virus infection.

Since hepatitis A virus (HAV) production is time-consuming and expensive, the use of recombinant proteins may represent an alternative source of antigens for diagnostic purposes. The present study aimed to express, purify and evaluate the potential of recombinant VP1 protein (rVP1) as a marker for the diagnosis of acute HAV infection. The rVP1 was expressed and purified successfully from Escherichia coli.

Pneumococcal Predictive Proteins Selected by Microbial Genomic Approach Are Serotype Cross-Reactive and Bind to Host Extracellular Matrix Proteins.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a colonizer of the human nasopharynx, which accounts for most of the community-acquired pneumonia cases and can cause non-invasive and invasive diseases. Current available vaccines are serotype-specific and the use of recombinant proteins associated with virulence is an alternative to compose vaccines and to overcome these problems. In a previous work, we describe the identification of proteins in S.

Distinct antibody responses of patients with mild and severe leptospirosis determined by whole proteome microarray analysis.

Background: Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease worldwide. Humans usually present a mild non-specific febrile illness, but a proportion of them develop more severe outcomes, such as multi-organ failure, lung hemorrhage and death. Such complications are thought to depend on several factors, including the host immunity.

Solubility as a limiting factor for expression of hepatitis A virus proteins in insect cell-baculovirus system.

The use of recombinant proteins may represent an alternative model to inactivated vaccines against hepatitis A virus (HAV). The present study aimed to express the VP1 protein of HAV in baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS). The VP1 was expressed intracellularly with molecular mass of 35 kDa.

Recovery of Leptospires in Short- and Medium-Term Cryopreservation Using Different Glycerol and Dimethyl Sulfoxide Concentrations.

Cryopreservation is a recognized method for the maintenance of Leptospira collections. Although cryoprotectants are commonly used in order to prevent or reduce the adverse effects of freezing, there is no consensus regarding the protocols of cryopreservation. This study aimed to compare cryopreservation protocols for Leptospira using different glycerol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) concentrations.

Presence of leptospires on genital tract of mares with reproductive problems.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance, and has a worldwide distribution. Equine leptospirosis is commonly manifested by recurrent uveitis, reproductive disorders, as abortions, embryonic absorption, stillbirth and the birth of weak foals. The aim of this study was to verify the presence of Leptospira sp or its DNA in genital tract of mares with reproductive problems.

A multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis assay provides high discrimination for genotyping Leptospira santarosai strains.

Considering the prevalence of Leptospira santarosai infections in the Americas and the scarce information about the species, we aimed to apply a multilocus variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) for the molecular typing of L. santarosai isolates from various sources. Amplification of three VNTR loci selected from L.

Identification of immunodominant antigens in canine leptospirosis by Multi-Antigen Print ImmunoAssay (MAPIA).

Background: The microscopic agglutination test (MAT), the standard method for serological diagnosis of leptospirosis, may present limitations regarding its sensitivity. Current studies suggest that Leptospira immunoglobulin-like (Lig) proteins and LipL32 are of particular interest as serodiagnostic markers since they are present only in pathogenic species of the Leptospira genus. The purpose of this study was to identify leptospiral immunodominant proteins that are recognized by canine sera from diseased dogs.

Predominance of Leptospira interrogans serovar Bratislava DNA in vaginal fluid of mares suggests sexual transmission of leptospirosis.

The purpose of the present study was to detect the presence of DNA of pathogenic Leptospira sp. in vaginal fluids of mares regarding a possible role of the sexual transmission. A total of 134 breeding mares from four troops were studied and sampling was conducted from vaginal fluids and urine for culture and PCR; and blood for serology.

Identification of proteins in Streptococcus pneumoniae by reverse vaccinology and genetic diversity of these proteins in clinical isolates.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Virulence-associated proteins common and conserved among all capsular types now represent the best strategy to combat pneumococcal infections. Our aim was to identify conserved targets in pneumococci that showed positive prediction for lipoprotein and extracellular subcellular location using bioinformatics programs and verify the distribution and the degree of conservation of these targets in pneumococci.

Proteomic features predict seroreactivity against leptospiral antigens in leptospirosis patients.

With increasing efficiency, accuracy, and speed we can access complete genome sequences from thousands of infectious microorganisms; however, the ability to predict antigenic targets of the immune system based on amino acid sequence alone is still needed. Here we use a Leptospira interrogans microarray expressing 91% (3359) of all leptospiral predicted ORFs (3667) and make an empirical accounting of all antibody reactive antigens recognized in sera from naturally infected humans; 191 antigens elicited an IgM or IgG response, representing 5% of the whole proteome. We classified the reactive antigens into 26 annotated COGs (clusters of orthologous groups), 26 JCVI Mainrole annotations, and 11 computationally predicted proteomic features.

Evaluation of pre-induction temperature, cell growth at induction and IPTG concentration on the expression of a leptospiral protein in E. coli using shaking flasks and microbioreactor.

Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonose that is increasingly endemic in built-up areas, especially where there are communities living in precarious housing with poor or non-existent sanitation infrastructure. Leptospirosis can kill, for its symptoms are easily confused with those of other diseases. As such, a rapid diagnosis is required so it can be treated effectively.