Nowadays, rotaviruses remain a major health burden, especially in developing countries, and strategies complementary to vaccination are needed. In this view, dairy fractions have attracted great scientific interest, due to their high content of bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antiviral activity of whey and buttermilk enriched in proteins from hyperimmune bovine colostrum (HBC) against rotavirus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluenza A is an emerging zoonotic virus with worldwide distribution. To our knowledge, no studies have been conducted to assess influenza A exposure in stray cats in regions with positive cases of wild birds. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of anti-influenza A antibodies in feral cats from a region in Spain with cases of positive wild birds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe dairy industry generates a large volume of by-products containing bioactive compounds that may have added value. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant and antigenotoxic effects of milk-derived products, such as whey, buttermilk, and lactoferrin, in two human cell lines: Caco-2 as an intestinal barrier model and HepG2 as a hepatic cell line. First, the protective effect of dairy samples against the oxidative stress caused by menadione was analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 is the causative agent of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in humans. To date, little is known about the persistence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in animals under natural conditions, in particular susceptible pets such as cat. This study reports the detection and monitoring of the humoral response against SARS-CoV-2 including the detection of immunoglobulins G specific for receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and neutralizing antibodies by virus neutralization assay.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Toxoplasmosis is a protozoan disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Different T. gondii confirmatory techniques, including serologic methods, are available to detect the presence of the parasite.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMilk is a source of proteins with high nutritional value and relevant biological activities. Bioactive milk proteins, like lactoferrin, are important for newborn development and can also be used as ingredients in functional products to improve health. Lactoferrin is essential in infant's diet, since protects against infections and promotes immune system maturation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 is the causative agent of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in humans. Among domestic animals, cats are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 than dogs. The detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in seemingly healthy cats and/or infected cats which are in close contact with infected humans has been described.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on wildlife is largely unevaluated, and extended surveillance of animal species is needed to reach a consensus on the role of animals in the emergence and maintenance of SARS-CoV-2. This infection has been detected in farmed and domestic animals and wild animals, mainly in captivity. The interactions or shared resources with wildlife could represent a potential transmission pathway for the SARS-CoV-2 spill over to other wild species and could lead to health consequences or the establishment of new reservoirs in susceptible hosts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSuccessful partnerships between researchers, experts, and public health authorities have been critical to navigate the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide. In this collaboration, mathematical models have played a decisive role in informing public policy, with findings effectively translated into public health measures that have shaped the pandemic in Costa Rica. As a result of interdisciplinary and cross-institutional collaboration, we constructed a multilayer network model that incorporates a diverse contact structure for each individual.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis work reports the first electrochemical bioplatform for the determination of soy traces in food. The bioplatform involves sandwich-type immunoassays using specific antibodies for β-conglycinin and glycinin, which are the main allergenic soy proteins, and carboxylic acid-modified magnetic microbeads. Amperometric detection at -0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Purpose: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with neuropsychiatric disturbances that impact on functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Reversibility at different liver disease stages is unknown, particularly in cirrhosis. We aimed to evaluate cognition, functioning, and HRQoL following HCV eradication at different liver disease stages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the zoonotic causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has caused a pandemic situation with millions of infected humans worldwide. Among domestic animals, there have been limited studies regarding the transmissibility and exposure to the infection in natural conditions. Some animals are exposed and/or susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, such as cats, ferrets and dogs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this paper is to infer the effects that change on human mobility had on the transmission dynamics during the first four months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Costa Rica, which could have played a role in delaying community transmission in the country. First, by using parametric and non-parametric change-point detection techniques, we were able to identify two different periods when the trend of daily new cases significantly changed. Second, we explored the association of these changes with data on population mobility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimal infections with SARS-CoV-2 have been reported in different countries and several animal species have been proven to be susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2 both naturally and by experimental infection. Moreover, infections under natural conditions in more than 20 mink farms have been reported where humans could have been the source of infection for minks. However, little information is available about the susceptibility of pet animals under natural conditions and currently there is no SARS-CoV-2 epidemiological assessment occurrence in household ferrets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA new coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan in 2019 and spread rapidly to the rest of the world causing the pandemic disease named coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Little information is known about the impact this virus can cause upon domestic and stray animals. The potential impact of SARS-CoV-2 has become of great interest in cats due to transmission among domestic cats and the severe phenotypes described recently in a domestic cat.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMilk contains bioactive molecules with important functions as defensive proteins; among them are the whey protein lactoferrin and proteins of the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) present in buttermilk. The aim of this study has been to investigate the effects of lactoferrin, whey, and buttermilk as modulators of intestinal innate immunity and oxidative stress on intestinal epithelial cells, to evaluate its potential use for the development of functional foods. The mRNA expression levels of innate immune system Toll-like receptors (TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9), lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde + 4-hydroxyalkenals) and protein expression levels of carbonyl were analyzed in enterocyte-like Caco-2/TC7 cells treated for 24 h with different concentrations of lactoferrin, whey, or buttermilk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCyanide is a toxic compound widely used in mining and jewelry industries, as well as in the synthesis of many different chemicals. Cyanide toxicity derives from its high affinity for metals, which causes inhibition of relevant metalloenzymes. However, some cyanide-degrading microorganisms like the alkaliphilic bacterium CECT5344 may detoxify hazardous industrial wastewaters that contain elevated cyanide and metal concentrations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe alkaliphilic bacterium Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344 uses free cyanide and several metal-cyanide complexes as the sole nitrogen source and tolerates high concentrations of metals like copper, zinc and iron, which are present in the jewelry wastewaters. To understand deeply the regulatory mechanisms involved in the transcriptional regulation of cyanide-containing wastewaters detoxification by P. pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344, RNA-Seq has been performed from cells cultured with a cyanide-containing jewelry wastewater, sodium cyanide or ammonium chloride as the sole nitrogen source.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLactoferrin (LF) is a multifunctional protein that exerts important activities in the neonate through its presence in milk, and also in other external mucosas, acting as a defense protein of innate immunity. The addition of bovine LF to infant formula and also to other functional products and cosmetics has increased during the last decades. Consequently, it is essential to know the effect that the technological processes, necessary to elaborate those products, have on LF activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRotaviral gastroenteritis causes a high rate of infant mortality and severe healthcare implications worldwide. Several studies have pointed out that human milk and dairy fractions, such as whey and buttermilk, possess antirotaviral activity. This activity has been mainly associated with glycoproteins, among them lactoferrin (LF).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRotaviral gastroenteritis is associated with significant morbidity in developed countries and a high rate of infant mortality in developing countries. Diverse studies have demonstrated that a wide range of milk-derived fractions exhibit antirotaviral activity. The present study shows the antirotaviral activity of some bovine and ovine dairy byproducts, buttermilk, butter serum, and milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), and evaluates the effect of cream washing and heat treatment on that activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeat denaturation of recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLf) from rice with 3 different iron-saturation degrees, holo rhLf (iron-saturated), AsIs rhLf (60% iron saturation), and apo rhLf (iron-depleted), was studied. The 3 forms of rhLf were subjected to heat treatment, and the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of the denaturation process were determined. Thermal denaturation of rhLf was assessed by measuring the loss of reactivity against specific antibodies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh pressure was applied to recombinant human lactoferrin obtained from rice (rhLF) and its effect was evaluated on the structure and activity of the protein. Treatments of 400, 500, and 650 MPa for 15 min (20 °C), were applied to rhLF at 2 mg/mL in three iron-saturation forms. The structural characteristics of the treated proteins were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and by fluorometric analysis, and immunoreactivity by ELISA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNowadays, the reference method for the detection of Clostridium tyrobutyricum in milk is the most-probable-number method, a very time-consuming and non-specific method. In this work, the suitability of the use of superparamagnetic beads coated with specific antibodies and peptides for bioseparation and concentration of spores of C. tyrobutyricum has been assessed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF