Exploring the naturally acquired response to Pvs47 gametocyte antigen.

Malaria represents a challenging global public health task, with being the predominant parasite in Brazil and the most widely distributed species throughout the world. Developing a vaccine against malaria demands innovative strategies, and targeting gametocyte antigens shows promise for blocking transmission prevention. Among these antigens, Pvs47, expressed in gametocytes, has shown remarkable efficacy in transmission blocking.

Antigenicity and adhesiveness of a Plasmodium vivax VIR-E protein from Brazilian isolates.

Background: Plasmodium vivax, the major cause of malaria in Latin America, has a large subtelomeric multigene family called vir. In the P. vivax genome, about 20% of its sequences are vir genes.

Gas6 drives Zika virus-induced neurological complications in humans and congenital syndrome in immunocompetent mice.

Zika virus (ZIKV) has the ability to cross placental and brain barriers, causing congenital malformations in neonates and neurological disorders in adults. However, the pathogenic mechanisms of ZIKV-induced neurological complications in adults and congenital malformations are still not fully understood. Gas6 is a soluble TAM receptor ligand able to promote flavivirus internalization and downregulation of immune responses.

Rosettes integrity protects Plasmodium vivax of being phagocytized.

Plasmodium vivax is the most prevalent cause of malaria outside of Africa. P. vivax biology and pathogenesis are still poorly understood.

Plasmodium vivax AMA1: Implications of distinct haplotypes for immune response.

In Brazil, Plasmodium vivax infection accounts for around 80% of malaria cases. This infection has a substantial impact on the productivity of the local population as the course of the disease is usually prolonged and the development of acquired immunity in endemic areas takes several years. The recent emergence of drug-resistant strains has intensified research on alternative control methods such as vaccines.

Genetic sequence characterization and naturally acquired immune response to Plasmodium vivax Rhoptry Neck Protein 2 (PvRON2).

Background: The genetic diversity of malaria antigens often results in allele variant-specific immunity, imposing a great challenge to vaccine development. Rhoptry Neck Protein 2 (PvRON2) is a blood-stage antigen that plays a key role during the erythrocyte invasion of Plasmodium vivax. This study investigates the genetic diversity of PvRON2 and the naturally acquired immune response to P.

In silico epitope mapping and experimental evaluation of the Merozoite Adhesive Erythrocytic Binding Protein (MAEBL) as a malaria vaccine candidate.

Background: Technical limitations for culturing the human malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax have impaired the discovery of vaccine candidates, challenging the malaria eradication agenda. The immunogenicity of the M2 domain of the Merozoite Adhesive Erythrocytic Binding Protein (MAEBL) antigen cloned from the Plasmodium yoelii murine parasite, has been previously demonstrated.

Results: Detailed epitope mapping of MAEBL through immunoinformatics identified several MHCI, MHCII and B cell epitopes throughout the peptide, with several of these lying in the M2 domain and being conserved between P.

Listeriosis in the far South of Brazil: neglected infection?

Listeriosis is an under-diagnosed and under-reported infection; however, listeriosis is not a compulsorily notifiable disease in Brazil. We provide an overview of the rates of listeriosis in the United States of America (USA), Europe, Latin America, and Brazil during the past decade. We also report a case of miscarriage caused by listeriosis in which there was no suspicion of this infection.