Mucosal immunization with a low-energy electron inactivated respiratory syncytial virus vaccine protects mice without Th2 immune bias.

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections associated with numerous hospitalizations. Recently, intramuscular (i.m.

Immunization with different recombinant West Nile virus envelope proteins induces varying levels of serological cross-reactivity and protection from infection.

Introduction: West Nile Virus (WNV) is a zoonotic flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes. Especially in the elderly or in immunocompromised individuals an infection with WNV can lead to severe neurological symptoms. To date, no human vaccine against WNV is available.

Mucosal Application of a Low-Energy Electron Inactivated Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Shows Protective Efficacy in an Animal Model.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections in the elderly and in children, associated with pediatric hospitalizations. Recently, first vaccines have been approved for people over 60 years of age applied by intramuscular injection. However, a vaccination route via mucosal application holds great potential in the protection against respiratory pathogens like RSV.

Apicomplexan parasites are attenuated by low-energy electron irradiation in an automated microfluidic system and protect against infection with Toxoplasma gondii.

Radiation-attenuated intracellular parasites are promising immunization strategies. The irradiated parasites are able to invade host cells but fail to fully replicate, which allows for the generation of an efficient immune response. Available radiation technologies such as gamma rays require complex shielding constructions and are difficult to be integrated into pharmaceutical production processes.

Evaluation of the systemic and mucosal immune response induced by COVID-19 and the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine for SARS-CoV-2.

Background: The currently used SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines have proven to induce a strong and protective immune response. However, functional relevance of vaccine-generated antibodies and their temporal progression are still poorly understood. Thus, the central aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of systemic and mucosal humoral immune response after mRNA vaccination with BNT162b2.

Low-Energy Electron Irradiation of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus Provides a Protective Inactivated Vaccine.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a zoonotic flavivirus which is endemic in many European and Asian countries. Humans can get infected with TBEV usually ticks, and possible symptoms of the infection range from fever to severe neurological complications such as encephalitis. Vaccines to protect against TBEV-induced disease are widely used and most of them consist of whole viruses, which are inactivated by formaldehyde.

Selection and Validation of siRNAs Preventing Uptake and Replication of SARS-CoV-2.

In 2019, the novel highly infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak rapidly led to a global pandemic with more than 346 million confirmed cases worldwide, resulting in 5.5 million associated deaths (January 2022). Entry of all SARS-CoV-2 variants is mediated by the cellular angisin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

Serological differentiation of West Nile virus- and Usutu virus-induced antibodies by envelope proteins with modified cross-reactive epitopes.

West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) are mosquito-borne viruses that belong to the Japanese encephalitis virus serocomplex within the genus Flavivirus. Due to climate change and the expansion of mosquito vectors, flaviviruses are becoming endemic in increasing numbers of countries. WNV infections are reported with symptoms ranging from mild fever to severe neuro-invasive disease.

Low-Energy Electron Irradiation (LEEI) for the Generation of Inactivated Bacterial Vaccines.

Vaccines consisting of whole inactivated bacteria (bacterins) are generated by incubation of the pathogen with chemicals. This is a time-consuming procedure which may lead to less immunogenic material, as critical antigenic structures can be altered by chemical modification. A promising alternative approach is low-energy electron irradiation (LEEI).

Ecologic Determinants of West Nile Virus Seroprevalence among Equids, Brazil.

Among 713 equids sampled in northeastern Brazil during 2013-2018, West Nile virus seroprevalence was 4.5% (95% CI 3.1%-6.

Zika Virus Antibody Titers Three Years after Confirmed Infection.

Background: In 2015-2016, a large Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak occurred in the Americas. Although the exact ZIKV antibody kinetics after infection are unknown, recent evidence indicates the rapid waning of ZIKV antibodies in humans. Therefore, we aimed to determine the levels of ZIKV antibodies more than three years after a ZIKV infection.

Low Energy Electron Irradiation Is a Potent Alternative to Gamma Irradiation for the Inactivation of (CAR-)NK-92 Cells in ATMP Manufacturing.

Background: With increasing clinical use of NK-92 cells and their CAR-modified derivatives in cancer immunotherapy, there is a growing demand for efficient production processes of these "off-the-shelf" therapeutics. In order to ensure safety and prevent the occurrence of secondary tumors, (CAR-)NK-92 cell proliferation has to be inactivated before transfusion. This is commonly achieved by gamma irradiation.

Correlation of humoral immune responses to different SARS-CoV-2 antigens with virus neutralizing antibodies and symptomatic severity in a German COVID-19 cohort.

Monitoring the humoral protective immune response and its durability after SARS-CoV-2 infections is essential for risk assessment of reinfections, the improvement of diagnostic methods and the evaluation of vaccine trials. We have analyzed neutralizing antibodies and IgG responses specific to different antigens, including the inactivated whole-virion of SARS-CoV-2, the spike subunit 1 protein and its receptor binding domain, as well as the nucleocapsid protein. We show the dynamic developments of the responses from the early convalescent stages up to 9 months post symptoms onset in follow-up samples from 57 COVID-19 patients with varying clinical severity.

Comparison of pre-analytical characteristics for molecular and serological diagnostics of COVID-19.

The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection relies on RT-PCR from nasopharyngeal swabs. The pre-analytical value of different methods of material harvesting for SARS-CoV-2 are unknown. We conducted a comprehensive investigation of the pre-analytical performance for different pharyngeal sampling procedures in hospitalized patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Publisher Correction: Automated application of low energy electron irradiation enables inactivation of pathogen- and cell-containing liquids in biomedical research and production facilities.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

A Recombinant Zika Virus Envelope Protein with Mutations in the Conserved Fusion Loop Leads to Reduced Antibody Cross-Reactivity upon Vaccination.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a zoonotic, human pathogenic, and mosquito-borne flavivirus. Its distribution is rapidly growing worldwide. Several attempts to develop vaccines for ZIKV are currently ongoing.

Automated application of low energy electron irradiation enables inactivation of pathogen- and cell-containing liquids in biomedical research and production facilities.

Ionizing radiation is widely used to inactivate pathogens. It mainly acts by destroying nucleic acids but causes less damage to structural components like proteins. It is therefore highly suited for the sterilization of biological samples or the generation of inactivated vaccines.

Immunization of turkeys with a DNA vaccine expressing the haemagglutinin gene of low pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H9N2.

Low pathogenic avian influenza H9N2 is still circulating in the Middle East causing respiratory manifestations and severe economic losses in poultry. In the present study, an H9 plasmid-based DNA vaccine targeting the HA gene of H9N2 A/CK/Egypt/SCU8/2014 was developed and evaluated in turkeys. The full length of HA was cloned into vector plasmids under the control of a cytomegalovirus promoter.

Rapid decline of Zika virus NS1 antigen-specific antibody responses, northeastern Brazil.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a positive-stranded RNA virus within the Flaviviridae family. After decades of circulation in Asia, ZIKV was introduced to Brazil in 2014-2015, associated with a rise in congenital malformations. Unlike the genetically related dengue virus (DENV), ZIKV constitutes only one serotype.

Low-Energy Electron Irradiation Efficiently Inactivates the Gram-Negative Pathogen -A New Method for the Generation of Bacterial Vaccines with Increased Efficacy.

Bacterial pathogens cause severe infections worldwide in livestock and in humans, and antibiotic resistance further increases the importance of prophylactic vaccines. Inactivated bacterial vaccines (bacterins) are usually produced via incubation of the pathogen with chemicals such as formaldehyde, which is time consuming and may cause loss of immunogenicity due to the modification of structural components. We evaluated low-energy electron irradiation (LEEI) as an alternative method to generate a bacterin.

Uptake and fecal excretion of Coxiella burnetii by Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor marginatus ticks.

Background: The bacterium Coxiella burnetii is the etiological agent of Q fever and is mainly transmitted via inhalation of infectious aerosols. DNA of C. burnetii is frequently detected in ticks, but the role of ticks as vectors in the epidemiology of this agent is still controversial.