Removal of enteric viruses and Escherichia coli from municipal treated effluent by zebra mussels.

Dreissena polymorpha is a widespread filter-feeder species, resistant to a broad range of environmental conditions and different types of pollutants,which has recently colonized Italian freshwaters. Although widely used to monitor pollution in freshwater environments, this species is also an important food source for some fish and water birds. It can also be used to concentrate or remove particulate organic matter to interrupt avian-to-human transmission of pollutants and control health risks for animals and humans.

A prime/boost strategy using DNA/fowlpox recombinants expressing the genetically attenuated E6 protein as a putative vaccine against HPV-16-associated cancers.

Background: Considering the high number of new cases of cervical cancer each year that are caused by human papilloma viruses (HPVs), the development of an effective vaccine for prevention and therapy of HPV-associated cancers, and in particular against the high-risk HPV-16 genotype, remains a priority. Vaccines expressing the E6 and E7 proteins that are detectable in all HPV-positive pre-cancerous and cancer cells might support the treatment of HPV-related lesions and clear already established tumors.

Methods: In this study, DNA and fowlpox virus recombinants expressing the E6F47R mutant of the HPV-16 E6 oncoprotein were generated, and their correct expression verified by RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunofluorescence.

The L1 protein of human papilloma virus 16 expressed by a fowlpox virus recombinant can assemble into virus-like particles in mammalian cell lines but elicits a non-neutralising humoral response.

Human papilloma virus (HPV)-16 is the prevalent genotype associated with cervical tumours. Virus-like-particle (VLP)-based vaccines have proven to be effective in limiting new infections of high-risk HPVs, but their high cost has hampered their use, especially in the poor developing countries. Avipox-based recombinants are replication-restricted to avian species and represent efficient and safe vectors also for immunocompromised hosts, as they can elicit a complete immune response.

Systemically administered DNA and fowlpox recombinants expressing four vaccinia virus genes although immunogenic do not protect mice against the highly pathogenic IHD-J vaccinia strain.

The first-generation smallpox vaccine was based on live vaccinia virus (VV) and it successfully eradicated the disease worldwide. Therefore, it was not administered any more after 1980, as smallpox no longer existed as a natural infection. However, emerging threats by terrorist organisations has prompted new programmes for second-generation vaccine development based on attenuated VV strains, which have been shown to cause rare but serious adverse events in immunocompromised patients.

L1R, A27L, A33R and B5R vaccinia virus genes expressed by fowlpox recombinants as putative novel orthopoxvirus vaccines.

Background: The traditional smallpox vaccine, administered by scarification, was discontinued in the general population from 1980, because of the absence of new smallpox cases. However, the development of an effective prophylactic vaccine against smallpox is still necessary, to protect from the threat of deliberate release of the variola virus for bioterrorism and from new zoonotic infections, and to improve the safety of the traditional vaccine. Preventive vaccination still remains the most effective control and new vectors have been developed to generate recombinant vaccines against smallpox that induce the same immunogenicity as the traditional one.

GFP co-expression reduces the A33R gene expression driven by a fowlpox vector in replication permissive and non-permissive cell lines.

The development of an effective prophylactic vaccine is still necessary to improve the safety of the conventional although-discontinued smallpox vaccine, and to protect from the threat of deliberate release of variola virus. This need also arises from the number of new cases of animal orthopoxvirus infections each year, and to reduce the risk to animal handlers. Fowlpox (FP) recombinants only replicate in avian species and have been developed against human infectious diseases, as they can elicit an effective immune response, are not cross-reactive immunologically with vaccinia, and represent safer and more promising immunogens for immunocompromised individuals.

A prime/boost strategy by DNA/fowlpox recombinants expressing a mutant E7 protein for the immunotherapy of HPV-associated cancers.

Development of effective therapeutic vaccines against human papilloma virus (HPV) infections remains a priority, considering the high number of new cases of cervical cancer each year by high-risk HPVs, in particular by HPV-16. Vaccines expressing the E7 oncoprotein, which is detectable in all HPV-positive pre-cancerous and cancer cells, might clear already established tumors and support the treatment of HPV-related lesions. In this study, DNA or fowlpox virus recombinants expressing the harmless variant E7GGG of the HPV-16 E7 oncoprotein (DNA(E7GGG) and FP(E7GGG)) were generated.

Construction and characterisation of a recombinant fowlpox virus that expresses the human papilloma virus L1 protein.

Background: Human papilloma virus (HPV)-16 is the most prevalent high-risk mucosal genotype. Virus-like-particle (VLP)-based immunogens developed recently have proven to be successful as prophylactic HPV vaccines, but are still too expensive for developing countries. Although vaccinia viruses expressing the HPV-16 L1 protein (HPV-L1) have been studied, fowlpox-based recombinants represent efficient and safer vectors for immunocompromised hosts due to their ability to elicit a complete immune response and their natural host-range restriction to avian species.

Canarypox and fowlpox viruses as recombinant vaccine vectors: a biological and immunological comparison.

Canarypox and fowlpox viruses represent alternative vaccine vectors due to their natural host-range restriction to avian species. Although they cannot replicate in mammals, they correctly express transgenes in human cells and elicit a complete immune response in vaccinated subjects. Several studies have evaluated their genomic differences and protective efficacy in preclinical trials, but detailed information is not available for their transgene expression, cytokine modulation and abortive replication in mammals.

Fowlpox virus recombinants expressing HPV-16 E6 and E7 oncogenes for the therapy of cervical carcinoma elicit humoral and cell-mediated responses in rabbits.

Background: Around half million new cases of cervical cancer arise each year, making the development of an effective therapeutic vaccine against HPV a high priority. As the E6 and E7 oncoproteins are expressed in all HPV-16 tumour cells, vaccines expressing these proteins might clear an already established tumour and support the treatment of HPV-related precancerous lesions.

Methods: Three different immunisation regimens were tested in a pre-clinical trial in rabbits to evaluate the humoral and cell-mediated responses of a putative HPV-16 vaccine.

Canarypox and fowlpox viruses as recombinant vaccine vectors: an ultrastructural comparative analysis.

Due to their natural host-range restriction to avian species, canarypox virus (CP) and fowlpox virus (FP) represent efficient and safe vaccine vectors, as they correctly express transgenes in human cells, elicit complete immune responses, and show protective efficacy in preclinical animal models. At present, no information is available on the differences in the abortive replication of these two avipox viruses in mammalian cells. In the present study, the replicative cycles of CP and FP, wild-type and recombinants, are compared in permissive and non-permissive cells, using transmission electron microscopy.

Construction and characterization of recombinant fowlpox viruses expressing human papilloma virus E6 and E7 oncoproteins.

Human papilloma virus (HPV)-16 is the most prevalent high-risk mucosal genotype and the expression of the E6 and E7 proteins, which can bind to the p53 and p105Rb host cell-cycle regulatory proteins, is related to its tumorigenicity. Virus-like-particle (VLP)-based immunogens developed recently are successful as prophylactic HPV vaccines. However, given the high number of individuals infected already with HPV and the absence of expression of the L1 structural protein in HPV-infected or HPV-transformed cells, an efficient therapeutic vaccine targeting the non-structural E6 and E7 oncoproteins is required.

MHC-restricted cytotoxic T-lymphocyte assay: an improved method based on normal and SV40-immortalized rabbit epidermal target cells.

Although several techniques are available to evaluate cell-mediated immunity, numerous difficulties have prevented their use in rabbits. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) assays have been used to determine the ex vivo cytolytic activity of CD8+ T-lymphocytes in immunization protocols. However, this assay cannot be performed with rabbit peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) targets because of their high spontaneous (51)Cr release.