A porcine circovirus type 2d-based virus-like particle vaccine induces humoral and cellular immune responses and effectively protects pigs against PCV2d challenge.

The pathogenic porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) leads to significant economic losses in pig production. PCV2d is currently the dominant genotype causing porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD) worldwide. Therefore, development of a recombinant PCV2d-based vaccine is required to elicit complete protection against PCV2d infection.

Characterization of Inflammasomes and Their Regulation in the Red Fox.

Background: Inflammasomes recognize endogenous and exogenous danger signals, and subsequently induce the secretion of IL-1β. Studying inflammasomes in the red fox () is crucial for wildlife veterinary medicine, as it can help control inflammatory diseases in foxes.

Methods: We investigated the activation and intracellular mechanisms of three inflammasomes (NLRP3, AIM2, and NLRC4) in fox peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), using established triggers and inhibitors derived from humans and mice.

Vaccination with a Zika virus envelope domain III protein induces neutralizing antibodies and partial protection against Asian genotype in immunocompetent mice.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus classified in Flaviviridae family such as dengue (DENV), yellow fever, and West Nile virus. An outbreak of ZIKV infection can pose a major public health risk because the contagion is unpredictable and induces severe pathology such as Guillan-Barre syndrome and neonatal microcephaly. However, an authorized ZIKV vaccine is not yet available, while several vaccine candidates are under development.

Evaluation of Typhimurium Lacking , , or as a Prophylactic Vaccine against Lethal Infection.

Non-typhoidal (NTS) is one of the primary causes of foodborne gastroenteritis; occasionally, it causes invasive infection in humans. Because of its broad host range, covering diverse livestock species, foods of animal origin pose a critical threat of NTS contamination. However, there is currently no licensed vaccine against NTS infection.

Salmonella Typhimurium lacking phoBR as a live vaccine candidate against poultry infection.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, with a broad-host range, is a predominant cause of non-typhoidal Salmonella infection in humans, and the infectious source is highly associated with food animals, especially poultry. Considering the horizontal transmission of S. Typhimurium from farm animals to humans, vaccination has been strongly recommended in industrial animals.

Zika virus baculovirus-expressed envelope protein elicited humoral and cellular immunity in immunocompetent mice.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus that has a high risk of inducing Guillain-Barré syndrome and microcephaly in newborns. Because vaccination is considered the most effective strategy against ZIKV infection, we designed a recombinant vaccine utilizing the baculovirus expression system with two strains of ZIKV envelope protein (MR766, Env_M; ZBRX6, Env_Z). Animals inoculated with Env_M and Env_Z produced ZIKV-specific antibodies and secreted effector cytokines such as interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-12.

Evaluation of novel recombinant porcine circovirus type 2d (PCV2d) vaccine in pigs naturally infected with PCV2d.

Introduction: The pathogenic porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) causes significant economic losses in pig production. Emergence of the PCV2d genotype has been linked with PCV2-associated disease (PCVAD) outbreaks. However, no study has been conducted efficacy of an experimental PCV2d-based subunit vaccine in pigs.

Generation of a cold-adapted PRRSV with a nucleotide substitution in the ORF5 and numerous mutations in the hypervariable region of NSP2.

A cold-adapted porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (CA-VR2332) was generated from the modified live virus strain VR2332. CA-VR2332 showed impaired growth when cultured at 37°C with numerous mutations (731, 819, 975, and 1014) in the hypervariable region of the NSP2, in which the mutation 731 might play a vital role in viral replication at 30°C. Conserved amino acid sequences of the GP5 protein suggests that CA-VR2332 is a promising candidate for producing an effective vaccine against PRRSV infection.

Lysophosphatidylcholine Enhances Bactericidal Activity by Promoting Phagosome Maturation via the Activation of the NF-κB Pathway during Infection in Mouse Macrophages.

serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a facultative intracellular pathogen that causes salmonellosis and mortality worldwide. S.

Deletion of a decoy epitope in porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) capsid protein affects the protective immune response in mice.

The swine pathogen porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) causes significant economic damage worldwide. The PCV2 capsid (CP) residues 169-STIDYFQPNNKR-180 have been identified as a decoy epitope that diverts the host immune response away from protective epitopes. However, the decoy epitope may include important linear or conformational protective epitopes against PCV2.

Formation and Maturation of the Phagosome: A Key Mechanism in Innate Immunity against Intracellular Bacterial Infection.

Phagocytosis is an essential mechanism in innate immune defense, and in maintaining homeostasis to eliminate apoptotic cells or microbes, such as , , and . After internalizing microbial pathogens via phagocytosis, phagosomes undergo a series of 'maturation' steps, to form an increasingly acidified compartment and subsequently fuse with the lysosome to develop into phagolysosomes and effectively eliminate the invading pathogens. Through this mechanism, phagocytes, including macrophages, neutrophils and dendritic cells, are involved in the processing of microbial pathogens and antigen presentation to T cells to initiate adaptive immune responses.

TLR7 Stimulation With Imiquimod Induces Selective Autophagy and Controls Growth in Mouse Macrophages.

Autophagy is a lysosomal self-digestion pathway that maintains internal homeostasis inside cells and critical process by which the innate immune system eliminates intracellular bacteria. In this study, we showed that stimulation of toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) with imiquimod (IMQ) triggered autophagic cell death in macrophages by enhancing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via the p38- or MEK/ERK1/2-mediated signaling pathway in the early phase. IMQ significantly increased mitochondrial ROS and targeted autophagosomes to the mitochondria.

Typhimurium Lacking YjeK as a Candidate Live Attenuated Vaccine Against Invasive Infection.

Non-typhoidal (NTS) causes gastrointestinal infection, which is commonly self-limiting in healthy humans but may lead to invasive infection at extraintestinal sites, leading to bacteremia and focal systemic infections in the immunocompromised. However, a prophylactic vaccine against invasive NTS has not yet been developed. In this work, we explored the potential of a Δ mutant strain as a live attenuated vaccine against invasive NTS infection.

Enhancement of Apx Toxin Production in Serotypes 1, 2, and 5 by Optimizing Culture Condition.

(APP) is a causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. Therefore, the development of an effective vaccine for APP is necessary. Here, we optimized the culture medium and conditions to enhance the production yields of Apx toxins in APP serotype 1, 2, and 5 cultures.

Construction and immunization with double mutant Δ Δ forms of serotypes 1 and 5.

(APP) causes a form of porcine pleuropneumonia that leads to significant economic losses in the swine industry worldwide. The gene is responsible for the secretion of the ApxI and ApxII toxins and the gene is responsible for the adaptation of bacteria to cold temperature and a virulence factor. The and genes were deleted successfully from APP serotype 1 and 5 by transconjugation and sucrose counter-selection.

Recombinant adenovirus carrying a core neutralizing epitope of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and heat-labile enterotoxin B of Escherichia coli as a mucosal vaccine.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) targets the intestinal mucosa in pigs. To protect against PEDV invasion, a mucosal vaccine is utilized effectively. In this study, we generated a recombinant adenovirus vaccine encoding the heat-labile enterotoxin B (LTB) and the core neutralizing epitope (COE) of PEDV (rAd-LTB-COE).

Comparative Genomics Approaches to Understanding Virulence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Typhimurium ST1539 Isolated from a Poultry Slaughterhouse in Korea.

Non-typhoidal (NTS) is one of the most frequent causes of bacterial foodborne illnesses. Considering that the main reservoir of NTS is the intestinal tract of livestock, foods of animal origin are regarded as the main vehicles of Salmonella infection. In particular, poultry colonized with Typhimurium (.

A pilot comparative study of recombinant protein and whole-virus inactivated vaccines against porcine circovirus type 2 in conventionally reared pigs.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) causes porcine circovirus-associated disease, which is characterized by systemic wasting syndrome, including respiratory problems worldwide. Most commercial PCV2 vaccines are derived from recombinant capsid protein or inactivated whole-virus. We compared average daily weight gain, interferon-γ, and neutralizing antibody levels of a recombinant protein vaccine and an inactivated whole-virus vaccine in a pilot study.

Molecular epidemiology of sequence type 33 of Shiga toxin-producing O91:H14 isolates from human patients and retail meats in Korea.

Sequence type (ST) 33 of Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) strain O91:H14 has been proposed as a potential domestic clone of STEC in Korea because of its high prevalence among human patients with mild diarrhea or asymptomatic carriers. Herein, the clonal diversity of 17 STEC O91:H14 isolates of ST33 during 2003 to 2014 was analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, including 14 isolates from human patients and 3 from retail meats. Their virulence characteristics, acid resistance, and antimicrobial susceptibility were also determined.

Pathogenic and phylogenetic characteristics of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing isolates from retail meats in South Korea.

Herein, we report the pathogenic and phylogenetic characteristics of seven Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing (STEC) isolates from 434 retail meats collected in Korea during 2006 to 2012. The experimental analyses revealed that all isolates (i) were identified as non-O157 STEC, including O91:H14 (3 isolates), O121:H10 (2 isolates), O91:H21 (1 isolate), and O18:H20 (1 isolate), (ii) carried diverse Stx subtype genes (, , , or + ) whose expression levels varied strain by strain, and (iii) lacked the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) pathogenicity island, a major virulence factor of STEC, but they possessed one or more alternative virulence genes encoding cytotoxins (Cdt and SubAB) and/or adhesins (Saa, Iha, and EcpA). Notably, a significant heterogeneity in glutamate-induced acid resistance was observed among the STEC isolates ( ＜ 0.

Genomic Approaches for Understanding the Characteristics of subsp. Serovar Typhimurium ST1120, Isolated from Swine Feces in Korea.

subsp. serovar Typhimurium, one of the most common foodborne pathogens, is transmitted mainly through contaminated food derived from infected animals. In this study, Typhimurium ST1120, an isolate from pig feces in Korea, was subjected to whole-genome analysis to understand its genomic features associated with virulence.

Establishment of minimal positive-control conditions to ensure brain safety during rapid development of emergency vaccines.

With the increase in international human and material exchanges, contagious and infectious epidemics are occurring. One of the effective methods of epidemic inhibition is the rapid development and supply of vaccines. Considering the safety of the brain during vaccine development is very important.

The TLR7 agonist imiquimod induces anti-cancer effects via autophagic cell death and enhances anti-tumoral and systemic immunity during radiotherapy for melanoma.

Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands are strongly considered immune-adjuvants for cancer immunotherapy and have been shown to exert direct anti-cancer effects. This study was performed to evaluate the synergistic anti-cancer and anti-metastatic effects of the TLR7 agonist imiquimod (IMQ) during radiotherapy for melanoma. The pretreatment of B16F10 or B16F1 cells with IMQ combined with γ-ionizing radiation (IR) led to enhanced cell death via autophagy, as demonstrated by increased expression levels of autophagy-related genes, and an increased number of autophagosomes in both cell lines.

Prevalence of Antibodies Against Coxiella burnetii in Korean Native Cattle, Dairy Cattle, and Dogs in South Korea.

Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic agent and causes coxiellosis, which is a cause of reproductive failure in a range of animal species, including abortion and stillbirth and Q fever, which is most often characterized by an acute flu-like illness, mild pneumonia, and/or hepatitis in humans. While livestock are well recognized worldwide as a source of infection, the zoonotic risk of C. burnetii infection in companion animals such as dogs may be overlooked.