Background: Predicting vaccine efficacy against emerging pathogen strains is a significant problem in human and animal vaccine design. T-cell epitope cross-conservation may play an important role in cross-strain vaccine efficacy. While influenza A virus (IAV) hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titers are widely used to predict protective efficacy of 1 IAV vaccine against new strains, no similar correlate of protection has been identified for T-cell epitopes.
Objective: We developed a computational method (EpiCC) that facilitates pairwise comparison of protein sequences based on an immunological property-T-cell epitope content-rather than sequence identity, and evaluated its ability to classify swine IAV strain relatedness to estimate cross-protective potential of a vaccine strain for circulating viruses.
Methods: T-cell epitope relatedness scores were assessed for 23 IAV HA sequences representing the major H1 swine IAV phylo-clusters circulating in North American swine and HA sequences in a commercial inactivated vaccine (FluSure XP ). Scores were compared to experimental data from previous efficacy studies.
Results: Higher EpiCC scores were associated with greater protection by the vaccine against strains for 23 field IAV strain vaccine comparisons. A threshold for EpiCC relatedness associated with full or partial protection in the absence of cross-reactive HI antibodies was identified. EpiCC scores for field strains for which FluSure protective efficacy is not yet available were also calculated.
Conclusion: EpiCC thresholds can be evaluated for predictive accuracy of protection in future efficacy studies. EpiCC may also complement HI cross-reactivity and phylogeny for selection of influenza strains in vaccine development.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/irv.12513 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
January 2025
Foot and Mouth Disease Department, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria.
The global public health risk posed by Salmonella Kentucky (S. Kentucky) is rising, particularly due to the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes in human and animal populations. This serovar, widespread in Africa, has emerged as a notable cause of non-typhoidal gastroenteritis in humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Key Clinical Specialty, Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
Acinetobacter baumannii, an opportunistic bacterium prevalent in various environment, is a significant cause of nosocomial infections in ICUs. As the causative agent of pneumonia, septicemia, and meningitis, A. baumannii typically exhibits multidrug resistance and is associated with poor prognosis, thus led to a challenge for researchers in developing new treatment and prevention methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViruses
December 2024
Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología (CIBICI)-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba X5000HUA, Argentina.
Understanding the evolutionary patterns and geographic spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants, particularly Omicron, is essential for effective public health responses. This study focused on the genomic analysis of the Omicron variant in Cordoba, Argentina from 2021 to 2022. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the dominant presence of BA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathogens
December 2024
Immunology and Vaccines Laboratory, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Campus Aeropuerto, Carretera a Chichimequillas, Ejido Bolaños, Querétaro 76140, Mexico.
SARS-CoV-2 () is responsible for the disease identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as COVID-19. We designed "CHIVAX 2.1", a multi-epitope vaccine, containing ten immunogenic peptides with conserved B-cell and T-cell epitopes in the receceptor binding domain (RBD) sequences of different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomedicines
November 2024
Autoimmunity Project, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Biomedical Research Division, Center for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (CIGB), Havana 10600, Cuba.
Jusvinza is an immunomodulatory drug composed of an altered peptide ligand (APL) designed from a novel CD4+ T cell epitope of human heat shock protein 60 (HSP60), an autoantigen involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The peptide induces regulatory T cells and decreases levels of TNF-α and IL-17; pre-clinical and phase I clinical studies support its use for the treatment of RA. This peptide was repositioned for the treatment of COVID-19 patients with signs of hyperinflammation.
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