Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis boosts stress resistance and host defense mechanisms in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Aims: To investigate the effects of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains LL100933 and LL12007 on the host defense mechanisms of Caenorhabditis elegans against pathogenic infections and stressors.

Methods And Results: C.

Propagation of neuronal micronuclei regulates microglial characteristics.

Microglia-resident immune cells in the central nervous system-undergo morphological and functional changes in response to signals from the local environment and mature into various homeostatic states. However, niche signals underlying microglial differentiation and maturation remain unknown. Here, we show that neuronal micronuclei (MN) transfer to microglia, which is followed by changing microglial characteristics during the postnatal period.

Development of a novel modified selective medium cefixime-tellurite-phosphate-xylose-rhamnose MacConkey agar for isolation of Escherichia albertii and its evaluation with food samples.

Since cefixime and tellurite are known to inhibit most bacteria belonging to Enterobacterales, we found that addition of tellurite inhibited E. albertii growth in Luria Bertani broth but not in tryptic soy broth (TSB), and addition of phosphate and soy peptone enhanced E. albertii growth in TSB in presence of tellurite.

Neutrophil adhesion to vessel walls impairs pulmonary circulation in COVID-19 pathology.

Microthrombus formation is associated with COVID-19 severity; however, the detailed mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated mouse models with severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection by using our in vivo two-photon imaging system. In the lungs of SARS-CoV-2-infected mice, increased expression of adhesion molecules in intravascular neutrophils prolonged adhesion time to the vessel wall, resulting in platelet aggregation and impaired lung perfusion.

Detection of Eimeria oocysts in chicken feces using flotation recovery with sucrose or saturated saline solution.

Purpose: Flotation methods are widely used to detect oocysts/cysts of protozoans and eggs of helminths, except trematodes. However, details regarding the concentration and recovery rates of these parasites are poorly understood.

Methods: Using Eimeria tenella oocysts as a model parasite, the present study evaluated three check points: (1) the proportion of parasites that remain floating in flotation solution (sucrose or saturated saline) during centrifugation, (2) the proportion of oocysts that naturally float after addition of flotation solution after centrifugation, and (3) the rate of recovery on cover slips after completion of the flotation protocol.

Development of broadly protective influenza B vaccines.

Influenza B viruses pose a significant threat to global public health, leading to severe respiratory infections in humans and, in some cases, death. During the last 50 years, influenza B viruses of two antigenically distinct lineages (termed 'Victoria' and 'Yamagata') have circulated in humans, necessitating two different influenza B vaccine strains. In this study, we devised a novel vaccine strategy involving reciprocal amino acid substitutions at sites where Victoria- and Yamagata-lineage viruses differ, leading to the generation of 'hybrid' vaccine viruses with the potential to protect against both lineages.

Booster COVID-19 mRNA vaccination ameliorates impaired B-cell but not T-cell responses in older adults.

Age-associated differences in the effect of repetitive vaccination, particularly on memory T-cell and B-cell responses, remain unclear. While older adults (aged ≥65 years) exhibited enhanced IgG responses following COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccination, they produced fewer spike-specific circulating follicular helper T cells-1 than younger adults. Similarly, the cytotoxic CD8 T-cell response remained diminished with reduced PD-1 expression even after booster vaccination compared with that in younger adults, suggesting impaired memory T-cell activation in older adults.

Complete genome sequence of strain MH-1 isolated from Japanese traditional homemade pickled Chinese cabbage.

was recently reported as a novel species. Here, we present the whole-genome sequence of strain MH-1 isolated from homemade pickled Chinese cabbage in Japan. These genomic data have the potential to help clarify the role of species in fermented foods.

Plasmodium falciparum with pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 gene deletions in asymptomatic malaria infections in the Lake Victoria region, Kenya.

Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) targeting the Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2) are widely used to diagnose P. falciparum infection. However, reports of P.

U-73122, a phospholipase C inhibitor, impairs lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus virion infectivity.

Lassa virus (LASV) is an Old World (OW) mammarenavirus that causes Lassa fever, a life-threatening acute febrile disease endemic in West Africa. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a worldwide-distributed, prototypic OW mammarenavirus of clinical significance that has been largely neglected as a human pathogen. No licensed OW mammarenavirus vaccines are available, and the current therapeutic option is limited to the off-label use of ribavirin, which offers only partial efficacy.

Neuron-associated retroelement-derived protein Arc/Arg3.1 assists in the early stages of alphaherpesvirus infection in human neuronal cells.

Alphaherpesviruses, including herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and pseudorabies virus (PRV), are neurotropic double-stranded DNA viruses. Alphaherpesviruses control the expression of various host factors to ensure efficient infection and propagation. Recently, HSV-1 was found to upregulate Arc/Arg3.

Dysbiosis of gut microbiota in COVID-19 is associated with intestinal DNA phage dynamics of lysogenic and lytic infection.

This study compared intestinal DNA phage dynamics and gut microbiota changes observed at the onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The study participants included 19 healthy individuals and 19 patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Significant differences were observed in the diversity of the intestinal DNA virome after the onset of COVID-19 compared with that in healthy individuals.

TNF-α exacerbates SARS-CoV-2 infection by stimulating CXCL1 production from macrophages.

Since most genetically modified mice are C57BL/6 background, a mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 that causes lethal infection in young C57BL/6 mice is useful for studying innate immune protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, we established two mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2, ancestral and Delta variants, by serial passaging 80 times in C57BL/6 mice. Although young C57BL/6 mice were resistant to infection with the mouse-adapted ancestral SARS-CoV-2, the mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant caused lethal infection in young C57BL/6 mice.

[Data-Driven Research for Understanding and Predicting Viral Epidemics and Evolution].

The era of big data has begun in life sciences, and virology is no exception. Especially since COVID-19, virology has become one of the most genome data-rich fields in life sciences. In this article, I will introduce the new paradigm of "understanding and predicting viral epidemics and evolution, " made possible by the emergence of vast amounts of genome data, focusing on my research to date.

Differential vasoproliferative traits of strains associated with autotransporter BafA variants.

a Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium, is the etiological agent of cat-scratch disease and also causes bacillary angiomatosis in immunocompromised individuals. Although the ability to promote vascular endothelial cell proliferation differs among species, variations among strains within remain unclear. angiogenic factor A (BafA) and adhesin A (BadA) have been identified as autotransporters of that are involved in endothelial cell proliferation.

Disinfection effect of ozonated water on SARS-CoV-2 in the presence of salivary proteins.

Background: Ozonated water is expected to be an effective disinfectant for SARS-CoV-2 present on environmental fomites; however, ozone is consumed by organic substances, resulting in attenuation of its effect. SARS-CoV-2 present in saliva can contaminate environmental surfaces; therefore, it is essential to understand the effect of organic substances in saliva on the disinfectant properties of ozonated water.

Aim: To assess organic factors in saliva and the extent to which they diminish the effect of ozonated water on SARS-CoV-2.

Cryptosporidium parvum inactivation from short durations of treatment with ozonated water produced by an electrolytic generation system.

Cryptosporidium is a waterborne pathogen that causes diarrhea in vertebrates and humans (mainly C. hominis and C. parvum).

Estimating influenza vaccine effectiveness among older adults using an integrated administrative database and the implications of potential bias: A population-based cohort study in Japan.

Background: Japan lacks an established framework for routine seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness (SIVE) assessment at the national and municipal levels. This study aimed to estimate SIVE among older adults using an innovative population-based administrative database linking medical fee claims data with vaccination records, while also exploring its potential bias.

Methods: In this retrospective population-based cohort study, we assessed SIVE against medically attended influenza during the 2017/18 season among older adults aged ≥65 years in a Japanese city.

Campylobacter fetus isolates from both human patients and healthy cattle carry three distinct cytolethal distending toxin (cdt) gene clusters.

Campylobacter fetus is a zoonotic pathogen. Although the precise virulence mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated, cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) is considered as one of the well-characterized virulence factors in Campylobacter. In silico analysis of the genome of C.

Serine affects engulfment during the sporulation process in Clostridium perfringens strain SM101.

Objectives: Although Clostridium perfringens sporulation is a key event in the pathogenesis of food-borne illness, the molecules and underlying mechanisms responsible for regulating sporulation are incompletely understood. The present study sought to identify amino acids that affect sporulation in C. perfringens strain SM101.

Host heterogeneity in humoral bactericidal activity can be complement independent.

Background: Humoral bactericidal activity was first recognized nearly a century ago. However, the extent of inter-individual heterogeneity and the mechanisms underlying such heterogeneity beyond antibody or complement systems have not been well studied.

Methods: The plasma bactericidal activity of five healthy volunteers were tested against 30 strains of Gram-negative uropathogens, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, associated with bloodstream infections.

Inhibitory effects of sucrose palmitic acid ester on the germination-to-outgrowth process of Clostridium perfringens SM101 spores.

As a commercially available esterified compound derived from sucrose and palmitoyl acids, sucrose ester palmitic acid (SEPA) has been used as an emulsifier in food processing. It possesses antibacterial activity against vegetative and spore-forming bacteria, including Clostridium, Moorella, Bacillus, and Geobacillus species, prompting the food industry to use it as a food additive to achieve a desirable shelf life; however, the precise mechanism by which the compound affects the physiological processes of bacteria and how it inhibits bacterial growth remains unclear. In this study, we focused on the inhibitory effect of SEPA on the germination-to-outgrowth process of Clostridium perfringens SM101 spores, a strain widely used as a model of C.