Tick-borne viruses and their risk to public health in the Caribbean: Spotlight on bats as reservoirs in Cuba.

In recent decades, tick-borne diseases (TBDs) have surged and expanded globally due to factors like changes in human activities, land use patterns, and climate change, and it have been associated with the emergence of zoonotic diseases. Cuba faces the impact of ticks on human health and the economy. Although Cuba has studied TBDs extensively for the past 50 years, focus on tick-borne viral pathogens affecting humans remains scant. Despite TBDs not currently being a major health concern in Cuba, factors like inadequate clinician awareness, climate conditions, global tick emergence, and evidence of zoonotic pathogens in ticks underscore the importance of enhanced TBD surveillance in the country. Here we revised the available information on ticks as vectors of pathogenic viruses to humans, spotlighting bats as potential reservoirs of tick-borne viruses (TBVs). Ticks on bats have gained interest as potential reservoirs of pathogenic viruses to humans in Cuba and worldwide. Understanding their role in maintaining viruses and their potential transmission to humans is crucial for the implementation of surveillance and control programs to reduce the risk of tick-borne viral diseases and public health management.

Anticuerpos monoclonales al virus dengue 4: espectro de reactividad a los 4 serotipos del dengue / Monoclonal antibodies to dengue virus 4: the spectrum of the reactivity to 4 serotypes of dengue

These types of monoclonal antibodies 8E8, 3F7 and 1E9 to dengue 4 virus H-241 strain. These monoclonal antibodies show various patterns of reactivity to the four dengue serotypes and different antigen preparations of serotype 4 when they were tested in various serological methods. The monoclonal antibody 8E8 exhibited a specificity of serotype (D-2; by hemagglutination inhibition); subcomplex (D-2 and D-4 by immunofluorescence) and complex (by immunoperoxidase technique). It was able to neutralize by 80 homologous virus and it turned out to be the only reactive monoclonal antibody in the complement fixation test. The monoclonal 3F7 did not react to by hemagglutination inhibition, recognized serotypes D-1, D-2, D-3 and D-4 by immunofluorescence and only serotypes D1 and D4 by immunoperoxidase technique but it was unable to neutralize the homologous virus. The 1E9 antibody was reactive to serotypes D1, D-2, D-3 and D-4 only by hemagglutination inhibition and neutralized serotype D-4. All the monoclonal antibodies were able to react to various dengue antigens through an ELISA of double antibody and showed fluorescent activity against 38th pass in Beagle dog kidney culture; however, they could not react to a D-4 recombinant antigen.