Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Delivering a DNA Vaccine Encoding Helicobacter pylori Urease A Subunit: Immune Analyses before and after a Mouse Model of Infection.

In this study, novel solid lipid particles containing the adjuvant lipid monophosphoryl lipid A (termed 'SLN-A') were synthesised. The SLN-A particles were able to efficiently bind and form complexes with a DNA vaccine encoding the urease alpha subunit of Helicobacter pylori. The resultant nanoparticles were termed lipoplex-A. In a mouse model of H. pylori infection, the lipoplex-A nanoparticles were used to immunise mice, and the resultant immune responses were analysed. It was found that the lipoplex-A vaccine was able to induce high levels of antigen-specific antibodies and an influx of gastric CD4+ T cells in vaccinated mice. In particular, a prime with lipoplex-A and a boost with soluble UreA protein induced significantly high levels of the IgG1 antibody, whereas two doses of lipoplex-A induced high levels of the IgG2c antibody. In this study, lipoplex-A vaccination did not lead to a significant reduction in H. pylori colonisation in a challenge model; however, these results point to the utility of the system for delivering DNA vaccine-encoded antigens to induce immune responses and suggest the ability to tailor those responses.

Protein-only nanocapsules induce cross-presentation in dendritic cells, demonstrating potential as an antigen delivery system.

Templating has been demonstrated to be an efficient method of nanocapsule preparation. However, there have been no reports of using protein-only nanocapsules as an antigen delivery system. Such a system would enable the delivery of antigen without additional polymers. This study focused on defining the structural and cellular characteristics of nanocapsules consisting of antigen (ovalbumin) alone, synthesized by the templating method using highly monodispersed solid core mesoporous shell (SC/MS) and mesoporous (MS) silica nanoparticles of 410 nm and 41 nm in diameter, respectively. The synthesized ovalbumin nanocapsules were homogeneous in structure, and cellular uptake was observed in DC2.4 murine immature dendritic cells with minimal cytotoxicity. The nanocapsules were localized intracellularly and induced antigen presentation by the cross-presentation pathway. The templating system, using SC/MS and MS silica nanoparticles, was demonstrated to be an effective nanocapsule synthesis method for a new antigen delivery system.

Molecular and immunological characterisation of tropomyosin from Anisakis pegreffii.

Tropomyosin (TM) is a major allergen in shellfish, known to cross-react with mite, cockroach and/or some roundworm (nematode) TM. In this study, we aimed to express and purify TM from the parasitic nematode Anisakis pegreffii and also to characterise its cross-reactivity with TM from shellfish. A. pegreffii was isolated from the flathead tiger fish (Neoplatycephalus richardsoni) and characterised using single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP)-based sequencing of the first and second internal transcribed spacers (ITS-1 and ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA. The recombinant tropomyosin (rTM) of A. pegreffii was expressed, purified and confirmed by immunohistochemistry, sequencing and LC-MS/MS analyses. Immunohistochemistry showed the muscle and the base layer of the third-stage larvae (L3) of A. pegreffii as the location of TM in A. pegreffii. The molecular relationship of TM of A. pegreffii with homologs from other nematodes and crustaceans was inferred from phylogenetic analysis. Immunogenicity of TM from A. pegreffii was tested by immunoblotting, which showed that rTM from A. pegreffii binds to IgE from sera of patients with allergy to crustaceans. Immunoblotting also showed that the anti-TM monoclonal antibody (MAb) did not recognise rTM from A. pegreffii. The rTM from A. pegreffii was, however, recognised by anti-TM polyclonal antibodies (PAbs) as well as anti-crustacean polyclonal antibodies (PAbs). The detection of specific serum IgE antibody against parasite TM has been proposed as a useful approach for the diagnosis of parasite-induced allergy. The findings of this study merit further exploration of the cross-reactive allergenic proteins of Anisakis for improved, future diagnosis of allergenic diseases.

Selection of suitable reference genes for gene expression studies in Staphylococcus capitis during growth under erythromycin stress.

Accurate and reproducible measurement of gene transcription requires appropriate reference genes, which are stably expressed under different experimental conditions to provide normalization. Staphylococcus capitis is a human pathogen that produces biofilm under stress, such as imposed by antimicrobial agents. In this study, a set of five commonly used staphylococcal reference genes (gyrB, sodA, recA, tuf and rpoB) were systematically evaluated in two clinical isolates of Staphylococcus capitis (S. capitis subspecies urealyticus and capitis, respectively) under erythromycin stress in mid-log and stationary phases. Two public software programs (geNorm and NormFinder) and two manual calculation methods, reference residue normalization (RRN) and relative quantitative (RQ), were applied. The potential reference genes selected by the four algorithms were further validated by comparing the expression of a well-studied biofilm gene (icaA) with phenotypic biofilm formation in S. capitis under four different experimental conditions. The four methods differed considerably in their ability to predict the most suitable reference gene or gene combination for comparing icaA expression under different conditions. Under the conditions used here, the RQ method provided better selection of reference genes than the other three algorithms; however, this finding needs to be confirmed with a larger number of isolates. This study reinforces the need to assess the stability of reference genes for analysis of target gene expression under different conditions and the use of more than one algorithm in such studies. Although this work was conducted using a specific human pathogen, it emphasizes the importance of selecting suitable reference genes for accurate normalization of gene expression more generally.

Nanocapsules Comprised of Purified Protein: Construction and Applications in Vaccine Research.

Nanoparticles show great promise as a platform for developing vaccines for the prevention of infectious disease. We have been investigating a method whereby nanocapsules can be formulated from protein, such that the final capsules contain only the cross-linked protein itself. Such nanocapsules are made using a silica templating system and can be customised in terms of size and porosity. Here we compare the construction and characteristics of nanocapsules from four different proteins: one a model protein (ovalbumin) and three from infectious disease pathogens, namely the influenza virus, Helicobacter pylori and HIV. Two of the nanocapsules were assessed further. We confirm that nanocapsules constructed from the urease A subunit of H. pylori can reduce subsequent infection in a vaccinated mouse model. Further, we show that capsules constructed from the HIV gp120 protein can be taken up by dendritic cells in tissue culture and can be recognised by antibodies raised against the virus. These results point to the utility of this method in constructing protein-only nanocapsules from proteins of varying sizes and isoelectric points.

Pre-existing immunity against vaccine vectors--friend or foe?

Over the last century, the successful attenuation of multiple bacterial and viral pathogens has led to an effective, robust and safe form of vaccination. Recently, these vaccines have been evaluated as delivery vectors for heterologous antigens, as a means of simultaneous vaccination against two pathogens. The general consensus from published studies is that these vaccine vectors have the potential to be both safe and efficacious. However, some of the commonly employed vectors, for example Salmonella and adenovirus, often have pre-existing immune responses in the host and this has the potential to modify the subsequent immune response to a vectored antigen. This review examines the literature on this topic, and concludes that for bacterial vectors there can in fact, in some cases, be an enhancement in immunogenicity, typically humoral, while for viral vectors pre-existing immunity is a hindrance for subsequent induction of cell-mediated responses.

Differences between two clinical Staphylococcus capitis subspecies as revealed by biofilm, antibiotic resistance, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiling.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci have been identified as major causes of late-onset neonatal bacteremia in neonatal intensive care units. Sixty isolates of Staphylococcus capitis obtained from blood cultures of neonates between 2000 and 2005 were examined in this study. Biochemical analysis confirmed that 52 of these isolates belonged to the subsp. urealyticus, and the remaining 8 belonged to the subsp. capitis. Isolates of the predominant subsp. urealyticus clones were characterized by their resistance to penicillin, erythromycin, and oxacillin and their biofilm formation ability, whereas subsp. capitis isolates were generally antibiotic susceptible and biofilm negative. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) after SacII digestion separated the 60 isolates into five major clusters. Sequence analysis showed that, in S. capitis, the ica operon plus the negative regulator icaR was 4,160 bp in length. PCRs demonstrated the presence of the ica operon in all isolates. Further analysis of five isolates (two biofilm-positive subsp. urealyticus, one biofilm-negative subsp. urealyticus, and two biofilm-negative subsp. capitis) revealed that the ica operons were identical in all of the biofilm-positive subsp. urealyticus strains; however, the biofilm-negative isolates showed variations. The distinctive phenotypic and genotypic characteristics revealed by this study may affect the epidemiology of the two subspecies of S. capitis in the clinical setting. These results may provide a better understanding of the contribution of these two species to bloodstream infections in neonates.

An Evaluation of Urease A Subunit Nanocapsules as a Vaccine in a Mouse Model of Helicobacter pylori Infection.

Using removable silica templates, protein nanocapsules comprising the A subunit of Helicobacter pylori urease (UreA) were synthesised. The templates were of two sizes, with solid core mesoporous shell (SC/MS) silica templates giving rise to nanocapsules of average diameter 510 nm and mesoporous (MS) silica templates giving rise to nanocapsules of average diameter 47 nm. Both were shown to be highly monodispersed and relatively homogenous in structure. Various combinations of the nanocapsules in formulation were assessed as vaccines in a mouse model of H. pylori infection. Immune responses were evaluated and protective efficacy assessed. It was demonstrated that vaccination of mice with the larger nanocapsules combined with an adjuvant was able to significantly reduce colonisation.

Design and Synthesis of Protein-Based Nanocapsule Vaccines.

Increasing emergence of infectious diseases is driving demand for new vaccine technologies capable of improving antigen delivery and protective efficacy. Nanoparticle technology is a modern approach to antigen delivery, capable of stabilizing and increasing the amount of antigen delivered to immune cells. Protein-based nanoparticles are a biodegradable alternative to existing nanomaterials, offering a versatile and biocompatible approach to nanoparticle vaccine delivery. In this chapter, the methods for the synthesis and characterization of protein-based nanocapsule vaccines are discussed. Initially, the requirements for a suitable nanoparticle vaccine are outlined, and finally, methods for the design and synthesis of protein-based nanocapsule vaccines are explained.

Design and Preparation of Solid Lipid Nanoparticle (SLN)-Mediated DNA Vaccines.

Increasing application of nucleic acid vaccines is driving demand for new delivery systems to improve stability and efficacy of DNA vaccines. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) are a particulate carrier system composed of a solid lipid core and a cationic lipid surface suitable for binding negatively charged DNA. SLN delivery systems can be used to bind DNA resulting in an SLN/DNA complex (termed "lipoplex") which can be used as a potential vaccine.In this chapter, the methodologies associated with the use of SLNs as a DNA vaccine nanocarrier are discussed. First, requirements for an effective experimental lipoplex vaccine are discussed along with current and historical examples. Then, flowcharts for design and synthesis of lipoplex vaccines are outlined, followed by detailed materials and methods for synthesis and characterization of lipoplex vaccines.

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of Salmonella enterica serovar Sofia, an avirulent species in Australian poultry.

Salmonella enterica serovar Sofia (S. Sofia) is often isolated from chickens in Australia. However, despite its high frequency of isolation from chicken and chicken meat products, S. Sofia is rarely associated with animal or human salmonellosis, presumably because this serovar is avirulent in nature. The objective of this work was to investigate the phenotypic and molecular properties of S. Sofia in order to assess its pathogenic potential. Our in vivo studies support the observation that this serovar can colonize tissues, but does not cause disease in chickens. This was further confirmed with tissue culture assays, which showed that the ability of S. Sofia to adhere, invade and survive intracellularly is significantly diminished compared with the pathogenic Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) 82/6915. Molecular analysis of Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPIs) showed that most of the differences observed in SPI1 to SPI5 of S. Sofia could be attributed to minor changes in the sequences, as indicated by a loss or gain of restriction cleavage sites within these regions. Sequence analysis demonstrated that the majority of virulence genes identified were predicted to encode proteins sharing a high identity (75-100 %) with corresponding proteins from S. Typhimurium. However, a number of virulence genes in S. Sofia have accumulated mutations predicted to affect transcription and/or translation. The avirulence of this serovar is probably not the result of a single genetic change but rather of a series of alterations in a large number of virulence-associated genes. The acquisition of any single virulence gene will almost certainly not be sufficient to restore S. Sofia virulence.

Bacterial kinetics-controlled shape-directed biosynthesis of silver nanoplates using Morganella psychrotolerans.

We show for the first time that by controlling the growth kinetics of Morganella psychrotolerans, a silver-resistant psychrophilic bacterium, the shape anisotropy of silver nanoparticles can be achieved. This is particularly important considering that there has been no report that demonstrates a control over shape of Ag nanoparticles by controlling the growth kinetics of bacteria during biological synthesis. Additionally, we have for the first time performed electrochemistry experiments on bacterial cells after exposing them to Ag(+) ions, which provide significant new insights about mechanistic aspects of Ag reduction by bacteria. The possibility to achieve nanoparticle shape control by using a "green" biosynthesis approach is expected to open up new exciting avenues for eco-friendly, large-scale, and economically viable shape-controlled synthesis of nanomaterials.

Fischoederius elongatus (Poirier, 1883) Stiles & Goldberger, 1910, a cryptic species of pouched amphistome (Gastrothylacidae)?

Rumen flukes in the genus Fischoederius are neglected foodborne parasites of cattle in Asia. Fischoederius elongatus, first described in 1883 from a sample collected in Indonesia is the type-species of the genus and is found from South to East Asia. In this study Fischoederius spp were collected from cattle in Thailand. The flukes resembled F. elongatus and images of 48 specimens were taken and their DNA was isolated. The mtDNA sequence of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COX1) gene was amplified by PCR and used for restriction analysis with MseI. Nine restriction patterns (A-I) were observed and the COX1 mtDNA sequence for each pattern was determined. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the nine COX1 sequences into five groups with 4.6-9.6 % sequence differences between the groups. This is beyond intragenic variation observed for the COX1 gene in other organisms and suggested that the analyzed specimens represented several species. A comparative transcriptome analysis of specimens with COX1 MseI patterns A, C, E supported this finding. The observed median base differences, both absolute and relative, in the protein coding sequences of 999 orthologs were similar to those between distinct fruit fly species. It is proposed that the genus Fischoederius contains undescribed species that follow the classic description of F. elongatus.

Comparative analysis of two fatty acid binding proteins from Fasciola gigantica.

Fatty acid binding proteins are considered to be promising vaccine candidates against trematodiasis. In order to provide additional information about their function in Fasciola gigantica we performed a comparative analysis of FgFABP1 and FgFABP3, two isoforms with quite different isoelectric points of 4.9 and 9.9 and 67% sequence identity. Both are expressed in the juvenile and adult parasite but differ in their tissue-specific distribution. In addition, the sequence of FABP3 is identical in F. hepatica and F. gigantica indicating the protein's functional importance in this genus. Immune sera produced against soluble recombinant FgFABPs reacted with 14 kDa antigens in crude worm, soluble egg, cirrus sac extracts, and excretion/secretion product. Both FgFABPs were located in the parenchyma of the parasite but in addition, FgFABP1 was abundant in testes and spermatozoa while FgFABP3 was abundant in vitelline cells, eggs, and caecal epithelium. Mass spectrometry identified FgFABP1 and FgFABP3 in the ES product whereas only FgFABP3 was identified in egg extract. Serum samples of an experimentally infected rabbit reacted from week 6 post-infection with FgFABP3 and from week 12 with FgFABP1 while sera of infected sheep were not reactive. The results suggest differences in the biological functions of these 2 isoforms and differences in the host/parasite interaction that should be considered for their potential as vaccines against fascioliasis.

Antibiotic use in food animals worldwide, with a focus on Africa: Pluses and minuses.

Antibiotics are frequently used in food animal production in developing countries to promote the well-being and growth of animals. This practice provides some economic benefits to producers and consumers at large. Nevertheless, this practice is also associated with a number of concerns. A major concern has been that repeatedly exposing these animals to small doses of antibiotics contributes significantly to antimicrobial resistance, since a good fraction of the antibiotics used are the same or surrogates of antibiotics used in human therapeutic practices. Studies over decades have shown an explicit relationship between antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance in veterinary science. Many antibiotics can be purchased over the counter in African countries, and antibiotic resistance is an important issue to address in this region. This review examines some of the risks and benefits associated with antibiotic use in food animals. We conclude that the use of antibiotics in food animal production constitutes a major contributing factor to the current antimicrobial resistance crisis and that antibiotics should only be used for the treatment of sick animals based on prior diagnosis of disease.

Draft genome sequence and nomenclature adjustment of Rhodococcus qingshengii CS98, a cesium-accumulating strain isolated in Japan.

Strains within the Rhodococcus genus have the ability to endure a range of recalcitrant compounds and metabolise a variety of pollutants. As a result there is increasing interest in these robust prokaryotes for their applications in bioremediation of contaminated environments and bioconversion of industrial wastes. In this announcement we present the draft genome sequence of R. qingshengii CS98, a soil isolate from Japan with the demonstrated ability to accumulate both stable and radioactive caesium.

Solid Lipid Nanoparticle Carrier Platform Containing Synthetic TLR4 Agonist Mediates Non-Viral DNA Vaccine Delivery.

There is a growing demand for better delivery systems to improve the stability and efficacy of DNA vaccines. Here we report the synthesis of a non-viral DNA vaccine delivery system using a novel adjuvanted solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN-A) platform as a carrier for a DNA vaccine candidate encoding the Urease alpha (UreA) antigen from Helicobacter pylori. Cationic SLN-A particles containing monophosphoryl lipid A (adjuvant) were synthesised by a modified solvent-emulsification method and were investigated for their morphology, zeta potential and in vitro transfection capacity. Particles were found to bind plasmid DNA to form lipoplexes, which were characterised by electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and fluorescence microscopy. Cellular uptake studies confirmed particle uptake within 3 h, and intracellular localisation within endosomal compartments. In vitro studies further confirmed the ability of SLN-A particles to stimulate expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in human macrophage-like Tohoku Hospital Pediatrics-1 (THP-1) cells. Lipoplexes were found to be biocompatible and could be efficiently transfected in murine immune cells for expression of recombinant H. pylori antigen Urease A, demonstrating their potential as a DNA vaccine delivery system.

Vaccination against fasciolosis by a multivalent vaccine of stage-specific antigens.

Liver flukes produce cathepsin B and cathepsin L in their excretory-secretory material. These proteases are proposed to be key virulence factors for parasite infection, and are therefore targets for vaccination. Cathepsin B is predominately released in the juvenile stage of the life cycle, while different cathepsin L's are released throughout the cycle. Three proteases (cathepsin L5, cathepsin L1g and cathepsin B) were expressed in yeast from cDNA clones isolated from adult, metacercariae and newly excysted juvenile flukes respectively. Each was used singly or in combination to vaccinate rats that were subsequently challenged with Fasciola hepatica metercercariae. Each protein induced an immune response, and all groups vaccinated with recombinant protein yielded significantly fewer and smaller flukes than the control group. Maximal protection of 83% was seen in the group vaccinated with cathepsin B and cathepsin L5 in combination.

Anisakis Nematodes in Fish and Shellfish- from infection to allergies.

Anisakidosis is a zoonotic parasitosis induced by members of the family Anisakidae. The anisakid genera includes Anisakis, Pseudoterranova, Hysterothylacium and Contracaecum. The final definitive hosts of these nematodes are marine mammals with a complex life cycle. These nematode parasites use different crustaceans and fish species as intermediate or paratenic hosts and humans are accidental hosts. Human anisakiasis, the infections caused by members of the genus Anisakis, occurs, when seafoods, particularly fish, contaminated with the infective stage (third stage larvae [L3]) of this parasite, are consumed. Pseudoterranovosis, on the other hand is induced by members of the genus Pseudoterranova. These two genera of anisakids have been implicated in human disease globally. There is a rise in reports of gastro-intestinal infections accompanied by allergic reactions caused by Anisakis simplex and Anisakis pegreffii. This review provides an update on current knowledge on Anisakis as a food-borne parasite with special focus on the increasingly reported diversity of fish and crustacean hosts, allergens and immunological cross-reactivity with invertebrate proteins rendering this parasite a significant public health issue.

An evaluation of the immunogenicity and protective responses to Brachyspira hyodysenteriae recombinant SmpB vaccination.

SmpB is an outer membrane protein of Brachyspira hyodysentariae that is present in some strains of the bacterium. It shares the same locus as SmpA, but all strains tested to date contain either one protein or the other, never both. In this study we have evaluated the efficacy of vaccination with SmpB to elicit immune responses in mice and to protect against a subsequent challenge. Immunised mice develop humoral and cellular responses to SmpB delivered as either a DNA vaccine or a recombinant protein, although the magnitude of the responses is greater after protein vaccination. The responses induced after protein vaccination offer moderate protection against disease and indicate that SmpB has potential as a component of a vaccine against B. hyodysentariae.