Timeliness for vaccination according to the expanded immunization program in children under 6 years of age in Colombia between 2014 and 2019.

The aim was to estimate the vaccination timeliness defined as the proportion of children under 6 years of age who received their immunization in the time range established by the Colombian Expanded Immunization Program (EIP). A retrospective cohort study that collected reports of vaccination opportunities between 2014 and 2019 provided by the Ministry of Health. Age, sex, city, ethnicity, health system affiliation regimen, vaccine applied, and timing of vaccination were considered for the time range under study. A total of 3,370,853 immunized children were included from all regions of the country. More than 80% of children had a timeliness to get most vaccines. The exceptions were yellow fever (17%) and seasonal influenza (42%). No differences in timeliness were found according to geographic region or by health system affiliation regime, but the average timeliness for all vaccines of children of the indigenous population (65.8% ±18.4%) was lower than that of the rest of the population (78·6% ± 19·3%) (p = 0·021). The timeliness for vaccination under the EIP of Colombia is high, with proportions of 72-96%, but intergroup differences were identified, mainly lower timeliness among indigenous people. These findings warrant improvement strategies that would guarantee the immunization of the entire child population.

Description of vaccination coverage and hesitancy obtained by epidemiological survey of children born in 2017-2018, in Belo Horizonte and Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To describe vaccination coverage and hesitation for the basic children's schedule in Belo Horizonte and Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. METHODS: Population-based epidemiological surveys performed from 2020 to 2022, which estimated vaccine coverage by type of immunobiological product and full schedule (valid and ministered doses), according to socioeconomic strata; and reasons for vaccination hesitancy. RESULTS: Overall coverage with valid doses and vaccination hesitancy for at least one vaccine were, respectively, 50.2% (95%CI 44.1;56.2) and 1.6% (95%CI 0.9;2.7), in Belo Horizonte (n = 1,866), and 64.9% (95%CI 56.9;72.1) and 1.0% (95%CI 0.3;2.8), in Sete Lagoas (n = 451), with differences between socioeconomic strata. Fear of severe reactions was the main reason for vaccination hesitancy. CONCLUSION: Coverage was identified as being below recommended levels for most vaccines. Disinformation should be combated in order to avoid vaccination hesitancy. There is a pressing need to recover coverages, considering public health service access and socioeconomic disparities. MAIN RESULTS: Vaccination coverage of children up to 4 years old was 50.2% in Belo Horizonte, and 64.9% in Sete Lagoas. Fear of severe reactions and believing that vaccination against eradicated diseases is unnecessary were the main reasons for vaccination hesitancy. IMPLICATIONS FOR SERVICES: Recovery of high vaccination coverage among children, considering public health service access conditions and socioeconomic inequities. Acting on reasons for hesitancy that can assist in targeting actions. PERSPECTIVES: The multifactorial context of vaccination hesitancy demands the development of health education strategies to raise awareness about child immunization.

The impact of conspiracy theories and vaccine knowledge on vaccination intention: a longitudinal study.

In this study, we analyzed associations between vaccination knowledge, vaccination intention, political ideology, and belief in conspiracy theories before and during the 2020 Sars-Cov-2 pandemic in the Brazilian population. It was conducted a longitudinal study into three data collections. Participants responded to the Flexible Inventory of Conspiracy Suspicions (FICS), questionnaires measuring their knowledge, and opinion about vaccines, and sociodemographic data. The results were: the greater the belief in conspiracy theories about vaccines, the lesser the intention to get vaccinated, the vaccine knowledge, and the attitudes towards vaccine investment. Religious, prone to right-wing politics, parents, and older people scored more for FICS than atheists/agnostics, and younger people. From 2019 to 2020 the vaccination intention and vaccination investment did not differ, showing that people did not change their opinion about vaccines regardless of personal experience or the pandemic scenario. The research strengthened the relevance of health education as a milestone for public health and protection from dangerous conspiracy theories.

Determinants of undervaccination of routine childhood immunization in Argentina: A cross-sectional study.

Routine childhood immunization is one of the most effective methods of preventing infectious diseases in children. In Argentina, there has been a decline in routine immunization coverage since 2015, with very little evidence to date on underlying drivers of this steady decline. We administered an online nationwide behavioral insights survey in Argentina between July 1-25, 2022, targeting parents with at least one child under the age of 12 years. Our survey included 1504 parents, 7% (n = 111) of whom did not or only partially vaccinated their children. We found that, compared to the youngest parents (aged 18-24), older parents were less likely to under-vaccinate their children (e.g., 30-34 year-old parents: adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 0.31, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.16-0.57). Parents who undervaccinated their children were more likely to take vaccination advice from parent and wellness social media influencers (parent influencers: aOR 2.51, 95% CI 1.46-4.31), and were less likely to trust the social media accounts of official health organizations (aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70-0.96). Furthermore, these parents had heightened concerns about routine immunizations, including the number of vaccines given to children and potential for adverse side effects. When asked whether they knew enough to make a vaccine decision for their children, parents who undervaccinated their children were more likely to report that they did not know enough about vaccines or the vaccination schedule to make a decision. These results offer important insights into parental concerns surrounding routine childhood immunization and suggest potential drivers of - and solutions to - the decline in routine immunization seen in Argentina since 2015.

First vaccine confidence and access index in Argentina: Comparison of results from 2019 to 2022.

In this article, we present and empirically illustrate two concepts about vaccines and the way they are perceived by the Argentinean population and the easiness in accessing vaccination in developing countries. First, we focus on the perceptions of people about vaccines in general and develop a confidence index, and second, we analyze barriers to vaccination, measuring the burden citizens have when they intend to receive immunization (or as caretakers, trying to comply with the vaccination calendar of children and adolescents): for this second concept, we develop an access index. The data comes from representative annual surveys from Argentina from 2019 until 2022 (each one with approximately 7000 responders), which allows us to describe trends and check for changes in the confidence in vaccines and barriers towards vaccination. We find high confidence in vaccines in Argentina, although there is a "structural break" in the confidence for all years after 2020. Because we changed the questionnaire and methodology regarding the access to vaccines index in 2022, the discussion focuses on the cross-section of 2022, observing that barriers to vaccination tend to affect less educated caretakers.

Nanogel-Mediated antigen delivery: Biocompatibility, immunogenicity, and potential for tailored vaccine design across species.

Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising avenue for enhancing the efficacy of vaccine delivery systems. This study investigates the utilization of nanogels as carriers for the model antigen ovalbumin, with a focus on in vivo assessments in equine and murine models. Nanogels, owing to their biocompatibility and tunable physicochemical properties, offer a versatile platform for efficient antigen encapsulation and controlled release. The encapsulation efficiency and physicochemical characteristics of ovalbumin-loaded nanogels were comprehensively characterized. In vitro biocompatibility was evaluated, finding excellent properties of these nanogels. In vivo evaluations were conducted on both equine and murine subjects, assessing immunogenicity through antibody and splenic cell response. Furthermore, the study propose the potential use of nanogels in tailoring immune responses through the modulation of antigen release kinetics. The results obtained in the in vitro assays showed an increase in the uptake of nanogels by APCs compared to free antigen (OVA). In mice, an absence of inflammatory response in the inoculation site was observed, without systemic damage in the evaluated organs. In addition, non-significant humoral response was found nor cellular proliferation and proinflammatory cytokine production, compared with a traditional adjuvant as aluminum hydroxide, in both animal models. These findings allow further insights into nanogel-based delivery systems and offer valuable insights into their application in various animal models. In conclusion, this research establishes the utility of nanogels as effective carriers for antigens-based vaccines, with interesting biocompatibility properties and highly taken affinity by antigen-presenting cells, without inducing inflammation at the injection site. The study underscores the potential of nanogel technology in revolutionizing vaccine design and highlights the importance of tailored approaches for diverse target species.

Nanocarriers of antigen proteins for vaccine delivery.

Nanoformulations in vaccinology provide antigen stability and enhanced immunogenicity, in addition to providing targeted delivery and controlled release. In the last years, much research has been focused on vaccine development using virus-like particles, liposomes, emulsions, polymeric, lipid, and inorganic nanoparticles. Importantly, nanoparticle interactions with innate and adaptive immune systems must be clearly understood to guide the rational development of nanovaccines. This review provides a recap and updates on different aspects advocating nanoparticles as promising antigen carriers and immune cell activators for vaccination. Moreover, it offers a discussion of how the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles are modified to target specific cells and improve vaccine efficacy.

Alerta monitoramento do horizonte tecnológico: Vacina para a prevenção da Monkeypox / Alert monitoring of the technological horizon: Vaccine for the prevention of Monkeypox

A TECNOLOGIA: descrição da tecnologia: A vacina smallpox e monkeypoxa , conhecida pelos nomes comerciais Imvanex®, Jynneos®, Imvamune® ou MVA (Modified Vaccinia Ankara) é composta pelo vírus vaccinia Ankara vivo, atenuado e modificado1 . Como o nome já diz, a vacina é indicada para a profilaxia, em adultos, de infecções provocadas pelos vírus Smallpox (causador da varíola humana) e Monkeypox, ambos do gênero ortopoxvírus. Essa vacina é produzida pela empresa Bavarian Nordic, sendo sua apresentação farmacêutica em frasco com suspensão injetável na concentração 0,5 mlb por dose. É administrada por via subcutânea na posologia de duas doses de 0,5 ml em um intervalo de 28 dias. A vacina deve ser armazenada em temperatura de -20°C a +/-5°C, tendo validade de 36 meses. Pode ser conservada entre -60°C a -40ºC por 60 meses a partir da data de fabricação e, após descongelada, poderá ser mantida a 2°C a 8°C por 12 horas. Condição clínica: O vírus que causa a doença monkeypox é um ortopoxvírus, membro da família Poxviridae. Os sintomas são semelhantes aqueles da varíola humana (smallpox), mas menos graves. A família Poxviridae é composta por vírus epiteliotróficos, ou seja, que são capazes de afetar pele e mucosa em vários sítios corporais. São capazes de infectar uma variedade de animais, incluindo insetos, pássaros, répteis, marsupiais e mamíferos. O mais conhecido de todos os ortopoxvírus é o Smallpox, agente causador da varíola humana (variola major ou smallpox disease); outros membros da família são os vírus Monkeypox, Cowpox, Orf e vaccínia. INFORMAÇÕES REGULATÓRIAS: Informações sobre registro: A Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Anvisa) aprovou no dia 25 de agosto de 2022 a dispensa de registro para que o Ministério da Saúde importe e utilize no Brasil a vacina (nomes comerciais Jynneos® ou Imvanex®) para imunização contra a monkeypox. A dispensa temporária e excepcional se aplica somente ao Ministério da Saúde e terá validade de seis meses, desde que não seja expressamente revogada pela Anvisa2 . A indicação está condicionada à prevenção de smallpox e monkeypox em adultos com idade a partir de 18 anos e alto risco de infecção por essas doenças. A administração deve ser realizada em posologia de duas doses (0,5 ml) com um intervalo de 28 dias. PANORAMA DE DESENVOLVIMENTO: Estratégia de busca: Os ensaios clínicos com o uso da vacina smallpox e monkeypox (Imvanex®, Jynneos® ou Imvamune) para a prevenção da monkeypox foram identificados, inicialmente, na base de pesquisa clínica clinicaltrials.gov em 04 de agosto de 2022, com atualização em 26 de agosto de 2022. Foram incluídos ensaios clínicos em qualquer fase em andamento e/ou finalizados, em até cinco anos com o uso de tecnologias para a indicação de monkeypox. Além disso, foram consultadas as bases eletrônicas MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE (via Periódicos Capes), Cochrane Library e o Cortellis da Clarivate Analytics1 em 26 de agosto de 2022. As estratégias de busca foram elaboradas com os termos relacionado à doença e à tecnologia, assim como seus sinônimos e códigos de pesquisa, sem filtro para a fase de desenvolvimento. CONSIDERAÇÕES FINAIS: A monkeypox tem sido considerada uma doença tropical negligenciada da África Ocidental e Central há alguns anos. Entretanto, desde o início de maio de 2022, um surto da doença envolveu a maioria dos países europeus, bem como as Américas do Norte e do Sul, fazendo com que as autoridades de saúde trabalhassem rapidamente para controlar sua disseminação. Uma das estratégias avaliadas é a vacinação da população para a prevenção da doença. O vírus que causa a monkeypox é um ortopoxvírus, membro da família Poxviridae, mesma família da smallpox (varíola humana). A monkeypox possui sintomas semelhantes aos observados no passado em pacientes com a varíola humana, embora seja clinicamente menos grave. Com a erradicação da varíola humana, em 1980, e o subsequente encerramento da vacinação em todo o mundo, a monkeypox emergiu como o ortopoxvírus mais importante para a saúde pública. Embora a vacinação contra a varíola humana tenha sido protetora no passado, atualmente, pessoas com menos de 40 a 50 anos de idade (dependendo do país) podem ser mais suscetíveis à monkeypox devido à cessação das campanhas de vacinação contra a smallpox em todo o mundo após a erradicação da doença. Nesse sentido, a vacinação que vem ocorrendo em alguns países com a vacina para a prevenção da monkeypox na população mais susceptível, principalmente profissionais de saúde, tem grande importância para a saúde pública. Vale ressaltar que a vacina, cujo nome comercial é Imvanex® no Reino Unido e na Europa, Jynneos® nos EUA e Imvamune® no Canadá, são o mesmo produto e contém a vacina de vírus Ankara modificado (vivo atenuado de replicação deficiente), na concentração com título não inferior a 5 x 10 Inf. U (Inf. U = infectious units ou unidades de infecção) por dose de 0,5 ml, todos fabricados pela mesma empresa Bavarian Nordic. Em 25 de agosto de 2022, a Anvisa concedeu a dispensa de registro temporário dessa vacina para o Ministério da Saúde, considerando a emergência em saúde do momento e o atendimento aos interesses do Sistema Único de Saúde, para garantir a celeridade no acesso à vacina para a população em risco. Os dados que embasaram os registros nas agências sanitárias internacionais, bem como a decisão da Anvisa, foram obtidos de estudos em animais, os quais demostraram proteção contra o vírus monkeypox em primatas não humanos vacinados com Imvanex® e de estudos para a proteção contra smallpox em humanos. Assim, a empresa Bavarian Nordic tem patrocinado estudos observacionais que estão sendo conduzidos durante o surto de monkeypox na Europa para confirmar os benefícios da vacina contra a doença.

Vaccination principles for dogs and cats in animal shelters / Princípios da vacinação de cães e gatos em abrigos

Animal shelters are places with a high risk of exposure to infectious diseases due to the high density, population dynamics of the shelter, and the stress to which dogs and cats are subjected. The immunization process through vaccines is an essential component in the prevention and health and welfare management program for these animals. This review aims to evaluate the guidelines on vaccination of dogs and cats in shelter environments, highlighting points of comparison with the Brazilian reality.(AU)

Os abrigos de animais são locais com um alto risco de exposição às doenças infecciosas devido à alta densidade, à dinâmica populacional do abrigo e ao estresse a que os cães e gatos estão submetidos. O processo de imunização por meio das vacinas é um componente essencial no programa de prevenção e gestão de saúde e bem-estar para esses animais. Esta revisão tem como objetivo revisar as diretrizes sobre a vacinação de cães e gatos em ambientes de abrigos, ressaltando pontos de comparação com a realidade brasileira.(AU)

Incidência de erros de imunização em Minas Gerais: estudo transversal, 2015-2019 / La incidencia de los errores de inmunización en Minas Gerais, Brasil: estudio transversal, 2015-2019 / Incidence of immunization errors in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil: a cross-sectional study, 2015-2019

Objetivo: Avaliar a incidência do erro de imunização no serviço público de saúde do estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Métodos: Estudo transversal, a partir dos erros notificados no Sistema de Informação do Programa Nacional de Imunização entre 2015 e 2019. Realizaram-se análise descritiva e cálculo da incidência para as macrorregiões de saúde do estado. Resultados: Foram analisadas 3.829 notificações. Crianças menores de 1 ano foram as mais acometidas (39,1%) e a via intramuscular foi responsável por 29,4% dos erros. O erro mais frequente foi a administração de vacina fora da idade recomendada (37,7%). Observou-se maior incidência de erros nas macrorregiões Vale do Aço (26,5/100 mil) e Triângulo do Norte (22,6/100 mil). Conclusão: Os erros de imunização apresentaram incidência heterogênea entre as macrorregiões de Minas Gerais, no período 2015-2019, e a administração de vacinas fora da idade recomendada foi o erro mais notificado.

Objetivo: Evaluar la incidencia de errores de inmunización en el servicio público de salud del estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Métodos: Estudio transversal basado en errores notificados en el Sistema de Información del Programa Nacional de Vacunación entre 2015 y 2019. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo y cálculo de la incidencia para las macrorregiones de salud del estado. Resultados: Se analizaron un total de 3.829 notificaciones. Los niños menores de 1 año fueron los más afectados (39,1%) y la vía intramuscular fue responsable del 29,4% de los errores. El error más frecuente fue la administración de la vacuna fuera de la edad recomendada (37,7%). Se observó una mayor incidencia en las macrorregiones Vale do Aço (26,5/100.000) y Triângulo do Norte (22,6/100.000). Conclusión: Los errores de inmunización mostraron una incidencia heterogénea entre las macrorregiones del estado de Minas Gerais de 2015 a 2019 y la administración de vacunas fuera de la edad recomendada fue el error más reportado.

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of immunization errors in the public health service of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, based on errors reported on the National Immunization Program Information System between 2015 and 2019. A descriptive analysis and calculation of the incidence for the state's health macro-regions were performed. Results: A total of 3,829 notifications were analyzed. Children younger than 1 year old were the most affected (39.1%) and the intramuscular route accounted for 29.4% of the errors. The most frequently reported error was administration of vaccines outside minimum and maximum recommended ages (37.7%). There was a higher incidence of errors in Vale do Aço (26.5/100,000) and Triângulo do Norte (22.6/100,000) macro-regions. Conclusion: Immunization errors showed a heterogeneous incidence among the macro-regions of the state of Minas Gerais, between 2015-2019, and the administration of vaccines outside minimum and maximum recommended ages was the most frequently reported error.

Assessing vaccination priorities for different ages and age-specific vaccination strategies of COVID-19 using an SEIR modelling approach.

In the past year, the global epidemic situation is still not optimistic, showing a trend of continuous expansion. With the research and application of vaccines, there is an urgent need to develop some optimal vaccination strategies. How to make a reasonable vaccination strategy to determine the priority of vaccination under the limited vaccine resources to control the epidemic and reduce human casualties? We build a dynamic model with vaccination which is extended the classical SEIR model. By fitting the epidemic data of three countries-China, Brazil, Indonesia, we have evaluated age-specific vaccination strategy for the number of infections and deaths. Furthermore, we have evaluated the impact of age-specific vaccination strategies on the number of the basic reproduction number. At last, we also have evaluated the different age structure of the vaccination priority. It shows that giving priority to vaccination of young people can control the number of infections, while giving priority to vaccination of the elderly can greatly reduce the number of deaths in most cases. Furthermore, we have found that young people should be mainly vaccinated to reduce the number of infections. When the emphasis is on reducing the number of deaths, it is important to focus vaccination on the elderly. Simulations suggest that appropriate age-specific vaccination strategies can effectively control the epidemic, both in terms of the number of infections and deaths.

A protective vaccine against the toxic activities following Brown spider accidents based on recombinant mutated phospholipases D as antigens.

Accidents involving Brown spiders are reported throughout the world. In the venom, the major toxins involved in the deleterious effects are phospholipases D (PLDs). In this work, recombinant mutated phospholipases D from three endemic species medically relevant in South America (Loxosceles intermedia, L. laeta and L. gaucho) were tested as antigens in a vaccination protocol. In such isoforms, key amino acid residues involved in catalysis, magnesium-ion coordination, and binding to substrates were replaced by Alanine (H12A-H47A, E32A-D34A and W230A). These mutations eliminated the phospholipase activity and reduced the generation of skin necrosis and edema to residual levels. Molecular modeling of mutated isoforms indicated that the three-dimensional structures, topologies, and surface charges did not undergo significant changes. Mutated isoforms were recognized by sera against the crude venoms. Vaccination protocols in rabbits using mutated isoforms generated a serum that recognized the native PLDs of crude venoms and neutralized dermonecrosis and edema induced by L. intermedia venom. Vaccination of mice prevented the lethal effects of L. intermedia crude venom. Furthermore, vaccination of rabbits prevented the cutaneous lesion triggered by the three venoms. These results indicate a great potential for mutated recombinant PLDs to be employed as antigens in developing protective vaccines for Loxoscelism.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine pediatric vaccination in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health services, including vaccination demand. We describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine pediatric vaccination in Brazil. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all vaccine doses provided to children aged 0-6 years from January 2019 to December 2020. We obtained data stratified by age group (0 to 2 years and >2 to 6 years) and Brazilian region. Difference-in-difference (DiD) analyses were performed to compare vaccine uptake in the pre-pandemic (January-February), stay-at-home (March-June), and reopening (July-December) periods. RESULTS: The number of vaccine doses administered declined in the stay-at-home period. For children aged 0 to 2 years, the highest reductions were recorded in the North (-25.3%), Northeast (-16.8%) and Central-West (-10.2%) regions. For children aged >2 to 6 years, the highest decline was observed in the North (DiD = -27.2%) and South (DiD = -14.0%) regions. The number of vaccine doses administered in the reopening period has slightly increased in all regions. CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the number of doses recovered in part during the reopening phase, additional strategies, such as increased public awareness and vaccination booster campaigns are required.

Transcriptome and morphological analysis in Caligus rogercresseyi uncover the effects of Atlantic salmon vaccination with IPath®.

It is known that iron transporter proteins and their regulation can modulate the fish's immune system, suggesting these proteins as a potential candidate for fish vaccines. Previous studies have evidenced the effects of Atlantic salmon immunized with the chimeric iron-related protein named IPath® against bacterial and ectoparasitic infections. The present study aimed to explore the transcriptome modulation and the morphology of the sea louse Caligus rogercresseyi in response to Atlantic salmon injected with IPath®. Herein, Atlantic salmon were injected with IPath® and challenged to sea lice in controlled laboratory conditions. Then, female adults were collected after 25 days post-infection for molecular and morphological evaluation. Transcriptome analysis conducted in lice collected from immunized fish revealed high modulation of transcripts compared with the control groups. Notably, the low number of up/downregulated transcripts was mainly found in lice exposed to the IPath® fish group. Among the top-25 differentially expressed genes, Vitellogenin, Cytochrome oxidases, and proteases genes were strongly downregulated, suggesting that IPath® can alter lipid transport, hydrogen ion transmembrane transport, and proteolysis. The morphological analysis in lice collected from IPath® fish revealed abnormal embryogenesis and inflammatory processes of the genital segment. Furthermore, head kidney, spleen, and skin were also analyzed in immunized fish to evaluate the transcription expression of immune and iron homeostasis-related genes. The results showed downregulation of TLR22, MCHII, IL-1ß, ALAs, HO, BLVr, GSHPx, and Ferritin genes in head kidney and skin tissues; meanwhile, those genes did not show significant differences in spleen tissue. Overall, our findings suggest that IPath® can be used to enhance the fish immune response, showing a promissory commercial application against lice infections.

Covid-19: imunidade natural e vacinal / Covid-19: natural immunity and vaccination

De acordo com o Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) apesar dos avanços obtidos, nos últimos meses, no desenvolvimento de imunizantes para a COVID-19, algumas perguntas continuam sem respostas, como por exemplo, por quanto tempo as vacinas são capazes de proteger a população da infecção pelo SARS-CoV-2 (CDC, 2021), imunidade híbrida e a necessidade de booster, adicionado ao protocolo inicialmente proposto. Apesar de a maioria dos estudos utilizar os níveis séricos de anticorpos neutralizantes contra o SARS-CoV-2, ainda considera-se desconhecido o nível de anticorpos neutralizantes que garante proteção contra a COVID-19 (CALLAWAY, 2021; BENOTMANE et al., 2021). Por outro lado, embora existam outros mecanismos responsáveis pela resposta imune mediada por células T e B de memória imunológica, Khoury e colaboradores (2021) consideram que a concentração dos anticorpos neutralizantes após contato com o vírus (indivíduos convalescentes soropositivos) e/ou após administração de um imunizante seja capaz de predizer a resposta imune à doença.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), despite the advances made in recent months in the development of immunizers for COVID-19, some questions remain unanswered, such as, for example, how long are vaccines able to protect the population from SARS-CoV-2 infection (CDC, 2021), hybrid immunity and the need for a booster, added to the initially proposed protocol. Although most studies use serum levels of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the level of neutralizing antibodies that guarantee protection against COVID-19 is still unknown (CALLAWAY, 2021; BENOTMANE et al., 2021 ). On the other hand, although there are other mechanisms responsible for the immune response mediated by immune memory T and B cells, Khoury et al (2021) consider that the concentration of neutralizing antibodies after contact with the virus (convalescent seropositive individuals) and/or after administration of an immunizing agent is able to predict the immune response to the disease.

The morphine/heroin vaccine decreased the heroin-induced antinociceptive and reinforcing effects in three inbred strains mouse.

Clinical trials have indicated that a vaccine must be immunogenic in genetically diverse human populations and that immunogenicity and protective efficacy in animal models are two key indices required for the approval of a new vaccine. Additionally, the immune response (immunogenicity) and immunoprotection are dependent on the mouse strain. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the immune response (immunogenicity) and the protective efficacy (behavioral response) in three inbred mouse strains immunized with the M6TT vaccine. Female BALB/c, C57Bl/6, and DBA/2 inbred mice were immunized with the M6-TT vaccine. A solid-phase antibody-capture ELISA was used to monitor antibody titer responses after each booster dose in vaccinated animals. The study used tail-flick testing to evaluate the antinociceptive effects induced by heroin. Additionally, heroin-induced locomotor activity and place preference were evaluated. The M6-TT vaccine was able to generate a specific antibody titer in the three inbred mouse strains evaluated. The antibodies reduced the antinociceptive effect of different doses of heroin. In addition, they decreased the heroin-induced locomotor activity and place preference. These findings suggest that the M6-TT vaccine generates a powerful immunogenic response capable of reducing the antinociceptive and reinforcing effects of heroin in different inbred mouse strains, which supports its possible future use in clinical trials in genetically diverse human populations.

Characterization of a Nanovaccine Platform Based on an α1,2-Mannobiose Derivative Shows Species-non-specific Targeting to Human, Bovine, Mouse, and Teleost Fish Dendritic Cells.

Dendritic cells serve as the main immune cells that trigger the immune response. We developed a simple and cost-effective nanovaccine platform based on the α1',2-mannobiose derivative for dendritic cell targeting. In previous work, we have formulated the α1,2-mannobiose-based nanovaccine platform with plasmid DNA and tested it in cattle against BoHV-1 infection. There, we have shown that the dendritic cell targeting using this nanovaccine platform in vivo can boost the immunogenicity, resulting in a long-lasting immunity. In this work, we aim to characterize the α1',2-mannobiose derivative, which is key in the nanovaccine platform. This DC-targeting strategy takes advantage of the specific receptor known as DC-SIGN and exploits its capacity to bind α1,2-mannobiose that is present at terminal ends of oligosaccharides in certain viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. The oxidative conjugation of α1',2-mannobiose to NH2-PEG2kDa-DSPE allowed us to preserve the chemical structure of the non-reducing mannose of the disaccharide and the OH groups and the stereochemistry of all carbons of the reducing mannose involved in the binding to DC-SIGN. Here, we show specific targeting to DC-SIGN of decorated micelles incubated with the Raji/DC-SIGN cell line and uptake of targeted liposomes that took place in human, bovine, mouse, and teleost fish DCs in vitro, by flow cytometry. Specific targeting was found in all cultures, demonstrating a species-non-specific avidity for this ligand, which opens up the possibility of using this nanoplatform to develop new vaccines for various species, including humans.