Antigenic Composition Research Articles

Influenza vaccine effectiveness in preventing hospitalisation of individuals 60 years of age and over with laboratory-confirmed influenza, Valencia Region, Spain, influenza season 2016/17.

IntroductionSeasonal influenza vaccination is widely recommended for people with risk factors, especially for people who are elderly. However, influenza vaccine effectiveness (IVE) varies year after year because of the variable antigenic composition of the circulating viruses and the vaccine composition. Methods: We summarise the results of IVE and the impact of previous vaccination among subjects 60 years of age and over in a multicentre prospective study in the Valencia Hospital Surveillance Network for the Study of Influenza and Respiratory Viruses Disease (VAHNSI) in Spain. We applied the test-negative design taking laboratory-confirmed influenza as outcome and vaccination status as exposure. Information about potential confounders was obtained from clinical registries or directly from patients. Results: Adjusted IVE was 19% (95% confidence interval (CI): −15 to 43). For patients vaccinated in the current season but not in the two previous seasons, effectiveness was 49% (95% CI: −20 to 78) and for patients vaccinated in the current and any of two previous seasons, effectiveness was 29% (95% CI: −3 to 52). For those patients not vaccinated in the current season but vaccinated in any of the two previous seasons, effectiveness was 53% (95% CI: 8 to 76). Conclusions: Our data show a low vaccine effectiveness for the 2016/17 influenza season.

Use of Serological Interactions to Differentiate between Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma longbrachiatum Isolated from Cotton Roots

Double diffusion (DD) and immunoelectrophoresis (IE) techniques were used to differentiate among Trichoderma isolates. Each of T. longbrachiatum and T. harzianum isolates tended to group together based on their antigenic composition, which indicated a remarkable overall serological similarity among isolates of each species. However, the serological differences among the isolates did not always reflect the taxonomic differences because some isolates of T. longbrachiatum and T. harzianum showed considerable serological similarity. Thus, DD and IE were not useful techniques in identification of Trichoderma isolates.

Establishment of the diagnostic cut-off points for levels of serum antibodies to pertussis toxin in adults in Poland

Introduction: Standardization of ELISA tests for the diagnosis of infections caused by B. pertussis remains challenging despite efforts to improve it. It is recommended that serology testing should use purified pertussis toxin as the only coating antigen and that concentration of antibodies should be expressed in international units per mL (IU/ml) according to the First WHO International Standard for Pertussis Antiserum. However, available commercial ELISAs are often of different antigen composition and quality and sometimes do not calculate antibody levels in IU/ml. Furthermore, for single-sample serology, various cut-off values for IgG- and IgA-anti pertussis toxin in different EU reference laboratories have been proposed. The aim of this study was to establish of the diagnostic cut-off points for levels of serum IgG and IgA antibodies to pertussis toxin in adults in Poland and determine the seroprevalence of these antibodies among Polish blood donors. Materials and Methods: The IgG and IgA antibodies in serum samples collected from 236 blood donors were measured by in-house ELISA with purified pertussis toxin as antigen (0,5 µg/ml). The cut-off value was settled by calculation the OD450 results from all blood donors (arithmetic mean plus 2 standard deviations). Antibody levels were quantitated with respect to the First WHO International Standard for Pertussis Antiserum (06/140) and results were expressed in IU/mL. Results: According to the obtained results, in the case of searching for IgG and IgA antibodies for pertussis toxin, a cut-off of 120 IU/ml and 16 IU/ml respectively, should be taken as diagnostic significant level in the adult population in Poland. A study showed the presence of IgG antibodies at a diagnostic level in 18 (7.6%) samples, and IgA antibodies to pertussis toxin in 14 (5.9%) serum samples obtained from blood donors. Conclusions: The established in our investigation cut-off values for anti-PT IgG and IgA good correspond with values recommended by reference laboratories in other European countries.

Влияние антигенного состава эритроцитов групп крови на уровень молочной продуктивности коров

Влияние антигенного состава эритроцитов групп крови на уровень молочной продуктивности коров

The diagnosis of the autoimmune process in bronchial asthma in children using antigens of the bronchopulmonary system

The paper presents data on the detection of an autoimmune process in the bronchopulmonary system in children with BA aged from 5 to 14 years in the period of exacerbation. The comparison group consisted of 25 healthy children aged from 7 to 14 years. It has been shown that lipopolysaccharide antigens from the interstitial connective tissue of bronchopulmonary structures obtained from accidentally killed children have a higher specificity than protein antigens and allow identifying morphological changes in the bronchopulmonary system, the severity of the course and monitoring the effectiveness of the therapy. Antigens obtained from the sectional material of the bronchopulmonary system of protein nature cannot be obtained industrially, since they are not standardized for protein, do not possess sterility, which greatly limits their use and reduces the diagnostic value. The multicomponent antigenic composition of protein homogenates obtained from the cell-tissue structures of the bronchopulmonary system does not clearly identify the nature of the morphological changes in bronchial asthma in children. Lipopolysaccharide antigens from bronchopulmonary structures do not contain protein in their composition; they can be obtained industrially under sterile conditions and stored in a lyophilized state for more than two years, which allows them to be widely used in immunodiagnostics of clinical forms and severity of asthma in children.

Construction of Recombinant Escherichia coli Strain – Producer of Basic Subunit of Toxin-Coregulated Pilus of Adhesion (TCPA) of Vibrio cholerae Biovar El Tor

Objective of the study is to construct recombinant E. coli strain – producer of TcpA protein of cholera agent El Tor, carrying tcpACIRS gene in its genome, and use the strains for antigen production. Materials and methods. Utilized was non-toxigenic genovariant strain of Vibrio cholerae biovar El Tor from the “State Collection of Pathogenic Bacteria” at the premises of RusRAPI “Microbe”, as well as commercial E. coli strains and plasmids for cloning (Invitrogen, USA). Chromosomal DNA from V. cholerae cells was extracted using Charge Smitch gDNA Mini Bacteria Kit applying nucleo-sorption. To extract plasmid DNA from E. coli cells PureLink Quick Plasmid DNA MiniprepKits were used. The presence of tcpACIRS gene was assayed by PCR, using designed through our own efforts primers. DNA fragments were isolated from agarose gel with the help of PCR Clear-Up-System panel. SDS-PAGE was performed according to U.K.Laemmli method. Protein content of samples was measured by M.M.Bradford method. The panel for affinity chromatography was applied for recombinant TcpA protein purification. Results and conclusions. Constructed safe strain of E. coli is the producer of recombinant TcpA protein, basic subunit of toxin-coregulated pilus of adhesion of cholera agent biovar El Tor. The region of tcpA gene of Vibrio cholerae biovar El Tor was cloned as part of vector plasmid pET302 by the restriction sites XhoI-BamHI in E. coli strain BL21(DE3)Star. In the stated design protein biosynthesis is under transcriptional control of phage promoter T7 and induced by isopropyl-ß-thiogalactoside (IPTG). Tested were the conditions for optimum TcpA protein production and the layout of its purification using affinity chromatography. It was demonstrated that TcpA is present in cells of intestinal bacterium, both in native form and as inclusion bodies. Overall TcpA protein production amounted to 60 mcg/ml. Obtained purified TcpA protein can be used for studies of its immunogenic and physical-chemical properties, as well as development of immune-diagnostic preparations to evaluate the level of TcpA production in various V. cholerae strains, and identification of antigen composition of cholera vaccine preparations.

Exosomes as New Players in HIV Pathogenesis - New Data from the IAS 2017

Exosomes are nanovesicles that can be released into the extracellular medium by different cell types and are considered an important system of intercellular communication. In some instances, on secretion, exosomes break down and release their content into the extracellular space. Alternatively, intact exosomes can interact with other cells and discharge their content directly into the target cell cytoplasm. Exosomes are rich in endosome-associated proteins (i.e., the tetraspanin family) but also carry different molecules in their lumen including proteins, RNAs (i.e., microRNAs), and pathogenderived cargo. Indeed, the different biological functions of exosomes might depend on their cargo components. Several recent publications have identified exosomes as new players in the pathogenesis of HIV infection. This is an emerging field of growing interest that deserved a satellite symposium at the 9th IAS Conference held in Paris in July 2017, sponsored by the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (EVs). Although the role of exosomes in HIV infection is not yet clarified, accumulating data suggest that exosomes may act at different levels of HIV pathogenesis by modulating immune responses, infectivity, or even by activating the latent viral reservoir. However, there are still methodological limitations that need to be resolved to advance our understanding of the role of exosomes in HIV infection. One particular limitation is to define an accurate and reproducible procedure for their isolation. A new strategy to separate exosomes from HIV-1-infected cells was proposed at this symposium. Martin-Jaular and colleagues (Institut Curie, France) used velocity centrifugation gradients and antibody labeling of specific endosome-associated protein markers (i.e., CD45+ and AChE+) to isolate pure exosomes from complex preparations of EVs. Separately, Arakelyan and colleagues (NIH, USA) used flow cytometry coupled with magnetic nanoparticles to characterize the antigenic composition of EVs and demonstrate that EVs carrying HIV envelope proteins facilitated HIV infection. This is an interesting observation that could lead to the discovery of new antiviral drugs targeting EVs that contain HIV-Env. Exosomes might also have an effect on the viral reservoir. Kashanchi et al. (George Mason University, USA) presented interesting results demonstrating how exosomes from HIV-uninfected cells could reactivate latent HIV-1 in infected cells. They proposed a mechanism in which exosomes might increase RNA polymerase II loading onto the HIV-1 promoter in the infected cells, thereby facilitating transcription and leading to an increase of cellular activation. These presentations represent just a small piece of the growing body of research focused on the role of exosomes in HIV infection. We stand at the beginning of a new source of knowledge of HIV pathogenesis that may provide novel strategies to control HIV infectivity, regulate HIV-reactive immune responses, and act against the HIV reservoir. The impact of exosomes on HIV infection at all these levels should be considered in ongoing and future approaches to achieve HIV remission and cure.

A 21-winter seasons retrospective study of antibody response after influenza vaccination in elderly (60–85 years old) and very elderly (>85 years old) institutionalized subjects

ABSTRACTInfluenza vaccination is considered the best mean for preventing the higher rates of mortality associated with influenza virus infection in the elderly as compared with younger people. Since the number of very elderly subjects, aged >85 years, is rapidly increasing, and some authors reported increments in influenza-associated mortality with age, the aim of this study was to increase the limited information available on the immunogenicity of the influenza vaccines in this age group. This was a retrospective study which analyzed the antibody response induced by commercially available trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines in 1491 elderly subjects (60–85 years old) and 1139 very elderly subjects (>85 years old) during 21 winter seasons included between 1993–1994 and 2014–2015. The antibody response of the two age groups was, in most instances, acceptable according to the Committee for Medical Products for Human Use and comparable. In accordance with previous data obtained in the elderly, the use of MF59-adjuvanted or intradermal administered vaccines (enhanced vaccines) was found to be preferable as compared with conventional formulations (split or subunit vaccines). Vaccines containing new strains induced higher antibody response as compared with vaccines with the same antigenic composition of the previous years. These results suggest that the current recommendation for use of enhanced influenza vaccines for the elderly is appropriate, but that efforts to improve the effectiveness of the present prophylactic measures against influenza are needed, especially in the years with vaccines with the same antigenic composition of the previous winter season.

Pathogenicity and Immunogenicity of Recombinant Rabies Viruses Expressing the Lagos Bat Virus Matrix and Glycoprotein: Perspectives for a Pan-Lyssavirus Vaccine.

Lagos bat virus (LBV) is a phylogroup II lyssavirus exclusively found in Africa. Previous studies indicated that this virus is lethal to mice after intracranial and intramuscular inoculation. The antigenic composition of LBV differs substantially from that of rabies virus (RABV) and current rabies vaccines do not provide cross protection against phylogroup II lyssaviruses. To investigate the potential role of the LBV matrix protein (M) and glycoprotein (G) in pathogenesis, reverse genetics technology was used to construct recombinant viruses. The genes encoding the glycoprotein, or the matrix and glycoprotein of the attenuated RABV strain SPBN, were replaced with those of LBV resulting in SPBN-LBVG and SPBN-LBVM-LBVG, respectively. To evaluate the immunogenicity of the LBV G, the recombinant RABV SPBNGAS-LBVG-GAS was constructed with the LBV G inserted between two mutated RABV G genes (termed GAS). All the recombinant viruses were lethal to mice after intracranial (i.c.) inoculation although the pathogenicity of SPBNGAS-LBVG-GAS was lower compared to the other recombinant viruses. Following intramuscular (i.m.) inoculation, only SPBN-LBVM-LBVG was lethal to mice, indicating that both the M and G of LBV play a role in the pathogenesis. Most interestingly, serum collected from mice that were inoculated i.m. with SPBNGAS-LBVG-GAS neutralized phylogroup I and II lyssaviruses including RABV, Duvenhage virus (DUVV), LBV, and Mokola virus (MOKV), indicating that this recombinant virus has potential to be developed as a pan-lyssavirus vaccine.

A new lyophilized tachyzoite based ELISA to diagnose Besnoitia spp. infection in bovids and wild ruminants improves specificity

Recent studies have reported that routinely used whole or soluble Besnoitia besnoiti tachyzoite (TZ) extract-based ELISAs potentially give rise to a high number of false-positive results, which may compromise control and the epidemiological studies of bovine besnoitiosis. Thus, western blot (WB) has been recommended as a confirmatory test. In the present study, a new ELISA test that employs lyophilized tachyzoites for the first time (BbSALUVET ELISA 2.0) was developed and validated with cattle sera (n=606) under a worst-case scenario. False positive and false negative, soluble TZ extract-based BbSALUVET ELISA 1.0 reactors were overrepresented, and WB was used as the reference test. One commercial test (PrioCHECK Besnoitia Ab 2.0, which employs whole TZ extract) and a recently developed membrane-enriched ELISA (APure-BbELISA) were also tested. The three ELISAs showed high AUC values (>0.9). However, the best diagnostic performance corresponded to the BbSALUVET ELISA 2.0 and the APure-BbELISA [(92% sensitivity (Se) and 98% specificity (Sp)] followed by PrioCHECK Besnoitia Ab 2.0 (88% Se, 98% Sp, and 4.5% doubtful results). In addition, the BbSALUVET ELISA 2.0 was validated with wild ruminant sera, and excellent performance (96% Se, 97% Sp, and 4% doubtful results) was obtained again. A different antigenic composition of the lyophilized tachyzoites, compared with whole or soluble tachyzoite extracts, may be responsible for the improved diagnostic performance. This study proposes the use of the BbSALUVET ELISA 2.0 in cattle prior to entry to herds free of the disease and in valuable samples prior to a selective culling without the need of a confirmatory Western Blot test in positive samples due to its excellent specificity.

Protective efficacy of recombinant Cryptosporidium parvum CpPRP1 sushi domain against C. tyzzeri infection in mice.

Until now, there are no completely effective parasite-specific pharmaceuticals or immunotherapies for treatment against the zoonotic cryptosporidiosis. Sushi domain (CpSushi) is an important functional domain in Cryptosporidium parvum putative rhoptry protein-1 (CpPRP1), which is the only reported C. parvum rhoptry protein and may play key role in the course of invasion. Here, a 708-bp fragment encoding the CpSushi domain was amplified and expressed in E. coli. Immunofluorescence detection showed that CpSushi was located on the surface of C. parvum oocysts and the apical pole to the sporozoites that belonged to the position of rhoptry. Three-week-old female ICR mice were used for detecting the immunoreactions and immunoprotection of recombinant CpSushi (rCpSushi) to artificial C. tyzzeri infection. The results indicated that a significant increase of anti-CpSushi antibody response was induced by the recombinant protein. Compared to blank, Tris-EDTA (TE) buffer and adjuvant controls mice, rCpSushi-immunized mice produced specific spleen cell proliferation as well as enhanced IL4, IL5, IL12p70 and TNF-α production in vitro. The reduction rate of parasites shedding in stool in mice immunized with rCpSushi was 68.91% after challenging with C. tyzzeri. These results suggest that CpSushi could be a new promising cryptosporidiosis vaccine candidate antigen composition.

Antigenic Drift Defines a New D4 Subgenotype of Measles Virus.

The measles virus hemagglutinin (MeV-H) protein is the main target of protective neutralizing antibodies. Using a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that recognize known major antigenic sites in MeV-H, we identified a D4 genotype variant that escapes neutralization by MAbs targeting the neutralizing epitope (NE) antigenic site. By site-directed mutagenesis, L249P was identified as the critical mutation disrupting the NE in this genotype D4 variant. Forty-two available D4 genotype gene sequences were subsequently analyzed and divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of the L249P MeV-H mutation. Further analysis of the MeV-N gene sequences of these 2 groups confirmed that they represent clearly definable, sequence-divergent D4 subgenotypes, which we named subgenotypes D4.1 and D4.2. The subgenotype D4.1 MeVs were isolated predominantly in Kenya and Ethiopia, whereas the MAb-resistant subgenotype D4.2 MeVs were isolated predominantly in France and Great Britain, countries with higher vaccine coverage rates. Interestingly, D4.2 subgenotype viruses showed a trend toward diminished susceptibility to neutralization by human sera pooled from approximately 60 to 80 North American donors. Escape from MAb neutralization may be a powerful epidemiological surveillance tool to monitor the evolution of new MeV subgenotypes.IMPORTANCE Measles virus is a paradigmatic RNA virus, as the antigenic composition of the vaccination has not needed to be updated since its discovery. The vaccine confers protection by inducing neutralizing antibodies that interfere with the function of the hemagglutinin protein. Viral strains are indistinguishable serologically, although characteristic nucleotide sequences differentiate 24 genotypes. In this work, we describe a distant evolutionary branch within genotype D4. Designated subgenotype D4.2, this virus is distinguishable by neutralization with vaccine-induced monoclonal antibodies that target the neutralizing epitope (NE). The subgenotype D4.2 viruses have a higher predominance in countries with intermediary levels of vaccine coverage. Our studies demonstrate that subgenotype D4.2 lacks epitopes associated with half of the known antigenic sites, which significantly impacts our understanding of measles virus evolution.

Outer membrane vesicles extracted from Neisseria meningitidis serogroup X for prevention of meningococcal disease in Africa

Meningococcal disease is caused mainly by serogroups A, B, C, Y, W of N. meningitidis. However, numerous cases of meningitis caused by serogroup X N. meningitidis (MenX) have recently been reported in several African countries. Currently, there are no licensed vaccines against this pathogen and most of the MenX cases have been caused by meningococci from clonal complex (c.c) 181. Detergent extracted meningococcal outer membrane vesicle (dOMV) vaccines have previously shown to be safe and effective against epidemics of serogroup B meningococcal disease in all age groups. The aim of this work is therefore to obtain, characterize and evaluate the vaccine potential of dOMVs derived from a MenX strain (OMVx). Three experimental lots of OMVx were prepared by deoxycholate extraction from the MenX strain BF 2/97. Size and morphology of the vesicles was determined by Dynamic Light Scattering and electron microscopy, whereas the antigenic composition was characterized by gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. OMVx were thereafter adsorbed to aluminium hydroxide (OMVx/AL) and two doses of OMVx were administered s.c. to groups of Balb/c mice three weeks apart. The immunogenicity and functional antibody activities in sera were evaluated by ELISA (anti-OMVx specific IgG responses) and serum bactericidal activity (SBA) assay. The size range of OMVx was shown to be between 90 and 120nm, whereas some of the antigens detected were the outer membrane proteins PorA, OpcA and RmpM. The OMVx/AL elicited high anti-OMVx antibody responses with bactericidal activity and no bactericidal activity was observed in the control group of no immunised mice. The results demonstrate that OMVx are immunogenic and could form part of a future vaccine to prevent the majority of meningococcal disease in the African meningitis belt.

In vivo and invitro studies using larval and adult antigens from Neobenedenia melleni on immune response in yellowtail (Seriola lalandi).

Neobenedenia melleni is a monogenean parasite that causes significant mortality and economic losses in fish aquaculture. Changes in the antigenic composition of this parasite occur during its developmental stages. In this study, we evaluated humoral parameters in serum and transcriptional immune responses of yellowtail naturally infected with N.melleni. In addition, invitro assays were performed to study the stimulatory effects of antigens from larvae and adults on spleen leucocytes from non-infected fish at 6 and 24h post-stimulation. The results showed enhanced total protein, myeloperoxidase and antiprotease activities in N.melleni-infected fish compared with non-infected ones. The induction of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and pro-inflammatory cytokines in spleen leucocytes during natural infection with N.melleni suggests that these immune-related genes play an important role in the initiation of the immune defence mechanism for controlling parasite infection. Interestingly, the magnitude of invitro responses of spleen leucocytes was dependent on the parasitic stage. An important stimulation of gene expression by adult antigens on spleen leucocytes was observed. Differential expression patterns of TLRs and target cytokines in yellowtail leucocytes in both invivo and invitro studies suggest that the quality of yellowtail immune response is conditioned by N.melleni development.

SANTAVAC ™: A Novel Universal Antigen Composition for Developing Cancer Vaccines.

Background: Development of a universal cancer vaccine for the prevention of all cancers has been under development for many years. Antiangiogenic cancer vaccines elicit immune responses with the potential of destroying tumor vasculature endothelial cells without affecting vasculature integrity in normal tissues. The methods used in the development of antigen compositions comprising these vaccines have been recently improved and described in this report in the context of SANTAVAC ™ development - the first cancer vaccine based on endothelial cell heterogeneity.Methods: The present report summarizes data related to SANTAVAC™ development, including technical key points associated with optimal SANTAVAC™ production, a description of the composition required for preparing cancer vaccines with the highest predicted efficacy and safety, and a strategy for SANTAVAC™ large-scale implementation. Patents related to SANTAVAC™ and other universal cancer vaccines are also described.Results: SANTAVAC ™ was shown to be the most promising antigen composition for anti-cancer vaccination, allowing for immune targeting of the tumor vasculature in experimental models with a high predicted efficacy (up to 60), where efficacy represents the fold decrease in the number of endothelial cells with a tumor-induced phenotype and directly related to predicted arrest of tumor growth.Conclusion: The use of SANTAVAC ™ as a universal antigenic composition may spur vaccine development activities resulting in a set of therapeutic or prophylactic vaccines against different types of solid cancers.

Flow Virometry to Analyze Antigenic Spectra of Virions and Extracellular Vesicles

Cells release small extracellular vesicles (EVs) into the surrounding media. Upon virus infection cells also release virions that have the same size of some of the EVs. Both virions and EVs carry proteins of the cells that generated them and are antigenically heterogeneous. In spite of their diversity, both viruses and EVs were characterized predominantly by bulk analysis. Here, we describe an original nanotechnology-based high throughput method that allows the characterization of antigens on individual small particles using regular flow cytometers. Viruses or extracellular vesicles were immunocaptured with 15 nm magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coupled to antibodies recognizing one of the surface antigens. The captured virions or vesicles were incubated with fluorescent antibodies against other surface antigens. The resultant complexes were separated on magnetic columns from unbound antibodies and analyzed with conventional flow cytometers triggered on fluorescence. This method has wide applications and can be used to characterize the antigenic composition of any viral- and non-viral small particles generated by cells in vivo and in vitro. Here, we provide examples of the usage of this method to evaluate the distribution of host cell markers on individual HIV-1 particles, to study the maturation of individual Dengue virions (DENV), and to investigate extracellular vesicles released into the bloodstream.

Flow Virometry to Analyze Antigenic Spectra of Virions and Extracellular Vesicles.

Cells release small extracellular vesicles (EVs) into the surrounding media. Upon virus infection cells also release virions that have the same size of some of the EVs. Both virions and EVs carry proteins of the cells that generated them and are antigenically heterogeneous. In spite of their diversity, both viruses and EVs were characterized predominantly by bulk analysis. Here, we describe an original nanotechnology-based high throughput method that allows the characterization of antigens on individual small particles using regular flow cytometers. Viruses or extracellular vesicles were immunocaptured with 15 nm magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coupled to antibodies recognizing one of the surface antigens. The captured virions or vesicles were incubated with fluorescent antibodies against other surface antigens. The resultant complexes were separated on magnetic columns from unbound antibodies and analyzed with conventional flow cytometers triggered on fluorescence. This method has wide applications and can be used to characterize the antigenic composition of any viral- and non-viral small particles generated by cells in vivo and in vitro. Here, we provide examples of the usage of this method to evaluate the distribution of host cell markers on individual HIV-1 particles, to study the maturation of individual Dengue virions (DENV), and to investigate extracellular vesicles released into the bloodstream.

Proteome Analysis Is a Valuable Tool to Monitor Antigen Expression during Upstream Processing of Whole-Cell Pertussis Vaccines.

Physicochemical and immunochemical assays were applied to substantiate the relation between upstream processing and the quality of whole-cell pertussis vaccines. Bordetella pertussis bacteria were cultured on a chemically defined medium using a continuous cultivation process in stirred tank reactors to obtain uniform protein expression. Continuous culture favors the consistent production of proteins known as virulence factors. Magnesium sulfate was added during the steady state of the culture in order to diminish the expression of virulence proteins. Changes in gene expression and antigen composition were measured by microarrays, mass spectrometry and ELISA. Transcriptome and proteome data revealed high similarity between the biological triplicates demonstrating consistent cultivation of B.pertussis. The addition of magnesium sulfate resulted in an instant downregulation of the virulence genes in B.pertussis, but a gradual decrease of virulence proteins. The quantity of virulence proteins concurred highly with the potency of the corresponding whole-cell pertussis vaccines, which were determined by the Kendrick test. In conclusion, proteome analysis provided detailed information on the composition and proportion of virulence proteins present in the whole-cell preparations of B.pertussis. Moreover, proteome analysis is a valuable method to monitor the production process of whole-cell biomass and predict the product quality of whole-cell pertussis vaccines.

Sustained Effectiveness of the Maternal Pertussis Immunization Program in England 3 Years Following Introduction.

The effectiveness of maternal immunization in preventing infant pertussis was first demonstrated in England, 1 year after the program using diphtheria–tetanus–5-component acellular pertussis–inactivated polio vaccine (dT5aP-IPV) was introduced in 2012. Vaccine effectiveness against laboratory-confirmed pertussis has been sustained >90% in the 3 years following its introduction, despite changing to another acellular vaccine with different antigen composition. Consistent with this, disease incidence in infants <3 months of age has remained low despite high activity persisting in those aged 1 year and older. Vaccine effectiveness against infant deaths was estimated at 95% (95% confidence interval, 79%–100%). Additional protection from maternal immunization is retained in infants who received their first dose of the primary series. There is no longer evidence of additional protection from maternal vaccination after the third infant dose. Although numbers are small and ongoing assessment is required, there is no evidence of increased risk of disease after primary immunization in infants whose mothers received maternal vaccination.

The outcome of ELISA for antiphosphatidylethanolamine antibodies is dependent on the composition of phosphatidylethanolamine

ObjectiveThe presence of circulating autoantibodies against phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) has been shown to be positively associated with symptoms of antiphospholipid syndromes (APS). However, the current ELISA-based tests for antiphosphatidylethanolamine (aPE) antibodies remain inconsistent and controversial. The term PE refers to a collection of phospholipids that have phosphorylethanolamine head group as a common structural feature, but can vary in fatty acids with diverse physicochemical properties. The present study was to investigate, using synthetic positionally symmetrical PE species as a model system, the impact of PE structural variations on aPE ELISA. MethodsSingle and combinations of synthetic PE species, including 16:0 (fatty acid length:degree of unsaturation), 18:0, 18:1, 20:4 and 22:6, were screened with ELISA using serum samples from aPE patients and compared with chicken egg PE. There were a total of 37 aPE patient serum samples, including 11 cofactor-independent IgM, 14 ABP-independent IgG and 12 ABP-dependent aPE serum samples (3 IgM, 8 IgG and 1 IgA). The ELISA conditions were investigated for different isotypes and cofactor dependence. Based on the initial screening, adjustments in phospholipid compositions were made for achieving optimal OD readings. Finally, we isolated total IgG from aPE sera to validate different antigenic preferences. ResultsThe antigenic preference was different among immunoglobulin isotypes and between cofactor-dependent versus cofactor-independent aPE antibodies. More specifically, 18:1 PE was a preferred antigen for cofactor-dependent aPE, whereas 20:4 PE was the preferred antigen for cofactor-independent IgG aPE. In contrast, cofactor-independent IgM aPE appeared to have a general preference for a more complex PE combination with longer fatty acids and a higher degree of unsaturation. ConclusionThe present data indicated that the outcome of aPE ELISA was dependent on the composition and physicochemical properties of PE antigens. The discovery that aPE antibodies may have different antigenic preferences could shed light on the nature of their binding interactions.