HisAK70: Progress towards a vaccine against different forms of leishmaniosis

Background: Leishmania major and Leishmania infantum are among the main species that are responsible for cutaneous leishmaniosis (CL) and visceral leishmaniosis (VL), respectively. The leishmanioses represent the second-largest parasitic killer in the world after malaria. Recently, we succeeded in generating a plasmid DNA (pCMV-HISA70m2A) and demonstrated that immunized mice were protected against L. major challenge. The efficacy of the DNA-vaccine was further enhanced by the inclusion of KMP-11 antigen into the antibiotic-free plasmid pVAX1-asd. Methods: Here, we describe the use of a HisAK70 DNA-vaccine encoding seven Leishmania genes (H2A, H2B, H3, H4, A2, KMP11 and HSP70) for vaccination of mice to assess the induction of a resistant phenotype against VL and CL. Results: HisAK70 was successful in vaccinated mice, resulting in a high amount of efficient sterile hepatic granulomas associated with a hepatic parasite burden fully resolved in the VL model; and resulting in 100 % inhibition of parasite visceralization in the CL model. Conclusions: The results suggest that immunization with the HisAK70 DNA-vaccine may provide a rapid, suitable, and efficient vaccination strategy to confer cross-protective immunity against VL and CL.This work was partially supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (AGL2010-17394 and AGL2013-44100R) and PLATESA (P2013/ABI-2906) from the Comunidad de Madrid (Spain).Peer Reviewe

Resistance to non-quinolone antimicrobials in commensal Escherichia coli isolates from chickens treated orally with enrofloxacin

The aim of the present study was evaluate how oral administration of enrofloxacin affected the frequency of resistance to different antimicrobials in commensal Escherichia coli isolates from healthy chickens. A further objective of this study was to characterize the mechanisms of resistance in these isolates. A trend towards increased resistance to enrofloxacin, doxycycline and amoxicillin of E. coli isolates from chickens after enrofloxacin administration was observed. The increase in the resistance to doxycycline and amoxicillin was probably due to a co-selection of tetracycline and β-lactam resistance genes by the administration of enrofloxacin. The detection of tetM was much higher than expected (50%), which indicates that this gene may play an important role in tetracycline resistance in E. coli from chickens

A Survey of Intestinal Parasites Including Associated Risk Factors in Humans in Panama

46 páginas, 3 figuras, 5 tablas. -- The definitive version is available at: http://www.elsevier.com. -- Technical assistance, María González (IRNASA; CSIC)Intestinal parasitic infections are among the most common infections worldwide, leading to illness with serious and long lasting implications in children and immunocompromised people. Transmission of intestinal parasites is more frequent in tropical and sub-tropical areas where sanitation is poor and socioeconomic conditions are deficient. Panama is a country where climate and social conditions could be reflected in a high number of people infected with intestinal parasites. The presence, prevalence, and distribution of intestinal parasites in this country have been approached to date only in very restricted areas and population groups, but the impact of intestinal parasite infections at the national level is unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings. We conducted a cross-sectional survey between 2008 and 2010 to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites across Panama. Overall, 14 municipalities in seven provinces of Panama were surveyed. The presence of eggs, cysts, and larvae was assessed by microscopy in 1,123 human fecal samples using a concentration technique. A questionnaire to identify risk factors associated with the frequency of intestinal parasites in the study population was also prepared and performed. Overall, 47.4% of human samples presented parasites. Variables including community type, age group, occupation, co-presence of commensals and socioeconomic factors (use of shoes and type of sanitation) were significantly associated with intestinal parasites (p<0.05). Conclusions/Significance The preliminary data obtained in the current study, showing a high prevalence of fecaloral transmitted parasites in Panama, place intestinal parasitism as a major health problem in this country. Specific interventions should be planned for the indigenous population, the group most afflicted by intestinal parasites.Peer reviewe

Ruminants are not a reservoir of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli

Sustainable Development Goals mapped to this document: Affordable and clean energy. Goal 7.Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) causes both acute and persistent diarrhoea among children and adults in developing and developed countries. In addition, the large outbreak of food-borne illness in Europe in the summer of 2011 was caused by a verotoxin-producing EAEC O104:H4 strain. The public health threat posed by EAEC makes it important to identify animal reservoirs that might lead to epidemics in humans. Based on only one study in sheep and a few in cattle, researchers have suggested that EAEC are not found in ruminants. To expand the available data on this question, the present study applied polymerase chain reaction to faecal samples from 920 cattle, sheep and goats to detect EAEC. None of the samples tested positive for any of the EAEC genes tested, suggesting that goats, like cattle and sheep, are unlikely to be a significant reservoir of EAEC.Universidad Complutense de Madrid-Banco SantanderGR3/14Depto. de Sanidad AnimalFac. de VeterinariaTRUEpu

Subtilase Cytotoxin-Coding Genes in Verotoxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains from Sheep and Goats Differ from Those from Cattle▿

Subtilase cytotoxin (SubAB) from verotoxin (VT)-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) strains was first described in the 98NK2 strain and has been associated with human disease. However, SubAB has recently been found in two VT-negative E. coli strains (ED 591 and ED 32). SubAB is encoded by two closely linked, cotranscribed genes (subA and subB). In this study, we investigated the presence of subAB genes in 52 VTEC strains isolated from cattle and 209 strains from small ruminants, using PCR. Most (91.9%) VTEC strains from sheep and goats and 25% of the strains from healthy cattle possessed subAB genes. The presence of subAB in a high percentage of the VTEC strains from small ruminants might increase the pathogenicity of these strains for human beings. Some differences in the results of PCRs and in the association with some virulence genes suggested the existence of different variants of subAB. We therefore sequenced the subA gene in 12 strains and showed that the subA gene in most of the subAB-positive VTEC strains from cattle was almost identical (about 99%) to that in the 98NK2 strain, while the subA gene in most of the subAB-positive VTEC strains from small ruminants was almost identical to that in the ED 591 strain. We propose the terms subAB1 to describe the SubAB-coding genes resembling that in the 98NK2 strain and subAB2 to describe those resembling that in the ED 591 strain