Izolacija i ispitivanje vibrio spp. I aeromonas spp. prouzrokovača bolesti riba i njihovih specifičnih bakteriofaga iz vodene sredine Gruzije

Infekcije povezane sa Vibrio spp. i Aeromonas spp. koje se javljaju kod riba iz morske i slatkovodne sredine se navode širom sveta. Bolest, kada izbije, može izazvati znatan mortalitet u ribnjacima. Cilj ovih ispitivanja je bila izolacija i identifikacija Vibrio spp. i Aeromonas spp. izazivača bolesti riba iz gruzijske obalske zone Crnog mora i slatkovodnih akumulacija, kao i njihovog diverziteta i kvantitativnog učešća. Sezonski monitoring je izvođen u morskim (2006 - 2009) i slatkovodnim akumulacijama-Lisi jezeru, Tbilisi moru i Kumisi jezeru (2006 - 2010). 223 izolata Aeromonas spp. i 858 izolata Vibrio spp. je ispitano. Ukupno 8 vrsta Aeromonas i 14 vrsta Vibrio pronađeno je u vodenoj sredini Gruzije. V. parahaemolyticus, V. natriegens, V. pelagius preovlađuju u morskoj vodi. Veći deo V. mimicus, V. vulnificus, V. alginolyticus, V. cholerae, V. nigripulchritudo, V. nereis, V. campbellii, A. media, A. veronii, A. eucrenopila, A. sobria, A. schuberti, A. salmonicida su nađene u slatkovodnim akumulacijama. V. orientalis, V. metchnikovii, V. splendidus, V. marinus, A. hydrophila, A. caviae se mogu naći u i morskim i u slatkovodnim akumulacijama. Sojevi su podeljeni u grupe po sličnosti zasnovanoj na njihovim zahtevima za salinitetom. Drugi cilj ovih ispitivanja je bilo izolovanje soja specifičnih bakteriofaga iz uzoraka vode. Dobijeno je 49 primarnih fag izolata, većina iz slatkovodnih rezervoara. Litični spektar bakteriofaga je ispitivan koristeći izabrani set sojeva domaćina. U rezultatima kloniranja 9 primarnih mešavina faga dobijeno je 13 klona bakteriofaga aktivnih za A. sobria, A. caviae, A. salmonicida, A. eucrenophila

Quality-Controlled Small-Scale Production of a Well-Defined Bacteriophage Cocktail for Use in Human Clinical Trials

We describe the small-scale, laboratory-based, production and quality control of a cocktail, consisting of exclusively lytic bacteriophages, designed for the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus infections in burn wound patients. Based on succesive selection rounds three bacteriophages were retained from an initial pool of 82 P. aeruginosa and 8 S. aureus bacteriophages, specific for prevalent P. aeruginosa and S. aureus strains in the Burn Centre of the Queen Astrid Military Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. This cocktail, consisting of P. aeruginosa phages 14/1 (Myoviridae) and PNM (Podoviridae) and S. aureus phage ISP (Myoviridae) was produced and purified of endotoxin. Quality control included Stability (shelf life), determination of pyrogenicity, sterility and cytotoxicity, confirmation of the absence of temperate bacteriophages and transmission electron microscopy-based confirmation of the presence of the expected virion morphologic particles as well as of their specific interaction with the target bacteria. Bacteriophage genome and proteome analysis confirmed the lytic nature of the bacteriophages, the absence of toxin-coding genes and showed that the selected phages 14/1, PNM and ISP are close relatives of respectively F8, φKMV and phage G1. The bacteriophage cocktail is currently being evaluated in a pilot clinical study cleared by a leading Medical Ethical Committee

The H-Y Antigen in Embryonic Stem Cells Causes Rejection in Syngeneic Female Recipients

Pluripotent stem cells are promising candidates for cell-based regenerative therapies. To avoid rejection of transplanted cells, several approaches are being pursued to reduce immunogenicity of the cells or modulate the recipient's immune response. These include gene editing to reduce the antigenicity of cell products, immunosuppression of the host, or using major histocompatibility complex-matched cells from cell banks. In this context, we have investigated the antigenicity of H-Y antigens, a class of minor histocompatibility antigens encoded by the Y chromosome, to assess whether the gender of the donor affects the cell's antigenicity. In a murine transplant model, we show that the H-Y antigen in undifferentiated embryonic stem cells (ESCs), as well as ESC-derived endothelial cells, provokes T- and B cell responses in female recipients.Vascular Surger

Silk route to the acceptance and re-implementation of bacteriophage therapy.

This multidisciplinary expert panel opinion on bacteriophage therapy has been written in the context of a society that is confronted with an ever-increasing number of antibiotic resistant bacteria. To avoid the return to a pre-antibiotic era, alternative treatments are urgently needed. The authors aim to contribute to the opinion formation of relevant stakeholders on how to potentially develop an infrastructure and legislation that paves the way for the acceptance and re-implementation of bacteriophage therapy