Article
Microbiology
Rima Jeske, Larissa Dangel, Leander Sauerbrey, Dimitrios Frangoulidis, Lauren R. Teras, Silke F. Fischer, Tim Waterboer
Summary: The bacterium Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) is the causative agent of Q fever and has gained increasing interest due to outbreak events and its potential risk factor for lymphoma development. Multiplex serology using nine C. burnetii proteins showed promising results with specific antigens Com1 and GroEL achieving the highest sensitivity and specificity in detecting infections. This technology is valuable for investigating associations between C. burnetii infections and clinical manifestations in large-scale studies.
Article
Immunology
Stephen R. Graves, Aminul Islam, Lawrence D. Webb, Ian Marsh, Karren Plain, Mark Westman, Xavier A. Conlan, Rodney Carbis, Rudolf Toman, John Stenos
Summary: Q fever is a worldwide problem caused by Coxiella burnetii bacterium. A successful study has shown that a conjugate vaccine, consisting of O-specific polysaccharide from C. burnetii and tetanus toxoid, can provide protection against virulent C. burnetii in guinea pigs. The vaccine showed promising results and could potentially replace the current Q-VAX vaccine.
Article
Immunology
Alycia P. Fratzke, Sharon Jan, Jiin Felgner, Li Liang, Rie Nakajima, Algis Jasinskas, Saikat Manna, Fnu N. Nihesh, Sampa Maiti, Tyler J. Albin, Aaron P. Esser-Kahn, D. Huw Davies, James E. Samuel, Philip L. Felgner, Anthony E. Gregory
Summary: Q fever, caused by Coxiella burnetii, poses a potential bioterrorism threat due to its transmission route and resistance to disinfectants. The only licensed vaccine, Q-VAX, can cause severe reactions in sensitized individuals, leading to regulatory reluctance. Research on subunit vaccines with TLR agonists shows potential for protective immunity with reduced reactogenicity against C. burnetii infection.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Sandra Madariaga Zarza, Soraya Mezouar, Jean-Louis Mege
Summary: Infection of the placenta by C. burnetii leads to different responses from various cell types, with trophoblasts potentially serving as a niche for bacterial replication, macrophages and mast cells playing a role in bacterial elimination, and dendritic cells being impaired in their maturation.
Article
Immunology
Sharon Jan, Alycia P. Fratzke, Jiin Felgner, Jenny E. Hernandez-Davies, Li Liang, Rie Nakajima, Algimantas Jasinskas, Medalyn Supnet, Aarti Jain, Philip L. Felgner, D. Huw Davies, Anthony E. Gregory
Summary: Vaccines are cost-effective measures for controlling infectious diseases. This study aimed to develop a multivalent vaccine for Q fever that offers protection with reduced reactogenicity. The data showed that multivalent vaccines are more immunogenic and closely mimic the protection achieved by the existing Q-VAX vaccine.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Christina Dold, Henderson Zhu, Laura Silva -Reyes, Luke Blackwell, Aline Linder, Kevin Bewley, Kerry Godwin, Susan Fotheringham, Sue Charlton, Young Chan Kim, Andrew J. Pollard, Christine S. Rollier
Summary: Q fever is a highly infectious zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Developing vaccines that are more effective, affordable, and safe for individuals with pre-existing immunity is a global priority. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and C. burnetii surface proteins are potential vaccine antigens for Q fever.
Article
Immunology
Laetitia Gay, Soraya Mezouar, Carla Cano, Etienne Foucher, Melanie Gabriac, Marie Fullana, Loui Madakamutil, Jean-Louis Mege, Daniel Olive
Summary: This study reveals the crucial role of V gamma 9V delta 2 T cells in the immune response against C. burnetii infection. BTN3A and BTN2A are required for the activation of V gamma 9V delta 2 T cells. C. burnetii infection induces increased expression of BTN3A and BTN2A, leading to the activation of V gamma 9V delta 2 T cells. An activating antibody for BTN3A enhances the antimicrobial functions of V gamma 9V delta 2 T cells against C. burnetii.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Tim B. Fessenden, Lauren E. Stopfer, Fiona Chatterjee, Julian Zulueta, Josh Mesfin, Therese Cordero Dumit, Irene Reijers, Esmee P. Hoefsmit, Christian Blank, Forest White, Stefani Spranger
Summary: Cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells must recognize tumor-derived antigens to achieve effective tumor elimination. Our study shows that dendritic cells induce cytotoxic CD8(+) T-cell responses by cross-presenting tumor-derived peptides, and the proportion of membrane-derived neoantigens is associated with reduced survival and treatment response.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryan D. Oliveira, Michelle R. Mousel, Michael V. Gonzalez, Codie J. Durfee, Kimberly M. Davenport, Brenda M. Murdoch, J. Bret Taylor, Holly L. Neibergs, Stephen N. White
Summary: The study identified genetic loci associated with monocyte counts in sheep and found potential gene regions related to this trait. This research could provide insights into veterinary pathogens and fundamental immunology.
Article
Immunology
Rachael A. Priestley, Cody B. Smith, Halie K. Miller, Gilbert J. Kersh
Summary: This study found that the ST8 isolates of Coxiella burnetii common in the US exhibited lower virulence in a mouse model compared to ST16 and ST20 isolates. Mice infected with ST8 isolates showed less weight loss and reduced bacterial burden in tissues than those infected with ST16 and ST20 isolates, which induced stronger antibody and cytokine responses.
Article
Immunology
Maria Florencia Soler, Rocio del Carmen Bravo-Miana, Dana Maria Negretti-Borga, Paula Subirada, Vanina Alejandra Alamino, Maria Cecilia Sanchez, Ana Carolina Donadio, Claudia Gabriela Pellizas, Maria del Mar Montesinos
Summary: T3-conditioned dendritic cell vaccine shows effective anti-tumor effects in a murine model of colon carcinoma, enhancing immune response by increasing CD86 expression, promoting the production of inflammatory factors, and inducing specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. T3 also promotes the maturation and activation of human dendritic cells.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ahitsham Umar, Sadia Liaquat, Israr Fatima, Abdur Rehman, Danish Rasool, Abdulrahman Alshammari, Metab Alharbi, Muhammad Shahid Riaz Rajoka, Mohsin Khurshid, Usman Ali Ashfaq, Asma Haque
Summary: Legionella pneumophila is a bacterium found in natural aquatic environments, able to withstand different environmental conditions. It is responsible for Legionnaires' disease, a dangerous form of pneumonia, and there is currently no authorized vaccine available. Through immunoinformatics and proteomic techniques, potential antigen candidates for a multi-epitope-based vaccine were identified. A vaccine was constructed in silico, combining selected epitopes with MHC and TLR4 molecules and a 50S ribosomal adjuvant. Experimental validation is needed to confirm the vaccine's efficacy in preventing L. pneumophila infections.
BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Venkatesh Kumaresan, Shawkat Alam, Yan Zhang, Guoquan Zhang
Summary: This study demonstrates that using viable NMII as a live attenuated vaccine can confer long-term protection against virulent C. burnetii infection. Intranasal immunization shows higher level of protection compared to other routes.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Sheriene Moussa Afify, Isabella Pali-Schoell, Karin Hufnagl, Gerlinde Hofstetter, Maha Abdel-Rafea El-Bassuoni, Franziska Roth-Walter, Erika Jensen-Jarolim
Summary: The study found that holo-BLG can protect against allergic sensitization in an innate manner and decrease sensitivity to both related and unrelated allergens.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Sergei N. Shchelkunov, Alexander A. Sergeev, Stanislav N. Yakubitskiy, Ksenia A. Titova, Stepan A. Pyankov, Irina V. Kolosova, Ekaterina V. Starostina, Mariya B. Borgoyakova, Alexey M. Zadorozhny, Denis N. Kisakov, Irina S. Shulgina, Larisa I. Karpenko
Summary: Mass vaccination is crucial in global smallpox eradication. Study on mice showed varying humoral and cellular immune responses to different vaccinia virus strains used as live vaccines, indicating the importance of the humoral immune response in protection from reinfection.
