Addressing the Burden of the Vaccine-Preventable Respiratory Diseases: From the Pneumococcal Vaccination Case Study in Italy to the EU Council Conclusion on (adult) Vaccination

In the current transition to a new phase of the pandemic, it is crucial to act fast and together, and to use the summer window to prepare for possible future pandemic surges next autumn/winter and beyond. In particular, one aspect worth raising is that we no longer have only flu to consider, we have a trio of Vaccine-Preventable Respiratory Diseases (VPRDs), and we need to ensure that pneumococcal pneumonia, Covid...

Polio Vaccines: The Global Effort to Eradicate Polio

Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease that may lead to paralysis or even death. In addition to potential damage to the central nervous system, polio symptoms may also resurface in a condition called post-polio syndrome decades after initial infection. The disease is caused by poliovirus, a virus that spreads through the fecal-oral route and has three distinct serotypes (types 1, 2, and 3). Although two of the thr...

A viewpoint commentary on the success of the UK mass vaccination immunotherapy trials and european dark side history on Oxford Astrazeneca Vaccine (OAZ) deployment: is the europe’s Precautionary action over OAZ vaccine is more than the science?

The well-known by name the Oxford AstraZeneca (OAZ) vaccine manufactured at large scale for the whole world, with a novel noble idea of being almost cost free, has been validated internationally and approved by the WHO, UK- MRHA, EMA, US FDA regulatory agencies for clinical intervention against Corona virus infection. In several observational clinical trials, using both the Pfizer and OAZ vaccines, to understand t...

Therapeutic Antibody for Epidemic Keratoconjuctivitis in a Rabbit Model

Epidemic Keratoconjuctivitis (EKC) is a highly contagious infectious eye disease caused by Adenovirus (Ad) infection [1]. So far, neither vaccines nor effective therapy are available for this infection. In this study, we discovered an eye-drop antibody against Ad that inhibits Ad replication in an Ad5/NZ white rabbit ocular model [2]. Our results indicate that the Ad antibody may be used as therapy for EKC infecti...

No Mechanism Found for Spontaneous Tetanus Immunity in Rural Cambodia

Introduction: It has been recorded as hypothesis that, in tropics, being repeatedly contaminated by cow’s dung containing Clostridium Tetani, administered through open wounds in sole feet, you may benefit from a non-vaccination spontaneous protective immunity against tetanus, obviating tetanus immunization. Methods: A catch-up adult tetanus vaccination, with two sessions one year apart, was organized in 1992-4 for...

Pneumococcal Vaccine: 10 Years of Strategies and Challenges in Brazil

Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important pathogen that leads to a wide range of diseases (e.g., from simple colonization to invasive pneumococcal disease) in children, adults, and individuals with underlying conditions. Conjugate vaccines have been developed against S. pneumoniae to stimulate effective antipneumococcal antibody and immunological memory. In Brazil, most of population uses the Unified Health System,...

Vaccination of Children with Tuberculosis Infection by Pneumococcal Polysaccharide 23 Valent Vaccine

Importance: Vaccination against pneumococcal infection is an important method to reduce the morbidity caused by respiratory diseases in patients with chronic diseases. Children with tuberculosis infection are in the group of risk due to their susceptibility to pneumococcal infections. Tuberculosis in children and adolescents is an urgent challenge for public health service in Russia, but these children are not vac...

Evaluation of Capsular Polysaccharide Production by Haemophilus Influenzae type B in Different Culture Media

Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib), an encapsulated Gram-negative coccobacillus, is one of the most common agents of meningitis worldwide. The Hib vaccine is included in the routine immunization schedule of several countries. The capsular polysaccharide, Poliribosyl-Ribitol-Phosphate (PRP), conjugated to a carrier protein is the antigen of the vaccine against Hib. Currently in industrial processes, Hib is cultivated i...

Instability and Depolymerization of the Exopolysaccharide Produced by Haemophilus Influenzae Type B during Fermentation

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a pathogenic bacterium and the major cause of sequalae and deaths among infants due to meningitis. Hib vaccine is constituted of the exopolysaccharide from the cell capsule and conjugated to a carrier protein. The production of the polysaccharide is complicated due to low yields of production and product recovery in the downstream. In this work, the profiles of molecular mass...

Purification of a Phosphated Biopolymer by Selective Ethanol Precipitation in Presence of Surfactant and Sodium Acetate

Bacteria have the ability to produce biopolymers with different chemical properties, for different purposes and vary according to the bacterial strains and their physiological status, and these can be used as vaccine antigens. Haemophilus influenzae type b is a microorganism pathogenic to humans, which causes several types of infections. It is classified into six serotypes, the biopolymer of serotype b (Hib) being...

The Ethics of Vaccination against Infectious Diseases: The Two Sides of the Coin

Vaccination involves the use of killed or attenuated microorganism or its antigenic component such as the protein or toxin to stimulate the body to develop immunity against the diseases caused by the organism. This process is believed to be one of the most successful means of infectious disease prevention and control. The public health is saddled with the responsibility of protecting the health of the population a...

Kinectic Models of Exopolysaccharide Production by Haemophilus Influenzae Type B

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a pathogenic bacterium responsible for meningitis in infants and elderly. The polysaccharide present in the extracellular layer of the bacterium is an efficient antigen for vaccination when conjugated to a carrier protein. Immunization against Hib is encouraged to be extended in the developing countries, which sets a high demand on the production of the polysaccharide. The fe...

In Vitro Experimental Evaluation of Antiviral and Anticancer Potentials of Both Orange Albedo and Grape Seed Extracts

Nowadays, the recovery of health benefit bioactive compounds from fruit wastes is a research trend not only to help minimize the waste burden, but also to meet the intensive demand from the public for phenolic compounds which are believed to have protective effects against chronic diseases. The present work aimed to evaluate the antiviral and anticancer potentials of reusable Orange Albedo Extract (OAlbE) and Grap...

Flagellin Built-In Protein Nanoparticle-Based Vaccine Prototype Displaying Epitopes M2e and Helix C Protects Chickens from Challenge of a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus H5N2

We used a platform of Self-Assembling Protein Nanoparticles (SAPNs) to develop a self-adjuvanted vaccine for Avian Influenza Virus (AIV). A SAPNs named SA-MC-Penn was designed to display the ectodomain of influenza Matrix protein 2 (M2e) as a tetramer and Helix C (Hel C) of hemagglutinin as a trimer. Flagellin domains expressed within a peptide chain were co assembled into the SAPN core serving as a built-in adjuv...

Case Study: Rabies Vaccine Adverse Reaction in a Dog

An apparently healthy adult, neutered male Great Dane was given a legally mandated rabies vaccine booster. This was the dog’s third rabies booster, although the vaccine used this time contained thimerosal (mercury). For the next few days, the dog was febrile, irritable and anorexic. By a week later (post vaccination day 10), the dog was lethargic and had developed ulcerating sores along the face, chest, back and a...