BackgroundIn recent years, the idea of a highly immunogenic protein-based vaccine to combat Streptococcus pneumoniae and its severe invasive infectious diseases has gained considerable interest. However, the target proteins to be included in a vaccine formulation have to accomplish several genetic and immunological characteristics, (such as conservation, distribution, immunogenicity and protective effect), in order to ensure its suitability and effectiveness. This study aimed to get comprehensive insights into the genomic organization, population distribution and genetic conservation of all pneumococcal surface-exposed proteins, genetic regulators and other virulence factors, whose important function and role in pathogenesis has been demonstrated or hypothesized.ResultsAfter retrieving the complete set of DNA and protein sequences reported in the databases GenBank, KEGG, VFDB, P2CS and Uniprot for pneumococcal strains whose genomes have been fully sequenced and annotated, a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis and systematic comparison has been performed for each virulence factor, stand-alone regulator and two-component regulatory system (TCS) encoded in the pan-genome of S. pneumoniae. A total of 25 S. pneumoniae strains, representing different pneumococcal phylogenetic lineages and serotypes, were considered. A set of 92 different genes and proteins were identified, classified and studied to construct a pan-genomic variability map (variome) for S. pneumoniae. Both, pneumococcal virulence factors and regulatory genes, were well-distributed in the pneumococcal genome and exhibited a conserved feature of genome organization, where replication and transcription are co-oriented. The analysis of the population distribution for each gene and protein showed that 49 of them are part of the core genome in pneumococci, while 43 belong to the accessory-genome. Estimating the genetic variability revealed that pneumolysin, enolase and Usp45 (SP_2216 in S. p. TIGR4) are the pneumococcal virulence factors with the highest conservation, while TCS08, TCS05, and TCS02 represent the most conserved pneumococcal genetic regulators.ConclusionsThe results identified well-distributed and highly conserved pneumococcal virulence factors as well as regulators, representing promising candidates for a new generation of serotype-independent protein-based vaccine(s) to combat pneumococcal infections.
INTRODUCCIÓN Las enfermedades conocidas como fasciolosis y paramfistomosis son causadas por digeneos de distribución mundial, que afectan principalmente la salud de los rumiantes y en consecuencia reducen su productividad cárnica y láctea. En Colombia se registran altas prevalencias de estas distomatosis, incluso en coinfección. En la región norte del departamento de Antioquia los municipios lecheros presentan prevalencias de hasta 29% de fasciolosis, causada por Fasciola hepatica. En Gómez Plata, un municipio de la misma región, se desarrolla ganadería de doble propósito y la planta del sacrificio local decomisa el 6,25% de los hígados al hallarlos infectados por este trematodo; la mayoría de los hígados se obtienen de bovinos que vienen de la vereda Balsas. OBJETIVO Determinar los focos de fasciolosis y paramfistomosis y la prevalncia de ambos parásitos en bovinos de la vereda Balsas. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS Se realizó un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal; se muestrearon por conveniencia predios y bovinos, y se aplicó una encuesta epidemiológica en cada predio. Se recolectaron moluscos y muestras de heces de bovinos. El diagnóstico parasitológico se hizo mediante la técnica de Dennis modificada, y los moluscos se identificaron por morfología. RESULTADOS Se recolectaron 84 muestras de heces bovinas en 13 de los 18 predios de la vereda Balsas, determinándose una prevalencia de paramfistómidos del 47,6% y de Fasciola hepatica del 13,1%. Se encontró coinfección en el 9% de los bovinos. Se recolectó Lymnaea columella en dos predios, ambos con diagnóstico positivo de ambas trematodosis. CONCLUSIONES Se determinó por primera vez para Colombia, coinfección de fasciolosis y paramfistomosis en bovinos doble propósito; así como focos de estas parasitosis en la vereda Balsas.
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