No abstract

In this study, we investigated the capacity of the recombinant proteins SpaC, NanH, SodC, and PLD of C. pseudotuberculosis to trigger protective humoral and cellular immune responses against experimentally induced C. pseudotuberculosis infection in sheep. The antigens were produced in a heterologous system and were purified by affinity chromatography. Nine sheep were randomly divided into three groups, which were immunized as follows: Group 1 (control)—a mix of adjuvants composed of the inactivated T1 strain of C. pseudotuberculosis and commercial Montanide™ISA 61 VG (T1M); Group 2—rSpaC, rSodC, rPLD, and T1M; Group 3—rNanH, rSodC, rPLD, and T1M. All groups were immunized twice (on days 0 and 30) and challenged on day 90 of the experiment. Humoral and cellular immune responses were evaluated by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to quantify the IgG antibodies and interferon-gamma (IFN-y). Both vaccine formulations with recombinant proteins (groups 2 and 3) could induce a significant humoral IgG immune response in sheep. The proteins rSodC, rPLD, and rNanH were more immunogenic, inducing significant levels of IgG antibodies after the first dose of the vaccine or after the challenge, maintaining constant levels until the end of the experiment. However, it was not possible to differentiate between the cellular responses induced by the vaccines. This lack of effectiveness points toward the need for further studies to improve the efficacy of this subunit-based vaccine approach.

The IFNG+874 polymorphism was not shown to influence QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test performance in an admixed population from northeastern Brazil.

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, transmitted from person to person through contact among susceptible untreated patients. It presents a broad clinical spectrum which is related to the host's ability to mount a specific immune response. The lesions caused by the proliferation of Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) were significantly reduced in recent years with the early detection of new cases. Because they are less evident and/or study, maxillofacial injuries and the oral mucosa may reveal important details about the transmissibility and immunopathogenesis of leprosy. This article was based on a literature to verify an interrelation between oral manifestations in virchowian patients and immuno-pathological factors. Association between the infection of oral mucosa and some pathological findings as well as the participation of the local immune response in protection against the disease are research topics still not fully exploited.

No abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between salivary anti-Porphyromonas gingivalis IgA antibodies and the leprosy reaction. The levels of salivary anti - P. gingivalis IgA antibodies, together with salivary flow and pH were measured in individuals diagnosed with leprosy and associated with the development of the leprosy reaction. Saliva was collected from 202 individuals diagnosed with leprosy at a reference leprosy treatment center, 106 cases with leprosy reaction and 96 controls without leprosy reaction. Anti - P. gingivalis IgA was evaluated by indirect immunoenzyme assay. Non-conditional logistic regression analysis was employed to estimate the association between antibody levels and the leprosy reaction. There was a positive statistically significant association between the levels of anti - P. gingivalis IgA and the presence of the leprosy reaction, controlling for confounders: age, sex, level of education and alcoholic beverage consumption: ORajusted: 2.55; IC 95%: 1.34–4.87. Individuals with leprosy who had high production of salivary anti - P. gingivalis IgA had approximately twice as many chances of developing the leprosy reaction. The findings suggest a possible relationship between salivary anti - P. gingivalis IgA antibodies and the leprosy reaction.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between salivary anti-Porphyromonas gingivalis IgA antibodies and the leprosy reaction. The levels of salivary anti - P. gingivalis IgA antibodies, together with salivary flow and pH were measured in individuals diagnosed with leprosy and associated with the development of the leprosy reaction. Saliva was collected from 202 individuals diagnosed with leprosy at a reference leprosy treatment center, 106 cases with the leprosy reaction and 96 controls without the leprosy reaction. Anti - P. gingivalis IgA was evaluated by indirect immunoenzyme assay. Non-conditional logistic regression analysis was employed to estimate the association between antibody levels and the leprosy reaction. There was a positive statistically significant association between the levels of anti - P. gingivalis IgA and the presence of the leprosy reaction, controlling for confounders: age, sex, level of education and alcoholic beverage consumption: ORajusted: 2.55; IC 95%: 1.34–4.87. Individuals with leprosy who had high levels of salivary anti - P. gingivalis IgA had approximately twice as many chances of developing the leprosy reaction. The findings suggest a possible relationship between salivary anti - P. gingivalis IgA antibodies and the leprosy reaction.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most frequent viral infection in liver recipients, acting as immunomodulatory factor for other opportunistic infections and rejection. We assessed the outcomes of CMV infection in liver recipients in a high CMV seroprevalence region and the use of antigenemia for the diagnosis of CMV syndrome. Between March 2007 and April 2009, 44 liver recipients collected 344 samples for CMV antigenemia. Defi nition of active CMV infections used literature criteria. Recipients' outcomes [CMV syndrome, Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) recurrence, rejection and mortality] were analyzed. Performance of antigenemia for the diagnosis of CMV syndrome was assessed by the area under the Receiver Operating Curve (AUROC) of 52 positive samples, representing 24 recipients. CMV serology was positive (R+) in 90.9% of liver recipients. CMV syndrome occurred in 18 (40.9%) recipients. CMV negative serology (R-) recipients had lower disease-free time, as well as lower one-year and four-year survival rates (p = 0.022 and p = 0.004, respectively). HCV+ recipients presented CMV-associated indirect eff ects and had a tendency to lower fouryear survival rate (p=0.089). Th e AUROC for CMV syndrome was 0.745 (95% CI 0.606 to 0.856, p = 0.006), with a cut-off of more than 8 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes, (sensitivity of 88.9% and specifi city of 74.4%). CMV infection is associated to morbidity and lower survival rates in liver recipients in a high CMV seroprevalence region. Using antigenemia, the cut-off for diagnosing CMV syndrome was higher than 8 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes, with an appropriated performance through its accuracy.