Avian chlamydiosis is one of the important neglected diseases with critical zoonotic potential. Chlamydia psittaci , the causative agent, affects most categories of birds, livestock, companion animals, and humans. It has many obscured characters and epidemiological dimensions, which makes it unique among other bacterial agents. Recent reports on transmission from equine to humans alarmed the public health authorities, and it necessitates the importance of routine screening of this infectious disease. High prevalence of spill-over infection in equines was associated with reproductive losses. Newer avian chlamydial species are being reported in the recent years. It is a potential biological warfare agent and the disease is an occupational hazard mainly to custom officers handling exotic birds. Prevalence of the disease in wild birds, pet birds, and poultry causes economic losses to the poultry industry and the pet bird trade. Interestingly, there are speculations on the ‘legal’ and ‘illegal’ bird trade that may be the global source of some of the most virulent strains of this pathogen. The mortality rate generally ranges from 5 to 40% in untreated cases, but it can sometimes be higher in co-infection. The intracellular lifestyle of this pathogen makes the diagnosis more complicated and there is also lack of accurate diagnostics. Resistance to antibiotics is reported only in some pathogens of the Chlamydiaceae family, but routine screening may assess the actual situation in all pathogens. Due to the diverse nature of the pathogen, the organism necessitates the One Health partnerships to have complete understanding. The present review focuses on the zoonotic aspects of avian chlamydiosis with its new insights into the pathogenesis, transmission, treatment, prevention, and control strategies. The review also briefs on the basic understandings and complex epidemiology of avian chlamydiosis, highlighting the need for research on emerging one health perspectives.
In modern drug discovery, molecular docking analysis is routinely used to understand and predict the interaction between a drug molecule and a target protein from a microbe. Drugs identified in this way may inhibit the entry and replication of pathogens in host cells. The SARS-CoV-2 associated coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has become the most contagious and deadly pandemic disease in the world today. In abeyance of any specific vaccine or therapeutic against SARS-CoV-2, the burgeoning situation urges a need for effective drugs to treat the virus-infected patients. Herbal medicines have been used as natural remedies for treating various infectious diseases since ancient times. The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 is important for the attachment and pathogenesis of the virus. Therefore, this study focused on the search of useful ligands for S protein among active constituents present in common herbs that could serve as efficient remedies for COVID-19. We analysed the binding efficiency of twelve compounds present in common herbs with the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 through molecular docking analysis and also results are validated with two different docking tools. The binding efficiency of ligands was scored based on their predicted pharmacological interactions coupled with binding energy estimates. In docking analysis, compound “I” (Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) was found to have the highest binding affinity with the viral S protein, followed by compounds, “F” (Curcumin),“D” (Apigenin) and “E” (Chrysophanol). The present study corroborates that compound “I” (EGCG) mostly present in the integrants of green tea, shows the highest potentiality for acting as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2. Further, characterization of the amino acid residues comprising the viral binding site and the nature of the hydrogen bonding involved in the ligand-receptor interaction revealed significant findings with herbal compound “I” (EGCG) binding to the S protein at eight amino acid residues. The binding sites are situated near to the amino acids which are required for virus pathogenicity. The findings of the present study need in vivo experiments to prove the utility of “I”, “F”,“D” and “E” compounds and their further use in making herb-based anti-SARS-CoV-2 product in near future. This analysis may help to create a new ethno-drug formulation for preventing or curing the COVID-19.
Interaction of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein with the ACE2 cell receptor is very crucial for virus attachment to human cells. Selected mutations in SARS-CoV-2 S-protein are reported to strengthen its binding affinity to mammalian ACE2. The N501T mutation in SARS-CoV-2-CTD furnishes better support to hotspot 353 in comparison with SARS-CoV and shows higher affinity for receptor binding. Recombination analysis exhibited higher recombination events in SARS-CoV-2 strains, irrespective of their geographical origin or hosts. Investigation further supports a common origin among SARS-CoV-2 and its predecessors, SARS-CoV and bat-SARS-like-CoV. The recombination events suggest a constant exchange of genetic material among the co-infecting viruses in possible reservoirs and human hosts before SARS-CoV-2 emerged. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis of codon usage bias (CUB) in SARS-CoV-2 revealed significant CUB among the S-genes of different beta-coronaviruses governed majorly by natural selection and mutation pressure. Various indices of codon usage of S-genes helped in quantifying its adaptability in other animal hosts. These findings might help in identifying potential experimental animal models for investigating pathogenicity for drugs and vaccine development experiments.
Brucellosis poses a significant burden to human and animal health worldwide. Robust and harmonized molecular epidemiological approaches and population studies that include routine disease screening are needed to efficiently track the origin and spread of Brucella strains.
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