Inexpensive vaccine for Malaria may soon be available
Researchers from the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology and the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Diego are successful in engineering algae to produce potential vaccine candidates which can prevent transmission of the parasite that causes malaria. This milestone has the potential in the development of an inexpensive method to prevent transmission and infection of Malaria–one of the world’s most prevalent and debilitating diseases.
Algae are a large and diverse group of mostly autotrophic unicellular and multicellular organisms. Examples of algae range from the unicellular diatoms to the multicellular giant kelps.
Article source:
Gregory JA, Li F, Tomosada LM, Cox CJ, Topol AB, et al. (2012) Algae-Produced Pfs25 Elicits Antibodies That Inhibit Malaria Transmission. PLoS ONE 7(5):e37179. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037179
Staphylococcus aureus associated with animals adapts to spread in humans
A methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clone known as ST398 has emerged as a major cause of acute infections in individuals who have close contact with livestock. More recently, the emergence of an animal-independent ST398 methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) clone has been documented in several countries. However, the limited surveillance of MSSA has precluded an accurate assessment of the global spread of ST398 and its clinical relevance. Here we provide evidence that ST398 is a frequent source of MSSA infections in northern Manhattan and is readily transmitted between individuals in households. This contrasts with the limited transmissibility of livestock-associated ST398 (LA-ST398) MRSA strains between humans. Our whole-genome sequence analysis revealed that the chromosome of the human-associated ST398 MSSA clone is smaller than that of the LA-ST398 MRSA reference strain S0385, due mainly to fewer mobile genetic elements (MGEs). In contrast, human ST398 MSSA isolates harbored the prophage φ3 and the human-specific immune evasion cluster (IEC) genes chp and scn. While most of the core genome was conserved between the human ST398 MSSA clone and S0385, these strains differed substantially in their repertoire and composition of intact adhesion genes. These genetic changes were associated with significantly enhanced adhesion of human ST398 MSSA isolates to human skin keratinocytes and keratin. We propose that the human ST398 MSSA clone can spread independent of animal contact using an optimized repertoire of MGEs and adhesion molecules adapted to transmission among humans.
H5N1 discussion continues in mBio: H5N1 flu is just as dangerous as feared, now requires action
The debate about the potential severity of an outbreak of airborne H5N1 influenza in humans needs to move on from speculation and focus instead on how we can safely continue H5N1 research and share the results among researchers, according to a commentary to be published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. In the mBio® perspective, Michael Osterholm and Nicholas Kelley, of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, present their case that H5N1 is a very dangerous virus, based on their analysis of published studies of the seroepidemiology of H5N1 in humans.
Article source
Mammalian-Transmissible H5N1 Influenza: Facts and Perspective
Michael T. Osterholm and Nicholas S. Kelley
