Zika Virus and Its Association with Neurological Disorders

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus that can be identified as a small envelope with a positive-stranded RNA and an important medical pathogen, which causes deadly human diseases. The virus is carried by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes through a blood meal and it is also spread through body fluids. ZIKV infection may present with symptoms like fever, myalgia, maculopapular rash as well as neurological sequelae, which include, microcephaly, epilepsy, and Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS). This put the virus on a scale of the public health burden of almost 87 countries. The potential threat of ZIKV infection is not completely eradicated in many countries in Africa, America, and the Western Pacific regions. There are no vaccines and treatments available to date. Since ZIKV causes microcephaly in utero by targeting neural progenitor cells, inducing apoptosis, and impairing neurodevelopment, this article hopes to evaluate the neurological disorders associated with the Zika virus infection while elucidating the current trends in the development of vaccines and drugs.

Molecular characterization of an outbreak-involved Bacillus anthracis strain confirms the spillover of anthrax from West Africa

Background Anthrax,a zoonotic disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis,remains a major global public health concern,especially in countries with limited resources.Sierra Leone,a West African country historically plagued by anthrax,has almost been out of report on this disease in recent decades.In this study,we described a large-scale anthrax outbreak affecting both animals and humans and attempted to characterize the path-ogenusingmoleculartechniques.Methods The causative agent of the animal outbreak in Port Loko District,Sierra Leone,between March and May 2022 was identified using the nanopore sequencing technique.A nationwide active surveillance was implemented from May 2022 to June 2023 to monitor the occurrence of anthrax-specific symptoms in humans.Suspected cases were subsequently verified using quantitative polymerase chain reaction.Full-genome sequencing was accomplished by combining long-read and short-read sequencing methods.Subsequent phylogenetic analysis was performed based on the full-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms.Results The outbreak in Port Loko District,Sierra Leone,led to the death of 233 animals between March 26th and May 16th,2022.We ruled out the initial suspicion of Anaplasma species and successfully identified B.anthracis as the causative agent of the outbreak.As a result of the government's prompt response,out of the 49 suspected human cases identifed during the one-year active surveillance,only 6 human cases tested positive,all within the frst month after the official declaration of the outbreak.The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the BaSL2022 isolate responsible for the outbreak was positioned in the A.Br.153 clade within the TransEuroAsian group of B.anthracis.Conclusions We successfully identifed a large-scale anthrax outbreak in Sierra Leone.The causative isolate of B.anthracis,BaSL2022,phylogenetically bridged other lineages in A.Br.153 clade and neighboring genetic groups,A.Br.144 and A.Br.148,eventually confirming the spillover of anthrax from West Africa.Given the wide dissemination of B.anthracis spores,it is highly advisable to effectively monitor the potential reoccurrence of anthrax outbreaks and to launch campaigns to improve public awareness regarding anthrax in Sierra Leone.

Sendai virus-based immunoadjuvant in hydrogel vaccine intensity-modulated dendritic cells activation for suppressing tumorigenesis

The conventional immunoadjuvants in vaccine have weak effect on stimulating antigen presentation and activating anti-tumor immunity.Unexpectedly,we discovered that non-pathogenic Sendai virus(SeV)could activate antigen-presenting cells(APCs)represented by dendritic cells(DCs).Here,we designed an injectable SeV-based hydrogel vaccine(SHV)to execute multi-channel recruitment and stimulation of DCs for boosting the specific immune response against tumors.After the release of the NIR-triggered antigens from tumor cells,dendritic cells around the vaccine efficiently transport the antigens to lymph nodes and present them to T lymphocytes,thereby inducing systemic anti-tumor immune memory.Our findings demonstrated that the SHV with excellent universality,convenience and flexibility has achieved better immune protection effects in inhibiting the occurrence of melanoma and breast cancer.In conclusion,the SHV system might serve as the next generation of personalized anti-tumor vaccines with enhanced features over standard vaccination regimens,and represented an alternative way to suppress tumorigenesis.