Quantitative hepatitis B core antibody and quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen:Novel viral biomarkers for chronic hepatitis B management

The management of hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection now involves regular and appropriate monitoring of viral activity,disease progression,and treatment response.Traditional HBV infection biomarkers are limited in their ability to predict clinical outcomes or therapeutic effectiveness.Quantitation of HBV core antibodies(qAnti-HBc)is a novel non-invasive biomarker that may help with a variety of diagnostic issues.It was shown to correlate strongly with infection stages,hepatic inflammation and fibrosis,chronic infection exacerbations,and the presence of occult infection.Furthermore,qAnti-HBc levels were shown to be predictive of spontaneous or treatment-induced HBeAg and HBsAg seroclearance,relapse after medication termination,re-infection following liver transplantation,and viral reactivation in the presence of immunosuppression.qAnti-HBc,on the other hand,cannot be relied on as a single diagnostic test to address all problems,and its diagnostic and prognostic potential may be greatly increased when paired with qHBsAg.Commercial qAnti-HBc diagnostic kits are currently not widely available.Because many methodologies are only semi-quantitative,comparing data from various studies and defining universal cut-off values remains difficult.This review focuses on the clinical utility of qAnti-HBc and qHBsAg in chronic hepatitis B management.

Expression and significance of HBV genes and their antigens in human primary intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

AIM To explore the etiology and pathogenesis of human primary intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, the expression of HBV genes and HBV-antigens was detected in the cancerous tissue and its surrounding hepatic tissues.METHODS HBV-antigens were detected by immunohistochemical technique and HBV genes were examined with in situ hybridization.RESULTS In 20 cases of cholangiocarcinoma, the positive detection rate of HBxAg, pre-S1, pre-S2, HBsAg and HBcAg was 75%, 40%, 40%, 10% and 0%, respectively, and in the surrounding hepatic tissues of 19 cases the positive rates were 84.2%, 47.9%, 47.9%, 31.6% and 31.6%. Among 40 cases of cholangiocarcinoma, the positive rate of HBV-DNA, x gene, pre-s gene, s gene and s gene fell on 77.5%, 70.0%, 47.5%, 40% and 42.5%, respectively, and of the surrounding hepatic tissues in 33 cases, 87.9%, 84.8%, 63.6%, 69.7% and 66.7%.CONCLUSION The development of human primary intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma bears a close relationship with chronic persistent HBV infection. Particularly, the x gene of HBV and its protein (HBxAg) might play an important role in pathogenesis of hepatic carcinoma.A large number of studies indicate a close relationship between human primary hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, which is considered generally as an important factor in the development of hepatic carcinoma[1,2]. In human primary hepatic carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma is more frequently encountered, while intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ChC), including hepatocholangiocarcinoma (HChC), is relatively less, being 8%-10%[3]. For a long time, the etiology and pathogenesis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma have been unclear. A few reports considered it to be related to infestation with clonorchiasis sinensis[4,5], but never involved with HBV infection. We used immunohistochemical technique and in situ hybridization methods to detect HBV genes and their -related antigens in the tissues of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and its surrounding hepatic tissues for the purpose of exploring the etiology and pathogenesis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Effect of Viral Antigen Levels on the Serological Response and Efficiency of the Binary Ethylenimine-Inactivated Bluetongue Virus Serotype-16 Vaccine

Bluetongue (BT) is a serious hemorrhagic disease of ruminants caused by bluetongue virus (BTV). Inactive BTV vaccines have been successful in field trials in some areas, and inactivated vaccines are considered safer. However, information about the effect of the viral antigen level on the serological response and efficiency of the inactive BTV-16 vaccine is lacking. In the present study, the serological response and efficiency of the viral antigen concentration in the binary ethylenimine-inactivated Chinese BTV serotype-16 vaccine were investigated. The viral antigens in the viral suspension (VS) were quantified using a modified BTV AC-ELISA method. Four batches of vaccine containing 1, 5, 10, and 50 μg/ml of viral antigen were generated from the VS. Four groups of naive Chinese sheep were vaccinated with the different vaccine batches, and the serological response and vaccine efficiency were investigated before and after challenge infection. The vaccines containing 10 and 50 μg/ml of viral antigen induced significant ELISA and neutralizing antibody titers 14 days after vaccination, whereas the vaccines containing 1 and 5 μg/ml of viral antigen did not have these effects. A booster immunization at 21 days enhanced all groups’ antibody titers;however, the increased titer was related to the viral antigen level. In contrast to the serological response, the viral antigen level of the vaccines did not have a significant effect on the vaccine efficiency. With the exception of one sheep from the 5 μg/ml viral antigen group, all vaccinated sheep from the four antigen level groups showed strong resistance to infection based on their clinical symptoms, rectal temperatures and viremia. Collectively, these data suggested that viral antigen levels from 1 to 50 μg/ml had a significant effect on the serological response of the animals but a limited effect on the vaccine efficiency. The BTV-16 vaccine containing 1 μg/ml of viral antigen was sufficient to achieve high efficiency, but only the vaccines with more than 10 μg/ml of antigen induced a significant antibody response. To obtain a better serological response, we suggest the use of vaccines with more than 10 μg/ml of viral antigen. The findings in the study will be useful for BTV vaccine production.

Correlation between expression of HLA class Ⅱ antigen on hepatocyte membrane and viral replication in chronic hepatitis B virus carriers

In order to study the relationship between replicative status and human leucocyte antigens(HLA),HLA class Ⅱ antigen on hepatocyte membrane was analyzed in liver biopsies from 49 pa-tients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.The results revealed that expression of HLA classⅡ antigen on hepatocyte membrane was observed in 57% (13/23) of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)positive,only in 15% (4/26) of anti-HBe positive carriers.The display of HLA class Ⅱ antigen onhepatocyte membrane yeas found in 65% (11/17) hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) positive and in19% (6/32) HBcAg negative patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.There was nosignificant difference in the expression of HLA class Ⅱ antigen on hepatocyte membrane between mi-nor hepatic diseases and active liver diseases.These findings suggested that display of HLA classⅡ antigen on hepatocyte membrane might be associated with viral replication in the chronic hepati-tis B virus carriers.

Anal human papilloma viral infection and squamous cell carcinoma:Need objective biomarkers for risk assessment and surveillance guidelines

High grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia due to human papilloma viral(HPV)infections is a precursor lesion for squamous cell carcinoma especially in high risk populations.Frequent examination and anal biopsies remain unpopular with patients;moreover they are also risk factors for chronic pain,scarring and sphincter injury.There is lack of uniform,surveillance methods and guidelines for anal HPV specifically the intervals between exam and biopsies.The aim of this editorial is to discuss the intervals for surveillance exam and biopsy,based on specific HPV related biomarkers?Currently there are no published randomized controlled trials documenting the effectiveness of anal screening and surveillance programs to reduce the incidence,morbidity and mortality of anal cancers.In contrast,the currently approved screening and surveillance methods available for HPV related cervical cancer includes cytology,HPV DNA test,P16 or combined P16/Ki-67 index and HPV E/6 and E/7 mRNA test.There are very few studies performed to determine the efficacy of these tests in HPV related anal precancerous lesions.The relevance of these biomarkers is discussed in this editorial.Longitudinal prospective research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of these molecular biomarkers that include high risk HPV serotyping,P16 immuno-histiochemistry and E6/E7 mRNA profiling on biopsies to elucidate and establish surveillance guidelines.

Precore/basal core promoter mutants and hepatitis B viral DNA levels as predictors for liver deaths and hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM： To conduct a retrospective study in 400 chronic hepatitis B patients in order to identify hepatitis B viral factors associated with complications of liver disease or development of hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS： The mean follow-up time was 83.6 ± 39.6 mo. Alpha-fetoprotein test and abdominal ultrasound were used for cancer surveillance. Hepatitis B basal core promoter mutants, precore mutants, genotypes, hepatitis B viral DNA （HBV DNA） level and hepatitis B e antigen （HBeAg） were measured. Univariate analysis and logistic regression were used to assess odds ratios for viral factors related to liver deaths and hepatocellular carcinoma development. RESULTS： During follow-up, 38 patients had liver deaths not related to hepatocellular carcinoma. On multivariate analysis, older age [odds ratio： 95.74 （12.13-891.31）, P 〈 0.0001], male sex [odds ratio： 7.61 （2.20-47.95）; P = 0.006], and higher Iogzo HBV DNA [odds ratio： 4.69 （1.16-20.43）; P 〈 0.0001] were independently predictive for these liver related deaths. Also, 31 patients developed hepatocellular carcinoma. Multivariate analysis showed that older age [odds ratio： 26.51 （2.36-381.47）; P = 0.007], presence of precore mutants [odds ratio： 4.23 （1.53-19.58）, P = 0.02] and presence of basal core promoter mutants [odds ratio： 2.93 （1.24-7.57）; P = 0.02] were independent predictors for progression to hepatocellular carcinoma. CONCLUSION： Our results show that high levels of baseline serum HBV DNA are associated with non- hepatocellular carcinoma-related deaths of liver failure, while genetic mutations in the basal core promoter and precore regions are predictive for development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

DNA-guided hepatitis B treatment,viral load is essential,but not sufficient

Hepatitis B virus （HBV） infection is a global public health problem that concerns 350 million people worldwide. Individuals with chronic hepatitis B （CriB） are at increased risk of developing liver cirrhosis, hepatic de-compensation and hepatocellular carcinoma. To maintain undetectable viral load reduces chronic infection complications. There is no treatment that eradicates HBV infection. Current drugs are expensive, are associated with adverse events, and are of limited efficacy. Current guidelines try to standardize the clinical practice. Nevertheless, controversy remains about management of asymptomatic patients with CriB who are hepatitis B e antigen （HBeAg）-positive with normal alanine aminotransferase, and what is the cut-off value of viral load to distinguish HBeAg- negative CriB patients and inactive carriers. We discuss in detail why DNA level alone is not sufficient to begin treatment of CriB.

Serum concentration of sFas and sFasL in healthy HBsAg carriers,chronic viral hepatitis B and C patients

AIM:To estimate the amount of apoptosis among healthy HBsAg carriers,patients with chronic HBV infection treated wibh lamivudine and patients with chronic HCV infection treated with interferon alpha and ribavirin.Activity of apoptosis was evaluated by serum sFas/sFasL concentration measurement. Moreover dependence between apoptosis and HBV-DNA or HCV-RNA levels was studied. METHODS:Eighty-six persons were included into study:34 healthy HBsAg carders,33 patients with chronic HBV infecl^on and 19 patients with chronic HCV infection.Serum levels of sFas/sFasL were measured by ELISA assay.HBV-DNA and HCV-RNA were measured by RT-PCR assay.Levels of sFas/sFasL were determined before and 2 and 12 wk after therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C infection. HBV-DNA or HCV-RNA was detected before treatment and 6 mo after treatment. RESULTS:Twenty-four (71%) healthy HBsAg carders showed HBV-DNA over 10~5/mL,which was comparable to the patients with chronic hepatitis B.independently from HBV-DNA levels, the concentration of sFas among healthy HBsAg carders was comparable to healthy persons.Among patients with chronic hepatitis B and C,the concentration of sFas was significantly higher in comparison to healthy HBsAg carriers and healthy persons.In chronic hepatitis B patients the concentration of sFas was decreased during lamivudine treatment.Among chronic hepatitis C patients the concentration of sFas was increased during IFN alpha and ribavirin treatment,sFasL was not detected in control group.Furbhermore sFasL occurred more frequently in chronic hepatitis C patients in comparison to chronic hepatitis B patients. CONCLUSION:There are no correlations between apoptosis and HBV-DNA levels.However ther is an association between apoptosis and activity of inflammation in patients with chronic HBV infection.Apoptosis can be increased in patients with chronic hepatitis C by effective treatment which may be a result of apoptosis stimulation by IFN-α.

Early hepatitis B viral DNA clearance predicts treatment response at week 96

AIM To investigate whether hepatitis viral DNA load at 24 wk of treatment predicts response at 96 wk in patients with chronic hepatitis B.METHODS A total of 172 hepatitis B envelope antigen(HBe Ag)-positive chronic hepatitis B patients who received initial treatment at 16 tertiary hospitals in Hunan Province, China were enrolled in this study. All patients received conventional doses of lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil, telbivudine, entecavir dispersible tablets, or entecavir tablets for 96 wk. Patients who used other antiviral drugs or antitumor and immune regulation therapy were excluded. Patients were stratified into three groups according to their viral DNA load at 24 wk: < 10 IU/m L(group 1), 10-103 IU/m L(group 2), and > 103 IU/m L(group 3). Correlations of 24-wk DNA load with HBe Ag negative status and HBe Ag seroconversion at 96 wk were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to test the predictive value of the HBV DNA load at 24 wk for long-term response.RESULTS The rates of conversion to HBe Ag negative status and HBe Ag seroconversion rates were 53.7% and 51.9%, respectively, in group 1; 35.21% and 32.39% in group 2; and 6.38% and 6.38% in group 3. The receiver operating characteristic curves for the three subgroups revealed that the lowest DNA load(< 10 IU/m L) was better correlated with response at 96 wk than a higher DNA load(10-103 IU/m L). Nested PCR was used for amplifying and sequencing viral DNA in patients with a viral DNA load > 200 IU/m L at 96 wk; resistance mutations involving different loci were present in 26 patients, and three of these patients had a viral DNA load 10-103 IU/m L at 96 wk. CONCLUSION Hepatitis B viral DNA load at 24 wk of antiviral treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B is a predictor of the viral load and response rate at 96 wk.

An Indirect ELISA of Classical Swine Fever Virus Based on Quadruple Antigenic Epitope Peptide Expressed in E.coli

In this study,a synthesized quadruple antigenic epitope gene region of the classical swine fever virus (CSFV)E2 glycoprotein was expressed in E.coli to a obtain target protein.This target protein was used as a coating antigen to establish an indirect ELISA for specifically detecting anti-CSFV antibodies in serum samples from pigs.The P/N cut-off value of this assay was 1.92 by receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)analysis based on 30 negative sera and 80 positive samples.The test gave 97.5%sensitivity and 96.7%specificity compared with the indirect hemagglutination(IHA)test.The inter-assay and intra-assay coefficients of variation (CVs)for 16 sera were both≤6.8%.No cross-reactivity between the coating antigen and anti-bovine viral diarrhoea virus(BVDV)antibodies was observed.

Association of core promoter mutations of hepatitis B virus and viral load is different in HBeAg(+) and HBeAg(-) patients

AIM:To identify the prevalence of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and to assess the association of hepatitis B virus (HBV) core promoter mutations and viral load in Indonesian patients.METHODS:Sixty-four patients with chronic hepatitis,65 with liver cirrhosis and 50 with hepatocellular carcinoma were included in this study.HBeAg and hepatitis B e antibody (HBeAb) tests were performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the mutations were analyzed by sequencing.Viral load was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction.RESULTS:Of 179 patients,108 (60.3%) were HBeAg(-) and 86 (79.6%) of these HBeAg(-) patients had been seroconverted.The A1896 mutation was not found in HBeAg(+) patients,however,this mutation was detected in 70.7% of HBeAg(-) patients.This mutation was frequently found when HBeAg was not expressed (87.7%),compared to that found in HBeAg seroconverted patients (65.1%).The A1899 mutation was also more prevalent in HBeAg(-) than in HBeAg(+) patients (P=0.004).The T1762/A1764 mutation was frequently found in both HBeAg(+) and HBeAg(-) patients,however,the prevalence of this mutation did not significantly differ among the two groups (P=0.054).In HBeAg(+) patients,the T1762/A1764 mutation was correlated with lower HBV DNA (P < 0.001).The A1899 mutation did not correlate with HBV DNA (P=0.609).In HBeAg(-) patients,the T1762/A1764 mutation alone was not correlated with HBV DNA (P=0.095),however,the presence of either the T1762/A1764 or A1896 mutations was associated with increased HBV DNA (P < 0.001).CONCLUSION:The percentage of HBeAg(-) patients is high in Indonesia,and most of the HBeAg(-) patients had been seroconverted.The A1896 mutation was most likely the major cause of HBeAg loss.The T1762/A1764 mutation alone was associated with lower viral loads in HBeAg(+) patients,but not in HBeAg(-) patients.

Viral evolution and transmission effectiveness

Different viruses transmit among hosts with different degrees of efficiency. A basic reproductive number(R0) indicates an average number of cases getting infected from a single infected case. R0 can vary widely from a little over 1 to more than 10. Low R0 is usually found among rapidly evolving viruses that are often under a strong positive selection pressure, while high R0 is often found among viruses that are highly stable. The reason for the difference between antigenically diverse viruses with low R0, such as influenza A virus, and antigenically stable viruses with high R0, such as measles virus, is not clear and has been a subject of great interest. Optimization of transmissibility fitness considering intra-host dynamics and inter-host transmissibility was shown to result in strategies for tradeoff between transmissibility and diversity. The nature of transmission, targeting either a na?ve children population or an adult population with partial immunity, has been proposed as a contributing factor for the difference in the strategies used by the two groups of viruses. The R0 determines the levels of threshold heard immunity. Lower R0 requires lowerherd immunity to terminate an outbreak. Therefore, it can be assumed that the outbreak saturation can be reached more readily when the R0 is low. In addition, one may assume that when the outbreak saturation is reached, herd immunity may provide a strong positive selection pressure that could possibly result in an occurrence of escape mutants. Studies of these hypotheses will give us an important insight into viral evolution. This review discusses the above hypotheses as well as some possible mechanistic explanation for the difference in transmission efficiency of

Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Serum Level Is Correlated with Fibrosis Severity in Treatment-Naïve, Chronic Hepatitis B Patients in Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)?

HBsAg serum level (quantification) may be useful for managing hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection patients. However few studies especially in Africa have evaluated the association between HBsAg serum level and liver fibrosis severity. The objective of this study was to estimate the correlation between HBsAg serum level and liver fibrosis severity with treatment naive chronic hepatitis B patients in Cote d’Ivoire. Methodology: It is a prospective study covering from February 1st, 2014 to April 30st, 2015 at Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire de Yopougon and a private medical office in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Inclusion criteria for patients were: HBsAg positive, known HBeAg status, serum HBsAg levels, serum HBV DNA levels, complex serum markers and absence of HCV, HDV, or HIV co-infection, drinking more than 30 g/day for men and 20 g/day in women over 10 years, metabolic disease and/or hepatic overload. Pearson’s Chi-square test (r2), Anova, Spearman, T-Student, Pearson’s (r) correlations and Mann Withney’s Test were carried out as appropriate. A p value < 0.05 was taken as significant. Results: We recruited, 105 patients (77 men) of whom the medium age was 39.01 ± 9.72 years. Predominant hepatitis B viral genotype was E (93%). Less than 10% patients had an inactive HBV in HBeAg-negative. Patients had an average high HBsAg serum level (mean 12111.2 ± 10617.4 IU/ml) as well as the one viral load (mean 4.4 e7 ± 7.5 e7). Serum ALAT levels averaged at the upper limit of normal value. The average liver fibrosis score was 0.34 ± 0.22 and the degree of viral activity was 0.19 ± 0.20. Half of our patients had no fibrosis (35.24%) or had mild fibrosis (20.95%). No significant association was observed between HBsAg serum level and patient age (p = 0.3994), genre (p = 0.8075) or serum ALT levels (p = 0, 0787). In multivariate analysis, there’s a significant correlation (r = 0.239, p = 0.014) between HBV DNA levels and HBsAg serum level. There’s a significant correlation (r = 0.923, p < 0.0001) between HBsAg serum level and the dosage of alpha-fetoprotein. HBsAg serum level was not associated with the fibrosis stage (p = 0.281). HBsAg levels average with patients without fibrosis or carry a slight fibrosis (F0, F1) was higher than patients with moderate to severe fibrosis (F2, F3, F4): 13679.2 UI/ml ± 1956.48 versus 10610.52 UI/ml ± 8998.99 (p = 0.29). There’s a negative correlation between HBsAg level and the liver fibrosis score was negative (r = -0.069, p = 0.48). No significant association between HBsAg level and the liver fibrosis patients that were normal (p = 0.7965) or elevated (p = 0.5845). HBV DNA level was significantly associated with fibrosis score (r = 0.30, p = 0.0018). Conclusion: This study shows that there’s a negative correlation between HBsAg serum level and liver fibrosis severity treatment naive with African chronic hepatitis B viral HBeAg-negative patients.

Predictors of loss of hepatitis B surface antigen in HIV-infected patients

AIM:To study factors associated with loss of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV).METHODS:We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 5681 patients followed up at two New York City HIV clinics from January 1999 to May 2007.Clinical and laboratory parameters including baseline and follow-up HIV viral loads,CD4 cell counts,alanine transaminase levels,demographics,presence of hepatitis C infection,and treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy dually active against both HIV and HBV infection,were analyzed to determine factors associated with loss of HBsAg.RESULTS:Three hundred and fifty five patients (355/5681,6.84%) were co-infected with HIV and HBV and were evaluated.Of these,226 patients with more than 12 mo follow-up were included in further analysis to determine factors associated with loss of HBsAg in the long-term follow-up.In the univariate analysis,baseline CD4 cell count was associated with loss of HBsAg (P=0.052).Cox regression analysis revealed that loss of HBsAg was associated with baseline CD4 cell count > 500 cells/mm3 (P=0.016,odds ratio:76.174,95% confidence interval:2.233-2598.481).CONCLUSION:Our study showed an interesting association of loss of HBsAg in HIV-HBV co-infected patients with higher CD4 cell count,suggesting that T-cell cytolytic activity against HBV may still be effective in clearing HBV infection.

Host and viral factors contributing to CD8+ T cell failure in hepatitis C virus infection

Virus-specific CD8+ T cells are thought to be the major anti-viral effector cells in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Indeed, viral clearance is associated with vigorous CD8+ T cell responses targeting multiple epitopes. In the chronic phase of infection, HCV-specific CD8+ T cell responses are usually weak, narrowly focused and display often functional defects regarding cytotoxicity, cytokine production, and proliferative capacity. In the last few years, different mechanisms which might contribute to the failure of HCV-specific CD8+ T cells in chronic infection have been identified, including insufficient CD4+ help, deficient CD8+ T cell differentiation, viral escape mutations, suppression by viral factors, inhibitory cytokines, inhibitory ligands, and regulatory T cells. In addition, host genetic factors such as the host’s human leukocyte antigen (HLA) background may play an important role in the efficiency of the HCV- specific CD8+ T cell response and thus outcome of infection. The growing understanding of the mechanisms contributing to T cell failure and persistence of HCV infection will contribute to the development of successful immunotherapeutical and -prophylactical strategies.

猪细小病毒病研究进展

猪细小病毒(Porcine parvovirus,PPV)是一种无囊膜DNA病毒,主要引起母猪繁殖障碍。该病毒在全世界广泛流行,我国猪场PPV感染率高达90%以上,给养猪业带来巨大经济损失。PPV经口、鼻传播,主要侵染猪的生殖器官,引起母猪的死胎、木乃伊胎和公猪的精液质量下降。临床采用接种疫苗的方式进行防控,起到了一定的效果。论文对病毒的基因组和蛋白特征、流行病学和疫苗研究进行综述,以期为PPV的基础研究和疫苗开发提供参考。

HBV C基因型有关的HBsAg阴性HBV DNA阳性患者S区突变对HBsAg的影响

目的通过构建HBV C基因型突变质粒研究HBsAg阴性HBV DNA阳性患者HBV S区突变对HBsAg水平的影响。方法收集2022年8月至2023年4月首都医科大学附属北京佑安医院107例HBsAg-/HBV DNA+患者血液样本,对成功提取扩增的HBV DNA S区进行测序,通过构建HBV C基因型突变质粒对HBV S区突变位点进行细胞功能验证,探讨OBI可能发生的分子机制。结果对成功提取扩增的68例患者进行测序,发现HBV S区存在大量突变,包括免疫逃逸突变(如sG145R、sK122R、sS114T、sT131P等)和跨膜结构域(transmembrane domain,TMD)突变(如sT5A、sG10D、sF20S等)。通过构建HBV C基因型突变质粒,进行细胞转染和细胞免疫荧光实验发现sG145R突变会明显降低HBsAg的表达,但是sK122R、sI26N、sQ29N、sR169H、sS114T、sT131P这6个突变位点并未影响细胞内外HBsAg的表达。结论通过测序发现HBsAg-/HBV DNA+患者HBV S区存在大量突变位点,通过构建sG145R、sK122R、sI26N、sQ29N、sS114T和ST131P等突变质粒发现sG145R突变会明显降低细胞内外HBsAg的表达,但是sK122R、sI26N、sQ29N、sR169H、sS114T、sT131P并未明显降低细胞内外HBsAg的表达。

动物疫病活载体疫苗研究进展

活载体疫苗是以细菌或病毒作为载体表达外源抗原和治疗因子的载体系统,具有安全性高、毒力返祖风险低、成本低,可诱导免疫机体产生高水平的体液免疫、细胞免疫或黏膜免疫等优点,是目前最具发展潜力的基因工程疫苗之一,在动物疫病防控领域应用较多。病毒载体包括DNA病毒(如腺病毒、腺相关病毒和痘病毒等)和RNA病毒(如新城疫病毒、流感病毒等);细菌载体包括减毒致病菌与非致病菌两类,主要包括乳酸菌、沙门氏菌、大肠杆菌等。活载体疫苗常用的抗原呈递策略有载体-宿主平衡致死系统、微生物表面展示系统。多种疫苗载体的开发及抗原呈递策略的选择,使得活载体疫苗的使用价值最大化。不同载体疫苗在预防疫病方面均有不同优缺点,应根据实际情况选择最优最适合的活载体疫苗。本文综述了动物疫病防控领域的病毒和细菌活载体疫苗研究进展及其抗原呈递方式,以期为活载体疫苗的进一步研究提供参考。

2.1亚型猪瘟病毒流行株E2蛋白单克隆抗体的制备及其抗原表位的鉴定

为获得仅与我国基因2.1亚型猪瘟病毒(CSFV)流行株反应的单克隆抗体(MAb),并揭示疫苗株与流行株E2蛋白抗原氨基酸的差异,本研究利用基因2.1亚型重组质粒p FastBac1-JL23 E2通过杆状病毒表达重组E2蛋白(rE2),并采用Ni柱纯化后经SDS-PAGE检测r E2的表达及纯化效果;采用western blot鉴定r E2的反应原性。SDS-PAGE及western blot结果表明经杆状病毒表达了基因2.1亚型CSFV E2蛋白,且其纯化效果和反应原性均较好。采用杂交瘤技术制备2.1基因亚型CSFV E2蛋白的单克隆抗体(MAb),采用亲和层析法纯化该MAb,采用BCA法测定其浓度及亚类。将79株1.1、2.1、2.2和2.3基因亚型的CSFV及1.1基因亚型的HCLV株和SM株感染PK-15细胞,72 h后采用IFA检测MAb与不同基因型CSFV的反应性;采用western blot鉴定MAb与10个基因亚型共18种CSFV代表株E2蛋白的反应性。采用IFA鉴定MAb与不同基因型CSFV的中和活性。结果显示,经IFA筛选后共获得16株分泌E2蛋白MAb的杂交瘤细胞株。其中仅一株MAb TCH061与所有2.1基因亚型(2.1a、2.1b、2.1c、2.1g、2.1h、2.1i、2.1j、2.1k、2.1l、2.1m、2.1n)CSFV感染的细胞反应后出现绿色荧光,与基因1.1亚型HCLV疫苗株和SM株以及其他基因型CSFV感染的细胞反应后均无绿色荧光;western blot结果显示,该MAb能够识别2.1基因亚型CSFV E2蛋白(2.1a、2.1b、2.1c、2.1g、2.1h、2.1i、2.1j),在90 ku处出现特异性条带,而与其他基因型CSFV E2蛋白均不反应。表明TCH061为2.1基因亚型CSFV E2蛋白特异性的MAb。MAb的纯化结果显示,在50 ku和25 ku处有明显条带,其浓度为1.70μg/μL且该MAb TCH061重链为Ig G2a,轻链为κ链。中和活性结果显示,TCH061对JL^(23)株(2.1b)、GDLF1株(2.1c)有一定的中和活性,但不能中和C株。分别以GD53株E^(24)个不同区域的截短蛋白为抗原通过western blot初步确定MAb识别抗原表位的区域。利用CLC Sequence Viewer比对与MAb反应的CSFV E2蛋白氨基酸序列的差异,通过SWISS-MODEL预测MAb抗原表位的关键氨基酸位点。利用杆状病毒表达CSFV JL^(23)株各位点突变后的E2蛋白,采用western blot鉴定各突变的E2蛋白与MAb TCH061的反应性。Western blot结果显示,TCH061的抗原表位位于E2蛋白的aa1~aa90,且其识别CSFV E2蛋白P^(20)不识别L^(20)的CSFV。通过SWISS-MODEL预测E2蛋白氨基酸序列的I18、G^(19)、P^(20)、L^(21)、G^(22)、A^(23)和E^(24)在空间上比较接近;MAb TCH061与JL^(23)株I18M突变的E2蛋白反应,与G^(19)K、P^(20)L和L^(21)P突变的E2蛋白均不反应,与G^(22)K突变的E2蛋白反应性较弱,与HCLV E2蛋白不反应,但与HCLV L^(20)P突变的E2蛋白反应。证实TCH061的抗原表位为^(19)GPLG^(22),经Py MOL结构模拟确定其为空间构象表位;且除了aa^(20),其他位点在各基因型CSFV中均非常保守,表明P^(20)是2.1基因亚型CSFV流行株E2蛋白抗原表位的关键氨基酸。综上所述,本研究首次获得一株区别于CSFV疫苗株和2.1基因亚型CSFV流行株的MAb TCH061,揭示了疫苗株与流行株E2蛋白氨基酸位点的差异,为研发猪瘟疫苗和CSFV流行株感染的血清学鉴别检测方法的建立提供了重要的MAb资源。

牛病毒性腹泻净化效果研究

为了解吉林省某规模牛场BVDV的流行情况,并制定净化方案,应用BVDV ELISA试剂盒对2022年3月—2023年10月采集吉林省某规模牛场的血液和粪便样本进行病原学调查。结果表明:该牛场全群BVDV抗体、抗原阳性率分别为2.72%、0.85%,抗原阳性5头(其中成年牛1头,后备牛1头,犊牛3头),抗体阳性16头(其中成年牛5头,后备牛5头,犊牛6头)。对检测为BVDV阳性的牛直接淘汰,并通过3次复检,筛选出BVDV持续性感染牛,对其进行淘汰,并对检测阴性牛免疫。经过长达1年的监测及淘汰,该规模牛场BVDV病原学检出率为0,取得了良好净化效果。