EVOLUTION: Of Mice . . .

Risk assessment of parasites in fishery products

At the stroke of the New Year 2020, COVID-19, a zoonotic disease that would turn into a global pandemic, was identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Although unique in its transmission and virulence, COVID-19 is similar to zoonotic diseases, including other SARS variants (e.g., SARS-CoV) and MERS, in exhibiting severe flu-like symptoms and acute respiratory distress. Even at the molecular level, many parallels have been identified between SARS and COVID-19 so much so that the COVID-19 virus has been named SARS-CoV-2. These similarities have provided several opportunities to treat COVID-19 patients using clinical approaches that were proven to be effective against SARS. Importantly, the identification of similarities in how SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 access the host, replicate, and trigger life-threatening pathological conditions have revealed opportunities to repurpose drugs that were proven to be effective against SARS. In this article, we first provided an overview of COVID-19 etiology vis-a-vis other zoonotic diseases, particularly SARS and MERS. Then, we summarized the characteristics of droplets/aerosols emitted by COVID-19 patients and how they aid in the transmission of the virus among people. Moreover, we discussed the molecular mechanisms that enable SARS-CoV-2 to access the host and become more contagious than other betacoronaviruses such as SARS-CoV. Further, we outlined various approaches that are currently being employed to diagnose and symptomatically treat COVID-19 in the clinic. Finally, we reviewed various approaches and technologies employed to develop vaccines against COVID-19 and summarized the attempts to repurpose various classes of drugs and novel therapeutic approaches.

COVID-19 Transmission, Current Treatment, and Future Therapeutic Strategies.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14686996.2020.1848213

Recent progress in the conversion of biomass wastes into functional materials for value-added applications

This article summarizes the state of the art in vaccine research against parasitic helminths in sheep and cattle. Optimization of antigen production (eg, recombinant expression) and antigen delivery, followed by extensive field testing, is still required for further development of vaccines. Helminth vaccines should sufficiently reduce parasite transmission to protect vaccinated animals against parasite-induced disorders and production loss. Vaccine efficacy requirements depend on the parasite's epidemiology and farm management, both of which vary in different geographic regions and are influenced by climate. Vaccination is likely to be part of integrated worm control, together with other worm control measures.

Helminth vaccines in ruminants from development to application

Anisakidosis is a zoonotic parasitosis induced by members of the family Anisakidae. The anisakid genera includes Anisakis, Pseudoterranova, Hysterothylacium and Contracaecum. The final definitive hosts of these nematodes are marine mammals with a complex life cycle. These nematode parasites use different crustaceans and fish species as intermediate or paratenic hosts and humans are accidental hosts. Human anisakiasis, the infections caused by members of the genus Anisakis, occurs, when seafoods, particularly fish, contaminated with the infective stage (third stage larvae [L3]) of this parasite, are consumed. Pseudoterranovosis, on the other hand is induced by members of the genus Pseudoterranova. These two genera of anisakids have been implicated in human disease globally. There is a rise in reports of gastro-intestinal infections accompanied by allergic reactions caused by Anisakis simplex and Anisakis pegreffii. This review provides an update on current knowledge on Anisakis as a food-borne parasite with special focus on the increasingly reported diversity of fish and crustacean hosts, allergens and immunological cross-reactivity with invertebrate proteins rendering this parasite a significant public health issue.

Anisakis Nematodes in Fish and Shellfish- from infection to allergies

The threat of novel influenza infections has sparked research efforts to develop subunit vaccines that can induce a more broadly protective immunity by targeting selected regions of the virus. In general, subunit vaccines are safer but may be less immunogenic than whole cell inactivated or live attenuated vaccines. Hence, novel adjuvants that boost immunogenicity are increasingly needed as we move toward the era of modern vaccines. In addition, targeting, delivery, and display of the selected antigens on the surface of professional antigen-presenting cells are also important in vaccine design and development. The use of nanosized particles can be one of the strategies to enhance immunogenicity as they can be efficiently recognized by antigen-presenting cells. They can act as both immunopotentiators and delivery system for the selected antigens. This review will discuss on the applications, advantages, limitations, and types of nanoparticles (NPs) used in the preparation of influenza subunit vaccine candidates to enhance humoral and cellular immune responses.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/irv.12697

Nanoparticles in influenza subunit vaccine development: Immunogenicity enhancement.

Extraction of keratin from waste chicken feathers using sodium sulfide and l-cysteine

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/8/3/551/pdf

Peter M. Smooker

Papers

Anisakis Nematodes in Fish and Shellfish- from infection to allergies

Nanoparticles in influenza subunit vaccine development: Immunogenicity enhancement.

Extraction of keratin from waste chicken feathers using sodium sulfide and l-cysteine

Solid Lipid Nanoparticle Carrier Platform Containing Synthetic TLR4 Agonist Mediates Non-Viral DNA Vaccine Delivery.

Evaluation of Opisthorchis viverrini calreticulin for potential host modulation.