Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

About: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is a government organization based out in Salisbury, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Burkholderia pseudomallei & Francisella tularensis. The organization has 926 authors who have published 1242 publications receiving 30091 citations. The organization is also known as: Dstl & [dstl].

CD4+ T-cell immunity to the Burkholderia pseudomallei ABC transporter LolC in melioidosis

Abstract: Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) causes melioidosis, a disease with a wide range of possible outcomes, from seroconversion and dormancy to sepsis and death. This spectrum of host-pathogen interactions poses challenging questions about heterogeneity in immunity to Bp. Models show protection to be dependent on CD4+ cells and IFNγ, but little is known about specific target antigens. Having previously implicated the ABC transporter, LolC, in protective immunity, we here use epitope prediction, HLA binding studies, HLA-transgenic models and studies of T cells from seropositive individuals to characterize HLA-restricted LolC responses. Immunized mice showed long-lasting memory to the protein, while predictive algorithms identified epitopes within LolC that subsequently demonstrated strong HLA class II binding. Immunization of HLA-DR transgenics with LolC stimulated T cell responses to four of these epitopes. Furthermore, responsiveness of HLA-transgenics to LolC revealed a hierarchy supportive of HLA polymorphism-determined differential susceptibility. Seropositive human donors of diverse HLA class II types showed T cell responses to LolC epitopes which are conserved among Burkholderia species including B. cenocepacia, associated with life-threatening cepacia complex in cystic fibrosis patients and B. mallei, which causes glanders. These findings suggest a role for LolC epitopes in multiepitope vaccine design for melioidosis and related diseases.

Mental health of UK armed forces medical personnel post-deployment

Abstract: Results The sample comprised 321 medical personnel. The response rate was 56%. The mental health outcomes for forward located medics (FMs) were no different than those for rear located medics (RLMs). When comparing FMs and RLMs against all other military roles, a small but significant increase in PTSD symptoms in FMs was found. FMs were more likely to rate their work while deployed as being above their skills and experience, report exposure to more combat experiences and report a more challenging homecoming experience than RLMs. Conclusions These results suggest that while the overall rates of self-reported mental health disorders were similar in FMs and RLMs, FMs reported more PTSD symptoms than all other roles, which may have been related to working in more hostile environments in more challenging roles while deployed and their experiences on returning home.