influenza vaccine (egg-based) (Teratect)

A subunit vaccine protects A129 mice from death and joint swelling against lethal Chikungunya virus challenge.

Li Jiangfan J, Fang Ting T, Song Liyuan L, Qiang Li L et al.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is primarily transmitted to humans through bites of infected Aedes mosquitoes, causing febrile illness as well as acute or chronic arthritis. With increasing reports in previously non-endemic regions, it poses an emerging threat to public health and a growing risk to travelers. Despite the recent approval of live-attenuated and virus-like particle-based vaccines, a safe, efficacious, and cost-effective vaccine remains urgently needed. The envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2, which play crucial roles in viral attachment and entry, are the major immunodominant structural proteins and can effectively elicit protective antibodies. We engineered mammalian cells to produce the ectodomains of the E1 and E2 glycoproteins and evaluated the protective efficacy of the resulting vaccine formulations in vivo. A two-dose vaccination regimen elicited high levels of antibodies and provided full protection against lethal challenge in A129 mice, preventing both death and joint swelling. These findings demonstrate the potential of this vaccine candidate against CHIKV and warrant its further development.

Co-circulation of H5N1 and H5N6 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Viruses in Migratory Birds at a Coastal Wintering Site in China.

Hu Xinyu X, Xiang Haiyang H, Wang Wenhao W, Kong Yunyi Y et al.

Since 2020, H5Nx high Pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) belonging to hemagglutinin (HA) clade 2.3.4.4b have undergone widespread dispersal in wild birds, posing substantial threats to global poultry populations and mammals worldwide. In this study, we report the co-circulation of clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 and H5N6 HPAIVs associated with mortality events in Anseriformes and Charadriiformes at a coastal wintering site in Fujian Province, China. H5N1 and H5N6 viruses were identified in 4 species of waterfowl (Bean Goose, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, and Eurasian Curlew). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these H5N1 and H5N6 isolates were clade 2.3.4.4b strains circulating within Eurasia and lacked known mammalian adaptation markers in key proteins. The infected birds exhibited severe systemic multi-organ pathology, with the most pronounced damage observed in the lungs. H5N6 and H5N1 viruses caused lethal injury in BALB/c mice, with H5N1 leading to systemic infection. Environmental sampling also revealed the presence of H5N1 HPAIVs alongside low-pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs) such as H3N1 and H6N1. Our findings highlight the complex and dynamic transmission patterns of H5 HPAIV in wild bird populations and the substantial threat they pose to mammals, underscoring the critical importance of sustained surveillance for high pathogenicity avian influenza in wild birds.

[Mechanisms by which interleukin-18 binding protein regulates the NLRP3 inflammasome in Kawasaki disease-related coronary artery lesions].

Xu Wen W, Wang Shi S, Li Tian-Hua TH

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile illness characterized by systemic vasculitis, with coronary artery lesion (CAL) representing its most serious complication. The NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays a pivotal role in KD-associated CAL. Upon activation, it cleaves and releases mature interleukin-18 (IL-18) and other proinflammatory cytokines, which propagates downstream inflammatory cascades. IL‑18 binding protein (IL‑18BP) is an endogenous high-affinity antagonist. Studies have shown that dysregulation of the IL‑18/IL‑18BP axis, together with aberrant NLRP3 inflammasome activation, contributes to the initiation and progression of coronary artery injury in KD. This review aims to elucidate the positive feedback amplification between IL-18 and the NLRP3 inflammasome in KD-CAL, and the pathways through which IL-18BP regulates the NLRP3 inflammasome by blocking this positive feedback loop, thereby providing a new theoretical basis and potential interventional targets for the treatment of KD.

[Strategies to address vaccine hesitancy in Brazil: evidence synthesis].

Marques Ana Paula da Costa APDC, Gubert Vanessa Terezinha VT, Dias Adriano da Costa ADC, Gasparoto Antonio Luiz Dal Bello ALDB et al.