Influenza hemagglutinin stem-fragment immunogen elicits broadly neutralizing antibodies and confers heterologous protection

Influenza hemagglutinin (HA) is the primary target of the humoral response during infection/vaccination. Current influenza vaccines typically fail to elicit/boost broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs), thereby limiting their efficacy. Although several bnAbs bind to the conserved stem domain of HA, focusing the immune response to this conserved stem in the presence of the immunodominant, variable head domain of HA is challenging. We report the design of a thermotolerant, disulfide-free, and trimeric HA stem-fragment immunogen which mimics the native, prefusion conformation of HA and binds conformation specific bnAbs with high affinity. The immunogen elicited bnAbs that neutralized highly divergent group 1 (H1 and H5 subtypes) and 2 (H3 subtype) influenza virus strains in vitro. Stem immunogens designed from unmatched, highly drifted influenza strains conferred robust protection against a lethal heterologous A/Puerto Rico/8/34 virus challenge in vivo. Soluble, bacterial expression of such designed immunogens allows for rapid scale-up during pandemic outbreaks.

Immunogen design for HIV-1 and influenza

Vaccines provide the most cost effective defense against pathogens. Although vaccines have been designed for a number of viral diseases, a vaccine against HIV-1 still remains elusive. In contrast while there are excellent influenza vaccines, these need to be changed every few years because of antigenic drift and shift The recent discovery of a large number of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) and structural characterization of the conserved epitopes targeted by them presents an opportunity for structure based HIV-1 and influenza A vaccine design. We discuss strategies to design immunogens either targeting a particular antigenic region or focusing on native structure stabilization. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Recent advances in molecular engineering of antibody. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adaptive evolution of a novel avian-origin influenza A/H7N9 virus

In China, the recent outbreak of novel influenza A/H7N9 virus has been assumed to be severe, and it may possibly turn brutal in the near future. In order to develop highly protective vaccines and drugs for the A/H7N9 virus, it is critical to find out the selection pressure of each amino acid site. In the present study, six different statistical methods consisting of four independent codon-based maximum likelihood (CML) methods, one hierarchical Bayesian (HB) method and one branch-site (BS) method, were employed to determine if each amino acid site of A/H7N9 virus is under natural selection pressure. Functions for both positively and negatively selected sites were inferred by annotating these sites with experimentally verified amino acid sites. Comprehensively, the single amino acid site 627 of PB2 protein was inferred as positively selected and it function was identified as a T-cell epitope (TCE). Among the 26 negatively selected amino acid sites of PB2, PB1, PA, HA, NP, NA, M1 and NS2 proteins, only 16 amino acid sites were identified to be involved in TCEs. In addition, 7 amino acid sites including, 608 and 609 of PA, 480 of NP, and 24, 25, 109 and 205 of M1, were identified to be involved in both B-cell epitopes (BCEs) and TCEs. Conversely, the function of positions 62 of PA, and, 43 and 113 of HA was unknown. In conclusion, the seven amino acid sites engaged in both BCEs and TCEs were identified as highly suitable targets, as these sites will be predicted to play a principal role in inducing strong humoral and cellular immune responses against A/H7N9 virus. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hemagglutinin sequence conservation guided stem immunogen design from influenza A H3 subtype

Seasonal epidemics caused by influenza A (H1 and H3 subtypes) and B viruses are a major global health threat. The traditional, trivalent influenza vaccines have limited efficacy because of rapid antigenic evolution of the circulating viruses. This antigenic variability mediates viral escape from the host immune responses, necessitating annual vaccine updates. Influenza vaccines elicit a protective antibody response, primarily targeting the viral surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA). However, the predominant humoral response is against the hypervariable head domain of HA, thereby restricting the breadth of protection. In contrast, the conserved, subdominant stem domain of HA is a potential ``universal'' vaccine candidate. We designed an HA stem-fragment immunogen from the 1968 pandemic H3N2 strain (A/Hong Kong/1/68) guided by a comprehensive H3 HA sequence conservation analysis. The biophysical properties of the designed immunogen were further improved by C-terminal fusion of a trimerization motif, ``isoleucine-zipper'', or ``foldon''. These immunogens elicited cross-reactive, antiviral antibodies and conferred partial protection against a lethal, homologous HK68 virus challenge in vivo. Furthermore, bacterial expression of these immunogens is economical and facilitates rapid scale-up.

Stalking influenza by vaccination with pre-fusion headless HA mini-stem

Inaccuracies in prediction of circulating viral strain genotypes and the possibility of novel reassortants causing a pandemic outbreak necessitate the development of an anti-influenza vaccine with increased breadth of protection and potential for rapid production and deployment. The hemagglutinin (HA) stem is a promising target for universal influenza vaccine as stem-specific antibodies have the potential to be broadly cross-reactive towards different HA subtypes. Here, we report the design of a bacterially expressed polypeptide that mimics a H5 HA stem by protein minimization to focus the antibody response towards the HA stem. The HA mini-stem folds as a trimer mimicking the HA prefusion conformation. It is resistant to thermal/chemical stress, and it binds to conformation-specific, HA stem-directed broadly neutralizing antibodies with high affinity. Mice vaccinated with the group 1 HA mini-stems are protected from morbidity and mortality against lethal challenge by both group 1 (H5 and H1) and group 2 (H3) influenza viruses, the first report of cross-group protection. Passive transfer of immune serum demonstrates the protection is mediated by stem-specific antibodies. Furthermore, antibodies indudced by these HA stems have broad HA reactivity, yet they do not have antibody-dependent enhancement activity.

Impacto da campanha de vacinação para influenza em uma empresa

A influenza é uma das doenças respiratórias agudas mais prevalentes e importante causa de absenteísmo e presenteísmo. Entretanto, a eficácia vacinal para influenza pode alcançar 80% quando há elevada correspondência entre cepas vacinais e circulantes. Por este motivo, a empresa há anos promove campanha de vacinação, contudo, sem estimar sua efetividade (eficácia na redução da carga da doença) e o impacto econômico (produtividade) para o aprimoramento de sua política de saúde ocupacional. Considerou-se que a efetividade da campanha seria determinada pela eficácia vacinal previamente demonstrada em estudos randomizados, pelo grau de acurácia diagnóstica ou de triagem dos casos, pelo nível de adesão do profissional de saúde ao registro no prontuário e do paciente ao informar a ocorrência dos sintomas e pela cobertura vacinal alcançada. Com os objetivos de avaliar a efetividade e impacto econômico da campanha de vacinação para influenza, optou-se por um desenho estudo observacional de coorte histórico com características de estudo de intervenção baseado em dados históricos da campanha de 2008 e informações individuais sobre a frequência de sintomas respiratórios e absenteísmo, idade, gênero, função (administrativa e operacional) e renda, comorbidades relevantes e tabagismo, obtidas mediante revisão de prontuário dos 12 meses subsequentes, comparadas entre os grupos de vacinados e não-vacinados (qui-quadrado e test t) e analisadas por regressão logística, e estimada a fração prevenível (proporção de episódios potenciais de influenza evitados pela vacinação). Foram analisados os prontuários de 2.425 trabalhadores (1.651 não-vacinados e 754 vacinados) correspondendo à cobertura de 31,1%. A prevalência de influenza observada foi de 10,4% e a vacinação foi efetiva entre os trabalhadores (RR=0,51; IC95% 39-67), quando considerados os sintomas de alta probabilidade de influenza. A fração prevenível foi 0,09 (9 casos evitados a cada 100 trabalhadores vacinados). A campanha de vacinação foi mais efetiva e provocou maior impacto econômico entre os trabalhadores em regime operacional.

Spatial-temporal excess mortality patterns of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic in Spain

Background: The impact of socio-demographic factors and baseline health on the mortality burden of seasonal and pandemic influenza remains debated. Here we analyzed the spatial-temporal mortality patterns of the 1918 influenza pandemic in Spain, one of the countries of Europe that experienced the highest mortality burden. Methods: We analyzed monthly death rates from respiratory diseases and all-causes across 49 provinces of Spain, including the Canary and Balearic Islands, during the period January-1915 to June-1919. We estimated the influenza-related excess death rates and risk of death relative to baseline mortality by pandemic wave and province. We then explored the association between pandemic excess mortality rates and health and socio-demographic factors, which included population size and age structure, population density, infant mortality rates, baseline death rates, and urbanization. Results: Our analysis revealed high geographic heterogeneity in pandemic mortality impact. We identified 3 pandemic waves of varying timing and intensity covering the period from Jan-1918 to Jun-1919, with the highest pandemic-related excess mortality rates occurring during the months of October-November 1918 across all Spanish provinces. Cumulative excess mortality rates followed a south-north gradient after controlling for demographic factors, with the North experiencing highest excess mortality rates. A model that included latitude, population density, and the proportion of children living in provinces explained about 40% of the geographic variability in cumulative excess death rates during 1918-19, but different factors explained mortality variation in each wave. Conclusions: A substantial fraction of the variability in excess mortality rates across Spanish provinces remained unexplained, which suggests that other unidentified factors such as comorbidities, climate and background immunity may have affected the 1918-19 pandemic mortality rates. Further archeo-epidemiological research should concentrate on identifying settings with combined availability of local historical mortality records and information on the prevalence of underlying risk factors, or patient-level clinical data, to further clarify the drivers of 1918 pandemic influenza mortality.

Earthquakes, influenza and cycles of Indian kala-azar.

It is suggested that previous data indicate 3 major epidemics of kala-azar in Assam between 1875 and 1950, with inter-epidemic periods of 30-45 and 20 years. This deviates from the popular view of regular cycles with a 10-20 year period. A deterministic mathematical model of kala-azar is used to find the simplest explanation for the timing of the 3 epidemics, paying particular attention to the role of extrinsic (drugs, natural disasters, other infectious diseases) versus intrinsic (host and vector dynamics, birth and death rates, immunity) processes in provoking the second. We conclude that, whilst widespread influenza in 1918-1919 may have magnified the second epidemic, intrinsic population processes provide the simplest explanation for its timing and synchrony throughout Assam. The model also shows that the second inter-epidemic period is expected to be shorter than the first, even in the absence of extrinsic agents, and highlights the importance of a small fraction of patients becoming chronically infectious (with post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis) after treatment during an epidemic.

Secondary structural analysis of the mRNA regions encoding the hemagglutinin cleavage site basic amino acids of the avian influenza virus H5N1 subtype samples

Here we report the codon bias and the mRNA secondary structural features of the hemagglutinin (HA) cleavage site basic amino acid regions of avian influenza virus H5N1 subtypes. We have developed a dynamic extended folding strategy to predict RNA secondar

Avian influenza virus infection induces differential expression of genes in chicken kidney

The pathogenic process of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) infection is poorly understood. To explore the differential expression of kidney genes as a result of HPAIV infection, two cDNA libraries were constructed from uninfected and infected kidneys by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Fifteen genes including IFN-stimulated genes (ISG12), lymphocyte antigen 6 complex locus E gene (LY6E), matrix Gla protein gene (MGP), lysozyme gene, haemopoiesis related membrane protein I gene, KIAA1259, MGC68696, G6pe-prov protein gene (G6PC), MGC4504, alcohol dehydrogenase gene (ADH), glutathione S-transferase gene (GST), sodium-dependent high-affinity dicarboxylate transporter gene (SDCT), Synaptotagmin XV (SytXV) and two novel genes were found significantly up-regulated or dramatically suppressed. Differential expression of these genes was further identified by Northern blot. Functional analysis indicated that the regulation of their expression might contribute to the pathogenic process of HPAIV infection. In contrast, the increased expression of three IFN-stimulated genes named ISG12, LY6E, and haemopoiesis related membrane protein 1 gene might reflect host defense responses. Further study showed that ISG12 protein failed to directly interact with NS1 protein of HPAIV which expressed simultaneously in the organs where HPAIV replication occurred, by use of BacterioMatch two-hybrid system. Therefore, our findings may provide new insights into understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the pathophysiological process of HPAIV infection in chicken. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of avian influenza virus subtype H5 using a biosensor based on imaging ellipsometry

A novel method is reported for the detection of avian influenza virus subtype H5 using a biosensor based on high spatial resolution imaging ellipsometry (IE). Monoclonal antibodies specific to H5 hemagglutinin protein were immobilized on silicon wafers and used to capture virus particles. Resultant changes on the surface of the wafers were visualized directly in gray-scale on an imaging ellipsometry image. This preliminary study has shown that the assay is rapid and specific for the identification of avian influenza virus subtype H5. Compared with lateral-flow immunoassays, this biosensor not only has better sensitivity, but can also simultaneously perform multiplexed tests. These results suggest that this biosensor might be a valuable diagnostic toot for avian influenza virus detection. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

H5N1 avian influenza re-emergence of Lake Communication Qinghai: phylogenetic and antigenic analyses of the newly isolated viruses and roles of migratory birds in virus circulation

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus has swept west across the globe and caused serious debates on the roles of migratory birds in virus circulation since the first large-scale outbreak in migratory birds of Lake Qinghai, 2005. In May 2006, another outbreak struck Lake Qinghai and six novel strains were isolated. To elucidate these QH06 viruses, the six isolates were subjected to whole-genome sequencing. Phylogenetic analyses show that QH06 viruses are derived from the lineages of Lake Qinghai, 2005. Five of the six novel isolates are adjacent to the strain A/Cygnus olor/Croatia/1/05, and the last one is related to the strain A/duck/Novosibirsk/ 02/05, an isolate of the flyway. Antigenic analyses suggest that QH06 and QH05 viruses are similar to each other. These findings implicate that QH06 viruses of Lake Qinghai may travel back via migratory birds, though not ruling out the possibility of local circulation of viruses of Lake Qinghai.

Influenza vaccination of household contacts of newborns: a hospital-based strategy to increase vaccination rates.

We implemented a hospital-based influenza vaccination program for household contacts of newborns. Among mothers not vaccinated prenatally, 44.7% were vaccinated through the program, as were 25.7% of fathers. A hospital-based program provided opportunities for vaccination of household contacts of newborns, thereby facilitating better adherence to national vaccination guidelines.