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Dorosky RJ, Schreier JE, Lola SL, Sava RL, Coryell MP, Akue A, KuKuruga M, Carlson PE, Dreher-Lesnick SM, Stibitz S. Nanobodies as potential tools for microbiological testing of live biotherapeutic products. AMB Express 2024; 14:9. [PMID: 38245586 PMCID: PMC10799837 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-023-01659-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Nanobodies are highly specific binding domains derived from naturally occurring single chain camelid antibodies. Live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) are biological products containing preparations of live organisms, such as Lactobacillus, that are intended for use as drugs, i.e. to address a specific disease or condition. Demonstrating potency of multi-strain LBPs can be challenging. The approach investigated here is to use strain-specific nanobody reagents in LBP potency assays. Llamas were immunized with radiation-killed Lactobacillus jensenii or L. crispatus whole cell preparations. A nanobody phage-display library was constructed and panned against bacterial preparations to identify nanobodies specific for each species. Nanobody-encoding DNA sequences were subcloned and the nanobodies were expressed, purified, and characterized. Colony immunoblots and flow cytometry showed that binding by Lj75 and Lj94 nanobodies were limited to a subset of L. jensenii strains while binding by Lc38 and Lc58 nanobodies were limited to L. crispatus strains. Mass spectrometry was used to demonstrate that Lj75 specifically bound a peptidase of L. jensenii, and that Lc58 bound an S-layer protein of L. crispatus. The utility of fluorescent nanobodies in evaluating multi-strain LBP potency assays was assessed by evaluating a L. crispatus and L. jensenii mixture by fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, and colony immunoblots. Our results showed that the fluorescent nanobody labelling enabled differentiation and quantitation of the strains in mixture by these methods. Development of these nanobody reagents represents a potential advance in LBP testing, informing the advancement of future LBP potency assays and, thereby, facilitation of clinical investigation of LBPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Dorosky
- Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
| | - Jeremy E Schreier
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Stephanie L Lola
- Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Rosa L Sava
- Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Michael P Coryell
- Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Adovi Akue
- Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Mark KuKuruga
- Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Paul E Carlson
- Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Sheila M Dreher-Lesnick
- Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Scott Stibitz
- Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Division of Bacterial, Parasitic and Allergenic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
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Stewart CE, McCafferty A, Sherertz R. Tannerella forsythia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Suspected Actinomyces Causing Massive Empyema: A Case Report. Cureus 2023; 15:e48117. [PMID: 38046736 PMCID: PMC10691742 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.48117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
This report presents the case of a polymicrobial empyema due to Fusobacterium nucleatum, Tannerella forsythia, and suspected Actinomyces spp., presenting as several weeks of progressive shortness of breath and malaise. The patient had many risk factors for a lower respiratory tract infection, including chronic alcohol abuse, a flu-like illness months prior, and a recent invasive dental procedure. An admission CT scan showed a large right pleural effusion. Blood cultures were negative, but an aspirate from the pleural effusion showed abundant gram-positive rods that did not grow aerobically. Subsequent anaerobic cultures at a reference laboratory grew Tannerella forsythia and Fusobacterium nucleatum. This report will review the diagnostic difficulties associated with anaerobic causes of empyema in general and the specific organisms implicated in this case.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney E Stewart
- Department of Internal Medicine, Grand Strand Medical Center, Myrtle Beach, USA
| | - Allison McCafferty
- Internal Medicine, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine-Carolinas Campus, Spartanburg, USA
| | - Robert Sherertz
- Department of Internal Medicine, Grand Strand Medical Center, Myrtle Beach, USA
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