Identification of Sero-Diagnostic Antigens for the Early Diagnosis of Johne's Disease using MAP Protein Microarrays

Notes on syphilis vaccine development

The quest for a syphilis vaccine to provide protection from infection or disease began not long after the isolation of the first Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum (T. pallidum) strain in 1912. Yet, a practical and effective vaccine formulation continues to elude scientists. Over the last few years, however, efforts toward developing a syphilis vaccine have increased thanks to an improved understanding of the repertoire of T. pallidum outer membrane proteins (OMPs), which are the most likely syphilis vaccine candidates. More has been also learned about the molecular mechanisms behind pathogen persistence and immune evasion. Published vaccine formulations based on a subset of the pathogen's OMPs have conferred only partial protection upon challenge of immunized laboratory animals, primarily rabbits. Nonetheless, those experiments have improved our approach to the choice of immunization regimens, adjuvants, and vaccine target selection, although significant knowledge gaps remain. Herein, we provide a brief overview on current technologies and approaches employed in syphilis vaccinology, and possible future directions to develop a vaccine that could be pivotal to future syphilis control and elimination initiatives.

Development and Validation of a Novel ELISA for the Specific Detection of Antibodies against Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis Based on a Chimeric Polyprotein

Bovine paratuberculosis (PTB) is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). The optimization of detection tests specific for MAP is crucial to improve PTB control. In this work, we aimed to develop and validate a diagnostic tool based on an ELISA to specifically detect anti-MAP antibodies from bovine serum samples. For that purpose, we designed a recombinant polyprotein containing four specific antigens from MAP and optimized the ELISA. The validation consisted of the assessment of 10 sera from PTB-infected and healthy bovines with different OD values. The diagnostic performance of the polyprotein-ELISA was evaluated by testing 130 bovine serum samples (47 healthy, 48 MAP-infected, and 35 M. bovis-infected bovines). The ELISA using the polyprotein yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.9912 (95% CI, 0.9758–1.007; P < 0.0001). Moreover, for this ELISA, the cut-off selected from the ROC curve based on the point with a sensitivity of 95.56% (95% CI, 0.8485–0.9946) and specificity of 97.92 (95% CI, 0.8893–0.9995) was 0.3328. Similar results were obtained with an ELISA using the commercial Paratuberculosis Protoplasmatic Antigen (PPA). However, the ELISA with the polyprotein antigen showed a better performance against sera from animals infected with Mycobacterium bovis compared to the ELISA with PPA: lower cross-reactivity (2.85% versus 25.71%). These results demonstrate a very low cross-reactivity of the polyprotein with antibodies present in serum samples from animals infected with M. bovis. The designed polyprotein and the validated ELISA could be very useful for the specific identification of MAP-infected animals in herds.

Draft Genome Sequences of 142 Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Strains Isolated from Naturally Infected Dairy Cattle

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis is the etiological agent of Johne's disease in ruminants. Here, we report the annotated draft genome sequences of 142 M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis strains that were isolated from dairy cattle in France between 2014 and 2018. The genomes of these strains were sequenced using Illumina technology.

Whole-Genome Analysis of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis IS900 -

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) is the etiological agent of Johne’s disease in ruminants. The IS900 insertion sequence (IS) has been used widely as an epidemiological marker and target for PCR diagnosis. Updated DNA sequencing technologies have led to a rapid increase in available Map genomes, which makes it possible to analyze the distribution of IS900 in this slow-growing bacterium. The objective of this study is to characterize the distribution of the IS900 element and how it affects genomic evolution and gene function of Map. A secondary goal is to develop automated in silico restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis using IS900. Complete genomes from the major phylogenetic lineages known as C-type and S-type (including subtypes I and III), were chosen to represent the genetic diversity of Map. IS900 elements were located in these genomes using BLAST software and the relevant fragments extracted. An in silico RFLP analysis using the BstEII restriction site was performed to obtain exact sizes of the DNA fragments carrying a copy of IS900 and the resulting RFLP profiles were analyzed and compared by digital visualization of the separated restriction fragments. The program developed for this study allowed automated localization of IS900 sequences to identify their position within each genome along with the exact number of copies per genome. The number of IS900 copies ranged from 16 in the C-type isolate to 22 in the S-type subtype I isolate. A loci-by-loci sequence alignment of all IS900 copies within the three genomes revealed new sequence polymorphisms that define three sequevars distinguishing the subtypes. Nine IS900 insertion site locations were conserved across all genomes studied while smaller subsets were unique to a particular lineage. Preferential insertion motif sequences were identified for IS900 along with genes bordering all IS900 insertions. Rarely did IS900 insert within coding sequences as only three genes were disrupted in this way. This study makes it possible to automate IS900 distribution in Map genomes to enrich knowledge on the distribution dynamics of this IS for epidemiological purposes, for understanding Map evolution and for studying the biological implications of IS900 insertions.

Biomarkers as diagnostic tools for mycobacterial infections in cattle

Mycobacterial infections are widely distributed in animals and cause considerable economic losses, especially in livestock animals. Bovine paratuberculosis and bovine tuberculosis, which are representative mycobacterial infections in cattle, are difficult to diagnose using current-generation diagnostics due to their relatively long incubation periods. Thus, alternative diagnostic tools are needed for the detection of mycobacterial infections in cattle. A biomarker is an indicator present in biological fluids that reflects the biological state of an individual during the progression of a specific disease. Therefore, biomarkers are considered a potential diagnostic tool for various diseases. Recently, the number of studies investigating biomarkers as tools for diagnosing mycobacterial infections has increased. In human medicine, many diagnostic biomarkers have been developed and applied in clinical practice. In veterinary medicine, however, many such developments are still in the early stages. In this review, we summarize the current progress in biomarker research related to the development of diagnostic biomarkers for mycobacterial infections in cattle.