云南省钩端螺旋体病地理分布规律

根据多年来获得的钩端螺旋体病人群发病率、感染率及宿主动物带菌率等调查资料,结合有关地理气候文献对地理层次及气候的划分指标,将云南省钩端螺旋体病的地理立体分布划为三层来认识,发现其分布流行规律是:低热层为重度流行层,发病率高达229~626/10万,感染率26~30%;中暖层发病率在100/10万左右,感染率12~14%,为中度流行层;高寒层为轻度流行层,发病率﹤0/10万,感染率0.8~6.0%。海拔高度与发病率、感染率分布呈反比关系;海拔高度与发病率作相关回归分析,结果显示密切的直线负相关(r=-0.964),以感染率为指标作相关回归分析,呈高度的曲线负相关(r=-0.987),进一步阐明了钩体病的地理立体分布流行规律,为防治提供科学依据。     

Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses to Yersinia pestis Infection in Long-Term Recovered Plague Patients

Plague is one of the most dangerous diseases and is caused by Yersinia pestis. Effective vaccine development requires understanding of immune protective mechanisms against the bacterium in humans. In this study, the humoral and memory cellular immune responses in plague patients (n = 65) recovered from Y. pestis infection during the past 16 years were investigated using a protein microarray and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay (ELISpot). The seroprevalence to the F1 antigen in all recovered patients is 78.5%. In patients infected more than a decade ago, the antibody-positive rate still remains 69.5%. There is no difference in the antibody presence between gender, age, and infected years, but it seems to be associated with the F1 antibody titers during infection (r = 0.821; P < 0.05). Except F1 antibody, the antibodies against LcrV and YopD were detected in most of the patients, suggesting they could be the potential diagnostic markers for detecting the infection of F1-negative strains. Regarding cellular immunity, the cell number producing gamma interferon (IFN-γ), stimulated by F1 and LcrV, respectively, in vitro to the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 7 plague patients and 4 negative controls, showed no significant difference, indicating F1 and LcrV are not dominant T cell antigens against plague for a longer time in humans. Our findings have direct implications for the future design and development of effective vaccines against Y. pestis infection and the development of new target-based diagnostics.     

Ethnomedicinal knowledge of indigenous communities and pharmaceutical potential of rainforest ecosystems in Fiji Islands

The World Health Organization recently raised concerns about antimicrobial resistance and lack of novel antibiotics in the health sector. The success rate of drug discovery is higher when chemical constituents are sourced from natural products and when drug candidates are based on the indigenous knowledge of local communities. Tropical rainforests are an important source of medicinal plants for traditional healthcare systems. The pharmaceutical industry also recognizes the potential of rainforests in novel drug development. However, habitat degradation and loss of traditional knowledge are endangering the healing powers of nature. The islands of Fiji have a rich cultural history of traditional medicine and a number of medicinal plants are sourced from the country’s rainforest ecosystems. While deforestation and forest degradation are decimating unique rainforest biodiversity and reducing access to medicinal plants in the wild, inter-generational erosion of ethnobotanical knowledge is attributed to acculturation, rural-urban migration and their effects on the transmission of oral traditions from one generation to another. Under these conditions, plants may disappear before their therapeutic value is formally identified. This review summarizes the importance of traditional medicinal knowledge and the potential for drug discovery from the tropical rainforest ecosystems of Fiji. However, there are several challenges that need to be addressed to realize the true potential of ethnopharmacology in this country.     

Rotavirus VP6 preparations as a non-replicating vaccine candidates

Rotavirus (RV) structural proteins VP4 and VP7, located on the surface of viral particles, elicit neutralizing antibodies (Abs) and are therefore considered to be important components of RV vaccines. However, despite inducing neutralizing Abs, limits of cross-neutralizing activity and lack of full correlation with protection limit the usefulness of these proteins as protective agents against RV disease. VP6 protein, which forms the middle layer of RV particles, is discussed as an alternative vaccine candidate since it can induce cross-protective immune responses against different RV strains although the Ab raised is not neutralizing. This report reviews different functions of VP6 that can lead to considering it as an alternative vaccine against RV disease.     

盈江县家鼠鼠疫疫源地地面游离蚤调查

人蚤和印鼠客蚤是云南盈江县黄胸鼠鼠疫自然疫自然源地主要的地面游离蚤,分别占82.47%和10.29%,高峰季节分别在夏季和秋季。经方差分析(F)证明,高峰季节蚤指数在不同类型房间中的差异不显著。