Immunization against potential biological warfare agents.

The intentional release of biological agents by belligerents or terrorists is a possibility that has recently attracted increased attention. Law enforcement agencies, military planners, public health officials, and clinicians are gaining an increasing awareness of this potential threat. From a military perspective, an important component of the protective pre-exposure armamentarium against this threat is immunization. In addition, certain vaccines are an accepted component of postexposure prophylaxis against potential bioterrorist threat agents. These vaccines might, therefore, be used to respond to a terrorist attack against civilians. We review the development of vaccines against 10 of the most credible biological threats.     

Research progress on antimicrobial peptides against malaria parasite

Antimicrobial peptides have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and high thermal stability. Researches prove that they can inhibit the development of Plasmodium or kill them. The paper focuses on research advances in their biological characteristics, natural or synthetic peptides as potential anti-Plasmodium agents in malaria research.     

传疟媒介防制技术研究进展

媒介防制是控制和消除疟疾的重要技术手段, 目前疟疾流行区的媒介防制以成蚊化学控制方法为主, 但面临着 杀虫剂抗性等因素的严重威胁。近年来按蚊转基因等媒介防制新技术在实验室取得了很好的研究进展。本文对传统媒 介防制技术方法所面临的挑战和近年来发展迅速的基因修饰等技术在媒介防制中的应用进行综述。     

传疟媒介遗传控制研究进展

按蚊是疟疾传播的主要媒介,媒介控制能有效减少疟疾患病率和死亡率.遗传控制策略是很受关注的新方法,在应用转基因技术、优势死亡技术和RNA干扰技术来减少和替代媒介种群方面已取得了一些突破性进展.该文就这些方面作一综述.     

蚊与疟原虫相互关系Ⅱ:支持疟原虫在按蚊体内发育的因子

疟疾是一种严重危害人类健康和阻碍流行区国家经济、社会发展的寄生虫病,随着多抗药虫株的出现和媒介按蚊对杀虫剂产生抗性,疟疾的防治面临新的挑战。对按蚊与疟原虫相互关系的研究,特别是寻找按蚊支持疟原虫发育因子,弄清疟原虫在蚊体内的配子生殖和孢子生殖机制,可为疟疾防治研究提供有益线索。近年来,这方面的研究已经取得了一些进展,这些进展不但促进了人们对疟原虫和按蚊相互关系的理解,丰富了疟原虫生物学知识,更重要的是可为寻找新型杀虫剂靶点、发现新的抗疟疫苗的合适候选抗原、完善疟原虫的体外培养技术、实现遗传改造蚊媒的防疟…     

Implications of biological pest and parasite control for environment]

Biological control of parasites, vectors and pests must consider safety to non-target organisms and to the environment. The WHO safety procedure was discussed in respect to such agents as Bacillus thuringiensis, Romanomermis culicivorax, Gambusia affinis and others. Monitoring of the environment in which biological control treatments are performed is necessary to secure safety requirements as well as the efficiency of biological control programmes.     

江苏省疟疾传播媒介控制策略与研究

疟疾曾是江苏省流行的重大传染病之一,中华按蚊和嗜人按蚊是江苏省疟疾传播的主要媒介。经过几十年的积极防治,江苏省于2019年实现了消除疟疾目标,而媒介控制策略在全省消除疟疾过程中发挥了重要作用。本文回顾了江苏省主要疟疾传播媒介中华按蚊和嗜人按蚊的历史分布和生态习性以及不同防治阶段媒介控制策略和措施,并就媒介种类鉴定、品系构建、对疟原虫易感性、对杀虫剂抗性等媒介生物学及其防控研究概况进行了阐述。     

Molecular biological applications in the diagnosis and control of leishmaniasis and parasite identification

Molecular biology is increasingly relevant to the diagnosis and control of infectious diseases. Information on DNA sequences has been extensively exploited for the development of polymerase chain reaction-based assays for the diagnosis of leishmaniasis and the identification of parasite species. It has also led to the use of cloned antigen for serodiagnosis. It is expected that the sequencing of the Leishmania major genome and the genomes of other Leishmania species will enable important progress in further improving diagnosis and control. The ability to use genome data to clone and sequence genes, which, when expressed, provide antigens for vaccine development, will increase the possibilities for rational vaccine development. Moreover, DNA on its own will provide the basis for the development of DNA vaccines that may overcome some of the problems encountered with protein-based vaccines. One of the greatest threats to parasite control is the development of drug resistance in parasites. Knowing the molecular basis of drug resistance and the ability to monitor its development with sensitive and specific DNA-based assays for 'resistance alleles' may aid maintaining the effectiveness of available anti-Leishmania drugs. Finally, techniques such as microarrays and nucleic acid sequence-based amplification will eventually allow rapid screening for specific parasite genotypes and assist in diagnostic and epidemiological studies.     

过敏症的寄生虫疗法及其免疫学机制

近年来,欧美发达国家过敏性疾病,如花粉热、过敏性哮喘等患病人数渐增,发作的严重程度愈演愈烈,甚至造成患者死亡。虽然在一些发展中国家,如我国,过敏性疾病的状况还不很严重,但也呈逐年上升趋势,尤其在一些较发达的城市。有研究表明,寄生虫对过敏有一定的抑制作用,已有人将其用于抗过敏治疗。寄生虫抑制超敏反应的免疫学机制主要有两个方面:(1)寄生虫作为过敏原,能提高人体免疫耐受性;(2)寄生虫可刺激宿主产生一些物质以抑制或缓解超敏反应。由此,研究利用寄生虫进行抗过敏治疗,确有科研和实用价值。     

Plasmodium knowlesi: The emerging zoonotic malaria parasite

Plasmodium knowlesi was initially identified in the 30s as a natural Plasmodium of Macaca fascicularis monkey also capable of experimentally infecting humans. It gained a relative notoriety in the mid-30s as an alternative to Plasmodium vivax in the treatment of the general paralysis of the insane (neurosyphilis). In 1965 the first natural human infection was described in a US military surveyor coming back from the Pahang jungle of the Malaysian peninsula. P. knowlesi was again brought to the attention of the medical community when in 2004, Balbir Singh and his co-workers reported that about 58% of malaria cases observed in the Kapit district of the Malaysian Borneo were actually caused by P. knowlesi. In the following years several reports showed that P. knowlesi is much more widespread than initially thought with cases reported across Southeast Asia. This infection should also be considered in the differential diagnosis of any febrile travellers coming back from a recent travel to forested areas of Southeast Asia. P. knowlesi can cause severe malaria with a rate of 6–9% and with a case fatality rate of 3%. Respiratory distress, acute renal failure, shock and hyperbilirubinemia are the most frequently observed complications of severe P. knowlesi malaria. Chloroquine is considered the treatment of choice of uncomplicated malaria caused by P. knowlesi.     

Active immunization against the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei in mice. The immunizing inoculum.

In the immunization procedure of Swiss and C3H/StZ mice against P. berghei the inoculum plays an important role. Only viable parasites are able to induce immunity when multiple inoculations (10(5) P.E. per mouse) or a single inoculation (1-4 X 10(7) P.E. per mouse) are administered. The inoculated parasitized erythrocytes should enter the vascular system. The subcutaneous route is inappropriate, since subsequent immune reactions are notably absent. In combination with a given suppressive regimen successful immunization depends on an optimum number of viable P.E. in the inoculum. All conditions that affect the proportion of viable parasites in the inoculum (route, storage, medium, temperature, donor) should be recognized and controlled. The actual immunizing capacity of the inoculum also depends on the magnitude and time of initiation of sulfathiazole treatment after inoculation. Suppressive treatment (300 mg/L) starting 2 days after inoculation was found optimal in order to render the procedure less sensitive to small differences in the number of P.E. inoculated. Conditions which lead to antimalarial immunity are apparently strain-specific.