炭疽芽胞杆菌的感染与生物恐怖

综述了炭疽生物恐怖、炭疽在中国的流行概况、实验室诊断方法的最新进展。同时介绍了炭疽的预防与控制，提出了应对可能发生的生物恐怖应采取的措施。     

Vaccinia virus strain LC16m8 defective in the B5R gene keeps strong protection comparable to its parental strain Lister in immunodeficient mice

BackgroundAttenuated vaccinia virus strain, LC16m8, defective in the B5R envelope protein gene, is used as a stockpile smallpox vaccine strain in Japan against bioterrorism: the defect in the B5R gene mainly contributes to its highly attenuated properties.MethodsThe protective activity of LC16m8 vaccine against challenge with a lethal dose of vaccinia Western Reserve strain was assessed in wild-type and immunodeficient mice lacking CD4, MHC class I, MHC class II or MHC class I and II antigens.ResultsThe immunization with LC16m8 induced strong protective activity comparable to that of its parent strain, Lister (Elstree) strain, in wild-type mice from 2 days to 1 year after vaccination, as well as in immunodeficient mice at 2 or 3 weeks after vaccination. These results implicated that the defect in the B5R gene hardly affected the potential activity of LC16m8 to induce innate, cell-mediated and humoral immunity, and that LC16m8 could be effective in immunodeficient patients.ConclusionLC16m8 with truncated B5 protein has an activity to induce immunity, such as innate immunity and subsequent cell-mediated and humoral immunity almost completely comparable to the activity of its parental strain Lister.     

反生物恐怖袭击防护疫苗的研究进展

近年来,全球反生物恐怖形势仍然严峻。疫苗对于生物恐怖袭击的防护具有重要意义。本文重点介绍灭活和减毒活疫苗、亚单位疫苗、病毒载体疫苗、多肽疫苗、核酸疫苗、转基因植物疫苗等6类疫苗的研究概况与进展,并对各种疫苗的优缺点、存在的问题及应用前景等进行论述。     

The internet and the global monitoring of emerging diseases: lessons from the first 10 years of ProMED-mail

Now in its eleventh year, ProMED-mail is a robust and sensitive mechanism for the discovery of emerging disease outbreaks involving humans, animals, and plants around the world and for rapid dissemination of information. Fast reporting translates into quicker arrival of prevention and control assistance from other countries, better advance warning to neighboring countries and intending travelers, and other benefits to public health such as heightened awareness of health workers to the threat, time to prepare countermeasures and to react in an appropriate manner rather than a reflex emergency response.     

Bioterrorism: is it a real threat?

The Geneva Protocol of 1925 commits the signatory nations to refraining from the use of biological weapons. However, the terrorist assaults of September 2001 and, subsequently, the anthrax-containing letters are cause for great concerns: new threats to the security of nations are expected, as terrorist organizations seem to increasingly explore novel ways of spreading terror.In this context, naturally emerging diseases such as SARS, monkeypox or West Nile fever assume new importance because it is difficult to distinguish between natural epidemics and possible bioweapon assaults. Great efforts on the part of governments and public health authorities are necessary to counteract these threats.     

Expression of Bacillus anthracis protective antigen in transgenic chloroplasts of tobacco, a non-food/feed crop

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) lists Bacillus anthracis as a category A agent and estimates the cost of an anthrax attack to exceed US$ 26 billion per 100,000 exposed individuals. Concerns regarding anthrax vaccine purity, a requirement for multiple injections, and a limited supply of the protective antigen (PA), underscore the urgent need for an improved vaccine. Therefore, the 83 kDa immunogenic Bacillus anthracis protective antigen was expressed in transgenic tobacco chloroplasts. The PA gene (pag) was cloned into a chloroplast vector along with the psbA regulatory signals to enhance translation. Chloroplast integration of the transgenes was confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analyses. Crude plant extracts contained up to 2.5 mg full length PA/g of fresh leaf tissue and this showed exceptional stability for several months in stored leaves or crude extracts. Maximum levels of expression were observed in mature leaves under continuous illumination. Co-expression of the ORF2 chaperonin from Bacillus thuringiensis did not increase PA accumulation or induce folding into cuboidal crystals in transgenic chloroplasts. Trypsin, chymotrypsin and furin proteolytic cleavage sites present in PA were protected in transgenic chloroplasts because only full length PA 83 was observed without any degradation products. Both CHAPS and SDS detergents extracted PA with equal efficiency and PA was observed in the soluble fraction. Chloroplast-derived PA was functionally active in lysing mouse macrophages when combined with lethal factor (LF). Crude leaf extracts contained up to 25 microg functional PA/ml. With an average yield of 172 mg of PA per plant using an experimental transgenic cultivar grown in a greenhouse, 400 million doses of vaccine (free of contaminants) could be produced per acre, a yield that could be further enhanced 18-fold using a commercial cultivar in the field.     

Risk communication, the West Nile virus epidemic, and bioterrorism: responding to the commnication challenges posed by the intentional or unintentional release of a pathogen in an urban setting

The intentional or unintentional introduction of a pathogen in an urban setting presents severe communication chanllenges. Risk communication—a science-based approach for communicating effectively in high-concern situations—provides a set of principles and tools for meeting those challenges. A brief overview of the risk communication theoretical perspective and basic risk communication models is presented here, and the risk communication perspective is applied to the West Nile virus epidemic in New York City in 1999 and 2000 and to a possible bioterrorist event. The purpose is to provide practical information on how perceptions of the risks associated with a disease outbreak might be perceived and how communications would be best managed.     

五种生物恐怖细菌基因悬浮芯片多重检测方法的建立

目的 建立5种生物恐怖细菌的快速、高通量的基因悬浮芯片检测方法 ,即炭疽芽胞杆菌、鼠疫耶尔森菌、布鲁菌、土拉弗朗西斯菌和类鼻疽伯克霍尔德菌的多重检测.方法 针对炭疽芽孢杆菌、鼠疫耶尔森菌、布鲁菌、土拉弗朗西菌、类鼻疽伯克霍尔德菌的特异性基因序列设计6对引物和相应的特异性探针,经多重PCR扩增并用生物素标记相应的基因片段,标记的PCR产物与包被在不同编码微球上的相应探针杂交,用悬浮芯片扫描仪检测.结果 多重PCR悬浮芯片检测体系能够正确的检测和鉴定5种生物恐怖细菌,特异性好,灵敏度高,可用于恐怖样本的高通量筛查.结论 建立了多重PCR基因悬浮芯片快速检测几种生物恐怖细菌的方法 .