COVID-19 has been a global health concern since 2019 until date. Global concerted efforts to combat this pandemic has resulted in a number of vaccines distributed across the globe. Although the ...presence of these vaccines produced quick interventions, dynamic mutation in the causal virus and the continuous evolution of new stains that defy available vaccines has given rise to pertinent questions. The most recent emergence of a new COVID-19 virus variant (omicron), the rapid spread and overwhelming rate of morbidity and mortality has reopened these questions for debate. This commentary summarizes major view on these questions and concludes that multiple approach including social behavioural measures, vaccination and antiviral drug would speed up elimination process.
The gastrointestinal tract in poultry harbours a diverse microbial community that serves a crucial role in digestion and protection. Disruption of the gut environment due to Eimeria spp. parasite ...infection causes an imbalance in intestinal homeostasis, driving the increment of pathogens such as Clostridium species. Coccidiosis infection affects the composition and integrity of gut microbiota, resulting in elevated susceptibility to diseases that pose a serious threat to the overall health and productivity of chickens. Anticoccidial drugs have proven effective in curbing coccidiosis but with concerning drawbacks like drug resistance and drug residues in meat. The exploration of natural alternative strategies such as probiotics and phytochemicals is significant in controlling coccidiosis through modification and restoration of gut microbiota, without inducing drug resistance. Understanding the interaction between Eimeria parasites and gut microbiota is crucial for the control and prevention of coccidiosis, and the development of novel alternative treatments.
Y-chromosome short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) are essential in understanding genetic structure and diversity of human populations and, most importantly, in identification of male perpetrators in ...criminal investigations. DNA methylation differences have been reported in human populations and methylation pattern at the CpG sites found within or flanking the Y-STR sites could also aid in human identification. Studies based on DNA methylation (DNAm) at Y-STRs are currently limited. The current study aimed to analyze the Y-STR diversity in South African Black and Indian individuals living in KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, with the Yfiler™ Plus Kit and to analyze DNAm patterns in Y-STR markers CpG sites. DNA from 247 stored saliva samples were isolated and quantified. Across the 27 Y-STR loci in the Yfiler™ Plus Kit, 253 alleles were observed in 113 South African Black and Indian males, 112 unique haplotypes were observed, and one haplotype appeared twice (two Black individuals). No statistically significant differences were observed in the genetic diversity between the two population groups (Fst = 0.028, p-value ≥ 0.05). The kit showed a high discrimination capacity (DC) of 0.9912 and an overall haplotype diversity (HD) = 0.9995 among the sampled population groups. DYS438 and DYS448 markers displayed 2 and 3 CpG sites, respectively. Based on the two-tailed Fisher’s Exact test, there were no statistically significant differences in the DNAm levels at DYS438 CpGs of Black and Indian males (p > 0.05). The Yfiler™ Plus Kit can be considered highly discriminatory among South African Black and Indian males. Studies on the South African population using Yfiler™ Plus Kit are scarce. Hence, accumulating Y-STR data on the diverse South African population will enhance the representation of South Africa in STR databases. Knowing which Y-STR markers are significantly informative for South Africa is essential for developing Y-STR kits better suited for the different ethnic groups. And to the best of our knowledge, DNA methylation analysis in Y-STR for different ethnic groups has never been done before. Complementing Y-STR data with methylation knowledge could provide population-specific information for forensic identification.
•112 unique haplotypes were observed, and there was one case of haplotype sharing.•Yfiler™ Plus had discrimination capacity of 0.9912 and haplotype diversity of 0.9995.•No statistically significant (p > 0.05) differences in DNAm levels at DYS438 CpGs sites.•DNAm levels of 85.9% and 100% were observed in Black and Indian males respectively.
The human microbiome comprises trillions of microbial cells, primarily bacteria, found in places such as the gut, oral cavity, and skin. The human microbiome holds significant potential in forensic ...investigations, with important applications in post-mortem analysis, geographical identifications, sexual assault cases, and personal identification. The human microbiome displays significant variations, which can be utilized to distinguish individuals based on their distinctive microbial signatures, thus facilitating identification. Microbiome composition varies geographically and can be explored for identification of individuals’ origin or location. In addition, changes observed in microbial composition during different stages of decomposition can provide valuable insight into the time and location of death which can assist in forensic investigations. However, the use of microbiomes in forensic investigation is still developing and under-utilized, especially in the developing world. This article reviewed emerging microbiome analyses, their strengths, limitations, and potential for future research in forensic investigations. In particular five microbiomic forensic applications were looked at; postmortem analysis, geographical identification, sexual assault cases, bite marks and personal identification. Despite challenges and limitations associated with storage sensitivity, limited samples, and lack of standardization, the use of microbiomes in forensic investigation is quite promising. However, future research should focus on more extensive and standardized studies to overcome these challenges and fully harness the potential of the human microbiome in forensic investigations, enabling its practical application in various forensic scenarios.
•SARS-CoV-2 genomes were screened for potential T-cell and B-cell epitopes.•Multi-epitopes were generated by mapping potentials epitopes to the complete SARS-CoV-2 genome.•Interactions of B-cell ...epitopes and multi-epitopes with TLR3 were reported.
At the beginning of the year 2020, the world was struck with a global pandemic virus referred to as SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) which has left hundreds of thousands of people dead. To control this virus, vaccine design becomes imperative. In this study, potential epitopes-based vaccine candidates were explored. Six hundred (600) genomes of SARS-CoV-2 were retrieved from the viPR database to generate CD8+ T-cell, CD4+ T-cell and linear B-cell epitopes which were screened for antigenicity, immunogenicity and non-allergenicity. The results of this study provide 19 promising candidate CD8+ T-cell epitopes that strongly overlap with 8 promising B-cells epitopes. Another 19 CD4+ T-cell epitopes were also identified that can induce IFN-γ and IL-4 cytokines. The most conserved MHC-I and MHC-II for both CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell epitopes are HLA-A*02:06 and HLA-DRB1*01:01 respectively. These epitopes also bound to Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3). The population coverage of the conserved Major Histocompatibility Complex Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) for both CD8+ T-cell and CD4+ T-cell ranged from 65.6% to 100%. The detailed analysis of the potential epitope-based vaccine and their mapping to the complete COVID-19 genome reveals that they are predominantly found in the location of the surface (S) and membrane (M) glycoproteins suggesting the potential involvement of these structural proteins in the immunogenic response and antigenicity of the virus. Since the majority of the potential epitopes are located on M protein, the design of multi-epitope vaccine with the structural protein is highly promising though the whole M protein could also serve as a viable epitope for the development of an attenuated vaccine. Our findings provide a baseline for the experimental design of a suitable vaccine against SARS-CoV-2.
The progression of genetic selection techniques to enhance farm animal performance traits is guided by the present level of genetic variation and maternal impact in each trait, as well as the genetic ...association between traits. This study was conducted on a population of Mecheri sheep maintained from 1980 to 2018 at Mecheri Sheep Research Station, Pottaneri, India, to determine variance and covariance components, as well as genetic parameters for various production performance traits. A total of 2616 lambs, produced by 1044 dams and 226 sires, were examined in the study and the production traits of Mecheri sheep assessed include birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), six-month weight (SMW), nine-month weight (NMW), and yearling weight (YW). The Bayesian approach, using the Gibbs sampler, analyzed six animal models with different combinations of additive direct and maternal additive effects. Direct genetics, maternal genetics, and residual effects models were the major contributors to total phenotypic variation for all the production traits studied. Direct heritability estimates of birth weight, WW, SMW, NMW, and YW were 0.25, 0.20, 0.12, 0.14, and 0.13, respectively. The maternal heritability estimated for BW, WW, SMW, NMW, and YW were 0.17, 0.10, 0.12, 0.14, and 0.14, respectively. The maternal effects had a major impact on the pre-weaning production traits. The genetic correlations estimated between different pairs of production traits studied ranged from 0.19 to 0.93. The body weight at birth exhibited a higher genetic relationship with weaning weight than post-weaning growth characteristics, and the genetic correlation between weaning weight and post-weaning attributes was moderate to high (0.52 to 0.72). Based on the additive genetic variance in weaning weight and the correlation estimates of weaning weight with post-weaning traits, weaning weight was proposed as a selection criterion for improving growth traits in Mecheri sheep.
The use of probiotics for health benefits is becoming popular because of the quest for safer products with protective and therapeutic effects against diseases and infectious agents. The emergence and ...spread of antimicrobial resistance among pathogens had prompted restrictions over the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics for prophylaxis and growth promotion, especially in animal husbandry. While single-strain probiotics are beneficial to health, multi-strain probiotics might be more helpful because of synergy and additive effects among the individual isolates. This article documents the mechanisms by which multi-strain probiotics exert their effects in managing infectious and non-infectious diseases, inhibiting antibiotic-resistant pathogens and health improvement. The administration of multi-strain probiotics was revealed to effectively alleviate bowel tract conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, inhibition of pathogens and modulation of the immune system and gut microbiota. Finally, while most of the current research focuses on comparing the effects of multi-strain and single-strain probiotics, there is a dearth of information on the molecular mechanisms of synergy among multi-strain probiotics isolates. This forms a basis for future research in the development of multi-strain probiotics for enhanced health benefits.
Malaria control measures have been in use for years but have not completely curbed the spread of infection. Ultimately, global elimination is the goal. A major playmaker in the various approaches to ...reaching the goal is the issue of proper diagnosis. Various diagnostic techniques were adopted in different regions and geographical locations over the decades, and these have invariably produced diverse outcomes. In this review, we looked at the various approaches used in malaria diagnostics with a focus on methods favorably used during pre-elimination and elimination phases as well as in endemic regions. Microscopy, rapid diagnostic testing (RDT), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are common methods applied depending on prevailing factors, each with its strengths and limitations. As the drive toward the elimination goal intensifies, the search for ideal, simple, fast, and reliable point-of-care diagnostic tools is needed more than ever before to be used in conjunction with a functional surveillance system supported by the ideal vaccine.
Lactic acid bacteria are increasingly becoming important dietary supplements due to their health benefits when consumed in adequate quantity. The increasing attention on these important microbes has ...necessitated an in-depth understanding of their physiological processes, such as nutritional requirements and growth patterns, to better harness their probiotic potentials. This study was carried out to determine the nutritional requirements for the growth of
ZJ614 and
ZJ625 from a chemically defined medium and evaluate growth kinetics by fitting different sigmoidal growth models. The complete CDM contains 49 nutritional ingredients such as glucose, Tween 80
, mineral salts, buffers, amino acids, vitamins, and nucleotides at defined concentrations. In addition, the minimal nutritional requirements of the isolates were determined in a series of single-omission experiments (SOEs) to compose the MDM. Growth curve data were generated by culturing in an automated 96-well micro-plate reader at 37°C for 36 h, and photometric readings (optical density: OD
) were taken. The data were summarized in tables and charts using Microsoft Excel, while growth evaluation was carried out using open-source software (
) on Python. The results revealed that omission of the amino acids, vitamins, and nucleotides groups resulted in 2.0, 20.17, and 60.24% (for
ZJ614) and 0.95, 42.7, and 70.5% (for
ZJ625) relative growths, respectively. Elimination of the individual CDM components also indicates varying levels of growth by the strains. The growth curve data revealed LogisticLag2 and Baranyi-Roberts models as the best fits for
ZJ625 and
ZJ614, respectively. All the strains showed appreciable growth on the CDM and MDM as observed in de Man-Rogosa-Sharpe (MRS) broth. We also described the growth kinetics of
ZJ625 and
ZJ614 in the CDM, and the best models revealed the estimated growth parameters.
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