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Biomedicines
Special Issues
New Advance in Viral Immunogens and Vaccines
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New Advance in Viral Immunogens and Vaccines

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Immunology and Immunotherapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 8196

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Dragan Primorac

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Center for Personalized Medicine, St Catherine Hospital, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia; Eberly College of Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Interests: pediatrics; genetics; molecular medicine; RT-PCR-based diagnostics; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; virus-host interaction; virus-induced cellular immunity; serology; mesenchymal stem cells therapy; precision medicine; regenerative medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Marijo Parčina

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie Immunologie und Parasitologie (IMMIP), Universitätsklinikum Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Interests: infections; viruses; viral evasion; virus–host interaction; antibiotic resistance; RT-PCR-based diagnostics; serology; cellular immune response; immunogenicity; vaccines; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Through the use of different mechanisms, viruses heavily depend on the viral species responsible for numerous human diseases, and are capable of staying in a dormant state in the human body, some examples including the Epstein–Barr virus, Varicella-Zoster virus, Herpes Simplex virus, etc. The defense against viruses, i.e., the immune response, in the body (immunogenicity) involves multiple immune components differing heavily by the mechanism of how viruses enter, replicate and spread in the host. However, measuring the immunogenicity is a complex process, posing challenges for scientists. Viruses escaping from immune surveillance could establish a lifelong infection in the host and influence pre-malignant cells to develop cancer; therefore, understanding the viral interaction with human cells and how our immune system prevents and removes viral infections has a vital role in the development of new therapeutical approaches, including vaccines.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has brought unprecedented challenges, significantly impacting our day-to-day lives, and the lack of pre-virus immunity has led to an exponential increase in infected patients worldwide. A vast amount of scientific literature has been produced to study the biology of the virus and the pathophysiology of COVID-19 to determine the best way to prevent infection, treat patients, and eliminate the virus. Symptoms caused by COVID-19 are mostly due to the infection of the respiratory epithelium and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-expressing tissues. At the beginning of an immune response formation to SARS-CoV-2, the first step is the exposure of human cells to the virus, the process then setting its course in both the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II direction and the direct natural killer (NK) cell activation. Previous clinical and epidemiological studies have shown that, over time, antibody titers vanish, and do not provide long-term mucosal protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection, with some recent studies suggesting that the sustained cellular immune response plays a critical role in long-term protection in individuals recovering from SARS-CoV-2 and after vaccination. We hope this Special Issue will help in answering some of the many still unanswered questions regarding COVID-19.

Topics of interest for the Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Viral tactics of immune evasion;
  • Viral mediated suppression of innate immunity;
  • The humoral and cellular immune response to viral infections;
  • Viruses and human malignancies;
  • Reliable immunogenicity criteria during the assessment of novel vaccines;
  • Animal virus research models;
  • Identification of continuously evolving novel variants of SARS-CoV-2;
  • What have we learned so far, and what remains to be done regarding the COVID-19 vaccine?
  • Length of immunity after developing COVID-19 or after vaccination;
  • Post COVID-19;
  • SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

Prof. Dr. Dragan Primorac
Dr. Marijo Parčina
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • viruses
  • viral evasion
  • virus-host interaction
  • serology
  • cellular immune response
  • immunogenicity
  • vaccines
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • COVID-19

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1878 KiB  
Article
PCR Test Positivity and Viral Loads during Three SARS-CoV-2 Viral Waves in Mumbai, India
by Chaitali Nikam, Wilson Suraweera, Sze Hang (Hana) Fu, Patrick E. Brown, Nico Nagelkerke and Prabhat Jha
Biomedicines 2023, 11(7), 1939; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11071939 - 08 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1209
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests generally report only binary (positive or negative) outcomes. Quantitative PCR tests can provide epidemiological information on viral transmission patterns in populations. SARS-CoV-2 transmission patterns during India’s SARS-CoV-2 viral waves remain largely undocumented. We analyzed 2.7 million real-time [...] Read more.
SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests generally report only binary (positive or negative) outcomes. Quantitative PCR tests can provide epidemiological information on viral transmission patterns in populations. SARS-CoV-2 transmission patterns during India’s SARS-CoV-2 viral waves remain largely undocumented. We analyzed 2.7 million real-time PCR testing records collected in Mumbai, a bellwether for other Indian cities. We used the inverse of cycle threshold (Ct) values to determine the community-level viral load. We quantified wave-specific differences by age, sex, and slum population density. Overall, PCR positivity was 3.4% during non-outbreak periods, rising to 23.2% and 42.8% during the original (June–November 2020) and Omicron waves (January 2022), respectively, but was a surprisingly low 9.9% during the Delta wave (March–June 2021; which had the largest increase in COVID deaths). The community-level median Ct values fell and rose ~7–14 days prior to PCR positivity rates. Viral loads were four-fold higher during the Delta and Omicron waves than during non-outbreak months. The Delta wave had high viral loads at older ages, in women, and in areas of higher slum density. During the Omicron wave, differences in viral load by sex and slum density had disappeared, but older adults continued to show a higher viral load. Mumbai’s viral waves had markedly high viral loads representing an early signal of the pandemic trajectory. Ct values are practicable monitoring tools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advance in Viral Immunogens and Vaccines)
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14 pages, 2493 KiB  
Article
Recombinant AMA1 Virus-like Particle Antigen for Serodiagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii Infection
by Min-Ju Kim, Ki-Back Chu, Jie Mao, Hae-Ji Kang, Gi-Deok Eom, Keon-Woong Yoon, Su-Hwa Lee, Eun-Kyung Moon, Young-Ha Lee and Fu-Shi Quan
Biomedicines 2022, 10(11), 2812; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10112812 - 04 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1675
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis diagnosis predominantly relies on serology testing via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), but these results are highly variable. Consequently, various antigens are being evaluated to improve the sensitivity and specificity of toxoplasmosis serological diagnosis. Here, we generated Toxoplasma gondii virus-like particles displaying AMA1 [...] Read more.
Toxoplasmosis diagnosis predominantly relies on serology testing via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), but these results are highly variable. Consequently, various antigens are being evaluated to improve the sensitivity and specificity of toxoplasmosis serological diagnosis. Here, we generated Toxoplasma gondii virus-like particles displaying AMA1 of T. gondii and evaluated their diagnostic potential. We found that AMA1 VLPs were highly sensitive and reacted with the sera acquired from mice infected with either T. gondii ME49 or RH strains. The overall IgG and IgM antibody responses elicited by AMA1 VLPs were substantially higher than those induced by the conventionally used T. gondii lysate antigen (TLA). Importantly, AMA1 VLPs were capable of detecting parasitic infection with T. gondii RH and ME49 as early as 1 week post-infection, even when mice were exposed to low infectious doses (5 × 103 and 10 cysts, respectively). AMA1 VLPs also did not cross-react with the immune sera acquired from Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. Compared to TLA, stronger antibody responses were induced by AMA1 VLPs when tested using T. gondii-infected human sera. The sensitivities and specificities of the two antigens were substantially different, with AMA1 VLPs demonstrating over 90% sensitivity and specificity, whereas these values were in the 70% range for the TLA. These results indicated that AMA1 VLPs can detect infections of both T. gondii ME49 and RH at an early stage of infection caused by very low infection doses in mice, and these could be used for serological diagnosis of human toxoplasmosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advance in Viral Immunogens and Vaccines)
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13 pages, 3020 KiB  
Article
Protective Immunity Induced by Immunization with Baculovirus, Virus-like Particle, and Vaccinia Virus Expressing the AMA1 of Plasmodium berghei
by Min-Ju Kim, Ki-Back Chu, Hae-Ji Kang, Keon-Woong Yoon, Gi-Deok Eom, Jie Mao, Su-Hwa Lee, Jeeva Subbiah, Sang-Moo Kang, Eun-Kyung Moon and Fu-Shi Quan
Biomedicines 2022, 10(9), 2289; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10092289 - 15 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1547
Abstract
Heterologous prime–boost immunization regimens using various vaccine platforms demonstrated promising results against infectious diseases. Here, mice were sequentially immunized with the recombinant baculovirus (rBV), virus-like particle (VLP), and recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV) vaccines expressing the Plasmodium berghei apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) for [...] Read more.
Heterologous prime–boost immunization regimens using various vaccine platforms demonstrated promising results against infectious diseases. Here, mice were sequentially immunized with the recombinant baculovirus (rBV), virus-like particle (VLP), and recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV) vaccines expressing the Plasmodium berghei apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) for protective efficacy evaluation. The rBV_V_rVV heterologous immunization regimen elicited high levels of parasite-specific IgG, IgG2a, and IgG2b antibody responses in sera. Upon P. berghei challenge infection, proliferations of germinal center B cells in the inguinal lymph nodes, as well as blood CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were induced. More importantly, rBV_V_rVV immunization significantly diminished the parasitemia and prevented drastic bodyweight loss in mice post-challenge infection with P. berghei. Our findings revealed that immunization with rBV, VLP, and rVV expressing the AMA1 conferred protection against P. berghei infection, providing evidence for the potential implementation of this strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advance in Viral Immunogens and Vaccines)
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10 pages, 1332 KiB  
Article
SARS-CoV-2 Variability in Patients and Wastewaters—Potential Immuno-Modulation during the Shift from Delta to Omicron
by Ahlam Chaqroun, Cédric Hartard, Thomas Josse, Audrey Taverniers, Hélène Jeulin, Christophe Gantzer, John M. Murray, Obepine Consortium, Isabelle Bertrand and Evelyne Schvoerer
Biomedicines 2022, 10(9), 2080; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10092080 - 25 Aug 2022
Viewed by 1508
Abstract
The continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants favors potential co-infections and/or viral mutation events, leading to possible new biological properties. The aim of this work was to characterize SARS-CoV-2 genetic variability during the Delta–Omicron shift in patients and in a neighboring wastewater treatment plant [...] Read more.
The continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants favors potential co-infections and/or viral mutation events, leading to possible new biological properties. The aim of this work was to characterize SARS-CoV-2 genetic variability during the Delta–Omicron shift in patients and in a neighboring wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the same urban area. The surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 was performed by routine screening of positive samples by single nucleotide polymorphism analysis within the S gene. Moreover, additionally to national systematic whole genome sequencing (WGS) once a week in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients, WGS was also applied when mutational profiles were difficult to interpret by routine screening. Thus, WGS was performed on 414 respiratory samples and on four wastewater samples, northeastern France. This allowed us to report (i) the temporally concordant Delta to Omicron viral shift in patients and wastewaters; (ii) the characterization of 21J (Delta) and 21K (Omicron)/BA.1-21L (Omicron)/BA.2-BA.4 mixtures from humans or environmental samples; (iii) the mapping of composite mutations and the predicted impact on immune properties in the viral Spike protein. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advance in Viral Immunogens and Vaccines)
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14 pages, 2667 KiB  
Article
Cross-Protection Induced by Virus-like Particles Derived from the Influenza B Virus
by Hae-Ji Kang, Ki-Back Chu, Keon-Woong Yoon, Gi-Deok Eom, Jie Mao and Fu-Shi Quan
Biomedicines 2022, 10(7), 1618; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10071618 - 06 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1629
Abstract
The mismatch between the circulating influenza B virus (IBV) and the vaccine strain contributes to the rapid emergence of IBV infection cases throughout the globe, which necessitates the development of effective vaccines conferring broad protection. Here, we generated influenza B virus-like particle (VLP) [...] Read more.
The mismatch between the circulating influenza B virus (IBV) and the vaccine strain contributes to the rapid emergence of IBV infection cases throughout the globe, which necessitates the development of effective vaccines conferring broad protection. Here, we generated influenza B virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines expressing hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, or both antigens derived from the influenza B virus (B/Washington/02/2019 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus, B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage)-like virus. We found that irrespective of the derived antigen lineage, immunizing mice with the IBV VLPs significantly reduced lung viral loads, minimized bodyweight loss, and ensured 100% survival upon Victoria lineage virus B/Colorado/06/2017 challenge infection. These results were closely correlated with the vaccine-induced antibody responses and HI titer in sera, IgG, IgA antibody responses, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses, germinal center B cell responses, and inflammatory cytokine responses in the lungs. We conclude that hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, or both antigen-expressing VLPs derived from these influenza B viruses that were circulating during the 2020/21 season provide cross-protections against mismatched Victoria lineage virus (B/Colorado/06/2017) challenge infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advance in Viral Immunogens and Vaccines)
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