Compositions and methods for inducing a protective immune response against Coxiella burnetii, to reduce a subject's risk of developing Q fever

Anaplasma phagocytophilum surface protein AipA and/or fragments thereof which comprise an invasin domain are used in compositions suitable to elicit an immune response to treat or prevent infections caused by tick-born bacteria of the Anaplasmatacaea family. AipA proteins and protein fragments or antibodies directed to AipA proteins and protein fragments are also used in diagnostic assays to detect exposure to and/or infection with Anaplasmatacaea. AipA and/or fragments thereof are also used for these purposes in combination with one or both of Asp14 and OmpA proteins and/or fragments thereof which comprise an invasin domain. Homologs of these proteins are also used in the compositions and assays.

The present invention discloses a novel recombinant protein antigen and a vaccine composition using the same, in which the novel recombinant protein antigen is derived from the conserved sequence of a TSA56 antigen and can be useful in the diagnosis of infection with tsutsugamushi and as a vaccine for tsutsugamushi.

The invention refers to a process for the production of a continuous cell line of simile embryo stem cells, such as Amblyomma sculptum (Acari: Ixodidae), known as line IBU/ASE-16 (access number with CNCM: 1-5000) and its uses. More specifically, the invention refers to a process for the production of the line IBU/ASE-16 and their use for obtaining extracts for the production of vaccines and candidate recombinant proteins for biopharmaceuticals and acaricides, production of diagnostic kits for the detection of antigens and/or antibodies for animal and human use, obtaining clones for use in genotyping and use as a substrate for the isolation and culture of pathogens.

The invention relates to aquaculture. In particular, it relates to immunisation in fish farming. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vaccine formulation for fish, based on lipid nanovesicles with activity. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to a vaccine formulation for fish, based on lipid nanovesicles, especially a proteoliposome, with activity against salmon rickettsial syndrome (SRS)

Heptose-1-monophosphate-7-derivatives are modifiable immunomodulators that can be used to prepare clinically active conjugate compounds. Such conjugate compounds are useful in modulating an immune response in a subject.

Attenuated vaccines to protect vertebrate animals and people against tick-born rickettsial, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma species infections is disclosed. Also disclosed are methods to modify the organism to achieve the desired immunity through the modification of a novel genetic region involved in pathogenesis. These compounds represent a needed vaccine against an organism causing life-threatening febrile illness in humans and animals, and also represent the potential to develop new classes of drugs targeting the gene products of genes Ech_0379 and Ech_0230, and their homologs of other related rickettsial pathogens.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a vaccine composition comprising a bacterial strain with a deleted or inactive ntrX gene.

Targeted disruption of a specific gene and its subsequent restoration in obligate intracellular bacteria remains extremely challenging due to their absolute requirement for residence inside a host cell to replicate. Here, targeted allelic exchange mutations were created to inactivate two genes and then to restore one of the two genes of a rickettsial pathogen, Ehrlichia chaffeensis. These methods were then also successfully utilized in Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma phagocyophilum. The resultant mutated pathogens are useful in immunogenic compositions for reducing the incidence of or severity of infection with ricksettsial pathogens.

Nucleic acids include sequences encoding Ehrlichia ruminantium epitopes which induce a CD4 immune response, and sequences encoding Ehrlichia ruminantium epitopes which induce a CD8 immune response. Multi-epitope DNA vaccines include the nucleic acids and polypeptides are encoded by the nucleic acids. Methods of eliciting an immune response against heartwater disease in a subject make use of the nucleic acids, multi-epitope DNA vaccines and polypeptides.