Phage 241 specific for Escherichia coli O157:H7 was isolated from an industrial cucumber fermentation where both acidity (pH3.7) and salinity (5% NaCI) were high. A method for preparing a food item at least substantially free of Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination contacted the food item with a bacteriophage 241 under conditions for the bacteriophage 241 to lyse all or substantially all the Escherichia coli O157:H7 present in the food item, while Escherichia coli strains other than O157:H7 were not affected. A method for detecting the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 by contacting a bacteriophage 241 with a food item is also disclosed.

Disclosed herein are nuclease-based systems for genome editing and methods of using the system for genome editing. Also, disclosed are approaches to enhance Cas9-mediated gene editing efficiency in primary human cells with minimal toxicity when using adeno-associated virus vectors (AAV) to express the guide RNAs necessary for CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing in the presence of helper proteins.

A method for preparing serotype O foot-and-mouth disease virus-like particles, the method including: construction of small ubiquitin-like modifier fusion expression vector, construction of recombinant expression vectors, construction of recombinant co-expression vector, expression and purification of proteins, and in-vitro assembly of serotype O foot-and-mouth disease virus-like particles. The disclosure also provides a test strip for detecting serotype O foot-and-mouth disease including a bottom board, and a detection layer disposed on the top of the bottom board. A detection line and a control line are disposed on the detection layer. An absorbent layer is disposed at one end of the detection layer close to the control line, and an immuno-gold pad is disposed at the other side of the detection layer close to the detection line. A sample pad is disposed on the top of the immuno-gold pad.

The invention is related to a dengue virus or chimeric dengue virus that contains a mutation in the 3 untranslated region (3-UTR) comprising a 30 mutation that removes the TL-2 homologous structure in each of the dengue virus serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4, and nucleotides additional to the 30 mutation deleted from the 3-UTR that removes sequence in the 5 direction as far as the 5 boundary of the TL-3 homologous structure in each of the dengue serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4, or a replacement of the 3-UTR of a dengue virus of a first serotype with the 3-UTR of a dengue virus of a second serotype, optionally containing the 30 mutation and nucleotides additional to the 30 mutation deleted from the 3-UTR; and immunogenic compositions, methods of inducing an immune response, and methods of producing a dengue virus or chimeric dengue virus.

Methods and compositions for increasing the production of large amounts of empty capsids of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in a stable manner in mammalian cells by regulating the expression of FMDV 3C protease. The instant methods and compositions are based on the fact that a decreased expression of 3C protease results in a reduced cell toxicity and an increased synthesis of viral capsid proteins, as well as production of recombinant empty capsids. The invention provides recombinant plasmids that direct the expression of P1, 3C, and the use of the plasmids for producing new stable cell lines capable of generating high titers of FMDV empty capsids. The invention provides methods for regulating the expression of the FMDV 3C protease gene at a transcriptional and translational level in order to achieve the required process level of 3C protease for the selection process, as well as the production process.

The compositions and methods are described for generating an immune response to an antigen. The compositions and methods described herein relate to a modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vector encoding one or more viral antigens as a fusion product with a viral glycoprotein and matrix protein for generating a protective immune response to a subject to which the vector is administered. The compositions and methods of the present invention are useful both prophylactically and therapeutically and may be used to prevent and/or treat diseases

An expression enhancer comprising a CPMV 5UTR nucleotide sequence consisting of X nucleotides (CMPVX), where X=160, 155, 150, or 114 of SEQ ID NO:1, or consisting of a nucleotide sequence comprising from about 80% to 100% sequence similarity with CMPVX, where X=160, 155, 150, or 114 of SEQ ID NO:1 SEQ ID NO:1 is provided. The expression enhancer may further comprise a stuffer sequence fused to the 3 end of the 5UTR nucleotide sequence (CMPVX+, where X=160, 155, 150, or 114 of SEQ ID NO:1). The stuffer sequence may comprise one or more plant kozak sequences. Plants comprising the expression enhancer and methods using the expression enhancer are also described

The invention relates to the production of phage and non-replicative transduction particles using DNAs (eg, plasmids and helper phage, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) or plasmids with chromosomally integrated helper phage genes), as well as the phage, helper phage, kits, compositions and methods involving these. The non-replicative transduction particles can be used to deliver antibacterial agents comprising a guided nuclease system.

Disclosed are CMV vectors that lack active UL128, UL130, UL146 and UL147 proteins that may also comprise one or more microRNA regulatory elements (MRE) that restrict expression of the CMV. Immunization with the disclosed CMV vectors allow selection of different CD8+ T cell responsesCD8+ T cells restricted by MHC-Ia, MHC-II, or by MHC-E.

The invention is related to a dengue virus or chimeric dengue virus that contains a mutation in the 3 untranslated region (3-UTR) comprising a 30 mutation that removes the TL-2 homologous structure in each of the dengue virus serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4, and nucleotides additional to the 30 mutation deleted from the 3-UTR that removes sequence in the 5 direction as far as the 5 boundary of the TL-3 homologous structure in each of the dengue serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4, or a replacement of the 3-UTR of a dengue virus of a first serotype with the 3-UTR of a dengue virus of a second serotype, optionally containing the 30 mutation and nucleotides additional to the 30 mutation deleted from the 3-UTR; and immunogenic compositions, methods of inducing an immune response, and methods of producing a dengue virus or chimeric dengue virus.