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Showing posts from December 31, 2025

A cocktail #vaccine with #monkeypox virus #antigens confers protection without selecting #mutations in potential immune evasion genes in the vaccinia WR strain challenge

ABSTRACT Faced with the global monkeypox outbreak, current vaccine development predominantly focuses on the mRNA platform despite its limitations in stability and long-term efficacy. Here, we engineered a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV)-vectored cocktail vaccine encoding four conserved monkeypox virus (MPXV) antigens (A35R, A29L, M1R, and B6R; >94% clade homology), leveraging the thermostable properties of the VSV platform validated for 4°C storage in Ebola vaccines. In BALB/c mice , this multi-antigen vaccine elicited a rapid humoral response with specific IgG detectable by day 7, effectively neutralized the virus, and induced a robust Th1/Th2 balanced cytokine response . Immunization conferred 100% survival against lethal vaccinia virus WR strain challenge , with undetectable viral loads in the lungs and serum , and sustained efficacy against secondary infection at 60 days. Histopathology confirmed minimal lung damage in vaccinated mice . Crucially, upon the successi...

Constructing national identity in #public #health #crises: a comparative DHA study of #China and the #USA (2003–2023)

{Abstract} This study examines how China and the United States construct national identity in multilateral settings during public health crises through strategic discourse. Drawing on National Identity Theory and the Discourse Historical Approach (DHA), it analyzes speeches delivered at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from 2003 to 2023, covering multiple crises including SARS, H1N1, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19 . Through a longitudinal and cross-crisis comparative analysis , the study reveals evolving discursive patterns that reflect shifting self–other dynamics in global health governance . China consistently constructs an identity as a cooperative, responsible major power through inclusive and multilateral language , while the United States exhibits greater variation across administrations , often framing its identity through alliance-centered and leading position . By bridging discourse-historical analysis with corpus-based methods, this research offers one of the first ...

An ultrapotent #human #antibody neutralizes all maturation states of #Zika virus

  Significance Zika virus causes microcephaly in fetuses and no vaccines or therapeutics currently exist against it . Mature and immature flavivirus particles are infectious. Here, we showed the cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM) structures of an ultrapotent A9E human antibody , complexed with both mature (mZIKV) and immature (immZIKV) Zika virus, and the antibody neutralization mechanism . One important characteristic is that Fab A9E can distort both mZIKV and ImmZIKV particle structures. Additionally, Fab A9E or IgG A9E LALA mutant can abolish or reduce the overall infection to myeloid cells when added to other infection enhancing antibody DV62.5:immZIKV complexes. Thus, antibody A9E represents a promising potential prophylactic and therapeutic candidate , as it is effective against all maturation states of Zika virus. Abstract Zika virus (ZIKV), a flavivirus, causes a range of clinical complications including microcephaly in human fetuses . Currently, there is no treatment or vacc...