Archives of Razi Institute
Volume:71 Issue: 2, Spring 2016

Bovine theileriosis is a tick-borne disease caused by obligate intracellular parasites related to the genus Theileria. Cellular immune responses protect cattle against pathogens through the activation of immune cells. Nowadays, live, attenuated vaccine of Theileria annulata (T. annulata) is being produced in Iran and is recommended for active cattle immunization. Detection of the immunogenic antigens and epitopes recognized by CD8 T Lymphocytes is vital for the development of recombinant and subunit vaccines. Herein, sequences of the genes encoding Ta9, which is an important antigenrecognized by bovine CD8 T cells specific for T. annulata, in Iranian S15 vaccine strains, several Iranian isolates, as well as reference Ta9 DNA sequences registered in GeneBank were compared through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The obtained data from DNA sequences were analyzed by using "Nucleotide", "Blast n", "BioEdit" and "IEDB" softwares. The results showed high level of variation in nucleotides and amino acids level. The observed polymorphism in Ta9 gene sequences of Iranian vaccine strains and some isolates from Iran demonstrated that this antigen contains polymorphic sequences and is active along with the specific major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the host. Polymorphic sequences and specific epitopes of Ta9 gene for CD8 T cell provides an explanation for incomplete protection observed after inoculation of heterologous parasites in vaccinated cattle. These results have important implications for the application of Ta9 antigen for developing novel subunit vaccines.

Anthrax, a zoonotic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, has affected humans since ancient times. For genomic characterization of Razi B. anthracis Sterne 34F2 substrain, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping method developed by Van Erth, variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR)-8 analysis proposed by Keim, and multiple-locus VNTR analysis (MLVA)-3 introduced by Levy were employed. In the SNPs typing system, where the nucleotide content of the genome at 13 evolutionary canonical loci was collectively analyzed, the originally South African 34F2 substrain was categorized in the A.Br.001/002 subgroup. In the VNTR-8 analysis, fragments with lengths of 314, 229, 162, 580, 532, 158, and 137 bp were identified at the following loci: vrrA, vrrB1, vrrB2, vrrC1, vrrC2, CG3, and pxO1, respectively. In addition, application of Levy's MLVA-3 genotyping method revealed that the genome of this strain carried 941, 451, and 864 bp fragments at AA03, AJ03, and AA07 loci, respectively. The present findings are undoubtedly helpful in meeting the requirements set by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and World Health Organization (WHO) for anthrax vaccine manufacturers including Razi Institute. However, further similar studies are required to promote the current epidemiological knowledge of anthrax in Iran.

Avian infectious bronchitis is an acute and highly contagious disease that mainly causes respiratory symptoms in poultry. A number of serotypes and variants of the viral agent with poor cross-protection are the major problem to achieve desired immunity from vaccination. The S1 subunit of S glycoprotein (spike) is the major determinant of IBV so that a minor change in amino acid sequence of this protein, alters the virus strain. Therefore, characterization of the sequence of S1 gene is necessary to identify virus strains and their similarities with the vaccinal strains. In this research, the S1 sequence of H52 and H120 vaccinal strains of Razi Institute was fully characterized, and also the effect of serial passages in embryonated - eggs (5 passages beyond the master seed) on the S1 gene was investigated. The results showed that H120 and H52 strains of Razi Institute are 100% identical to the reference vaccine strains available in the GenBank. In addition, the H52 strain showed one amino acid substitution from the 3rd passage in which Glycine (G) was replaced by Valine (V) at position 118 making these passages exactly identical to the H120 strain while no change occurred for the H120 strain during these passages. Analysis of the original vaccinal strains which are widely administered in Iran, is definitely useful for prevention and control strategies against the circulating viruses. To identify the genetic change(s) responsible for attenuation of these strains during passages in embryonated-egg, characterization of other genes, especially those involved in replication is recommended.

Salmonella infections are the second leading cause of zoonotic bacterial foodborne illness. Main source of infection in human is contaminated food products. The aim of this study was sub typing isolates of Salmonella entericaobtained during our previous study byPulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) technique. All 46 Salmonella isolates were serotyped and then subjected to PFGE. Total isolates were analyzed by means of the molecular technique XbaI PFGE. In this study, PFGE and serotyping were used to subtype 46 Salmonella isolates belonging to 27different serovars and derived from human and different food origins. Among these isolates, S. Typhimurium was found to be the most predominant serovar. 40 PFGE patterns out of 46 isolates were obtained. The Discrimination Index obtained by serotyping (DI = 0.93) was lower than PFGE (DI = 0.99). Subtyping of Salmonella enterica is very important and shows that animal origin can be one of a reservoir that potentially could be transferred to human through the food chain. In addition, results of this study also revealed that this procedure is a golden standard for genotyping of such salmonellaserotypes.

Hydatid cyst, the larval stage of cestodes Echinococcus spp., is recognized as a zoonotic infection in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently classified echinococcosis in a group of neglected tropical diseases.The prevalence of Echinococcus granulosus infection is high in Iran due to the presence of various intermediate hosts in this country. Considering the rising trend of this zoonotic parasitic disease based on national epidemiological studies, diagnosis is of great significance. WHO has suggested the use of specific antigens, especially antigen B (AgB) for serological diagnostic tests. In general, AgB is a polymeric lipoprotein, which disintegrates into 8.12, 16, and 20.24 kDa subunits. In the present study, we applied three different methods for AgB isolation from hydatid cyst fluid (HCF) and compared their efficacy in AgB isolation. Finally, the protein concentration of this antigen was measured by Bradford assay and confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The results showed that the application of polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000) as a thickener agent beside purification of HCF in dialysis bag and filtering and also dialysis against acetate buffer leading to the best quantity in purified antigen B.

The purpose of this study was to describe how companies in pharmaceutical and biological sectors can ensure their position in different markets by relying on sustainable, competitive advantages, resulting from the use of a well-defined marketing model with particular emphasis on brand improvement. As competition becomes more intense among companies and phenomena such as global marketing grow in importance, domestic industries in each country become obliged to improve their competitive advantages in order to survive from a marketing perspective. Customer satisfaction is among factors which could lead to the success and profitability of a company. The present research examined the relationship between brand value and customer behavioral intention. Accordingly, 80 questionnaires were distributed among customers, selected through random sampling in Tehran, Iran. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS. Based on descriptive statistics, two aspects of customer behavioral intention included “product introduction” and “repeat purchase”, while two aspects of brand equity were “brand awareness” and “product introduction”. The research findings showed that factors such as “brand awareness” and “brand loyalty” directly affect customer behavioral intention and satisfaction.

Brucellosis, caused by the genus Brucella bacterium, is a well-known infection among domestic animals. Considering the serious economic and medical consequences of this infection, various preventive efforts have been made through using recombinant vaccines, based on outer membrane protein (OMP) antigens of Brucella species. The objective of the present study was to clone, analyze the sequence, and predict the epitopes of Omp31 gene as a major B. melitensis antigen. The full-length open reading frame (ORF) for this gene was amplified by specific primers and cloned into the pTZ57R/T vector. The gene sequence of B. melitensis Rev 1 strain was submitted to NCBI database. The results of phylogenetic analysis showed that Omp31 is almost similar in different Brucella species. Online prediction software programs were also used to predict B- and T-cell epitopes, secondary and tertiary structures, antigenicity, and enzymatic degradation sites. The bioinformatic tools in the current study were confirmed by the results of three different experimental epitope prediction studies. Bioinformatic analysis identified one T-cell and three B-cell epitopes for Omp31 antigen. Finally, based on the antigenicity and proteosome recognition sites, common B- and T-cell epitopes were predicted for Omp31 (amino acids 191-204). Bioinformatic analysis showed that these regions had proper epitope characterization and could be useful for recombinant vaccine development.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) with a worldwide distribution has been reported in all human populations, resulting in a clinical spectrum of infections. Although HSV type 2 (HSV-2) is known as the most common cause of genital herpes, an increasing number of cases with genital herpes are caused by HSV-1. The present study aimed to discuss the changes in the epidemiology of HSV-1 infection including the decline in the general incidence of HSV-1 infection in childhood and the increased rate of genital herpes, caused by HSV-1. Moreover, changes in the epidemiology of ocular herpes, i.e., the reduced rate of primary ocular herpes in children and increased incidence of ocular HSV infection in adults, were discussed.