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In Brazil, researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Pernambuco division of Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) are developing a zika vaccine. The formulation was tested on mice and found to be efficacious, inducing an immune response against the virus and protecting the animals appropriately. The results are reported in an article published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology. “Most vaccines use an attenuated or inactivated form of the virus they’re [...]

The technology used to sequence SARS-CoV-2 at record speed early in the COVID-19 pandemic has been successfully tested as a technique to monitor arboviruses and diseases transmitted mainly by mosquitoes.  In an article published in the journal Microbial Genomics, researchers affiliated with Pasteur Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, and the University of São Paulo (USP), in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Birmingham in the United [...]

An article published in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering describes a possible strategy for promoting selective inhibition of multidrug-resistant bacteria, which are increasingly abundant owing to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics and are therefore a major human health hazard. The article proposes to use nanoparticles of metal or metal oxide to inactivate multiresistant bacteria by means of ion release, direct contact between the nanoparticles and the [...]

By comparing data for the immune response to natural infection by dengue virus to data for activation of the immune system by dengue vaccines, researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) have identified molecular markers that could be used in the development of novel vaccines and treatments for dengue. They also reiterated the efficacy of two vaccines already available on the market: Q-Denga, manufactured by Takeda Pharma (Japan) and now being distributed by the national health [...]

The Corn leafhopper Dalbulus maidis has become a serious problem for farmers. This tiny insect is now widely distributed in the Americas, from the south of the United States to the north of Argentina. In Brazil, it uses only corn plants as hosts, and little is known about its survival mechanisms in the absence of these plants. In corn, it causes damage directly by sucking sap from the phloem, the vascular tissue that conducts sugar and other metabolic products downward from the leaves. This [...]

A novel therapeutic strategy developed by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) could revolutionize the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD) transmitted by sandflies. Some 12 million people suffer from the disease worldwide, and 700,000 to 1 million new cases of occur annually, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The technique developed by the researchers involved the use of lipid nanoparticles to administer lupeol, a [...]

A female White-eared opossum (Didelphis albiventris) found dead in 2021 in Bosque dos Jequitibás Park in the center of Campinas, one of the largest cities in São Paulo state, Brazil, died from rabies meningoencephalitis. The report was published by a group of researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and Adolfo Lutz Institute (IAL), the regional reference laboratory, working with health professionals affiliated with public institutions in São Paulo city and [...]

A study led by Brazilian researchers shows that people who have had zika run a higher risk of subsequently having severe dengue and being hospitalized. The finding is highly relevant to the development of a zika vaccine. According to the scientific literature, a second infection by any of the four known dengue serotypes is known to be typically more severe than the first, but until now no correlation between this fact and the occurrence of other diseases had been investigated. An article [...]

A single-dose dengue vaccine produced by Butantan Institute in São Paulo state (Brazil) prevents development of the disease in 79.6% of those vaccinated, according to an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Called Butantan-DV, the vaccine contains attenuated versions of all four dengue virus serotypes. The results of the ongoing Phase 3 trial show that it is safe and effective for all age groups between 2 and 59, and for people with or without a prior history of [...]