Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Peptides Derived from L1 Protein Against Bovine Papillomavirus-1/2 Identified Along Mexico's Cattle Export Route.

Introduction: Bovine papillomatosis affects animal health and represents one of the greatest economic losses in the livestock sector. New control and prevention methods to protect the livestock industry from this disease are necessary. The aim of this study was to evaluate a candidate peptide for antibody production against bovine papillomavirus (BPV). Material and Methods: A total of 64 cattle underwent wart excision among 5,485 cattle distributed over 2 to 4 farms per state and 12 farms in total in the four Mexican states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Veracruz, and Nuevo León. The prevalence of bovine papillomatosis per farm was calculated by wart visualisation. The warts were genotyped by PCR and sequenced, then a phylogenetic tree was built using MEGA X software. A synthetic peptide was designed in the ABCpred, Bepipred 2.0, Bepipred IDBT, Bepitope, LBtope, and MHC II predictor online server software's based on the C-terminal region of the L1 protein. Mice antibody production was induced by subcutaneous immunisation with 50 µg of synthetic peptide and evaluated by indirect ELISA. Results: The prevalence of BPV was higher in Tabasco, Chiapas, and Veracruz. Bovine papillomaviruses 1 and 2 were found in all representative samples. A phylogenetic tree showed that Mexican sequences were located in exclusive clades yet were highly related to international ones. The peptide immunisation induced antibody titres of 1 : 10,000/1 : 1,000,000 against synthetic peptide and whole wart lysate (WWL), respectively. Conclusion: Co-infections of BPV-1 and -2 were found in all four states. Immunisation of BALB/C mice with BPV-1/2-derived synthetic peptide based on the C-terminal region of the major viral capsid protein L1 induced the production of specific antibodies able to recognise BPV-1/2 viral particles from bovine WWL.

In vitro antibacterial activity of bovine dialyzable leukocyte extract.

The rapidly developing resistance of many infectious pathogenic organisms to modern drugs has spurred scientists to search for new sources of antibacterial compounds. One potential candidate, bDLE (dialysis at 10 to 12 kDa cut-off) and its fractions ("S" and "L" by 3.5 kDa cut-off and I, II, III, and IV by molecular exclusion chromatography), was evaluated for antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Lysteria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhi) using standard antimicrobial assays. A minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of bDLE and its fractions was determined by agar and broth dilutions methods. Only bDLE and its "S" fraction had an effect upon all bacteria evaluated (MIC ranging from 0.29 to 0.62 U/ml), and the bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects (evaluated by MTT assay) were bacterial species-dependent. These results showed a remarkable in vitro antibacterial property of bDLE against several pathogenic bacteria.