Longitudinal monitoring of anti-saliva antibodies as markers of repellent efficacy against Phlebotomus perniciosus and Phlebotomus papatasi in dogs.

A 2-year longitudinal study of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antibodies against Phlebotomus perniciosus and Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) sandfly saliva was performed in 32 Beagle dogs treated preventively with an imidacloprid-permethrin topical insecticide in an endemic area in Spain. Dogs were grouped into three sandfly exposure groups according to the time of inclusion in the study. Assays analysed immunoglobulin G (IgG) against salivary gland homogenates (SGH) of both species and recombinant P. papatasi rSP32 and P. perniciosus rSP03B proteins in serum. The dogs were participating in a Leishmania infantum (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) vaccine trial and were experimentally infected with the parasite in the second year. No dog acquired natural L. infantum infections during the first year, but most developed anti-saliva antibodies, and median log-transformed optical densities (LODs) were seasonal, mimicking those of local sandflies. This indicates that the repellent efficacy of the insecticide used is below 100%. Multi-level modelling of LODs revealed variability among dogs, autocorrelation and differences according to the salivary antigen and the dog's age. However, dog seroprevalence, estimated using pre-exposure LODs as cut-offs, was relatively low. This, and the fact that dogs did not become naturally infected with L. infantum, would support the efficacy and usefulness of this imidacloprid-permethrin topical insecticide in canine leishmaniasis control.

Role of Nanotechnology for Enzyme Replacement Therapy in Lysosomal Diseases. A Focus on Gaucher's Disease.

Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) comprise a group of rare inherited chronic syndromes that cause deficiency of specific native enzymes within the lysosomes. The macromolecular compounds that are usually catabolized by lysosomal enzymes are accumulated within these organelles, causing progressive damage to tissues, skeleton and organs and, in several cases, the central nervous system (CNS). The damage caused by substrate accumulation finally results in physical deterioration, functional impairment and potential death. Up to date, the most promising therapy for most LSDs is enzyme-replacement therapy (ERT), which provides patients with the corresponding active enzyme. However, these enzymes do not have enough stability in blood, the treatment must be therefore periodically administrated by i.v. infusion under medical supervision, and immunogenicity issues are frequent. In addition, affected areas within the CNS, where the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a major obstacle, cannot be reached by the enzymes. Nanotechnology can provide useful carriers to successfully protect and preserve enzymes, and transport them through the BBB towards brain locations. Several strategies based on targeting specific receptors on the BBB have led to nanoparticles that successfully carry sensitive molecules to the brain. Then, the main LSDs are described and a thorough review of nanotechnology strategies for brain delivery studied up to date is presented.

Genomic characterization and selection of wine yeast to conduct industrial fermentations of a white wine produced in a SW Spain winery.

AIMS: To analyse the diversity of wild yeast in spontaneous fermentations of a white wine and to select the most suitable autochthonous starter yeasts. The selected yeasts would be used for inoculation of industrial fermentations in several years. METHODS AND RESULTS: Yeasts were characterized by applying electrophoretic karyotyping. This technique was chosen because it can reveal the large-scale mutations in the yeast genome induced by gross chromosomal rearrangements. This type of mutation is considered one of the main forces behind the rapid evolution of industrial yeasts. A heterogeneous population of yeast strains was observed in the spontaneous fermentations during two consecutive years. Four of the most abundant strains were isolated and tested for microbiological features of industrial importance. The selected autochthonous strains were used as starter yeasts for the following 7 years. In the majority of these experiences, we obtained homogeneous yeast populations, in which the karyotype of one of the inoculated strains--karyotype V--emerged as clearly dominant. CONCLUSIONS: The inoculation of the selected strain with karyotype V and a proper handling of the inoculum scaling-up process led to the substitution of the spontaneous fermentations by controlled fermentations producing a highly satisfactory final product. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: We monitored the wine yeast population of an industrial system for a total of 9 years. Our work is one of the first examples made at industrial scale showing how molecular techniques can be successfully applied to improve the efficiency of the winemaking process.