Antivirus front

About what successes were achieved by doctors and biologists in the fight against viruses, says a medical journalist, scientific editor of ABS and Russian Pharmacies, Alexei Vodovozov .

Somehow the struggle against bacteria did not work out in humanity. A constantly growing problem with resistance, the “antibiotic apocalypse”, which the WHO, CDC and other profile organizations prophesy in chorus, sincere and therefore the incredible love of our population and some doctors for antibacterial drugs - all this does not allow us to say that we hold bacteria in the hedgehog mittens.

And against this background, the successes of the battles with viruses look much more impressive. It is enough to recall that the natural smallpox recognized by the officially eradicated smallpox was caused by two representatives of the Poxviridae family, and the causative agent of the next candidate “to fly” - poliomyelitis - the Enterovirus of the Picornaviridae family. Even about HIV there are good news: at first the Americans reported the case of a “functional cure” of a small child [1], and then, literally a week later, the publication of French researchers from the Anrs Visconti Study Group appeared in Plos Patogen, which already describes 14 similar cases, and adults [2].

However, there is enough of their spoons of tar, one flu is worth it. Doctors have not yet learned how to cope with his seasonal attacks, all hope for a universal vaccine, good information from the laboratories where it is being developed is inspired by cautious optimism. And science does not stand still: over the past couple of years, the world of viruses has presented many surprises.

Catch up inside the cell

In 2010, one of the dogmas of immunology shaved. Until that moment, it was believed that as soon as the virus overcame the cell membrane, immunity is no longer able to do anything with it. Two groups of British scientists (in the good sense of the word) from the University of Cambridge and the University College of London proved that this is not so [3]. The brief essence of their discovery can be described as follows: the cytosol receptor of the immunoglobulin G, containing a triratic motif (TRIM21), media intracellular immunity against non -prying viruses through the killer -like perisomatic lysis.

Translated from the molecular biological explanation to the Russian explanation is longer. If the immune system reacts to the virus, in the bloodstream, specific antibodies cling it from all sides. And with all this accompaniment, the viral particle penetrates into the cage, where the TRIM21 special protein reacting to special areas of antibodies lives in the cytoplasm. The cell “understands” that something fell into it that immunity considered it alien. Trim21 puts a special label on the virus-antibodulation complex, which is usually “handed” to defective proteins, unnecessary enzymes and other intracellular “garbage”, which is processed on recyclables. A special cellular organella-proteasoma is just engaged in such disposal. The marked virus, along with antibodies, quickly understands spare parts.

Unfortunately, this works only for non -wound viruses, to which, for example, the already mentioned influenza virus belongs. Nevertheless, in the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, work has been underway for the third year to practical use of this, of course, promising discovery.

We will live

The second surprise presented the study of a previously considered 100%lethal infection-rabies. In 2012, a group of American and Peruvian virologists and epidemiologists published a very unusual report on the study of the blood of the inhabitants of the distant corners of the Amazon jungle [4]. Why did the researchers need blood? Just from this area, Peru received many reports about cases of rabies among pets and local bats-vampires. In 7 out of 63 blood samples, neutralizing antibodies to the rabies virus (RVNA) were found in the titers range of 0.1-2.8 IU/ml. And the three local residents showed the class G Immunoglobulin to ribonucleoprotein of the Beshens virus (RNP-IGG), and two of them were also seropositive in RVNA.

Why is it unusual? Yes, because such serology and such credits can appear in only two cases: a) vaccination and b) the transferred infection. But only one local resident turned to the hospital, to which two days of the journey, for vaccinations, applied for vaccinations. So the rest are simply ill with rabies. And they survived, having received immunity to the virus.

This phenomenon is known, it is called natural vaccination, only no one could think that it is possible in the case of rabies. Most likely, in the course of in-depth studies it turns out that in bats, there are non-volatile for a person of isol-there are a virus. What opens a rather tempting prospects for the vaccination of a dangerous infection.

Bacterium against influenza

In addition to traditional approaches to the creation of antifungal vaccines of certain attention, the idea of ​​the Nobel Prize Laureate Professor Barry Marshall, who proved the connection of Helicobacter Pylori with the ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, deserves the idea of ​​the Nobel Prize. He intends to use this bacterium for peaceful purposes, turning it into a vector for an oral (through mouth) delivery of antigenic material. According to Marshall, this can provide safe and effective vaccination against many infections, the flu was primarily called viral.

So far, the first phase of clinical tests is carried out, the purpose of which is to determine the safe Helicobacter Pylori strains, which can be used as vectors. Judging by the last report of Professor Marshall, he already managed to decide on the list of candidates [5]. However, the Biotechnological Company created by him, according to the information on its official website, is primarily intended to develop immunotherapy drugs for the treatment of allergies, so that Helicobacter Pylori vaccine risks remaining just a beautiful project. But universal flu vaccines can become a reality in the foreseeable future.

1. Deborah Persaud, H Gay, C Ziemniak, Yh Chen, M Piatak, Tw Chun, M Strain, D Richman, K Luzuriaga. Functional HIV CURE AFTER VERY EARLY Art of An Infected Infant. 2013 conference

On Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Paper #48LB

2. Saez-Cirion a, Bacchus C, Hocqueloux L, Avettand-Fenoel V, Girault I, et al. (2013) Post-Treatment HIV-1 Controllers with A Long-Term Virological Remission After the Interruption of Early Initiation AntireTroviral Therapy VisconTi Study. PLOS PATHOG 9 (3): E1003211. Doi: 10.1371/Journal. PPAT.1003211

3. Donna L. Mallerya, William A. Mcewana, Susanna R. Bidgooda, Greg J. Towers, Chris M. Johnson, and Leo C. James. Antibodies Mediate Intracellular Immunity Through Tripartite Motif-Containing 21 (Trim21)-Procedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1014074107, november 2, 2010

4. Amy T. Gilbert, Brett W. Petersen, Sergio Recuenco, Michael Niezgoda, Jorge Gomez, V. Alberto Laguna-Torres, Charles Rupprecht. Evidence of Rabies Virus Exposure Among Humans in the Peruvian Amazon - The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygienne, 2012 Vol. 87 No. 2 206-215, DOI: 10.4269/Ajtm 2012.11-0689

5. Prof. Barry Marshall. Rationale for Vaccine Delivery: Choosing The Right Strain from Human Studies.12TH World Vaccine Congress, Washington DC, USA (April 2012).