Infectious diseases can be considered as one of the biggest threats to humanity. Throughout the ages, humanity has battled with contagious diseases, as observed in the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and epidemics of Monkeypox, Ebola and Zika virus. Pandemics have also been critical players in sculpting history. The notorious ‘Black Death’ pandemic, also known as the bubonic plague, was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. This bacterium, between 1346 and 1353, had ‘claimed the lives of up to 60% of the western Eurasian population’ (Spyrou, 2022). Evidently, the danger posed by infectious diseases should not be dismissed, and historical events can teach us important lessons.
Scientists must be ready for the subsequent emerging infectious disease.
The ability to diagnose and treat infectious diseases is valuable on both a local and global scale and a significant strategy against novel pathogens. Diagnosis provides insight into the pathogenesis and epidemiology of existing and emerging infectious pathogens, allowing epidemics and pandemics to be controlled and treatments developed.
Antibodies and peptides are key to diagnosing and treating infectious diseases, whether they take the form of a detection or capture agent in an ELISA, a biomarker of interest or a key vaccine component. At Biosynth, we have an extensive catalog of antigens and antibodies for new emerging viruses and a whole host of infectious diseases. Our infectious disease portfolio is exceptional and of excellent service to the in-vitro diagnostics and therapeutics industry. We have an array of products potentially suitable for use in detection immunoassays, namely lateral flow and ELISA, and can be a valuable tool in patient diagnosis. For more information, visit our IVD Research Products and Raw Materials for IVD webpage. Contact us for support in customizing these antibodies for your specific use.
Viruses
Amongst the existing infectious pathogens are viruses. Viruses have evolved a highly efficient and clever mechanism to invade host cells. Once inside, viruses hijack the cellular processes replicate their genetic material, which they then translocate out. These freshly made proteins are assembled into new virus particles. Every virus is unique and have adapted different methods of gaining entry into a host cell. Generally, viruses enter a host cell through membrane fusion, endocytosis or viral penetration.
- Membrane fusion: the cell membrane is punctured and connects with the viral envelope.
- Endocytosis: the host cell engulfs the virion.
- Viral penetration: the viral genome is injected into the host cell.
It is largely the processes of viral entry into a cell and the viral replication process that interests scientists. If either of these processes can be inhibited, so can the infection. The theme of host cell invasion is prominent among our IVD research products. Many of the antibodies available for purchase are complementary to antigens directly or indirectly associated with viral entry and viral genome replication within a host cell. These properties make them advantageous candidates for treatment, research, and in-vitro diagnostic industry uses.
Spanning from Mosquito borne viruses: West Nile, Zika, Dengue, Yellow Fever and Chikungunya virus to Monkeypox, Influenza, Coronavirus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and additional viral products (Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, Varicella Zoster, and Rubella). We can be sure these IVD virus-related research products are globally relevant molecules that will meet your research needs. Below are a few highlights of our viral products.
Zika Virus
Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus which, during the 1960s and 1980s, caused sporadic infections in Africa and Asia. However, after 2007 Zika virus cases were found to be wider spread across the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Zika virus is linked to severe birth defects, such as microcephaly, in babies whose mothers have been exposed to the virus during pregnancy. It is associated with a spectrum of neurological diseases in adults, including Guillain-Barré syndrome. Biosynth acknowledges the Zika virus’s global prevalence and offers a range of Zika virus products. Two of these are:
Mouse monoclonal antibody to Zika NS1 protein (10-2708): The NS1 protein of Zika virus is a non-structural protein involved in Zika virus replication and pathogenesis. Studies have shown that it can increase the permeability of the umbilical vein, human placentas and brain endothelial cells.
Mouse monoclonal antibody to Zika virus envelope protein (10-2715): The Envelope glycoprotein of Zika virus is a structural protein involved in virus and host cell surface receptor binding. It has three domains (I, II and III) and a stem-transmembrane domain. Domain I functions to link Domain III (which is the host cell receptor binding domain) to Domain II in order to dimerize and form a fusion loop.
Yellow Fever
Yellow Fever, a potentially fatal mosquito-borne flavivirus, is common in tropical and subtropical locations in South America and Africa. There is no specific treatment for Yellow Fever, and, despite access to safe and effective Yellow Fever vaccines, the virus is still causing significant health problems in these countries.
As a part of our Yellow Fever antibodies and proteins, we have a monoclonal antibody to the Yellow Fever NS1 protein (AZ1264-R). The non-structural glycoprotein, NS1, is one of 7 non-structural proteins encoded by the single-stranded RNA of the Yellow Fever Virus. Interestingly, NS1 plays a role in viral assembly, and it’s 12 invariant cysteine residues allow it to function within RNA replication and hence contribute to reducing the host’s immune response. Our yellow fever antibody (AZ1264-R) is unique because it shows no cross-reactivity with other flavivirus NS1 proteins, allowing precise detection.
HIV
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the causative agent for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It targets CD4 cells and reduces their ability to function, leading to an inhibited immune response. Two key envelope glycoproteins which facilitate the entry of HIV into T cells are gp41 and gp120.
The glycoprotein gp120 permits binding to CD4 receptors and CCR5 or CXCR4 chemokine co-receptors on host cells. This attachment enables the second key envelope glycoprotein gp41 to refold its N-terminal and C-terminal heptad repeat regions into a six-helix bundle, allowing viral fusion to the host cell membrane. These heptad regions are potential points of interest. This is because inhibitor targets and their peptide derivatives can competitively block the six-helix bundle formation and can be used in combination therapy treatment for HIV. Another segment of the gp41 protein crucial to viral fusion and therapeutic use in vaccines is the tryptophan-rich Membrane Proximal External Region (MPER). This contains exposed epitopes, which can be targeted by broadly neutralising antibodies (bNAbs). The gp41 protein has further assay applications in antibody and antigen-detecting assays: ELISA, western blot and lateral flow. In particular, it can determine the type of infection to be an HIV-1 group M, O or HIV-2 virus when used in an ELISA assay.
Biosynth Dublin has been supplying HIV reagents to the research community since 1988. There are now over 100 international publications referencing the use of our HIV-1 gp120 polyclonal antibody (D7324-R), which can be used to detect the presence of the HIV gp120 subunit in antigen detection assays such as ELISA, automated immunoassays, western blot and lateral flow.
See our complete collection of HIV protein and antibody products in our catalog.
Bacteria
Bacteria are prokaryotic organisms, and interestingly only a small percentage cause infectious diseases. Instead, most bacteria have a role in maintaining the environment and exist as normal flora in hosts. However, pathogenic bacteria can cause disease, by evading a host’s defense mechanisms and, in some cases, through the production of toxins. Most bacteria can be classified as being either gram-negative or gram-positive, and some can produce an endotoxin. The development of antibiotics is arguably one of the most significant breakthroughs in the history of medicine and truly revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections. Unfortunately, the abuse of antibiotics in medicine and in agriculture has brought about the impending global threat of antibiotic resistance. Read more about antibiotic resistance and how antimicrobial peptides could be the solution in our blog: ‘Antimicrobial Peptides: Are they the Solution to Antibiotic Resistance?’
Tetanus
Clostridium tetani is the bacteria responsible for the tetanus infection, also known as lockjaw. Muscle spasms of the jaw and neck are characteristic of tetanus and are the result of the toxins, tetanospasmin and tetanolysin produced by clostridium tetani. This gram-positive bacteria, found in soil, animal faeces or in dust, enters the human body through breakages in the skin. Since the development of the tetanus vaccine, most of the population has become immunized to tetanus. Those who are not immunized or have lost immunity due to aging or immunosuppressive conditions are still at risk of acquiring the infection. It is important, therefore that in these populations, suspected tetanus should be rapidly diagnosed and treated. Biosynth has monoclonal and polyclonal Tetanus toxin antibodies and tetanus toxin proteins for research purposes.
Legionnaire’s disease
Another infectious bacterium is Legionella pneumophila. Naturally, this gram-negative bacterium infects freshwater and soil amoebae. If they begin to grow in human-made building water systems such as showerheads and heaters, they become a health concern. Legionella is spread by water droplets in the air which can be easily inhaled and cause Legionnaires disease or Pontiac fever in humans. Clinically, patients suffer from respiratory illness, most commonly acute pneumonia. Again, like all other infections, it is important to diagnose the cause of the illness early so that the appropriate treatment can be administered. One of the preferred diagnostic methods is culturing, but this relies upon using the appropriate medium containing yeast extract (FY30608), α-ketoglutarate, L-cysteine (FC16020), iron and activated charcoal. Other methods of diagnosis include the detection of the bacterial antigen in clinical specimens, serologic diagnosis and indirect immunofluorescence. For research and diagnostic purposes, Biosynth have monoclonal antibodies against Legionella pneumophila including those that are labeled with biotin (60C-CR2130RB), HRP (60C-CR2130RX) and FITC (60C-CR2130RF) as well as Legionella pneumophila antigens and proteins.
Chlamydia Trachomatis
Chlamydia trachomatis is a type of bacteria responsible for causing the sexually transmitted infection (STI) Chlamydia. Chlamydia is one of the most common bacterial STIs worldwide. It primarily affects the genital and urinary tracts in both men and women but can also infect other parts of the body, such as the eyes and throat. If left, Chlamydia can lead to severe complications, particularly in women. In women, Chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can lead to infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy. In pregnancy Chlamydia can be transmitted to the baby during childbirth, leading to eye and respiratory infections in the newborn.
Chlamydia can be easily diagnosed through laboratory tests on urine, swabs, or other samples from the infected area. Fortunately, it can also be treated and cured with antibiotics, such as azithromycin (AD29657) or doxycycline (FD31350) Chlamydia is a prevalent infectious disease. It is important that further research is carried out. We supply a variety of Chlamydia trachomatis-specific research tools. From Chlamydia trachomatis IgG (55R-IB19202) and IgM (55R-IB19203) ELISA kits and biotin (goat 60C-CR2104GB, rabbit 60C-CR2104RB), HRP (goat 60-C20, rabbit 60C-CR2104RX) and FITC (mouse 61-C75A, rabbit 60-C19, goat 60-C22) labeled antibodies to Chlamydia Trachomatis Positive Urine (DF8210), antigens, monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. Biosynth has the resources to support your project.
The fight against infectious diseases is and always will be continuous. The health of our global population rests in the hands of scientific innovation and advancing technology. Biosynth recognizes the importance of this battle and strives to supply high quality raw materials to projects paving the way to combat infectious diseases. We are adaptable and meet customer’s demands. This was demonstrated by our rapid role out of SARS-CoV-2 research products during the most recent pandemic, and our development of a monoclonal antibody (AZ1308) to screen and detect the deadly Nipah virus. We have an array of research tools, from antibodies, proteins and antigens, ELISA kits, antisera, and buffers.
Visit our raw materials for IVD webpage for our full offering.
References
Bae, C., Bourget, D. (2023). Tetanus. StatPearls.
Doron, S. (2008). Bacterial Infections: Overview. International Encyclopedia of Public Health, 273-282.
Meyer, T. (2016). Diagnostic Procedures to Detect Chlamydia trachomatis Infections. Microorganisms, 4(3), 25.
Spyrou, M. A., Musralina, L., Ruscone, G. A. G., Kocher, A., Borbone, P-G., Khartanovich, V. I., Buzhilova, A., Djansugurova, L., Bos, K. I., Kühnert, D., Haak, W., Slavin, P,. Krause, J. (2022) The source of the Black Death in fourteenth-century central Eurasia. Nature, 606, 718-724.
Winn, WC Jr. (1996). Legionella. Medical Microbiology, Chapter 4.
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