Biology subjects

Agostinho, W. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Agostinho, W. C..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

An innovative tool for non-invasive contact-free pathogen monitoring in animal saliva

Habitat fragmentation, climate change, poaching, human-wildlife conflicts, and infectious diseases are the main threats to biodiversity conservation. They alter host-pathogen dynamics, reduce viable conservation areas, and promote genetic isolation, resulting in physiological stress among animal populations. Moreover, increased proximity between domestic and wild animals further facilitates disease spillovers exposing naive host species and ecosystems to new pathogens. Of the more than 200 known zoonotic diseases, approximately 60% originate from animals, contributing significantly to the global infectious disease burden. Here, we describe the development of an innovative non-invasive approach for biological sampling that has been validated in mice and shelter cats. Our device consists of a disposable plastic cassette that through odor attractants lures animals to lick a filter paper. This saliva collection approach allowed for the detection of RNA viruses by RTqPCR and third-generation sequencing. RTqPCR oral swab and licked paper results showed that both methods significantly predicted serological status. Our sequencing results revealed the richness of the gene space, demonstrating the potential of this device for discovering rare or unknown species circulating in the saliva donor, enabling this player to be recognized as an environmental sentinel. This study demonstrates the feasibility of deploying this device in sheltered/captive animal settings as well as under laboratory simulations of different environments, providing necessary foundations for future field applications. Our methodology holds great potential for monitoring zoonotic pathogens in both captive and free-ranging animals, to even possibly allow proactive mitigation measures prior to spillover, without interfering with the natural animal behaviour and social structures. Visual abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=141 SRC="FIGDIR/small/705368v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (21K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1325498org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@14ff0cdorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@14a4334org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@8217e4_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Prolonged survival of rabid mice after treatment with Poly-ICLC Hiltonol (R)

Despite its 100% lethality and approximately 59,000 human deaths a year, rabies is still in want of an effective treatment. A host of trials has been described aiming at impairing the life cycle of Lyssavirus rabies (RABV), the chief worldwide lyssavirus causing rabies, but with limited success. In this study, mice intranasally inoculated with the CVS strain of RABV were serially treated with 50{micro}g/day of the Poly ICLC Hiltonol(R) jn MEM showed significantly higher survival time and disease incubation period as compared to control mice that received MEM only. These very preliminary results indicate that Hiltonol(R) might be an effective drug against rabies that merits wider in vivo investigation.

pharmacology and toxicology↗

bioRxiv2019

Intracerebral transfection of anti-rabies virus antibodies is an effective therapy for rabies

Rabies is a zoonotic neurological disease with 100% lethality. Some of the rare human patients who survived after multiple drug treatment have inherited severe sequelae. The objective of this study was to investigate the action of the transfection of antibodies against rabies in the central nervous system of mice as target therapy for rabies.\n\nAuthor summaryThe present study showed that after 48 h of RABV inoculation, mice injected by the intracerebral route with anti-RABV F(ab)2 complexed with Bioporter(R) Protein Delivery Reagent (Genlantis) as a transfection agent, showing a morbidity/mortality rate of 30% with a minimum incubation period of seven days, while in the control group a significantly higher (p<0.0198) 90% morbidity/mortality was reached in thirteen days after a maximum 5-day incubation period, suggesting that the transfection of anti-RABV antibodies into the brain might prevent or delay RABV dissemination in an early stage of rabies infection. For the first time, a single compound was able to inhibit replication of the virus in the nervous system with high efficiency. This result can provide important results for the planning of protocols to prevent the fatal outcome of the disease in advanced stages. New studies focusing on the optimization of intracellular antibody delivery may be one of the main bases for more effective anti-rabies therapy.

molecular biology↗