The essential oil obtained from rhizomes of Hedychium coronarium Koenig and Hedychium spicatum Buch-Ham. growing wildly in Kumaun region of central Himalaya were analysed by GC and GC-MS. Forty six compounds representing 98.7 % of H. coronarium oil were identified. The main components identified were linalool (29.3 %), limonene (20.3 %), trans-meta-mentha,2,8diene (12.9 %), γ-terpinene (8.9 %) and 10-epi-γ-eudismol (3.8 %).Thirty six compounds accounting 87.4 % of H. spicatum oil were identified.The major constituents were 1,8-cineole (17.6 %), α-eudesmol (17 %), 10-epi-γ-eudismol (9.7%), δ-cadinene (7.5 %), cubenol (6.9 %), germacrene D-4–01 (6.8 %) and γ-cadinene (5.4 %). H. coronarium oil was rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons while H. spicatum oil was rich in suquiterpene alcohols. Both the oils showed antibacterial activity against five pathogenic bacteria, viz. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruoginosa and Proteus vulgaris.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) has long been associated with a wide variety of clinical syndromes and immune dysregulation, many which result in secondary bacterial infections. Current understanding of immune cell interactions that result in activation and tolerance are explored in light of BVDV infection including: depletion of lymphocytes, effects on neutrophils, natural killer cells, and the role of receptors and cytokines. In addition, we review some new information on the effect of BVDV on immune development in the fetal liver, the role of resident macrophages, and greater implications for persistent infection.

Vaccine adjuvants are an essential part of modern vaccine design, especially against intracellular pathogens such as M. tuberculosis, malarial parasite, HIV, influenza virus and Ebola. The present work offers a unique approach to designing novel vaccine adjuvants by identifying polymers that mimic “pathogen associated molecular patterns” (PAMPS) and engineering an immune-active particulate vaccine delivery system that uses the polymer. By using this strategy, we report the discovery of the first plant polymer based toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) agonist, inulin acetate (InAc). InAc was synthesised from the plant polysaccharide inulin. Inulin acetate as a polymer and particles prepared using InAc were characterised using various physicochemical techniques. The TLR-4 agonistic activity of InAc was established in multiple immune, microglial, dendritic, peripheral blood mononuclear (human and swine) and genetically modified epithelial cells (HEK293) that exclusively express TLR-4 on their surface. InAc activated all the above-mentioned cells to release proliferative cytokines; however, InAc failed to activate when the were cells either pre-incubated with a TLR-4 specific antagonist or isolated from mice deficient in adapter proteins involved in TLR signalling (Mal/MyD88). Antigen encapsulated microparticles prepared with TLR-4 agonist InAc mimicked pathogens to offer improved antigen delivery to dendritic cells compared to soluble antigen (47 times) or antigen encapsulated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) particles (1.57 times). In conclusion, InAc represents a novel polymer-based modern vaccine adjuvant targeting specific signalling pathways of the innate immune system, which could be formulated into a platform vaccine delivery system against cancer and viral diseases.

• Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is one of the important and most abundant immunoglobulins in the mucosal surface including the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It neutralizes the invading pathogens and prevents infection. • IgA production is greatly influenced by the gut microbial community and their metabolites. However specific bacterial community or their metabolites, responsible for higher IgA are poorly understood. The current study with age-matched, apparently healthy, from similar litters, 26 days wean pig showed that bacterial phylum such as Bacteroidota and Desulfobacterota is directly related to higher gut IgA concentration while Firmicutes and Firmicutes/ Bacteroidota ratio is inversely related to gut IgA concentration. • Animals with higher IgA had comparatively lower short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) such as acetic acid, butyric, formic acid, isovaleric acid, and propionic acid. • Bacteria or bacterial metabolites responsible for higher IgA production can be used with oral vaccines for better immune response while bacteria or bacteria metabolites responsible for lower IgA can be used to suppress gut inflammation.

Dendritic cells (DC) are important antigen presentation cells that monitor, process, and present antigen to T cells. Viruses that infect DC can have a devastating impact on the immune system. In this study, the ability of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) to replicate and produce infectious virus in monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DC) and monocytes was studied. The study also examined the effect of BVDV infection on Mo-DC expression of cell surface markers, including MHCI, MHCII, and CD86, which are critical for DC function in immune response.