Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is a major respiratory pathogen in cattle and is relevant to the livestock industry worldwide. BRSV is most severe in young calves and is often associated with stressful management events. The disease is responsible for economic losses due to lower productivity, morbidity, mortality, and prevention and treatment costs. As members of the same genus, bovine and human RSV share a high degree of homology and are similar in terms of their genomes, transmission, clinical signs, and epidemiology. This overlap presents an opportunity for One Health approaches and translational studies, with dual benefits; however, there is still a relative lack of studies focused on BRSV, and the continued search for improved prophylaxis highlights the need for a deeper understanding of its immunological features. BRSV employs different host-immunity-escaping mechanisms that interfere with effective long-term memory responses to current vaccines and natural infections. This review presents an updated description of BRSV’s immunity processes, such as the PRRs and signaling pathways involved in BRSV infection, aspects of its pathogeny, and the evading mechanisms developed by the virus to thwart the immune response.

Bees are fundamental in several aspects, especially in relation to plant biodiversity and pollination. Recently, immense losses are being faced in the number of Brazilian colonies, mainly in southern states of the country, which has a strong beekeeping activity. There are indications that, among the reasons for the losses, pathogens that affect the health of bees may be involved. Among them, the microsporidium Nosema and the black queen cell virus (BQCV) stand out for their prevalence. In this study, 92 colonies of 17 apiaries from southern Brazil were evaluated for infection by Nosema ceranae, Nosema apis and BQCV. Nucleic acid extractions and cDNA synthesis were performed from adult bee samples, followed by Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and multiplex PCR. Eight BQCV positive samples were subjected to sequencing. The results showed that N. ceranae and BQCV are circulating in the Southern region of the country, which may be the reason for the loss of colonies. N. apis was not found. N. ceranae was found in 57.6% (53/92) of the colonies and BQCV in 32.6% (30/92). Co-infection was found in 25% (23/92) of the colonies studied, a factor that is suggested to be reducing the hosts’ longevity due to the synergistic action of the pathogens. The samples submitted to sequencing indicated similarity of 96.8 to 100% between them, in addition to strong similarity with sequences from Asia, United States, Germany and Peru. This study reports the circulation of N. ceranae and BQCV in apiaries in southern Brazil, in addition to being the first phylogenetic analysis of the Brazilian BQCV sequence.

Viruses are responsible for several diseases in animals and have also been linked to the drastic decrease in the number of bee hives worldwide. Considering the necessity to diagnose honey bee viruses, we developed and standardized two multiplex RT-PCRs. We evaluated the presence of six viruses described in Africanized Apis mellifera bees: Deformed wing virus (DWV), Sacbrood bee virus (SBV), Acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), Black queen cell virus (BQCV), and Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV). Therefore, 164 samples of honey bees were collected in 27 apiaries of 12 municipalities in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil. Among the 12 municipalities evaluated, five presented positive samples for BQCV, ABPV and DWV. Cases of co-infection by ABPV and BQCV and BQCV and DWV were observed in both states. In all apiaries with positive samples for viruses, Varroa destructor mite was reported or found. These results demonstrate the high occurrence of BQCV (36%) and the presence of ABPV (3%) and DWV (1%) in apiaries in Rio Grande do Sul, as well as in an apiary in Santa Catarina (75% BQCV and 12% DWV). The results confirm the circulation of these viruses in adult Africanized honey bees in southern Brazil, a factor that may be involved with the decline in the number of honey bees in this region of the country.

O sistema imune presente nas mucosas representa a barreira inicial frente à infecção por diversos patógenos que utilizam estas superfícies como porta de entrada no organismo hospedeiro, como é o caso dos Alphaherpesvirus bovino 1 (BoHV-1) e Alphaherpesvirus bovino 5 (BoHV-5). Estes vírus infectam os sistemas reprodutivo e respiratório de bovinos e são responsáveis por casos de Rinotraqueíte Infecciosa Bovina, Vulvovaginite Pustular Infecciosa e Balanopostite Pustular Infecciosa, assim como Meningoencefalite Herpética Bovina, respectivamente. A infecção pelos BoHVs ocorre nas cavidades revestidas por células epiteliais de mucosa, principalmente nasal e genital, sendo o ponto inicial de replicação, seguindo-se a disseminação local, viremia eventual e disseminação neuronal, até o estabelecimento da latência. A cooperação dos mecanismos de defesa confere proteção através do sistema integrado de mucosas por meio da ativação dos sítios efetores e especialmente produção de diferentes isotipos de imunoglobulinas, como a SIgA, realiza neutralização nas superfícies mucosas, e a IgG, que desempenha neutralização na mucosa e sistemicamente. A indução da imunidade nas superfícies mucosas através do uso de vacinas torna-se de extrema importância para a prevenção da adsorção do vírus à célula e infecção pelos microrganismos patogênicos e depende, especialmente, do imunógeno, via de imunização e substância adjuvante empregada nas formulações. Esta revisão teve como objetivo abordar os principais aspectos relacionados à infecção pelo BoHV-1 e BoHV-5, assim como os tipos de resposta relacionadas ao sistema imune de mucosas frente a estes vírus e, ainda, estudos relacionados à utilização das vias mucosas para administração de vacinas em diferentes espécies animais.

As superfícies mucosas representam uma importante porta de entrada para microrganismos que podem ser prejudiciais à saúde. A resposta imune humoral tem uma importante ação na defesa dessas superfícies, pois é capaz de prevenir a entrada de patógenos no organismo. Vacinas com aplicação local têm sido utilizadas com o objetivo de estimular uma resposta imune eficiente nas mucosas, uma vez que as vacinas convencionais, para aplicação parenteral, tendem a estimular uma resposta predominantemente sistêmica. Vacinas que utilizam a mucosa como via de inoculação são capazes de gerar uma resposta imune diretamente na mucosa de aplicação e mucosa correspondente, uma vez que o sistema mucoso é integrado, o que representa uma vantagem importante na escolha da via de inoculação. Este artigo tem como objetivo ilustrar alguns conceitos relacionados à imunidade mucosa em geral, bem como reunir informações sobre o que tem sido estudado em relação às vias de administração de vacinas nas mucosas, imunomoduladores e sistemas de liberação de antígenos.

In worldwide there are reports of a significant decrease in colonies of the species Apis mellifera, caused by several factors, including viral infections. In order to study and diagnose illnesses caused by viruses, in vitro cell culture is used as a valuable tool. Yet, there are still no immortalized cell lines of honey bee Apis mellifera. Primary cell cultures are promising for this purpose and can supply the lack of continuous strains, but their establishment is difficult and laborious, which often makes them unfeasible for many research centers. Through the use of cell immortalization techniques, it is possible to develop continuous cell lines and thus benefit, in different ways, research related to different species of bees. The choice of technique is challenging, since in addition to the ability to remain viable for countless passages, cells must keep the genotype and phenotype similar or identical to the original tissue. This review intends to present methodologies that can be used to immortalize Apis mellifera cells, aiming to establish a cell line. The genotypic and phenotypic implications of each technique are evaluated, and the purpose of the cell line to be developed.