Malaria is the most pernicious parasitic infection, and Plasmodium falciparum is the most virulent species with substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. The present in silico investigation was performed to reveal the biophysical characteristics and immunogenic epitopes of the 14 blood-stage proteins of the P. falciparum using comprehensive immunoinformatics approaches. For this aim, various web servers were employed to predict subcellular localization, antigenicity, allergenicity, solubility, physicochemical properties, posttranslational modification sites (PTMs), the presence of signal peptide, and transmembrane domains. Moreover, structural analysis for secondary and 3D model predictions were performed for all and stable proteins, respectively. Finally, human helper T lymphocyte (HTL) epitopes were predicted using HLA reference set of IEDB server and screened in terms of antigenicity, allergenicity, and IFN-γ induction as well as population coverage. Also, a multiserver B-cell epitope prediction was done with subsequent screening for antigenicity, allergenicity, and solubility. Altogether, these proteins showed appropriate antigenicity, abundant PTMs, and many B-cell and HTL epitopes, which could be directed for future vaccination studies in the context of multiepitope vaccine design.

The cause of mortality in macropods like kangaroos may not always be known, and in many cases, it is difficult to determine. According to necropsy results, a male red kangaroo with a history of chronic neuro-ocular toxoplasmosis had an extensive mixed fracture of the posterior and base of the skull. Direct deep and countercoup brain bruises, independent fractures of the top and roof of both orbits, subdural hemorrhage with edema and shifting of the mid-line to the left, frontal lobe with severe hemorrhagic discharge in the ventricles, diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage and exclusion of berry aneurysm in vertebral arteries, traumatic tear due to intracranial and intraspinal courses, temporal were seen. Due to unilateral brain herniation, the tonsillar hernia was associated with hemorrhage and linear necrosis rather than only bulging. The corpus callosum and fornix had small areas of hemorrhage that indicated a sign of diffuse traumatic axonal injury. In histopathology, activated microglia and reactive astrogliosis were seen. The cause of death was TBI followed by eye blindness caused by toxoplasmosis, during which was the formation of a hematoma larger than 60 mL, a primary Glasgow coma scale less than 8, and basal nucleus ganglia dysfunction. A 40-ml intracerebral hemorrhage occurred followed by severe blood aspiration and asphyxia.

No abstract