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Aims-To evaluate the use of a gene amplification and hybridisation method for detecting mycobacterial nucleic acid as a possible diagnostic method for cutaneous tuberculosis infection. Methods-Biopsy specimens from 20 patients with various skin conditions of possible tuberculous aetiology were studied. Six patients had ulcerative nodules, seven lupiform lesions, two non-necrotic granulomas, one scrofulous lichen, one impetigo, one erythematosus lesions, one warty lesions, and one suspected tuberculous lipoma. Biopsy specimens were stained using Ziehl-Neelsen stain and cultured in Lowenstein-Jensen medium. DNA was extracted and then amplified by PCR using primers specific for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Specificity was confirmed by Southern blotting. Results-Of the specimens, 30% were positive for mycobacteria on staining with Ziehl-Neelsen stain, 60% were culture positive and 85% PCR positive. Only 35.2% of specimens were positive with all three techniques. A further 32.5% were both culture and PCR positive. All PCR negative samples were also negative when cultured or stained with Ziehl-Neelsen stain. Of the PCR positive specimens, 29.4% were negative when cultured or stained.Conclusions-PCR, using suitable primers, is an efficient and sensitive method for the diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis.

The native Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a reservoir of Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of animal tuberculosis (TB), a chronic disease in livestock, companion animals and wild mammals. Cases of M. bovis infection in wild boar or feral pig have been reported worldwide, making early detection a priority in the eradication of the disease. Point‐of‐care diagnostic tests, such as low cost lateral flow assays, provide high specificity and sensitivity and can be performed on site, an essential requirement for a rapid screening of wildlife. A lateral flow assay, LFA, (INgezim TB CROM Ab) for the detection of M. bovis‐specific antibodies in wild boar serum and blood has been developed based on MPB83, one of the major immunogenic antigens of the bacterium. A total of 140 samples of wild boar serum, well‐characterized by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex culture and TB compatible post‐mortem lesions, have been analysed with LFA, and results were compared with one in‐house and two commercial Enzyme‐linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA), INgezim TB Porcine and INgezim Tuberculosis DR. In experimental samples, the achieved values of sensitivity of the different techniques ranged from 84.3% to 92.1% and the specificity was 100% in all of them. In field animals, specificity ranged from 96% to 100%, whereas sensitivity ranged from 48% to 64% in juvenile wild boar, increasing to 93.3%–100% in adult wild boar. In particular, the total sensitivity and specificity values obtained with the new LFA were 83% and 97%, respectively, indicating that INgezim TB CROM Ab could be used as a first approach for the surveillance of TB in wild boar, with a special applicability for animal‐side testing.

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A bstract Introduction More than 180 million people have been infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and more than 4 million coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients have died in 1.5 years of the pandemic. A novel therapeutic vaccine (NASVAC) has shown to be safe and to have immunomodulating and antiviral properties against chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Materials and methods A phase I/II, open-label controlled and randomized clinical trial of NASVAC as a postexposure prophylaxis treatment was designed with the primary aim of assessing the local and systemic immunomodulatory effect of NASVAC in a cohort of suspected and SARS-CoV-2 risk-contact patients. A total of 46 patients, of both sexes, 60 years or older, presenting with symptoms of COVID-19 were enrolled in the study. Patients received NASVAC (100 μg per Ag per dose) via intranasal at days 1, 7, and 14 and sublingual, daily for 14 days. Results and discussion The present study detected an increased expression of toll-like receptors (TLR)-related genes in nasopharyngeal tonsils, a relevant property considering these are surrogate markers of SARS protection in the mice model of lethal infection. The HLA-class II increased their expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cell's (PBMC's) monocytes and lymphocytes, which is an attractive property taking into account the functional impairment of innate immune cells from the periphery of COVID-19-infected subjects. NASVAC was safe and well tolerated by the patients with acute respiratory infections and evidenced a preliminary reduction in the number of days with symptoms that needs to be confirmed in larger studies. Conclusions Our data justify the use of NASVAC as preemptive therapy or pre-/postexposure prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2 and acute respiratory infections in general. The use of NASVAC or their active principles has potential as immunomodulatory prophylactic therapies in other antiviral settings like dengue as well as in malignancies like hepatocellular carcinoma where these markers have shown relation to disease progression. How to cite this article Fleites YA, Aguiar J, Cinza Z, et al. HeberNasvac, a Therapeutic Vaccine for Chronic Hepatitis B, Stimulates Local and Systemic Markers of Innate Immunity: Potential Use in SARS-CoV-2 Postexposure Prophylaxis. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2021;11(2):59–70.