Psittacosis is characterized by a wide range of manifestations in humans, from asymptomatic cases to severe pneumonia, highlighting its potential severity. By utilizing advanced methods in vaccine design and therapeutics, our company can provide customers with professional one-stop solutions.
Introduction to Psittacosis
Psittacosis, commonly referred to as parrot fever or ornithosis, is a zoonotic disease stemming from the infection Chlamydia Psittaci. This infection is mostly acquired by humans through contact with infected birds and renders different symptoms from no symptoms at all to even severe pneumonia. The infection renders consequences that are quite besetting to the society as a whole alongside the economy especially in the poultry industry that has invoked a lot of research work for significant vaccines and therapies.
Fig.1 Infectious cycle of C. psittaci. (Kalim F., et al., 2023)
Vaccine Development for Psittacosis
DNA Vaccines
The most advanced are DNA vaccines which utilize the major outer membrane protein of Chlamydophila psittaci. These are to be administered either intramuscularly or intranasally in order to stimulate a stronger immune response. The employment of gene gun technology in delivering DNA vaccines as a method increases the immune response while being noninvasive.
Peptide Vaccines
Peptide vaccines are considered an innovative type since they are based on the synthesis of key antigenic peptides derived from proteins- such as CPSIT_p6, and more specifically MOMP. These types of vaccines are meant to elicit robust antibody and T cell responses which would then provide protection from C. psittaci.
Subunit and Recombinant Protein Vaccines
The subunit vaccines incorporate components of MOMP with the intention of inducing an immune response and they do so by utilizing the purified component of the bacterium without the possibilty of re introducing the live pathogen. With regard to Recombinant protein vaccines, this too takes the concept of growing the antigen in a lab to guarantee that it will be both safe and effective.
Multi-epitope Vaccines
This strategy aims to offer a potent immune response due to the supplementing of several B and T cell epitope into a single candidate, making a comprehensive use of antigenic determinants against different strains of C. psittaci such as in the case with B and T cell epitopes complementing each other for better psittacosis vaccine development.
Therapeutics Development for Psittacosis
Psittacosis's first line of therapeutic remains antibiotics, with both tetracyclines and chloramphenicol being the preferred choices. Ongoing drug development is directed towards the development of new antibiotics with increased efficacy against C. psittaci and fewer side effects.
| Therapeutics |
Description |
Status |
| Tetracycline |
Tetracyclines are a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics that are effective against a variety of bacterial infections. |
Approved |
| Doxycycline |
Doxycycline is a specific type of tetracycline antibiotic that is often recommended for psittacosis. |
Approved |
| Azithromycin |
Azithromycin is a macrolide antibiotic that is used as an alternative to tetracyclines, especially in cases where doxycycline is contraindicated or for cases who cannot take it, such as infants. |
Approved |
| Erythromycin |
Erythromycin is another macrolide antibiotic that has been recommended for use in pregnant patients with psittacosis, as it is considered safe for use during pregnancy. |
Approved |
| Fluoroquinolones |
Fluoroquinolones are a class of antibiotics that can be prescribed for psittacosis. |
Approved |
The development of monoclonal antibodies targeting specific antigens of C. psittaci is an emerging field. These therapies have the potential to provide passive immunity to individuals at high risk of Psittacosis, offering a short-term solution while vaccines induce long-term immunity.
Our Services
We focus on the development of psittacosis vaccines and therapy, and we provide development services on the entire development process, including a systematic approach to vaccine development starting from antigen discovery and then proceeding to several different preclinical research phases. Each of our professionals applies modern technologies and methodologies to secure finding the most suitable vaccine and therapy candidates.
Disease Models
- Chlamydia psittaci Infection Mouse Models
- Chlamydia psittaci Infection Turkey Models
- Chlamydia psittaci Infection Chicken Models
- Customized Animal Model Development
The translation of critical and therapeutic candidates as well as vaccines would be almost impossible without the proper preclinical research services. These involve performing complex pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics modeling and simulations to identify safe drug dosages and dosing schedules. In case our services appeal to you, do not hesitate to get in touch.
References
- Kalim, F., et al. "An overview of psittacosis." One Health Triad; Aguilar Marcellino, L., Younus, M., Khan, A., Saeed, NM, Abbas, RZ, Eds (2023): 45-52.
- Quilicot, A. M. M., et al. "Progress in Chlamydia psittaci vaccine development in poultry." World's poultry science journal 73.3 (2017): 505-514.
All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use
only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.
