Papers by Giorgi (George) Babuadze
Microorganisms, 2021
The global spread of ticks and various tick-borne viruses (TBVs) suggests the possibility of new ... more The global spread of ticks and various tick-borne viruses (TBVs) suggests the possibility of new tick-borne diseases emerging. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is an emerging TBV of the Nairoviridae family that causes serious disease that can be fatal in humans. CCHFV endemic foci can be found in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and South-Eastern Europe, and has spread to previously unaffected regions and nations, such as Spain, over the last two decades. In this review, we discuss the current situation of CCHFV in Asia, Africa and Europe based on existing knowledge, and we discuss driving factors in the distribution and transmission of the virus, such as the spread of tick vector species and host reservoirs.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Microorganisms, 2021
One year since the first severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reporte... more One year since the first severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reported in China, several variants of concern (VOC) have appeared around the world, with some variants seeming to pose a greater thread to public health due to enhanced transmissibility or infectivity. This study provides a framework for molecular characterization of novel VOC and investigates the effect of mutations on the binding affinity of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) using in silico approach. Notable nonsynonymous mutations in RBD of VOC include the E484K and K417N/T that can be seen in South African and Brazilian variants, and N501Y and D614G that can be seen in all VOC. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that although the UK-VOC and the BR-VOC fell in the clade GR, they have different mutation signatures, implying an independent evolutionary pathway. The same is true about SA-VOC and COH-VOC felling in clade GH, but different mutatio...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Frontiers in Public Health, 2015
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Safe and effective vaccines are needed to end the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Here we... more Safe and effective vaccines are needed to end the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Here we report the preclinical development of a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulated SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine, PTX-COVID19-B. PTX-COVID19-B was chosen among three candidates after the initial mouse vaccination results showed that it elicited the strongest neutralizing antibody response against SARS-CoV-2. Further tests in mice and hamsters indicated that PTX-COVID19-B induced robust humoral and cellular immune responses and completely protected the vaccinated animals from SARS-CoV-2 infection in the lung. Studies in hamsters also showed that PTX-COVID19-B protected the upper respiratory tract from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mouse immune sera elicited by PTX-COVID19-B vaccination were able to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), including the B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1 lineages. No adverse effects were induced by PTX-COVID19-B in both mice and hamsters. These preclinical results indicate tha...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Sequence analyses and subtyping of Bacillus anthracis strains from Georgia reveal a single distin... more Sequence analyses and subtyping of Bacillus anthracis strains from Georgia reveal a single distinct lineage (Aust94) that is ecologically established. Phylogeographic analysis and comparisons to a global collection reveals a clade that is mostly restricted to Georgia. Within this clade, many groups are found around the country, however at least one subclade is only found in the eastern part. This pattern suggests that dispersal into and out of Georgia has been rare and despite historical
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
A survey of potential vector sand flies was conducted in the neighboring suburban communities of ... more A survey of potential vector sand flies was conducted in the neighboring suburban communities of Vake and Mtatsminda districts in an active focus of visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) in Tbilisi, Georgia. Using light and sticky-paper traps, 1,266 male and 1,179 female sand flies were collected during 2006–2008. Five Phlebotomus species of three subgenera were collected: Phlebotomus balcanicus Theodor and Phlebotomus halepensis Theodor of the subgenus Adlerius; Phlebotomus kandelakii Shchurenkova and Phlebotomus wenyoni Adler and Theodor of the subgenus Larroussius; Phlebotomus sergenti Perfil’ev of the subgenus Paraphlebotomus. Phlebotomus sergenti (35.1%) predominated in Vake, followed by P. kandelakii (33.5%), P. balcanicus (18.9%), P. halepensis (12.2%), and P. wenyoni (0.3%). In Mtatsminda, P. kandelakii (76.8%) comprised over three fourths of collected sand flies, followed by P. sergenti (12.6%), P. balcanicus (5.8%), P. halepensis (3.7%), and P. wenyoni (1.1%). The sand fly season in...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Malaria mosquito larvae and imagoes underwent morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic a... more Malaria mosquito larvae and imagoes underwent morphological, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic analyses in West and East Georgia. In the areas under study, the authors identified three related types of malaria mosquitoes of the maculipennis complex: An. maculipennis Meigen, 1818; An. melanoon Hacket, 1934; An. sacharovi Favre, 1903. The authors revealed the types An. maculipennis and An. melanoon in the Kolkhida cavity (West Georgia) and An. maculipennis and An. sacharovi in the Iveria cavity (East Georgia). The morphology of eggs was defined in the study types of mosquitoes. An. melanoon ovipositions similar in the exochorion pattern with An. messeae eggs were found in West Georgia.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Zoonoses and Public Health
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
PLOS ONE, 2017
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2016
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Parasites & Vectors, 2016
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2016
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Preclinical evaluation of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine PTX-COVID19-B, 2021
PTX-COVID19-B is a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine that is highly immunogenic, safe, and effective in pre... more PTX-COVID19-B is a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine that is highly immunogenic, safe, and effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice and hamsters and is currently being evaluated in human clinical trials.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Mutation Signatures and In Silico Docking of Novel SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Dual RNA-Seq characterization of host and pathogen gene expression in liver cells infected with Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, 2020
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne virus that can cause a hemorrhagic ... more Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne virus that can cause a hemorrhagic fever in humans, with a case fatality rate of up to 40%. Cases of CCHFV have been reported in Africa, Asia, and southern Europe; and recently, due to the expanding range of its vector, autochthonous cases have been reported in Spain. Although it was discovered over 70 years ago, our understanding of the pathogenesis of this virus remains limited. We used RNA-Seq in two human liver cell lines (HepG2 and Huh7) infected with CCHFV (strain IbAr10200), to examine kinetic changes in host expression and viral replication simultaneously at 1 and 3 days post infection. Through this, numerous host pathways were identified that were modulated by the virus including: antiviral response and endothelial cell leakage. Notably, the genes encoding DDX60, a cytosolic component of the RIG-I signalling pathway and OAS2 were both shown to be dysregulated. Interestingly, PTPRR was induced in Huh7 cells but not HepG2 cells. This has been associated with the TLR9 signalling cascade, and polymorphisms in TLR9 have been associated with poor outcomes in patients. Additionally, we performed whole-genome sequencing on CCHFV to assess viral diversity over time, and its relationship to the host response. As a result, we have demonstrated that through next-generation mRNA deep-sequencing it is possible to not only examine mRNA gene expression, but also to examine viral quasispecies and typing of the infecting strain.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Seroepidemiology and molecular diversity of Leishmania donovani complex in Georgia, 2016
Background: Leishmaniasis includes multiple clinical syndromes, most notably visceral, cutaneous,... more Background: Leishmaniasis includes multiple clinical syndromes, most notably visceral, cutaneous, and mucosal forms. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is a potentially fatal disease endemic to large parts of Africa and Asia, and in SouthEastern Europe (Greece, Turkey, Georgia). Visceral leishmaniasis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by species of the L. donovani complex. In the classical epidemiological model the main reservoir for VL are canines. Methods: The study included a cohort of 513 individuals of both genders (190 males and 323 females) from the ages of 1 to 70 years that were screened in ten villages across two districts in Kakheti using the Kalazar Detect™ rK39 rapid diagnostic test. The phylogenetic diversity patterns of local strains, based on the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, were assessed for samples obtained from patients with suspected L. donovani infection, from canine reservoirs and from Phlebotomus sand flies obtained from different geographical areas of Georgia and from Azerbaijan. Results: Out of a total of 600 domestic dog blood samples 95 (15.8 %) were positive by rK39 rapid diagnostic tests. For symptomatic domestic dogs, the testing of conjunctival swabs or bone marrow aspirates revealed a higher VL incidence in Kvareli District (Kvareli; 19.4 %, n = 329) compared with that observed for Sagarejo District (Sagarejo; 11.4 %, n = 271). A total of 231 sand flies of both genders were collected during the 2-month period; of the 114 females, 1.75 % were PCR positive for the presence of Leishmania spp. Conclusions: VL infection rates remain high in both canines and humans in Georgia, with disease in several known natural foci. The genetic relationships derived from rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence comparisons identified genetic subgroups, revealing preliminary insights into the genetic structure of L. donovani complex members currently circulating in the South Caucasus and demonstrates the utility of ITS-based genotyping in the resource-limited country of Georgia.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is a highly virulent bacterium responsible for mi... more Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is a highly virulent bacterium responsible for millions of human deaths throughout history. In the last decade, two natural plague foci have been described in the Republic of Georgia from which dozens of Y. pestis strains have been isolated. Analyses indicate that there are genetic differences between these strains, but it is not known if these differences are also reflected in protein expression. We chose four strains of Y. pestis (1390, 1853, 2944, and 8787) from the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health collection for proteomic studies based on neighbor-joining tree genetic analysis and geographical loci of strain origin. Proteomic expression was analyzed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Select Y. pestis strains were grown under different physiological conditions and their proteomes were compared: (1) 28°C without calcium; (2) 28°C with calcium; (3) 37°C without calcium; and (4) 37°C with calcium. Candidate proteins were identified and the differences in expression of F1 antigen, tellurium-resistance protein, and outer membrane protein C, porin were validated by Western blotting. The in vitro cytotoxicity activity of these strains was also compared. The results indicate that protein expression and cytotoxic activities differ significantly among the studied strains; these differences could contribute to variations in essential physiological functions in these strains.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2014
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
PLoS ONE, 2014
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 2012
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Uploads
Papers by Giorgi (George) Babuadze