Objective: To understand knowledge and practice of influenza prevention and associated factors among primary and middle school teachers, and to provide a reference for conducting the relevant propaganda work of influenza. Methods: Stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select 858 primary and secondary school teachers from Huainan of Anhui Province to complete questionnaires on influenza prevention. Results: Television and radio broadcasting were the basic tools for teachers to acquire flu knowledge, with 74.12% and 80.00% of primary and secondary school teachers, respectively. The total awareness rate of influenza knowledge among primary and middle school teachers was 56.63% and 58.63%, respectively. The results of univariate analysis showed primary and secondary school teachers’ influenza awareness were significantly affected by regions and education levels. In addition, primary school teachers’ influenza awareness was significantly affected by full-time medical technicians or part-time medical workers, secondary school teachers’ influenza awareness was significantly affected by working years(P<0.05). The total formation rates of influenza-related health behavior between primary and secondary school teachers were 71.20% and 73.00%, respectively. The results of univariate analysis showed primary and secondary school teachers’ influenza health behaviors was significantly affected by regions, educational levels, full-time medical technicians or part-time medical workers and health training. Moreover, secondary school teachers’ influenza health behaviors was significantly affected by working years(P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that whether the comprehensive scores of influenza knowledge and behavior were qualified was correlation with the regional and educational levels. Additionally, the factors whether it is a full-time medical technician or a part-time medical teacher also had an effect on the comprehensive score of behavior(P<0.05). Conclusion The influenza knowledge level and the health behavior formation rate in the primary and secondary school teachers need to be improved, the knowledge of influenza and the relevant influencing factors should be taken into consideration to take targeted health intervention measures to improve their ability to fight against influenza.

Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite of the phylum Apicomplexa, can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, including humans, livestock, and marine mammals. The aim of this study was to investigate whether superoxide dismutase (SOD) of T. gondii can be used as a new marker for genetic study or a potential vaccine candidate. The partial genome region of the SOD gene was amplified and sequenced from 10 different T. gondii isolates from different parts of the world, and all the sequences were examined by PCR-RFLP, sequence analysis, and phylogenetic reconstruction. The results showed that partial SOD gene sequences ranged from 1,702 bp to 1,712 bp and A + T contents varied from 50.1% to 51.1% among all examined isolates. Sequence alignment analysis identified total 43 variable nucleotide positions, and these results showed that 97.5% sequence similarity of SOD gene among all examined isolates. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these SOD sequences were not an effective molecular marker for differential identification of T. gondii strains. The research demonstrated existence of low sequence variation in the SOD gene among T. gondii strains of different genotypes from different hosts and geographical regions.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Cats ; *Genetic Variation ; Goats ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Protozoan Proteins/chemistry/*genetics/metabolism ; Sequence Alignment ; Sheep ; Superoxide Dismutase/chemistry/*genetics/metabolism ; Toxoplasma/classification/*enzymology/genetics/isolation & purification ; Toxoplasmosis/*parasitology ; Toxoplasmosis, Animal/*parasitology

Toxoplasma gondii cathepsin C proteases (TgCPC1, 2, and 3) are important for the growth and survival of T. gondii. In the present study, B-cell and T-cell epitopes of TgCPC1 were predicted using DNAstar and the Immune Epitope Database. A TgCPC1 DNA vaccine was constructed, and its ability to induce protective immune responses against toxoplasmosis in BALB/c mice was evaluated in the presence or absence of the adjuvant α-GalCer. As results, TgCPC1 DNA vaccine with or without adjuvant α-GalCer showed higher levels of IgG and IgG2a in the serum, as well as IL-2 and IFN-γ in the spleen compared to controls (PBS, pEGFP-C1, and α-Galcer). Upon challenge infection with tachyzoites of T. gondii (RH), pCPC1/α-Galcer immunized mice showed the longest survival among all the groups. Mice vaccinated with DNA vaccine without adjuvant (pCPC1) showed better protective immunity compared to other controls (PBS, pEGFP-C1, and α-Galcer). These results indicate that a DNA vaccine encoding TgCPC1 is a potential vaccine candidate against toxoplasmosis.
Animals ; B-Lymphocytes ; Cathepsin C* ; Cathepsins* ; DNA* ; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte ; Immunoglobulin G ; Interleukin-2 ; Mice* ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Spleen ; Toxoplasma* ; Toxoplasmosis* ; Vaccines, DNA*