Spotlight
Minireview
MinireviewTransmission-Blocking Vaccines: Old Friends and New ProspectsIn the progression of the life cycle of Plasmodium falciparum, a small proportion of asexual parasites differentiate into male or female sexual forms called gametocytes. Just like their asexual counterparts, gametocytes are contained within the infected host’s erythrocytes (RBCs).
Molecular Pathogenesis
Molecular PathogenesisUptake of Sialic Acid by Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Increases Complement Resistance through Decreasing IgM-Dependent Complement ActivationAlthough nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a human-specific nasopharyngeal commensal bacterium, it also causes upper respiratory tract infections in children and lower respiratory tract infections in the elderly, resulting in frequent antibiotic use. The transition from symbiotic colonizing bacterium to opportunistic pathogen is not completely understood....
Molecular PathogenesisThe Second Messenger c-di-AMP Regulates Diverse Cellular Pathways Involved in Stress Response, Biofilm Formation, Cell Wall Homeostasis, SpeB Expression, and Virulence in Streptococcus pyogenesCyclic di-AMP (c-di-AMP) is a recently discovered second messenger in bacteria. The cellular level of c-di-AMP in Streptococcus pyogenes is predicted to be controlled by the synthase DacA and two putative phosphodiesterases, GdpP and Pde2.
Molecular PathogenesisStudy of Legionella Effector Domains Revealed Novel and Prevalent Phosphatidylinositol 3-Phosphate Binding DomainsLegionella pneumophila and other Legionella species replicate intracellularly using the Icm/Dot type IV secretion system. In L. pneumophila this system translocates >300 effectors into host cells and in the Legionella genus thousands of effectors were identified, the function of...
Bacterial Infections
Bacterial InfectionsAntigen-Specific CD4+ T Cell-Derived Gamma Interferon Is Both Necessary and Sufficient for Clearing Chlamydia from the Small Intestine but Not the Large IntestineThe genital tract pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis is frequently detected in the gastrointestinal tract, but the host immunity that regulates chlamydial colonization in the gut remains unclear. In a Chlamydia muridarum-C57 mouse model, chlamydial organisms are cleared from the genital tract in ∼4 ...
Bacterial InfectionsPathogenic Mannheimia haemolytica Invades Differentiated Bovine Airway Epithelial CellsThe Gram-negative bacterium Mannheimia haemolytica is the primary bacterial species associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and is responsible for significant economic losses to livestock industries worldwide. Healthy cattle are frequently colonized by commensal serotype A2 strains, but disease is usually caused by pathogenic strains of serotype A1.
...
Bacterial InfectionsContribution of YjbIH to Virulence Factor Expression and Host Colonization in Staphylococcus aureusTo persist within the host and cause disease, Staphylococcus aureus relies on its ability to precisely fine-tune virulence factor expression in response to rapidly changing environments. During an unbiased transposon mutant screen, we observed that disruption of a two-gene operon, yjbIH, resulted in decreased levels of pigmentation and aureolysin (Aur)...
Bacterial InfectionsA Genomic Approach To Identify Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii Strains with Enhanced Competitive Fitness in the Lungs during Multistrain PneumoniaMicrobial competition is most often studied at the genus or species level, but interstrain competition has been less thoroughly examined. Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important pathogen in the context of hospital-acquired pneumonia, and a better understanding of strain competition in the lungs could explain why some strains of this bacterium are more frequently...
Bacterial InfectionsTracking of Borrelia afzelii Transmission from Infected Ixodes ricinus Nymphs to MiceQuantitative and microscopic tracking of Borrelia afzelii transmission from infected Ixodes ricinus nymphs has shown a transmission cycle different from that of Borrelia burgdorferi and...
Bacterial InfectionsThe NOD-scid IL2rγnull Mouse Model Is Suitable for the Study of Osteoarticular Brucellosis and Vaccine SafetyOsteoarticular brucellosis is the most common complication in Brucella-infected humans regardless of age, sex, or immune status. The mechanism of bone destruction caused by Brucella species remained partially unknown due to the lack of a suitable animal model.
Host Response and Inflammation
Host Response and InflammationSuppression of Obesity by an Intestinal Helminth through Interactions with Intestinal MicrobiotaObesity is increasingly causing lifestyle diseases in developed countries where helminthic infections are rarely seen. Here, we investigated whether an intestinal nematode, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, has a suppressive role in diet-induced obesity in mice.
Host Response and InflammationLow-Level Parasite Persistence Drives Vasculitis and Myositis in Skeletal Muscle of Mice Chronically Infected with Trypanosoma cruziIn chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection, the cause of Chagas disease, life-threatening inflammatory diseases develop over time in the heart, esophagus, and colon of some patients. C57BL/6 mice infected with the myotropic Colombiana strain of T. cruzi model many of the immunological and...
Host Response and InflammationThe Rate of CD4 T Cell Entry into the Lungs during Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection Is Determined by Partial and Opposing Effects of Multiple Chemokine ReceptorsThe specific chemokine receptors utilized by Th1 cells to migrate into the lung during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection are unknown. We previously showed in mice that CXCR3+ Th1 cells enter the lung parenchyma and suppress M. tuberculosis growth, while CX3CR1+ KLRG1+...
Fungal and Parasitic Infections
Fungal and Parasitic InfectionsCombining Monophosphoryl Lipid A (MPL), CpG Oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN), and QS-21 Adjuvants Induces Strong and Persistent Functional Antibodies and T Cell Responses against Cell-Traversal Protein for Ookinetes and Sporozoites (CelTOS) of Plasmodium falciparum in BALB/c MicePlasmodium falciparum cell-traversal protein for ookinetes and sporozoites (PfCelTOS) is an advanced vaccine candidate that has a crucial role in the traversal of the malaria parasite in both mosquito and mammalian hosts. As recombinant purified proteins are normally poor immunogens, they require to be admixed with an adjuvant(s); therefore, the objective of the...
Microbial Immunity and Vaccines
Microbial Immunity and Vaccines | SpotlightPrediction and Validation of Immunogenic Domains of Pneumococcal Proteins Recognized by Human CD4+ T CellsCD4+ T-cell mechanisms are implied in protection against pneumococcal colonization; however, their target antigens and function are not well defined. In contrast to high-throughput protein arrays for serology, basic antigen tools for CD4+ T-cell studies are lacking.
Microbial Immunity and VaccinesGroup A Streptococcus T Antigens Have a Highly Conserved Structure Concealed under a Heterogeneous Surface That Has Implications for Vaccine DesignGroup A Streptococcus (GAS) (Streptococcus pyogenes) is an important human pathogen associated with significant global morbidity and mortality for which there is no safe and efficacious vaccine. The T antigen, a protein that polymerizes to form the backbone of the GAS pilus structure, is a potential vaccine candidate.
Microbial Immunity and VaccinesIdentification of Conserved Candidate Vaccine Antigens in the Surface Proteome of Giardia lambliaGiardia lamblia, one of the most common protozoal infections of the human intestine, is an important worldwide cause of diarrheal disease, malabsorption, malnutrition, delayed cognitive development in children, and protracted postinfectious syndromes. Despite its medical importance, no human vaccine is available against giardiasis.
Molecular Genomics
Molecular GenomicsEpigenetic Changes Induced by Bacteroides fragilis ToxinEnterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) is a Gram-negative, obligate anaerobe member of the gut microbial community in up to 40% of healthy individuals. This bacterium is found more frequently in people with colorectal cancer (CRC) and causes tumor formation in the distal colon of multiple intestinal neoplasia (Apcmin/+) mice; tumor formation...
Host-Associated Microbial Communities
Host-Associated Microbial CommunitiesMicrobiome Profiles of Ligature-Induced Periodontitis in Nonhuman Primates across the Life SpanThis investigation compared the microbiomes colonizing teeth during the initiation, progression, and resolution of periodontitis in nonhuman primates (Macaca mulatta) at different ages. Subgingival plaque samples were collected at baseline; 0.5, 1, and 3 months following ligature-induced periodontitis; and following naturally occurring disease resolution at 5 months...
Host-Associated Microbial Communities | SpotlightBacteriophage Resistance Alters Antibiotic-Mediated Intestinal Expansion of EnterococciEnterococcus faecalis is a human intestinal pathobiont with intrinsic and acquired resistance to many antibiotics, including vancomycin. Nature provides a diverse and virtually untapped repertoire of bacterial viruses, or bacteriophages (phages), that could be harnessed to combat multidrug-resistant enterococcal infections.
Masthead
Current Issue
About IAI
Infection and Immunity® (IAI) reports key discoveries that help microbiologists, immunologists, epidemiologists, pathologists, and clinicians to gain new insights into the underlying mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions and develop novel strategies to prevent or treat infectious diseases.