Spotlight
Molecular Pathogenesis
Molecular PathogenesisCitAB Two-Component System-Regulated Citrate Utilization Contributes to Vibrio cholerae Competitiveness with the Gut MicrobiotaCitrate is a ubiquitous compound and can be utilized by many bacterial species, including enteric pathogens, as a carbon and energy source. Genes involved in citrate utilization have been extensively studied in some enteric bacteria, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae; however, their role in pathogenesis is still not clear.
Molecular Pathogenesis | SpotlightIndole Inhibits ToxR Regulon Expression in Vibrio choleraeIndole is a degradation product of tryptophan that functions as a signaling molecule in many bacteria. This includes Vibrio cholerae, where indole was shown to regulate biofilm and type VI secretion in nontoxigenic environmental isolates.
Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular Interactions
Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular InteractionsVibrio parahaemolyticus VopA Is a Potent Inhibitor of Cell Migration and Apoptosis in the Intestinal Epithelium of Drosophila melanogasterAnimal models have played a key role in providing an understanding of the mechanisms that govern the pathophysiology of intestinal diseases. To expand on the repertoire of organisms available to study enteric diseases, we report on the use of the Drosophila melanogaster model to identify a novel function of an effector protein secreted by...
Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular InteractionsLectin Activity of the TcdA and TcdB Toxins of Clostridium difficileClostridium difficile is a major cause of hospital-acquired antibiotic-associated diarrhea. C. difficile produces two cytotoxins, TcdA and TcdB; both toxins are multidomain proteins that lead to cytotoxicity through the modification and inactivation of small GTPases of the Rho/Rac family.
...
Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular Interactions | SpotlightPeptide-Based Inhibitors of Fimbrial Biogenesis in Porphyromonas gingivalisPeriodontitis is a progressive inflammatory disease that affects roughly half of American adults. Colonization of the oral cavity by the Gram-negative bacterial pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis is a key event in the initiation and development of periodontal disease.
Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular Interactions | SpotlightThe Obligate Intracellular Bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi Targets NLRC5 To Modulate the Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I PathwayOrientia tsutsugamushi is an obligate intracellular bacterium that infects mononuclear and endothelial cells to cause the emerging global health threat scrub typhus. The ability of O. tsutsugamushi to survive in monocytes facilitates bacterial dissemination to endothelial cells, which can...
Bacterial Infections
Bacterial InfectionsRetention of EsxA in the Capsule-Like Layer of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is Associated with Cytotoxicity and Is Counteracted by Lung SurfactantMycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen that causes tuberculosis, primarily infects macrophages but withstands the host cell’s bactericidal effects. EsxA, also called virulence factor 6-kDa early secretory antigenic target (ESAT-6), is involved in phagosomal rupture and cell death.
Host Response and Inflammation
Host Response and InflammationImmunologic Pathways in Protective versus Maladaptive Host Responses to Attenuated and Pathogenic Strains of Mycoplasma gallisepticumMycoplasmas are small bacterial commensals or pathogens that commonly colonize host mucosal tissues and avoid rapid clearance, in part by stimulating inflammatory, immunopathogenic responses. We previously characterized a wide array of transcriptomic perturbations in avian host tracheal mucosae infected with virulent, immunopathologic Mycoplasma gallisepticum; however...
Host Response and InflammationToll-like Receptor 2 Prevents Neutrophil-Driven Immunopathology during Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Curtailing CXCL5 ProductionThe W-Beijing strain family is globally distributed and is associated with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) and treatment failure. Therefore, in this study, we examined the contribution of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) to host resistance against Mycobacterium tuberculosis HN878, a clinical isolate belonging to the W-Beijing family.
Host Response and InflammationCharacterization of Pyrin Dephosphorylation and Inflammasome Activation in Macrophages as Triggered by the Yersinia Effectors YopE and YopTPathogenic Yersinia species deliver Yop effector proteins through a type III secretion system into host cells. Among these effectors, YopE and YopT are Rho-modifying toxins, which function to modulate host cell physiology and evade immune responses.
Host Response and InflammationSalmonella Fimbrial Protein FimH Is Involved in Expression of Proinflammatory Cytokines in a Toll-Like Receptor 4-Dependent MannerType 1 fimbriae are proteinaceous filamentous structures present on bacterial surfaces and are mainly composed of the major fimbrial protein subunit FimA and the adhesive protein FimH, which is located at the tip of the fimbrial shaft. Here, we investigated the involvement of type 1 fimbriae in the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in macrophages infected with ...
Fungal and Parasitic Infections
Fungal and Parasitic InfectionsMosquito Bite-Induced Controlled Human Malaria Infection with Plasmodium vivax or P. falciparum Generates Immune Responses to Homologous and Heterologous Preerythrocytic and Erythrocytic AntigensSeroepidemiological studies on the prevalence of antibodies to malaria antigens are primarily conducted on individuals from regions of endemicity. It is therefore difficult to accurately correlate the antibody responses to the timing and number of prior malaria infections.
Microbial Immunity and Vaccines
Microbial Immunity and VaccinesSpecific Chicken Egg Yolk Antibody Improves the Protective Response against Gallibacterium anatis InfectionGallibacterium anatis is a pathogen associated with peritonitis and salpingitis in chickens and other avian species. Novel safety prevention strategies are urgently needed because of widespread multidrug resistance and antigenic diversity.
Microbial Immunity and VaccinesBiochemical and Immunological Evaluation of Recombinant CS6-Derived Subunit Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Vaccine CandidatesCS6, a prevalent surface antigen expressed in nearly 20% of clinical enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolates, is comprised of two major subunit proteins, CssA and CssB. Using donor strand complementation, we constructed a panel of recombinant proteins of 1 to 3 subunits that contained combinations of CssA and/or CssB subunits and a donor strand, a C-terminal...
Microbial Immunity and Vaccines | SpotlightA Novel, Multiple-Antigen Pneumococcal Vaccine Protects against Lethal Streptococcus pneumoniae ChallengeCurrent vaccination against Streptococcus pneumoniae uses vaccines based on capsular polysaccharides from selected serotypes and has led to nonvaccine serotype replacement disease. We have investigated an alternative serotype-independent approach, using multiple-antigen vaccines (MAV) prepared from S....
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.