innate immunity
Host Response and Inflammation | SpotlightAging Dampens the Intestinal Innate Immune Response during Severe Clostridioides difficile Infection and Is Associated with Altered Cytokine Levels and Granulocyte MobilizationClostridioides (formerly Clostridium) difficile is the most common cause of hospital-acquired infection, and advanced age is a risk factor for C. difficile infection. Disruption of the intestinal microbiota and immune responses contribute to host susceptibility and severity of C...
Molecular PathogenesisImmediate Interferon Gamma Induction Determines Murine Host Compatibility Differences between Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninumRodents are critical for the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii to the definitive feline host via predation, and this relationship has been extensively studied as a model for immune responses to parasites. Neospora caninum is a closely related coccidian parasite of ruminants and canines but is not...
Host Response and InflammationIn Staphylococcus aureus, the Particulate State of the Cell Envelope Is Required for the Efficient Induction of Host Defense ResponsesUpon microbial infection, host immune cells recognize bacterial cell envelope components through cognate receptors. Although bacterial cell envelope components function as innate immune molecules, the role of the physical state of the bacterial cell envelope (i.e., particulate versus soluble) in host immune activation has not been clearly defined.
Host Response and InflammationLipopolysaccharides from Different Burkholderia Species with Different Lipid A Structures Induce Toll-Like Receptor 4 Activation and React with Melioidosis Patient SeraLipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of Gram-negative bacteria comprise lipid A, core, and O-polysaccharide (OPS) components. Studies have demonstrated that LPSs isolated from the pathogenic species Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei and from less-pathogenic species, such as...
Host Response and InflammationChanges in the Molecular and Functional Phenotype of Bovine Monocytes during Theileria parva InfectionTheileria parva is the causative agent of East Coast fever (ECF), a tick-borne disease that kills over a million cattle each year in sub-Saharan Africa. Immune protection against T. parva involves a CD8+ cytotoxic T cell response to parasite-infected cells. However, there is currently a...
Host-Associated Microbial CommunitiesThe Host Immune System Facilitates Disseminated Staphylococcus aureus Disease Due to Phagocytic Attraction to Candida albicans during Coinfection: a Case of Bait and SwitchInvasive Staphylococcus aureus infections account for 15 to 50% of fatal bloodstream infections annually. These disseminated infections often arise without a defined portal of entry into the host but cause high rates of mortality. The fungus Candida albicans and the Gram-positive bacterium...
Host Response and InflammationParticipation of the Serine Protease Jonah66Ci in the Drosophila Antinematode Immune ResponseSerine proteases and serine protease homologs form the second largest gene family in the Drosophila melanogaster genome. Certain genes in the Jonah multigene family encoding serine proteases have been implicated in the fly antiviral immune response. Here, we report the involvement of Jonah66Ci in the Drosophila immune defense against...
Host Response and InflammationDeficient Skeletal Muscle Regeneration after Injury Induced by a Clostridium perfringens Strain Associated with Gas GangreneGas gangrene, or clostridial myonecrosis, is usually caused by Clostridium perfringens and may occur spontaneously in association with diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, or some malignancies but more often after contamination of a deep surgical or traumatic lesion. If not controlled, clostridial myonecrosis results in multiorgan failure, shock, and death...
Host Response and InflammationDifferential Recognition of Vibrio parahaemolyticus OmpU by Toll-Like Receptors in Monocytes and Macrophages for the Induction of Proinflammatory ResponsesVibrio parahaemolyticus is a human pathogen, and it is a major cause of severe gastroenteritis in coastal areas. OmpU is one of the major outer membrane porins of V. parahaemolyticus.
Host Response and Inflammation | SpotlightA Phenome-Wide Association Study Uncovers a Pathological Role of Coagulation Factor X during Acinetobacter baumannii InfectionCoagulation and inflammation are interconnected, suggesting that coagulation plays a key role in the inflammatory response to pathogens. A phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) was used to identify clinical phenotypes of patients with a polymorphism in coagulation factor X.