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Host Response and InflammationAntibodies to Protein but Not Glycolipid Structures Are Important for Host Defense against Mycoplasma pneumoniaeAntibody responses to Mycoplasma pneumoniae correlate with pulmonary M. pneumoniae clearance. However, M. pneumoniae-specific IgG antibodies can cross-react with the myelin glycolipid galactocerebroside (GalC) and cause...
Bacterial InfectionsMycobacterium tuberculosis Requires Regulation of ESX-5 Secretion for Virulence in Irgm1-Deficient MiceThe Mycobacterium tuberculosis type VII secretion system ESX-5, which has been implicated in virulence, is activated at the transcriptional level by the phosphate starvation-responsive Pst/SenX3-RegX3 signal transduction system. Deletion of pstA1, which encodes a Pst phosphate transporter component, causes constitutive activation of the response regulator...
Microbial Immunity and VaccinesRole of Gonococcal Neisserial Surface Protein A (NspA) in Serum Resistance and Comparison of Its Factor H Binding Properties with Those of Its Meningococcal CounterpartNeisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of gonorrhea, has evolved several mechanisms to subvert complement, including binding of the complement inhibitor factor H (FH). We previously reported FH binding to N. gonorrhoeae independently of lipooligosaccharide (LOS) sialylation.
Bacterial Infections | SpotlightEstablishment, Validation, and Application of a New World Primate Model of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Disease for Vaccine DevelopmentThe establishment of an animal model that closely approximates enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) disease in humans is critical for the development and evaluation of vaccines against this enteropathogen. Here, we evaluated the susceptibility of Aotus nancymaae, a New World monkey species, to...
Microbial Immunity and VaccinesRickettsia rickettsii Whole-Cell Antigens Offer Protection against Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the Canine HostRocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a potentially fatal tick-borne disease in people and dogs. RMSF is reported in the United States and several countries in North, Central, and South America.
Molecular PathogenesisNontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Invasive Blood Isolates Are Mainly Phosphorylcholine Negative and Show Decreased Complement-Mediated Killing That Is Associated with Lower Binding of IgM and CRP in Comparison to Colonizing Isolates from the OropharynxNontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) bacteria express various molecules that contribute to their virulence. The presence of phosphocholine (PCho) on NTHi lipooligosaccharide increases adhesion to epithelial cells and is an advantage for the bacterium, enabling nasopharyngeal colonization, as measured in humans and animal models.
Host Response and InflammationPeptidoglycan Recognition Protein 4 Suppresses Early Inflammatory Responses to Bordetella pertussis and Contributes to Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor Agonist-Mediated Disease AttenuationIncidence of whooping cough (pertussis), a bacterial infection of the respiratory tract caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, has reached levels not seen since the 1950s. Antibiotics fail to improve the course of disease unless administered early in infection.
Bacterial InfectionsCharacterization of the Mode of Action of Aurodox, a Type III Secretion System Inhibitor from Streptomyces goldiniensis...Recent work has demonstrated that the polyketide natural product Aurodox from Streptomyces goldiniensis is able to block the pathogenesis of the murine pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. In this work, we aimed to gain a better understanding of the mechanism of action of the compound.
Molecular PathogenesisInterplay of Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) and SrrAB in Modulation of Staphylococcus aureus Metabolism and VirulenceStaphylococcus aureus nitric oxide synthase (saNOS) is a major contributor to virulence, stress resistance, and physiology, yet the specific mechanism(s) by which saNOS intersects with other known regulatory circuits is largely unknown. The SrrAB two-component system, which modulates gene expression in response to the reduced state of respiratory menaquinones, is a...
Molecular PathogenesisPPE37 Is Essential for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Heme-Iron Acquisition (HIA), and a Defective PPE37 in Mycobacterium bovis BCG Prevents HIAMycobacterium tuberculosis, one of the world’s leading causes of death, must acquire nutrients, such as iron, from the host to multiply and cause disease. Iron is an essential metal and M. tuberculosis possesses two different systems to acquire iron from its environment: siderophore-mediated iron...