Host-Microbe Biology
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Positive Research Culture Enables Excellence and InnovationElizabeth Ballou works in the field of medical mycology. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how two papers by Okagaki et al. (PLoS Pathog 6:e1000953, 2010, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000953) and Zaragoza et al. (PLoS Pathog 6:e1000945, 2010, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000945) made...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: It’s Not Me, It’s You—How Donor Factors Influence Kidney Transplant OutcomesDiana V. Pastrana works in the field of DNA tumor virus biology. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the two papers “Donor origin of BKV replication after kidney transplantation” (C. Schmitt, L. Raggub, S. Linnenweber-Held, O. Adams, et al., J Clin Virol 59:120–125, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcv.2013.11.009) and “Neutralizing antibody-mediated response...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyLinking Sfl1 Regulation of Hyphal Development to Stress Response Kinases in Candida albicansCandida albicans is a commensal as well as a pathogen of humans. C. albicans is able to mount a cellular response to a diverse range of external stimuli in the host and switch reversibly between the yeast and hyphal growth forms. Hyphal development is a key virulence determinant. Here, we studied...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDual and Triple Epithelial Coculture Model Systems with Donor-Derived Microbiota and THP-1 Macrophages To Mimic Host-Microbe Interactions in the Human Sinonasal CavitiesDespite the relevance of the resident microbiota in sinonasal health and disease and the need for cross talk between immune and epithelial cells in the upper respiratory tract, these parameters have not been combined in a single in vitro model system. We have developed a coculture system of differentiated respiratory epithelium and natural nasal microbiota and incorporated an immune component. As indicated by absence of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCampylobacter Abundance in Breastfed Infants and Identification of a New Species in the Global Enterics Multicenter StudyCampylobacter is the primary cause of bacterial diarrhea in the United States and can lead to the development of the postinfectious autoimmune neuropathy known as Guillain-Barré syndrome. Also, drug-resistant campylobacters are becoming a serious concern both locally and abroad. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), infection with Campylobacter is linked to high rates of morbidity, growth stunting, and mortality...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyManganese Uptake, Mediated by SloABC and MntH, Is Essential for the Fitness of Streptococcus mutansAs transition biometals such as manganese (Mn) are essential for all forms of life, the ability to scavenge biometals in the metal-restricted host environment is an important trait of successful cariogenic pathobionts. Here, we showed that the caries pathogen Streptococcus mutans utilizes two Mn transport systems, namely, SloABC and MntH, to acquire Mn from the...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Intermetal Competition during Manganese ToxicityJulia E. Martin works in the field of metals in biology, with a focus on manganese (Mn) homeostasis in Streptococcus pneumoniae. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the paper entitled “Role of the manganese efflux system mntE for signalling and pathogenesis in Streptococcus...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDietary Xanthan Gum Alters Antibiotic Efficacy against the Murine Gut Microbiota and Attenuates Clostridioides difficile ColonizationA healthy gut bacterial community benefits the host by breaking down dietary nutrients and protecting against pathogens. Clostridioides difficile capitalizes on the absence of this community to cause diarrhea and inflammation. Thus, a major clinical goal is to find ways to increase resistance to C....
Opinion/Hypothesis | Host-Microbe BiologyPotential of Chemically Synthesized Oligosaccharides To Define the Carbohydrate Moieties of the Fungal Cell Wall Responsible for the Human Immune Response, Using Aspergillus fumigatus Galactomannan as a ModelMethodologies to identify epitopes or ligands of the fungal cell wall polysaccharides influencing the immune response of human pathogens have to date been imperfect. Using the galactomannan (GM) of Aspergillus fumigatus as a model, we have shown that synthetic oligosaccharides of distinct structures representing key fragments of cell wall polysaccharides are the most...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Decoding Transcriptional Regulatory Networks To Illuminate the Mechanisms of Microbial PathogenicitySadri Znaidi works in the field of molecular mycology with a focus on functional genomics in Candida albicans. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how the paper “An iron homeostasis regulatory circuit with reciprocal roles in Candida albicans commensalism and pathogenesis” by Chen...