Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyVraSR and Virulence Trait Modulation during Daptomycin Resistance in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus InfectionMethicillin-resistant S. aureus continues to develop resistance to antimicrobials, including those in current clinical use as daptomycin (DAP). Resistance to DAP arises by mutations in cell membrane and cell wall genes and/or upregulation of the two-component VraSR system. However, less is known about the connection between the pathogen and virulence traits during DAP...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Controlled Human Infection Model of Group A Streptococcus Pharyngitis: Which Strain and Why?GAS (Streptococcus pyogenes) is a leading global cause of infection-related morbidity and mortality. A modern CHIM of GAS pharyngitis could help to accelerate vaccine development and drive pathogenesis research. Challenge strain selection is critical to the safety and success of any CHIM and especially so for an organism such as GAS, with its wide strain diversity and...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of Recessive Lethal Alleles in the Diploid Genome of a Candida albicans Laboratory Strain Unveils a Potential Role of Repetitive Sequences in Buffering Their Deleterious ImpactCandida albicans is a major fungal pathogen, whose mode of reproduction is mainly clonal. Its genome is highly tolerant to rearrangements, in particular loss of heterozygosity events, known to unmask recessive lethal and deleterious alleles in heterozygous diploid organisms such as C. albicans. By...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTranscriptional Sequencing Uncovers Survival Mechanisms of Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis in Antibacterial Egg WhiteSalmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis is a major foodborne pathogen that causes salmonellosis mainly through contaminated chicken eggs or egg products and has been a worldwide public health threat since 1980. Frequent outbreaks of this serotype through eggs correlate significantly with its exceptional survival ability in the antibacterial egg white. Research on the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEndocytic Markers Associated with the Internalization and Processing of Aspergillus fumigatus Conidia by BEAS-2B CellsConidia from the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus are notorious for their ability to stay airborne. This characteristic is believed to allow conidia to penetrate into the cleanest environments. Several hundred conidia are thought to be inhaled each day by a given individual and then expelled by mucociliary clearance. Given that airway epithelial cells make up a...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyComparison of Subtyping Approaches and the Underlying Drivers of Microbial Signatures for Chronic RhinosinusitisChronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a major human health problem that significantly reduces quality of life. While various microbes have been implicated, there is no clear understanding of the role they play in CRS pathogenesis. Another equally important observation made for CRS patients is that the epithelial barrier in the sinonasal cavity is defective. Finding a robust approach to subtype CRS patients would be the first step toward...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Glucoamylase Inhibitor Acarbose Has a Diet-Dependent and Reversible Effect on the Murine Gut MicrobiomeThe gut microbial community has a profound influence on host physiology in both health and disease. In diabetic individuals, the gut microbiota can affect the course of disease, and some medications for diabetes, including metformin, seem to elicit some of their benefits via an interaction with the microbiota. Here, we report that acarbose, a glucoamylase inhibitor for type 2 diabetes, changes the murine gut bacterial community...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Gut Microbiota Is Associated with Clearance of Clostridium difficile Infection Independent of Adaptive ImmunityClostridium difficile infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients in the United States. Currently, the role of the adaptive immune response in modulating levels of C. difficile colonization is unresolved. This work suggests that the indigenous gut microbiota is a...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyA Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Transcription Factor Involved in Sclerotial Development and Virulence on PeaWhite mold, caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a destructive disease on important legume species such as soybean, dry bean, and pea. This study investigated expression levels of transcription factors in S. sclerotiorum in planta (pea lines) and in vitro (culture medium). One...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDiversity and Population Overlap between Avian and Human Escherichia coli Belonging to Sequence Type 95APEC causes a range of infections in poultry, collectively called colibacillosis, and is the leading cause of mortality and is associated with major economic significance in the poultry industry. A growing number of studies have suggested APEC as an external reservoir of human ExPEC, including UPEC, which is a reservoir. ExPEC belonging to ST95 is considered one of the most important pathogens in both poultry and humans. This study is...