Host-Microbe Biology
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyTransient Nutrient Deprivation Promotes Macropinocytosis-Dependent Intracellular Bacterial Community DevelopmentOtitis media is the most common bacterial infection in childhood. Current therapies are limited in the prevention of chronic or recurrent otitis media which leads to increased antibiotic exposure and represents a significant socioeconomic burden. In this study, we delineate the effect of nutritional limitation on the intracellular trafficking pathways used by nontypeable ...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGerminant Synergy Facilitates Clostridium difficile Spore Germination under Physiological ConditionsClostridium difficile is an anaerobic spore-forming human pathogen that is the leading cause of nosocomial infectious diarrhea worldwide. Germination of infectious spores is the first step in the development of a C. difficile infection (CDI) after ingestion and passage through the stomach. This...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Transcription Factor VdHapX Controls Iron Homeostasis and Is Crucial for Virulence in the Vascular Pathogen Verticillium dahliaeThis study demonstrated that VdHapX is a conserved protein that mediates adaptation to iron starvation and excesses, affects microsclerotium formation, and is crucial for virulence of V. dahliae.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyChanges in the Gut Microbiota of Urban Subjects during an Immersion in the Traditional Diet and Lifestyle of a Rainforest VillageDespite the limitations of a small study, our results evidence higher resilience of the gut microbiota with respect to dietary manipulation in adults than in children and urge further studies to understand the extent of microbiota plasticity in response to dietary changes and the mechanisms underlying microbiota resilience. These studies are relevant to the potential of future human pre- and probiotics in preventing or curing microbiota...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStaphylococcus aureus Biofilm Growth on Cystic Fibrosis Airway Epithelial Cells Is Enhanced during Respiratory Syncytial Virus CoinfectionThe airways of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) are commonly chronically infected, and Staphylococcus aureus is the dominant bacterial respiratory pathogen in CF children. CF patients also experience frequent respiratory virus infections, and it has been hypothesized that virus coinfection increases the severity of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIntracellular Staphylococcus aureus Modulates Host Central Carbon Metabolism To Activate AutophagyStaphylococcus aureus escapes from immune recognition by invading a wide range of human cells. Once the pathogen becomes intracellular, the most important last resort antibiotics are not effective. Therefore, novel anti-infective therapies against intracellular S. aureus are urgently needed. Here,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Novel Shigella Proteome Microarray Discriminates Targets of Human Antibody Reactivity following Oral Vaccination and Experimental ChallengeEach year, more than 180 million cases of severe diarrhea caused by Shigella occur globally. Those affected (mostly children in poor regions) experience long-term sequelae that severely impair quality of life. Without a licensed vaccine, the burden of disease represents a daunting challenge. An improved understanding of immune responses to Shigella is necessary to support ongoing efforts to identify a safe and...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologyAir-Liquid Interface System To Understand Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Nasopharyngeal CarcinomaEpstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects epithelial cells and is associated with epithelial malignancies. Although EBV reactivation is induced by epithelial differentiation, the available methods for differentiation are not widely used.
Editor's Pick Resource Report | Host-Microbe BiologyAir-Liquid Interface Method To Study Epstein-Barr Virus Pathogenesis in Nasopharyngeal Epithelial CellsLifting adherent cells to the air-liquid interface (ALI) is a method conventionally used to culture airway epithelial cells into polarized apical and basolateral surfaces. Reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) from monolayer epithelial cultures is sometimes abortive, which may be attributed to the lack of authentic reactivation triggers that occur in stratified epithelium in vivo. In the present work, the ALI culture method...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRegulation of Trypanosoma brucei Acetyl Coenzyme A Carboxylase by Environmental LipidsTrypanosoma brucei is a eukaryotic parasite that causes African sleeping sickness. T. brucei is transmitted by the blood-sucking tsetse fly. In order to adapt to its two very different hosts, T. brucei must sense the host...