Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyWhat Is the Role of Archaea in Plants? New Insights from the Vegetation of Alpine BogsArchaea are still an underdetected and little-studied part of the plant microbiome. We provide first and novel insights into Archaea as a functional component of the plant microbiome obtained by metagenomic analyses. Archaea were found to have the potential to interact with plants by (i) plant growth promotion through auxin biosynthesis, (ii) nutrient supply, and (iii) protection against abiotic stress.
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Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPseudomonas aeruginosa Protease IV Exacerbates Pneumococcal Pneumonia and Systemic DiseaseS. pneumoniae remains the leading cause of bacterial pneumonia despite widespread use of pneumococcal vaccines, forcing the necessity for appropriate treatment to control pneumococcal infections. Coinfections involving S. pneumoniae with other bacterial pathogens threaten antibiotic treatment...
Opinion/Hypothesis | Host-Microbe BiologyIn Defense of an Academic Career in MicrobiologyThe rise of Quit Lit describing the myriad reasons for leaving academia and constant complaining by mentors leave many trainees with little desire for an academic career. Although there are clearly structural and social problems in academia, I feel that they are outweighed by the benefits of working and living in an academic environment.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Predicted Mannoprotein Participates in Cryptococcus gattii Capsular StructureCryptococcus gattii has the ability to escape from the host’s immune system through poorly understood mechanisms and can lead to the death of healthy individuals. The role of mannoproteins in C. gattii pathogenicity is not completely understood. The present work characterized a protein, Kpr1, that...
Editor's Pick Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologyMalaria in Farmed Ungulates: an Exciting New System for Comparative ParasitologyA wide array of vertebrates can serve as the intermediate hosts to malaria parasites (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida), such as birds, lizards, and several groups of mammals, including primates, bats, rodents, and ungulates. The latter group of hosts has not been intensively studied since early descriptions of a small set of taxa were published, but new reports of these parasites in both expected and new hosts have recently been published....
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIron Acquisition and Siderophore Release by Carbapenem-Resistant Sequence Type 258 Klebsiella pneumoniaeCarbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, including K. pneumoniae, are a major health care concern worldwide because they cause a wide range of infection and are resistant to all or nearly all antibiotics. To cause infection, these bacteria must acquire iron, and a major mechanism of acquiring iron is by secreting a molecule called enterobactin that strips...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyInfluential Parameters for the Analysis of Intracellular Parasite MetabolomicsMolecular characterization of pathogens such as the malaria parasite can lead to improved biological understanding and novel treatment strategies. However, the distinctive biology of the Plasmodium parasite, including its repetitive genome and the requirement for growth within a host cell, hinders progress toward these goals. Untargeted metabolomics is a promising approach to learn about pathogen biology. By measuring many...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyImpact of Long-Term Erythromycin Therapy on the Oropharyngeal Microbiome and Resistance Gene Reservoir in Non-Cystic Fibrosis BronchiectasisRecent demonstrations that long-term macrolide therapy can prevent exacerbations in chronic airways diseases have led to a dramatic increase in their use. However, little is known about the wider, potentially adverse impacts of these treatments. Substantial disruption of the upper airway commensal microbiota might reduce its contribution to host defense and local immune regulation, while increases in macrolide resistance carriage would...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEhrlichia chaffeensis TRP75 Interacts with Host Cell Targets Involved in Homeostasis, Cytoskeleton Organization, and Apoptosis Regulation To Promote InfectionHuman monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) is caused by an obligatory intracellular bacterium, E. chaffeensis, and is one of the most prevalent, life-threatening emerging infectious zoonoses in the United States. The mechanisms through which E. chaffeensis invades and establishes an intracellular niche are not well understood but are dependent on secreted ehrlichial effector proteins. The significance of this study is in addressing how...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPseudotyping of HIV-1 with Human T-Lymphotropic Virus 1 (HTLV-1) Envelope Glycoprotein during HIV-1–HTLV-1 Coinfection Facilitates Direct HIV-1 Infection of Female Genital Epithelial Cells: Implications for Sexual Transmission of HIV-1Young women in certain regions of the world are at very high risk of acquiring HIV-1, and there is an urgent need to identify the factors that promote HIV-1 transmission. HIV-1 infection is frequently accompanied by infection with other pathogenic viruses. We demonstrate that coinfection of cells by HIV-1 and HTLV-1 can lead to production of HIV-1 pseudotyped with HTLV-1 Env that is able to directly infect female genital epithelial...