Host-Microbe Biology
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of Novel Viruses in Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis TicksThe incidence of tick-borne disease is increasing, driven by rapid geographical expansion of ticks and the discovery of new tick-associated pathogens. The examination of the tick microbiome is essential in order to understand the relationship between microbes and their tick hosts and to facilitate the identification of new tick-borne pathogens. Genomic analyses using unbiased high-throughput sequencing platforms have proven valuable for...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyElevated Fecal pH Indicates a Profound Change in the Breastfed Infant Gut Microbiome Due to Reduction of Bifidobacterium over the Past CenturyHistorically, Bifidobacterium species were reported as abundant in the breastfed infant gut. However, recent studies in resource-rich countries show an increased abundance of taxa regarded as signatures of dysbiosis.
Resource Report | Host-Microbe BiologyConversion of RpoS− Attenuated Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi Vaccine Strains to RpoS+ Improves Their Resistance to Host Defense BarriersRecombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccines (RASVs) represent a unique prevention strategy to combating infectious disease because they utilize the ability of Salmonella to invade and colonize deep effector lymphoid tissues and deliver hetero- and homologous derived antigens at the lowest immunizing dose. Our recent clinical trial in human volunteers indicated that an RpoS+ derivative of Ty2 was better at...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyToxoplasma gondii LCAT Primarily Contributes to Tachyzoite EgressToxoplasma gondii is one of the most successful human pathogens, infecting an estimated 2.5 billion people across the globe. Pathogenesis seen during acute or reactivated toxoplasmosis has been closely tied to the parasite’s intracellular lytic life cycle, which culminates in an event called egress that results in the release of freshly replicated parasites from the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyConformational Occlusion of Blockade Antibody Epitopes, a Novel Mechanism of GII.4 Human Norovirus Immune EvasionIn this study, we use norovirus virus-like particles to identify key residues of a conserved GII.4 blockade antibody epitope. Further, we identify an additional GII.4 blockade antibody epitope to be occluded, with antibody access governed by temperature and particle dynamics. These findings provide additional support for particle conformation-based presentation of binding residues mediated by a particle “breathing core.” Together, these...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAnaplerotic Role of Glucose in the Oxidation of Endogenous Fatty Acids during Dengue Virus InfectionDengue virus infection is a major cause of human arbovirosis, for which clinical and experimental evidence supports the idea that liver dysfunction and lipid metabolism disorders are characteristics of severe disease. Analyzing mitochondrial bioenergetics, here we show that infection of hepatic cells with dengue virus favors the cellular capacity of metabolizing glucose, impairing the normal metabolic flexibility that allows the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyBioID Reveals Novel Proteins of the Plasmodium Parasitophorous Vacuole MembraneIntracellular pathogens are often surrounded by a host-cell derived membrane. This membrane is modified by the pathogens to their own needs and is crucial for their intracellular lifestyle. In Plasmodium parasites, this membrane is referred to as the PVM and only a limited number of its proteins are known so far. Here, we applied in rodent P. berghei...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIn Situ Analyses Directly in Diarrheal Stool Reveal Large Variations in Bacterial Load and Active Toxin Expression of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Vibrio choleraeThe cause of diarrheal disease is usually determined by screening for several microorganisms by various methods, and sole detection is used to assign the agent as the cause of disease. However, it has become increasingly clear that many infections are caused by coinfections with several pathogens and that the dose of the infecting pathogen is important. We quantified the absolute numbers of enterotoxigenic...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of Head and Neck Cancer Subtypes Based on Human Papillomavirus Presence and E2F-Regulated Gene ExpressionCancer is a complex disease that can be caused by a multitude of factors. HNSCC is complicated because some of these cancers are clearly associated with HPV, while others have no viral involvement. Determining the pathways that are commonly altered in both types of HNSCC, as well as those that are unique to viral and nonviral tumors, is important for a basic understanding of how these cancers arise and progress and critical to the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAntibiotic Treatments for Clostridium difficile Infection Are Associated with Distinct Bacterial and Fungal Community StructuresUsing human fecal samples and including sequencing for both bacterial and fungal taxa, this study compared the conventional antibiotics used to treat C. difficile infection (CDI) from the perspective of the microbiome, which is particularly relevant, given the relationship between dysbiotic states and the development of CDI. Sequencing and imputed functional analyses...