Latest Articles
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStaphylococcus aureus Releases Proinflammatory Membrane Vesicles To Resist Antimicrobial Fatty AcidsThe nares of one in three humans are colonized by Staphylococcus aureus. In these environments, and arguably on all mucosal surfaces, bacteria encounter fatty acids with antimicrobial properties. Our study uncovers that S. aureus releases membrane vesicles (MVs) that act as decoys to protect the...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionAntimicrobial Peptide Exposure Selects for Resistant and Fit Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Mutants That Show Cross-Resistance to AntibioticsStenotrophomonas maltophilia is an increasingly relevant multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterium found, for example, in people with cystic fibrosis and associated with other respiratory infections and underlying pathologies. The infections caused by this nosocomial pathogen are difficult to treat due to the intrinsic resistance of this bacterium against a broad number of...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEducational Attainment and Staphylococcus aureus Colonization in a Hispanic Border Community: Testing Fundamental Cause TheoryUnlike some types of S. aureus infections, S. aureus colonization is not associated with ethnicity or educational attainment and thus may be outside the influence of socioeconomic status-based resources typically mobilized to avoid or mitigate preventable health risks. This assessment of a...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAssessing the Variation within the Oral Microbiome of Healthy AdultsThe human oral cavity is inhabited by a diverse community of microbes, known as the human oral microbiome. These microbes play a role in maintaining both oral and systemic health and, as such, have been proposed to be useful biomarkers of disease. However, to identify these biomarkers, we first need to determine the composition and variation of the healthy oral microbiome. In this report, we investigate the oral microbiome of 1,049...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyImmune Response Characterization after Controlled Infection with Lyophilized Shigella sonnei 53GCorrelate(s) of immunity have yet to be defined for shigellosis. As previous disease protects against subsequent infection in a serotype-specific manner, investigating immune response profiles pre- and postinfection provides an opportunity to identify immune markers potentially associated with the development of protective immunity and/or with a reduced risk of developing shigellosis postchallenge. This study is the first to report such...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: 3-D Culture Models Influence Studies on Epstein-Barr Virus Molecular Pathogenesis in the EpitheliumKathy Shair works in the field of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated cancers, with emphasis on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the paper “Efficient replication of Epstein-Barr virus in stratified epithelium in vitro” by Temple et al. (R. M. Temple, J. Zhu, L. Budgeon, N. D. Christensen, et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111:16544–16549, 2014,...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyCandida albicans Double Mutants Lacking both EFG1 and WOR1 Can Still Switch to OpaqueThe switch from white to opaque in Candida albicans was discovered 33 years ago, but it is still unclear how it is regulated. A regulatory paradigm has emerged in which two transacting factors, Efg1 and Wor1, play central roles, Efg1 as a repressor of WOR1, which encodes an activator of the transition to the opaque phenotype. However, we show here that if...
Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyNorth American Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus) Harbor an Exogenous DeltaretrovirusBats host a large numbers of viruses, many of which are zoonotic. In the United States, the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) is widely distributed and lives in small colonies that roost in cavities, often in human dwellings, leading to frequent human interaction. Viral metagenomic sequencing of samples from an...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNutrition and the Gut Microbiota in 10- to 18-Month-Old Children Living in Urban Slums of Mumbai, IndiaThe impact of comprehensive nutritional status, defined as growth, nutritional blood biomarkers, dietary intakes, and feeding practices, on the gut microbiome in children living in low-resource settings has remained underreported in microbiome research. Among undernourished children living in urban slums of Mumbai, India, we observed a high relative abundance of Proteobacteria, a phylum including many potentially pathogenic...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyAntibodies to Variable Domain 4 Linear Epitopes of the Chlamydia trachomatis Major Outer Membrane Protein Are Not Associated with Chlamydia Resolution or Reinfection in WomenC. trachomatis infection is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection, and infection in women can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. No licensed vaccine exists to prevent C. trachomatis infection, and investigations of the natural immune response may inform the design of targeted vaccines for C. trachomatis. Our study fills a gap in knowledge regarding the epitope specificity...