inflammation
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Virus Hosted in Malaria-Infected Blood Protects against T Cell-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases by Impairing DC Function in a Type I IFN-Dependent Manner
Any infection modifies the host immune status, potentially ameliorating or aggravating the pathophysiology of a simultaneous inflammatory condition. In the course of investigating how malaria infection modulates the severity of contemporaneous inflammatory diseases, we identified a nonpathogenic mouse virus in stabilates of two widely used rodent parasite lines: Plasmodium...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA MicroRNA Network Controls Legionella pneumophila Replication in Human Macrophages via LGALS8 and MX1
Cases of Legionella pneumophila pneumonia occur worldwide, with potentially fatal outcome. When causing human disease, Legionella injects a plethora of virulence factors to reprogram macrophages to circumvent immune defense and create a replication niche. By analyzing Legionella-induced changes in miRNA expression and genomewide chromatin...
- Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionModulation of Monocyte-Driven Myositis in Alphavirus Infection Reveals a Role for CX3CR1+ Macrophages in Tissue Repair
Arthritogenic alphaviruses cause debilitating inflammatory disease, and current therapies are restricted to palliative approaches. Here, we show that following monocyte-driven muscle inflammation, tissue recovery is associated with the accumulation of CX3CR1+ macrophages in the muscle. Modulating inflammatory monocyte infiltration using immune-modifying microparticles (IMP) reduced tissue damage and inflammation...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCryptococcus neoformans Chitin Synthase 3 Plays a Critical Role in Dampening Host Inflammatory Responses
Cryptococcus neoformans is the most common disseminated fungal pathogen in AIDS patients, resulting in ∼200,000 deaths each year. There is a pressing need for new treatments for this infection, as current antifungal therapy is hampered by toxicity and/or the inability of the host’s immune system to aid in resolution of the disease. An ideal target for new therapies is...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyUbiquitination of Listeria Virulence Factor InlC Contributes to the Host Response to Infection
The pathogenic potential of Listeria monocytogenes relies on the production of an arsenal of virulence determinants that have been extensively characterized, including surface and secreted proteins of the internalin family. We have previously shown that the Listeria secreted internalin InlC interacts with IκB kinase α to interfere with the host immune...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRelative Contributions of Extracellular and Internalized Bacteria to Early Macrophage Proinflammatory Responses to Streptococcus pneumoniae
Multiple extra- and intracellular innate immune receptors have been identified that recognize Streptococcus pneumoniae, but the relative contributions of intra- versus extracellular bacteria to the inflammatory response were unknown. We have shown that intracellular S. pneumoniae contributes...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of Pneumococcal Factors Affecting Pneumococcal Shedding Shows that the dlt Locus Promotes Inflammation and Transmission
Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a common cause of respiratory tract and invasive infection. The overall effectiveness of immunization with the organism’s capsular polysaccharide depends on its ability to block colonization of the upper respiratory tract and thereby prevent host-to-host transmission. Because of the limited coverage of current...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyChlamydia trachomatis Lipopolysaccharide Evades the Canonical and Noncanonical Inflammatory Pathways To Subvert Innate Immunity
Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial cause of sexually transmitted infections (STI). C. trachomatis STI are commonly asymptomatic, implying a pathogenic strategy for the evasion of innate inflammatory immune responses, a paradox as the C. trachomatis outer membrane contains lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a known potent agonist of...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs Alter the Microbiota and Exacerbate Clostridium difficile Colitis while Dysregulating the Inflammatory Response
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a spore-forming anaerobic bacterium and leading cause of antibiotic-associated colitis. Epidemiological data suggest that use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increases the risk for CDI in humans, a potentially important observation given the widespread use of NSAIDs. Prior studies in rodent models of CDI found...
- Research ArticleInduction of HIF-1α by HIV-1 Infection in CD4+ T Cells Promotes Viral Replication and Drives Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Inflammation
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a very important global pathogen that preferentially targets CD4+ T cells and causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if left untreated. Although antiretroviral treatment efficiently suppresses viremia, markers of immune activation and inflammation remain higher in HIV-1-infected patients than in uninfected individuals. The hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) is a...