inflammation
Opinion/Hypothesis | Host-Microbe BiologyCould an Unrelated Live Attenuated Vaccine Serve as a Preventive Measure To Dampen Septic Inflammation Associated with COVID-19 Infection?We propose the concept that administration of an unrelated live attenuated vaccine, such as MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), could serve as a preventive measure against the worst sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). There is mounting evidence that live attenuated vaccines provide nonspecific protection against lethal infections unrelated to the target pathogen of the vaccine by inducing “trained” nonspecific innate immune...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNOD1/NOD2 and RIP2 Regulate Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Inflammation during Chlamydia InfectionUnderstanding the initiation of the inflammatory response during Chlamydia infection is of public health importance given the impact of this disease on young women in the United States. Many young women are chronically infected with Chlamydia but are asymptomatic and therefore do not seek treatment, leaving them at risk of long-term reproductive harm due to inflammation in response to infection. Our manuscript explores...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyImmune Profiling To Predict Outcome of Clostridioides difficile InfectionClostridioides difficile infection is the most common health care-associated infection in the United States with more than 20% patients experiencing symptomatic recurrence. The complex nature of host-bacterium interactions makes it difficult to predict the course of the disease based solely on clinical parameters. In the present study, we built a robust prediction...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySimian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Memory CD4+ T Cells Infiltrate to the Site of Infected Macrophages in the Neuroparenchyma of a Chronic Macaque Model of Neurological Complications of AIDSWhile the use of combination antiretroviral therapy effectively suppresses systemic viral replication in the body, neurocognitive disorders as a result of HIV infection of the central nervous system (CNS) remain a clinical problem. Therefore, the use of nonhuman primate models is necessary to study mechanisms of neuropathogenesis. The neurotropic, molecular clone SIVsm804E-CL757 (CL757) results in neuroAIDS in 50% of infected rhesus...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEspFu-Mediated Actin Assembly Enhances Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Adherence and Activates Host Cell Inflammatory Signaling PathwaysEPEC is among the leading causes of diarrheal disease worldwide. The colonization of the gut mucosa by EPEC results in actin pedestal formation at the site of bacterial attachment. These pedestals are referred to as attaching and effacing (AE) lesions. Here, we exploit the different molecular mechanisms used by EPEC to induce AE lesions on epithelial cells, showing that the effector EspFu is associated with increased bacterial...
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 MannerAny 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 MX1Cases 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 RepairArthritogenic 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 ResponsesCryptococcus 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 InfectionThe 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...