pathogenesis
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAtypical Ebola Virus Disease in a Nonhuman Primate following Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Is Associated with Glycoprotein Mutations within the Fusion Loop...Ebola virus remains a global threat to public health and biosecurity, yet we still know relatively little about its pathogenesis and the complications that arise following recovery. With nearly 20,000 survivors from the 2013–2016 West African outbreak, as well as over 1,000 survivors of the recent outbreak in the DRC, we must consider the consequences of virus persistence and recrudescent disease, even if they are rare.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDistinct Cytokine Profiles Correlate with Disease Severity and Outcome in Longitudinal Studies of Acute Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis D Virus Infection in ChimpanzeesStudies performed in chimpanzees at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) demonstrated a significant difference in ALT levels during acute hepatitis of different viral etiologies, with a hierarchy in the extent of liver damage according to the infecting virus: the highest level was in HDV superinfection, followed by infection with a precore HBV mutant, HBV/HDV coinfection, and, lastly, wild-type HBV infection. Our study demonstrates...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHumans Surviving Cholera Develop Antibodies against Vibrio cholerae O-Specific Polysaccharide That Inhibit Pathogen MotilityCholera is a severe dehydrating illness of humans caused by Vibrio cholerae. V. cholerae is a highly motile bacterium that has a single flagellum covered in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) displaying O-specific polysaccharide (OSP), and V....
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Genital Infection-Attenuated Chlamydia muridarum Mutant Infects the Gastrointestinal Tract and Protects against Genital Tract ChallengeChlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial infection in the United States. Most chlamydia genital infections resolve without serious consequences; however, untreated infection in women can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Antibiotics are very effective in treating chlamydia, but most genital infections in both men and women are asymptomatic and go undiagnosed. Therefore, there is a critical need for an...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPopulation Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Reveals a Cryptic, Highly Prevalent Superantigen SElW That Contributes to the Pathogenesis of BacteremiaStaphylococcus aureus is an important human and animal pathogen associated with an array of diseases, including life-threatening necrotizing pneumonia and infective endocarditis. The success of S. aureus as a pathogen has been linked in part to its ability to manipulate the host immune response...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Vibrio cholerae Quorum-Sensing Protein VqmA Integrates Cell Density, Environmental, and Host-Derived Cues into the Control of VirulenceQuorum sensing (QS) is a process of chemical communication that bacteria use to orchestrate collective behaviors. QS communication relies on chemical signal molecules called autoinducers. QS regulates virulence in Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the disease cholera. Transit into the human small intestine, the site of cholera infection, exposes...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStaphylococcus aureus Lipase 1 Enhances Influenza A Virus ReplicationInfluenza A virus (IAV) causes annual epidemics and sporadic pandemics of respiratory disease. Secondary bacterial coinfection by organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus is the most common complication of primary IAV infection and is associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality. Here, we report the first identified...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyToxoplasma gondii Co-opts the Unfolded Protein Response To Enhance Migration and Dissemination of Infected Host CellsCells that are infected with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii exhibit heightened migratory activity, which facilitates dissemination of the infection throughout the body. In this report, we identify a new mechanism used by Toxoplasma to hijack its host cell and increase its mobility. We further show that the ability of Toxoplasma to increase host cell...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceNovel Immunoglobulin Domain Proteins Provide Insights into Evolution and Pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2-Related VirusesThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic strongly emphasizes the need for a more complete understanding of the biology and pathogenesis of its causative agent SARS-CoV-2. Despite intense scrutiny, several proteins encoded by the genomes of SARS-CoV-2 and other SARS-like coronaviruses remain enigmatic. Moreover, the high infectivity and severity of SARS-CoV-2 in certain individuals make wet-lab studies currently challenging. In this study, we used...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMetabolism of Gluconeogenic Substrates by an Intracellular Fungal Pathogen Circumvents Nutritional Limitations within MacrophagesHistoplasma is a primary human fungal pathogen that survives and proliferates within host immune cells, particularly within the macrophage phagosome compartment. The phagosome compartment is a nutrient-limited environment, requiring Histoplasma yeasts to be able to assimilate available carbon sources within the phagosome to meet their nutritional needs. In this study, we showed that Histoplasma yeasts do not...