Latest Articles
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRanDeL-Seq: a High-Throughput Method to Map Viral cis- and trans-Acting ElementsRecent studies have renewed interest in developing novel antiviral therapeutics and vaccines based on defective interfering particles (DIPs)—a subset of viral deletion mutants that conditionally replicate. Identifying and engineering DIPs require that viral cis- and trans-acting elements be accurately mapped.
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionPuf4 Mediates Post-transcriptional Regulation of Cell Wall Biosynthesis and Caspofungin Resistance in Cryptococcus neoformansCryptococcus neoformans is an environmental fungus that causes pulmonary and central nervous system infections. It is also responsible for 15% of AIDS-related deaths.
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyStreptococcus pyogenes Is Associated with Idiopathic Cutaneous Ulcers in Children on a Yaws-Endemic IslandCutaneous ulcers (CU) affect approximately 100,000 children in the tropics each year. While two-thirds of CU are caused by Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue and Haemophilus ducreyi, the cause(s) of the remaining one-third is unknown.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMechanistic Analysis of the Broad Antiretroviral Resistance Conferred by HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein MutationsAlthough combination antiretroviral (ARV) therapy is highly effective in controlling the progression of HIV disease, drug resistance can be a major obstacle. Recent findings suggest that resistance can develop without ARV target gene mutations.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDirect Intracellular Visualization of Ebola Virus-Receptor Interaction by In Situ Proximity LigationEbola virus causes episodic but increasingly frequent outbreaks of severe disease in Middle Africa, as shown by the recently overcome second largest outbreak on record in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite considerable effort, FDA-approved antifiloviral therapeutics or targeted interventions are not available yet.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyBiogeography of the Relationship between the Child Gut Microbiome and Innate Immune SystemBoth the gut microbiome and innate immunity are known to differ across biogeographically diverse human populations. The gut microbiome has been shown to directly influence systemic immunity in animal models.
Perspective | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyDo an Altered Gut Microbiota and an Associated Leaky Gut Affect COVID-19 Severity?Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has been declared a pandemic, has exhibited a wide range of severity worldwide. Although this global variation is largely affected by socio-medical situations in each country, there is also high individual-level variation attributable to elderliness and certain underlying medical conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.
Minireview | Host-Microbe BiologyPreserve a Voucher Specimen! The Critical Need for Integrating Natural History Collections in Infectious Disease StudiesDespite being nearly 10 months into the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, the definitive animal host for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the causal agent of COVID-19, remains unknown. Unfortunately, similar problems exist for other betacoronaviruses, and no vouchered specimens exist to corroborate host species identification for most of these pathogens.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySalmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Exploits Cycling through Epithelial Cells To Colonize Human and Murine EnteroidsPathogenic gut bacteria are common causes of intestinal disease. Enteroids—cultured three-dimensional replicas of the mammalian gut—offer an emerging model system to study disease mechanisms under conditions that recapitulate key features of the intestinal tract.
Editor's Pick Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionPeptide-Conjugated Phosphorodiamidate Morpholino Oligomers Retain Activity against Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa In Vitro and In VivoNumerous Gram-negative bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to multiple, if not all, classes of existing antibiotics. Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria are a major cause of health care-associated infections in a variety of clinical settings, endangering patients who are immunocompromised or those who suffer from chronic infections, such as...