Latest Articles
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDevelopment of a Gold Nanoparticle Vaccine against Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7 is a human pathogen and the causative agent of diarrhea and hemorrhagic colitis, which can progress to hemolytic uremic syndrome. These complications represent a serious global public health problem that requires laborious public health interventions and safety control measures to combat recurrent outbreaks worldwide. Today, there are...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyRole of Flagellin-Homologous Proteins in Biofilm Formation by Pathogenic Vibrio SpeciesFlagellar filaments of the pathogenic Vibrio species, including V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. cholerae, are composed of multiple flagellin subunits. In their genomes, however, there are higher numbers of the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of the Cell-Surface Protease ADAM9 as an Entry Factor for Encephalomyocarditis VirusEMCV is an animal pathogen that causes acute viral infections, usually myocarditis or encephalitis. It is thought to circulate mainly among rodents, from which it is occasionally transmitted to other animal species, including humans. EMCV causes fatal outbreaks of myocarditis and encephalitis in pig farms and zoos, making it an important veterinary pathogen. Although EMCV has been widely used as a model to study mechanisms of viral...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceStreamlined Genetic Manipulation of Diverse Bacteroides and Parabacteroides Isolates from the Human Gut MicrobiotaWe have entered an era when studies of the gut microbiota are transitioning from basic questions of composition and host effects to understanding the microbial molecules that underlie compositional shifts and mediate health and disease processes. The importance of the gut Bacteroidales to human health and disease and their potential as a source of engineered live biotherapeutics make these bacteria of particular interest for in...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyAggregation of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Is Regulated by Carbon-Nitrogen BalanceFree-living bacteria can assemble into multicellular structures called biofilms. Biofilms help bacteria tolerate multiple stresses, including antibiotics and the host immune system. Nontuberculous mycobacteria are a group of emerging opportunistic pathogens that utilize biofilms to adhere to household plumbing and showerheads and to avoid phagocytosis by host immune cells. Typically, bacteria regulate biofilm formation by controlling...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary SciencePseudomonas aeruginosa Interstrain Dynamics and Selection of Hyperbiofilm Mutants during a Chronic InfectionBacteria adapt to infections by evolving variants that are more fit and persistent. These recalcitrant variants are typically observed in chronic infections. However, it is unclear when and why these variants evolve. To address these questions, we used a porcine chronic wound model to study the evolutionary dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a mixed-strain...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Protein Antagonist of Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase Encoded by a Complex Mouse RetrovirusComplex retroviruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), cause many human deaths. These retroviruses produce lifelong infections through viral proteins that interfere with host immunity. The complex retrovirus mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) allows for studies of host-pathogen interactions not possible in humans. A mutation preventing expression of the MMTV Rem protein in two different MMTV strains decreased proviral...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionCould Dampening Expression of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae mtrCDE-Encoded Efflux Pump Be a Strategy To Preserve Currently or Resurrect Formerly Used Antibiotics To Treat Gonorrhea?The emergence of gonococcal strains resistant to past or currently used antibiotics is a global public health concern, given the estimated 78 million infections that occur annually. The dearth of new antibiotics to treat gonorrhea demands that alternative curative strategies be considered to counteract antibiotic resistance expressed by gonococci. Herein, we show that decreased expression of a drug efflux pump that participates in...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Cervicovaginal Microbiota-Host Interaction Modulates Chlamydia trachomatis InfectionThe vaginal microbiota is believed to protect women against Chlamydia trachomatis, the etiologic agent of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI) in developed countries. The mechanism underlying this protection has remained elusive. Here, we reveal the comprehensive strategy by which the cervicovaginal microbiota modulates host functions to protect...
Observation | Applied and Environmental ScienceStatistical Analysis of Community RNA Transcripts between Organic Carbon and Geogas-Fed Continental Deep Biosphere GroundwatersDespite being separated from the photosynthesis-driven surface by both distance and time, the deep biosphere is an important driver for the earth’s carbon and energy cycles. However, due to the difficulties in gaining access and low cell numbers, robust statistical omics studies have not been carried out, and this limits the conclusions that can be drawn. This study benchmarks the use of two separate sampling systems and demonstrates...