Review
Immunology
Ioannis Kienes, Ella L. Johnston, Natalie J. Bitto, Maria Kaparakis-Liaskos, Thomas A. Kufer
Summary: This article summarizes the subversion strategies used by bacterial pathogens to evade host immune detection, focusing on the well-studied NLRs NOD1/2, NLRP3, and NLRC4. The authors discuss how bacterial pathogens activate these NLRs to promote inflammation and disease, as well as mechanisms used by bacteria to attenuate NLR activation and interfere with host immunity. They also highlight the role of NLRs in facilitating immunotolerance and persistence of bacteria in the host, and the therapeutic potential of harnessing bacterial immune subversion strategies for chronic inflammatory conditions.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeric Mun Chung Kwan, Yuan Qiao
Summary: Serving as a crucial element in bacteria but absent in mammalian cells, peptidoglycan is a vital antibiotic target and a recognized signaling molecule in bacterial communication. The review focuses on the activities of various enzymes involved in peptidoglycan assembly and breakdown, providing insights into their regulation mechanisms and potential inhibition modes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yasuhiko Matsumoto, Eri Sato, Takashi Sugita
Summary: In this study, it was discovered that Cutibacterium acnes rapidly causes melanization of the silkworm hemolymph, while Staphylococcus aureus does not. Even heat-killed C. acnes cells caused melanization, and treatment with DNase, RNase, and protease did not decrease the melanization. However, treatment with peptidoglycan-degrading enzymes reduced the induced melanization by heat-treated C. acnes cells. These findings suggest that silkworm hemolymph melanization may be a useful indicator to evaluate innate immune activation by C. acnes and that C. acnes peptidoglycans are involved in the induction of innate immunity in silkworms.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Megan M. Sperry, Richard Novak, Vishal Keshari, Alexandre L. M. Dinis, Mark J. Cartwright, Diogo M. Camacho, Jean-Francois Pare, Michael Super, Michael Levin, Donald E. Ingber
Summary: Current therapeutic strategies against bacterial infections mainly rely on antibiotics to reduce pathogen load. However, stimulating host tolerance to infection in the presence of pathogens may provide an alternative approach. By using computational transcriptomics and Xenopus laevis embryos, researchers have discovered infection response pathways and identified potential drugs that can induce broad tolerance. Xenopus exhibits natural tolerance to certain bacteria, while others cause lethal infections. Gene pathways associated with active tolerance in Xenopus are found to be conserved across species. Administering certain drugs to Xenopus embryos infected with lethal bacteria increases survival rates.
Review
Immunology
Andreacarola Urso, Alice Prince
Summary: Host and pathogen metabolism play a significant role in the outcome of infection, with immunometabolites influencing the pathogenesis and adaptation of bacteria.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Virology
Tarani Kanta Barman, Dennis W. Metzger
Summary: This review discusses the role of disease tolerance in viral-bacterial co-infection, focusing on host cytokines and cells that promote tissue protection and damage control.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Beatriz Acuna Hidalgo, Luis M. Silva, Mathias Franz, Roland R. Regoes, Sophie A. O. Armitage
Summary: The relationship between virulence and pathogen clearance in the context of bacterial infections in Drosophila melanogaster is explored. The study demonstrates that variation in infection outcomes is determined by differences in bacterial infection intensity and parasite pathogenicity, while pathogen clearance is influenced by early-phase exploitation. The application of the virulence decomposition framework provides valuable insights into host-pathogen interactions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Michael J. Bottery, Jessica L. Matthews, A. Jamie Wood, Helle Krogh Johansen, Jon W. Pitchford, Ville-Petri Friman
Summary: The study found that multidrug-resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia can provide high levels of antibiotic protection to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but is ineffective against another antibiotic. The level of exposure protection against different carbapenems is determined by differences in antibiotic efficacy and inactivation rate.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thomas J. Bateman, Megha Shah, Timothy Pham Ho, Hyejin Esther Shin, Chuxi Pan, Greg Harris, Jamie E. Fegan, Epshita A. Islam, Sang Kyun Ahn, Yogesh Hooda, Scott D. Gray-Owen, Wangxue Chen, Trevor F. Moraes
Summary: This study investigates the protein machinery required for heme uptake in Acinetobacter baumannii, identifying the hemO locus, HphA heme scavenger, and TonB-dependent receptor HphR as crucial components. These proteins play a key role in the bacterium's ability to acquire heme from host hemoglobin and serum albumin, which is important for its survival and dissemination in a mouse model of infection.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Elena K. Perry, Man-Wah Tan
Summary: Bacterial biofilms, consisting of cells encased in a matrix, are found in various environments including the human body. They enhance bacterial survival and resistance to stresses, and contribute to chronic infections. This review discusses where, when, and what types of biofilms occur in the human body and their impact on host health.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Y. W. S. Yeung, Y. Ma, S. Y. Liu, W. H. Pun, S. L. Chua
Summary: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers (HSDs) have been installed in public and clinical settings, but research suggests that they can harbor alcohol-tolerant bacterial pathogens. A study found that HSDs in various locations were contaminated with microbial pathogens such as Bacillus cereus and Enterobacter cloacae, which showed high tolerance to alcohol and resistance to antibiotics. These pathogens exhibited higher virulence in an infection model.
JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rene Glenz, Agnes Kaiping, Delia Goepfert, Hannah Weber, Benjamin Lambour, Marvin Sylvester, Christian Froeschel, Martin J. Mueller, Mohamed Osman, Frank Waller
Summary: Sphingolipid long chain bases (LCBs) in plants have antimicrobial activity and can inhibit growth of plant-interacting microorganisms. This study examined the inhibitory effect of the plant LCB phytosphingosine on various plant pathogens and symbiotic fungi, as well as bacterial pathogens. Phytosphingosine was found to effectively inhibit the growth of these organisms.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Grischa Y. Chen, Natalia R. Thorup, Abigail J. Miller, Yao-Cheng Li, Janelle S. Ayres
Summary: Animals have evolved two defense strategies against infections, antagonistic strategies that kill invading pathogens, and cooperative or physiological defenses that limit disease without killing the pathogen. This study shows how physiological defenses cooperate with the adaptive immune response to generate long-term asymptomatic carriage of a lethal pathogen, Citrobacter rodentium. Asymptomatic carriage of a virulent strain of C. rodentium provides immune resistance against subsequent infections, which is dependent on systemic antibody responses and pathogen virulence behavior. The study also reveals that an avirulent strain of C. rodentium in the wild has mutations in genes important for LPS structure.
Review
Immunology
Nanxin Liu, Xiaoxiao Pang, Hua Zhang, Ping Ji
Summary: The cGAS-STING pathway is crucial in protecting the host against viral infections and has also been found to play a role in response to bacterial infections. However, its functions in bacterial infections are more complex and diverse compared to viral infections, as the effects on the host vary depending on the bacterial species and infection mode.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jennifer M. Soares, Francisco E. G. Guimaraes, Vladislav V. Yakovlev, Vanderlei S. Bagnato, Kate C. Blanco
Summary: Antibiotic failures in treatments of bacterial infections from resistant strains have become a global health concern. This study explores a physicochemical method to enhance the effectiveness of standard treatment by employing photodynamic inactivation. The results demonstrate the potential of this method in reducing bacterial viability and overcoming antibiotic resistance.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)