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Shigellosis still causes a huge burden of disease worldwide, particularly in infants and young children in developing countries. Yet despite more than 4 decades of intensive research, efforts to develop a shigellosis vaccine have been unsuccessful. Here, Levine and colleagues review the story so far.
As improvements continue to be made in medical care, so the number of immunocompromised patients increases, and invasive fungal infections caused byCryptococcus neoformans, Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatusare a particular problem for this group of patients. Here, the prospects for harnessing the fungal calcineurin pathway in the development of novel antifungals to tackle invasive fungal infections are discussed.
Mechanosensitive channels have a major role in maintaining the homeostasis of bacterial cells. These channels also ensure the physical integrity of bacterial cells by sensing physical perturbations of the membrane and gating in response to this signal. This Review looks at the latest data on these fascinating membrane proteins.
Helicobacter pyloriis a hugely successful pathogen that exhibits extraordinary genetic heterogeneity. Here, Sebastian Suerbaum and Christine Josenhans review the genetic diversity ofH. pyloriand the mechanisms that mediate its diversification within the human host.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) afflicts more than 170 million people worldwide causing chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The recent development of complete cell-culture systems for HCV has accelerated the pace of hepatitis research. Specifically, these techniques have provided new insights into the virus lifecycle that are reviewed here. This should pave the way for developing bespoke and effective antiviral therapies and vaccines.
Natural killer T (NKT) cells influence diverse immune responses, combining features of both the innate and adaptive immune systems. This Review examines the unique role of invariant NKT cells (which have an invariant T-cell-receptor α-chain) in the response to various microbial pathogens.
The use of pathogen profiles in the management of disease could integrate typing and epidemiological data to enable the early detection of hospital infections and real-time global epidemiological surveillance of pathogens. This article outlines approaches to the translation of pathogen genotyping and microbial genomics into formats that are suitable for communicable disease management, surveillance and control.
Pathogenic microorganisms have evolved numerous mechanisms that enable their exploitation of host cell function. This Progress article explores recent evidence suggesting how one group of diverse bacterial pathogens use a common strategy to manipulate the expression of the Kruppel-like factor (KLF) family of mammalian transcriptional regulators.
Thetad (tight adherence) genes of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitansspecify the production of adhesive pili that function in biofilm formation, colonization and pathogenesis of this periodontal pathogen. The article reviews the evidence that the Tad secretion system represents a widespread new type of prokaryotic secretion system that has important functions in different bacterial pathogens.
Bacteria use a range of regulatory strategies to control replication initiation, many of which are tightly connected to the activities of the bacterial initiator DnaA. Here, Melissa Mott and James Berger review our current understanding of the mechanisms and regulation of bacterial DNA replication initiation, with a particular emphasis on DnaA.
Malaria is a global health problem, with a childhood death every 30 seconds from this devastating disease. Although there are effective antimalarial drugs, supply constraints and price limit their use. This Opinion article proposes that fungal biocontrol might provide a cheap, safe and green tool for the control of malaria.
Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) are innate immune receptors that are highly conserved from insects to mammals. Recent studies have revealed that, despite this conservation, insect and mammalian PGRPs defend host cells against infection by different mechanisms. Julien Royet and Roman Dziarski review these contrasting modes of action.
RNase Z is the endoribonuclease responsible for the maturation of the 3′-end of transfer RNAs. Here, Condon and colleagues outline the recent important developments that have contributed to our understanding of this enzyme in prokaryotes.
Rather than using a conventional type I or II fatty-acid synthase,Trypanosoma bruceisynthesize most of their fatty acids by an unprecedented mechanism. Here, Paul Englund and colleagues describe this unusual metabolic system and how it contributes to the unique biology of these parasites.
Pneumonia caused by the fungusPneumocystisis the most prevalent opportunistic infection in patients with AIDS. Here, Charles Thomas and Andrew Limper review the latest knowledge on the biology and pathogenesis of this opportunistic fungal pathogen.
Coral reefs are associated with large populations of eukaryotic algae, bacteria and archaea that are crucial to their biology and ultimate survival. Here, Eugene Rosenberg and colleagues review the role of microorganisms in coral health and disease, focusing on the impact of the environment on these processes.
The environmental distribution of the Archaea is distinct from that of the Bacteria, but no single principle provides a satisfactory explanation for their ecological differences. David Valentine proposes a hypothesis to account for the success of the Archaea. He examines archaeal metabolism with respect to ecology and argues that the Archaea are better adapted than the Bacteria to chronic energy stress.
In this Opinion, Burkhard Hense, Jan-Ulrich Kreft and colleagues discuss quorum sensing and diffusion sensing, an alternative explanation for autoinducer signalling, and the problems they feel are associated with each explanation, before going on to propose efficiency sensing as a unifying functional hypothesis.
Resistance to antibiotics in microorganisms predates the use of these drugs. This Review examines why antibiotic resistance is inevitable and where it originates from.
The application of microtechnology to the discipline of microbiology is poised to transform the study of microbial physiology and behaviour. Here, Weibel and colleagues review the tools and techniques of microfabrication and how it is now possible to physically manipulate individual cells and their local environments.
