Research on Bacterial Virulence in the Developing Countries

This special issue deals with the advances in the investigation of bacterial virulence in developing countries. Developing countries, underdeveloped countries, Third World countries, and Southern countries are all definitions used in the academic world to design less industrialized countries with lower income. Even though these terms are ambiguous, wemostly have a clear idea of what we are talking about when we say “developing countries.” In those countries, there is currently a fervent scientific research activity. An example is the case ofmicrobiology.This science has a long standing history in developing countries. The clear evidence of smallpox vaccination in China in 1000 and 1600 under the rule of Emperor Káng (Ian Glynn and JeniferGlynn,TheLife andDeath of Smallpox).Thediscovery of the cholera toxin in Calcutta 1959 by Sambhu Nath De. TheCuban researcher Carlos Finlay proved thatAedes aegypti carries the agent of yellow fever.Thework of Carlos Chagas in Brazil showed that a parasite was the agent in Chagas disease. These are all brilliant examples of microbiology research in southern countries. Those scientists had the merit and the bravery of not merely providing samples and field cases so that other scientists withmore resources could continue their work carrying out the research themselves, there, on the battle field, despite harsh conditions and budgetary restrictions. That pioneer research continues today, even when conditions are detrimental to its growth. The objective of this special issue is to give visibility to the research into topic of bacterial virulence by bacteria pathogenic to human and animals. The contributions published in this issue aim to reflect the diversity of research on bacterial virulence in southern countries as follows: (i) transporter or translocation mechanisms related to virulence in Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium (M. N. Viale et al.), Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (P.M. R.OliveiraMoraes et al.), and enteropathogenic E. coli (S. C. F. Sampaio et al.);