All Stressed Out: Mycobacterial Responses to Stress

Infection of a host by a pathogenic microorganism requires the resistance of the colonizing microbe to a variety of stressors. These stressors can be produced by the host’s immune system in an effort to thwart the invading microbe’s attempt to grow in a host environment. Stresses can be in the form of acidic, oxidative, nitrositive, and low oxygen tension (Fig 1b). Additional stresses can come from the environment as the invading pathogen endures varying periods of time externally before being taken up by a host. External environmental stresses include desiccation and UV light exposure (Fig 1a). Researchers studying these stressors in vitro can gain a more complete understanding of pathogenic processes that occur in vivo.