It is difficult to describe host-microbe interactions in a manner that deals well with both pathogens and mutualists. Perhaps a way can be found using an ecological definition of tolerance, where tolerance is defined as the dose response curve of health versus parasite load. To plot tolerance, individual infections are summarized by reporting the maximum parasite load and the minimum health for...

Bacterial commensal colonization of human skin is vital for the training and maintenance of the skin's innate and adaptive immune functions. In addition to its physical barrier against pathogen colonization, the skin expresses a variety of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) which are expressed constitutively and induced in response to pathogenic microbial stimuli. These AMPs are differentially effec...

A methodology based on matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry of intact bacterial cells was used for rapid discrimination of 24 bacterial species, and detailed analyses to identify Escherichia coli O157:H7 were carried out. Highly specific mass spectrometric profiles of pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria that are well-known major food contaminants were o...

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 ...

Introduction When a pathogenic microorganism first infects its host there is usually a dramatic engagement with the innate and adaptive immune systems that may result in disease symptoms. If the microbe and the host survive this initial interaction, the adaptive host immune system usually clears the invading offender. However, some pathogenic bacteria are capable of maintaining infections in ma...

Objective: Chlorophyllin (CHL) belongs to a group of compounds, porphyrins that contain a chelated metal ion in the center of the molecule. The objective of this present study was to extract the Chlorophyllin from Mimosa pudica and to study its antimicrobial activity. Methods: The antimicrobial activity of chlorophyllin from the leaf extract of Mimosa pudica L., was determined in vitro, using w...

Leucas cephalotes a common ethanomedicinal plant, is used by folklore of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh for fevers and urinary tract infections. In the present study leaves of L. cephalotes were shade dried, powerdered and extracts were made by Soxhlet Extractor using different organic solvents like hexane, dichloromethane, methanol and ethylacetate. The antimicrobial activity of these organic extr...

Candida albicans is a fungal commensal-pathogen that persistently associates with its mammalian hosts. Between the commensal and pathogenic lifestyles, this microorganism inhabits host niches that differ markedly in the levels of bioavailable iron. A number of recent studies have exposed C. albicans specializations for acquiring iron from specific host molecules in regions where iron is scarce,...

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of hospital-acquired and often persistent infections. A key feature of pathogenic S. aureus is the expression of an array of extracellular matrix-binding proteins. In particular, the fibronectin-binding proteins FnBP-A and FnBP-B afford the pathogen the ability to connect to cellular integrins and to trigger internalization into host cells. Recent work h...