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ANZ J Surg 2020 Jul 3. Epub 2020 Jul 3.

Department of General Surgery, Trauma and Burns Center, University of Tunis El Manar, Ben Arous, Tunisia.

Front Immunol 2020 12;11:988. Epub 2020 Jun 12.

Microbiology Division, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior, India.

To counteract the deadly pathogens, i.e., , and , we prepared a recombinant DNA construct encoding the bivalent fusion protein LcrV-HSP70. Read More

Elife 2020 Jun 16;9. Epub 2020 Jun 16.

Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Boston, United States.

Within deep tissue sites, extracellular bacterial pathogens often replicate in clusters that are surrounded by immune cells. Disease is modulated by interbacterial interactions as well as bacterial-host cell interactions resulting in microbial growth, phagocytic attack and secretion of host antimicrobial factors. To overcome the limited ability to manipulate these infection sites, we established a system for ( growth in microfluidics-driven microdroplets that regenerates microbial social behavior in tissues. Read More

Sci Adv 2020 Jun 3;6(23):eaaz6333. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX 77030, USA.

The distribution of phospholipids across the inner membrane (IM) of Gram-negative bacteria is unknown. We demonstrate that the IMs of and are asymmetric, with a 75%/25% (cytoplasmic/periplasmic leaflet) distribution of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in rod-shaped cells and an opposite distribution in filamentous cells. In initially filamentous PE-lacking cells, nascent PE appears first in the periplasmic leaflet. Read More

Plasmid 2020 Jul 2;110:102513. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35100, Bornov, Izmir, Turkey; Central Research Testing and Analysis Laboratory Research and Application Center, Ege University, 35100, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey.

Non-viral gene delivery systems have great potential for safe and efficient gene therapy, while inefficient cellular and nuclear uptake remain as the major hurdles. Novel approaches are needed to enhance the transfection efficiency of non-viral vectors. In accordance with this need, the objective of this study was to construct a non-viral vector that could achieve gene delivery without using additional lipid-based transfection agent. Read More

Pathogens 2020 Jun 2;9(6). Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Somov Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Science and Higher Education, 690087 Vladivostok, Russia.

Pseudotuberculosis in humans until the 1950s was found in different countries of the world as a rare sporadic disease that occurred in the form of acute appendicitis and mesenteric lymphadenitis. In Russia and Japan, the () infection often causes outbreaks of the disease with serious systemic inflammatory symptoms, and this variant of the disease has been known since 1959 as Far Eastern Scarlet-like Fever (FESLF). Russian researchers have proven that the FESLF pathogen is associated with a concrete clonal line of characterized by a specific plasmid profile (pVM82, pYV 48 MDa), sequence (2ST) and gene allele (1st allele). Read More

Nucleic Acids Res 2020 Jul;48(12):e71

Microbial Biology, Ruhr University Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany.

The dynamic conformation of RNA molecules within living cells is key to their function. Recent advances in probing the RNA structurome in vivo, including the use of SHAPE (Selective 2'-Hydroxyl Acylation analyzed by Primer Extension) or kethoxal reagents or DMS (dimethyl sulfate), provided unprecedented insights into the architecture of RNA molecules in the living cell. Here, we report the establishment of lead probing in a global RNA structuromics approach. Read More

PLoS Pathog 2020 May 11;16(5):e1008576. Epub 2020 May 11.

Graduate Program in Molecular Microbiology, Tufts Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Boston Massachusetts, United States of America.

Yersinia suppress neutrophil responses by using a type 3 secretion system (T3SS) to inject 6-7 Yersinia effector proteins (Yops) effectors into their cytoplasm. YopH is a tyrosine phosphatase that causes dephosphorylation of the adaptor protein SKAP2, among other targets in neutrophils. SKAP2 functions in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, phagocytosis, and integrin-mediated migration by neutrophils. Read More

J Infect Chemother 2020 Jul 5;26(7):762-764. Epub 2020 May 5.

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hyogo Prefectural Kakogawa Medical Center, Kakogawa, Japan.

Acute inguinal lymphadenitis is usually caused by lower extremity infection and sexually transmitted diseases, such as chancroid, lymphogranuloma venereum, genital herpes, or syphilis. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is a non-spore forming, pleomorphic, non-lactose fermenting Gram negative bacillus and a member of the family Enterobacteriaceae, which is associated with diarrheal diseases. It also causes mesenteric lymphadenitis at the terminal ileum, which can be clinically indistinguishable from acute appendicitis (pseudoappendicitis). Read More

Front Microbiol 2020 17;11:705. Epub 2020 Apr 17.

State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.

HpaR, a MarR family transcriptional regulator, was first identified in W for its regulation of the operon. Little else is known regarding its functionality. Here, we report that in , HpaR negatively regulates the operon similar to in W. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2020 Apr 28. Epub 2020 Apr 28.

Department of Epizootiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland.

Rodents are a large group of mammals that can be carriers of zoonotic pathogens such as strains that cause yersiniosis. The prevalence of and was determined in 214 small wild rodents from south-eastern Poland. Samples were analyzed by precultivation and PCR. Read More

Dev Comp Immunol 2020 Sep 25;110:103720. Epub 2020 Apr 25.

Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address:

The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is utilized as a research model in many aspects of biological studies, including genetics, development and immunology. Previous biochemical and genomic studies have elucidated the silkworm immunity in response to infections elicited by bacteria, fungi, microsporidia, and viruses. The intestine serves as the front line in the battle between insects and ingested harmful microorganisms. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2020 Aug 17;156:841-850. Epub 2020 Apr 17.

The Institute of Physiology of the Коmi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, FRC Komi SC UB RAS, Syktyvkar, Komi Republic 167982, Russian Federation; Vyatka State University, Kirov 610000, Russian Federation.

Understanding of interactions between a bacterium and an immune or non-immune host organism at the cellular and subcellular level is important in order to improve new and existing immunobiological tools for the treatment of bacterial infections (including pseudotuberculosis). The aim of this work was to quantify the interaction force between Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in the model system "lipopolysaccharide (LPS) - mAbs" by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our research findings provided the methodical approaches to force measurements between an AFM probe, which was functionalized with Y. Read More

Vaccine 2020 May 8;38(21):3720-3728. Epub 2020 Apr 8.

Department of Immunology and Microbial Disease, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY 12208, USA. Electronic address:

We incorporated the ΔP::TT araC Pfur deletion-insertion mutation on top of a previous Yersinia pseudotuberculosis mutant (Δasd ΔyopJ ΔyopK) to construct a new mutant designated as Yptb5, which manifests the arabinose-dependent regulated delayed fur (encoding ferric uptake regulator) shut-off. The Yptb5 strain was used to deliver an adjuvanted fusion protein, FliC180-LcrV. Levels of FliC180-LcrV synthesis were same in Yptb5 either harboring pSMV4, a p15A ori plasmid or pSMV8, a pSC101 ori plasmid containing the fliC180-lcrV fusion gene driven by P promoter. Read More

J Zoo Wildl Med 2020 Mar;51(1):159-169

Department of Veterinary Services and Conservation Medicine, Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol Zoo Gardens, Clifton, Bristol BS8 3HA, United Kingdom, and the University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom BS40 5DU.

The Mauritian pink pigeon () is vulnerable, with only 400 individuals remaining in the free-living population. A European captive population was established in 1977 and a European Endangered Species Program (EEP) in 1992. The EEP long-term management plan recommends integrating the EEP and free-living Mauritius populations through pigeon transfers. Read More

QJM 2020 Mar 18. Epub 2020 Mar 18.

Department of Pediatrics, Shimane University Hospital, Shimane, Japan.

Infection 2020 Jun 3;48(3):471-475. Epub 2020 Mar 3.

Max von Pettenkofer-Institut für Hygiene und Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Medizinische Fakultät, LMU München, Munich, Germany.

Background: While Campylobacter jejuni represents the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infections are very rarely diagnosed in adults.

Case: We report on a previously healthy patient who presented several times at our hospital with fever, Guillain-Barré syndrome, recurrent abdominal symptoms and distinct mesenteric lymphadenopathy, respectively. This complicated and diagnostically challenging course of disease was caused by a C. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 Feb 20;10(1):3036. Epub 2020 Feb 20.

Department of Biophysics, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, 110021, India.

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is one of the three pathogenic species of the genus Yersinia. Most studies regarding pathogenesis of Y. pseudotuberculosis are based on the proteins related to Type III secretion system, which is a well-known primary virulence factor in pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria, including Y. Read More

Biochemistry (Mosc) 2020 Jan;85(1):80-89

Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far-Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, 690022, Russia.

Here, we determined qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the chaperone and immunoglobulin-binding activities of recombinant Skp protein (rSkp) from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis using the methods of dynamic light scattering and surface plasmon resonance. Commercial human polyclonal IgG and Fc and Fab fragments of human IgG were used as substrate proteins. The activity of rSkp strongly depended on the medium pH. Read More

J Infect Dev Ctries 2019 09 30;13(9):843-846. Epub 2019 Sep 30.

Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Naumburger, Jena, Germany.

Introduction: Seroprevalence of Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis infections in animals and humans is not established in Pakistan. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2020 Feb 13;13(2). Epub 2020 Feb 13.

Microbiology, North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK.

is a Gram-negative zoonosis which occasionally infects humans via ingestion of contaminated food and water, and typically causes a self-limiting gastrointestinal tract infection. Patients who are immunocompromised, have haemochromatosis or liver cirrhosis are more likely to develop serious complications such as bacteraemia. We present the case of a 76-year-old man with fever and an acutely tender, swollen right knee. Read More

Arch Microbiol 2020 Jul 12;202(5):967-981. Epub 2020 Feb 12.

Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

L-asparaginase (E.C.3. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 Feb 7;10(1):2103. Epub 2020 Feb 7.

Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE 901 87, Umeå, Sweden.

Bacterial infections continue to threaten humankind and the rapid spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria is alarming. Current antibiotics target essential bacterial processes and thereby apply a strong selective pressure on pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria alike. One alternative strategy is to block bacterial virulence systems that are essential for the ability to cause disease but not for general bacterial viability. Read More

Infect Immun 2020 03 23;88(4). Epub 2020 Mar 23.

Yersinia Research Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France

Oral administration is a preferred model for studying infection by bacterial enteropathogens such as spp. In the mouse model, the most frequent method for oral infection consists of oral gavage with a feeding needle directly introduced in the animal stomach via the esophagus. In this study, we compared needle gavage to bread feeding as an alternative mode of bacterial administration. Read More

Vaccine 2020 02 18;38(8):1888-1892. Epub 2020 Jan 18.

Yersinia Research Unit, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris, France. Electronic address:

A single oral inoculation to mice of the live attenuated Yersinia pseudotuberculosis VTnF1 strain producing an F1 pseudocapsule protects against bubonic and pneumonic plague. However oral vaccination can fail in humans exposed to frequent intestinal infections. We evaluated in mice the efficacy of subcutaneous vaccine injection as an alternative way to induce protective immunity, while reducing the dose and avoiding strain release in nature. Read More

PLoS Pathog 2020 01 17;16(1):e1008184. Epub 2020 Jan 17.

Microbial Biology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.

Frequent transitions of bacterial pathogens between their warm-blooded host and external reservoirs are accompanied by abrupt temperature shifts. A temperature of 37°C serves as reliable signal for ingestion by a mammalian host, which induces a major reprogramming of bacterial gene expression and metabolism. Enteric Yersiniae are Gram-negative pathogens accountable for self-limiting gastrointestinal infections. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Dec 31;21(1). Epub 2019 Dec 31.

Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seoul 03760, Korea.

d-glycero-α-d--heptose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase (HddC) is the fourth enzyme synthesizing a building component of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Gram-negative bacteria. Since HddC is a potential new target to develop antibiotics, the analysis of the structural and functional relationship of the complex structure will lead to a better idea to design inhibitory compounds. X-ray crystallography and biochemical experiments to elucidate the guanine preference were performed based on the multiple sequence alignment. Read More

PLoS Pathog 2019 12 23;15(12):e1008001. Epub 2019 Dec 23.

Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA United States of America.

The enteropathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and the related plague agent Y. pestis require the Ysc type III secretion system (T3SS) to subvert phagocyte defense mechanisms and cause disease. Yet type III secretion (T3S) in Yersinia induces growth arrest and innate immune recognition, necessitating tight regulation of the T3SS. Read More

J Wildl Dis 2020 Apr 13;56(2):270-277. Epub 2019 Dec 13.

Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 1866 Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan.

We examined the prevalence of , including pathogenic species such as and , among wild sika deer () and boars () captured in Japan. The prevalence of in the wild deer was 75% (207/277) and in the boars was 74% (40/54). A total of 417 isolates of nine species were isolated from the animals examined: the largest number of isolates (48%, 200/417) were biotype 1A. Read More

J Biomech 2020 Jan 13;99:109504. Epub 2019 Nov 13.

Institute of Physiology of Кomi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, FRC Komi SC UB RAS, Syktyvkar, Komi Republic 167982, Russian Federation; Vyatka State University, Kirov 610000, Russian Federation.

This article reports the force spectroscopy investigation of interactions between lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of two species from Yersinia genus and complementary (or heterologous) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). We have obtained the experimental data by optical trapping on the "sensitized polystyrene microsphere - sensitized glass substrate" model system at its approach - retraction in vertical plane. We detected non-specific interactions in low-amplitude areas on histograms mainly due to physicochemical properties of abiotic surface and specific interactions in complementary pairs "antigen - antibodies" in high-amplitude areas (100-120 pN) on histograms. Read More

Microb Drug Resist 2020 Apr 15;26(4):385-390. Epub 2019 Oct 15.

Department of pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

The GDP-6-deoxy-α-d--heptose is a key building block molecule in constructing lipopolysaccharide of Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, blockage of the biosynthesis pathway of GDP-6-deoxy-α-d--heptose is lethal or increases antibiotics susceptibility to pathogens. In this study, we assayed d--α-d--heptose-1-phosphate guanylyltransferase (HddC) from () using an efficient assay method supplying its natural substrate. Read More

Pathology 2019 Dec 10;51(7):733-736. Epub 2019 Oct 10.

Wellington Southern Community Laboratories, Wellington Hospital, Wellington, New Zealand.

Yersiniosis is a zoonotic foodborne infection of public health significance. The aim of this study was to design and validate a simple, accurate and cost-effective polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect pathogenic Yersinia spp. in faecal samples. Read More

Microb Genom 2019 11;5(11)

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel St., London WC1E 7HT, UK.

is a Gram-negative bacterium capable of causing gastrointestinal infection and is closely related to the highly virulent plague bacillus . Infections by both species are currently treatable with antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, a quinolone-class drug of major clinical importance in the treatment of many other infections. Our current understanding of the mechanism of action of ciprofloxacin is that it inhibits DNA replication by targeting DNA gyrase, and that resistance is primarily due to mutation of this target site, along with generic efflux and detoxification strategies. Read More

Kidney Res Clin Pract 2019 Sep;38(3):347-355

Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Background: is known to cause fever, gastroenteritis, or acute kidney injury (AKI). There have been several infection outbreaks to date associated with ingestion of contaminated food or unsterile water. While this disease was considered to have practically been eradicated with the improvement in public health, we encountered several cases of AKI associated with infection. Read More

Front Immunol 2019 2;10:1830. Epub 2019 Aug 2.

Université de Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR 8204 - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France.

Yersinioses caused by , and are significant concerns in human and veterinary health. The link between virulence and the potent LcrV antigen has prompted the latter's selection as a major component of anti- vaccines. Here, we report that (i) the group of species encompassing and produces at least five different clades of LcrV and (ii) vaccination of mice with an LcrV-secreting only protected against strains producing the same LcrV clade as that of used for vaccination. Read More

Clin Microbiol Infect 2019 Aug 9. Epub 2019 Aug 9.

Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address:

Objectives: Burkholderia pseudomallei, Yersinia pestis and Francisella tularensis are facultative intracellular bacteria causing life-threatening infections. We have (a) compared the activity of finafloxacin (a fluoroquinolone in development showing improved activity at acidic pH) with that of ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and imipenem against the extracellular and intracellular (THP-1 monocytes) forms of infection by attenuated surrogates of these species (B. thailandensis, Y. Read More

AIMS Microbiol 2019 23;5(2):147-157. Epub 2019 May 23.

Somov Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, 690087, Selskaya St., 1, Vladivostok, Russia.

The paper discusses the issues of morphofunctional variability of causative agents of sapronoses under stressful environmental conditions. In the current century, sapronoses infections attract more and more attention. Under unfavorable habitat conditions, their pathogens use a strategy for the formation of resting (stable) states: viable but non-cultured cell forms and the persistence of bacteria, which are characterized by reduced metabolism, changes in the morphology and physiology of microorganisms, and termination of their replication. Read More

J Vet Sci 2019 Jul;20(4):e35

College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.

The major immunogenic protein capsid (Cap) of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is critical to induce neutralizing antibodies and protective immune response against PCV2 infection. This study was conducted to investigate the immune response of recombinant adenovirus expressing PCV2b Cap and C-terminal domain of invasin (Cap-InvC) fusion protein in pigs. The recombinant adenovirus rAd-Cap-InvC, rAd-Cap and rAd were generated and used to immunize pigs. Read More

Infect Immun 2019 10 19;87(10). Epub 2019 Sep 19.

Department of Immunology and Microbial Disease, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA

In this study, a novel recombinant attenuated PB1+ strain (χ10069) engineered with Δ Δ Δ triple mutations was used to deliver a fusion protein, YopE amino acid 1 to 138-LcrV (YopE-LcrV), to Swiss Webster mice as a protective antigen against infections by yersiniae. χ10069 bacteria harboring the pYA5199 plasmid constitutively synthesized the YopE-LcrV fusion protein and secreted it via the type 3 secretion system (T3SS) at 37°C under calcium-deprived conditions. The attenuated strain χ10069(pYA5199) was manifested by the establishment of controlled infection in different tissues without developing conspicuous signs of disease in histopathological analysis of microtome sections. Read More

Infect Immun 2019 10 19;87(10). Epub 2019 Sep 19.

Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

To successfully colonize host tissues, bacteria must respond to and detoxify many different host-derived antimicrobial compounds, such as nitric oxide (NO). NO has direct antimicrobial activity through attack on iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster-containing proteins. NO detoxification plays an important role in promoting bacterial survival, but it remains unclear if repair of Fe-S clusters is also important for bacterial survival within host tissues. Read More

F1000Res 2019 11;8. Epub 2019 Jul 11.

Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, 136 Harrison Ave, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02111, USA.

The human and animal pathogens , which causes bubonic and pneumonic plague, and and , which cause gastroenteritis, share a type 3 secretion system which injects effector proteins, Yops, into host cells. This system is critical for virulence of all three pathogens in tissue infection. Neutrophils are rapidly recruited to infected sites and all three pathogens frequently interact with and inject Yops into these cells during tissue infection. Read More

Materials (Basel) 2019 Jul 8;12(13). Epub 2019 Jul 8.

Institute of Chemistry, Technical University of Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 124, Berlin 10623, Germany.

The genus contains three well-recognized human pathogens, including , , and . Various domesticated and wild animals carry in their intestines. Spread to individuals arises from eating food or water contaminated by infected human or animal faeces. Read More

PLoS One 2019 9;14(7):e0219422. Epub 2019 Jul 9.

Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is an important foodborne pathogen threatening modern food safety due to its ability to survive and grow at low temperatures. DEAD-box RNA helicase CsdA has been shown to play an important role in the low-temperature growth of psychrotrophic Y. pseudotuberculosis. Read More

Biochemistry (Mosc) 2019 Jun;84(6):672-685

Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, 690022, Russia.

Mature pore-forming OmpF protein from the outer membrane of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was expressed in Escherichia coli in the form of inclusion bodies (IBs) under different cultivation conditions. The properties and structural organization of the IBs as well as the structure of the recombinant porin (rOmpF) solubilized from the IBs were investigated using electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, optical spectroscopy, and specific hydrophobic dyes. The size, shape, and stability of the IBs under denaturing solutions were determined. Read More

JFMS Open Rep 2019 Jan-Jun;5(1):2055116919853644. Epub 2019 May 30.

Queen's Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Case Summary: A 3-year-7-month-old female neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented for further investigation of acute-onset neurological abnormalities, including marked decreased mentation, ataxia and abnormal cranial nerve responses, with concurrent marked pyrexia (40ºC). Initial blood testing was non-specific with mild-to-moderate increases in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (194 IU/l; reference interval [RI] 17-62 IU/l), aspartate aminotransferase (AST; 150 IU/l [RI 0-51 IU/l]) and total bilirubin (20 µmol/l; RI 0-11 µmol/l), and neutropenia (1.17 ×10/l; RI 2. Read More

Int J Med Microbiol 2019 Jul 4;309(5):344-350. Epub 2019 Jun 4.

Interfakultäres Institut für Mikrobiologie und Infektionsmedizin Tübingen (IMIT), Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.

Type III secretion systems (T3SS) play a crucial role for virulence in many Gram-negative bacteria. After tight bacterial contact to host cells, the T3SS injects effector proteins into the host cells, which leads to cell invasion, tissue destruction and/or immune evasion. Over the last decade several attempts were made to characterize the host-cell interactions which precede and determine effector protein injection during infection. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;2010:211-229

Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

Many Gram-negative pathogens produce a type III secretion system capable of intoxicating eukaryotic cells with immune-modulating effector proteins. Fundamental to this injection process is the prior secretion of two translocator proteins destined for injectisome translocon pore assembly within the host cell plasma membrane. It is through this pore that effectors are believed to travel to gain access to the host cell interior. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;2010:99-116

Department of Molecular Infection Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.

A detailed knowledge about virulence-relevant genes, as well as where and when they are expressed during the course of an infection is required to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the complex host-pathogen interactions. The development of unbiased probe-independent RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) approaches has dramatically changed transcriptomics. It allows simultaneous monitoring of genome-wide, infection-linked transcriptional alterations of the host tissue and colonizing pathogens. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;2010:41-53

Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.

Yersiniosis is common foodborne gastrointestinal disease caused by the enteric pathogens Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. The mouse model of oral infection serves as a useful tool to study enteropathogenic Yersinia infection in mammals. The following protocol describes two distinct oral infection methods: the commonly used oral gavage method in which the bacterial inoculum is instilled directly into the mouse stomach using a feeding needle, and an alternative method in which mice are fed bread soaked with Yersinia culture. Read More

PLoS Pathog 2019 06 7;15(6):e1007813. Epub 2019 Jun 7.

Department of Molecular Infection Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.

Numerous Gram-negative pathogens use a Type III Secretion System (T3SS) to promote virulence by injecting effector proteins into targeted host cells, which subvert host cell processes. Expression of T3SS and the effectors is triggered upon host cell contact, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we report a novel strategy of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in which this pathogen uses a secreted T3SS translocator protein (YopD) to control global RNA regulators. Read More