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Host–Microbe Interactions in Animal/Human Health and Disease 2021

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A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology and Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 9879

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ryan J. Arsenault

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Guest Editor

Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, NJ, USA
Interests: host–pathogen interaction; gut health; kinome; cellular signaling; agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The significant impact that infectious microbes have on animal and human health has been well-known and studied for hundreds of years. More recently, research has shown that there is intricate cross-talk between microbes (both beneficial and pathogenic) and the host, and just how sophisticated microbes are at interacting with the host and host immune system. We are continually discovering new ways that microbes influence the host; examples include direct immunological activation, redirection of metabolism, production of host-specific kinases altering cellular signal transduction, or the production of exosomes carrying genetic material to other cells. This host–microbe interaction can span effects as intricate as parasites altering the behavior of mice for uptake into cats, to species of Mycobacterium subverting the immune system to grow inside macrophages. In addition, interest and research into the host microbiota’s seemingly innumerable effects on host health have exploded, but the direct cross-talk between the microbiota and the host is still understudied. The evolutionary dance that microbes and their animal hosts are engaged in, and how this biological arms race is run, is of critical importance to understanding microbe effects. I invite you to submit manuscripts to this Special Issue entitled “Host-Microbe Interactions in Animal/Human Health and Disease.” This Special Issue has been established to highlight your work on the interplay of microbes and hosts, in its variety of facets.

Dr. Ryan J. Arsenault
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2168 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Alternate Special Stains for the Detection of Mycotic Organisms in Oral Cyto-Smears—A Histomorphometric Study

by S. V. Sowmya, Dominic Augustine, Beena Hemanth, Arcot Gopal Prathab, Ahmed Alamoudi, Hammam Ahmed Bahammam, Sarah Ahmed Bahammam, Maha A. Bahammam, Vanishri C. Haragannavar, Sonia Prabhu and Shankargouda Patil

Microorganisms 2022, 10(6), 1226; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms10061226 - 15 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2466

Abstract

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, fungal infections of the maxillofacial region have become prevalent, making their accurate diagnosis vital. Histopathological staining remains a simple, cost-effective technique for differentiation and diagnosis of the causative fungal organisms. The present study aims to evaluate the staining efficacy of Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS), Alcian Blue, Safranin-O and Gomori’s Methenamine Silver (GMS) on fungal smears. This research work also attempts to study the morphometric characteristics of Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus oryzae. Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus oryzae, 10 smears each, were stained using PAS, Alcian Blue, Safranin-O and GMS. The morphological characteristics and staining efficacy were examined, and semi-quantitative scoring was performed. Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus oryzae were stained for the first time with Safranin-O. The morphometric traits were then analyzed using an image analysis software. Safranin-O provided the most reliable staining efficacy amongst the stains and optimum morphological definition for all three organisms. Safranin-O was found to be superior to PAS and GMS, ensuring detection of even the most minute mycotic colonies. The hyphae of Aspergillus flavus to be the largest, and the spores and fruiting body of Rhizopus oryzae were found to be the largest amongst the three organisms compared. Early and accurate diagnosis of fungal infections can significantly reduce morbidity in orofacial fungal infections. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Host–Microbe Interactions in Animal/Human Health and Disease 2021)

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20 pages, 2035 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Kinome Analysis of Cattle Peripheral Lymph Nodes to Elucidate Differential Response to Salmonella spp.

by Ryan J. Arsenault, Tyson R. Brown, Thomas S. Edrington and David J. Nisbet

Microorganisms 2022, 10(1), 120; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms10010120 - 07 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1225

Abstract

Salmonella spp., contained within the peripheral lymph nodes (PLNs) of cattle, represents a significant source of contamination of ground beef. Herein is the first report where species-specific kinome peptide arrays designed for bovine biology were used to further the understanding of Salmonella spp. within these PLNs. For the purpose of this research, multiple comparisons of sub-iliac lymph nodes were made to include nodes from feedlot cattle that were infected with Salmonella spp. to those that were non-infected; seasonal differences in feedlot cattle harvested in either August or January; cull dairy cows compared to feedlot cattle; and PLNs from cattle experimentally inoculated with Salmonella spp. versus naturally infected animals. The first comparison of Salmonella-positive and -negative PLNs found that considering the kinotypes for these animals, the major distinguishing difference was not the presence or absence of Salmonella spp. in the PLNs but the concentration. Further, the majority of pathways activated were directly related to immune responses including innate immunity, thus Salmonella spp. within the PLNs activates the immune system in that node. Results from the comparison of feedlot cattle and cull dairy cows suggests that a Salmonella spp.-negative animal, regardless of type, has a more consistent kinome profile than that of a Salmonella spp.-positive animal and that the differences between feedlot and cull dairy cattle are only pronounced when the PLNs are Salmonella spp. positive. PLNs collected in the winter showed a much more consistent kinome profile, regardless of Salmonella status, suggesting that in the winter these cattle are similar, and this is not affected by the presence of Salmonella spp., whereas significant variability among kinotypes was observed for PLNs collected in the summer. The most distinct clustering of kinotypes observed in this study was related to how the animal was infected with Salmonella spp. There were significant differences in the phosphorylation state of the immune response peptides between experimentally and naturally infected animals, suggesting that the immune system is activated in a significantly different manner when comparing these routes of infection. Increasing our understanding of Salmonella spp. within cattle, and specifically within the PLNs, will ultimately help design effective pre-harvest intervention strategies as well as appropriate experimentation to validate those technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Host–Microbe Interactions in Animal/Human Health and Disease 2021)

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Review

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13 pages, 983 KiB

Open AccessReview

Brucella Phagocytosis Mediated by Pathogen-Host Interactions and Their Intracellular Survival

by Tran X. N. Huy, Trang T. Nguyen, Heejin Kim, Alisha W. B. Reyes and Suk Kim

Microorganisms 2022, 10(10), 2003; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms10102003 - 11 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2102

Abstract

The Brucella species is the causative agent of brucellosis in humans and animals. So far, brucellosis has caused considerable economic losses and serious public health threats. Furthermore, Brucella is classified as a category B bioterrorism agent. Although the mortality of brucellosis is low, the pathogens are persistent in mammalian hosts and result in chronic infection. Brucella is a facultative intracellular bacterium; hence, it has to invade different professional and non-professional phagocytes through the host phagocytosis mechanism to establish its lifecycle. The phagocytosis of Brucella into the host cells undergoes several phases including Brucella detection, formation of Brucella-containing vacuoles, and Brucella survival via intracellular growth or being killed by host-specific bactericidal activities. Different host surface receptors contribute effectively to recognize Brucella including non-opsonic receptors (toll-like receptors and scavenger receptor A) or opsonic receptors (Fc receptors and complement system receptors). Brucella lacks classical virulence factors such as exotoxin, spores, cytolysins, exoenzymes, virulence plasmid, and capsules. However, once internalized, Brucella expresses various virulence factors to avoid phagolysosome fusion, bypass harsh environments, and establish a replicative niche. This review provides general and updated information regarding Brucella phagocytosis mediated by pathogen-host interactions and their intracellular survival in host cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Host–Microbe Interactions in Animal/Human Health and Disease 2021)

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17 pages, 1216 KiB

Open AccessReview

Regulation of Immune Homeostasis via Muramyl Peptides-Low Molecular Weight Bioregulators of Bacterial Origin

by Svetlana V. Guryanova

Microorganisms 2022, 10(8), 1526; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms10081526 - 28 Jul 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2159

Abstract

Metabolites and fragments of bacterial cells play an important role in the formation of immune homeostasis. Formed in the course of evolution, symbiotic relationships between microorganisms and a macroorganism are manifested, in particular, in the regulation of numerous physiological functions of the human body by the innate immunity receptors. Low molecular weight bioregulators of bacterial origin have recently attracted more and more attention as drugs in the prevention and composition of complex therapy for a wide range of diseases of bacterial and viral etiology. Signaling networks show cascades of causal relationships of deterministic phenomena that support the homeostasis of multicellular organisms at different levels. To create networks, data from numerous biomedical and clinical research databases were used to prepare expert systems for use in pharmacological and biomedical research with an emphasis on muramyl dipeptides. Muramyl peptides are the fragments of the cell wall of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Binding of muramyl peptides with intracellular NOD2 receptors is crucial for an immune response on pathogens. Depending on the microenvironment and duration of action, muramyl peptides possess positive or negative regulation of inflammation. Other factors, such as genetic, pollutions, method of application and stress also contribute and should be taken into account. A system biology approach should be used in order to systemize all experimental data for rigorous analysis, with the aim of understanding intrinsic pathways of homeostasis, in order to define precise medicine therapy and drug design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Host–Microbe Interactions in Animal/Human Health and Disease 2021)

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Other

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7 pages, 3686 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

The Study of Microbe–Host Two-Way Communication

by Famatta Perry and Ryan J. Arsenault

Microorganisms 2022, 10(2), 408; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms10020408 - 10 Feb 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1382

Abstract

Back-and-forth intercommunication in host–pathogen interactions has long been recognized to play an important role in commensalism and microbial pathogenesis. For centuries, we have studied these microbes in our surroundings, yet many questions about the evolutionary cross-talk between host and microbe remain unanswered. With the recent surge in research interest in the commensal microbiome, basic immunological questions have returned to the fore, such as, how are vast numbers of microbes capable of coexisting within animals and humans while also maintaining a healthy functional immune system? How is the evasion and subversion of the immune system achieved by some microbes but not others? The intricate and important-to-remember two-way interaction and coevolution of host and microbe is the communication network we must tap into as researchers to answer these questions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Host–Microbe Interactions in Animal/Human Health and Disease 2021)

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