This book provides up-to-date information on the crucial interaction of pathogenic bacteria and professional phagocytes, the host cells whose purpose is to ingest, kill, and digest bacteria in defense against infection. The introductory chapters focus on the receptors used by professional phagocytes to recognize and phagocytose bacteria, and the signal transduction events that are essential for phagocytosis of bacteria. Subsequent chapters discuss specific bacterial pathogens and the strategies they use in confronting professional phagocytes. Examples include Helicobacter pylori, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Yersinae, each of which uses distinct mechanisms to avoid being phagocytosed and killed. Contrasting examples include Listeria monocytogenes and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which survive and replicate intracellularly, and actually cooperate with phagocytes to promote their entry into these cells. Together, the contributions in this book provide an outstanding review of current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of phagocytosis and how specific pathogenic bacteria avoid or exploit these mechanisms.

Established almost 30 years ago, Methods in Microbiology is the most prestigious series devoted to techniques and methodology in the field. Now totally revamped, revitalized, with a new format and expanded scope, Methods in Microbiology will continue to provide you with tried and tested, cutting-edge protocols to directly benefit your research. Focuses on the methods most useful for the microbiologist interested in the way in which bacteria cause disease Includes section devoted to 'Approaches to characterising pathogenic mechanisms' by Stanley Falkow Covers safety aspects, detection, identification and speciation Includes techniques for the study of host interactions and reactions in animals and plants Describes biochemical and molecular genetic approaches Essential methods for gene expression and analysis Covers strategies and problems for disease control

The Janeway's Immunobiology CD-ROM, Immunobiology Interactive, is included with each book, and can be purchased separately. It contains animations and videos with voiceover narration, as well as the figures from the text for presentation purposes.

This detailed volume presents a diverse set of methodological approaches designed to improve our understanding of bacterial infections from a wide range of bacterial species. Beginning with biofilms and subcellular compartments, the book explores transcriptional analysis, methods for studying plasmid dynamics, and tools for phylogenetic analysis of bacterial genomes, as well as bacterial effector proteins interfering with host systems, host response analysis, and in vivo and in vitro infection models. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step and readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and up-to-date, Bacterial Pathogenesis: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition is a vital resource for researchers in the area of infection biology, as well as but not limited to, those working in the fields of microbiology, immunology, structural biology, molecular biology, genetics, imaging, and computational study.

Bacterial pathogenicity factors are functionally diverse. They may facilitate the adhesion and colonization of bacteria, influence the host immune response, assist spreading of the bacterium by e.g. evading recognition by immune cells, or allow bacteria to dwell within protected niches inside the eukaryotic cell. Exotoxins can be single polypeptides or heteromeric protein complexes that act on different parts of the cells. At the cell surface, they may insert into the membrane to cause damage; bind to receptors to initiate their uptake; or facilitate the interaction with other cell types. For example, bacterial superantigens specifically bind to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II molecules on the surface of antigen presenting cells and the T cell receptor, while cytolysins cause pore formation. For intracellular activity, exotoxins need to be translocated across the eukaryotic membrane. Gram-negative bacteria can directly inject effector proteins in a receptor-independent manner by use of specialized needle apparatus such as bacterial type II, III, or type IV secretion systems. Other methods of translocation include the phagocytic uptake of bacteria followed by toxin secretion, or receptor-mediated endocytosis which allows the targeting of distinct cell types. Receptor-based uptake is initiated by the binding of heteromeric toxin complexes to the cell surface and completed by the translocation of the effector protein(s) across the endosomal membrane. In the cytosol, toxins interact with specific eukaryotic target proteins to cause post-translational modifications that often result in the manipulation of cellular signalling cascades and inflammatory responses. It has become evident that the actions of some bacterial toxins may exceed their originally assumed cytotoxic function. For example, pore-forming toxins do not only cause cytolysis, but may also induce autophagy, pyroptosis, or activation of the MAPK pathways, resulting in adjustment of the host immune response to infection and modification of inflammatory responses both locally and systemically. Other recently elucidated examples of the immunomodulatory function of cell death-inducing exotoxins include TcdB of Clostridium difficile which activates the inflammasome through modification of cellular Rho GTPases, or the Staphyloccocus d-toxin which activates mast cells. The goal of this research topic was to gather current knowledge on the interaction of bacterial exotoxins and effector proteins with the host immune system. The following 16 research and review articles in this special issue describe mechanisms of immune modification and evasion and provide an overview over the complexity of bacterial toxin interaction with different cells of the immune system.