E.coli, Borrelia, campy + helico

What is E.Coli?

gram negative rod: many strains are harmless gut flora

what does E.coli cause?

causes bloody diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis and can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome

E.coli’s human impact?

Low infectious dose can cause severe disease + complications

How does E.Coli cause disease?

through shiga toxin and effacing and adhering lesions on the intestinal epithelium

what does E.coli use to cause disease?

uses genes in the LEE, T3 secretion system , Tir and intimin to manipulate host cytoskeleton and form pedestals

E.coli research paper

focused on how gut commensals effect EHEC virulence

E.coli big question?

whether memberd of the gut microbiota can increase or decrease EHEC virulence gene expression and actin pedestal formation

e.coli’s paper solution?

authors used live-cell fluorescence microscopy, FAS assays, qRT-PCR + human colonoids to test how commensal species changed EHEC virulence behavior

Borrelia is ?

spirochete and the agent of lyme disease

borrelia disease?

 Lyme disease from a tick bite. It can begin with flu-like symptoms and later involve joints, nerves, and the heart

borrelia human impact

high number of cases and the possibility of long-term symptoms.

borrelia function

 it survives through dissemination, persistence, and immune evasion. It uses outer surface proteins, antigenic variation such as VlsE, and complement evasion through factor H binding.

borrelia host rxn

innate immune activation and inflammation, but the organism can still persist by avoiding efficient clearance

borrelia research paper

asked whether Borrelia suppresses humoral immunity and if antibiotics reverse it. Found Borrelia suppresses IgG responses to an unrelated antigen, and antibiotics restore much of the defect.

borrelia big question

 whether Borrelia infection suppresses antibody responses to unrelated antigens and whether that suppression improves after antibiotic treatment

borrelia solution

The authors infected mice, immunized them with recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike, and measured antibody responses over time using serologic assays and lymphoid tissue analysis

campylobacter facts

Gram-negative, helical, microaerophilic bacterium with polar flagella

campy disease

campylobacteriosis, which is a common foodborne diarrheal illness often linked to poultry

campy human impact

can lead to Guillain-Barré syndrome and other postinfectious complications.

campy functions

moves through mucus using its flagella, adheres to the intestinal epithelium, disrupts barrier function, and triggers inflammation. Virulence factors include motility, adhesins, capsule, and cytolethal distending toxin

campy host rxn

inflammatory cytokine production and immune-cell recruitment. Molecular mimicry is especially important because bacterial surface structures can resemble host gangliosides and contribute to autoimmunity

campy research paper

asked whether calgranulin C helps control Campylobacter. Found calgranulin C rises during infection and inhibits C. jejuni by zinc sequestration.

campy big question

whether calgranulin C increases during infection and whether it can inhibit Campylobacter growth by withholding zinc.

campy solution

authors used human stool measurements, a ferret infection model, histology, and in vitro growth assays with added metals to show zinc-dependent inhibition

helicobacter facts

Gram-negative, helical, microaerophilic bacterium that colonizes the stomach

helico disease

chronic gastritis and is strongly associated with peptic ulcers, gastric cancer, and MALT lymphoma

helico human impact

 it infects a large fraction of the world and is a major bacterial carcinogen

helico function

survives in the stomach using urease, moves through mucus using flagella and helical shape, adheres to epithelial cells, and alters host signaling. Major virulence factors include VacA and CagA, with CagA delivered by a type IV secretion system

helico host rxn

chronic inflammation in the stomach, which contributes to tissue damage and cancer risk over time

helico research paper

asked whether O-glycan could inhibit H. pylori colonization and injury. Found O-glycan reduced adhesion, cell injury, and urease-related signal.

helico big question

whether O-glycan could reduce H. pylori adhesion and protect gastric epithelial cells from injury

helico solution

authors used infected gastric epithelial cells, lipid raft imaging, adhesion assays, and viability assays to test whether O-glycan protected host cells