mSphere® An ASM Access® Publication

This study presents a novel approach to predicting mortality risk in patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) by integrating machine learning models and genetic analysis techniques. Utilizing clinical data from 107 confirmed cases, we developed several predictive models and identified the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm as the most effective, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.950. Further analysis was performed based on the 15 robust features...

Intracellular bacteria and protists rely on the host cell to supply many metabolites, but the mechanisms through which pathogens manipulate host metabolism to their benefit are not understood. Here, we demonstrate that when the obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii secretes its rhoptry organelle contents into the host cytoplasm before invasion-a process called "kiss and spit"-host cell metabolite abundance is altered in nucleotide synthesis, the pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis,...

How Plasmodium falciparum responds to stresses such as antimalarial drug pressure and uses them to trigger developmental decisions such as the production of sexual gametocytes remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the function of the leucine-rich repeat protein LRR5 (PF3D7_1432400). Previous genome-wide piggyBac mutagenesis established that disruptions of LRR5 increase sensitivity to artemisinin and heat-shock and enhance gametocyte production. Using an optimized single-cell RNA...

The plasmid-borne mcr-1 gene poses a significant threat to global health by conferring resistance to colistin, a critical last-resort antibiotic. While its spread is well documented, the adaptations enabling its concurrent antibiotic resistance and clinical pathogenicity remain unknown. The metabolism of bacterial pathogens has evolved to support virulence in nutrient-limiting host environments. Here, we show that sorbose metabolism promotes the fitness and virulence of mcr-1-positive...

Rickettsial pathogens are strictly dependent on the cellular biology of their hosts for survival and replication. Predominantly transmitted by blood-feeding arthropods, these vector-borne pathogens are forced to adapt between the disparate environments of their mammalian host and arthropod vector. To achieve this, the Rickettsial bacteria Anaplasma phagocytophilum undergo extensive transcriptional reprogramming, with over 41% of its genes differentially transcribed between mammals and Ixodes...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance requires approaches capable of capturing the full resistome beyond culture-based and targeted molecular diagnostics. Here, we compared a commercial real-time PCR assay for carbapenemase detection with a targeted hybrid capture next-generation sequencing (xHYB) approach for comprehensive antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) profiling in rectal swab samples. The xHYB panel showed high concordance with PCR for bla(KPC) and bla(NDM), with overall agreement...

Neuraminidase (NA) inhibition (NAI) titers have been identified as an independent correlate of protection against influenza. Few studies, however, have investigated the breadth of NA-based immune protection. Previously, we have reported that N2 NAs derived from human H3N2 viruses that circulated between 2009 and 2017 can be subdivided into four antigenic groups. Here, we (i) immunized mice with recombinant soluble tetrameric NA from H3N2 strains representing those four antigenic groups or (ii)...

Life as we know it on Earth contains sugars and amino acids that are, for the most part, in only one of two chiral forms. However, it has been proposed that molecules with the opposite chirality, called mirror molecules, could have beneficial uses. This possibility has led to discussions of producing replicating unicellular organisms with the opposite chirality, or mirror life. These concepts in mirror biology present potential dual use concerns. In this manuscript, we apply a framework we...

The seeds of Cassia obtusifolia L. or Cassia tora L., known as Cassiae semen (juemingzi in Chinese), has been traditionally utilized for its hepatoprotective, lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. However, their effects on hepatitis B virus (HBV), which causes chronic infection leading to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, remain largely unexplored. In this study, we prepared Cassiae semen water extract (CWE) and evaluated its impact on HBV replication...

Cameron Roberts is a bacteriologist researching protein transport systems in bacteria. In this mSphere of Influence article, he highlights two studies on the transport of lipoproteins to the cell surface and their interaction with the lipopolysaccharide machinery in two divergent diderm bacteria, Escherichia coli (Luo et al.) and Borrelia burgdorferi (He et al.). These bacteria have very different outer membrane lipoprotein and lipopolysaccharide compositions, but both appear to have a...

The unique chlamydial developmental cycle comprises three stages: primary differentiation of infectious elementary bodies (EBs) into reticulate bodies (RBs), RB replication, and secondary differentiation into progeny EBs. Extensive chromosome remodeling during RB-to-EB differentiation is thought to be mediated by the histone homologs HctA and HctB. Here, we used an inducible CRISPR interference system to knock down hctA, hctB, or both genes in Chlamydia trachomatis. Surprisingly, knockdown of...

Temperature changes directly affect the mobility of molecules within a biological membrane, increasing or decreasing its fluidity. Plasma membrane fluidity is a fundamental physical property that governs bacterial cell physiology, influencing processes such as protein function, respiration, and antibiotic uptake. It is widely accepted that bacteria actively maintain a constant membrane fluidity in response to temperature fluctuations to preserve membrane function. This process, known as membrane...

Pycnidia are asexual fruiting bodies formed by diverse Ascomycete fungi, comprising many destructive horticultural pathogens within Diaporthales, Pleosporales, and Botryosphaeriales. These fungi disperse over long distances via airborne sexual ascospores, while their asexual pycnidiospores are thought to spread locally, mainly by water splash. However, in Botryosphaeriaceae, including Lasiodiplodia theobromae, the sexual stage is rarely observed, never reported in Israel, yet disease exhibits...

Influenza viruses cause hundreds of thousands of infections globally every year. In the past century, seasonal influenza viruses have included H1N1, H2N2, and H3N2 strains. H2N2 influenza viruses circulated in the human population between 1957 and 1968. Previously, our group demonstrated a lack of H2N2 influenza virus immunity in individuals born after 1968, as well as the effectiveness of hemagglutinin (HA)-based vaccines for multiple influenza virus subtypes. In this study, H2 antigenic maps...

Metal ions strongly influence bacterial metabolism, where fluctuations in metal availability can shape enzyme function and cellular fitness. In Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), iron and copper play important yet contrasting biochemical roles. Iron is essential for growth, serving as a cofactor for enzymes involved in DNA synthesis and energy metabolism. In contrast, copper is toxic, as excess intracellular copper promotes mismetallation and induces oxidative stress. While the...