Infection and Immunity Archives
Commensal gut bacterium protects from severe intestinal infection
Nov. 21, 2023— The commensal bacterium Turicibacter sanguinis could be used to protect against severe intestinal infections, Vanderbilt researchers discovered.
Nasty microbe H. pylori has Achilles’ heel
Nov. 16, 2023—Vanderbilt researchers found that an H. pylori enzyme is essential for colonization of the stomach, suggesting it as a promising therapeutic target for H. pylori infection.
Powering H. pylori pathogenesis
Feb. 6, 2020—Timothy Cover and colleagues report new insights into the sources of energy used by a bacterial “machine” linked to the pathogenesis of stomach cancer.
Zinc uptake by a deadly pathogen
Jan. 13, 2020—The increasingly antibiotic-resistant bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii requires zinc to cause infection, and Vanderbilt researchers have identified the zinc uptake system it uses.
Host-microbe interactions in the gut
Aug. 13, 2019—Vanderbilt investigators demonstrated that intestinal cells promote beneficial microbe behavior — the findings support developing microbiota-based therapies for intestinal health.
Frog fungus fights back
May. 9, 2019—Louise Rollins-Smith and colleagues are exploring how a deadly fungus counters the amphibian immune response and contributes to declining worldwide amphibian populations.
Probing H. pylori cancer protein
Feb. 14, 2019—Understanding how a bacterial protein that influences the risk of stomach cancer is produced could guide new strategies for treatment.
Toxin floats on lipid rafts
Apr. 23, 2018—The bacterium H. pylori is a leading cause of stomach cancer, and Vanderbilt researchers are studying how one of its toxins gets into cells.
H. pylori and anemia – new evidence
Sep. 22, 2016—The bacterium Helicobacter pylori has been linked to anemia and may be contributing to the incidence and severity of anemia worldwide.
Immune defenses in asthma
Apr. 5, 2016—Vanderbilt researchers show that a certain factor negatively impacts the first-line responder cells in the lungs, providing one explanation for why patients with asthma are at greater risk for invasive bacterial disease.
Detect and defend against pathogens
Nov. 4, 2015—Understanding factors, such as the receptor TLR9, that detect and defend against pathogens may lead to therapeutic approaches that promote an effective immune response to treat infections.
Infection research symposium set for April 11
Mar. 20, 2014—The latest research on pneumonic plague, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other life-threatening infections will be discussed during a Symposium on Infection and Immunity April 11 at the Vanderbilt Student Life Center.