Bacterial Pathogens: Host Adaptation and Evolution

Dear Colleagues,

Bacterial pathogens encounter nutritional challenges and opportunities during infection. All cells require transition metal cofactors to survive and replicate, including bacterial pathogens. In an effort to control the proliferation of microbes, the vertebrate host deploys a wide repertoire of antimicrobial proteins as part of the innate immune response.  Several of these proteins (including heme, hemoglobin, lactoferrin, transferrin, and S100A-family proteins) have the capacity to bind and chelate transition metals, effectively starving an invading pathogen in a process termed “Nutritional Immunity.” In response to this, bacterial pathogens deploy a veritable armamentarium of virulence factors to circumnavigate this nutritional stress.  This Special Issue welcomes submissions which explore the evolution and adaptation of the host and the pathogen with respect to this nutritional immunity interaction.

Dr. Jennifer A. Gaddy
Guest Editor

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• Bacterial pathogenesis
• Virulence
• Metal homeostasis
• Antimicrobial
• Innate immunity