Published in Nature Reviews Microbiology
The blood–brain barrier, which is one of the tightest barriers in the body, protects the brain from insults, such as infections. Indeed, only a few of the numerous blood-borne bacteria can cross the blood–brain barrier to cause meningitis. In this Review, we focus on invasive extracellular pathogens, such as Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pn...
Published in Nature Reviews Microbiology
The endothelium lining blood and lymphatic vessels is a key barrier separating body fluids from host tissues and is a major target of pathogenic bacteria. Endothelial cells are actively involved in host responses to infectious agents, producing inflammatory cytokines, controlling coagulation cascades and regulating leukocyte trafficking. In this Re...
Published in Nature Reviews Microbiology
As opportunistic pathogens, viruses have evolved many elegant strategies to manipulate host cells for infectious entry and replication. Viral apoptotic mimicry, defined by the exposure of phosphatidylserine - a marker for apoptosis - on the pathogen surface, is emerging as a common theme used by enveloped viruses to promote infection. Focusing on t...
