Concept · biology
Host–pathogen
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Dated edits to this page's evidence: studies added or removed from a claim, claims added or withdrawn, and new explanations tagged here. Rewordings are not listed.
- Concept page published
Host–pathogen research examines how microbes infect and how hosts detect and restrict them at molecular and cellular levels.
Host–pathogen studies show coevolution and immune evasion in mechanistic detail.
Evidence
What the evidence shows
Drawn from 10 studies in this library. Each finding starts with a plain-language takeaway, then the denser detail. Supports means evidence for a finding; Challenges means evidence against a stated position; Qualifies marks scope with a short note on each study’s contribution. Challenged positions are labeled — they are not findings.
Multiple empirical papers in this library examine host–pathogen with mechanistic biological findings.
- LN DCs shelter antibiotic-tolerant Salmonella
- PD-1 blockade reactivates TB via TNF
- How does malaria’s blood-stage transcriptome unfold?
Study Role Design N Population Outcome LN DCs shelter antibiotic-tolerant Salmonella Supports Animal / in-vitroS. Typhimurium–infected mice treated with high-dose ciprofloxacin; residual bacteria localized to cLN DCs Mouse infection/antibiotic kinetics study; infection dose 5×10⁷ cfu — no single analytic N in stored text Mice infected with Salmonella Typhimurium Persistence of slow-growing bacteria in cecum lymph-node dendritic cells after ciprofloxacin PD-1 blockade reactivates TB via TNF Supports OtherHuman TB lung PD-1+ T-cell profiling plus infection models of anti-PD-1 effects N=35 · 35 patients with medically indicated lung resection; matched blood for 23; animal/in-vitro models secondary Patients undergoing lung resection for TB or sequelae (plus infection models) PD-1 expression and TNF-dependent effects of PD-1 blockade in TB How does malaria’s blood-stage transcriptome unfold? Supports Animal / in-vitroHourly IDC transcriptome of P. falciparum across the ~48-hour erythrocytic cycle Time-series parasite culture transcriptome — no single sample N Plasmodium falciparum during the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle Stage-ordered periodic gene expression across the IDC Gut lumen clears in 3 h, but 50–1,000 bacteria persist in cLN up to 10 days with slowed killing after the first 2 h.
PD-1 is present on tissue-resident T cells in TB lung (35 patients); TNF-α is primarily responsible and neutralization reverses the anti-PD-1 phenotype.
Gene expression is highly periodic and stage-ordered across the IDC starting with merozoite invasion and parasitophorous vacuole formation.
The pan-genome is highly stable but not closed; accessory genes concentrate in hypervariable hotspots with mobile genetic elements as major accessory components.
Open questions
Tensions and limits
Some items are genuine disagreements on the same question. Others mark different assays, populations, or outcomes — limits on how far one study travels — not a forced fight between papers.
Systems and scales differ across host–pathogen studies (species, tissues, methods), so mechanisms should not be over-generalised.
- LN DCs shelter antibiotic-tolerant Salmonella
- PD-1 blockade reactivates TB via TNF
- How does malaria’s blood-stage transcriptome unfold?
Study Role Design N Population Outcome LN DCs shelter antibiotic-tolerant Salmonella Supports Animal / in-vitroS. Typhimurium–infected mice treated with high-dose ciprofloxacin; residual bacteria localized to cLN DCs Mouse infection/antibiotic kinetics study; infection dose 5×10⁷ cfu — no single analytic N in stored text Mice infected with Salmonella Typhimurium Persistence of slow-growing bacteria in cecum lymph-node dendritic cells after ciprofloxacin PD-1 blockade reactivates TB via TNF Supports OtherHuman TB lung PD-1+ T-cell profiling plus infection models of anti-PD-1 effects N=35 · 35 patients with medically indicated lung resection; matched blood for 23; animal/in-vitro models secondary Patients undergoing lung resection for TB or sequelae (plus infection models) PD-1 expression and TNF-dependent effects of PD-1 blockade in TB How does malaria’s blood-stage transcriptome unfold? Supports Animal / in-vitroHourly IDC transcriptome of P. falciparum across the ~48-hour erythrocytic cycle Time-series parasite culture transcriptome — no single sample N Plasmodium falciparum during the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle Stage-ordered periodic gene expression across the IDC
Common misconceptions
Host–pathogen findings from one model organism always transfer to humans.
Model systems teach mechanism; transfer to other species is a separate empirical claim.
Exam-style questions
Short-answer questions that ask you to explain or compare, not recall.
What is Host–pathogen?
Host–pathogen research examines how microbes infect and how hosts detect and restrict them at molecular and cellular levels.
Why does Host–pathogen matter for biology undergraduates?
Host–pathogen studies show coevolution and immune evasion in mechanistic detail.
The studies
10 studies in this library bear on Host–pathogen, ordered by citations. The first 8 are shown.
- How does malaria’s blood-stage transcriptome unfold?
Plasmodium falciparum’s 48-hour intraerythrocytic cycle was profiled hourly, revealing tightly staged gene-expression programs after RBC invasion.
- Apical-out enteroids for pathogen access
Suspending human enteroids without ECM flips polarity so microbes can meet the apical face.
- How open is the Listeria pan-genome?
Eleven new genomes spanning serotypes show a stable but open pan-genome with nine hypervariable hotspots dominated by mobile elements.
- LN DCs shelter antibiotic-tolerant Salmonella
Slow-growing Salmonella in cecum lymph-node dendritic cells survive ciprofloxacin therapy.
- Which genes does P. gingivalis need to grow?
A near-saturating Tn-seq screen finds ~463 (~22%) P. gingivalis genes putatively essential on blood agar.
- How do resistant banana roots respond to Fusarium?
Root transcriptomes differ between resistant and susceptible Cavendish bananas after Fusarium oxysporum TR4 infection.
- ATR inhibitor blocks SARS-CoV-2
DDR/ATR inhibitor berzosertib potently blocks SARS-CoV-2 replication in cell culture.
- PD-1 blockade reactivates TB via TNF
Anti-PD-1 immunotherapy can reactivate tuberculosis through TNF-α dysregulation.
Show 2 more studiesShow fewer studies
- Does red light help tomatoes fight bacteria?
Tomato resistance to DC3000 peaks at 8:00 AM, bottoms at 8:00 PM, and is strongly enhanced by red light.
- Pathogenicity factors in Naegleria fowleri
Whole-genome analysis of N. fowleri highlights candidate pathogenicity factors for brain infection.
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