Bovine neutrophil chemotaxis to Listeria monocytogenes in neurolisteriosis depends on microglia-released rather than bacterial factors.

Background: Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a bacterial pathogen of major concern for humans and ruminants due to its neuroinvasive potential and its ability to cause deadly encephalitis (neurolisteriosis). On one hand, polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) are key players in the defense against Lm, but on the other hand intracerebral infiltration with PMN is associated with significant neural tissue damage. Lm-PMN interactions in neurolisteriosis are poorly investigated, and factors inducing PMN chemotaxis to infectious foci containing Lm in the central nervous system (CNS) remain unidentified.

Highly Potent Host-Specific Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Paramyxovirus and Pneumovirus Replication with High Resistance Barrier.

Multiple enveloped RNA viruses of the family and like measles virus (MeV), Nipah virus (NiV), canine distemper virus (CDV), or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), are of high clinical relevance. Each year a huge number of lives are lost as a result of these viral infections. Worldwide, MeV infection alone is responsible for over a hundred thousand deaths each year despite available vaccine.

Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase (TIMP) Peptidomimetic as an Adjunctive Therapy for Infectious Keratitis.

Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) has a key role in many biological processes, and while it is crucial for a normal immune response, excessive release of this enzyme can lead to severe tissue damage, as evidenced by proteolytic digestion and perforation of the cornea during infectious keratitis. Current medical management strategies for keratitis mostly focus on antibacterial effects, but largely neglect the role of excess MMP activity. Here, a cyclic tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) peptidomimetic, which downregulated MMP-9 expression both at the mRNA and protein levels as well as MMP-9 activity in THP-1-derived macrophages, is reported.