Analysis of P-type type IV secretion system-encoding plasmid diversity uncovers extensive secretion system conservation and diverse antibiotic resistance determinants.

is globally recognized as a multi-drug-resistant pathogen of critical concern due to its capacity for horizontal gene transfer and resistance to antibiotics. Phylogenetically diverse species mediate human infection, including many considered as important emerging pathogens. While globally recognized as a pathogen of concern, pathogenesis mechanisms are poorly understood.

Functional Divergence of the Paralog Effector Proteins SopD and SopD2 and Their Contributions to Infection.

is a leading cause of bacterial food-borne illness in humans and is responsible for millions of cases annually. A critical strategy for the survival of this pathogen is the translocation of bacterial virulence factors termed effectors into host cells, which primarily function via protein-protein interactions with host proteins. The genome encodes several paralogous effectors believed to have arisen from duplication events throughout the course of evolution.

Bacterial Pathogenesis: Assessment of Intracellular Positioning of Pathogen-Containing Vacuoles During Infection.

Intracellular bacterial pathogens implement a diverse array of strategies to target host cells and establish infection. For vacuolar pathogens, the process of pathogen-containing vacuole movement within host cells, termed intracellular trafficking, is central to both pathogen survival and infection progression. Typically a process mediated by secreted virulence factors that manipulate the host cytoskeletal machinery, internalized pathogen-containing vacuoles traffic to the site of replication to establish a unique replicative niche, and if applicable, traffic back toward the host cell periphery for cell-to-cell spread.