Functional domains of bacteriophage tail fibers.

A rapid increase in antimicrobial resistant bacterial infections around the world is causing a global health crisis. The Gram-negative bacterium is categorized as a Priority 1 pathogen for research and development of new antimicrobials by the World Health Organization due to its numerous intrinsic antibiotic resistance mechanisms and ability to quickly acquire new resistance determinants. Specialized phage enzymes, called depolymerases, degrade the bacterial capsule polysaccharide layer and show therapeutic potential by sensitizing the bacterium to phages, select antibiotics, and serum killing.

Universal antibody targeting the highly conserved fusion peptide provides cross-protection in mice.

Influenza is a major public health concern causing millions of hospitalizations every year. The current vaccines need annual updating based on prediction of likely strains in the upcoming season. However, mismatches between vaccines and the actual circulating viruses can occur, reducing vaccine effectiveness significantly because of the remarkably high rate of mutation in the viral glycoprotein, hemagglutinin (HA).

A Slam-dependent hemophore contributes to heme acquisition in the bacterial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii.

Nutrient acquisition systems are often crucial for pathogen growth and survival during infection, and represent attractive therapeutic targets. Here, we study the protein machinery required for heme uptake in the opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii. We show that the hemO locus, which includes a gene encoding the heme-degrading enzyme, is required for high-affinity heme acquisition from hemoglobin and serum albumin.

Parenteral immunization with a cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP) adjuvanted vaccine induces protective immunity against infection in mice.

Under the trend of antibiotic resistance of leading to the decrease of eradication rate, the development of a vaccine is the best choice to fight against . In this study, we attempted to reduce the amounts of required antigens by using three different parenteral routes of immunization and an adjuvant cGAMP (cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate) to enhance the immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate. The immune protection and post-challenge immune responses were assessed and compared in mice immunized with recombinant urease A, urease B, and neutrophil-activating protein adjuvanted with cGAMP.

Oral immunization of mice with a multivalent therapeutic subunit vaccine protects against Helicobacter pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori is a human class I carcinogen and no effective prophylactic or therapeutic H. pylori vaccine has yet been marketed. H.