Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of Johne’s disease, a chronic granulomatous enteritis that plagues domestic and wild ruminants globally. During the silent stages of Johne’s disease, infected animals intermittently shed bacteria for years prior to clinical diagnosis during advanced disease stages. This strategy allows MAP to...
Mycobacterium avium subspecies hominissuis (M. avium) is a ubiquitous, acid-fast organism found in water and soil. This opportunistic pathogen is a common causative of pulmonary diseases in immunocompromised individuals and prevalent infection in HIV/AIDS patients. As a primary defense response against infection, immune cells such as macrophages phagocytize M. avium...
To examine the macrophage response to M. avium, I compared inflammasome and cytosolic sensor expression and activation. My result demonstrated that virulent strains of M. avium (A5 and 104) suppress IL-1β production and induce IFN-β production in macrophages. M. avium mutants deficient at DNA export in the biofilm exhibited reduced...