Infectious disease arises from contextual interactions between host and microbe
By taking both microbial and host factors into consideration, we can better understand the underpinnings of colonization resistance, asymptomatic colonization, and symptomatic disease.
Microbe versus the Adaptive Immune Response
Salmonella infection and vaccination elicits a robust antibody response from the host. Many of these antibodies recognize structures on the surface of Salmonella cells, including the abundant O-Antigen. Because of immunoselection, phage sensitivity, and other selective pressures, Salmonella has developed a range of genetic mechanisms to change its O-Antigen structure, captured on this video as a Salmonella cell loses reactivity to a fluorescently labeled O-Antigen antibody. This immune-evasion mechanism allows Salmonella infection to persist in the host.