Host Specificity of Bacterial Pathogens
- 1Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Davis, California 95616
- 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington 98195-7735
- 3Department Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington 98195-7735
- Correspondence: fcfang{at}u.washington.edu
Abstract
Most pathogens are able to infect multiple hosts but some are highly adapted to a single-host species. A detailed understanding of the basis of host specificity can provide important insights into molecular pathogenesis, the evolution of pathogenic microbes, and the potential for pathogens to cross the species barrier to infect new hosts. Comparative genomics and the development of humanized mouse models have provided important new tools with which to explore the basis of generalism and specialism. This review will examine host specificity of bacterial pathogens with a focus on generalist and specialist serovars of Salmonella enterica.
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