The damage-response framework of microbial pathogenesis

Nat Rev Microbiol. 2003 Oct;1(1):17-24. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro732.

Abstract

The late twentieth century witnessed the emergence of numerous infectious diseases that are caused by microorganisms that rarely cause disease in normal, healthy immunocompetent hosts. The emergence of these diseases shows that the existing concepts of pathogenicity and virulence do not take into account the fact that both the microorganism and the host contribute to microbial pathogenesis. To address this impediment to studies of host-microorganism interactions, we propose a new theoretical approach to understanding microbial pathogenesis, known as the 'damage-response' framework.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacteria / pathogenicity*
  • Bacterial Infections / immunology
  • Bacterial Infections / microbiology*
  • Bacterial Infections / pathology
  • Bacterial Physiological Phenomena
  • Fungi / pathogenicity*
  • Fungi / physiology
  • Humans
  • Infections / parasitology
  • Infections / pathology
  • Infections / virology
  • Mycoses / immunology
  • Mycoses / microbiology*
  • Mycoses / pathology
  • Parasites / pathogenicity*
  • Parasites / physiology
  • Time Factors
  • Virulence
  • Virus Physiological Phenomena
  • Viruses / pathogenicity*