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Research Interests:
Cellular Microbiology of Airway Infections
Although microbiologists and immunologists tend to think of host/pathogen interactions in a negative sense, in reality most encounters between bacteria and host cells are asymptomatic. The focus of my laboratory is on defining how commensal bacteria and the host develop and maintain a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship. Understanding commensalism is particularly important to understanding how these relationships are subverted during opportunistic infections. Excellent examples include airway infections in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is the fourth-leading cause of death worldwide, and opportunistic bacterial infections that occur in synergy with viral infections. We have defined structural features of commensal bacteria that decrease host innate responses, allowing for persistent colonization in the absence of overt symptoms. We are currently defining how these common structures change during bacterial carriage, and how other factors such as interplay between infectious agents affect host colonization.
Publications:
Hong W, Pang B, West-Barnette S, Swords WE. Phosphorylcholine expression by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae correlates with maturation of biofilm communities in vitro and in vivo. J Bacteriol. 2007 Jun 15.
Hong W, Mason K, Jurcisek J, Novotny L, Bakaletz LO, Swords WE. Phosphorylcholine decreases early inflammation and promotes the establishment of stable biofilm communities of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae strain 86-028NP in a chinchilla model of otitis media. Infect Immun. 2007 Feb;75(2):958-65. Epub 2006 Nov 27.
West-Barnette S, Rockel A, Swords WE. Biofilm growth increases phosphorylcholine content and decreases potency of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae endotoxins. Infect Immun. 2006 Mar;74(3):1828-36.
Swords WE, Guenthner PC, Birkness KA, Lal RB, Dezzutti CS, Quinn FD. Mycobacterium xenopi multiplies within human macrophages and enhances HIV replication in vitro. Microb Pathog. 2006 Feb;40(2):41-7.
Swords WE, Jones PA, and Apicella MA. 2003. The lipooligosaccharides of Haemophilus influenzae: an interesting array of characters. J Endotoxin Res 9:131-44
Publications:
For a listing of additional publications, refer to PubMed, a service provided by the National Library of Medicine |