Cellular mechanisms of microbial-epithelial interactions

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Intestinal malfunction severely affects the agricultural industry as well as the human population. Intestinal disease and diarrhea often results from exposure to a variety of microbial pathogens, including the Protozoan parasite Giardia sp. The disease caused by Giardia is commonly referred to as "beaver fever". Ample evidence suggests that Giardia is one of the most common parasite of companion animals and young livestock, and it has great potential for transmission to humans. Giardia is a very common cause of diarrhea in children and in travelers. The host-microbial interactions that govern the outcome of infection remain incompletely understood. The epithelial abnormalities responsible for intestinal malabsorption and diarrhea in giardiasis share similarities with those observed in other enteric disorders, such as bacterial enteritis, chronic food anaphylaxis, Crohn's disease, and celiac disease. Therefore, a better understanding of these processes in giardiasis may help unravel mechanisms implicated in a variety of intestinal diseases. Using complementary in vitro and in vivo Giardia challenge model systems, this proposal builds upon promising preliminary findings to identify basic mechanisms involved during microbial-epithelial interactions in the gut.