About this book

"Microbial endocrinology represents a newly emerging interdisciplinary field that is formed by the intersection of the fields of neurobiology and microbiology. This book will introduce a new perspective to the current understanding not only of the factors that mediate the ability of microbes to cause disease, but also to the mechanisms that maintain normal homeostasis. The discovery that microbes can directly respond to neuroendocrine hormones, as evidenced by increased growth and production of virulence-associated factors, provides for a new framework with which to investigate how microorganisms interface not only with vertebrates, but also with invertebrates and even plants. The reader will learn that the neuroendocrine hormones that one most commonly associates with mammals are actually found throughout the plant, insect and microbial communities to an extent that will undoubtedly surprise many, and most importantly, how interactions between microbes and neuroendocrine hormones can influence the pathophysiology of infectious disease."

Microbial Endocrinology: A Personal Journey.- Evolutionary Considerations of Neurotransmitters in Microbial, Plant, and Animal Cells.- Mechanisms by Which Catecholamines Induce Growth in Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Human Pathogens.- Dietary Catechols and their Relationship to Microbial Endocrinology.- Interactions Between Bacteria and the Gut Mucosa: Do Enteric Neurotransmitters Acting on the Mucosal Epithelium Influence Intestinal Colonization or Infection?.- Modulation of the Interaction of Enteric Bacteria with Intestinal Mucosa by Stress-Related Catecholamines.- The Role of Microbial Endocrinology in Periodontal Disease.- Staphylococci, Catecholamine Inotropes and Hospital-Acquired Infections.- The Microbial Endocrinology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.- Mechanisms of Stress-Mediated Modulation of Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Infections.- Psychological Stress, Immunity, and the Effects on Indigenous Microflora.- The Epinephrine/Norepinephrine/Autoinducer-3 Interkingdom Signaling System in Escherichia coli O157:H7.- Molecular Profiling: Catecholamine Modulation of Gene Expression in Enteropathogenic Bacteria.- Microbial Signaling Compounds as Endocrine Effectors.- Mycologic Endocrinology.- Experimental Design Considerations for In Vitro Microbial Endocrinology Investigations.