Host-pathogen interactions complementation

The molecular architecture of the host-pathogen interface has been studied in detail in this system, with emphasis on interaction specific reactions, e.g., polymer alterations and protein secretion, at the electron microscopical level. This molecular cytological study is complemented with a molecular genetic approach in a concerted effort to elucidate the role of CWDE in ergot pathogenicity. In the following a short update is presented of the information available for the major CWDE classes. 

The interaction between an antimicrobial and a pathogen in the laboratory does not take normal host defense systems into account. Humoral and cell-mediated immune systems play a major role in pathogen eradication their contribution is underestimated in susceptibility reports. Antimicrobial agents act in concert with endogenous microbial inhibitors such as immunoglobulins, T lymphocytes, phagocytes, complement components, lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase and lysozymes. 

The moleculr genetics of the interaction of C. purpurea with its major host plant S. cereale has been studied in detail in the last years, using two complementing approaches to find factors which are essential for pathogenicity and virulence ... 

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