Microbial endocrinology: Interkingdom signaling in infectious disease and health

Abstract

Microbial endocrinology represents a newly emerging interdisciplinary field that is formed by the intersection of the fields of neurobiology and microbiology. It is the intent of this book to 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 both synthesize and directly respond to neuroendocrine hormones 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 neuroendocrine hormones, most commonly associated with mammals, are actually found throughout the plant, insect and microbial kingdoms to an extent that will undoubtedly surprise many, and most importantly, highlight how interactions between microbes and neuroendocrine hormones influence health and the pathophysiology of infectious disease. This book will lead its readers to the understanding that through eons of association with eukaryotic organisms, bacteria have evolved specific detection systems for neuroendocrine hormones, which they utilize not only to "sense" their environment, but also to co-op products of neurophysiological responses for their own survival.