Publications
Innate immunity in the tsetse fly (Glossina), vector of African trypanosomes Institute of Tropical Medicine
Tsetse flies (Glossina sp.) are medically and veterinary important vectors of African trypanosomes, protozoan parasites that cause devastating diseases in humans and livestock in sub-Saharan Africa. These flies feed exclusively on vertebrate blood and harbor a limited diversity of obligate and facultative bacterial commensals. They have a well-developed innate immune system that plays a key role in protecting the fly against invading ...
A new danger in the air: how pulmonary innate immunity copes with man-made airborne xenobiotics Ghent University University of Antwerp
Bacterial pathogens activate plasminogen to breach tissue barriers and escape from innate immunity Institute of Tropical Medicine KU Leuven
Both coagulation and fibrinolysis are tightly connected with the innate immune system. Infection and inflammation cause profound alterations in the otherwise well-controlled balance between coagulation and fibrinolysis. Many pathogenic bacteria directly exploit the host's hemostatic system to increase their virulence. Here, we review the capacity of bacteria to activate plasminogen. The resulting proteolytic activity allows them to breach ...
The choroid plexus links innate immunity to CSF dysregulation in hydrocephalus Vrije Universiteit Brussel Flanders Institute for Biotechnology
The choroid plexus (ChP) is the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier and the primary source of CSF. Acquired hydrocephalus, caused by brain infection or hemorrhage, lacks drug treatments due to obscure pathobiology. Our integrated, multi-omic investigation of post-infectious hydrocephalus (PIH) and post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) models revealed that lipopolysaccharide and blood breakdown products trigger highly similar TLR4-dependent ...