title: Dissecting the biology of a pathogen during infection.
abstract: In vivo expression studies reveal many bacterial genes that contribute to the fitness of the organism in the context of host ecology. This collection of virulence genes defines the unique lifestyle of a pathogen during infection, pointing to the functions that dictate host specificity, tissue tropism and disease manifestation.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106, USA.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Heithoff
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Conner
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mahan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015870:Gene Expression; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D014774:Virulence