title: Immune reactions of insects on bacterial pathogens and mutualists.
abstract: In the past few years the knowledge of insect defense mechanisms against pathogenic microorganisms and parasites has significantly increased on both the molecular and the organismic level. These investigations have led to new concepts of immune protection also relevant for mammals with the identification of the Toll receptor family as an eminent example. This review provides a brief overview of insect strategies to on the one hand defeat bacterial pathogens while on the other hand cooperating with symbiotic bacteria beneficial for the insects.
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Soziobiologie und Verhaltensphysiologie, Biozentrum der Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feldhaar
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gross
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007313:Insecta / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051192:Receptors, Pattern Recognition