title: Smuggling across the border: how arthropod-borne pathogens evade and exploit the host defense system of the skin.
abstract: The skin is a critical barrier between hosts and pathogens in arthropod-borne diseases. It harbors many resident cells and specific immune cells to arrest or limit infections by secreting inflammatory molecules or by directly killing pathogens. However, some pathogens are able to use specific skin cells and arthropod saliva for their initial development, to hide from the host immune system, and to establish persistent infection in the vertebrate host. A better understanding of the initial mechanisms taking place in the skin should allow the development of new strategies to fight these vector-borne pathogens that are spread worldwide and are of major medical importance.
authors.affiliation: EA7290, Virulence Bacterienne Precoce, Groupe Borréliose de Lyme, Institut de Bacteriologie, Universite de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Quentin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.affiliation: EA7290, Virulence Bacterienne Precoce, Groupe Borréliose de Lyme, Institut de Bacteriologie, Universite de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France; Centre National de Reference Borrelia, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jaulhac
authors.affiliation: EA7290, Virulence Bacterienne Precoce, Groupe Borréliose de Lyme, Institut de Bacteriologie, Universite de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France; Centre National de Reference Borrelia, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Strasbourg, France. Electronic address: nboulanger@unistra.fr.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boulanger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001179:Arthropod Vectors / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D001181:Arthropods / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000821:virology; D007239:Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission*; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology*