image: A working model for norovirus infection of the intestine. Noroviruses bind specific carbohydrates on commensal bacteria (histo-blood group antigens [HBGA] for human noroviruses) in the gut lumen; the virus:bacteria complex is transcytosed across intestinal epithelial cells (IEC); and the carbohydrate stimulates viral infection of underlying B cells. This material relates to a paper that appeared in the Nov. 7, 2014 issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by M.K. Jones at University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, and colleagues was titled, 'Enteric bacteria promote human and mouse norovirus infection of B cells.' view more
Credit: [Credit: Stephanie M. Karst, Ph.D.]