The Epistemology of Bacterial Virulence Factor Characterization

Author:

Jackson Matthew1ORCID,Vineberg Susan2,Theis Kevin R.1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA

2. Department of Philosophy, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA

Abstract

The field of microbial pathogenesis seeks to identify the agents and mechanisms responsible for disease causation. Since Robert Koch introduced postulates that were used to guide the characterization of microbial pathogens, technological advances have substantially increased the capacity to rapidly identify a causative infectious agent. Research efforts currently focus on causation at the molecular level with a search for virulence factors (VFs) that contribute to different stages of the infectious process. We note that the quest to identify and characterize VFs sometimes lacks scientific rigor, and this suggests a need to examine the epistemology of VF characterization. We took this premise as an opportunity to explore the epistemology of VF characterization. In this perspective, we discuss how the characterization of various gene products that evolved to facilitate bacterial survival in the broader environment have potentially been prematurely mischaracterized as VFs that contribute to pathogenesis in the context of human biology. Examples of the reasoning that can affect misinterpretation, or at least a premature assignment of mechanistic causation, are provided. Our aim is to refine the categorization of VFs by emphasizing a broader biological view of their origin.

Publisher

MDPI AG

Reference114 articles.

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2. Darwin, C., and Kebler, L. (2024, May 10). On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or, The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. London: J. Murray. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, Available online: https://www.loc.gov/item/06017473/.

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