Molecular call-and-response: how Salmonella learns the gospel from its host.

Host-microbe interactions are often portrayed as a game of molecular hide-and-seek or tug-of-war where one partner seeks to establish an upper-hand over the other. Perhaps a more useful analogy is the traditional call-and-response preaching method used so effectively in churches of the southern USA to encourage participation by the assembled parishioners. The preacher calls out a line of a gospel or hymn and the congregation responds as one to the cue. A recent paper identifies Nramp as a potential molecular preacher, and Salmonella, and probably other pathogenic bacteria, are singing back full-throated.