The role of microbial endocrinology in infectious disease

Abstract The identification of a wide spectrum of hormone-like materials and their respective receptors in micro-organisms has been recognized for a number of years (Lenard, 1992; LeRoith et al. 1986a,b). The presence of such hormones in micro-organisms is believed to represent a form of intercellular communication and as such may constitute a type of primitive nervous system (Lenard, 1992; LeRoith et al. 1986b; Dohler, 1986). The ability of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms to recognize what is most often thought to be hormones restricted to the vertebrate system suggests that the study of microbial endocrinology may have important implications for the pathology of infectious disease. Spectrum of hormone-like materials identified in micro-organisms The range of both hormone-like materials and the variety of micro-organisms in which they have been identified is very large. The presence of insulin in micro-organisms has been the most extensively documented with its biological activity demonstrated in