Interactions of bacteria with non-phagocytic cells.

It is becoming increasingly clear that bacterial pathogens can manipulate the host cell to their advantage. Recently, we have learnt more about the different strategies that microorganisms have evolved to subvert normal host-cellular functions. These strategies allow bacteria to gain access to, survive, and replicate within host cells, as well as to spread to neighboring cells, without the need for an extracellular phase. During the next few years, we expect to learn much more about these mechanisms and, in the process, it is likely that we will learn more about the host itself.