Microbial pathogenesis: Basic concepts in the host-microorganism interaction.

In the present paper, basic concepts of the host-microorganism interactions in the microbial pathogenesis are reviewed. The formal theory of Casadevall and Pirofski, based on the damage done to the host as the outcome of pathologic interactions, is presented. Furthermore, some additional concepts for a better comprehension of these interactions are proposed. The aim of the present work is to present unified criteria on basic concepts of microbial pathogenesis used by students and professionals of veterinary medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]