About the Authors

E. Yaneth Osorio

Current address: Center for Tropical Diseases, Departments of Internal Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America

Affiliations Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America, Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America

Weiguo Zhao

Affiliations Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America, Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America

Claudia Espitia

Affiliations Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America, Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America

Omar Saldarriaga

Current address: Center for Tropical Diseases, Departments of Internal Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America

Affiliations Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America

Leo Hawel

Affiliation Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America

Craig V. Byus

Affiliation Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America

Bruno L. Travi

Current address: Center for Tropical Diseases, Departments of Internal Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America

Affiliations Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America, Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America

Peter C. Melby

melby@uthscsa.edu

Current address: Center for Tropical Diseases, Departments of Internal Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America

Affiliations Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America, Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America

Competing Interests

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: EYO OS LH CVB BLT PCM. Performed the experiments: EYO WZ CE LH BLT. Analyzed the data: EYO WZ CE LH CVB BLT PCM. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: LH CVB. Wrote the paper: EYO BLT PCM.