Yersinia virulence: more than a plasmid.
The genus Yersinia is composed of 11 species, three of which are pathogenic in humans. The three pathogens, Y. pestis, Y. enterocolitica, and Y. pseudotuberculosis, cause a broad spectrum of disease ranging from pneumonic plague to acute gastroenteritis. Each of the three requires a large, well-defined plasmid for full virulence, as well as many chromosomally encoded virulence factors (CEVF). This review will describe these CEVF and their roles in virulence. In addition, a possible model for key events in Y. enterocolitica pathogenesis is described based on information revealed by analysis of several of the CEVF.
Revell
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Department of Molecular Microbiology and Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Campus Box 8208, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Miller
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D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics*; D037521:Virulence Factors; D015007:Yersinia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000382:microbiology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008074:Lipoproteins; D037521:Virulence Factors