title: Role of T cells in abscess formation.
abstract: A series of recent studies have shed new light on the strategy used by certain bacterial pathogens to induce a classic infectious process: abscess formation. This work describes how zwitterionic polysaccharides on the surface of these organisms interact with the host immune system in general, and with T cells in particular, to coordinate this pathobiologic response.
authors.affiliation: Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Departments of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. atzianabos@channing.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Arthur O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Tzianabos
authors.forename: Dennis L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Kasper
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000818:Animals; D000838:Anions / Q000737:chemistry*; D001441:Bacteroides fragilis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002412:Cations / Q000737:chemistry*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000276:immunology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000838:Anions; D002412:Cations; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial