title: Decreased virulence of a pneumolysin-deficient strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae in murine meningitis.
abstract: Pneumolysin, neuraminidases A and B, and hyaluronidase are virulence factors of Streptococcus pneumoniae that appear to be involved in the pathogenesis of meningitis. In a murine model of meningitis after intracerebral infection using mutants of S. pneumoniae D39, only mice infected with a pneumolysin-deficient strain were healthier at 32 and 36 h, had lower bacterial titers in blood at 36 h, and survived longer than the D39 parent strain. Cerebellar and spleen bacterial titers, meningeal inflammation, and neuronal damage scores remained uninfluenced by the lack of any of the virulence factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wellmer
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zysk
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerber
authors.forename: Tammo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kunst
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Von Mering
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bunkowski
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eiffert
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009439:Neuraminidase / Q000502:physiology; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D013301:Streptolysins / Q000502:physiology*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D013301:Streptolysins; C032290:plY protein, Streptococcus pneumoniae; D009439:Neuraminidase; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase