Intracellular survival of Streptococcus pyogenes in polymorphonuclear cells results in increased bacterial virulence.
It has recently been shown that survival within phagocytic cells constitutes an additional strategy used by Streptococcus pyogenes to evade the host defenses. Here we provide evidence that S. pyogenes can escape from the phagosome into the cytoplasm of phagocytic cells. Furthermore, intracellular bacteria seem to undergo phenotypic switching that results in much more virulent microorganisms.
Medina
Eva
E
Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Vaccine Research, GBF-German Research Centre for Biotechnology, Braunschweig, Germany. eme@gbf.de
Rohde
Manfred
M
Chhatwal
Gursharan S
GS
D000818:Animals; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010587:Phagocytosis; D010588:Phagosomes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010641:Phenotype; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014774:Virulence