title: Membranous cells in nasal-associated lymphoid tissue: a portal of entry for the respiratory mucosal pathogen group A streptococcus.
abstract: Human tonsils are suspected to be an antibiotic-impervious human reservoir for group A streptococcus. An intranasal infection model in mice and a bioluminescent-tagged strain were used to investigate this possibility. Viable streptococci were predominantly found both intra- and extracellularly in nasal-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT), a human tonsil homologue. Ulex europaeus-1, a membranous (M) cell-specific lectin, identified cells harboring streptococci at the epithelial surface of NALT and blocked bacterial colonization of this tissue. These results suggest that M cells in NALT transport this Gram-positive pathogen across the epithelial layers in a manner similar to those in Peyer's patches, which permit enteric pathogens to invade deeper tissues from the gastrointestinal tract.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Hae-Sun
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kevin P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: P Patrick
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Cleary
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*