title: [Anthrax revisited: Bacillus anthracis toxins as novel actors of immune escape?].
abstract: The recent bioterrorist attacks have stressed the need of a better knowledge of Bacillus anthracis infection pathophysiology. We present here the increasing interests of B. anthracis studies in term of bio-defense, the main pathogen characteristics, the main clinical features of inhalational anthrax (the pulmonary form of the disease), and recent aspects of its physiopathology. Next, we address the main results concerning the toxin effects on immune system through impairing the dendritic cell functions, and we analyze the singular role of anthrax toxins in immune evasion.
authors.affiliation: Département de Biologie des agents transmissibles, CRSSA, 38702 La Tronche cedex-France.
authors.forename: Jean-Nicolas
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Tournier
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quesnel-Hellmann
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cleret
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mathieu
authors.forename: Pierre L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Goossens
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mock
authors.forename: Dominique R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Vidal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology*; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; C030325:anthrax toxin