[Anthrax revisited: Bacillus anthracis toxins as novel actors of immune escape?].
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.
Tournier
Jean-Nicolas
JN
Département de Biologie des agents transmissibles, CRSSA, 38702 La Tronche cedex-France.
Quesnel-Hellmann
Anne
A
Cleret
Aurélie
A
Mathieu
Jacques
J
Goossens
Pierre L
PL
Mock
Michèle
M
Vidal
Dominique R
DR
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
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; C030325:anthrax toxin