Bacillus anthracis: interactions with the host and establishment of inhalational anthrax.
Due to its potential as a bioweapon, Bacillus anthracis has received a great deal of attention in recent years, and a significant effort has been devoted to understanding how this organism causes anthrax. There has been a particular focus on the inhalational form of the disease, and studies over the past several years have painted an increasingly complex picture of how B. anthracis enters the mammalian host, survives the host's defense mechanisms, disseminates throughout the body and causes death. This article reviews recent advances in these areas, with a focus on how the bacterium interacts with its host in establishing infection and causing anthrax.
University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. kcesarek@umich.edu
Karla D
KD
Passalacqua
Nicholas H
NH
Bergman
D000818:Animals; D000881:Anthrax / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D022122:Anthrax Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology
D022122:Anthrax Vaccines