Campylobacter jejuni-mediated disease pathogenesis: an update.
Infection by Campylobacter jejuni is considered to be the most prevalent cause of bacterial-mediated diarrhoeal disease worldwide. Both in the developing and the developed world, young children remain most susceptible. Although disease is generally mild and self-limiting, severe post-infectious complications such as Gullain-Barré syndrome may occur. Despite the significant health burden caused by the organism, our current understanding of disease pathogenesis remains in its infancy. Elucidation of the genome sequences of many different C. jejuni strains in recent years has started to accelerate research in Campylobacter genetics, pathogenesis and host immunity in response to infection. Campylobacter jejuni is the first prokaryote shown to code for both O- and N-linked glycosylation systems, a feature that is likely to not only modulate bacterial virulence and survival, but also influence host-pathogen interactions and disease outcome. Here recent developments in C. jejuni research, with a particular focus on disease pathogenesis including early host immune responses, are highlighted.
Zilbauer
Matthias
M
Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Unit, Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK. m.zilbauer@ich.ucl.ac.uk <m.zilbauer@ich.ucl.ac.uk>
Dorrell
Nick
N
Wren
Brendan W
BW
Bajaj-Elliott
Mona
M
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D002417:Cattle; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D014943:Global Health; D006031:Glycosylation; D006801:Humans; D014774:Virulence / Q000502:physiology
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; C067044:cytolethal distending toxin