Staphylococcus aureus: the multi headed hydra resists and controls human complement response in multiple ways.
The Gram positive human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus causes a spectrum of human diseases including pneumonia, tissue and skin infections, endocarditis, pneumonia and sepsis. The increasing number of resistant bacteria and the threat of methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) urge for the need to develop new antibacterial compounds. A prerequisite for development of such anti microbial compounds is a better understanding of the complex immune crosstalk between the pathogenic bacterium and its human host. To this end proteins staphylococcal proteins that contribute to innate immune evasion especially to complement control need to be identified and their mode of action needs to be analyzed in order to provide new targets for immune interference.
Department of Infection Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Products Research and Infection Biology, Hans-Knöll Institute, Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany; Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07745 Jena, Germany. Electronic address: peter.zipfel@hki-jena.de.
Peter F
PF
Zipfel
Department of Infection Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Products Research and Infection Biology, Hans-Knöll Institute, Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany.
Christine
C
Skerka
D000818:Animals; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D057131:Immune Evasion; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology*
D003165:Complement System Proteins
Complement; Immune escape pathogenic bacteria