title: One More Disguise in the Stealth Behavior of Streptococcus pyogenes.
abstract: The ability to hide in the animal kingdom is essential for survival; the same is true for bacteria. Streptococcus pyogenes is considered one of the more successful stealth bacteria in its production of a hyaluronic acid capsule that is chemically identical to the hyaluronic acid lining human joints. It has also acquired the capacity to enter eukaryotic cells to avoid the onslaught of the host's immune defenses, as well as drugs. From this intracellular vantage point, it may remain dormant from days to weeks, only to cause disease again at a later time, perhaps causing a relapse in a drug-treated patient. We now learn that it is able to enter macrophages as well, enabling the Streptococcus to use this "Trojan horse" approach to be transported to distant sites in the body.
authors.affiliation: The Rockefeller University, Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunology, New York, New York, USA Vincent.Fischetti@rockefeller.edu.
authors.forename: Vincent A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Fischetti
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Department of Medicine, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: James B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Dale
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D057131:Immune Evasion; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid