Toxins were the first bacterial virulence factors to be identified and were also the first link between bacteria and cell biology. Cellular microbiology was, in fact, naturally born a long time ago with the study of toxins, and only recently, thanks to the sophisticated new technologies, has it...
The BBB functions to protect the brain from toxins and microbes that may be present in the blood by maintaining specialized intracellular tight junctions and strict regulation of endocytosis. To study bacterial-BBB interactions we used a well-characterized human BMEC cell line (hBMEC) and the model...
Pathogenic bacteria produce cholesterol-dependent cytolysins to form pores in eukaryotic membranes. Here, the authors show that human gut bacteria use a related family of pore-forming toxins for intra- and interspecies antagonism. Hunter L. Abrahamsen ...
Bacterial toxins produced in the digestive tract, in addition to their effects on the gastrointestinal mucosa, may be transported through the blood circulation and may elicit disorders in other organs. For example, as described previously, Stx is responsible for renal and/or neurological complications...
Toxins were the first bacterial virulence factors to be identified and were also the first link between bacteria and cell biology. Cellular microbiology was, in fact, naturally born a long time ago with the study of toxins, and only recently, thanks to the sophisticated new technologies, has it...
Blood cultures are collected whenever bacteremia (bacterial infection of the blood) or septicemia (a condition of systemic infection caused by pathogenic organisms or their toxins) is suspected. Although mild bacteremia is found in many infectious diseases, a persistent, continuous, or recurrent bac...
Other toxins can pass the blood brain barrier and directly act on specific neurons. References [1] Gill, D.M. Bacterial toxins: Lethal amounts. In Toxins and Enzymes; Laskin, A.I., Lechevalier, H.A., Eds.; CRC Press: Cleveland, OH, USA, 1987; Volume 8, pp. 127–135. [2] Pop...
What Makes a Canonical Bacterial Protein Toxin: The Definition Generally, a toxin can be defined as a protein, peptide, or other substance which is produced by plants, animals, or pathogenic bacteria, and is highly poisonous for living cells in other organismsi,ii. Bacterialprotein toxinsare sec...
B. The importance of the group a Streptococcus capsule in the pathogenesis of human infections: a historical perspective. Clin. Infect. Dis. 46, 1038–1045 (2008). PubMed Google Scholar Tonello, F. & Zornetta, I. Bacillus anthracis factors for phagosomal escape. Toxins 4, 536–553 (2012...
University of Iowa researchers have discovered what causes the lethal effects of staphylococcal infective endocarditis - a serious bacterial infection of heart valves that kills approximately 20,000 Americans each year. According to the UI study, the culprits are superantigens—toxins produced in large...