Molinari G, Chhatwal G S
Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Vaccine Research Technical University/GBF-National Research Centre for Biotechnology Spielmann Str 7 38106 Braunschweig Germany.
Curr Opin Microbiol. 1999 Feb;2(1):56-61. doi: 10.1016/s1369-5274(99)80010-1.
The genus Streptococcus consists of large number of species many of which are pathogenic to humans and animals. Although streptococci have long been considered as extracellular pathogens, they are capable of causing serious invasive infections such as necrotizing fasciitis and meningitis. Streptococcal invasion, therefore, has been a focus of many studies in recent years. Streptococci are efficiently internalized by nonprofessional phagocytes and the current research interest has shifted to determine the role of this invasion in the natural infection process. Moreover, characterization of bacterial and eukaryotic components involved in the uptake process might be useful in developing new strategies for combating streptococcal infections.
链球菌属包含大量菌种，其中许多对人类和动物具有致病性。尽管长期以来链球菌一直被视为细胞外病原体，但它们能够引发严重的侵袭性感染，如坏死性筋膜炎和脑膜炎。因此，链球菌的侵袭一直是近年来许多研究的重点。链球菌能被非专职吞噬细胞有效内化，目前的研究兴趣已转向确定这种侵袭在自然感染过程中的作用。此外，对摄取过程中涉及的细菌和真核生物成分进行表征可能有助于开发对抗链球菌感染的新策略。
