Rubens C E, Smith S, Hulse M, Chi E Y, van Belle G
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital and Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle 98105.
Infect Immun. 1992 Dec;60(12):5157-63. doi: 10.1128/iai.60.12.5157-5163.1992.
Group B streptococci (GBS) are the most common cause of pneumonia and sepsis during the neonatal period; however, the pathogenesis of this infection is poorly understood. We investigated the ability of GBS to enter epithelial cells in culture. Two strains of GBS were capable of invading immortalized respiratory epithelial cell lines in vitro at different levels, suggesting strain differences in invasiveness. Intracellular replication was not observed. Invasion required actin microfilaments but not microtubular cytoskeletal elements. Active bacterial protein, DNA, and RNA syntheses were required for invasion. These findings are consistent with our previous observation of intracellular GBS in the lungs of infected primates. We hypothesize that this organism may access the bloodstream by direct invasion of the epithelial cell barrier.
B族链球菌（GBS）是新生儿期肺炎和败血症的最常见病因；然而，这种感染的发病机制尚不清楚。我们研究了GBS在培养物中进入上皮细胞的能力。两株GBS能够在体外以不同水平侵袭永生化呼吸道上皮细胞系，表明侵袭性存在菌株差异。未观察到细胞内复制。侵袭需要肌动蛋白微丝而不是微管细胞骨架成分。侵袭需要活跃的细菌蛋白质、DNA和RNA合成。这些发现与我们之前在受感染灵长类动物肺部观察到的细胞内GBS一致。我们假设这种病原体可能通过直接侵袭上皮细胞屏障进入血液。
