Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, UK.
Clin Microbiol Infect. 2010 May;16(5):411-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2010.03183.x. Epub 2010 Feb 2.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major pathogen of humans, causing diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis. The organism produces several virulence factors that are involved in the disease process. The molecular basis of the action of some of these virulence factors is being elucidated. The advent of whole genome sequencing combined with biological studies has demonstrated that genome variation is important in the ability of pneumococci to interact with the host. This review discusses the biological activity of several pneumococcal virulence factors, and describes how genome variation may impact on the ability of pneumococci to cause disease.
肺炎链球菌是人类的主要病原体，可引起肺炎和脑膜炎等疾病。该生物体产生了几种参与疾病过程的毒力因子。一些毒力因子作用的分子基础正在被阐明。全基因组测序的出现与生物研究相结合，证明了基因组变异在肺炎球菌与宿主相互作用的能力中很重要。这篇综述讨论了几种肺炎球菌毒力因子的生物学活性，并描述了基因组变异如何影响肺炎球菌引起疾病的能力。
