Melioidosis: molecular aspects of pathogenesis.
Burkholderia pseudomallei is a gram-negative bacterium that causes melioidosis, a multifaceted disease that is highly endemic in southeast Asia and northern Australia. This facultative intracellular pathogen possesses a large genome that encodes a wide array of virulence factors that promote survival in vivo by manipulating host cell processes and disarming elements of the host immune system. Antigens and systems that play key roles in B. pseudomallei virulence include capsular polysaccharide, lipopolysaccharide, adhesins, specialized secretion systems, actin-based motility and various secreted factors. This review provides an overview of the current and steadily expanding knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms used by this organism to survive within a host and their contribution to the pathogenesis of melioidosis.
['Stone|Joshua K|JK|', 'DeShazer|David|D|', 'Brett|Paul J|PJ|', 'Burtnick|Mary N|MN|']
D001422:Bacterial Adhesion D058947:Bacterial Secretion Systems D016957:Burkholderia pseudomallei D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions D006801:Humans D008554:Melioidosis D037521:Virulence Factors
melioidosis pathogenesis Burkholderia pseudomallei facultative intracellular pathogen virulence factors lipopolysaccharide secretion systems capsule