Dr.

Faraz

BACTERIAL PATHOGENESIS
Bacterial Pathogenesis

 Virulence is the degree of pathogenicity of an

organism.

 Pathogenicity, Ability to cause disease.

Superantigen

 Superantigens or type I toxins

 Cause an intense immune response due to release
of cytokines from host cells
 Fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shock, death
How Bacteria escape programmed
host defenses
 Capsules are extracellular glycocalyx material
that surrounds the cell. Prevent recognition
of the bacterial cell. Streptococcus
pneumoniae

 Cell wall components may also resist

recognition and phagocytosis
Enzymes that protect

 Leukocidins destroy neutrophils and

macrophages

 Hemolysisn break up red blood cells

 Coagulase prevents or breaks up blood clots

designed to localize infection

 IgA proteases Destroy IgA antibodies

Bacteria moving into tissues

 Kinases- destroy blood clots

 Hyaluronidase works on mucopolysaccharide

that holds cells together

 Collagenase hydrolyses connective tissue

collagen

 Invasins destroy cytoskeleton of individual

cells.
Adherence

 In order to get into a host the bacteria must stick

to it.

 Surface projections (ligands) adhere to receptors

on host cells.

 Mostly on structures called fimbriae

 The sugar mannose is the most common

receptor.
Adherence; Continued

 Adhesions/ligands bind to receptors on host

cells
 Glycocalyx Streptococcus mutans
 Fimbriae Escherichia coli
 M protein Streptococcus pyogenes
 Opa protein Neisseria gonorrhoeae
 Tapered end Treponema pallidum