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6 - Yersinia inhibition of phagocytosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2009

Maria Fällman
Affiliation:
Dept of Molecular Biology University of Umeå, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Anna Gustavsson
Affiliation:
Department of Molecular Biology University of Umeå, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
Joel D. Ernst
Affiliation:
New York University
Olle Stendahl
Affiliation:
Linköpings Universitet, Sweden
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Summary

THE YERSINIA INFECTION

There are three human pathogenic Yersinia species: Y. pestis, Y. enterocolitica, and Y. pseudotuberculosis (Smego et al. 1999; Sulakvelidze 2000). Y. pestis is the causative agent of bubonic plague and has been responsible for the deaths of millions of people over the years. This pathogen is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected rodent flea. Once inside, the bacteria initially invade and proliferate in lymphatic tissue. Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis cause enteric infections (yersinosis) in humans. These are transmitted to humans by infected beverages and food or by direct contact with infected mammals; pigs are the major reservoir (Bottone 1999; Smego et al. 1999). Despite having a different route of infection, the orally transmitted non-plague Yersinia species also exhibit tropism for lymphoid tissue. The infection route occurs through the ileal mucosa in the gastrointestinal tract, where they are taken up into the lymphoid follicles through M-cells. These specialized cells cover the lymphoid follicles of Peyer's patches and engulf bacteria in a way that resembles active phagocytosis (Grassl et al., 2003). The bacteria multiply within the Peyer's patches, which are intestinal lymphoid nodules that contain B and T lymphocytes and phagocytes, and then drain to mesenteric lymph nodes. At this location, Yersinia encounters cells of the innate immune system, and can exert a block on the customary antimicrobial functions of these cells, including phagocytosis (Hanski et al. 1989; Simonet et al. 1990).

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  • Yersinia inhibition of phagocytosis
    • By Maria Fällman, Dept of Molecular Biology University of Umeå, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden, Anna Gustavsson, Department of Molecular Biology University of Umeå, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
  • Edited by Joel D. Ernst, New York University, Olle Stendahl, Linköpings Universitet, Sweden
  • Book: Phagocytosis of Bacteria and Bacterial Pathogenicity
  • Online publication: 07 August 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511541513.006
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  • Yersinia inhibition of phagocytosis
    • By Maria Fällman, Dept of Molecular Biology University of Umeå, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden, Anna Gustavsson, Department of Molecular Biology University of Umeå, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
  • Edited by Joel D. Ernst, New York University, Olle Stendahl, Linköpings Universitet, Sweden
  • Book: Phagocytosis of Bacteria and Bacterial Pathogenicity
  • Online publication: 07 August 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511541513.006
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Yersinia inhibition of phagocytosis
    • By Maria Fällman, Dept of Molecular Biology University of Umeå, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden, Anna Gustavsson, Department of Molecular Biology University of Umeå, 90187 Umeå, Sweden
  • Edited by Joel D. Ernst, New York University, Olle Stendahl, Linköpings Universitet, Sweden
  • Book: Phagocytosis of Bacteria and Bacterial Pathogenicity
  • Online publication: 07 August 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511541513.006
Available formats
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