Analysis of the polysaccharide capsule of the systemic pathogen Streptococcus iniae and its implications in virulence.

ABSTRACT: Systemic pathogens have developed numerous strategies for evading the defenses of the host, permitting dissemination and multiplication in various tissues. One means of survival in the host, particularly in the bloodstream, has been attributed to the ability to avoid phagocytosis via capsular polysaccharide. To further define the virulence capacity of Streptococcus iniae, a zoonotic pathogen with the ability to cause severe systemic disease in both fish and humans, we performed an analysis of the capsule locus. The initial analysis included cloning and sequencing of the capsule synthesis operon, which revealed an approximately 21-kb region that is highly homologous to capsule operons of other streptococci. A genetic comparison of S. iniae virulent strain 9117 and commensal strain 9066 reve

SUBMITTER: Lowe BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1828557 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature