Roles of the Putative Type IV-like Secretion System Key Component VirD4 and PrsA in Pathogenesis of Streptococcus suis Type 2.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus suis type 2 (SS2) is a zoonotic pathogen causing septic infection, meningitis and pneumonia in pigs and humans. SS2 may cause streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) probably due to excessive release of inflammatory cytokines. A previous study indicated that the virD4 gene in the putative type IV-like secretion system (T4SS) within the 89K pathogenicity island specific for recent epidemic strains contributed to the development of STSS. However, the functional basis of VirD4 in STSS remains unclear. Here we show that deletion of virD4 led to reduced virulence as shown by about 65% higher LD₅₀, lower bacterial load in liver and brain, and lower level of expression of inflammatory cytokines in mice and cell lines than its parent strain. The ΔVir

SUBMITTER: Jiang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5133265 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature