Low Levels of Factor H Family Proteins During Meningococcal Disease Indicate Systemic Processes Rather Than Specific Depletion by Neisseria meningitidis.

ABSTRACT: Neisseria meningitidis, the causative agent of meningococcal disease (MD), evades complement-mediated clearance upon infection by 'hijacking' the human complement regulator factor H (FH). The FH protein family also comprises the homologous FH-related (FHR) proteins, hypothesized to act as antagonists of FH, and FHR-3 has recently been implicated to play a major role in MD susceptibility. Here, we show that the circulating levels of all FH family proteins, not only FH and FHR-3, are equally decreased during the acute illness. We did neither observe specific consumption of FH or FHR-3 by N. meningitidis, nor of any of the other FH family proteins, suggesting that the globally reduced levels are due to systemic processes including dilution by fluid administration upon admission

SUBMITTER: van Beek AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9204383 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature