The Streptococcus pyogenes hyaluronic acid capsule promotes experimental nasal and skin infection by preventing neutrophil-mediated clearance.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus pyogenes is a globally prominent human-specific pathogen responsible for an enormous burden of human illnesses, including >600 million pharyngeal and >100 million skin infections each year. Despite intensive efforts that focus on invasive indications, much remains unknown about this bacterium in its natural state during colonization of the nasopharynx and skin. Using acute experimental infection models in HLA-transgenic mice, we evaluated how the hyaluronic acid (HA) capsule contributes to S. pyogenes MGAS8232 infection within these limited biological niches. Herein, we demonstrate that HA capsule expression promotes bacterial burden in murine nasal turbinates and skin lesions by resisting neutrophil-mediated killing. HA capsule production is encoded by the hasABC operon and

SUBMITTER: Hurst JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9744330 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature