<em>Bacillus anthracis</em> Factors for Phagosomal Escape

• Main Authors: Irene Zornetta, Fiorella Tonello
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2012-07-01
• Series: Toxins
• Subjects: <em>Bacillus anthracis</em> anthrax; spore; germination; phagocytes; toxins; anthrolysin; phospholipase C; catalase; superoxide dismutase; capsule
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/4/7/536

The mechanism of phagosome escape by intracellular pathogens is an important step in the infectious cycle. During the establishment of anthrax, <em>Bacillus anthracis</em> undergoes a transient intracellular phase in which spores are engulfed by local phagocytes. Spores germinate inside phagosomes and grow to vegetative bacilli, which emerge from their resident intracellular compartments, replicate and eventually exit from the plasma membrane. During germination, <em>B. anthracis</em> secretes multiple factors that can help its resistance to the phagocytes. Here the possible role of <em>B. anthracis</em> toxins, phospholipases, antioxidant enzymes and capsules in the phagosomal escape and survival, is analyzed and compared with that of factors of other microbial pathogens involved in the same type of process.