I. BACTERIAL PATHOGENESIS

C. VIRULENCE FACTORS THAT DAMAGE THE HOST: AN OVERVIEW

Fundamental Statements for this Learning Object:

1. Virulence factors that damage the host include: the ability of PAMPs to trigger the production of inflammatory cytokines that result in an excessive inflammatory response; the ability to produce harmful exotoxins; and the ability to induce autoimmune responses.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THIS SECTION

In this section on Bacterial Pathogenesis, we are looking at bacterial virulence factors that can influence its ability to cause infectious disease. These virulence factors will be divided into two categories:

1. virulence factors that promote bacterial colonization of the host, and
2. virulence factors that damage the host.

In this section we will look at virulence factors that damage the host.

Virulence Factors that Damage the Host: An Overview

Virulence factors that damage the host include:

1. The Ability of PAMPs to Trigger the Production of Inflammatory Cytokines that Result in an Excessive Inflammatory Response.

2. The ability to produce harmful exotoxins.

3. The ability to induce autoimmune responses.

Most of the virulence factors we will discuss in this section that enable bacteria to r harm the body are the products of quorum sensing genes.

We will now look at each of these factors in greater detail.

 

• QUIZ YOURSELF ON THIS SECTION

Gary E. Kaiser, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology
The Community College of Baltimore County, Catonsville Campus
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work The Grapes of Staph at https://cwoer.ccbcmd.edu/science/microbiology/index_gos.html.