Molecular determinants of the pathogenesis of disease due to non-typable Haemophilus influenzae

Abstract Non-typable Haemophilus influenzae is a common commensal organism in the human upper respiratory tract and an important cause of localized respiratory tract disease. The pathogenesis of disease begins with bacterial colonization of the nasopharynx, a process that involves establishment on t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inFEMS microbiology reviews Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 99 - 129
Main Authors Rao, Venkatarama K., Krasan, Graham P., Hendrixson, David R., Dawid, Suzanne, St. Geme, Joseph W.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.1999
Oxford University Press
Subjects
Colonization
Disease
Haemophilus influenzae
Inflammation
Inflammatory response
Middle ear
Mucosa
Nasopharynx
Non‐typable
Pathogenesis
Pathogenicity
Pathogens
Respiratory tract
Respiratory tract diseases
Sinuses
Disease
Pathogenesis
Non-typable
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Abstract Non-typable Haemophilus influenzae is a common commensal organism in the human upper respiratory tract and an important cause of localized respiratory tract disease. The pathogenesis of disease begins with bacterial colonization of the nasopharynx, a process that involves establishment on the mucosal surface and evasion of local immune mechanisms. Under the proper circumstances, the organism spreads contiguously to the middle ear, the sinuses, or the lungs, and then stimulates a brisk inflammatory response, producing symptomatic infection. In this review, we summarize our present understanding of the molecular determinants of this sequence of events. Continued investigation of the molecular mechanism of non-typable H. influenzae pathogenicity should facilitate development of novel approaches to the treatment and prevention of H. influenzae disease.
ISSN:0168-6445
1574-6976
1574-6976
DOI:10.1111/j.1574-6976.1999.tb00393.x