Staphylococcus aureus is a common inhabitant of the human body with which we co-exist. However, this species can also cause disease in humans when an appropriate opportunity arises, such as a cut or some other breakdown in our body's defenses. S. aureus is able to initiate infections due, in part, to the diverse group of toxins that they secrete. The exotoxins produced by S. aureus can cause direct damage, thwart our own body's defenses, or trigger massive amounts of cytokines that lead to indirect damage within the human body. In this book are 12 research articles that deal with different aspects of staphylococcal exotoxins. Some of the work gives an overview about how the toxins contribute to the disease process. Other articles discuss different aspects of several exotoxins, and two articles are centered on countermeasures against S. aureus infections. Overall, this book will give the reader a good overview of how staphylococcal exotoxins contribute to initiating and sustaining infections in humans.
Subjects
HigBA cell physiology airway epithelial cells PPIase atopic dermatitis adaptive immunity staphylococcal enterotoxin sortase A canned meat inhibitor innate immunity low cytotoxic strains Staphylococcus aureus in vivo models toxin neutralization enterotoxin LukGH PSMs microbiome eye molecular mechanism chronic infection gene regulation toxins alpha-toxin superantigen-like protein fermentation erianin PpiB HACCP infection enzymes methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus virulence factor enterotoxins mouse abscess toxin-antitoxin systems S. aureus polyclonal antibody defined minimal medium mastitis butyric acid derivative LukAB toxoid vaccine superantigen pathogenicity islands PrsA sphingomyelin Leukocidin lux fusion