Microbial complement evasion and vaccine development

Virus complement evasion strategies.

The immune system has a variety of tools at its disposal to combat virus infections. These can be subdivided roughly into two categories: 'first line defence', consisting of the non-specific, innate immune system, and 'adaptive immune response', acquired over time following virus infection or vaccination. During evolution, viruses have developed numerous, and often very ingenious, strategies to...

Complement Evasion by Pathogenic Leptospira

Leptospirosis is a neglected infectious disease caused by spirochetes from the genus Leptospira. Pathogenic microorganisms, notably those which reach the blood circulation such as Leptospira, have evolved multiple strategies to escape the host complement system, which is important for innate and acquired immunity. Leptospira avoid complement-mediated killing through: (i) recruitment of host com...

Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide-Dependent Complement Evasion

Finding factors that control complement (C) components deposition on bacterial cells is the way to explain the sophisticated mechanism of bacteraemia. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin) is a surface antigen found in the cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria, such as Salmonella [1]. LPS action on the human body is often considered in the context of sepsis, which is characterized by an excessive ...

Complement Evasion Strategies of Viruses: An Overview

Being a major first line of immune defense, the complement system keeps a constant vigil against viruses. Its ability to recognize large panoply of viruses and virus-infected cells, and trigger the effector pathways, results in neutralization of viruses and killing of the infected cells. This selection pressure exerted by complement on viruses has made them evolve a multitude of countermeasures...

Complement Evasion by Borrelia burgdorferi Spirochetes