PMID- 19747126
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20100222
LR  - 20190823
IS  - 1875-533X (Electronic)
IS  - 0929-8673 (Linking)
VI  - 16
IP  - 30
DP  - 2009
TI  - Staphylococcus aureus: the toxic presence of a pathogen extraordinaire.
PG  - 4003-19
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus is a facultative, Gram-positive coccus well known for its 
      disease-causing capabilities. In particular, methicillin and vancomycin resistant 
      strains of S. aureus (MRSA and VRSA, respectively) isolated globally represent 
      daunting medical challenges for the 21(st) Century. This bacterium causes 
      numerous illnesses in humans such as food poisoning, skin infections, 
      osteomyelitis, endocarditis, pneumonia, enterocolitis, toxic shock, and 
      autoimmune disorders. A few of the many virulence factors attributed to S. aureus 
      include antibiotic resistance, capsule, coagulase, lipase, hyaluronidase, protein 
      A, fibronectin-binding protein, and multiple toxins with diverse activities. One 
      family of protein toxins is the staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) and related 
      toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) that act as superantigens. There are more 
      than twenty different SEs described to date with varying amino acid sequences, 
      common conformations, and similar biological effects. By definition, very low 
      (picomolar) concentrations of these superantigenic toxins activate specific 
      T-cell subsets after binding to major histocompatibility complex class II. 
      Activated T-cells vigorously proliferate and release proinflammatory cytokines 
      plus chemokines that can elicit fever, hypotension, and other ailments which 
      include a potentially lethal shock. In vitro and in vivo models are available for 
      studying the SEs and TSST-1, thus providing important tools for understanding 
      modes of action and subsequently countering these toxins via experimental 
      vaccines or therapeutics. This review succinctly presents the pathogenic ways of 
      S. aureus, with a toxic twist. There will be a particular focus upon the 
      biological and biochemical properties of, plus current neutralization strategies 
      targeting, staphylcoccocal superantigens like the SEs and TSST-1.
FAU - Larkin, E A
AU  - Larkin EA
AD  - Department of Immunology, United States Army Medical Research Institute of 
      Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA.
FAU - Carman, R J
AU  - Carman RJ
FAU - Krakauer, T
AU  - Krakauer T
FAU - Stiles, B G
AU  - Stiles BG
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Review
PL  - United Arab Emirates
TA  - Curr Med Chem
JT  - Current medicinal chemistry
JID - 9440157
RN  - 0 (Superantigens)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Humans
MH  - Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/immunology/pathogenicity
MH  - Staphylococcal Infections/*microbiology
MH  - Staphylococcus aureus/immunology/*pathogenicity
MH  - Superantigens/biosynthesis
RF  - 215
EDAT- 2009/09/15 06:00
MHDA- 2010/02/23 06:00
CRDT- 2009/09/15 06:00
PHST- 2009/04/10 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2009/07/28 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2009/09/15 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2009/09/15 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2010/02/23 06:00 [medline]
AID - CMC - AbsEpub - 040 [pii]
AID - 10.2174/092986709789352321 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Curr Med Chem. 2009;16(30):4003-19. doi: 10.2174/092986709789352321.