Innate immune evasion by staphylococci

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2009:666:19-31. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-1601-3_2.

Abstract

When bacteria invade the human host, they are directly confronted with a serious threat, the human innate immune system. This chapter describes the challenge that a staphylococci face and recent findings on how this bacterium counteracts the massive attack of this innate immune system. In order to survive within the human host, staphylococci have evolved a wide variety of small, excreted proteins that interfere with subsequent steps of the human innate immune system cascade.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Immune Evasion / physiology*
  • Immunity, Innate / physiology*
  • Staphylococcus / physiology*