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How do extracellular pathogens cross the blood-brain barrier?
Xavier Nassif1, Sandrine Bourdoulous, Emmanuel Eugène
1INSERM U570, Faculté de Médecine Necker-Enfants Malades, Université Paris V, 156 Rue de Vaugirard, 75015 Paris, France. nassif@necker.fr
Trends in Microbiology
|April 26, 2002
Summary
Bacterial pathogens invade the brain by crossing the blood-brain barrier. Specific bacterial attributes, like type IV pili in Neisseria meningitidis, are crucial for breaching these protective barriers.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Bacterial meningitis is a serious infection affecting the central nervous system.
- Pathogens invade the central nervous system by crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
- The BBB is formed by cerebral endothelial cells with tight junctions, presenting a significant barrier to pathogen entry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens breach the blood-brain barrier.
- To identify specific bacterial factors essential for meningeal invasion.
Main Methods:
- The study focuses on the interaction between bacterial pathogens and cerebral endothelium.
- Investigated the role of specific bacterial structures in crossing endothelial cell monolayers.
- Utilized Neisseria meningitidis as a model pathogen.
Main Results:
- Extracellular pathogens must overcome tight junctions of endothelial or epithelial cells to invade the meninges.
- Type IV pili of Neisseria meningitidis are essential for meningeal invasion.
- Other unidentified factors likely contribute to the invasion process.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial invasion of the meninges requires specific pathogen attributes to overcome the blood-brain barrier.
- Type IV pili are a key factor for Neisseria meningitidis to invade the central nervous system.
- Further research is needed to identify additional factors involved in meningeal invasion.