Genetic and Molecular Basis of Epithelial Cell Invasion by Shigella Species

Abstract excerpt

Bacteria that belong to the four species of the genus Shigella cause a dysenteric syndrome by means of their unique capacity to invade the human colonic mucosa. The various steps of invasion of epithelial cells are controlled by a 220-kilobase plasmid. Plasmid genes that encode for entry into cells through bacterium-directed phagocytosis have been identified. Among these, ipa genes encode four highly immunogenic...