HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Staphylococcal epidermolysins.

AbstractPURPOSE OF REVIEW:
Staphylococcal epidermolysins are the major causative toxins of bullous impetigo and staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome. This disease is characterized by the splitting of the epidermis between two cell layers resulting in exfoliation. It predominantly affects newborn babies and exposes them to secondary infections. This leads to the risk of epidemics, especially in nurseries. With only an experimental model which consists of skin injections in newborn mice and the recent determination of three-dimensional structures, the essential function of these toxins remained controversial, split between that of specific proteases and that of superantigens.
RECENT FINDINGS:
Staphylococcal epidermolysins now constitute a family of toxins, with the recent characterizations of two new serotypes: ETC and ETD. They may be secreted by sensitive or methicillin-resistant strains. Four molecules were also identified in Staphylococcus hyicus responsible for exudative epidermitis in swine. While different observations suggested a proteolytic action to these toxins, the histological parallel made with pemphigus foliaceus greatly helped in the characterization of the targets for epidermolysins ETA, ETB, ETD: desmoglein-1, a desmosome-constitutive protein, and incidentally melanocyte-stimulating hormones, which accounts for the blisters observed clinically.
SUMMARY:
The growing complexity in staphylococcal toxins has to be taken into account both for their association with diseases and for diagnosis purposes. Even though cases of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in adults are rare, they raise further questions about the pathogenic features of the disease such as individual sensitivity and distribution of the toxins into the body.
AuthorsGilles Prévost, Pierre Couppié, Henri Monteil
JournalCurrent opinion in infectious diseases (Curr Opin Infect Dis) Vol. 16 Issue 2 Pg. 71-6 (Apr 2003) ISSN: 0951-7375 [Print] United States
PMID12734438 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
Chemical References
  • Exfoliatins
  • Superantigens
  • Endopeptidases
Topics
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Endopeptidases (metabolism)
  • Exfoliatins (genetics, immunology, toxicity)
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Impetigo (microbiology, physiopathology)
  • Mice
  • Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome (microbiology, physiopathology)
  • Staphylococcal Skin Infections (microbiology, physiopathology)
  • Staphylococcus aureus (metabolism, pathogenicity)
  • Superantigens (immunology)
  • Virulence

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: