The Keratinocyte as a Target for Staphylococcal Bacterial Toxins

Staphylococcal Toxins

BERNHEIMER, ALAN W. (New York University School of Medicine, New York, N.Y.). Disruption of wall-less bacteria by streptococcal and staphylococcal toxins. J. Bacteriol. 91:1677-1680. 1966.-Earlier studies demonstrating that staphylococcal a-toxin and streptolysin S have the capacity to lyse protoplasts and spheroplasts of certain species of bacteria and Mycoplasma have been extended to encompas...

The Characterization of Staphylococcal Toxins

The continuous flow paper electrophoretic methods used to isolate alpha hemolysin are presented. The purity of the alpha hemolysin preparation is demonstrated by double agar diffusion, immunoelectrophoretic, and ultracentrifugation techniques. Indirect evidence of purity is provided by the fact that rabbit immunized with purified alpha hemolysin produced detectable antibody only to alpha hemoly...

Transcytosis of Staphylococcal Superantigen Toxins

Staphylococcus aureus produces a set of proteins (e.g., staphylococcal enterotoxin A [SEA], SEB, toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 [TSST-1]) which act both as superantigens (SAgs) and toxins. Although their mode of action as SAgs is well understood, little is known about how they enter the body via the intestine and cause food poisoning. To examine this problem we used an in vitro culture system to ...

Bacterial Toxins as Pathogen Weapons Against Phagocytes

Bacterial toxins are virulence factors that manipulate host cell functions and take over the control of vital processes of living organisms to favor microbial infection. Some toxins directly target innate immune cells, thereby annihilating a major branch of the host immune response. In this review we will focus on bacterial toxins that act from the extracellular milieu and hinder the function o...

The Staphylococcal Toxins γ-Hemolysin AB and CB Differentially Target Phagocytes by Employing Specific Chemokine Receptors