Contribution of Pili of S. Pneumoniae in the Onset of Meningitis

Bacterial meningitis is a devastating worldwide disease. Half of the survivors of meningitis remain with permanent neurological sequelae. The pathogenesis of meningitis is based on a complex host-pathogen interaction. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a life-threatening neuroinvasive pathogen that asymptomatically colonizes the upper respiratory tract. Adherence of pneumococci to the host epithelium is a prerequisite in the onset of streptococcal infections; such adherence is favored by the formation of bacterial pili. In this article, we will describe the pneumococcal pili and its contribution to the onset of meningitis.