Francisella tularensis – a deceitful pathogen

Francisella tularensis is an intracellular bacterial pathogen which causes a potentially lethal disease named tularemia. Some studies have been conducted to describe and identify the virulence factors of F. tularensis. This pathogen is able to infect a variety of cells of various hosts, including wild animals, especially rabbits, hares and rodents, and humans. This may suggest that genes of F. tularensis must adapt to many different intraorganismal environments. Still, little is known about the virulence of F. tularensis. This review focuses on the main virulence factors of F. tularensis which are involved in intramacrophage replication and its survival mechanisms during infection.

1. Introduction. 2. Pathogenicity and source of infection. 3. Epidemiology. 4. Intracellular life cycle. 5. Virulence factors. 5.1. Capsule. 5.2. LPS. 5.3. Type IV Pili (Tfp). 5.4. Regulator MglA. 5.5. Francisella Pathogenity Island (FPI). 5.6. Outer membrane proteins (OMP). 5.7. Secreted proteins and secretion systems. 6. Summary

1. Wstęp. 2. Chorobotwórczość, źródła i drogi zakażenia. 3. Występowanie choroby. 4. Wewnątrzkomórkowy cykl życiowy F. tularensis. 5. Czynniki zjadliwości F. tularensis. 5.1. Otoczka. 5.2. Lipopolisacharyd (LPS). 5.3. Pili typu IV. 5.4. Regulator MglA. 5.5. Francisella Pathogenity Island (FPI). 5.6. Białka błony zewnętrznej. 5.7. Białka wydzielnicze i systemy sekrecji. 6. Podsumowanie