This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Barbosa, A. S.
Right arrow Articles by Isaac, L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Barbosa, A. S.
Right arrow Articles by Isaac, L.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, March 2009, p. 1137-1143, Vol. 77, No. 3
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01310-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Immune Evasion of Leptospira Species by Acquisition of Human Complement Regulator C4BP{triangledown}

Angela S. Barbosa,1* Patricia A. E. Abreu,1 Sílvio A. Vasconcellos,2 Zenaide M. Morais,2 Amane P. Gonçales,2 Aldacilene S. Silva,3 Mohamed R. Daha,4 and Lourdes Isaac3

Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, Avenida Vital Brazil, 1500, 05503-900, São Paulo, Brazil,1 Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil,2 Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil,3 Department of Nephrology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands4

Received 26 October 2008/ Returned for modification 30 November 2008/ Accepted 21 December 2008

Leptospirosis is a spirochetal zoonotic disease of global distribution with a high incidence in tropical regions. In the last 15 years it has been recognized as an important emerging infectious disease due to the occurrence of large outbreaks in warm-climate countries and, occasionally, in temperate regions. Pathogenic leptospires efficiently colonize target organs after penetrating the host. Their invasiveness is attributed to the ability to multiply in blood, adhere to host cells, and penetrate into tissues. Therefore, they must be able to evade the innate host defense. The main purpose of the present study was to evaluate how several Leptospira strains evade the protective function of the complement system. The serum resistance of six Leptospira strains was analyzed. We demonstrate that the pathogenic strain isolated from infected hamsters avoids serum bactericidal activity more efficiently than the culture-attenuated or the nonpathogenic Leptospira strains. Moreover, both the alternative and the classical pathways of complement seem to be responsible for the killing of leptospires. Serum-resistant and serum-intermediate strains are able to bind C4BP, whereas the serum-sensitive strain Patoc I is not. Surface-bound C4BP promotes factor I-mediated cleavage of C4b. Accordingly, we found that pathogenic strains displayed reduced deposition of the late complement components C5 to C9 upon exposure to serum. We conclude that binding of C4BP contributes to leptospiral serum resistance against host complement.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, Avenida Vital Brazil, 1500, 05503-900, São Paulo, Brazil. Phone: 5511 37267222, x2271. Fax: 5511 37261505. E-mail: angelabarbosa{at}butantan.gov.br

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 29 December 2008.

Editor: A. J. Bäumler

Infection and Immunity, March 2009, p. 1137-1143, Vol. 77, No. 3
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01310-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Monahan, A. M., Callanan, J. J., Nally, J. E. (2009). REVIEW PAPER: Host-Pathogen Interactions in the Kidney during Chronic Leptospirosis. Vet Pathol 46: 792-799 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»