Group A streptococci are model extracellular gram-positive pathogens responsible for
pharyngitis, impetigo, rheumatic fever, and acute glomerulonephritis. A resurgence of …

The emergence of HIV disease and AIDS, the reemergence of tuberculosis, and the
increased opportunity for disease spread through international travel demonstrate the critical …

▪ Abstract Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is an acute onset illness characterized by fever, rash
formation, and hypotension that can lead to multiple organ failure and lethal shock, as well …

As far back of the 1700s, it was recorded that certain infectious disease processes could be
exert beneficial therapeutic effect upon malignancy. Most prominent among the numerous …

We sequenced the genomes of 3,615 strains of serotype Emm protein 1 (M1) group A
Streptococcus to unravel the nature and timing of molecular events contributing to the …

Since the 1980s there has been a marked increase in the recognition and reporting of highly
invasive group A streptococcal infections with or without necrotizing fasciitis associated with …

Superantigens (SAgs) are the most powerful T cell mitogens ever discovered.
Concentrations of less than 0· 1 pg/ml of a bacterial superantigen are sufficient to stimulate …

Genome sequences are available for many bacterial strains, but there has been little
progress in using these data to understand the molecular basis of pathogen emergence and …

Many pathogenic bacteria produce extracellular DNase, but the benefit of this enzymatic
activity is not understood. For example, all strains of the human bacterial pathogen group A …

Publisher Summary This chapter provides evidence that indicates a potential role for
superantigens in the pathogenesis of several human diseases. The term “superantigen” was …