Abstract

PIZARRO-CERDA, Javier. Asociación de patógenos bacterianos a células eucariotas: el caso de parasitismo intracelular de brucella abortus. Rev. costarric. cienc. méd [online]. 1999, vol.20, n.1-2, pp.85-102. ISSN 0253-2948.

Brucella abortus is an intracellular parasite that infects a broad range of mammals, including humans. This bacterium promotes its own internalization in epithelial celis inducing local cytoskeletal rearrangements. Within the intracelular space, Brucella locates initially to an early compartment of the endocytic/phagocytic cascade; however, the pathogen rapidly escapes from this intracellular pathway and associates to the autophagocytic cascade. During the late stages of infection, Brucella proliferases within the endoplasmic reticulum of infected celis. Brucellae posses a system for the regulated transcription of virulence genes that includes a sensor transmembrane protein and a cytoplasmic regulatory protein: this two-component regulatory complex allows the bacteria to adapt to the different microenvironments that the parasite confront at each step during the process of intracelular infection. These biological properties might favor the use of Brucella abortus as a recombinant vaccinal vector.

Keywords : Parasite; lntracellular trafficking; Phagosome; Autophagocytosis; Endoplasmic reticulum; Regulatory system; Lipopolysaccharide; Cationic peptides; Recombinant vaccine.