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Quorum Sensing in Streptococci

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Control of Biofilm Infections by Signal Manipulation

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Biofilms ((BIOFILMS,volume 2))

Abstract

Emerging studies aimed at understanding the molecular underpinnings of streptococcal infections highlight the importance of quorum sensing (QS) for biofilm formation and virulence in many streptococcal species. Among streptococci, the best characterized quorum sensing system belongs to Streptococcus pneumoniae. Although initially QS was believed to act mainly to acquire and incorporate foreign DNA into the host chromosome, studies implicating its involvement in biofilm formation, fratricide as well as virulence suggested a broader and more varied role for this system in S. pneumoniae. In this chapter, we will discuss the QS system of pneumococci, as well as other streptococci including Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus pyogenes. Furthermore, we will also discuss some interesting studies that have been conducted recently to target QS as a tool to combat or modulate infections associated with streptococcal biofilms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dental Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    M. Dilani Senadheera & Dennis Cvitkovitch

  2. Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

    Fengxia Qi

Authors
  1. M. Dilani Senadheera
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  2. Fengxia Qi
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  3. Dennis Cvitkovitch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dennis Cvitkovitch .

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Naomi Balaban

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© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Senadheera, M., Qi, F., Cvitkovitch, D. (2008). Quorum Sensing in Streptococci. In: Balaban, N. (eds) Control of Biofilm Infections by Signal Manipulation. Springer Series on Biofilms, vol 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/7142_2007_013

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