Abstract
One of the major virulence factors for group A streptococci is the cell surface M protein. Over eighty distinct serotypes of M protein have been identified and with rare exceptions, only one serotype is expressed by each strain. Expression of M protein confers the streptococcal cell with resistance to phagocytosis [Lancefield, 1962; Fox, 1974]. In the immune host, serotype-specific anti-M protein antibodies opsonise the cell, rendering it susceptible to phagocytosis [Lancefield, 1962]. In addition to their anti-phagocytic role, at least some serotypes of M proteins have been shown to contain host-tissue cross-reactive epitopes within their covalent structures [Dale and Beachey, 1982; Bisno et al, 1982; Kraus and Beachey, 1988]. It has been suggested that host-cross-reactive (HCR) antibodies induced by these epitopes might contribute to the pathogenesis of serious post-streptococcal sequelae, such as acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and post-streptococcal acute glomerulonephritis (AGN).
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References
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Kehoe, M.A. et al. (1990). Molecular Biology of Group A Streptococcal M Proteins. In: Wadström, T., Eliasson, I., Holder, I., Ljungh, Å. (eds) Pathogenesis of Wound and Biomaterial-Associated Infections. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3454-1_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3454-1_5
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