Leptospires Macrophage Interactions

Abstract

Leptospires are known to be invasive germs: their possibility to spread through the body fluids and tissues could reside in the fact that pathogenic leptospires are able to escape for a time the natural defenses of the host, namely phagocytosis and the antibody-complement system. According to Johnson^1,2normal serum of various mammalian species exerts its antileptospiral activity primarily against saprophytic, not pathogenic leptospires. This finding suggests that the basis for the virulence of the pathogenic species lay in their capacity to withstand the bactericidal complement action.