Melioidosis is a severe infection caused by the gram-negative bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is endemic in Southeast Asia. In a new study, Willem Joost Wiersinga and colleagues from the Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam have investigated the role in this infection of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), molecules which are essential to the host defense against pathogens by virtue of their capacity to detect microbes and initiate the immune response. Although both TLR2 and TLR4 contributed to cellular responsiveness to B. pseudomallei in vitro, only TLR2 had an effect on the immune response in a mouse model of the disease. The authors conclude that inhibition of TLR2 may be a novel treatment strategy in melioidosis.
Citation: Wiersinga WJ, Wieland CW, Dessing MC, Chantratita N, Cheng AC, et al. (2007) Toll-like receptor 2 impairs host defense in gramnegative sepsis caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei (melioidosis). PLoS Med 4(7): e248.
IN YOUR ARTICLE, PLEASE LINK TO THIS URL, WHICH WILL PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE PUBLISHED PAPER:: http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040248
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-04-07-wiersinga.pdf
CONTACT:
Willem Joost Wiersinga
Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam
Department of Medicine and Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine
Meibergdreef 9, room G2-132
Amsterdam, 1105 AZ
Netherlands
+31-20-5669111
+31-20-6977192 (fax)
w.j.wiersinga@amc.uva.nl
About PLoS Medicine
PLoS Medicine is an open access, freely available international medical journal. It publishes original research that enhances our understanding of human health and disease, together with commentary and analysis of important global health issues. For more information, visit http://www.plosmedicine.org
About the Public Library of Science
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org
Journal
PLoS Medicine