Neutrophils in innate host defense against Staphylococcus aureus infections

Semin Immunopathol. 2012 Mar;34(2):237-59. doi: 10.1007/s00281-011-0295-3. Epub 2011 Nov 12.

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus has been an important human pathogen throughout history and is currently a leading cause of bacterial infections worldwide. S. aureus has the unique ability to cause a continuum of diseases, ranging from minor skin infections to fatal necrotizing pneumonia. Moreover, the emergence of highly virulent, drug-resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant S. aureus in both healthcare and community settings is a major therapeutic concern. Neutrophils are the most prominent cellular component of the innate immune system and provide an essential primary defense against bacterial pathogens such as S. aureus. Neutrophils are rapidly recruited to sites of infection where they bind and ingest invading S. aureus, and this process triggers potent oxidative and non-oxidative antimicrobial killing mechanisms that serve to limit pathogen survival and dissemination. S. aureus has evolved numerous mechanisms to evade host defense strategies employed by neutrophils, including the ability to modulate normal neutrophil turnover, a process critical to the resolution of acute inflammation. Here we provide an overview of the role of neutrophils in host defense against bacterial pathogens and discuss strategies employed by S. aureus to circumvent neutrophil function.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology
  • Anti-Infective Agents / therapeutic use
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immune Evasion / immunology
  • Immunity, Innate / immunology*
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / immunology
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / pathogenicity
  • Neutrophils / immunology*
  • Neutrophils / metabolism
  • Staphylococcal Infections / drug therapy
  • Staphylococcal Infections / immunology*
  • Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects
  • Staphylococcus aureus / immunology*
  • Virulence

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents