Persistent intracellular pathogens

Intracellular pathogens live and replicate either within endosomal compartments or in the cytosol of diverse host cells such as macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, fibroblasts, epithelial or endothelial cells or erythrocytes. Examples not only include all viruses, which represent obligate intracellular pathogens in the strictest sense, but also many different bacterial pathogens as well as certain protozoa and fungi that display either an obligate or at least facultative intracellular lifestyle in mammalian cells.One of the hallmarks of many intracellular pathogens is their ability to persist for long periods, if not lifelong, in their mammalian hosts. Persistent infections are typically initiated with an acute infection associated with disease symptoms of different …