Beyond the antibody: B cells as a target for bacterial infection

It is well established that B cells play an important role during infections beyond antibody production. B cells produce cytokines and are APCs for T cells. Recently, it has become clear that several pathogenic bacterial genera, such as Salmonella , Brucella , Mycobacterium , Listeria , Francisella , Moraxella , and Helicobacter , have evolved mechanisms such as micropinocytosis induction, inflammasome down‐regulation, inhibitory molecule expression, apoptosis induction, and anti‐inflammatory cytokine secretion to manipulate B cell functions influencing immune responses. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of B cells as targets of bacterial infection and the mechanisms by which B cells become a niche for bacterial survival and replication away from extracellular immune responses such as complement and antibodies.