Open AccessIntracellular microbes and haemophagocytosis
Author(s) -
SilvaHerzog Eugenia,
Detweiler Corrella S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
cellular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.542
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1462-5822
pISSN - 1462-5814
DOI - 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2008.01192.x
Subject(s) - biology , typhoid fever , phagocyte , context (archaeology) , immunology , macrophage , salmonella enterica , phagocytosis , microbiology and biotechnology , virology , salmonella , genetics , bacteria , paleontology , in vitro
Summary Haemophagocytosis (hemophagocytosis) is the phenomenon of activated macrophage consumption of red and white blood cells, including professional phagocytes and lymphocytes. It can occur in patients with severe cases of intracellular microbial infection, including avian influenza, leishmaniasis, tuberculosis and typhoid fever. While well‐known to physicians since at least the mid‐1800s, haemophagocytosis has been little studied due to a paucity of tractable animal and cell culture models. Recently, haemophagocytosis has been described in a mouse model of typhoid fever, and it was noted that the infectious agent, Salmonella enterica, resides within haemophagocytic macrophages in mice. In addition, a cell culture model for haemophagocytosis revealed that S. enterica preferentially replicate in haemophagocytic macrophages. This review describes how, at the molecular and cellular levels, S. enterica may promote and take advantage of haemophagocytosis to establish long‐term systemic infections in mammals. The role, relevance and possible molecular mechanisms of haemophagocytosis are discussed within the context of other microbial infections and of genetic deficiencies in which haemophagocytosis occurs and is associated with morbidity.