pubmed article on strep

[mkur]

FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2009 Apr;55(3):422-31. Epub 2009 Feb 19.

The early interferon response of nasal-associated lymphoid tissue to Streptococcus pyogenes infection.

Hyland KA, Brennan R, Olmsted SB, Rojas E, Murphy E, Wang B, Cleary PP.

Source

Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55413, USA. hyla0021@umn.edu

Abstract

Streptococcus pyogenes is a major causative agent of tonsillitis or pharyngitis in children. Streptococcus pyogenes can persist in tonsils, and one-third of children treated with antibiotics continue to shed streptococci and have recurrent infections. Mouse nasal-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) is functionally analogous to human oropharyngeal lymphoid tissues, and serves as a model for characterization of the mucosal innate immune response to S. pyogenes. Wild-type S. pyogenes induces transcription of both type I and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-responsive genes, proinflammatory genes and acute-phase response proteins 24 h after intranasal infection. Invasion of NALT and the induction of the interferon response were not dependent on expression of antiphagocytic M protein. Intranasal infection induces a substantial influx of neutrophils into NALT at 24 h, which declines by 48 h after infection. Infection of IFN-gamma(-/-) [iFN-gamma knock-out mouse (GKO)] C57BL/6 mice with wild-type S. pyogenes resulted in local dissemination of bacteria to draining lymph nodes (LN), but did not lead to systemic infection by 48 h after infection. Infected GKO mice had an increased influx of neutrophils into NALT compared with immunocompetent mice. Thus, IFN-gamma-induced responses are required to prevent local dissemination of streptococci to the draining LN.

PMID: 19243434 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

1/3 of children have recurrent infections is scary. What are wild-type S. pyogenes?

[dcmom]

Actually, the strep "experts" consider a recurrent infection (within a month I think) actually not recurrent, but the SAME infection never gone. What this sounds like to me is that 1/3 of children are improperly treated for strep, maybe because the antibiotic prescribed is not sufficient.