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Review
. 2020 Jan;22(1):e13132.
doi: 10.1111/cmi.13132. Epub 2019 Nov 10.

Strategies used by bacterial pathogens to cross the blood-brain barrier

Loic Le Guennec  1   2   3 , Mathieu Coureuil  4   5   6 , Xavier Nassif  4   5   6   7 , Sandrine Bourdoulous  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Strategies used by bacterial pathogens to cross the blood-brain barrier

Loic Le Guennec et al. Cell Microbiol. 2020 Jan.

Abstract

The skull, spine, meninges, and cellular barriers at the blood-brain and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid interfaces well protect the brain and meningeal spaces against microbial invasion. However, once in the bloodstream, a range of pathogenic bacteria is able to reach the brain and cause meningitis. Despite advances in antibacterial therapy, bacterial meningitis remains one of the most important infectious diseases worldwide. The most common causative bacteria in children and adults are Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis associated with high morbidity and mortality, while among neonates, most cases of bacterial meningitis are due to group B Streptococcus and Escherichia coli. Here we summarise our current knowledge on the strategies used by these bacterial pathogens to survive in the bloodstream, to colonise the brain vasculature and to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Keywords: bacterial invasion; blood-brain barrier; endothelial cells; inflammation; meningitis; virulence factors.

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