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Review
. 2021 Apr 28:11:639450.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.639450. eCollection 2021.

Mechanisms Underlying Pneumococcal Transmission and Factors Influencing Host-Pneumococcus Interaction: A Review

Ayumi Morimura  1 , Shigeto Hamaguchi  1   2 , Yukihiro Akeda  1   2   3 , Kazunori Tomono  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Mechanisms Underlying Pneumococcal Transmission and Factors Influencing Host-Pneumococcus Interaction: A Review

Ayumi Morimura et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

Streptococcus pneumoniae (also called pneumococcus) is not only a commensal that frequently colonizes the human upper respiratory tract but also a pathogen that causes pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. The mechanism of pneumococcal infection has been extensively studied, but the process of transmission has not been fully elucidated because of the lack of tractable animal models. Novel animal models of transmission have enabled further progress in investigating pneumococcal transmission mechanisms including the processes such as pneumococcal shedding, survival in the external environment, and adherence to the nasopharynx of a new host. Herein, we present a review on these animal models, recent research findings about pneumococcal transmission, and factors influencing the host-pneumococcus interaction.

Keywords: Streptococcus pneumoniae; animal models; bacterial shedding; bacterial transmission; pneumococcal transmission.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Route of transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Streptococcus pneumoniae colonizes the mucosal surface of the upper respiratory tract. It can be transmitted to new hosts by droplets, direct contact, or via fomites. Vaccination prevents its transmission.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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