Area 51: How do Acanthamoeba invade the central nervous system?

Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Richard Emes, Hany M. Elsheikha, Naveed Ahmed Khan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Acanthamoeba granulomatous encephalitis generally develops as a result of haematogenous spread, but it is unclear how circulating amoebae enter the central nervous system (CNS) and cause inflammation. At present, the mechanisms which Acanthamoeba use to invade this incredibly well-protected area of the CNS and produce infection are not well understood. In this paper, we propose two key virulence factors: mannose-binding protein and extracellular serine proteases as key players in Acanthamoeba traversal of the blood–brain barrier leading to neuronal injury. Both molecules should provide excellent opportunities as potential targets in the rational development of therapeutic interventions against Acanthamoeba encephalitis.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)185-189
Number of pages5
JournalTrends in Parasitology
Volume27
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2011

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