Defensive strategies of Bacillus anthracis that promote a fatal disease

Bacillus anthracis is a Gram-positive bacterium that causes anthrax. Bacterial spores that enter the host germinate into metabolically active bacilli that disseminate throughout the body and replicate to high numbers. Two virulence factors are essential for this unrestrained growth. The first is a weakly immunogenic poly-γ-d-glutamic acid capsule that surrounds the bacilli and confers resistance to phagocytosis. The second virulence factor, anthrax toxin, disrupts multiple host functions to diminish the immune response.

Section editor:W. Conrad Liles – Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada