Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.2.1.36 (hyaluronidase)
 4,606 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Group A streptococci (S. pyogenes) possess a number of capsule and cell wall associated components and release many extracellular proteins (toxins and hydrolytic enzymes) that are known or thought to contribute to the virulence and pathogenicity of the microorganism. Groupe A streptococci cause a wide array of infections, the most frequent of which are acute pharyngitis and pyoderma with two severe sequelae (acute rheumatic fever and glomerulonephritis). Other manifestations are scarlet fever and various soft tissue infections as well as sepsis and the recently characterized streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. The somatic components of group A streptococci include cell wall M protein, capsular hyaluronic acid, lipoteichoic acid, peptidoglycan, fibronectin binding protein, C5a peptidase and receptors for various human plasma proteins particularly IgA and IgG. The extracellular products are numerous and consist of among others the hemolytic toxins streptolysins S and O, hyaluronidase, streptokinase and cysteinyl proteinase as well as the superantigens erythrogenic toxins A and C also known as pyrogenic exotoxins.
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PMID:[Cellular constituents and extracellular proteins involved in the pathogenic capacity of Streptococcus group A]. 873 28

The last decade has witnessed a remarkable change in the epidemiology of group A streptococcal infections. There has been a marked increase globally in the reporting of invasive infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, Lancefield group A streptococci. Many of these cases were deep-seated infections associated with shock and multi-organ failure and are defined as streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. In addition, reports of streptococcal sequelae, in particular, acute rheumatic fever, have re-emerged and remain a serious health threat in developed countries. It appears that these infections are related to the type distributions of the organism among the general population, with the re-emergence of more 'virulent' strains, such as the M1 serotype which in earlier decades was primarily seen in cases of either superficial disease or scarlet fever. Population-based surveillance studies have clearly indicated the importance and relevance of type identification for epidemiological purposes. There have also been suggestions that certain extracellular products and toxins play a major role in the so-called 'increased virulence' of the organism; these include cell surface molecules such as the M protein, opacity factor, the hyaluronic acid capsule, C5a peptidase and streptococcal inhibitor of complement (SIC), in addition to secreted proteins, pyrogenic exotoxins, cysteine proteinase, streptolysins O and S, hyaluronidase, streptokinase and other enzymes. All these factors, and events during the last decade, strongly emphasize the need for a better understanding of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, treatment and prevention of group A streptococcal infections.
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PMID:Group A streptococci in the 1990s. 1075 57