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Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 18e
| Part 8. Infectious Diseases > Section 1. Basic Considerations in Infectious Diseases > |
Chapter 120. Molecular Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis
Sections: Molecular Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis: Introduction, Further Readings.
Topics Discussed: bacterial infection; infectious disease pathology; pathogenesis of infection.
Excerpt:"Over the past four decades, molecular studies of the pathogenesis of microorganisms have yielded an explosion of information about the various microbial and host molecules that contribute to the processes of infection and disease. These processes can be classified into several stages: microbial encounter with and entry into the host; microbial growth after entry; avoidance of innate host defenses; tissue invasion and tropism; tissue damage; and transmission to new hosts. Virulence is the measure of an organism's capacity to cause disease and is a function of the pathogenic factors elaborated by microbes. These factors promote colonization (the simple presence of potentially pathogenic microbes in or on a host), infection (attachment and growth of pathogens and avoidance of host defenses), and disease (often, but not always, the result of activities of secreted toxins or toxic metabolites). In addition, the host's inflammatory response to infection greatly contributes to disease and its attendant clinical signs and symptoms.A microbial pathogen can potentially enter any part of a host organism. In general, the type of disease produced by a particular microbe is often a direct consequence of its route of entry into the body. The most common..."
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