Pathogenicity islands: A molecular toolbox for bacterial virulence

Ohad Gal-Mor, B. Brett Finlay*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalShort surveypeer-review

274 Scopus citations

Abstract

Pathogenicity islands (PAIs) are distinct genetic elements on the chromosomes of a large number of bacterial pathogens. PAIs encode various virulence factors and are normally absent from non-pathogenic strains of the same or closely related species. PAIs are considered to be a subclass of genomic islands that are acquired by horizontal gene transfer via transduction, conjugation and transformation, and provide 'quantum leaps' in microbial evolution. Data based on numerous sequenced bacterial genomes demonstrate that PAIs are present in a wide range of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial pathogens of humans, animals and plants. Recent research focused on PAIs has not only led to the identification of many novel virulence factors used by these species during infection of their respective hosts, but also dramatically changed our way of thinking about the evolution of bacterial virulence.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1707-1719
Number of pages13
JournalCellular Microbiology
Volume8
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2006
Externally publishedYes

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