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1: Microb Pathog. 2008 Sep;45(3):231-5. Epub 2008 Jul 2.
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Group B streptococcus induces trophoblast death.

Kaplan A, Chung K, Kocak H, Bertolotto C, Uh A, Hobel CJ, Simmons CF, Doran K, Liu GY, Equils O.

Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is one of the leading causes of neonatal infection; however the molecular mechanisms involved are not clearly known. Here we used high and low hemolytic GBS isolates and mutant GBS that lacks beta-hemolysin expression and showed that GBS infection or exposure to GBS hemolysin extract induces primary human trophoblast, placental fibroblast and JEG3 trophoblast cell line death, and that GBS-induced trophoblast death was beta-hemolysin dependent. The fibroblasts and trophoblasts provide an innate immune barrier between fetal and maternal circulation in the placenta. These data suggest that GBS may disrupt this barrier to invade fetal circulation.

Publication Types:
PMID: 18599257 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PMCID: PMC2610016 [Available on 2009/09/01]