How do bacteria cause disease in humans? This review explores the diverse mechanisms employed by pathogenic bacteria to infect and harm their hosts. A key focus is on the range of molecules that bacteria use to bind to host cells, facilitating various host responses. These molecular strategies can be unique to specific bacterial pathogens or conserved across multiple species. Complete genome sequences for several bacterial pathogens, combined with bioinformatics tools, are helping to identify and characterize these strategies. Ultimately, the review emphasizes that identifying and characterizing these bacterial strategies is crucial for developing effective strategies to combat bacterial diseases. It also highlights the promise of genomics and bioinformatics in advancing this understanding.
Published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal, this review aligns with the journal's scope on providing accessible and clinically relevant information for medical professionals. By discussing the mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity, it informs readers about the intricacies of bacterial infections and strategies for combating them.