Introduction:

Pathogenicity : Is the ability to cause disease by overcoming the defences of a host Virulence : Is the degree of pathogenicity.

How Microorganisms Enter a Host

The specific rout by which a particular pathogen gains access to the body is called its portal of entry.

Portal of Entry: Many of microorganisms can penetrate Mucous membranes of the Conjunctiva and the Respiratory
(Microorganisms that are inhaled with droplets of moisture and dust particles gain access to the respiratory tract. And It is the most common portal of entry). Gastrointestinal (Microorganisms enter the gastrointestinal tract via food, water, and contaminated fingers). Genitourinary tracts (Microorganisms that gain access via the genitourinary tract can enter the body through mucous membranes).

Most microorganisms cannot penetrate intact skin; they enter hair follicles and sweat ducts. Some microorganisms can gain access to tissues by inoculation through the skin and mucous membranes in bites , injections , and other wounds. This rout of penetration is called the parenteral route.

The Underlying Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogenicity

Two broad qualities of pathogenic bacteria underlie the means by which they cause disease:

1. Invasiveness is the ability to invade tissues. It encompasses mechanisms for colonization (adherence and initial multiplication), production of extracellular substances which facilitate invasion (invasions) and ability to bypass or overcome host defence mechanisms.
2. Toxigenesis is the ability to produce toxins. Bacteria may produce two types of toxins called exotoxins and endotoxins.

Sites of entry in human hosts include the Colonization: urogenital tract, the The first stage digestive tract, of the microbial infection is the respiratory tract and colonization : the conjunctiva. Organisms establishment of regions the that infect these pathogen at the have usually developed appropriate portal of tissue adherence entry. Pathogens mechanisms and usually some colonize host tissues ability to overcome orthat are in contact with the withstand the constant external pressureenvironment of the host defenses at the surface.

Bacterial Adherence to Mucosal Surfaces.

In its simplest form, bacterial adherence or attachment to a eukaryotic cell or tissue surface requires the participation of two factors: a receptor and an ligand. The receptors so far defined are usually specific carbohydrate or peptide residues on the eucaryotic cell surface. The bacterial ligand, called an adhesin, is typically a macromolecular component of the bacterial cell surface which interacts with the host cell receptor. Adhesins and receptors usually interact in a complementary and specific fashion.

Specific adherence

Mechanisms of Adherence to Cell or Tissue Surfaces

The mechanisms for adherence may involve two steps:
1. nonspecific adherence: reversible attachment of the bacterium to the eucaryotic surface (sometimes called "docking") . 2. specific adherence: reversible permanent attachment of the microorganism to the surface (sometimes called "anchoring").

How bacterial pathogens penetrate Host Defenses :

Capsules
Some pathogens have capsules that prevent them from being phagocytized.

Cell wall component

Proteins in the cell wall can facilitate adherence or prevent a pathogen from being phagocytized Enzymes
-Local infections can be protected in fibrin clot caused by the bacterial enzyme coagulase. -Bacterial can spread from a focal infection by means of kinases (which destroy the blood clots) , hyaluronidase (which destroys a mucopolysaccharide that holds cells together) , and collagenase (which hydrolyzes connective tissue collagen). -IgA proteases destroy IgA antibodies.

Antigenic Variation:
Some microbes vary expression of antigens, thus avoiding the hosts antibodies.

Penetration into the Host Cell Cytoskeleton:

Bacterial may produce proteins that alter the action of the host cells cytoskeleton allowing bacteria into the cell.

Killing of phagocytes:
An alterative strategy is for the microorganism to kill the phagocyte, This can be achieved by the production of leucocidins (e.g. Staphylococci ,streptococci ) wich promote the discharge of lysosomal substances into the cytoplasm of the phagocyte rather than into the vacuole, thus directing the phagocytes lethal activity towards itself

How Bacterial Pathogens Damage Host Cell:

Using the Hosts Nutrients: Siderophores
Bacteria get iron from the host using siderophores.

Direct Damage
Host cells can be destroyed when pathogens metabolize and multiply inside the host cells.

The production of Toxins

References:
Tortora & Funke & Case (2010) Microbiology: An Introduction,10th ed., Benjamin Cummings. Hugo & Russell`s (2004) Pharmaceutical microbiology, 7th ed., Blackwell Publishing Todar's Online Textbook of Bacteriology (http://www.textbookofbacteriology.net/pathogenesis.html).