ARTHRITIS AND SEPSIS CAUSED BY STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS - CAN THE TISSUE-INJURY BE REDUCED BY MODULATING THE HOSTS IMMUNE-SYSTEM

In recent years, a number of virulence factors that are either express ed, secreted or sequestered by staphylococci have been shown to affect the outcome of the infective process. Secretion of superantigens and exposure of the immune system to sequestered bacterial DNA aggravates the inflammatory response of the infected host to a point that can be life threatening. This exaggerated inflammatory response is mediated b y cytokines originating from activated T cells and macrophages. Recent studies show that downregulation of lymphocyte and macrophage respons es (e.g, by treatment with corticosteroids) significantly alleviates t he outcome of staphylococcal infections when combined with appropriate antibiotics.