Mucinases and sialidases: their role in the pathogenesis of sexually transmitted infections in the female genital tract

Background: Mucinases and sialidases contribute to the process of invasion and colonisation in many conditions and infections of the female reproducti ve tract by degrading the protective cervical mucus. The role of hydrolytic enzymes in the pathogenesis of sexually transmitted diseases and their eff ect on cervical mucus are discussed in this review. Methods: Articles were searched for using the keywords "sialidase," "mucina se," "protease," and "sexually transmitted infections." As well as review a nd other articles held by our group, searches were conducted using PubMed, Grateful Med, and the University of Bath search engine, BIDS. Results: Numerous publications were found describing the production of hydr olytic enzymes in sexually transmitted diseases. Because the number of publ ications exceeded the restrictions imposed on the size of the review, the a uthors selected and discussed those which they considered of the most relev ance to sexually transmitted infections.