Virulence factors of brucella: a review

Abstract:

Brucella is a Gram-negative, intracellular parasitic bacterium that can cause zoonosis- brucellosis. The pathogenic mechanism of Brucella is complex. Brucella can evade or inhibit the attack of host immune system and exert its pathogenic effect on the body by expressing a variety of virulence factors, so as to achieve its long-term survival in the host. Therefore, brucellosis is easy to transform into chronic infection. This paper reviews the research progress of a variety of virulence factors of brucellosis, in order to further understand the pathogenic mechanism of brucellosis and provide reference for the prevention and treatment of brucellosis.

Key words:brucellosis, virulence factors, immune evasion