The three extra-cellular zinc metalloproteinases of Streptococcus pneumoniae have a different impact on virulence in mice

摘要

BackgroundStreptococcus pneumoniae possesses large zinc metalloproteinases on its surface. To analyse the importance in virulence of three of these metalloproteinases, intranasal challenge of MF1 outbred mice was carried out using a range of infecting doses of wild type and knock-out pneumococcal mutant strains, in order to compare mice survival.