To survive adverse conditions, some bacterialspecies are capable of developing into a cell type, the “spore,”which exhibits minimal metabolic activity and remains viable inthe presence of multiple environmental challenges. For somepathogenic bacteria, this developmental state serves as a meansof survival during transmission from one host to another.Spores are the highly infectious form of these bacteria.Upon entrance into a host, specific signals facilitate germinationinto metabolically active replicating organisms, resulting indisease pathogenesis. In this article, we will review sporestructure and function in well-studied pathogens of two genera,Bacillus and Clostridium, focusing on Bacillus anthracis andClostridium difficile, and explore current data regarding thelifestyles of these bacteria outside the host and transmissionfrom one host to another.
展开▼
