New Publication: Identification of plasminogen-binding sites in Streptococcus suis enolase that contribute to bacterial translocation across the blood-brain barrier

Streptococcus suis bacteria are abundant colonizers of the pig upper airways. Some S. suis lineages are emerging zoonotic pathogens that cause invasive disease leading to inflammation of the brain, or meningitis, in pigs and humans. Meningitis-associated S. suis produce virulence factors that enable them to cross the blood-brain barrier. We show that meningitis-associated S. suis produce surface-exposed enolase enzymes that once bound to human plasminogen or plasmin, facilitate bacterial translocation across endothelial cell monolayers. Surface-exposed enolase thus appears to promote invasion of the brain by meningitis-associated S. suis. Surface-exposed enolase might offer leads or targets to develop novel vaccines or anti-infectives; such compounds could contribute to lowering use of antibiotics to treat or avoid porcine or human S. suis infections.