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 reproductive tract by degrading the protective cervical mucus. The role of hydrolytic enzymes in the pathogenesis of sexually transmitted diseases and their eff...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sexually transmitted infections 2001-12, Vol.77 (6), p.402-408
Main Authors: Wiggins, R, Hicks, S J, Soothill, P W, Millar, M R, Corfield, A P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acids
Biological and medical sciences
Carbohydrates
Cervix Mucus - physiology
Development and progression
Diseases
Enzymes
Female
General aspects
Genital Diseases, Female - enzymology
Genital Diseases, Female - microbiology
Human infectious diseases. Experimental studies and models
Humans
Infectious diseases
Medical sciences
Menstruation
Molecular weight
Mucins - physiology
Neuraminidase - physiology
Pathogenesis
Pathogens
Polysaccharide-Lyases - physiology
Reproductive organs, Female
Review
Rheology
Sexually transmitted diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial - enzymology
Sperm
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background: Mucinases and sialidases contribute to the process of invasion and colonisation in many conditions and infections of the female reproductive tract by degrading the protective cervical mucus. The role of hydrolytic enzymes in the pathogenesis of sexually transmitted diseases and their effect on cervical mucus are discussed in this review. Methods: Articles were searched for using the keywords “sialidase,” “mucinase,” “protease,” and “sexually transmitted infections.” As well as review and 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 hydrolytic enzymes in sexually transmitted diseases. Because the number of publications exceeded the restrictions imposed on the size of the review, the authors selected and discussed those which they considered of the most relevance to sexually transmitted infections.
ISSN:1368-4973
1472-3263
DOI:10.1136/sti.77.6.402