Bacterial pili: structure, synthesis and role in disease

Abstract This book provides a comprehensive review of available research on the structure, synthesis and role in disease of bacterial pili. The first 6 chapters are about pili in gram-negative bacteria, and review the contribution of many scientists, beginning with the first experiments by Lederberg and Tatum in the late 1940s with their discovery of bacterial conjugation (even though at the time they were still unaware of the existence of pili). Chapters 7-13, focus on the discovery of pili in gram-positive organisms, starting with Corynebacterium diphtheria and then focusing on streptococci. Areas covered include the biogenesis of pili, their unusual structural characteristics that include inter- and intramolecular isopeptide bonds and the role of pili in disease processes. This book is written for anyone in the field of microbiology or those with an interest in bacterial pathogenesis and infectious diseases, and their application to therapeutics.