Streptococcus pneumoniae invades the heart and kills responding macrophages

What is it about?

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia. Herein we show that S. pneumoniae invades the heart soon after development of bacteremia. The specific pathology associated with cardiac invasion is bacterial strain-specific and dependent on the production of the toxin pneumolysin. Importantly, immune cells in the heart were killed by pneumolysin.

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Why is it important?

We help to clarify confounding literature in regards to whether S. pneumoniae actually invades the heart. We also show that macrophages in the heart die as a result of pore-forming toxin induced necroptosis. Necroptosis has only recently been appreciated to have a role during infectious diseases.