Phospholipases in Bacterial Virulence and Pathogenesis

Infectious diseases are caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites. These may be communicable, acquired from contaminated food or water, or may spread by insect bites, etc. A number of bacteria reside inside the human host harmlessly and some of them are even beneficial, but there are some bacteria that are responsible for causing disease under certain conditions. Few of the bacterial infections are deadliest like tuberculosis [1], acinetobacter infections, memingitis, salmonellosis, etc which claim lives of a number of people every year. Antibiotics are used as the medication for their treatment as they interfere in the processes that are crucial for bacterial survival. But in due course of time, bacteria become resistant to these antibiotics and it becomes difficult to control these infectious diseases [2]. So, by having the complete knowledge of the whole process of bacterial infections and various virulence factors that are responsible for their pathogenesis, it would be easier to combat the disease. These microbial pathogens invade the host defense mechanism by using a number of genetic strategies [3]. The bacteria use multiple virulence factors that enable the bacteria to replicate, colonize, and disseminate within the host. In the process of bacterial pathogenesis, the bacteria have to invade the host cell which can involve enzymes and toxins [4]. Phospholipases (PLs) are reported to be one of the enzymes involved in host cell invasion in a number of diseases [5]. Phospholipids and phospholipases