Chapter 10 Pathogen and Toxin Entry - How Pathogens and Toxins Induce and Harness Endocytotic Mechanisms

Abstract

Humans have been exposed to a plethora of pathogens (bacteria, viruses) ever since. Infectious diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide. For example, in 2011, 1.34 million people died of tuberculosis, which is caused by an infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Even more died of an infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; 1.78 million) or lower respiratory tract infection (3.46 million) [1]. In addition, recurring pandemic outbreaks of the influenza A virus, as in 2009, or an epidemic outbreak of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) in Germany in 2011, show quite plainly that pathogens in the 21th century still are a severe health problem, not only in developing countries.