Identification of Hemagglutinin Protein from Streptococcus pneumoniae Pili as a Vaccine Candidate by Proteomic Analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a Gram-positive, bacterial human pathogen that causes a large number of respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia and sinusitis, as well as invasive diseases such as septicemia and meningitis. Among the surface-exposed virulence factors, the pneumococcal pilus has been shown to play a role in host-cell adhesion. Hemagglutinin activity has been shown to correlate with adhesion ability. The purpose of this study was to identify of S. pneumoniae pili proteins with hemagglutinin activity, and to proteonomically analyze such proteins as potential vaccine candidates.