Participation of Extracellular Vesicles of Extracellular Pathogens in Contact-Independent Mechanisms of Pathogenicity

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are spherical particles of different sizes and contents that participate in physiological as well as pathogenic processes. According to their size and biogenesis, they are classified into exosomes, ectosomes or microvesicles and apoptotic bodies. The emission of these vesicles is an evolutionarily conserved physiological process carried out by both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. This review focuses on EVs emitted by extracellular pathogenic organisms; bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and helminths, which mediate pathogen-host and pathogen-pathogen communication, playing a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of these organisms, forming part of contactindependent pathogenic mechanisms. The participation of EVs in adhesion, cell invasion, immunomodulation, induction of cell damage and death, as well as the transfer of resistance factors, is described through the review of articles published on the PUBMED platform from 2010 to date using the keyword "extracellular vesicles".