[Pneumococcus pathogenicity factors and their protective properties].

Owing to rapid development of molecular-biological and genetic methods of research in infectology as well as use of adequate models (tissue colonization of human respiratory epithelium, mice models of colonization, sepsis and meningitis), a significant progress in the field of pneumococcus pathogenicity factors has been made in the last decades. Aside from the well-known pathogenicity factor--capsule polysaccharide, to date several dozens of surface proteins providing adhesion, colonization and invasion have been detected in pneumococcus. Pneumolysin is a toxic factor and at the same time brain invasion factor. Many of the known pathogenicity factors play a role in formation of biofilm that facilitates prolonged colonization of nasopharynx. Protective activity has been proved for some of the surface proteins and pneumolysin that forms the base for development of novel rational pneumococcal vaccines as an alternative to polysaccharide.