The coagulation system and its role in bacterial infections.

Abstract

The coagulation system and its inhibitors maintain the hemostatic balance during injury and can modulate the inflammatory response. In addition, the coagulation system is important in host responses to bacterial infections and the local formation of fibrin prevents spread of invading pathogens. However, invasive bacteria are capable of evading this response by stimulating or suppressing the activity of host proteases. This thesis describes some examples of bacterial interactions with different stages of the coagulation system and the results for bacterial dissemination. In addition, recent findings on the role of coagulation in the inflammatory response and the activation of the complement system are discussed.