The activity of sialic acids, known to play critical roles in biology and many pathological processes, is finely regulated by a class of enzymes called sialidases, also known as neuraminidases. These are present in mammals and many other biological systems, such as viruses and bacteria.
In a review just accepted for publication in Frontiers In Microbiology, we focused on co-infections at the level of the respiratory epithelium, the scene of multiple functional interactions between host, viral and bacterial neuraminidases. This topic illustrates the complexity of respiratory co-infections that need to be further explored through multidisciplinary approaches. Strategies targeting or mimicking the activity of neuraminidases could be a very interesting avenue for the development of treatments for bacterial superinfections.
Reference: Escuret V, Terrier O. Co-infection of the respiratory epithelium, scene of complex functional interactions between viral, bacterial, and human neuraminidases. Front Microbiol. 2023;14. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1137336.
Respiratory coinfections 