MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF BRUCELLA PERSISTENCE

Brucellosis is an infectious, especially dangerous zoonotic disease of agricultural and wild animals, from which it is transmitted to humans and characterized by a chronic course with disability of working-age patients. Bacteria of the genus Brucella are facultative intracellular pathogens capable of multiplying and persisting in the host’s immune cells with the development of chronic infection. The host-specific evolutionary mechanisms allow Brucella to hide and manipulate the systems of innate and acquired cellular immunity to achieve intracellular persistence. The review describes the molecular mechanisms that ensure the persistence of the causative agent of brucellosis. The evolution of Brucella species is associated with the adaptation of intracellular preservation and persistence in the formed granulomatous structures. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of Brucella persistence should be considered in programs for its control and elimination, and also allows the development of new effective tools for the prevention and treatment of brucellosis.