Pathogen-host jujitsu: phagocyte impotence caused by internalized bacterial adenylate cyclase.

Humans and animals infected with Bordetella species show evidence of impaired host defenses. These pathogenic bacteria produce a unique adenylate cyclase which enters human phagocytes and catalyzes the unregulated formation of cAMP, a known cellular inhibitor. This unique pathogen-host interaction may explain the unusual features of human B. pertussis infection and represents a powerful new probe for the investigation of cAMP-governed processes.