Clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae bind the complement inhibitor C4b-binding protein in a PspC allele-dependent fashion.
The complement system constitutes an important component of the innate immune system. To colonize their host and/or to cause disease, many pathogens have evolved strategies to avoid complement-mediated bacterial lysis and opsonophagocytosis. In this study, using a collection of 55 clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae, we demonstrate for the first time that pneumococci bind the complement