Table 2.

Pathogens expressing sialic acids on their surfaces

Pathogen	Major disease
Sialic acid synthesized by pathogen
Neisseria meningitidis B	Meningitis
Escherichia coli K1	Neonatal meningitis
Group B Streptococcus	Neonate and infant infections
Campylobacter jejuni	Enteritis, Guillian-Barré syndrome
Host sialic acid taken up by pathogen
Hemophilus influenza	Respirator infections
Hemophilus ducreyi	Chancroid
Host sialic acid transferred by trans-sialidase
Trypanosoma cruzi	Chagas disease
Corynebacterium diphtheria	Diphtheria
Host CMP-sialic acid used by sialyltransferase
Neisseria gonorrhoea	Gonorrhoea
Neisseria meningitides group A	Meningitis
Source of sialic acid un known
Sporotrichium schenkii	Skin infection
Aspergillus fumigates	Opportunistic infections

Adapted with permission from Ajit Varki Sialic acids in human health and disease Trends Mol Med. 2008; 14(8): 351–360.