Zinc metalloproteases produced by human pathogenic microorganisms show a wide variety
of pathological actions. In local infections, the proteases cause necrotic or hemorrhagic
tissue damage through digestion of structural components of the ground substance, and
also form edematous lesions through generation of inflammatory mediators, while in
systemic infections, the proteases act as a synergistic virulence factor through disordered
proteolysis of many plasma proteins. Clostridial neurotoxins, Bacteroides fragilis enterotoxin …