Invasion and egress cascade in intracellular protozoa: Part 1

A wide spectrum of pathogenic intracellular bacteria, viruses and protozoa adapt several strategies to enter into and
exit from their host with optimum rates of survival, replication, and progression through life cycle stages as well as
transmission. Egress is defined as the escape process from the host cell after replication and is followed by daughter cells
exit. Therefore, egress is of fundamental importance for transmission processes, pathogen spread, and inflammation.
Accordingly, molecules involved in egress mechanism(s) act as key factors in infection, pathogenesis, and transmission.
They are considered as indirect virulence factors and potential drug targets. In fact, the egress cascade is a complex
strategy involving several aspects, and its molecular analysis is difficult to investigate in vitro due to the contribution
of several molecules in invasion or egress. It is impossible to independently investigate factors involved in egress from
vacuolar and host cell membranes at the same time. The present editorial aims to simplify our knowledge regarding this
critical issue with emphasis on its molecular tools and mechanisms