Excess Dietary Zinc Exacerbates C. diff Infection
September 26th 2016Too much dietary zinc increases susceptibility to infection by Clostridium difficile (C. diff) according to research findings reported Sept. 26 in Nature Medicine, call into question the consumption of dietary supplements and cold therapies containing high concentrations of zinc.
Scientists Discover How the Anthrax Toxin Forms a Deadly 'Conveyer Belt'
September 26th 2016Researchers have built a three-dimensional map of the anthrax toxin that may explain how it efficiently transfers its lethal components into the cytoplasm of infected cells. The study, “Structure of anthrax lethal toxin prepore complex suggests a pathway for efficient cell entry,” which will be published online September 26 ahead of print in The Journal of General Physiology, suggests that the bacterial protein acts as a “conveyer belt” that allows toxic enzymes to continuously stream across cell membranes.
A Protein in Mosquito Saliva Can Keep Dengue Virus in Check
September 21st 2016Mosquito saliva influences transmission of viruses to a bitten mammalian host. For example, it contains factors that dampen the host immune response and so facilitate infection. A study published in PLOS NTDs reports on a saliva protein with the opposite effect: D7, a protein present in Aedes aegypti saliva, binds to Dengue virus (DENV) and inhibits its transmission to human cells and mice. Antibodies against D7, which are present in humans exposed to mosquito bites, might therefore facilitate virus transmission and enhance disease severity.