Better Understanding Of Parasite That Causes Leishmaniasis
A significant step towards understanding the genetic make-up of a parasite which causes leishmaniasis - a flesh-eating disease spread by the bite of a female sand fly - has been made by a team of researchers from the University of Glasgow. The study is published in the journal Genome Research. Approximately 350 million individuals in 88 countries, including Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Peru, Iran, Brazil and parts of china, are at risk of catching the disease. There are 21 species of the parasite in two different forms: Cutaneous leishmaniasis, which affect the skin and mucus membranes and systemic or visceral leishmaniasis, which affect the entire body.
Friendly Gut Bacteria May Trigger MS
In an astonishing new study published in Nature today, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried in Munich, Germany say they have found evidence that suggests multiple sclerosis (MS) is triggered by natural intestinal flora, the so-called friendly bacteria that reside in the gut. They found genetically engineered mice with normal gut bacteria developed brain inflammation similar to MS in humans. They say the bacteria first activated the immune T-cells, then the B-cells, which resulted in an attack on the myelin layer in the brain.
Body's Molecular Sensors May Trigger Autoimmune Disease
Bruce Beutler, MD, a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Medicine, has coauthored an article describing a novel molecular mechanism that can cause the body to attack itself and trigger an autoimmune disease. The article is published online ahead of print in Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc and is available free at http://www.liebertpub.com/jir. In the article, entitled "Intracellular Nucleic Acid Sensors and Autoimmunity, " Argyrios Theofilopoulos, Dwight Kono, Bruce Beutler, and Roberto Baccala, The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, California), review the scientific evidence that supports the role of molecular sensors located inside cells in the initiation not only of protective and inflammatory immune responses, but also in an autoimmune response.