|Deadly E coli toxin can be stopped with manganese, study says|
|Monday, 23 January 2012| A deadly toxin produced by certain
kinds of E. coli, including those that caused a deadly outbreak
in Europe last year, can be combated using the element
manganese, according to research that may lead to an inexpensive
treatment for infections. New results published in the Jan 20
issue of Science by Carnegie Mellon biologists, Adam Linstedt
and Somshuvra Mukhopadhyay, show that manganese completely
protects against Shiga toxicosis in animal models. Produced by
certain bacteria, including Shigella and some strains of E.
coli, Shiga toxin can cause symptoms ranging from mild
intestinal disease to kidney failure. The new findings could
pave the way for future research aimed at creating an
inexpensive treatment for infections caused by bacteria that
produce the lethal Shiga toxin. Currently there is no treatment
for these infections that afflict more than 150 million people
each year, resulting in more than one million death