How cholera bug invades the gutJanuary 29th, 2012 - 3:27 pm ICT
by IANS London, Jan 29 (IANS) Scientists have figured out how
cholera bugs invade our guts, infecting millions and killing
more than 100,000 people worldwide every year, reveals a study.
The discovery potentially paves the way for more effective
treatments against the bug, Vibrio cholerae, which is able to
colonise the gut after consumption of contaminated water or
food. The bug secretes a toxin that causes watery diarrhoea and
ultimately death if not treated rapidly, the Journal of
Biological Chemistry reported. Colonisation of the intestine is
difficult for incoming bugs as they have to compete to gain a
foothold among the trillions of other bacteria already on the
site. A team led by biologist Gavin Thomas from the University
of York, England, investigated how Vibrio cholera gains this
foothold with the help of sialic acid, a sugar, present on the
gut cells surface, according to a university statement. Their
associates, led by Fidelma Boyd, pr