Wednesday, July 15, 2015

News you can use

New variant of streptococcal bacteria causing severe infections
Scientists have discovered a new variant of streptococcal bacteria that has contributed to a rise in disease cases in the UK over the last 17 years.
The new variant has evolved two important differences from other members of the strain: it produces more toxin, and has completely lost its outer capsule.
"The fact that it had lost its capsule was a complete surprise, because it was believed that the capsule was essential for group A streptococcus to cause invasive disease," said Dr Claire Turner, a Junior Research Fellow at Imperial College London who led the study.
The researchers are still uncertain about why the new variant without capsule has become so dominant. "We know that without capsule, they stick better to surfaces, so that may help them to transmit more easily. Another possibility is that they can more easily get inside human cells, which makes them harder to treat," said Dr Turner.