Go Effin Figure

Deadly microbe dodges human immune system

Group A Streptococcus is one of the world's most fatal infectious diseases, with 600,000 cases annually.
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"We studied M1T1, one of the most prevalent strains affecting the developed world," Dr Barnett said.  "It had previously been thought that autophagy, which is part of the immune response, efficiently defended the interior of cells against Group A Streptococcus." He said the research showed that in fact M1T1 produced an enzyme that breaks down the patient's immune proteins that fight bacterial infection.

"Our findings were vastly different to previous studies that used strains not commonly associated with human disease," Dr Barnett said. "We now know that Streptococcus can hide, survive and grow in cells."