Scientists Discover Curious Clues in the War Between CF Bacteria.

[2greys]

Several different kinds of bacteria can cause lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause pneumonia, typically infects infants or young children and persists for life, while Burkholderia cepacia complex species only infect teenagers and adults. Although Burkholderia infections are rare, when they do take hold, they are deadly. Now, UNC School of Medicine scientists led by Peggy Cotter, PhD, professor in the UNC Department of Microbiology and Immunology, have discovered a reason for this pathogen’s apparent age discrimination.

This research, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, shows that both Pseudomonas and Burkholderia use toxic weaponry, called Type VI Secretion Systems (T6SS), to compete with and establish dominance over each other. It’s possible that scientists could target, or mimic, this weaponry to defeat the bacteria before they cause irreparable harm to lungs of patients.

news.unchealthcare.org/news...

[TomTitTot]

Very useful, thanks 2greys.

Best, TomTitTot

[mauschen]

Really interesting, thank you!

Do you have access to the full article?

cell.com/cell-host-microbe/...

Good references

[2greys in reply to mauschen]

No I do not have access through the paywall. I have no doubt that the details will eventually appear through another source eventually.

There are so many different organisations and news sites with paywalls, the cost of subscribing is prohibitive despite my interests in them.

[mauschen in reply to 2greys]

Thanks anyway. We will just need to be patient until it reappears on open access