Microbes in the News #2

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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190328150745.htm

Copycat fungus deceives immune system and deactivates body’s response to infection

Date: March 28, 2019          Source: University of Sheffield

 

Summary: New research shows fungi can make similar chemical signals as our immune system. These chemicals enter the body and make humans more likely to get an infection.

 

Connections: Just today in class we talked about the immune system and how it captures microbes.

 

Critical Analysis: Fungi have always produced chemicals similar to those released in our immune system. Up until know, we haven’t known the function of these chemicals. Now, research shows that when exposed to these chemicals the fungi can grow more easily than when the host is unexposed. I found it especially interesting that the fungus does not suppress the immune system in any ways. These fungi immune chemicals named prostoglandins activate a specific immune system pathway. This pathway prevents over-stimulation of the immune system. Ultimately this makes the body unable to fight off the fungal infection. What is even more dangerous is that opportunistic infections from usually commensal bacteria pose a danger while these postoglandins deceive the body. Once the body is tricked into shutting down the immune system, bacteria that our bodies always host begin to grow out of control.

 

Question: Would it be possible for microbiologists to isolate these prostoglandins in order to treat diseases in which the immune system attacks itself?

Assignment 2 Microbes in The News

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How a Fungus can Cripple your Immune System

February 8, 2019

Source: Science Daily:  Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190208095614.htm

Summary:

In this article the scientists conduct a study about how the fungus  Aspergillus fumigatus  is able to turn off an enzyme that is used by immune cells to communicate between each other. Healthy individuals are not very affected by the fungus, but it is dangerous to individuals who are immune difficient, such as individuals who suffer from AIDs.

Connection:

This does connect to when we were explaining what makes a microorganism. We discussed that fungi are covered under microorganisms, but we haven’t touched on fungus too much. This is a special adaptation specific to this type of microorganisms.

Critical Analysis:

I found this article very interesting in the fact that we often tell people that breathing in a certain fungus can “take years off your life’ and this fungus actually can. I learned to the extent that fungus can actually do this, I think people often assume that the air they breathe is healthy as long as it looks and smells pure, but this fungus has spores that can float through the air and be completely undetectable. I did not realize how potentially dangerous fungi can be, and it kind of opens your eyes to how vigilant people who have immune difficiencies have to be about their health.

Question:

How can we protect people who have immune defficiencies from these type of problems?

 

 

 

A2 Microbes in the News

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“Why your kid’s strep throat keeps coming back,  A combination of genetic and immunological factors makes some children susceptible to the bacteria that cause strep throat” by the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, published 6 Feb   2018. Found:  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190206144503.htm

Streptococcus pyrogenes causes a number of diseases, but when found in the throat it is known as strep throat.   The scientist gathered 100 children who had undergone tonsillectomies and tested their immune response.   They had a less robust response to Strep.   Additionally, their parents also had a decreased reaction to the strep toxins released by the virus.

This, I think, connects to the class in the development of vaccines.

I think it is quite interesting how how we don’t really have a clear understanding on how the immune system responds to the removal of the tonsils, a thing we have been doing for nearly 2000 years.   It wasn’t really well written, I think because it was trying to water down a scientific publication.   It didn’t really give me as much information I wanted, but I imagine, that for a person with a less deep understanding of immune response as me, a person who, admittedly, doesn’t have a great grasp of the subject, would be able to get the gist.   However, the article could have been better organized.

“SpeA” is a toxin given off by the microbe, I wonder how the immune response acts on that, rather than the microbe itself.