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Researchers from the Institute of Health Research and Innovation of the University of Porto (i3S) have discovered the gene responsible for the infectious process of listeriosis, a common infection. food origin which "causes today more deaths in Europe".
For those who have a flu, this infection, which is treated with antibiotics and can take several months, "although unknown for the most part, has a very high mortality rate of about 20% "said researcher Lusa at i3S. Didier Cabanes, coordinator of the study
According to the research institute, pathogenic bacteria depend on a set of genes that determine their degree of pathogenicity, that is to say their ability to infect the host successfully. When they "find themselves in an environment where they do not need these mechanisms of infection", they remain inactive, they are inactive, but when they enter a new environment, such as l '. human organism, "they activate a set of regulatory chains at the genetic level to respond quickly to new conditions," reported the i3S.
In this study, which resulted in an article published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, the team discovered that it is the gene called MouR that determines the pathogenicity of the bacterium "Listeria monocytogenes" , responsible for listeriosis. This gene is responsible for a "radical adaptation of the bacteria" to the body that, in addition to triggering a set of mechanisms that allow them to fool the immune system and stimulate the proliferative capacity of the bacteria, has the ability to form biofilms in the human intestinal tract. 19659002] The researcher explained that when a bacterium comes into contact with the intestinal wall of the host, it adheres to the wall, constituting a community of bacteria, which play different roles. Some of these bacteria are on the surface, "to protect people inside the wall against the defense mechanism that normally exists in the intestine, which we call biofilm."
Thus, although very common in the environment, in contact with the human organism, the bacterium adapts and becomes "lethal pathogen, ready to overcome the hostile conditions of the digestive tract and to invading our body, going beyond our defenses and barriers, "he adds
. According to the i3S, poorly handled foods or poor quality refrigerators are "the perfect source of contamination", with the risk of immunocompromised people, elderly people and especially pregnant women
"when". a pregnant woman eats something contaminated with bacteria, it goes directly to the placenta, where it causes an infection, which can often lead to abortion, "said the coordinator. For this reason, she continued, pregnant women must take care of food, avoid products that have been manufactured for a long time or that have not been properly cleaned before consumption.
In Portugal, the last outbreak of listeriosis reported in 2011, associated with the consumption of a specific cheese, which caused serious infections in 30 people, 11 of which did not survive.
Recently, the largest reported outbreak occurred in South Africa, with 1,000 cases detected and 200 deaths recorded. i3S. "The team has long sought to discover how Listeria acquires this pathogenicity, and in this work we describe not only the regulatory element of the process, but also characterize it structurally, paving the way for the design of new approaches. therapeutic "and to" "says the researcher.
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