Stuck on you
6 September 2004
Did you pick up a bug on your summer holidays? Scientists have just discovered how holiday nasties like the stomach bacterium Escherichia coli get a foothold.
Antenna gets the gory details...
Image: FreeFoto.com
Once they're inside your intestines, the bugs have to attach before they can attack.
Do they use glue?
Not exactly... They're covered in proteins called Dr adhesins which hook onto the cells lining your guts. They attach at sites that normally play a part in your natural immune defences.
Not exactly... They're covered in proteins called Dr adhesins which hook onto the cells lining your guts. They attach at sites that normally play a part in your natural immune defences.
Image: E.coli Index
Scientists worked out the structure of Dr Adhesin...
'Knowing the architecture of the protein means that we can think of ways to dislodge it from the cell, which may lead to new treatments.'
Steve Matthews, structural biology expert, Imperial College London
'Knowing the architecture of the protein means that we can think of ways to dislodge it from the cell, which may lead to new treatments.'
Steve Matthews, structural biology expert, Imperial College London
Escherichia coli can cause chaos: from chronic diarrhoea and vomiting to infections of the intestine and bladder.
The architecture of Dr adhesin
Image: Imperial College London