. Earth Science News .
EPIDEMICS
Worm discovery could help 1 billion people worldwide

This is the mouse whipworm Trichuris muris. Credit: R. Grencis
by Staff Writers
Manchester, UK (SPX) May 06, 2011
Scientists have discovered why some people may be protected from harmful parasitic worms naturally while others cannot in what could lead to new therapies for up to one billion people worldwide.

Parasitic worms are a major cause of mortality and morbidity affecting up to a billion people, particularly in the Third World, as well as domestic pets and livestock across the globe.

Now, University of Manchester researchers have, for the first time, identified a key component of mucus found in the guts of humans and animals that is toxic to worms.

"These parasitic worms live in the gut, which is protected by a thick layer of mucus," explained Dr David Thornton, from the University's Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Matrix Research. "The mucus barrier is not just slime, but a complex mixture of salts, water and large 'sugar-coated' proteins called mucins that give mucus its gel-like properties.

"In order to be able to study these debilitating worm diseases, we have been using a mouse model in which we try to cure mice of the whipworm Trichuris muris. This worm is closely related to the human equivalent, Trichuris trichiura.

"We previously found that mice that were able to expel this whipworm from the gut made more mucus. Importantly, the mucus from these mice contained the mucin, Muc5ac. This mucin is rarely present in the gut, but when it is, it alters the physical properties of the mucus gel."

Co-lead on the study, Professor Richard Grencis, from the Faculty of Life Sciences, continued: "For this new research, we asked how important Muc5ac is during worm infection by using mice lacking the gene for Muc5ac.

"We found that mice genetically incapable of producing Muc5ac were unable to expel the worms, despite having a strong immune response against these parasites. This resulted in long-term infections.

"Furthermore, we discovered the reason for the importance of Muc5ac is that it is 'toxic' for the worms and damages their health."

The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine and featured in Nature's 'research highlights', found that Muc5ac is also essential for the efficient expulsion from the gut of other types of worm that cause problems in humans.

These include the hookworm, and the spiral threadworm. Together, these worms cause mortality and morbidity in up to one billion people across the globe.

Dr Sumaira Hasnain, the lead experimentalist on the project, added: "For the first time, we have discovered that a single component of the mucus barrier, the Muc5ac mucin, is essential for worm expulsion.

"Our research may help to identify who is and who isn't susceptible to parasitic worms, and it may eventually lead to new treatments for people with chronic worm infections."



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
University of Manchester
Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


EPIDEMICS
Some monkeys born with gene that protects against AIDS
Washington (AFP) May 4, 2011
A certain gene in some monkeys can help boost vaccine protection against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a trait that could help researchers develop better AIDS vaccines for humans, suggested a study out Wednesday. Researchers vaccinated a large group of rhesus monkeys and then exposed them to SIV repeatedly over the course of two weeks. Half became infected, but the other half did not. ... read more







EPIDEMICS
Japan insurance losses slash Berkshire profits

Practice Can Make Search-and-Rescue Robot Operators More Accurate

China to uproot 240,000 from disaster-prone areas

Clearing Japan tsunami homes, one shovel at a time

EPIDEMICS
Android smartphones widen lead in US market

Four injured in iPad fight at Beijing Apple store

Fusion of work and play shapes Lenovo laptops

Long queues for iPad 2 in China

EPIDEMICS
China-funded dam opens in Republic of Congo

Saudis reject Mecca holy water scare

Portable tech might provide drinking water and power to villages

Oceans could rise 1.6 metres by 2100: study

EPIDEMICS
Arctic warming could raise oceans 5 feet

Nuclear leak forces Russian icebreaker back to port

Record Arctic warming to boost sea level rise

Calling all candidates for Concordia

EPIDEMICS
Researchers propose whole-system redesign of US agriculture

It Takes a Community of Soil Microbes to Protect Plants From Disease

Expert panel calls for transforming US agriculture

New study reveals when livestock can transmit foot-and-mouth disease

EPIDEMICS
Floods swamp tornado-ravaged central US

Bolivia at risk of megaquake: study

Taiwan issues warning against storm Aere

Japan's ancient tsunami warnings carved in stone

EPIDEMICS
Burkina Faso ruling party says opposition aiming for coup

Chinese army gives rocket launchers, weapons to Sierra Leone

Disaster-hit Japan will not cut aid to Africa: spokesman

Diehard pro-Gbagbo militia begin to disarm

EPIDEMICS
Super-healing researcher follows intuition

No nuts for 'Nutcracker Man'

Why the eye is better than a camera at capturing contrast and faint detail simultaneously

Nutcracker Man Had Fundamentally Different Diet


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement