Study reveals why common pneumonia is so deadly
Study reveals why common pneumonia is so
deadly
A common cause of pneumonia can kill by causing bleeding in the lungs, say researchers in a finding that may explain why antibiotics fail to save many patients.
They found the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae secretes a toxin that causes severe bleeding in the lungs in some patients, killing them within days.
The toxin is unaffected by antibiotics, which explains why the drugs often fail to save patients, the researchers reported in the journal Immunity.
Dr. Jian-Dong Li’s team….looked specifically at a toxin known to be produced by the bacteria, called pneumolysin. It was known to lyse, or break open cells, but Li’s team found this also caused widespread bleeding in lung tissue.
And antibiotics kill bacteria by cutting them open, which releases even more pneumolysin.
Now, Doctor Li’s team at the University of Rochester Medical Center is pressing ahead to develop a molecule which will counteract pneumolysin.
Posted: Mon - August 27, 2007 at 01:50 PM