Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Pesky Parasites!

Parasites are often tricky to deal with once they are in the body. However, one may wonder how parasites are just allowed to interact with cells in an organism’s body without triggering alarms in the immune system. Scientists believe they have solved that mystery for some parasites. Turns out, some parasites have been disguising themselves to get past the cell walls of cells in order to interact with genetic material. Many cells use vesicles to bring nutrients and materials into a cell and waste out of the cell. Some parasites are now using genetic material to create their own vesicles to get past the cells defenses, much like, as some would say, Trojan soldiers in a giant wooden horse. When an experiment was undergone to test the theory, it was found that a parasite found in a mouse was able to directly interact with the mouse’s genes, altering its perception of the vesicle and manipulating its mechanisms to reduce resistance to the infection of the parasite.




While this Trojan horse situation seems like one of great danger, many scientist believe it may lead to not only better treatment for diseases that parasites cause, but even better treatment for allergies since the machinery the parasite vesicles block are also the ones that trigger allergic reactions. The vesicles from the parasites also leave very recognizable genetic material which can often be detected in human blood. This would make parasite infection detection much easier. Dr. Amy Buck from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences said, “We can now develop ways to target this with implications for the billions of people and animals at risk of infectious diseases and allergy." The research is set to continue in hopes that other parasites follow the same method of infection and perhaps viruses too. If more parasites invade in this way it will be easier to guard against them.

No comments:

Post a Comment