ArsTechnica is reporting that scientists have identified when a harmless strain of streptococcus evolved into a highly infective strain causing the flesh-eating disease necrotizing fasciitis. By analyzing 3,600 streptococcus strains from around the world, Musser was able to identify the evolution of the harmless streptococcus into necrotizing fasciitis by noting the changes in the DNA by horizontal gene transfer occurring between the streptococcus and foreign DNA, likely originating from bacteriophages. The foreign DNA gave the streptococcus the ability to produce new toxins, suppressing the immune system response and increasing the bacteria's chance of survival.
Full study and abstract can be found at the PNAS.
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Pinpointing when Strep Became a Flesheater
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(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 16 2014, @02:00PM
I like that this story was submitted but I have nothing worthy of discussion to comment.
(Score: 2) by Blackmoore on Wednesday April 16 2014, @02:00PM
The first step in creating a outbreak of Zombies is complete!
Now to couple this to a Parasitic disease..
(Score: 1) by paulej72 on Wednesday April 16 2014, @02:27PM
It is the safest place to be when the pandemic comes.
Team Leader for SN Development
(Score: 2) by Blackmoore on Wednesday April 16 2014, @03:26PM
Not when everyone is trying to get there. and seriously, I'd avoid anywhere near Africa.
(Score: 2) by etherscythe on Wednesday April 16 2014, @07:41PM
Obviously you never played the game [pandemic2.org]...
"Fake News: anything reported outside of my own personally chosen echo chamber"
(Score: 1) by dublet on Wednesday April 16 2014, @03:27PM
As a non biologist/geneticist, what use is the discovery of this point? Does it mean the gene for eating flesh is known so flesh eating random bacteria could be created? Or perhaps the opposite in terms of disabling that part for existing flesh eating bacteria?
Please enlighten me.
"If anyone needs me, I'm in the angry dome. [dublet.org]"
(Score: 1) by Scruffy on Wednesday April 16 2014, @03:32PM
Having suffered septic shock from at least one form of strep I'm quite excited about this.
1087 is a lucky prime.
(Score: 1) by fishybell on Wednesday April 16 2014, @03:47PM
Ideally both; first make the horrible disease, then keep the cure to yourself. After all, mad scientist world domination, who could be opposed to that?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Wednesday April 16 2014, @06:18PM
TFA covers this in the last portion of the conclusion:
In short, the methodology used can analyse future or similar transitions of reasonably harmless bacterial strains to deadly strains in real-time, and as the threat is first emerging, (or perhaps before it emerges in the wild).
That can be used to formulate drug responses or other means of containment.
The key point is that the cost reduction of complete genome sequencing that has occurred within the last 20 years allows us to watch, at the molecular level, the emergence of diseases world wide. While cheap, its probably still not cheap enough, nor are there enough people skilled at evaluating these genetic structures. This is where massively parallel computer networks should be put to use, rather than frittered away scanning and cataloging our emails.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.