Extra iron (blue) in the livers of Pklr-defective mice (top) makes them more susceptible than normal mice (bottom) to Salmonella infections.
Typhoid fever, which is caused by Salmonella, can be cured easily in most patients with simple antibiotics. But infected individuals who also suffer from sickle cell anemia or β-thalassemia—genetic diseases that lead to dysfunctional RBCs—find it harder to beat the bug. The new study by Roy et al. now explains why anemic humans make good hosts for Salmonella.
The team had previously identified a mouse strain that was vulnerable to Salmonella even though it lacked the known predisposing mutations....
The Rockefeller University Press
2007
The Rockefeller University Press
2007
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