Researchers study bacterial immunity to understand infectious disease

(Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Patients with cystic fibrosis are often infected by pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that infects the lungs and prevents breathing, often causing death. P. aeruginosa itself can also be infected by viruses, which can affect the clinical outcomes of cystic fibrosis patients. University of Illinois Professor of Microbiology Rachel Whitaker and her team had the idea to use P. aeruginosa as a kind of 'model system' for understanding how bacteria's interactions with viruses may affect human health.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news