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【bio-news】研究者绘制人体病原体分散图
Researchers map spread of pathogens in the human body
Findings lay groundwork for more effective treatment of bacterial infections
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered a new, more accurate, method of mapping how bacteria spread within the body, a breakthrough that could lead to more effective treatments and prevention of certain bacterial infections.
Dr. Pietro Mastroeni, Professor Duncan Maskell at the Centre for Veterinary Science, and their teams have pioneered the integration of mathematical models with observational data to predict the spread of individual bacteria within the human body. Their findings are reported in the November issue of PLoS Biology.
The work analyses the spread and distribution of Salmonella in the body, which is a bacterium that causes typhoid fever and food borne gastroenteritis in humans and animals, with severe medical and veterinary consequences and threats for the food industry. The work is of broad significance as these novel research approaches are applicable to a multitude of pathogenic microorganisms.
These studies indicate that individual bacteria and their progenies cleverly escape from host cells and distribute to new sites of the body, continuously staying one step ahead of the immune response. The type of spread varies between different bacteria, thus posing challenges for the rational treatment or prevention of these infections.
Some antibiotics and vaccines are better at killing bacteria outside of the cells; others are more effective at killing infections within the cells. By understanding where bacterial pathogens hide in the body and how they spread through the body's tissues, doctors will be able to decide the most effective antibiotics or vaccines to treat and prevent various types of infection.
Dr. Mastroeni said, "The fight against bacterial infections is analogous to fighting a battle, if you know where your enemy is and how it moves around, you can make calculated, strategic strikes."
Currently, the debate over the usefulness of multiple-drug therapy must take into account the full evaluation of potential synergistic effects of combining drugs that can target bacteria in different body compartments. Furthermore, drug resistance can be caused, in part, by improper "blanket" use of antibiotics. As Dr. Mastroeni's more precise predictions will lead to the refined use of antibiotics, it will enable the medical field to devise more targeted treatments and to more effectively manage antibiotic drug resistance.
In the past, similar investigations have been hampered by the difficulty of identifying and observing directly the infection process within live tissues. For this study, the Cambridge researchers used advanced fluorescence microscopy techniques to observe intracellular growth of Salmonella bacteria within living cells.
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(Please find attached a photo of a cell infected by Salmonella. Please credit Mark Sheppard.) 认领了 研究者测绘体内病原体的散播
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered a new, more accurate, method of mapping how bacteria spread within the body, a breakthrough that could lead to more effective treatments and prevention of certain bacterial infections.
剑桥大学的研究者已经了发现一个新的而且更加精确的方法来测绘出细菌在体内如何播散。这个突破将会有助于对某些细菌感染更有效的预防和治疗。
Dr. Pietro Mastroeni, Professor Duncan Maskell at the Centre for Veterinary Science, and their teams have pioneered the integration of mathematical models with observational data to predict the spread of individual bacteria within the human body. Their findings are reported in the November issue of PLoS Biology.
兽医科学中心的Pietro Mastroeni博士和Duncan Maskell教授领导的研究小组首次把数学模型和观测数据结合起来以预测体内单一细菌的播散。这项研究结果将刊登于11月的PLoS Biology杂志。
The work analyses the spread and distribution of Salmonella in the body, which is a bacterium that causes typhoid fever and food borne gastroenteritis in humans and animals, with severe medical and veterinary consequences and threats for the food industry. The work is of broad significance as these novel research approaches are applicable to a multitude of pathogenic microorganisms.
研究分析了沙门氏菌在体内的播散和分布。这种细菌能够引起人类和动物的伤寒及饮食传播的胃肠炎，造成严重的后果并威胁到食品生产。把这个新的研究方法用于到大群的微生物的研究，这项研究将会具有深远的意义。
These studies indicate that individual bacteria and their progenies cleverly escape from host cells and distribute to new sites of the body, continuously staying one step ahead of the immune response. The type of spread varies between different bacteria, thus posing challenges for the rational treatment or prevention of these infections.
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2011-07-14 00:40
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