DOCTORS may soon have a powerful new weapon against a superbug that causes
food poisoning, toxic shock and many hospital infections. Researchers in the US
have found a way to block the bacterium’s most devastating strategy for
attack.
One of the reasons why Staphylococcus aureus can be so dangerous is
that many strains release “superantigens” that send our immune system into
overdrive. These bacterial toxins bind to receptors on two different cell
types—the antigen-presenting cells that label foreign invaders for
destruction, and the T cells that rally other immune cells to attack. The
complex of cells linked to the…
