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Potential New Treatment for Anthrax

© Neal Rolfe Chamberlain

Our homes provide safe shelter from the unpleasant changes in our climate. If it gets cold or starts raining our homes act as a shell of protection. Once that shell is disrupted in some way (broken window, door left open) the outside world quickly takes advantage. The cells of our bodies have a house of sorts. It is called the cell membrane. The cell membrane only allows certain nutrients to get into the cells and allows waste products out of the cell. To do this requires a good bit of energy however, it is worth it. Not just anything is allowed in our cells. For instance it is very hard for certain bacterial toxins (poisonous proteins) to get into a cell.

As a result some bacterial toxins need help to get in the cell. One such toxin is produced by a bacteria called Bacillus anthracis. Bacillus anthracis causes the disease called anthrax. If a person inhales this bacterium and is not vaccinated ahead of time or treated with an antibiotic they will usually die. This is one nasty bacterium and many have mentioned its use as a biological warfare agent and/or its use by terrorists.

This bacterium produces two different toxins. One is called edema factor which causes the body to swell and the other is lethal factor which kills the person. To get these two toxins past the cell membrane the bacteria also makes a protein called protective factor. Seven protective factor protein molecules assemble together to form a donut-shaped hole in the cell membrane. When this hole forms the lethal and edema factors can get in the cell to cause death and destruction. Protective factor has been used to make a vaccine that will protect people from getting anthrax. However, it is expensive, it has to be given yearly to remain protective and anthrax is rare. Therefore, only certain people get this vaccine. If a country or terrorist group were to release this bacterium into the air a lot of people could die if not treated right away.

A recent study in the April 27, 2001 issue of Science describes a new way to treat this awful disease. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that by placing certain mutations (changes) in the protective factor they could prevent the entry of edema and lethal factor in the cells of rats. It appears that these mutations kept protective factor from making the donut-shaped hole in the cell membrane and thus the cell membrane could continue to keep out the lethal and edema factors. This mutant protective-antigen molecules can also cause an immune response much like that produced by

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