Immune system protein may help defeat flesh-eating bacteria

Dr Anukriti Mathur (front) and Callum Kay. Photo: Ellie Hyde/ANU A clever protein inside the immune system could be used as a "weapon" against a common bacteria that in extreme cases is responsible for causing deadly flesh-eating disease, scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) have found. The protein helps detect and warn against the potentially lethal bacteria, Clostridium perfringens. In its benign form, the Clostridium perfringens bacteria is a common cause of food poisoning. But in severe cases, it's responsible for causing deadly infections, including gangrene. "We found the bacteria produces two toxins that act in different ways and attack the body using a two-pronged approach," Dr Anukriti Mathur, from the ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR), said. "The first toxin punches holes into the cell surface, while the other enters the cell and damages the cell's internal structures."  The authors of the study describe NLRP3's ability to detect these toxins using the analogy of a home security system "that also doubles up as a fire detector".  "This fire detector, like NLRP3, is very versatile and can protect the house, or in this case, our body," co-author Callum Kay, also from JCSMR, said.