Mapping the evolution of E. Coli’s virulence offers refined drug target
Mapping the evolution of E. Coli's virulence offers refined drug target A multi-centre team led by UCL, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oslo and Imperial College London have shown how targeting the bacterium's protective capsule could help to prevent and treat bloodstream infections. The new study, published in Nature Communications , is the first to map the evolutionary timeline and population distribution of Escherichia coli's protective outer capsule, which is responsible for the bacterium's virulence. The study also shows how targeting the bacterium's protective layer can help treat extraintestinal infections. This new work focused on a particular subset of E. coli with a specific capsule - the extracellular barrier that surrounds a bacterium - which scientists have called K1. E. coli . This type of capsule is known to cause invasive diseases such as bloodstream or kidney infections, and meningitis in newborns, because it allows the bacterium to mimic molecules already present in human tissues and enter the body unnoticed. The researchers present evidence that targeting the capsule can be used as the basis of treatment, paving the way to prevent serious E. coli infections.
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