When causing infection, the parasites use Trojan horse subterfuge to suppress the immunity of their victims, reveals a study. The finding, which shows a new trick parasites can play, paves the way to possible treatments for infectious diseases and allergies.
Scientists have shown that parasites are able to secrete tiny sealed packages of genetic material into the cells of their victims, in order to suppress the immune response to infection.
Allergic Rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis (AR) causes a collection of symptoms, mostly in the nose and eyes and occurs when one breathes in allergens that leads to its inflammation.
Advertisement
The packages, known as vesicles, mimic those that are produced naturally in most organisms to carry out everyday functions such as transporting nutrients and chemical messages to and from cells. The parasite uses vesicles to hide its material inside a seemingly friendly exterior, like a Trojan horse.
The study, carried out on a parasite found in mice, showed that the material in the packages is able to interact with the mouse's own genes. It manipulates the cell's machinery to suppress products linked to immunity, so reducing resistance to infection.
![Dealing with Pollen Allergy]( "Dealing with Pollen Allergy")
The plants around you that give you sniffles in your nose at specific time of the year are the source of allergy causing pollens.
Researchers say the discovery could inform new strategies for treating diseases caused by parasitic worms, which affect hundreds of millions of people and animals. The findings also offer a possible way to treat allergies, such as hayfever, because the immune mechanism that parasites block is also linked to allergic reactions.
The genetic material from the parasites can also be detected in human blood, suggesting that this could be used as a test to detect infection in people.
Ongoing studies are looking into whether other parasites and viruses use this same strategy. The study, published in Nature Communications, was funded by the Wellcome Trust.
Dr Amy Buck, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, who led the study, said: "We can see for the first time that parasites can use packages to sneak their material into the cells of other organisms. We now can develop ways to target this with implications for the billions of people and animals at risk of infectious diseases and allergy."
Source: Eurekalert
Dealing with Pollen Allergy
The plants around you that give you sniffles in your nose at specific time of the year are the source of allergy causing pollens.
Advertisement
Researchers say the discovery could inform new strategies for treating diseases caused by parasitic worms, which affect hundreds of millions of people and animals. The findings also offer a possible way to treat allergies, such as hayfever, because the immune mechanism that parasites block is also linked to allergic reactions.
The genetic material from the parasites can also be detected in human blood, suggesting that this could be used as a test to detect infection in people.
Ongoing studies are looking into whether other parasites and viruses use this same strategy. The study, published in Nature Communications, was funded by the Wellcome Trust.
Dr Amy Buck, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, who led the study, said: "We can see for the first time that parasites can use packages to sneak their material into the cells of other organisms. We now can develop ways to target this with implications for the billions of people and animals at risk of infectious diseases and allergy."
Source: Eurekalert
Tapeworm Infections
Tapeworms are a group of parasites that depend on humans for growth and cause intestinal infection in them. Tapeworm symptoms and signs include stomach pain, loss of appetite, weight loss.
Advertisement
 TrypanosomiasisSleeping sickness or Trypanosomiasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease which can trigger life-threatening complications in the absence of treatment | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Genetics & Stem Cells News
Can stem cell therapy cure fistula? Yes, treatment with stem cells has had a success rate when used in perianal fistulas due to Crohn's Disease.
In zebrafish models of SURF1 mitochondrial disease, scientists have discovered drugs to prevent neurological decompensation.
New study advances intravitreal gene therapy platform to develop safe and effective therapies for visual loss in Usher Syndrome, rare disorder.
The study experiments shed light on a rare example of how autism-associated mutation could altered nuclear dynamics.
A genotype-first approach to patient care involves selecting patients with specific genomic variants and then studying their traits and symptoms.