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Indian scientists unravel secrets behind
hospital infections
Tuesday November 20, 2012 10:43:12 PM,
Sahana Ghosh,
IANS
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Kolkata: Giving an
insight into how and why hospital-borne infections spread,
scientists at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology here have
said bacteria play hide and seek with the human body's defence
cells by surrounding themselves with sugar molecules to fool
cells.
Researchers led by scientist Chitra Mandal have unravelled the
sinister mechanism by which the bacteria that goes by the name of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, responsible for hospital-borne infections,
invades the human body, eludes the neutrophils (immune cells
responsible for defence) and establishes infection.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a rod shaped, airborne disease-causing
bacterium, a pathogen commonly found in patients with low immunity
and in patients who have been hospitalised.
Besides hospital-borne infections like pneumonia, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa is also responsible for urinary tract infections (UTIs),
respiratory infections and other afflictions.
These infections can lead to complications and even death.
"Be it burns, wounds, you name it, this bug is present," Mandal,
head of the Cancer Biology and Inflammatory Disorder Division,
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-Indian
Institute of Chemical Biology, told IANS.
Neutrophils, which form the first line of defence, are the most
abundant class of white blood cells that help the body to fight
infection.
They protect the body against invading pathogens like bacteria and
parasites and remove wastes, foreign substances and other cells in
a process where they eat or engulf these particles.
According to the study published in the Journal of Leukocyte
Biology in 2012, as part of the evasive tactics used by the
bacterium, it first picks up specific sugar molecules called
sialic acid (sias) from its environment (the human body in this
case) and surrounds itself with it.
Highlighting the importance of the research, microbiologist Nemai
Bhattacharya of the School of Tropical Medicine told IANS: "These
bacteria are difficult to deal with because of their capability to
resist common antibiotics. They have been found to grow in
antiseptic solutions as well. Studies such as the one done by the
scientists provide valuable insights into the bacterium's
activities."
(Sahana Ghosh can be contacted at sahana15ghosh@gmail.com)
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