Newly Discovered Protein May Help Explain Tuberculosis’ Resiliency - Experts Find Another Reason Why The Bacterium Is So Nasty

Weill Cornell scientists have located a protein produced by the tuberculosis bacterium that may tell researchers more about how the invader lives so resiliently inside of the body. Dr. Benjamin Gold, working with Dr. Carl Nathan, chairman of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College and their colleagues, located a protein called mycobacterial metallothionein (MymT), which acts like a shield to protect the tuberculosis bacterium from the body’s natural defenses.

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Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on November 7th, 2008