Engineered Bacteria Could Help Combat Deadly Disease of Sleeping Sickness

[HuckleB]

http://www.sci-news.com/medicine/science-bacteria-disease-sleeping-sickness-01457.html

"African trypanosomiasis is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense carried by the tsetse fly. It infects 30,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa each year and is almost always fatal without treatment.

In the new study, scientists evaluated the potential for success of a new approach to combat the disease – creating a genetically modified version of the Sodalis bacteria commonly found in the gut of the flies that carry the disease, and using different bacteria called Wolbachia to drive the genetically modified version of Sodalis into fly populations. When that’s done, the genetically modified version of Sodalis would kill the disease-causing trypanosome parasite.

According to the results, the scientists say this should work – and could offer a model system for other tropical, insect-carried diseases of even greater importance, including dengue fever and malaria.

“There are a few ‘ifs’ necessary for this to succeed, but none of them look like an obstacle that could not be overcome,” said lead author Dr Jan Medlock from Oregon State University.

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