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Viruses In Mucus Protect From Infection
ananyo writes "Researchers have discovered that animal mucus — ' whether from humans, fish or corals' — is loaded with bacteria-killing viruses called phages. These protect their hosts from infection by destroying incoming bacteria. In return, the phages are exposed to a steady torrent of microbes in which to reproduce. Mucus mainly consists of huge molecular complexes called mucins, which are made up of thousands of glycan sugars attached to a central protein backbone. The team showed that phages stick to these sugars, reducing the number of bacteria that can attach to mucus by more than 10,000 times."
I'm protecting my myself from bacteria -honest....
I'm just sayin'
Remember, you're talking to nerds and geeks. Boogers are more easily available to them.
The directions this sort of research could be taken next are so amusing.
First, A potentially communicable source of disease resistance. Nose picking: Beneficial Adaptation for both picking up AND spreading immunity?
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
Does anybody know how mucus differs from the 'extracellular polymeric substance' of which biofilms are made, such that the one would be a haven for bacteriophages and the other a haven for bacteria?
For your sake I hope He calls you soon. For our sake as well.
For starters, why we produce more mucus when we're sick: more habitat for the symbiote virus, so it can try to repel the invader. Too bad it isn't (more?) effective against invading virii.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Well, that does give some meaning to the phrase "to lick ones wounds".
While I have no question about mucus humans produce when attacked by the cold, I wonder whether that slimy stuff snails produce is called mucus as well.
For one thing, it's the reason I will never [consciously] eat snails. In fact, snails in my culture, are regarded as 'dirty' creatures.
It does no good coming from your own body. I guess nerds are fucked.
I mean, not fucked.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Ray Manzarek dies and this shit gets posted?
Have some PRIORITIES, man!
Actually a lot of animal behavior can be explained by this. I'd heard that dog's saliva was strangely anti-bacterial, especially considering what they like to eat. I'd expect dog's saliva to be high in phages - should be easy to test.
At least it's a science article and not some bullshit movie review.
But yeah, Ray was a giant. He'll be sadly missed.
"Mucus is known to prevent particles such as dust, pollen, bacteria and dirt from reaching the lungs and the trachea. This is because these particles can cause irritation and infections to the lungs. Mucus is usually produced in the nose, where it lubricates the hairs found within the lining of the nose."
http://www.ask.com/question/what-does-mucus-do
I protect my host with a HOSTS file!
If only there were some system whereby more than one story could be on Slashdot at once.
... and that's how you evolve an immune system.
Dr. Langstrom was right!
Hopefully it's only a matter of time 'til they find the luck and sexual magnetism strains.
Worst. Signature. Ever.
And yet people still get colds and sinus infections. So yeah it would be a lot worse but this isn't some magic cure-all. What I do is nuke everything with zinc at the first sign of any illness and tada, it's gone. It prevents viruses from attaching to the cells along my nose's mucous membranes. I think scientists knew this since like 2004 and after 20/20 did a story on it, New York City sold out of Zinc overnight, as did many other areas. I personally haven't been sick in years and prevented at least 20 colds with zinc. That's the real cure.
An interesting thought. When we're sick we continually blow our noses and try clear out as much of the mucus as possible. Perhaps the habits of nose blowing and picking are what causes us to get sick most of the time in the first place - our nose detects a virus and starts producing mucus to fight it off, we blow our nose removing the barrier to infection? Perhaps when we're sick we need to let our bodies do the work and let the mucus sit there sort of thing.
Bogies in my boogies?
As expected, lots of /.-ers fail to make the distinction between phages and (human-infecting) viruses...
Phages have been tested as an interesting alternative to antibiotics. One disadvantage has been that they are very specific, which means that one often would have to apply many strains in order to fight an unclassified infection. On the other hand, with the advent of metagenomics, it has become clear that the composition of our commensal bacteria in the gut and on other places are critical for our health (both mental and physical) and that there may be several diseases caused by messing with this ecosystem by too frequent use of antibiotics (overlays of antibiotic usage and several diseases (heart diseases, diabetes, psychological diseases) per geographic area actually fit pretty nicely).
An interesting application of phages could be to manipulate our commensal ecosystems in such a way that we ensure a "healthy" composition in our gut, lungs etc.
Since the phages themselves are not alive, I have no idea what such a treatment would be called. It is not an antibiotic and it is not a probiotic... parabiotic? Nah... I will leave that to the marketers.
Perhaps the overuse of triclosan has another side effect beyond drug resistant bacteria? Reduced number of prey for the phages thus reduced number of phages, so a rapid influx of harmful bacteria might sweep past the low population of "defenders" before the phages have a chance to regrow their numbers?
Bummer. Didn't know until reading this.
Vertical transmission means you close off the borders to transmission and only transmit from parent to child.
Seastead this.
There is no way you can guard yourself against something like this. When the Lord calls you home, it's your time.
Unless you have a basement.
My sister opened a computer store in Hawaii. She sells C shells by the seashore.
Ma fellow countrymen haven't been hit by a tornado.
So, besides completly missing the subject of this thread thematically, this is an international forum.
And what I really would like to know: Why do you exclude foreigners (from your viewpoint) from including the tornado victims in their prayers?
bickerdyke
so I use peanut butter and let my dog do it for me
Bah, I didn't even know this guy ever lived, much less that he died. I guess that biology is simply a more familiar topic to me. Well, don't let the Doors hit you on the way out.
Ezekiel 23:20
This news is nothing to sneeze at. Seriously, no matter how much you turn your noses up at it. I think it's just a drop in the bucket.
Why do you feed trolls? Idiot.
While your odds of survival are better with a basement, with a storm this strong it is not enough.
Would it not be fascinating if it turned out that viruses began as "expelled" portions of animal immune systems? Heck, perhaps the virus DNA in our genes is sometimes more than simply the inherited remnants of past infection?
...reveal our location to her by pestering her with prayers?
Are you insane or just mean and suicidal?
Hi, I just found this post. Im lead author on the paper so feel free to ask me anything. http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/05/16/1305923110.abstract
Makes you wonder about the idiots who feel compelled to expel the stuff all the time, doesn't it? They must get sick a lot. Maybe that's a good thing for the gene pool.