Like a cloak of invisibility, an enzyme released by strep A bacteria lets them slip away from the body’s staunchest defenders, a new study shows. The discovery could lead to a new weapon against virulent diseases.
White blood cells called neutrophils have a two-pronged defense against bacteria: They can swallow and destroy them or they can release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The fibrous NETs are made up of DNA and toxic compounds that can catch and kill pathogenic microbes.
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