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Researchers say they've solved anthrax mystery

Infection Control Monitor, July 29, 2005

Scientists at Harvard Medical School have uncovered a key step in the entry of anthrax toxin into human cells, which may lead to new methods of fighting the deadly bacterium.

The anthrax bacterium secretes three non-toxic proteins that form a toxic compound on the surface of a host cell. The process sets off a chain of events that lead to the death of the infected cell.

The researchers learned that one of the proteins, protective antigen, binds to the cell and allows the other two proteins to enter the cell interior and interfere with metabolic processes.

Researchers hope these findings will lead to a treatment for anthrax, which is considered a bioterrorism threat.

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