"...The CA-MRSA strain secretes a kind of peptide �?a compound formed by amino acids �?that causes immune cells called neutrophils to burst, eliminating a main defense against infection, according to researchers...
The compounds [peptides secreted by MRSA] first cause inflammation, drawing the immune cells to the site of the infection, and then destroy those cells.
The research was conducted in mice and with human blood in laboratory tests.
Within five minutes of exposure to the peptides from CA-MRSA, human neutrophils showed flattening and signs of damage to their membrane, researchers said. After 60 minutes, many cells had disintegrated completely..."
Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jrebx68bX2aB_Su54Hk5MIzA_9CQD8SRKCCG0
And: "...Healthy individuals may carry MRSA asymptomatically for periods ranging from a few weeks to many years. Patients with compromised immune systems are at a significantly greater risk of symptomatic secondary infection...
Many people who are symptomatic present with pus-filled boils and occasionally with rashes..."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrsa
And:
"Staph infections, including MRSA, generally start as small red bumps that resemble pimples, boils or spider bites. These can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses that require surgical draining. Sometimes the bacteria remain confined to the skin. But they can also burrow deep into the body, causing potentially life-threatening infections in bones, joints, surgical wounds, the bloodstream, heart valves and lungs."
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735/DSECTION=2
Thus, as usual with "infectious diseases," there is a lack of precision. Are the neutrophils being destroyed directly by the peptides, or is the inflammatory response generated by the peptides destroying the neutrophils? This sounds much more like "runaway" inflammation (from the typical symptoms they mention) than the necrosis produced by the so-called flesh-eating bacteria. As is true of other "germs," the "immuno-compromised" are especially vulnerable. What I think we are seeing here is the result of a diet rich in particular molecules, leading to a dangerous inflammatory response. Those who consume these diets are making their bodies more like the "immuno-compromised," which does not mean that the "immune system" is necessarily "weak," but in fact may mean (in many or most cases) that a more powerful inflammatory response cannot be handled as well, leading to more pronounced symptoms and possible death in the worst cases. |
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