cold vitamins

For the very first time, epigenetic alterations have been linked to common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), the most commonly diagnosed primary immunodeficiency that leads to a decrease in antibodies and an increase in developing an infection. Scientists at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and La Paz Hospital (IDIPAZ) in Spain looked at monozygotic twins and measured epigenetic differences, specifically DNA methylation levels, between one twin with CVID and the other without the disease. The group of researchers, directed by Dr. [more…]

There are many examples of infectious agents that are capable of modifying the behavior of their host organism. Pathogens typically co-opt their host in ways that create an opportunity to spread into another host. For example, the rabies virus is transmitted through saliva, so the virus transforms its host into an unusually aggressive beast that is prone to bite other animals. The single-celled parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii is another clever puppeteer of its host. Rodents infected with this microbe [more…]