Viruses In Mucus Protect From Infection 75
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."
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
It does no good coming from your own body. I guess nerds are fucked.
I mean, not fucked.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Ray Manzarek dies and this shit gets posted?
Have some PRIORITIES, man!
Re: (Score:2)
why are you eating boogers? (Score:5, Informative)
I'm just sayin'
Re: (Score:2)
"I'm not addicted to cake rolls [duckduckgo.com]! I'm just trying to increase the glycan* sugar level in my mucus!"
*Not to be confused with the lycan [wikipedia.org] sugar level, which is both different and much scarier.
Re: (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
While your odds of survival are better with a basement, with a storm this strong it is not enough.
Re: (Score:2)
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?
Next.... (Score:2)
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?
Re: (Score:1)
I'm guessing you've never heard of Fecal microbiota transplantation [wikipedia.org]...
Re: (Score:2)
Thankfully the key to success will be leaving the mucus in place rather than messing with it.
Interesting... (Score:3)
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?
Re: (Score:2)
Not personally, but I know a guy who knows a guy...
Actually I just know the guy; we work together. I'll bug him tomorrow for you.
Re:Interesting... (Score:4, Funny)
Actually I just know the guy; we work together. I'll bug him tomorrow for you.
Not if his mucus has anything to say about it.
Re: (Score:2)
I've never worked with biofilms, but I was a part of a research group that did, so hopefully I am remembering this correctly.
They're actually very similar in makeup, mucins and biofilms. The way mucins are supposed to work is to preferentially bind to the external saccharides on cellular walls, inhibiting the microbes from attaching with their pili and thereby stopping the biofilm from ever gaining a foothold.
Most mucins are o-glycoproteins, while the biofilms are typically polysaccharides (very interlinke
Re: (Score:2)
Well, that might explain a few things (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I'd say it does a good job on secondary infections. The body really is an amazing organism, all hands on deck in the face of hopeless odds. However I can see mucus bandages on the horizon which is mildly revolting.
Re: (Score:2)
Clean synthetic mucus would probably just be a clear gel with a bit of "slimy" tendencies. Hardly any more disgusting than, say, antibiotic ointments are.
Re: (Score:2)
...why we produce more mucus when we're sick...
Snot my problem, man.
Re:Well, that might explain a few things (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Help out the content search engines, man? Always and only use the word "virii" when you are talking about the plural of a computer virus. In the English language, the correct plural form of a biological virus is "viruses".
It's bad enough that the singular form is ambiguous out of context, at least help us build a useful signifier in the plural form.
Old knowledge (Score:1)
Well, that does give some meaning to the phrase "to lick ones wounds".
Re:Old knowledge (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, that does give some meaning to the phrase "to lick ones wounds".
Not new meaning, just new understanding. Saliva was already well known to have anti-bacterial properties. That is why animals lick their wounds. This just helps us better understand the mechanism. One theory that I have heard is that when a wound is licked, the wounded animal ingests the infecting bacteria, and develops antibodies which prevent the infection from spreading. This is similar to one reason that mother animals lick their babies: they ingest any bacteria on their young, and develop antibodies in their milk which are passed to their young when they nurse. This research shows one more reason that licking both your wounds and your young is a good idea.
Re:Old knowledge (Score:4, Funny)
So I should lick my prostitutes first?
Re: (Score:2)
I always tended to believe that evolutionary purpose of fellatio is disinfection before exposing internal parts of the body. Doesn't help the other way around though.
It might just be to improve the chances of conception. Google 'fruitbat fellatio', which would also be a great name for a band
Re: (Score:2)
Yes.
At least that's the way I always heard it: 'Lick em, and stick em'. ;-)
Re: (Score:2)
This research shows one more reason that licking both your wounds and your young is a good idea.
I think you just found a new defense that Jerry Sandusky's lawyers can use...
Re: (Score:2)
This is why the grandchildren aren't allowed to visit anymore.
Do snails produce 'mucus?' (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:3)
For one thing, it's the reason I will never [consciously] eat snails. In fact, snails in my culture, are regarded as 'dirty' creatures.
Wild snails are dirty. That's why you feed them corn meal for a while until you eat them. I don't know how you can tell when they're done, but I've never really given too much thought to inspecting snail shit.
Re: (Score:3)
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
'Positive' Viruses... (Score:1)
Dr. Langstrom was right!
Hopefully it's only a matter of time 'til they find the luck and sexual magnetism strains.
Re: (Score:1)
obvioiusly doesn't work (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
I hope you are aware that those are *viral* infections!
The article describes how the phages *in mucus* protect you from *bacteria*!
Our outer perimeter (skin) is great at protecting us against *bacteria* (and particles and chemicals in general). But it does a shitty job against the high-tech *viruses* (or parasites).
For the viruses, we have the *immune system* with the spleen (barracks of the standing army), the lymphatic system (highways) and the tonsils (gate guardians).
But they can only do their job, if y
Re: (Score:2)
At the "first sign of any illness", you have already been infected by the cold or flu virus for many days, due to the particular virus' incubation period.
The zinc is hardly more than a placebo, and if that makes you feel better, than great! But don't delude yourself that the viral infection has gone...it has not.
Blowing your nose when sick (Score:1)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
I suspect the infecting agent is messing with our metabolism, causing us to make a super-watery mucus that is less effective and an inconvenience that the body has to get rid of.
Phage treatments (Score:4)
Re: (Score:2)
Overuse of triclosan (Score:3)
Evolution of Symbiosis vs Virulence (Score:2)
Vertical transmission means you close off the borders to transmission and only transmit from parent to child.
The nose knows (Score:1)
Origin of Viruses (Score:2)
AMA - lead author on paper (Score:1)
So don't spit it. (Score:2)
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.