Neglected Siege Tactics Sieges are a tried and tested tactic in war: if you can stop supplies passing through a city’s gates, it won’t be long before it surrenders. This principle also works on a microscopic scale, and could be important in the fight against sleeping sickness. The parasite that causes the disease has only one pathway to absorb and excrete chemicals, located in an area called the flagellar pocket. Using a nanoparticle, which attaches itself to the parasite’s surface, scientists can disrupt this vital gateway and stop the free movement of substances. The pocket (stained brighter green) of parasites exposed to this nanoparticle (third and forth columns) becomes swollen and distended, compared to those covered in a similar, but inert molecule (first and second column). With its supply line cut, the parasite quickly dies, offering hope to 30,000 sufferers across Africa at risk of coma and death from the disease. Written by Jan Piotrowski — Benoît Stijlemans VIB, Belgium Originally published under a Creative Commons Attribution license Published in PLOS Pathogens 7(6): e1002072
Pop-upView Separately

Neglected Siege Tactics

Sieges are a tried and tested tactic in war: if you can stop supplies passing through a city’s gates, it won’t be long before it surrenders. This principle also works on a microscopic scale, and could be important in the fight against sleeping sickness. The parasite that causes the disease has only one pathway to absorb and excrete chemicals, located in an area called the flagellar pocket. Using a nanoparticle, which attaches itself to the parasite’s surface, scientists can disrupt this vital gateway and stop the free movement of substances. The pocket (stained brighter green) of parasites exposed to this nanoparticle (third and forth columns) becomes swollen and distended, compared to those covered in a similar, but inert molecule (first and second column). With its supply line cut, the parasite quickly dies, offering hope to 30,000 sufferers across Africa at risk of coma and death from the disease.

Written by Jan Piotrowski

—

Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk

Neglected Eyes By definition, neglected diseases are overlooked. Their effects are not often deadly, but can still wreak havoc among an estimated billion people in the world’s poorest populations. Trachoma, a bacterial infection that leads to blindness, is a prime example. Illustrated by this map, in which country size relates to numbers of trachoma cases, the overwhelming burden of the disease falls on Africa and South-East Asia. And, although it causes no large, media-attracting outbreaks, the disease nonetheless takes a dramatic toll. Over 40 million people need treatment, as the roughening of the eyelids and in-growing of their lashes slowly but steadily destroys their eyes. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Treatments costing as little as 50p would go a long way to eliminate the disease, and prevent further growth of the group of more than one million people who have already lost their sight because of the disease. Written by Jan Piotrowski — Copyright SASI Group (University of Sheffield) and Mark Newman (University of Michigan)
Pop-upView Separately

Neglected Eyes

By definition, neglected diseases are overlooked. Their effects are not often deadly, but can still wreak havoc among an estimated billion people in the world’s poorest populations. Trachoma, a bacterial infection that leads to blindness, is a prime example. Illustrated by this map, in which country size relates to numbers of trachoma cases, the overwhelming burden of the disease falls on Africa and South-East Asia. And, although it causes no large, media-attracting outbreaks, the disease nonetheless takes a dramatic toll. Over 40 million people need treatment, as the roughening of the eyelids and in-growing of their lashes slowly but steadily destroys their eyes. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Treatments costing as little as 50p would go a long way to eliminate the disease, and prevent further growth of the group of more than one million people who have already lost their sight because of the disease.

Written by Jan Piotrowski

—

Source: bpod.mrc.ac.uk