Canadian scientists make E. coli discovery

KINGSTON, Ontario, Nov 8, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Scientists at Canada's Queen's University may have found a more effective treatment of a strain of the E. coli bacteria with the discovery of a new protein.

A team led by biochemistry researcher Zongchao Jia and graduate student Michael Suits identified a protein that allows the bacterial strain known as E. coli 0157:H7 to obtain the iron it needs for survival in the body.

Iron is a catalyst for bacterial growth, so when a human body detects bacterial invasion, it produces proteins that bind tightly to and restrict iron to limit bacterial growth. In response, bacteria have evolved other methods to acquire iron, including detecting and using human heme within proteins such as hemoglobin that transports oxygen from our lungs.

The newly discovered protein breaks down heme, releasing the iron atom stored there for use by the deadly bacteria.

But some researchers believe isolating one of the proteins E. coli 0157:H7 needs for survival will not be enough, since the bacteria will migrate to surrounding proteins as iron sources.

E. coli 0157:H7 is most commonly transmitted through undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk and infected water.

The study appears online at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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