A wolf in sheep’s clothing: plague bacteria reveal one of their virulence tricks

The bacterium that causes the plague belongs to a virulent family of bacteria called Yersinia, a group that also includes a pathogen responsible for food poisoning. These bacteria insert into their host cells proteins and other virulence factors, which kill by — among other things — disrupting the cells' normal structure. One of these proteins, called YpkA, attacks a cell’s internal skeleton.

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<p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news77900282.html">A wolf in sheep’s clothing: plague bacteria reveal one of their virulence tricks</a></p> <p>The bacterium that causes the plague belongs to a virulent family of bacteria called Yersinia, a group that also includes a pathogen responsible for food poisoning. These bacteria insert into their host cells proteins and other virulence factors, which kill by — among other things — disrupting the cells' normal structure. One of these proteins, called YpkA, attacks a cell’s internal skeleton.</p>