iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Bacteria can protect themselves from viral attacks by triggering a self-destruct mechanism, and scientists have now identified how some of these microbes detect an invading virus. The discovery could help researchers develop more effective treatments for infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The study, published in the journal Science, found that certain viruses produce an enzyme that cuts a sensor protein inside a bacterial cell. This damage acts as an alarm, activating the bacterium’s immune system.
The findings could help scientists improve phage therapy, which uses viruses known as bacteriophages, or phages, to target and kill bacteria. These viruses can attack harmful bacteria, including those that have developed resistance to antibiotics, without directly damaging human cells.
However, bacteria have their own immune defenses against phages, making it difficult for some viruses to infect them successfully. Understanding how these defenses work could help researchers develop therapeutic phages that are better able to overcome bacterial immunity.
The research focused on a bacterial immune system called CBASS. When activated, it can trigger a last-resort response in which an infected bacterium kills itself before the invading virus can spread to neighboring cells.
Because this response destroys the infected cell, CBASS must distinguish genuine viral threats from other activity inside the bacterium.
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