To survive in the human host, bacteria have developed many different strategies to escape the innate immune response, including the expression of an extracellular capsule and 'hiding' within host ...

It was called ‘complement’ because it aided the antibacterial activity of antibodies. However, it is now known that the complement system can be activated early in an infection without the presence of ...

Complement is an ancient defense mechanism that evolved into a large protein-interaction network in mammals that initiates and serves innate immune functions and links innate immunity with adaptive ...

The complement system consists of a complex set of approximately 20 interacting proteolytic enzymes and regulatory proteins found in the plasma and body fluids. [6] Complement proteins are effector ...

Gongguan Liu, Yong Fu, Mohammed Yosri, Yanli Chen, Peng Sun, Jinjun Xu, Mingshun Zhang, Donglei Sun, Ashley B. Strickland, Zachary B. Mackey, Meiqing Shi Proceedings of the National Academy of ...

A study conducted at the University of Helsinki under the direction of Docent Taru Meri uncovered a mechanism by which Borrelia bacteria are able to evade human immune defences. The mechanism ...

One of the ways by which our immune systems attack and kill bacteria in the blood is by assembling protein complexes—think of them as nanomachines—that effectively punch minute holes in the bacterial ...

An immune component of breast milk known as the complement system shapes the gut environment of infant mice in ways that make them less susceptible to certain disease-causing bacteria, according to a ...

The way in which bacteria that cause bacterial meningitis mimic human cells to evade the body's innate immune system has been revealed. The study could lead to the development of new vaccines that ...

Antibodies play an important role in the immune system. The immunoglobulins present on the B-lymphocyte surface send in signals to the cytoplasmic and nuclear electors. These also deliver the antigen ...

Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, have been shown to preferentially bind to mucosal surfaces. This has been suggested to provide an extra level of immunity against bacterial infections.