Entamoeba histolytica kills nearly 100,000 people worldwide each year by causing colitis, or inflammation of the colon. The parasite kills and devours immune cells in seconds.
Because infection depends upon the ameba's consumption of the dead cells, identifying the molecules involved in the ingestion of the cells led researchers into finding how the amoeba causes colitis in children.
The researchers inhibited the action of the protein kinase found on the surface of the amoeba, effectively preventing the amoeba from eating the dead cells.
"By blocking this kinase, we have for the first time prevented the amoeba from colonizing and invading the gut," said Dr. Petri, chief of the UVa Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health. "This means that we are a step closer to preventing this disease, which wreaks havoc among children worldwide."
The protein may be a pivotal vaccination target, writes co-author Douglas Boettner in PLoS Pathogens, an open-access journal from the Public Library of Science.
