Nasty disease.
How I suddenly came to pondering on it is that I was studying my digestion notes, and reading about CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane receptor). For non medics:This receptor allows tiny channels in your gut wall to open and let water out. Fine normally. Unfortunately cholera produces a toxin that paralyses these channels, preventing them from closing. Result: massive diarrhoea, dehydration, and death if untreated.
So far, so unpleasant. But the really interesting thing is that cholera may have caused cystic fibrosis to evolve. Here is a link that can explain it better than I.
Anyway, I was just sitting here thinking how fascinating it all is. That a condition as devastating as CF can come about through a modification to help fight off another disease. I wish more of my lectures had interesting side notes to them!
Q: The link I put up says that historically only heterozygous carriers of the CF gene benefitted from a decreased susceptibility to cholera, because homozygous carriers had CF and didn't live long enough to get cholera. But, in this era of modern medicine where people with CF live a lot longer, what if someone with CF was infected with cholera? Would they be completely immune to it and develop no symptoms?
Answers on a postcard!
1 comment:
I think they do live longer, but still not long enough to get cholera. And to live longer, they have the proper medical treatment, and to have that, they live in places where cholera isn't what you'd call common.
It's just off the top of my head - one opinion.
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