Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise (SALT LAKE CITY) Examination of DNA from 21 primate species from squirrel monkeys to humans exposes an evolutionary war against infectious bacteria over iron that circulates in the hosts bloodstream. Supported by experimental evidence, these findings, published in Science on Dec. 12, demonstrate the vital importance of an increasingly appreciated defensive strategy called nutritional immunity. Weve known about nutritional immunity for 40 years, says Matthew Barber, Ph.D., first author and postdoctoral fellow in human genetics at the University of Utah. What this study shows us is that over the last 40 million years of primate evolution, this battle for iron between bacteria and primates has been a determining factor in our survival as a species. The study also models an approach for uncovering reservoirs of genetic resistance to bacterial infections, knowledge that could be used to confront emerging diseases. Following infection, the familiar sneezing, runny nose, and inflammation are all part of the immune systems attempts to rid the body of hostile invaders. Lesser known is a separate defense against invasive microbes, called nutritional immunity, that quietly takes place under our skin. This defense mechanism starves infectious bacteria by hiding circulating iron, … Continue reading →