by Gina Kolata
Scientists have finally found an answer to one of the great mysteries about the most deadly bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus — why it attacks primarily humans and not animals. And they now have an idea of why some humans are particularly susceptible to these bacteria that kill 100,000 Americans a year, far more than any other microbe.
In a study released on Wednesday, researchers at Vanderbilt University report that staph evolved to zero in on particular regions of human hemoglobin so it could burst the cagelike molecule and feed on the iron inside. People who are resistant to staph, they suspect, might have slight genetic variations that tweak the hemoglobin regions the bacteria seek, making them impervious to the attack.
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