Microbiologists discover how cavity-causing microbes invade heart
Monday, June 27, 2011 - 08:02
in Health & Medicine
(Medical Xpress) -- Scientists have discovered the tool that bacteria normally found in our mouths use to invade heart tissue, causing a dangerous and sometimes lethal infection of the heart known as endocarditis. The work raises the possibility of creating a screening tool perhaps a swab of the cheek, or a spit test to gauge a dental patients vulnerability to the condition.