Dark Ages scourge enlightens modern struggle between humans and microbes

New discoveries help explain how the stealthy agent of Black Death avoids tripping a self-destruct mechanism inside germ-destroying cells. The host defense mechanism pyroptosis ("going up in flames") eliminates places for the germs to reproduce and signals the recruitment of disease-fighting cells. Specifically, the findings may hold ideas for biodefense vaccines against plague, and more generally offer clues to controlling excessive inflammatory responses in arthritis, heart and lung diseases, colitis and autoimmune disorders.

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