A new study published in PLOS Pathogens revealed the role of genetic variations between different strains of the same bacterial species in inducing variations in immune system responses. Former studies have shown that susceptibility to infection with the same species of disease causing bacteria may vary among people.
The researchers at Rockefeller University, New York have examined different strains of two major species of pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes, and have analyzed the response of immune system T and B cells in donated human blood samples once exposed to different strains of each species.
