Manganese found to neutralize Shiga toxin

An article today discusses a paper that reports that manganese significantly neutralizes the toxicity of Shiga toxin in cells.  This occurs because a certain protein which is responsible for the Shiga toxin’s avoiding normal breakdown within cells is highly sensitive to manganese.

This is a significant discovery as hundreds of millions of people are affected by Shiga toxin each year through E coli and other infections.  Often people with severe toxicity experience kidney failure and are forced to go on dialysis.  If simply taking manganese can protect from Shiga toxicity that is a huge advance.


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