Bacteria in Yogurt Modified to Fight HIV Infection
`Bacteria in yogurt have been modified to deliver a drug that blocks HIV infection.
In their natural state, the bacteria (Lactococcus lactis) produce lactic acid and are used to make cheese and yogurt. It is not harmful to humans.
Research based at Brown Medical School in Rhode Island altered the genetics of the bacteria so they generate cyanovirin, a drug that has prevented HIV infection in monkeys and human cells, according to a report at news@nature.com.
Cyanovirin binds to sugar molecules that are attached to the HIV virus, blocking a receptor used by HIV to infect cells.’
