ScienceDaily (Feb. 19, 2008) — A persistent mystery in human medicine is how the lining of the small intestine, through which nutrients are absorbed, also prevents intestinal bacteria and their toxins from entering the bloodstream and causing serious infections. A team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has found that a specific intestinal enzyme may be able to block the action of the bacterial toxin involved in the overwhelming infection known as sepsis. The findings, which will appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may also explain why patients recovering from serious injury are less likely to develop infections if they receive gastrointestinal nutrition.
