Yogurt bacteria may be useful in blocking HIV transmission, providing a cheap and effective way of fighting the virus, Nature magazine said, citing a study by researchers in the U.S. and the U.K. Lactococcus lactis, a bacterium used to produce cheese and yogurt, was altered genetically by scientists at Brown Medical School in Rhode Island and the U.K.'s Food Research institute to generate cyanovirin, a drug that has been used to stop HIV infection in the cells of monkeys and humans, Nature said on its Web site. The bacterium is also found in the human body, including the stomach and vagina where it halts the growth of other harmful bacteria. The same principle could be applied with the genetically modified version, Nature said. The bacteria may have advantages over vaccines because it could be applied directly to peripheral areas of the body including the mucosal surfaces of the vagina, the report said.
