Genetically modified bacteria in yoghurt could help fight tooth decay.
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According to Nature Science Update, rats whose mouths were swabbed with the engineered bacteria went on to develop fewer dental cavities. Similar bacteria could be developed and introduced in food to combat other bacteria.
Lennart Hammarstrom, of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, and his colleagues were cited as engineering Lactobacillus zeae to carry an antibody against Streptococcus mutans on their surface. Streptococcus mutans causes most dental caries.
The antibody sticks to the molecule on S. mutans that normally sticks to teeth. The two species clump together and slide harmlessly down the throat. Nature Science Update reported that Hammarstrom thinks the lactobacilli also kill the Streptococcus, perhaps with the lactic acid they produce.
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