There’s a deadly bacteria that wears "molecular camouflage" by stealing your own immune proteins to hide right under your nose.
April 10, 2026
Original Paper
TraC Promotes Complement Evasion of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Choleraesuis by Recruiting Host C4b-binding Protein
SSRN · 6533072
The Takeaway
The pathogen S. Choleraesuis uses a specialized protein to recruit the host's own defense molecules to its surface. By doing so, it tricks the immune system into ignoring it, effectively turning the body's protection against itself to survive in the bloodstream.
From the abstract
Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis (S. Choleraesuis) is a highly invasive zoonotic pathogen responsible for severe bloodstream infections, in which the complement system constitutes a major innate defense against circulating bacteria. However, the molecular basis underlying resistance of S. Choleraesuis to complement-mediated killing remains poorly understood. Here, whole-genome sequencing and pan-genome comparative analyses of S. Choleraesuis isolates exhibiting distinct serum-resistance