3/14/2011 PERMALINK
Beneficial bacteria can not only prevent digestive diseases, they can also keep flu out of your lungs. A research team led by Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University in New Haven, has found a beneficial bacteria that kick-starts the flu-fighting pathway by activating 'inflammasome' protein complexes in the immune system. The inflammasomes then pushed precursors of the immune protein cytokine interleukin 1-beta into a chemically mature state.