The findings give insight into the mechanisms that govern human susceptibility to infectious disease and point to possible avenues to protect against pathogens like Salmonella or Ebola that hijack cholesterol to infect host cells and damage the immune system. Besides lowering cholesterol levels, drugs such as statins or Ezetimibe may one day prove to be effective in providing protection against infectious diseases, including typhoid fever, chlamydia, and malaria, researchers have found. The findings give insight into the mechanisms that govern human susceptibility to infectious disease and point to possible avenues to protect against pathogens — like Salmonella or Ebola — that hijack cholesterol to infect host cells.
“This is just the first step,” said Assistant Professor at the Duke University in the US. “Our study provides a blueprint for combining different techniques…
