'Immortal' flatworms may be a weapon against bacteria
A novel mode of defense against bacteria such as the causal agent of tuberculosis or Staphylococcus aureus has been identified in humans by studying a small, aquatic flatworm, the planarian. This discovery was made by scientists in the "Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes" (CNRS/IRD/Inserm/Aix-Marseille Université), working in collaboration with the "Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire" (Inserm/Université Nice Sophia Antipolis) and other national and international research groups . Their work, published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe on 10 September 2014, highlights the importance of studying alternative model organisms, and opens the way towards new treatments against bacterial infections.