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LeftofLarry
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so I'm helping out with a herpetological project to assess health of our snake population in the area, there is a suspected fungal outbreak affecting multi-species of snakes. Of course we have to gather baseline info to see what is normal and what is not, and we're comparing our study site with others around the area. Interestingly enough, we are also looking at other reptile and amphibian species, in doing so, I caught 3 eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) and one 5 lined skink (Eumeces inexpectatus) and found them to be carrying ticks. Normally this would be of no interest, however, after some literature review, it is found that their western cousins (Sceloporus occidentalis) have a protein in their blood that kills Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes, the organism responsible for lymes disease, inside the belly of the ticks. So when the tick feeds on the lizards, it is in a sense purifying itself from the bacteria that cuases lyme's disease. So that when this tick in turn bites another vertebrate it is nothing more than a nuissance bite.

The implications here are numerous. 1. It shows that these lizards function as an ecological filter for the disease, 2. This shows the importance of wildlife conservation (yet one more example on why preservation is important) 3. If the eastern species also kill lyme's disease, then the implication for treatment in humans are huge.

Now of course, and as always, If god created humans in such perfect form, why then are these lizards more "advanced" in combatting a disease that affects humans. This is more evidence of evolution at work. The lyme's disease bacteria has put selective pressures on these lizards to develop a protein that acts as a natural bacteriocide for this disease. We see this over and over in nature, it's a tango between population control through disease, and in turn resistance to disease because it functions as a selective pressure.

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Matt-Evolved
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How do the lizards combat the bacteria?

Do they have an enzyme that eats away at the bacteria's DNA or do they secrete some sort of fluid that maybe makes the environment of the bacteria too acidic or basic?

Just wondering. I have alway been interested in how organisms combat other organisms.

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LeftofLarry
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Matt-Evolved wrote:
How do the lizards combat the bacteria?

Do they have an enzyme that eats away at the bacteria's DNA or do they secrete some sort of fluid that maybe makes the environment of the bacteria too acidic or basic?

Just wondering. I have alway been interested in how organisms combat other organisms.

In blood serum we have what is called a complement immune system (part of the innate immune system and it complements the adaptive immune system and other aspects of the innate immune system).

THis system is designed to attack microorganisms when found in blood and is made up of proteins that are designed to recognize and bind to a few highly conserved structures present in many different microorganisms.

These proteins form a complex which lyses the bacteria, stimulate phaogcytosis by macrophages, initiate inflammation, etc....

There are three pathways 1. The Classical Complement pathway. 2. The lectin pathway, 3. the alternative complement pathway.

This type of immunity is also found in humans and other mammals.

The interesting fact about this lizards is that 1. based on the research conducted to date, it is thought that the protein responsible for killing the organism responsible for lymes disease is a complement protein, but one uniquely specific to this bacterium, showing high levels of evolutionary adaptation. 2. It not only kills the bacteria within the lizard, but because ticks suck blood (and this protein along with it) it kills the bacteria within the tick, essentially sterilizing the bacteria.

I could go into detail about the complement system, however, you'd have to be somewhate familiar with the immune system so what I'll do is leave you this link and if you have any qeustions you may ask me.

http://www.cat.cc.md.us/courses/bio141/lecguide/unit2/innate/complement.html

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