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Phagocytes are white blood cells killing and ingesting harmful bacteria, foreign particles as well as dead or dying cells. The statin-induced improvement in bacterial killing could fail to correspond with heightened uptake of bacteria by these specialized white blood cells. Scientists suggest that statins stimulate phagocytes to emit extracellular traps, which are specialized webs of DNA-based filaments embedded with anti-microbial peptides and enzymes. These traps appear to ensnare and destroy bacteria before they spread in the body. The research focused on Staphyloccocus aureus, a frequent antibiotic-resistant human pathogen triggering every thing from minor skin infections to life-threatening meningitis and sepsis.
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