Thermostable nuclease: a study of clinical impact.

bayberry treatment of cholera described in ancient Chinese medicine. We found that an extract derived from a simple and rapid extraction of bayberry fruits could repress V. cholerae virulence gene expression at low concentrations and inhibit V. cholerae growth at high concentrations. Intriguingly, this bayberry extract did not inhibit or kill many non-pathogenic bacteria tested, including Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis (data not shown). The narrow-spectrum bactericidal activity of the bayberry extract may thus preserve normal intestinal flora during treatment. Thus far, there has been little success in finding cheap and effective treatments for poverty-associated infectious diseases like cholera. For example, although Hung et al. reported a compound that can specifically inhibit V. cholerae virulence gene expression in vitro and in vivo, such compounds must be artificially synthesized. Further study is necessary to reveal the exact nature of bayberry extract inhibition of V. cholerae infection, but consumption of bayberry fruits or fruit extracts may prove to be a cheap alternative therapy for cholera in many developing countries.