Inhibition of Human NK Cell Function by Valinomycin, a Toxin from Streptomyces griseus in Indoor Air

[Who Me?]

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Lisa Petrison

8 hrs ·

Low NKC activity is a hallmark symptom of ME/CFS, present in virtually all (likely all) patients with actual ME. The numbers are stubbornly, stupidly low, which makes it seem that it must be a core component of the illness.

I have been looking to find an environmental fungal toxin that might be causing it for quite a while now, with no real luck.

As it turns out though, maybe I was just looking in the wrong literature. Because this 2000 article which someone just pointed out to me is suggesting that this bacterial toxin also present in bad buildings may have the potential of causing this effect.

I wonder what kind of symptoms this kind of toxin would trigger acutely in mold sensitized people. I wouldn't rule out the idea that this might be one of the "supertoxins" that I have been talking about, for instance.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC97116/

>The results of our study show that a bacterial dodecadepsipeptide, valinomycin, strongly inhibits the cytotoxicity and cytokine production of human NK cells and eventually induces NK cell apoptosis. We used two preparations of valinomycin, namely, a commercially available one purified from S. fulvissimus and HPLC-pure valinomycin from an indoor dust isolate of S. griseus. Valinomycin-producing strains of S. griseus were detected in indoor air and dust, settled dust, and building materials in public and private buildings with dampness damage (23). The detected loads of streptomycetes in buildings where the occupants were experiencing long-term health problems were 101 to 103 CFU m−3 (3, 5, 23). Up to 30% of these organisms were found to be toxic (23).

Inhibition of Human NK Cell Function by Valinomycin, a Toxin from Streptomyces griseus in Indoor Air
Streptomyces griseus strains isolated from indoor dust have been shown to synthesize valinomycin.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC97116/

 

[Remy]

I don't understand this yet.

Valinomycin is produced from Streptomyces griseus...but that same organism also produces antibiotics and vitamins like B12 that are made and sold commercially.

Is it possible that it could produce both beneficial and harmful substances all at once? Does it just depend on the strain involved?

Here's another interesting article on the topic:

http://aem.asm.org/content/64/12/4767.full

 

[Who Me?]

@Strike me lucky thoughts?

 

[Cort]

Wow a bacterial toxin whacks NK cells. That is sooo cool. I do horrible, just horrible in musty, dusty houses. Oddly enough I have never done well in them. Even when I was a healthy young lad I had to have my windows open.....I had forgotten all about that...some early sensitivity no doubt...

 

[Strike me lucky]

I think many chronic infections have a way of turning down nk function. I think it was ebv but could relate to any herpes viruses, i recall reading it had the ability to turn down the bodies interferon production to help the virus avoid the immune system. Interferon is needed to increase on nk function, so reducing interferon also reduces nk function.

Whats interesting is that dr chia uses interferon to treat enteroviruses in cfsme. Im not sure if these patients had low nk function or not, but most probably if they had cfs.

So i guess other infections could use a similar method to avoid the immune system??