Other Use
Bacteriophages infecting B. fragilis are commonly used as tracers of human faecal material.
Polysaccharide A (PSA) from these bacteria is reported to be involved in the protection of experimental colitis induced by Helicobacter hepaticus. Further research into B. fragilis PSA has shown it intermediates in several markers of a healthy mammalian immune system: the levels of CD4 T cells, the balance of T-helper cytokines, the presence of well-defined follicular structures in the spleen, and in the inflammatory gut response to pathogens. It is also used for separating carbohydrate groups that classify the group type of the blood cells. The enzyme GalNAC-ase cleaves the A blood cells into O type blood cells, which gives opportunity to produce universal blood units.
Read more about this topic: Bacteroides Fragilis
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