Degrading a Defense: Bacteria use enzyme to escape trap

Like a cloak of invisibility, an enzyme released by strep A bacteria lets them slip away from the body’s staunchest defenders, a new study shows. The discovery could lead to a new weapon against virulent diseases.

White blood cells called neutrophils have a two-pronged defense against bacteria: They can swallow and destroy them or they can release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).