Prompt diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics usually brings about a complete recovery, but the disease can be life-threatening for people with compromised immune systems. William Dietrich, assistant professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and Howard Hughes investigator, is studying mice that are resistant to infection with legionella, hoping to shed light on how the bacteria trick the macrophages into leaving them alone. Understanding this interaction, which is also used by other harmful bacteria, could lead to treatments for other infectious diseases for which there are no effective therapies. For reasons that aren't well understood, people with diabetes are more likely to get periodontal disease and, therefore, need visit the dentist more often than other folks. Left untreated, periodontal disease can lead to erosion of the bone holding the teeth, causing them to loosen and eventually fall out.
Dental implants offer a permanent solution to missing teeth.
But because of their increased likelihood of having dental problems, dental researchers have been unsure how well dental implants would work for people with diabetes. By studying animal models, Joseph Fiorellini, assistant professor of periodontology at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, found that implants didn't fare well in cases of severe, uncontrolled diabetes, due to problems with wound healing and bone growth. For people whose diabetes is kept under control with insulin, implants appear to be an option. Fiorellini is now tracking people with controlled diabetes who have had implants to see how well the new teeth hold up. This July marks the fifth anniversary of Harvard Medical School's Summer Spanish Program.