Time: Tue Dec 02 14:06:52 1997 To: <pnpj@db1.cc.rochester.edu> From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar] Subject: Genetic Defects Make People Smell like Rotting Fish Cc: Bcc: References: Patty, I can't stand it. Please don't make me wait any longer. Pleeeeze!!! I GOTTA KNOW! GOTTA KNOW!! Can it be transmitted via modems? 8-] /s/ Paul Mitchell http://supremelaw.com At 10:24 AM 12/2/97 -0400, you wrote: >When all seems dark and dim, just remember--it could be worse. > > >Genetic Defects Make People Smell like > Rotting Fish > > AP > 02-DEC-97 > > NEW YORK (AP) Two competing teams of scientists have >identified genetic defects that cause > "fish-odor syndrome," a distressing disease that makes people >smell like rotting fish. > > People with the uncommon disorder can be ridiculed as >children and grow up to be lonely and > depressed. > > "These people lose jobs, they lose friends, they're often >very isolated," said Dr. Eileen Treacy of > McGill University in Montreal, who led one of the teams that >found the flaws in a single gene. > > Robert L. Smith of the Imperial College School of Medicine in >London, a member of the other group, > told of a woman who divorced her husband because she thought >he was not keeping himself clean. > When she learned he had the disorder, "she was full of >remorse," he said. > > No cure is known for fish-odor syndrome, although avoiding >certain foods and taking antibiotics can > help. The new work might lead to better therapies, >researchers said. > > The British research team, led by Ian R. Phillips of the >University of London, reports its work in the > December issue of the journal Nature Genetics. Treacy's >results were presented last month at a > genetics meeting. > > It's not clear how common fish-odor syndrome is. Smith said >it is mentioned in some ancient > literature and even caught the attention of Shakespeare, who >in "The Tempest" describes a character > with "a very ancient and fish-like smell." > > The newly found defects sabotage production of effective >forms of an enzyme called FMO3. The > liver needs that enzyme to process a smelly protein called >TMA or trimethylamine, which is > produced by bacteria in the gut. When TMA goes unprocessed, >it seeps out in a person's breath and > perspiration, causing the offensive body odor. > > People with the disorder are told to avoid eating fish from >the sea, eggs, liver and other foods that > contain raw materials for making TMA. They can also take >antibiotics, but only intermittently, to > reduce production of the stench. > > Everybody has two copies of the FMO3 gene, one inherited from >each parent. The disorder arises > when both copies are defective. > > It appears shortly after birth. Mothers find an affected baby >"smells a bit odd" and may bathe the > child several times a day in the next few months, Smith said. >The baby's bedroom may have a > "heavy, slightly objectionable smell, particularly around the >curtains and furnishings," he said. > > Later, in school, the child is often ridiculed as "Stinky" or >"Fishy," said Smith, who said children > have been forced to leave schools because of the derision. > > Some affected people reach their teens without finding out >why their peers are avoiding them, > knowing only "there's something wrong about them that they >don't understand," Smith said. > > Many affected people go into jobs where they can work alone. >Some start smoking heavily to try to > disguise the smell, Smith said. > > "It's an awful condition for them to have to live with, >particularly teen-agers and young people > trying to make their lives and careers," Smith said. "They >labor under this disadvantage. It's a dead > weight on them." > > Copyright 1997 & The Associated Press. All rights reserved. >This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or > redistributed. > > > Search the net: > > >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >Unsub info - send e-mail to majordomo@majordomo.pobox.com, with >"unsubscribe liberty-and-justice" in the body (not the subject) >Liberty-and-Justice list-owner is Mike Goldman <whig@pobox.com> > >
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