Time: Tue Dec 02 14:08:25 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:
NO!! NOT A BARRACUDA!!!
CAT FISH, YOU SMELLY JELLY INVERTEBRATE!!
88-]]
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.
>
>
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