Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals, Vol.547, 173-180, 2011
Cytoplasmic Accumulation of Liquid-Crystal Like Droplets in Post-Infection Sputum Generated by Gram-Positive Bacteria
Massive liquid crystal droplets (LCDs) have been reported in early embryogenesis and implicated in pathological progression of human diseases. The presence of LCDs has even been established as an effective diagnostic hallmark of Fabry-Anderson's disease. In this study, we report the presence of LCDs, identified by established thermal stage phase transition methods, in sputum collected during the recovery phase of respiratory infection by gram-positive bacteria. This finding provides additional insight on the breadth of liquid crystal presence in human pathology. Further study on the formation of these LCDs may lead to new perspectives on post-infection removal of infectious agents.