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Published online 11 November 2003 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news031110-4
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Bug makes bats bad for brains
Bacterial poison damages brains of Pacific islanders - and perhaps others.
An epidemic of brain disease on the Pacific island of Guam might be due to bacteria, say researchers. The microbes make a toxin, called BMAA, which accumulates up the food chain, reaching humans in big doses via plants and bats.
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