Mal protein - messenger to body's immune system for bacteria attacks

Researches have found two variants of a key protein called Mal Protein that alerts the body's immune system to the presence of invading bacteria.

One variant of Mal Protein allows the immune system to respond normally, whereas te the other variant of Mal Protein causes a very strong reaction.

All humans carry two copies of the Mal protein, one from the mother and one from the father. Possessing two copies of the less active variant will make the body not respond sufficiently to infection and will succumb to disease, while two copies of the highly active variant means the immune system goes into overdrive, leading to severe forms of the disease.