A new research report published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows how the bacteria known for causing gum disease—Porphyromonas gingivalis—manipulates the body's immune system to disable normal processes that would otherwise destroy it, according to Medical News Today. Specifically, the report shows that this pathogen prompts the production of the anti-inflammatory molecule Interleukin-10 (IL-10). This, in turn, inhibits the function of T-cells, which would otherwise help to protect the host from this particular microbial infection.

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