Discovery can save mothers

WHAT triggers a common, mild infection such as a sore throat or skin infection into a flesh-eating disease has been discovered by scientists.

The discovery could lead to a vaccine for childbed fever, which kills one-sixth of infected new mothers.

Group A streptococcus is often found in the throat and on the skin and spreads through sneezing, kissing and skin contact and causes more than 700 million cases every year.

Now doctors at Houston Methodist hospital in the US have discovered the trigger that could lead to a vaccine to protect new mums and newborns.

Dr James Musser said: “One of the very unexpected things we discovered was a strategy group A strep uses”.