It’s a reasonable thought that if a single base mutation in the DNA code for hemoglobin can result in sickle cell anemia, other variations are possible and some may be beneficial.  Researchers at Vanderbilt University believe they have discovered just that-a slight change that results in a heme structure which confers resistance to Staphylococcus aureus-a microbe that kills more than 100k Americans each year.  Research for this project relied on a biorepository which held blood samples from all patients at Vanderbilt Medical Center, including those who presented staph infections.           MORE