Flesh-eating infections in rheumatoid arthritis patients spur new discovery

Rheumatoid arthritis patients taking medications that inhibit interleukin-1beta, a molecule that stimulates the immune system, are 300 times more likely to experience invasive Group A Streptococcal infections than patients not on the drug, according to researchers. Their study also uncovers a critical new role for IL-1beta as the body's independent early warning system for bacterial infections.