The usual Gram-negative Bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa Among Microbes is a real comic book villain.
Able to slip through our defenses to infiltrate our most innocent places, this insidious killer deserves to be ranked among the following. WHO priority 1 list of pathogens.
Most of us encounter microbes in our environment every day and walk away completely unscathed. In the right situation, however, it easily exploits the small gaps in our defenses, exposing it to an escape infection.
How such a ubiquitous microorganism could have been so opportunistic has been a mystery, prompting an international team of researchers to delve into the species’ evolutionary history.
Led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, the team produced a genetic family tree of 596 closely related species based on 9,829 bacterial samples taken from a variety of human, animal and environmental sources around the world. In 1900
Of these, they found that 21 species were responsible for the majority of infections. It is the rapid evolution of these nasty eggs over the past two centuries that has given us such a dangerous infectious agent.
More than half a million people As a direct result of dying every year P. aeruginosa The most challenging part of treating the infection is thanks to the bacteria’s well-stocked arsenal of antibiotic resistance.
Survivable Easily in jet fuel In as clean water as possible, P. aeruginosa’s Adaptation seems to know no bounds. This elusive skill set makes it a unique problem in healthcare settings.
such as hospital patients with chronic lung disease Cystic fibrosis (CF) and Bronchitis They are especially vulnerable.
In fact, researchers have found a strong link between several bacterial infections in people with CF. On closer inspection, these species have evolved mechanisms aimed at taking advantage of the weakened health of CF patients, helping the microbe to avoid the havoc it wreaks on their hosts’ immune systems.
If they find a safe new place to live in the most immune cells that have been eliminated, CF-specific P. aeruginosa Tensions continued to rise as they exchanged countermeasures over family lunches like recipes.
The discovery reveals the ability of pathogens to exploit their survival capabilities to colonize new niches in harsh environments.
“From a clinical point of view, this study has shown important information Pseudomonas” He says. Senior author Andres Floto, respiratory biologist and director of the UK Cystic Fibrosis Innovation Center at the University of Cambridge.
The focus has always been on how easily this infection can spread among CF patients, but we have shown that it can also spread alarmingly among other patients.
Knowing how easily pathogens can be resistant puts even more pressure on developing the most efficient screening and isolation measures.
P. aeruginosa He is unlikely to be an easily defeated enemy. But if we want to prevent bacteria from becoming a dangerous threat, it is important to know the strength of bacteria.
“The study we did Pseudomonas It has taught us new things about the biology of cystic fibrosis and revealed important ways to improve our immune system against invading bacteria in this and other possible conditions. He says. Fleet
This study was published in Science.