There's something lurking about your garden, weaving in and out of your vegetables and making itself at home. You can't see it, but it's there. Deep down under the soil lies a ravenous 'ultrabug', a bacterium able to survive only on antibiotics - the very drugs that are supposed to kill it.
Recently, while hunting for soil bacteria that can turn plant waste to biofuels, a team of microbiologists led by George Church of Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, found a strain of Pseudomonas bacteria (right) that could survive on antibiotics. The researchers collected soil bacteria from many places such as farms, forests and parks around the northeast United States and Minnesota.
They used antibiotics as an experimental control; and discovered that these bacteria were able to survive on many different antibiotics, both natural and manmade, including frequently used antibiotics for childhood illnesses. In all cases, not only did the bacteria just survive but they flourished while eating the antibiotics.
How could this happen? Should we be concerned? And is this the next superbug?
Beneficial Germs
Most people think of bacteria as "germs," invisible creatures that can invade our bodies and make us sick.
However, not all bacteria are harmful; in fact, many bacteria are quite useful. There are over a thousand types of bacteria in the normal human intestines that make vitamins such as folic acid and vitamin K, and can also help digest milk proteins such as lactose. Other bacteria help clean up oil spills by devouring the oil as food. Some bacteria decompose compost, garbage and sewage and help make methane which is used as fuel. It's difficult to imagine our life without some of these bacteria.
Interestingly, bacteria can also be found everywhere from soil, water, acidic hot springs and radioactive waste (left), to locations deep in the Earth's crust, as well as in plants and animals. These bacteria are essential for the stable ecosystem in which we live.
Bacteria also play a major role in scientific research and drug development. Bacteria in the lab can be genetically engineered to make proteins that are useful for humans, such as insulin and human growth hormone. Certain human genes that are responsible for making proteins such as insulin are inserted into bacteria like E. coli, to produce synthetic 'human' insulin in large quantities.
Recently, while hunting for soil bacteria that can turn plant waste to biofuels, a team of microbiologists led by George Church of Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, found a strain of Pseudomonas bacteria (right) that could survive on antibiotics. The researchers collected soil bacteria from many places such as farms, forests and parks around the northeast United States and Minnesota.
They used antibiotics as an experimental control; and discovered that these bacteria were able to survive on many different antibiotics, both natural and manmade, including frequently used antibiotics for childhood illnesses. In all cases, not only did the bacteria just survive but they flourished while eating the antibiotics.
How could this happen? Should we be concerned? And is this the next superbug?
Beneficial Germs
Most people think of bacteria as "germs," invisible creatures that can invade our bodies and make us sick.
However, not all bacteria are harmful; in fact, many bacteria are quite useful. There are over a thousand types of bacteria in the normal human intestines that make vitamins such as folic acid and vitamin K, and can also help digest milk proteins such as lactose. Other bacteria help clean up oil spills by devouring the oil as food. Some bacteria decompose compost, garbage and sewage and help make methane which is used as fuel. It's difficult to imagine our life without some of these bacteria.
Interestingly, bacteria can also be found everywhere from soil, water, acidic hot springs and radioactive waste (left), to locations deep in the Earth's crust, as well as in plants and animals. These bacteria are essential for the stable ecosystem in which we live.
Bacteria also play a major role in scientific research and drug development. Bacteria in the lab can be genetically engineered to make proteins that are useful for humans, such as insulin and human growth hormone. Certain human genes that are responsible for making proteins such as insulin are inserted into bacteria like E. coli, to produce synthetic 'human' insulin in large quantities.
