3 ms·

Drug-resistant bacteria found in the guts of lemurs who live around humans

61 points by hhs 5y ago

h2odragon 5y ago
There's growing awareness and discussion of microbiomes; but those are just an ephemeral slice of the macro-microbiome we drag around with us and share with our friends, neighbors, pets, and pests.
criticaltinker 5y ago
> things started to go awry when humans harnessed the power of naturally occurring antibiotics and released man-made antibiotics to the public If you're interested in learning more about the general topic of antibacterial and viral resistance evolution driven by modern medicine, this primary source is a great introduction with a wide range of historical examples [1]. For a slightly more focused treatment on viral evolution, see [2]. [1] Why does drug resistance readily evolve but vaccine resistance does not? https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2016.2562 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2016... [2] The adaptive evolution of virulence: a review of theoretical predictions and empirical tests https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/30EC8AB1717BF7A173CF5E051DBB498F/S003118201500092Xa_hi.pdf/_div_class__title__The_adaptive_evolution_of_virulence__a_review_of_theoretical_predictions_and_empirical_tests__div_.pdf https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/c...
wombatmobile 5y ago
> “Microbes are like an overlaying blanket on everything. They're not only in our guts, but also on our skin, our furniture, and in our food and water,” Bornbusch said. “They're everywhere, all the time, and they are easily transmitted between environments.” Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) allows bacteria to exchange their genetic materials (including antibiotic resistance genes, ARGs) among diverse species (Le Roux and Blokesch, 2018), greatly fostering collaboration among bacterial population in MDR development. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01933/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.0193... Check out this visualisation of the molecular apparatus for bacterial conjugation, viewed from the outer membrane. One bacterium literally injects DNA into a neighbouring bacterium! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihlFqOK5cZM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihlFqOK5cZM
- wiz21c 5y ago
  I don't understand it but the mechanical way it works is absolutely amazing ! (cf. youtube video)

61 points by hhs 5y ago

There's growing awareness and discussion of microbiomes; but those are just an ephemeral slice of the macro-microbiome we drag around with us and share with our friends, neighbors, pets, and pests.

criticaltinker 5y ago

> things started to go awry when humans harnessed the power of naturally occurring antibiotics and released man-made antibiotics to the public If you're interested in learning more about the general topic of antibacterial and viral resistance evolution driven by modern medicine, this primary source is a great introduction with a wide range of historical examples [1]. For a slightly more focused treatment on viral evolution, see [2]. [1] Why does drug resistance readily evolve but vaccine resistance does not? https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2016.2562 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2016... [2] The adaptive evolution of virulence: a review of theoretical predictions and empirical tests https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/30EC8AB1717BF7A173CF5E051DBB498F/S003118201500092Xa_hi.pdf/_div_class__title__The_adaptive_evolution_of_virulence__a_review_of_theoretical_predictions_and_empirical_tests__div_.pdf https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/c...

wombatmobile 5y ago

> “Microbes are like an overlaying blanket on everything. They're not only in our guts, but also on our skin, our furniture, and in our food and water,” Bornbusch said. “They're everywhere, all the time, and they are easily transmitted between environments.” Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) allows bacteria to exchange their genetic materials (including antibiotic resistance genes, ARGs) among diverse species (Le Roux and Blokesch, 2018), greatly fostering collaboration among bacterial population in MDR development. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01933/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.0193... Check out this visualisation of the molecular apparatus for bacterial conjugation, viewed from the outer membrane. One bacterium literally injects DNA into a neighbouring bacterium! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihlFqOK5cZM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihlFqOK5cZM

wiz21c 5y ago
I don't understand it but the mechanical way it works is absolutely amazing ! (cf. youtube video)