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Also keep in mind that this strain was discovered about 50 years ago in a human host (the "grad student" reference). The tech is in mutating it further to preve
by tadfisher 3y ago
Also keep in mind that this strain was discovered about 50 years ago in a human host (the "grad student" reference). The tech is in mutating it further to prevent adaptation, but the beneficial mutation (secretion of mutacin-1140) appears to be the product of natural evolution.
- yorwba 3y agoThe beneficial mutation is not secretion of mutacin-1140, but absence of lactic acid production. Transplanting only the original mutacin-1140-producing strain wouldn't help anyone, since it still produces lactic acid that would destroy your teeth all the same. david_l_lin upthread is stressing that lactic acid is ordinary Streptococcus mutans' primary defense against other bacteria and it wouldn't be able to survive without it. The significance of mutacin-1140 is that it provides an alternative means of defense against other bacteria (or maybe offense would be a better word) which potentially makes lactic acid redundant.