supreme health
breakthroughs !
other cancer rates
supplements
suppl. sources
effectiveness
elements list
health news
health tips
for mothers
discovery story
references
corn poisoning
lettuce poisoning
mary-jo's story
sarah's story
stranger's story
Q & A
science bloopers
indictment
invitation
other health sites
|
| |
Staph Bacteria Easily Swap Genes |
 |
The recent discovery (prominent news item July 9. 2001) that staph bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) easily swap genes, "has sent a wave of terror through people responsible for public health'', said Dr. Abigail A. Salyers, a microbe researcher at the University of Illinois, Urbana. "They know this organism will become a major pathogen if antibiotics no longer work.''
|
And for very good reasons. Staph bacteria are everywhere in our environment, and before the advent of antibiotics, staph infections of injuries were a major killer. It killed most of the soldiers injured in battle, most of the patients undergoing operations, and a little thing like a little cut or scrape could quickly prove fatal.
And because of the recent advent of antibiotic resistant staph, and the easy swapping of genes among bacteria, the "wave of terror" mentioned by Dr Salyers is not the least bit 'alarmist' but, and for many reasons, rather well founded. |
Bacterial Gene Swapping
The foremost reason is that bacteria can reproduce in as little as 10 minutes under optimum conditions - such as in a wound in a human being or animal - leading to millions of bacteria in a few hours. The other is, as this new discovery has shown that, like all bacteria, staph readily swap genes with other bacteria. Indeed, and as has been long known, bacteria have 4 different ways of swapping genes.
The first is "sexual reproduction" - called "bacterial conjugation" - which resembles the basics of human reproduction so closely that it could make a sensitive person blush.
The second is "plasmid" transfer, which bacteria engage in with great abandon. "Plasmids" are little rings of anywhere from 2 to 30 genes outside of the basic bacterial chromosome, which are easily and readily transferred from bacterium to bacterium. Indeed, these plasmids are widely used in biotechnology to transfer 'desirable' genes from one strain of bacteria to another.
The third is called "transfer", in which a living bacterium picks up naked genetic material from a 'broken' dead cell, in which bacteria also engage in with great abandon. This has profound implications for the transfer of genetically modified organisms in nature.
The fourth is called "transduction", in which bacteriophages pick up and carry bacterial DNA from one bacterium to another.
Combine this with the 10 minute reproduction rate of bacteria, the rapidly growing antibiotic resistance of staph, and we indeed have the foundation of a massive disaster.
There is, though, a curious but crucially important factor. It is this. Staphylococci exist everywhere - in the air, in dust, in sewage, water, milk, and on food or on food equipment, environmental surfaces, on and in humans and animals. Indeed, humans and animals are the primary reservoirs of staph bacteria, and Staphylococci are present in the nasal passages, throats and on the hair and skin of more than 50% of the world's population. This incidence is even higher for those who associate with or who come in contact with sick individuals and hospital environments.
Yet only a vanishing small minority of people, compared to the over 3 billion carriers world-wide, succumb to staph infections. By far the greatest number of people are completely immune to staph infections. To whit; of the bacterial pathogens causing food borne illnesses in the U.S. (127 outbreaks, 7,082 cases recorded in 1983), only 14 outbreaks involving 1,257 cases were caused by S. aureus. These outbreaks were followed by 11 outbreaks (1,153 cases) in 1984, 14 outbreaks (421 cases) in 1985, 7 outbreaks (250 cases) in 1986 and one reported outbreak (100 cases) in 1987.
And most of the affected individuals were the very young, the elderly, the injured and the ill, and people with compromised immunity systems, causing such conditions as hospital-acquired infections, the scalded skin disease that strikes infants, toxic shock syndrome and systemic blood poisoning called sepsis.
However, and clearly and obviously, humans and animals alike normally have a supremely effective immune response to staph infections, in which the nutritional presence of the complete natural range of the 72 trace elements plays a major role.
| BACK | INDEX |
NEXT |
|
|
|
