the body never belonged only to us. It inhabits the whole Assembly of a wide variety of bacteria. Most are necessary for normal functioning and preserving a healthy balance between beneficial and harmful microorganisms.
Recently, scientists from the Portuguese research Institute of the Instituto Gulbenkian de Cincia and Stanford University has identified a bacterium, standing guard over this rather delicate balance.
it is Expected that the finding of the experts will help to solve one of the important problems of treatment by antibiotics. Explain that in addition to hackneyed bacterial resistance to current drugs, there is another, not less serious problem.
the fact that modern antibiotics are not very selective. Treatment them is akin to carpet bombing, which killed as pathogenic and vital bacteria.
the Result is pretty sad: a deficiency of natural inhabitants in our body actively “bloom” is usually harmless but potentially dangerous bacteria and fungi. Their uncontrolled reproduction leads to the so-called opportunistic infections, to cope with which is quite difficult.
Scientists and medical practitioners have long been interested in the question of how to avoid this unpleasant complication of treatment with antibiotics. In the new work of the Portuguese and American experts, it seems, “the trail” one very interesting possibilities.
Working with laboratory mice, the researchers noticed something curious. After treatment with antibiotics in animal parts has developed opportunistic infections, while others, apparently, remained quite healthy.
Experts have started to look for the causes of this “division”. It turned out that in mice, loss-survivors of antibiotic therapy from the intestine were sown much more certain bacteria.
These sticks, called Klebsiella michiganensis, belong to the genus Klebsiella, which are usually found on the skin, the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and in feces of man.
Interestingly, one of the relatives of “protective” K. michiganensis is very dangerous and under certain conditions causes severe pneumonia and even sepsis.
the Experiment showed that isolated from the feces of mice Klebsiella competes for nutrients with other conditionally pathogenic bacteria – E. coli (Escherichia coli). By the way, the latter actively multiplying after antibiotic therapy, gives patients a lot of trouble.
it Turned out that K. michiganensis was introduced in the intestine of rodents in much smaller numbers than E. coli. However, they are much more split up nutrients, not allowing your competition to multiply and cause severe disease.
According to the authors, the hope is that for each pathogen there is one or more of these safe bacteria-competitors. Their use would open new approaches in the prevention of problems associated with antibiotics.
Note that this is not the first attempt by scientists to attract micro-organisms to fight other. For example, the viruses attacking bacteria (called bacteriophages) have also demonstrated its effectiveness against pathogens.
Another study showed that “strict diet” (that is, the reduction of nutrients in the gut) causes the bacteria to compete with each other for resources, which also inhibits the excessive multiplication of potentially harmful microbes.
Portuguese-American team of researchers is not going to stop there. Scientists will continue to search for other bacteria like K. michiganensis limit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms in the gut.
“it is Desirable that in the future after treatment with antibiotics people also took supplements to restore and enhance beneficial properties of microbiota. To do this we need to identify the other [safe] bacteria-competitors like Klebsiella michiganensis,” concludes lead author of the study the Karina Xavier (Karina Xavier) in the press release of the Institute.
the Results of the research conducted under her leadership, published in Nature Microbiology.
by the Way, the authors of the “News.Science” (nauka.vesti.ru) told about another interesting study that found the ability of pathogens to “talk” with each other. We wrote about the medieval potion, suddenly appeared effective against one of the most dangerous modern bacteria.
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Text: To.Science
