The American Academy of Microbiology just released a Microbes & Oil Spills FAQ that explains how microbes can help clean up oil spills such as the 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The microbes that can consume and break down different types of oil are mostly bacteria and fungi.
The FAQ proved once again the amazing versatility of bacteria, a topic I've blogged about before. Bacteria native to the area of the spill, who draw their energy from consuming and breaking down oil, reproduce to increase their numbers when more oil is present in the water, and slow reproduction when less oil is present.
The FAQ pointed out that the oil leaked in a spill can outpace the microbes' ability to respond to it, and microbes can't always break down oil components easily or quickly. But the microbes' ability to remove some oil from the water and to expand and contract their numbers in response to what's in the water is impressive.
Although bacteria can spontaneously help mitigate the environmental impact of an oil spill, however, we can't control how they will respond to an environment that we create. Our overuse of antibiotics, for example, has contributed to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacterial superbugs.
A CBC study of bacteria in raw chicken, reported on the Association of Health Care Journalists' Covering Health blog, found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in all the samples tested. Why? Because the chicken farmers gave large amounts of unnecessary antibiotics to healthy chickens so that they would grow larger.
Bacteria have survived because they are adaptable; I hope that one day we can plan better for both the advantages and the disadvantages of this ability.
Showing posts with label antibiotic resistance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label antibiotic resistance. Show all posts
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Monday, April 19, 2010
Three Cheers for Bacteria
After I read that the FDA is investigating the safety of the antibacterial agent triclosan, a chemical widely used in toothpastes, cosmetics, soaps, and plastics, we did a quick audit of some of these products in our house. Triclosan might affect hormone function and contribute to antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Unfortunately, we have plenty of triclosan at home. Sitting on the bathroom sink, a tube of Colgate Total (Active ingredient: 0.30 % triclosan); in the broom closet, a container of Target's antibacterial hand soap (Active ingredient: triclosan 0.115%). I'll be phasing those out of our household post haste, and looking for triclosan-free alternatives. I'm glad to make the switch, because bacteria are my favorite microorganisms.
Over the past year, "bad" bacteria have caused plenty of havoc in my family, from sinus infections to scarlet fever (which happened, most ironically, just after we had watched a movie version of The Velveteen Rabbit, in which scarlet fever strikes the main character). It is true that problems such as bacterial meningitis and MRSA infections have hurt or killed far too many people, and I will happily sing the praises of both antibiotics (used judiciously and correctly) and vaccines (such as the tetanus, pertussis, and Hib vaccines) to prevent dangerous bacterial infections.
But bacteria have an important role in biology, and I have no desire to wipe out more bacteria than medically necessary. Prokaryotic bacteria have been around for billions (billions!) of years, one of the oldest and simplest microorganisms - just one cell big, with no nucleus. Bacteria in our digestive tract help us digest our food and make a vitamin that helps our blood clot. Bacteria in the reproductive tract destroy fungi that can cause infections. And many antibiotics, of course, are made from bacteria.
Outside our bodies, bacteria keep soil healthy and break down dead plants. We use bacteria to make yogurt and cheese and to process sewage. Bacteria are wily and adaptable, and can even survive in the Antarctic's Lake Vostok.
Although bacterial problems such as salmonella outbreaks in the food supply make the news more often, far more types of bacteria are helpful than harmful to humans. Why do these fascinating organisms get such a bad rap (hey, go pick on viruses!)? Our obsession with eliminating the bacteria around us creates its own problems, such as questionable ingredients in household products and antibiotic resistance. I think it's time to show bacteria a little more respect - maybe a Bacteria Appreciation Week?
Unfortunately, we have plenty of triclosan at home. Sitting on the bathroom sink, a tube of Colgate Total (Active ingredient: 0.30 % triclosan); in the broom closet, a container of Target's antibacterial hand soap (Active ingredient: triclosan 0.115%). I'll be phasing those out of our household post haste, and looking for triclosan-free alternatives. I'm glad to make the switch, because bacteria are my favorite microorganisms.
Over the past year, "bad" bacteria have caused plenty of havoc in my family, from sinus infections to scarlet fever (which happened, most ironically, just after we had watched a movie version of The Velveteen Rabbit, in which scarlet fever strikes the main character). It is true that problems such as bacterial meningitis and MRSA infections have hurt or killed far too many people, and I will happily sing the praises of both antibiotics (used judiciously and correctly) and vaccines (such as the tetanus, pertussis, and Hib vaccines) to prevent dangerous bacterial infections.
But bacteria have an important role in biology, and I have no desire to wipe out more bacteria than medically necessary. Prokaryotic bacteria have been around for billions (billions!) of years, one of the oldest and simplest microorganisms - just one cell big, with no nucleus. Bacteria in our digestive tract help us digest our food and make a vitamin that helps our blood clot. Bacteria in the reproductive tract destroy fungi that can cause infections. And many antibiotics, of course, are made from bacteria.
Outside our bodies, bacteria keep soil healthy and break down dead plants. We use bacteria to make yogurt and cheese and to process sewage. Bacteria are wily and adaptable, and can even survive in the Antarctic's Lake Vostok.
Although bacterial problems such as salmonella outbreaks in the food supply make the news more often, far more types of bacteria are helpful than harmful to humans. Why do these fascinating organisms get such a bad rap (hey, go pick on viruses!)? Our obsession with eliminating the bacteria around us creates its own problems, such as questionable ingredients in household products and antibiotic resistance. I think it's time to show bacteria a little more respect - maybe a Bacteria Appreciation Week?
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