Microbe happenings
John E. Peterson, Special to the Gazette
Thursday, January 7, 2010
I have told you periodically about things we are learning about microbes, how they affect us and our world. Microbes, of course, are bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, algae, etc. They are microscopic parts of our world. Since I have learned many new things about them, I want to share with you what I have learned. I would do that, if I had my way.
There was an interesting article in the last “Microbe.” It was something of a synopsis of our oral cavity biofilm — mouth microbes, if you prefer. There are more than 700 types of microorganisms in the mouth. They form plaques between the teeth, cause bad breath and other things. We would all recognize this biofilm situation and work at controlling it, if I had my way.
In that same “Microbe” was an interesting article about all of the human microbes and how they affect our health and cause diseases. The majority are in the GI tract, but many are in the mouth — as indicated above — on the skin and in other places. We must regularly deal with microbes whether we like it or not.
Here is one that is not about our human microbes. I found it in the “American Scientist.” A fungus which attracts and kills ants has outstanding control. It attacks an ant and steers it to go to the underside of a leaf just 10 inches above ground. That is because, we have now discovered, that that fungus does not grow properly on the ground. So! It makes the ant stay 10 inches up before it kills it so that it, the fungus, can survive and grow. Wow! I say to that. Another item about human microbes. I was interested to read in a “Science” that a young woman scientist at the Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis has become a widely-known expert on human microbes. We all are an ecosystem for huge masses of microbes. That has been long known, but many aspects, both good and bad, have not been known. She is now providing fine information on the subject.
Why is that important, you may ask? It is important because bacteria and viruses are a huge part of each of us. We are composed of billions of cells.
Recently, I read that 90 percent of all these cells are microbes. That was in a newspaper and I cannot believe it is 90 percent. I am sure, however, that much of our body is microbial, mostly good, sometimes bad. This young woman scientist will give us more information on the subject, it appears. That would happen, if I had my way.
The big, main article in the recent “SIM News” (that SIM stands for Society for Industrial Microbiology) caught my eye. That is because it is an analysis of the antibiotic abilities of filamentous fungi. The most important aspect of the article is the information learned about where we can find new antibiotics — which we badly need. An aspect which particularly caught my mycological eye, however, was that the article points out how fungi have become so diverse in our world. That is because of our antibiotic activity. It gives them all sorts of places to live and grow because it keeps other organisms away from them. It helps them find their niches in the world!
The headline of an article in the journal, “Microbe,” is “Antifungal compounds from seaweed show antimalarial potential.” That is exciting. Anything that will help us control malaria would be fine!
There was also a short comment in the same “Microbe” about the efforts of ExxonMobil and a professional genomic company to join together to make fuels from algae. Great, I say! We need more and different fuel sources.
I regularly get a publication from ExxonMobil, though I do not know why. In a recent one, there was a big article about the production of biofuels from algae. They are really going after it. As I said above, Great!
Perhaps you are aware of this, but microbes are everywhere. They are in places other organisms, or you and I, could not survive. A recent article in “Science” was entitled, “No Place Too Cold.”
The article describes how food webs for microbes are found even in the most remote and coldest places in the world. Therefore, microbes are there. I will just make the simple point that microbes are tough, tough, tough. They are everywhere.
Wow! I found this article in a “Science” journal. The title was “Eyeing Oil, Synthetic Biologists Mine Microbes for Black Gold.” Researchers are working at using “microorganisms to turn agricultural products into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.” I am not surprised at research in this direction and I am, indeed, pleased to hear that it is going on.
Enough on microbes for now. I hope you learn and enjoy from my tirades on the subject. You would, if I had my way.
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