Just very recently, scientists discovered a new form of bacterial parasite in human saliva and it lives inside the mouth, that can only thrive when it infects other bacteria around it.
New form of parasitic bacteria in human saliva exists when infecting other bacteria
Researchers from the University of Washington School of Dentistry made the announcement of this discovery during this year’s annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
“They’re ultra-small bacteria, and live on the surface of other bacteria,” Jeff McLean, the study lead and an associate professor of periodontics ,told the audience. This bacteria has only 700 genes , which is a low gene count for a bacteria but is similar to a strain of bacteria that infects other bacterial cells, but according to researchers, this one is unique because it is a free living cell that hunts down potential hosts.
The parasitic bacteria called TM7, this did not catch the eyes of prying researchers upon stumbling across a mysterious fragment of RNA, until upon a deeper scrutiny that they found out it was in fact a bacteria.
This parasitic bacterium latches itself into the membrane of the A. odontolyticus bacteria, until this parasitic bacterium sucks out the life of the host bacteria. Which when left alone to thrive, have been found to make gum disease even worse.
Not until this recent discovery, scientists from previous studies have in fact shown that the mouth is a highly diverse ‘community’ of organisms from viruses, fungi, bacteria and protozoa. Majority of these organisms are in fact, bacteria.
The most common diseases that occur in the mouth are tooth decay and gum disease
Image Credit: New Form Of Life In Human Saliva Is A Bacterial Parasite – IFL Science
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