E. coli To the Rescue.

http://images.sciencedaily.com/2013/10/131002125505-large.jpg

The bacteria E. coli is mostly known for making people sick and has always received a bad reputation. But most people don’t seem to know that E. coli is a regular inhabitant of the gut and actually benefits the host by producing vitamin K, and now scientists have discovered that they can reprogrammed the microbe to seek out and kill other disease-causing pathogens. This programmed type of E. coli can even kill bacteria within biofilms, which are responsible for many infections. We have previously learned in class about biofilms and how they can form within our bodies as well, some places where they can form is on your teeth and on medically implanted devices and this can lead to some serious infection if not treated promptly. Which is why this discovery can potentially be life saving, because the bacteria that cause these infections live in well-developed biofilms. In the study the researchers programmed the bacteria to sense Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacteria that can form biofilms and cause hospital acquired infections in the lungs and the gut. The E. coli swims to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa and kills it by releasing an antimicrobial peptide and an enzyme that is able to breakdown biofilms. This article was very interesting and the discovery has a lot of potential if it can be applied to the dental field because of the biofilm on teeth that cause cavities and gum diseases. In the entire article only one researchers name was mentioned, it did not mention who or what he does, which makes the article seem questionable but overall it was still quite interesting.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131002125505.htm