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news.Scientists have discovered a new phenomenon in which one bacterial cell can stop the growth of another upon physical contact, rendering those bacteria inactive.
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The findings indicate that Escherichia coli, one culprit in urinary tract infections, contains genes that when turned on block the growth of other E. coli bacteria that they touch, a discovery which was a complete surprise to scientists.
The research may eventually lead to new antimicrobial agents to halt bacterial growth which would be an entirely new system to shut bacteria down, according to the scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The discovery was made while the scientists were studying other aspects of E. coli. After working for two years, the team identified two genes required for this “stop on contact” phenomenon. As yet the researchers are unsure whether the cells are killed by the process or just rendered inactive.
Although the cells do not continue to grow after coming into contact, they do not behave as dead cells do, remaining intact rather than breaking apart. The scientists suggest they may be in a dormant state. One possible interpretation of this phenomenon is that bacteria use this system to eliminate competition in the environments they grow in. A further explanation may be that the bacteria use this repressed state to evade detection by the immune system.
“We are currently exploring how contact between bacteria can inhibit cell growth, and determining what this contact-dependent inhibition of growth (CDI) system is used for. These genes are present in E. coli, including uropathogenic E. coli that cause urinary tract infections, and similar genes may be present in other pathogens such as the plague bacillus, Yersinia pestis,” said Stephanie Aoki, a doctoral student at the university and first author of the study.
The findings have implications for management of chronic diseases, such as urinary tract infections, a disease which often disappears for awhile until something triggers its recurrence. This has led researchers to postulate that E. coli cells may hide in the walls of the bladder and urinary tract in a dormant state, a process which may involve the newly discovered CDI system.