Tummy bugs may have deep-sea ancestors: experts - Yahoo! News
"The researchers suggest that human pathogens (gut bugs) evolved from a deep-sea ancestor, and acquired further virulence factors while living in symbiosis with invertebrates," they added.
The two gut bugs the scientists selected were the helicobacter, which causes ulcers, and the campylobacter, which causes food-borne diarrhea.
The two proteobacteria, sulfurovum and nitratiruptor, are found in very deep seas, areas on the sea floor so hostile that only the hardiest micro-organisms can survive.
Recent technological advances allowed scientists to culture these bacteria. They found the micro-organisms could grow at temperatures ranging anywhere between 4 and 70 degrees Celsius (39 to 158 Fahrenheit).
"The researchers suggest that human pathogens (gut bugs) evolved from a deep-sea ancestor, and acquired further virulence factors while living in symbiosis with invertebrates," they added.
The two gut bugs the scientists selected were the helicobacter, which causes ulcers, and the campylobacter, which causes food-borne diarrhea.
The two proteobacteria, sulfurovum and nitratiruptor, are found in very deep seas, areas on the sea floor so hostile that only the hardiest micro-organisms can survive.
Recent technological advances allowed scientists to culture these bacteria. They found the micro-organisms could grow at temperatures ranging anywhere between 4 and 70 degrees Celsius (39 to 158 Fahrenheit).
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