Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the most common gram-negative bacteria, is known as one of the most dangerous microbes. This bacterium is at the top of the World Health Organization’s list of the most dangerous pathogens, in the most critical priority category, as it can easily evade the body’s defense metabolism and be deadly.
Although many people are exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in their daily lives, they usually do not suffer any harm. However, if there are suitable conditions, it can cause diseases that get out of control. Scientists who wondered how such a widespread microorganism in nature could pose huge dangers to humans took action and started a study.
GENETIC FAMILY TREE
The researchers, led by scientists from the University of Cambridge, collected nearly 10,000 bacterial samples from human, animal and environmental sources around the world, some dating back to 1900, and constructed a genetic family tree with 596 virus species closely related to Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Most of the diseases were found to be related to 21 of them. It was revealed that these virus types, which have evolved rapidly in the last 200 years, create dangerous infections.
IT COSTS HALF A MILLION PEOPLE THEIR LIVES EVERY YEAR
Every year, nearly half a million people die from this bacteria, abbreviated as P. aeruginosa. Its resistance to antibiotics causes 300,000 deaths annually.
Scientists suspect that the establishment of more crowded settlements in the last 200 years and the air pollution that came with this situation made them more susceptible to infection, causing this bacteria to spread rapidly.
CAN SURVIVE IN PURE WATER
This bacterium, which can survive in both jet fuel and pure water, can also be deadly in hospital conditions due to its strong adaptability. People who suffer from chronic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis and are treated in hospital are particularly vulnerable.
It has been revealed that some species have evolved in cystic fibrosis patients and evade the immune system by settling in macrophages that are supposed to fight it, thus revealing the extent of evolution that this pathogen has undergone to survive.
This information also suggests that more effective screening and isolation measures need to be developed.
The results of the research, which included scientists from many countries, were published in the scientific journal Science.