Shrayana Ghosh, Amity University Kolkata
Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a marine bacterium which when ingested through raw or undercooked shellfish such as oysters and mussels leads to human gastroenteritis and according to recent studies can go dormant for a while and then get active afterward. Since Vibrio parahaemolyticus usually grows in tropical and warm temperature conditions, under unfavorable conditions such as cold temperature, these bacteria can go into a state of hibernation for a long period before resuscitating. Scientists from Exeter University recently discovered that though most of these bacteria that cause stomach upset in humans die on encountering poor growth conditions, some of them can stay inactive for a long period after which they are revived by an enzyme and can retain their virulence and can cause diseases. The findings also revealed that these dormant cells cannot be detected by routine microbiological screening tests.
These bacteria, on being inactive, change shape and reduce respiration activities due to which they are much harder to detect. The scientists identified that a lactate dehydrogenase enzyme that breaks down lactic acid into pyruvate is important both for the maintenance of the bacterial dormancy and its revival back to its active form.
This study also could explain as to how Vibrio parahaemolyticus growing in tropical marine environments after surviving the deadly winters of United Kingdom can remerge in the environment during the warm summers.
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