Wireless Messaging for Bacteria

An Anonymous Coward writes: "According to BBC's article, UK scientists discovered that bacteria have a capability of warning each other over air about new antidotes introduced and by doing so help to develop a resistance to antibiotics! Speaking of 802.11 standard amongst microbes! This is so twisted!"

Comments

duh?

[skilef]

The mechanism already known to do this is quorum-sensing. Researchers didn't know any airborne agents used in such a process.. They're talking about thriving populations; one of the main purposes of quorum sensing in the regulation of population growth. If cells are thriving, it means they 'know' due to quorum sensing there is enough food and room to duplicate.. Let's say those microbes in the dish with antibiotics gets a 'duplicate'-signal, the effect could be stronger than the presence of antibiotics. Microbes can reduce the stress induced by antibiotics actively. In the end, they'll die unless they're resistant. So if the 'multiply'-signal could induce multiplication instead of fighting the stress without a sufficient effect, the microbes in the antibiotic solution could just outrun the extinction effect by duplicating faster. Could be a new airborne 'divide'-signal. Resistance-signals are VERY unlikely!