April 15, 2008

UK scientists discover hybridisation of campylobacter
 

Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are exchanging genes by merging into one single species, said scientists from the Oxford University.

Samuel Sheppard, an evolutionary microbiologist at UK's Oxford University, had analysed the DNA from the bacteria with his team members.

Despite sharing about 85 percent of their genetic code, the two microbes are very different, according to Sheppard, who added that it is likely that the bacteria had started to reverse its genetic separation due to human agriculture.

Bacterial merger may have accelerated in recent years due to crowded livestock farms which changed the bacterial environment, according to Sheppard.

The bacteria are altered when their environment are changed, said Sheppard. He noted that chickens often mistake fowl faeces for food, which creates a consistent and quick way of mixing two intestinal organisms.

Sheppard said while bacteria often fail in exchanging genes, but the success rate will receive a boost if the bacteria are from a similar genetic line.