Science Invented the Bacterial Version of Suicide Bombers?

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is two things: absolutely nasty and absolutely everywhere. It can live in just about any environment on earth, and if you get infected with it, it can cause sepsis and inflammation. It’s all over hospitals, and it can kill. So science decided to make itself a bacterial Boomer and put Pseudomonas in its place.

The researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore designed a synthetic bacterium using E. coli that finds Pseudomonas, gives it a great big hug, and then explodes, spraying anti-bacterial agents everywhere. It grows just like a normal bacterium until it finds its target, and then BLAM! Kiss your bacterial ass goodbye.

The best part? The method it uses to detect Pseudomonas can be used for other diseases, most notably cholera. We could be on the verge of having a cheap, simple way to wipe out one of the worst diseases on the planet. Thanks, E. coli! This makes up for all those times you gave us…well…you know.

[ via the germophiles at The Scientist ]

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