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A groundbreaking discovery has emerged from a team of scientists at the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland. Their research has unveiled 35 previously unknown bacterial species, with a handful of them posing potential risks of infections in humans.
Since 2014, the team has been meticulously collecting and analyzing patient samples that contained unidentified germs. These bacterial pathogens were isolated from blood or tissue samples of patients afflicted with various medical conditions.
Despite employing conventional laboratory techniques like mass spectrometry or partial bacterial genome sequencing, these unknown germs remained elusive. To crack this mystery, researchers leveraged a cutting-edge method allowing the sequencing of the complete genetic material of these bacteria, a technology available only in recent years.
By comparing these genome sequences with known strains using an online tool, the team made a remarkable breakthrough. Out of the 61 analyzed bacteria, a staggering 35 were entirely novel to science. The remaining 26 strains were deemed challenging to identify due to recent additions to genomic databases or the recent creation of accurate taxonomic descriptions.
What makes this discovery even more critical is the direct clinical relevance identified in seven out of the 35 new strains. Dr. Daniel Goldenberger, a microbiologist at the university, emphasized the rarity of such direct correlations between newly identified bacteria and their potential to cause infections in humans.
Dr. Goldenberger shed light on the nature of these newly discovered species, most of which belong to the Corynebacterium and Schaalia genera, both gram-positive bacilli. These genera are commonly found in the natural human skin microbiome and mucosa. Their frequent presence often leads to underestimation and sparse research, making these findings even more significant.
The study’s revelations could potentially reshape our understanding of bacterial infections, emphasizing the importance of continued research into these often underestimated strains. The team’s groundbreaking work not only expands our knowledge but also underscores the necessity of exploring these lesser-known bacterial communities for potential health implications.
