Bacterial Innate Intelligence

A recent MSNBC article takes a look at a recent study involving the evolution of drug resistant bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus.

The website article opens with the statement, “The bacteria that cause serious and sometimes fatal staph infections are able to swap genes with relatives in order to adapt to new environments and cause even greater medical mischief, a study shows.”

That is the first sentence. Yet, just to the side in bright red text, the article reads… ” Staph is among the most common human bacteria. It is carried by about a third of the population. It can be picked up from countertops or door knobs, but is more frequently transferred through skin-to-skin contact, such as shaking hands.”

If “the most common human bacteria” was the cause of disease, wouldn’t “about a third of the population” have this particular disease? The article also states that Staph, “is a major cause of hospital-acquired infection.” Why is it that hospitals are not considered a major cause of hospital-acquired infections?

And just what is it that allows these bugs to comprehend and adapt to their environments so rapidly? Read the article for some clues.

MSNBC: Staph germs swap genes, study finds