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| Sunday, 21 November 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
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Entering the fascinating world of bacteria
"Bacteria was first suspected by Fracastor in 1546, observed by Antoine Van Leewenhoek in 1680 and incriminated for infections by Louis Pasteur and Koch", said Jean-Marc Reyart, Faculty of Medicine, National Institute of Health and Medical Research, Paris, as he explained man's love-hate relationship with bacteria to a group of schoolchildren at the B. M. Birla auditorium in Chennai, India. 'What do we know about bacteria?' a lecture organised by the French Embassy in India, Alliance Francaise and the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre provided children several insights into the eventful world of bacteria - the single-cell organisms that feed on anything from starch to iron. "Only a small number of bacteria species are pathogens", said Dr. Reyart, whose research focuses on the pathogenesis of systemic infections and genes responsible for disease. But these pathogens can be deadly - accounting for two million tuberculosis (TB) deaths, six lakhs Shigelosis fatalities, three lakhs whooping cough victims and five lakhs meningitis casualties every year globally. Mapping the genealogy of bacterial species is complex as they are estimated to have around 6,000 genes; one-sixth of the 35,000 genes in humans. Around 1,000 genes are common to all bacteria and 30 genes characterised as virulent species, geneticists have sequenced 200 bacterial genomes since the first bacterial genome was mapped in 1995, said Dr. Reyart. Critical gaps "There are still critical gaps in our understanding of bacteria", said Dr. Reyart. There was no evidence to suggest that bacterial characteristic was determined by the genome sequence or which gene was good or which was bad. Investments in research have to be increased to enable a higher understanding of each gene, said Dr. Reyart. Earlier, inaugurating the programme, Michel Seguy, Consul General of France in Pondicherry, said globalisation should not be just about business expansion but involve sharing of knowledge and scientific progress. Solomon Victor, Director, The Heart Institute, said the need of the hour was to change the focus of education from marks and examinations and encourage the inquisitive spirit in young minds. The Hindu |
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With a history of 3.5 billion years, they can lay claim to being the
earliest forms of life, generating disease as well as antidotes and their
applications range from producing cheese to bleaching Indigo blue jeans.
