Four notable institutions have contributed resources and experts in this research that aims to find out how bacteria can survive in such harsh temperatures. Bacteria has been known to survive in the extremes, from freezing to boiling temperatures. So because bacteria can be so resilient, diseases caused by them, like cystic fibrosis, a hereditary disease that begins in infancy and affects various glands that result in thick mucus that block internal passages including the lungs; and urinary tract infections or UTIs, bacterial infections that affect the organs and structures of the urinary tract, are often very difficult to treat and cure. These people are prone to bacterial infection, as their immune systems are often compromised. With this experiment, the researchers hoped to add knowledge to the existing treatments and preventive actions already recognized and being implemented today.
It is a myth that single-celled organisms like bacteria are anti-social. When viewed under high magnification brightfield compound microscopes, bacteria can be seen to crowd together when under a certain amount of stress. As they ‘team-up’ they form something called a biofilm. As researchers saw clearly under a brightfield compound microscope, these biofilms are described as having quite complicated structures, yet the bacteria continue to thrive. They are like a colony with specialized mechanisms to bring the nutrients in and take the waste products out. If only researchers could find a way to disrupt these colonies or biofilms, then humans will have hope against fighting the diseases that these ever evolving bacteria tend to generate.
The researcher’s findings were published in the Public Library of Science Biology, November 2007 edition. They reported that they experimented on the bacteria E.coli with the use of a new microfluid device. This device permits the researchers to very small volumes of the cells in a solution, housed in small-scale chambers so that the bacteria is kept in the optimal culture medium for growth. The researchers then observed and documented the cells using brightfield compound microscopes and real-time microscopy. The self-organization and formation of biofilms were captured on video within a 24 hour period of time. The microscopies revealed that the as the packed cells remained longer in these chambers, the more structured and organized the biofilm appeared to be.
With these findings, the researchers want to be able to develop a treatment that will evolve as the biofilm does. For people with cystic fibrosis and urinary tract infections, it seems so simple to put them on antibiotics, and for a while their infections disappear, but given some time, they usually come back, and in antibiotic resistant forms, nevertheless. According to the research team, the microfluidic device can also be used to screen and test types of antibiotics or new drugs for their capability to prevent these harmful biofilms. These new drugs must be of varying strengths to adapt to the constant structural changes of the biofilm. As further research is being conducted, let us hope that the outcomes and findings will be used to prevent the further invasion of bacterial infection in our bodies.