• Question: Do you think microorganisms could adapt in the future and what could they do?

    Asked by carrietrewern to Cat, Daz, Holly, Johnson, Pamela on 15 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Pamela Lithgow

      Pamela Lithgow answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Hi carrietrewern,
      Yes I think micro organisms will adapt and it is not really in the future!! When you hear about bacteria becoming resistant to an antibiotic or drug that is because the bacteria has adapted. As micro organisms are smaller and less complex than humans and other mammals they can change more easily. So what they do by adapting is survive in more environments where once they would not have survived.
      Pam

    • Photo: Holly Shelton

      Holly Shelton answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Hi
      I agree with Pam’s answer, microbes are continually changing in response to their environment (the types of antibiotics or anti-virals they encounter and the host immune system). One of the reasons that old and young people have to have an annual flu vaccine is that the flu virus changes its proteins slightly every year to avoid the human immune system so flu changes every year!!

    • Photo: Cat O'Connor

      Cat O'Connor answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Hi Carrietrewern,
      Pam and Holly have answered this question really well! I think that apart from antimicrobial resistance we need to worry about bugs picking up certain genes that allow them to become more deadly to humans and animals. Like Holly said, flu is a great example of this!

      Hope we’ve answered your question!

      Cat

    • Photo: Johnson Soronnadi

      Johnson Soronnadi answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      I totally agree with Pam, Holly and Cat. Micro-organisms will continue to adapt just as human beings have continued to adapt from the iron age environment. As the pressure from new antibiotics discovery are on the increase, micro-organisms will continue to modify (change) their systems and structures or produce substances which neutralizes the effects of these antibiotics.

      Johnson.

    • Photo: Darren Braddick

      Darren Braddick answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      Hi Carrietrewern!

      Well, they actually adapt all the time! They have been since life even began, depending on when you believe that was. Microorganisms like bacteria can adapt very quickly to their environment. An example that is close to me is with antibiotic resistance. It’s been shown that genetic information which can give resistance is very transmissible and can ‘jump’ between cells to pass itself along. This has actually been a major method of resistance spread. Bacteria can usually be killed quite easily, but with time they have adapted to take over/colonise *virtually* every surface and position on earth! Including very bad places, with radioactivity and intense cold and heat!

      I think a bad scenario for the future is if nasty microorganisms adapt to be resistant to all of our drugs… That is quite possible and quite worrying.

      I hope that helps,

      Daz

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