Tiny animal makes its own antibiotics using stolen genes

About the episode

A group of tiny freshwater animals have found an unusual way to protect themselves from infection, turning on genes they have stolen from bacteria and possibly plants.

The animals studied in this study are no larger than the width of a hair, but they have a head, a mouth, a digestive system, muscles, and nerves.

The researchers found that when these animals were exposed to a fungal infection, they turned on hundreds of genes to defend themselves, which they inherited from bacteria and microbes in their environment.

Then some of these genes led to the production of substances that fight infection. A kind of homemade antibiotic. This is extraordinary.

We already knew from previous research that these creatures can absorb DNA from their environment, and that they have been doing so for millions of years. But the fact that they actually use these genes and for what purpose is new information.

They also saw that the genes used in the animals had also evolved again. This could mean that they could produce antimicrobials that are adapted to a more advanced type of organism. Which could make them less toxic to humans and animals than the substances we currently produce in the lab.

Also given the global problems with resistance, this new form of antibiotic is very interesting for further investigation.

Read more about the research here: Young animals acquire genes from bacteria capable of producing antibiotics.