Researchers have found new bacteria under the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean. The newly-discovered bacteria belong to the family of chlamydia, the most common contagious STD in the US. But there is no need to worry about its contraction this time. A study, published in the journal Current Biology, highlights the evolution of Chlamydiae. Scientists have spotted running rampant around three kilometers deep at the bottom of the ocean. They believe the finding could assist in a better understanding of how the bacteria became infectious. Jennah Dharamshi, a Ph.D. student from the Uppsala University of Sweden, is a leading author of the study. As per Dharamshi, they never expected to find Chlamydiae in this environment. Even more, this discovery has offered new perceptions of how the evolution of these pathogens took place.
The researchers have discovered the new bacteria near Loki’s Castle; hot water went present between Norway and Iceland. Scientists say they have trapped the member of Chlamydiae family surviving in extreme circumstances having no oxygen. Usually, chlamydia requires a host to live. But the environment did not have had any other livelihood that could function as a host for the bacteria. Thus it remains unclear how the virus would have survived in such extreme conditions. Senior author of the research, Thijs Ettema from Netherland’s Wageningen University, even if the newly-found chlamydiae do not have any host entity, they hope that those bacteria need compounds from other microbes residing in the marine sediments.
Even more, the bacteria live in the environment having intense pressure, which challenges their growth. In some regions, researchers have assessed that the new species of chlamydia is the most powerful bacteria present-day. They also recommend that these bacteria play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem of the Arctic. Dharamshi said every time they explore a new environment; they find a cluster of microbes that are novel to science. Thus the latest finding reveals how much is yet to unveil. To know more about the bacteria, the authors aim to develop these viruses in laboratories. But it seems challenging to redevelop the microbes living in extreme conditions.
