Superbug series #4 - Bacterial Zoo

Everybody has heard about and even visited zoos with different types of animals. But have you ever seen a superbug bacterial zoo ? Do you know about the contribution of the most common superbugs to Antimicrobial resistance worldwide ? Let's talk about the superbug bacterial zoo.

Continuing Superbug exhibition exhibits :

EXHIBIT NUMBER 2 : BACTERIAL ZOO

As we have seen what microorganisms and superbugs are in my last post, let's now focus on the different types of common superbugs that were displayed on the Bacterial zoo exhibit at the Superbug exhibition in Nehru science center, Mumbai, India. Gram negative and positive depending on their outer cell wall. Gram negative organisms are pink in color due to the presence of a thin peptidoglycan layer in their cell wall whereas Gram positive organisms are purple in color as their cell wall consists of a thick layer of peptidoglycan. The bacterial zoo exhibit displayed 10 microorganisms that have evolved into superbugs. These organisms were isolated from real patients from Tata hospital, Mumbai and streaked to grow on petri plates. All 10 microorganisms were superbugs responsible for causing different kinds of infections in the human body.

1. Salmonella typhi :

Microorganism responsible for causing typhoid. This organism is present in the contaminated water and food which when consumed by individuals, the organism invades the human body by weakening the immune system and thereby causing typhoid. It can also be transmitted via food handlers that do not follow proper hygienic practices while handling food.

2. Proteus mirabilis :

Responsible for causing a number of infections. It is present in soil, water and can cause urinary tract infections, worsen the wound infections in people or hospitalized patients and also result in sepsis and pneumonia.

3. Enterococcus faecium :

This is a dark pink (magenta) organism & is usually found in the human gut in inactive state and is beneficial for the digestive system but when it becomes actively virulent, it can harm patients suffering from multiple organ failure, end stage cancer or even the ones who have been hospitalized for a longer time period.

4. Enterobacter clocae :

They reside in the gut of a healthy patient but often cause urinary, respiratory tract infections and sepsis if they become virulent.

5. Streptococcus pneumoniae :

Streptococcus pneumoniae resides in the lungs and respiratory tract of humans but when a person's immune system is compromised it can result in Pneumonia. Antibiotics are used to treat infections that are caused due to Streptococcus pneumoniae but this organism is becoming resistant to the antibiotics due to antimicrobial resistance.

6. Klebsiella pneumoniae :

This organism does not reside in the human respiratory system unlike Streptococcus pneumoniae but invades a person's body when he has a weakened immune system. It appears as a sausage-shaped organism and can produce a slime. It causes blood, urinary tract and respiratory tract infections as they have become resistant to most available antibiotics.

7. Escherichia coli :

Often known as E. coli, this organism is the very first organism that enters our system when we are born. These microbes reside in the human gut in a harmless state. But can cause deadly infections of the urinary tract and even sepsis. They are most common of all the superbugs because they have become resistant to widely used broad spectrum and toxic antibiotics.

8. Staphylococcus aureus :

These bacteria can be identified by golden grape-like clusters under the microscope. They can cause bone, joint and blood infections, boils, abscesses, pneumonia. Sepsis caused by S. aureus can cause death if not detected early. Treatment is difficult since most strains of these bacteria are becoming resistant to many kinds of antibiotics.

9. Acinetobacter baumanni :

They are mostly hospital acquired infections or nosocomial infections found in hospital environments and sometimes present in soil and water. These bacteria are known to cause infections in patients with weak immunity.

10. Pseudomonas aeruginosa :

This organism is usually found in water or wet surfaces and can be identified from the colorful red and green pigments it produces. These bacteria can cause serious blood or urinary tract infections if they enter the human body. The Bacterial zoo exhibit had detailed information on 10 most common superbugs and explained to people about what kind of infections can be caused by different types of bacteria.

So as the 10 most common superbug information on my blog explains about the most common superbugs and the infections they cause, I hope you all are now aware of how different superbugs are that have evolved in a family of the superbug bacterial zoo that affects individuals and nations worldwide and contributes to Antimicrobial resistance that is a global threat.

- Rachna Jadhav

@theresilientresearcher