New Life Form Found In Human Saliva, Linked To Disease

New Life Form Discovered in Saliva is Linked to Human Disease

Bacteria that parasitise other bacteria have been found for the first time, and are linked to gum disease, cystic fibrosis and antimicrobial resistance

Andy Coghlan | June 29, 2016

Parasitic bacteria that are entirely dependent on the larger bacteria they infect have been discovered in human saliva. The tiny cells have gone undetected for decades, but appear to be linked to gum disease, cystic fibrosis and antimicrobial resistance.
The finding suggests that many other forms of parasitic bacteria could exist and be living inside us – we just hadn’t been able to detect them until now.
“This microbe is clearly the tip of the iceberg,” says Roland Hatzenpichler of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
We know of only one other type of bacteria that can infect other bacteria, but that one, called Bdellovibrio, is a free-living cell that hunts down its prey. 

Almost every known antibiotic came from 1 per cent of bacteria. Now we are learning how to grow the unknown microbes, and who knows what riches we’ll discover.

Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22930540-700-mining-the-hidden-treasure-of-the-worlds-unknown-bacteria

"The new parasitic bacteria sitting on the membrane on their unsuspecting host." Source; http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/new-form-of-life-in-human-saliva-is-a-bacterial-parasite/

<more at [requires that you set up free account to access the page:] https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23130804-400-new-life-form-discovered-in-saliva-is-linked-to-human-disease/; related articles and links: http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/new-form-of-life-in-human-saliva-is-a-bacterial-parasite/ (New Form Of Life In Human Saliva Is A Bacterial Parasite. July 27, 2016) and http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/health/human-microbiome-project-decodes-our-100-trillion-good-bacteria.html?_r=0 (In Good Health? Thank Your 100 Trillion Bacteria. June 13, 2012)>