Swiss scientists discover 35 new bacteria in hospitals
Researchers in Basel in northwest Switzerland have found 35 new species of bacteria in patient samples taken at hospitals. Seven of them can cause infections in humans, a study published on Monday shows.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Português
pt
Cientistas suíços descobrem 35 novas bactérias em hospitais
A team from the University of Basel and the University Hospital of Basel has been collecting bacteria samples from patients with a wide variety of illnesses since 2014.
Overall, the team led by the microbiologist Dr. Daniel Goldenberger analysed 61 unknown bacterial pathogens found in blood or tissue samples from patients with a wide range of medical conditions.
Conventional laboratory methods, such as mass spectroscopy or sequencing a small part of the bacterial genome, had failed to produce results.
That is why the researchers sequenced the complete genetic material of the bacteria using a method that has only been available for a few years. They then compared the identified genome sequences with known strains in an online tool.
Of the 61 analysed bacteria, 35 were previously unknown, the university said on Monday in a press release.
Anyone who discovers a new species can choose its name. So far, the Basel researchers have named two of the bacteria, according to the university. One is named Pseudoclavibacter triregionum, based on Basel’s location on the border between Switzerland, France and Germany.
According to the researchers’ analysis, seven of the largely unnamed bacterial species are clinically important, i.e. capable of causing infections in humans.
Many of these types of bacteria would be found naturally in the skin and mucous membranes. “For this reason, they are often underestimated and have received little research,” study leader Daniel Goldenberger said. However, if they enter the bloodstream, for example due to a tumor, they could trigger infections.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.