A new bug on the block!

Finding a new bug is not an easy task, most often the differences between the in vivo conditions of the natural habitat and in vitro conditions of the laboratory pose problems in succesfull growth and isolation of the microorganism.

However, researchers of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, have recently isolated a new pathogenic bacterium. The gram negative rod which is named Granulobacter bethesdensis (after the disease and the Bethesda location in which it was found) is thought to cause chronic infections in patients with a rare immune disorder called chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). The bacterium possibly plays a role in more common conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome aswell, but this needs further investigation.

read the Nature news article or access the full text article (PLoS open access journal)