Page 8 - Spring2015

Letters

nine months to get better. He was told molecules called auto-inducers. These synchronize their behaviors based upon
that his syndrome was caused by stress. auto-inducers transmit information these signaling mechanisms.
As we speak two California state sena- to the bacteria about their co-located This is what occurs in marine bacte-
tors (one is a pediatrician) are introduc- brethren. That is, they signal population ria called Vibrio fischeri. These bacteria
ing legislation repealing California’s density to the microbe. This molecular colonize the light organ of a certain
personal belief exemption. signaling brings about the expression of squid’s body. When gathered in large
Bruce West, DC certain bacterial genes that were previ- enough numbers, they possess the abil-
Monterey, California ously switched off. This “knowledge of ity to generate luminescence and enable
their numbers” in turn guides all new the squid to mask its shadow, thereby
QUORUM-SENSING BACTERIA bacterial behavior. preventing detection by predators. This
A few years ago, I watched Natasha is a friendly action. On the other hand,
Campbell-McBride’s WAPF presen- the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus
tation, in which she talked extensive- is normally a harmless resident in
ly about the microbes in our body and our nose and on our skin, and exudes
especially our gut. She suggested we benign proteins—until it reaches a
have hundreds of species of bacteria, certain population density. When it
fungi, and viruses, friendly as well does, it turns from a quietly com-
as pathogenic, and the reason we did mensal bacterium into a malignant
not get disease from the pathogenic bacterium, and exudes toxins that
bacteria was because the largely can infect the skin and lungs, cause
healthy bacteria “crowded” out and endocarditis, inflame organs and kill
neutralized the effect of the minor us. The questions to ask ourselves
numbers of pathogenic bacteria. are: Why does it turn against us?
She said that it was only when this What causes its numbers to increase
healthful balance was subverted that suddenly? And how should we treat
pathogens took over and that having it when it proliferates?
this immense diversity of friendly Cartoon by Richard Morris The important point here is about
as well as unfriendly microbes was balance between the commensal and
critical to good health. This behavior can be friendly to the host the pathogenic. The bad can become
This was a beautiful idea that made environment, or it can be toxic. Thus, it good under the right circumstances, and
instant sense to me, especially because I can be harnessed for good or for bad. For vice versa. Our body houses an immense
was in the midst of inundating my fam- instance, when pathogens reach certain and healthy microcosm of these tiny
ily and imbuing my house with ferments critical numbers, they can start to exude creatures.
of every description. toxins in concert, which make their host The quorum-sensing mechanism
Mainstream medicine in the mean very sick. These are the bacteria that explains why killing off bacteria with
time has continued its blitzkrieg on were previously dormant or commensal, antibiotics is so harmful to health. Our
pathogenic bacteria, treating them living in harmony within their host’s body, and as a matter of fact, the entire
as “infections” instead of symbiotic ecosystem and secreting non-toxic world, contain mainly friendly, symbi-
colonizations. Then I came across metabolites that were either neutral or otic bacteria. But it is these larger quan-
the research of microbiologists hot on healthful. Thus the lowly bacteria can tities of friendly microbes that get killed
the trail of something called quorum- change their fundamental behaviors in in programs designed to massacre the
sensing bacteria. It appears that many, if response to their increasing population minority of the pathogens. The patho-
not all, bacteria communicate with each density. They have remarkable and so- genic bacteria that survive turn into
other through hormone-like signaling phisticated ability to communicate and mutated, drug-resistant microbes, and

6 Wise Traditions SPRING 2015 Wise Traditions

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