New acne bacterium Frank Zappa

New acne bacterium named after Frank Zappa

02/22/2014

Italian scientists have discovered a strain of acne bacteria in vine plants. Because of the unconventional habitat they named the pathogen after the late American musician Frank Zappa.

Bacteria rely on wine
Italian researchers have named a very unusual acne bacterium after the late American musician Frank Zappa. Like the team around Andrea Campisano in the journal „Molecular Biology and Evolution“ According to reports, about 7,000 years ago people would have infected vine plants with this skin bacterium. The bacterium exists "in the bark and marrow of the vine and is dependent on the plant host for its survival". „Humans, like most organisms, have established a long-lasting biotic community with a variety of microbes, including pathogens and gut-associated bacteria“, the researchers write.

The researchers ran Zappa music in the car
Both the unexpected habitat and the unusual behavior of the bacteria inspired the scientists in naming the now discovered strain. They chose the name for it „Propionibacterium acnes type Zappae“. The 1993 deceased musician Zappa is known for his weird compositions and partly controversial lyrics. The two authors of the study, Andrea Campisano and Omar Rota-Stabelli of the Fondazione Edmund Mach in S. Michele all'Adige (Italy) explained: „When we discovered the bacteria, we just heard a Zappa album in our cars.“ Zappa, who had Italian ancestors, sings in his satirical song „Jewish Princess“ from „sand-blasted zits“ (sandblasted pimples). Besides that is „Zappa“ the Italian word for hoe.

Bacterium is originally from humans
The researchers had discovered the bacteria in genetic analysis of plant samples taken at various locations in northeastern Italy. As the scientists reported, the bacteria could hide inside the cells and have apparently adapted to a completely new, intracellular niche in the grapevines. When the team then studied the evolutionary evolution of the bacterium, it was found that it originally came from humans who believed it had been transmitted to the grapevines about 7000 years ago. At a time when people started to cultivate wine.

A gene for repair of the genetic material disappeared
The scientists also discovered that a gene has disappeared from the genome of the bacterium that normally forms a protein to repair the genome. But without this protein „Propionibacterium acnes type Zappae“ rely on the vine to survive as the researchers write. The newly discovered bacteria is an ordinary of the skin. However, some strains of the pathogen may in certain cases be involved in the development of acne. (Ad)