Forget accounts with capes and sharp fangs: real vampires are some types of bacteria. Scientists have indeed discovered that these single-celled microorganisms are hungry for human blood. All the details.
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No castles in Transylvania shrouded in fog and mystery, but laboratories where scientists have discovered that some bacteria, including strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli), are chemically attracted to our blood serum as a food source and have named it “bacterial vampirism”.
The discovery would explain why these bacteria are such a common cause of bloodstream infections, which can lead to sepsis.
VAMPIRE BACTERIA
The research was conducted by scientists at Washington State University, who initially wanted to learn more about some bacteria that can cause bacteremia, meaning they are found in the bloodstream. Although in most cases it is a temporary condition that causes minor problems, other times it can transform into widespread, potentially fatal inflammation, which can compromise the functionality of one or more organs, i.e. sepsis.
The team then focused on three bacteria in particular, all belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family: non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica, Citrobacter koseri and E. coli.
All three, experts explain, “are a common cause of intestinal bleeding and bacteremia, and these infections are a major cause of death for people suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis.”
THE EXPERIMENT
The scientists took strains of these bacteria from real patients and used human blood serum and a microfluidic device to stimulate intestinal bleeding. “The bacteria were attracted almost instantaneously to even microscopic amounts of blood, usually taking less than a minute to identify the presence of serum nearby and begin moving towards it,” they reported, adding that “all microorganisms examined were able to feed on the whey.”
The results also show that some of them “are perfectly tuned to seek our blood for nourishment”.
INFLAMMATORY INTESTINAL DISEASES
“By learning how these bacteria can detect blood sources, we could in the future develop new drugs that block this ability and improve the lives and health of people with inflammatory bowel disease who are at high risk for bloodstream infections.” , said the study’s lead author, Siena Glenn.
The three bacteria observed are one of the main causes of death for people suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases, which affect approximately 1% of the population.
