Microbes Can Form 'Superorganisms' That Crawl Across Our Teeth

According to a somewhat accidental discovery, there are two things that can cause damage to your teeth.

A dental researcher from the University of Pennsylvania noticed that there were two different organisms under the microscope when examining the microbes that cause aggressive toddler tooth decay.

The lab explored how these clusters in the saliva of humans could cause tooth-rotting disease.

The findings show that the clusters act like a new superorganism, with new abilities to move and spread.

The pathogens were caught doing things that they weren't able to do on their own.

Streptococcus mutans was no longer dependent on saliva. The yeast, Candida albicans, can now be seen hitchhiking on the extended arms.

Knut Drescher is a microbiologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland.

Nobody would have predicted this.

It's not that they haven't worked together before. Human infections are caused by multicellular organisms. We don't know how these communities develop and work.

The authors of the current study found that the clusters ofbacteria can attach to the body, branches, and exterior sugars of the yeast.

The cells on their own can be difficult to attach to teeth. The'superorganism' has better tolerance to antimicrobials.

The craziest part is the superorganism's movement.

S. mutans has little arms that it uses to swim. It is not possible for C. albicans or S. mutans to move like that.

bacteria can jump forward to merge with other biofilms when they attach to these probes

The speed at which thebacteria moved was similar to that of wound-healing molecule in the human body.

Within hours of the two pathogens binding, the authors were able to catch a large group ofbacteria jumping to the other side of the world.

Nobody else has reported this type of mobility.

The authors write that the damage to the tooth-enamel surface is caused by the interplay of the two organisms.

Researchers think it may be possible to stop the binding of the two organisms.

Outside of dental work, the discovery is important.

It's possible that the new findings will help explain how infectious diseases are spread.

The authors write about the collective multicellular migratory mode.

It is possible that the interkingdom colonizers use this mechanism to boost range expansion nearby or possibly a navigation strategy to a desired direction or location.

The study was published in a peer reviewed journal.