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“Most bacteria are free-living, self-replicating organisms. They
are ubiquitous because they can live anywhere in the environment:
in soil, in water as well as in living organisms and human bodies.
We generally live peacefully with the bacteria in our body as
long as they remain in their natural niche – gut, genital
tract, skin, and oral cavity. We have an efficient immune system
that helps to confine bacteria in their natural site. If our
natural barriers become damaged, for example, during surgery
or immunosuppression, we can become infected by the bacteria
that were previously beneficial. We are more likely to be infected
by our own bacteria than by pathogenic bacteria transmitted by
other persons or animals. I teach Bacteriology to medical students
at the Bordeaux University of Medicine.
My
research area is focused on mycoplasmas, very small bacteria
that live with a minimal set of genes. Some scientists try to
copy them to create a synthetic bacterium that could be engineered
to acquire new properties using genetic manipulations. This is
very exciting but this research should be guided by ethical rules
to avoid becoming overwhelmed by these actions that could be
dangerous for the human species.
In the field of basic research, I study antibiotic resistance
mechanisms. In the field of clinical practice, I perform antibiotic
susceptibility testing to determine which antibiotics are effective
to treat an infected patient. In the Bacteriology laboratory
of my hospital, we regularly isolate multi-resistant bacteria
from patients and sometimes highly resistant bacteria that are
now spreading worldwide. When the latter are detected, strict
hygiene measures must be taken to prevent their spread. Controlling
highly resistant bacteria is a crucial issue because pharmaceutical
research is no longer creating new antibiotics.” |
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