Having just announced my love affair with the International Space Station, it seems unfortunate to learn that scientists have discovered antibiotic-resistant bacteria of the Enterobacter* strain on the station.
Okay, the good news is that they're not pathogenic** to humans. The bad news is that they exist at all as a different form from related Terran bacteria. The really bad news is the missing part of the good news: they're not pathogenic to humans YET. Computer simulations indicate a 79 percent probability that they will eventually evolve into a human disease pathogen, which seems like a bad thing.
Anybody remember The Andromeda Strain...?
- Sid
* If you're unfamiliar with the Enterobacter strain of bacteria, Wikipedia™ informs us that it is "a genus of common Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae."
You're welcome.
** Able to cause disease. Again, you're welcome.
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