Zombie bacteria
After the death of a young boy and more than 20 other illnesses from anthrax in Siberia this past week, it has been speculated that a recent heat wave has awoken anthrax bacteria that had been lying dormant within the carcasses of long-deceased reindeer buried in the permafrost. Anthrax bacteria can survive in the form of spores for decades”The anthrax spores lay in wait in the permafrost for more than a century,” an agriculture watchdog was quoted in the newswires as saying.And indeed, anthrax bacteria do form spores in asexual reproduction. These spores are highly resilient, and can survive temperature extremes over decades and even centuries. They come back to life when conditions become amenable for them – like in thawing permafrost.Other bacteria form spores as well. Many of those bacteria are also pathogens, or produce deadly toxins – like the tetanus bacterium or Clostridium botulinum.
Source: Dangers lurking in the permafrost | Environment | DW.COM | 05.08.2016











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