Caffeine-Addicted E.coli to the Rescue
When you think of a bacteria like E.coli having human attributes such as addiction, a terrifying SciFi monster may come to mind. But when this addiction is to caffeine you may laugh at the thought that you also feel like a groggy monster without it.
Scientists recently created a new strain of E.coli bacteria by joining it with a naturally occurring soil bacterium that lives off caffeine. This strain of E.coli is special because it is now “addicted” to caffeine. Sound familiar? It loves caffeine released from waste, beverages and medications about as much as you love your morning dose of java.
E.coli has a bad rap as the stuff that makes you miserably sick if you eat uncooked food or fail to wash your hands after food prep. So why on earth does the world need a new type of E.coli? Saving the planet from pollutants may be the answer.
There are hopes that caffeine-addicted E.coli may lead to breakthroughs in decontaminating wastewater and other environmental pollution. The idea is that the bacteria would feed off of unwanted caffeine and other chemical compounds that have seeped into our water supply over time from coffee, soda, energy drinks, certain medications and other substances.
This special E.coli may also aid in bioproduction of medications, making it more cost effective. It could also be used to harness nutrient-rich byproducts from coffee bean production.
Will this special E.coli save the world one sceptic tank at a time? Probably not. But it could have great benefits for cleaning up a decent amount of pollutants. Whatever this new caffeine-addicted E.coli ends up being used for, this could be a step in the right direction for cleaning up mother earth.
