Therefore Enterococcus gets the title of 'super bacteria' and a priority by the World Health Organization (WHO) to look for new drugs. Why is Enterococcus so rapidly developing immunity? According to this latest study thanks to the evolution of hundreds of millions of years.
Geneticist Ashlee Earl of Broad Institute says Enterococcus has an ancestor that can be traced up to about 450-500 million years ago. When the ancient animals that live in the water began to evolve move to live ashore.
In the ocean with wet conditions bacteria can come out with feces from one animal and fall to the seabed before being re-consumed into the body of other animals. But as time passes as the animals move on to land the ancestors of Enterococcus face a dry environmental situation.
In order to survive in a harsher environment, the ancestors of Enterococcus eventually became more adaptable.
"Land life will bring out special traits that make Enterococcus pathogenic bacteria can survive in drought, famine, and disinfection in modern hospitals," the researcher said as quoted by EurekAlert on Friday (5/12/2017).
Researchers say by studying Enterococcus genetics is expected in the future will be made a drug that can specifically deal with these super bacteria.